Chapter 1: Arrival

Chapter One
Arrival

The wind of the world slowly curls around a small leaf. Pushing and pulling until; it breaks. The small slice of life, falling down towards the ground. Drifting through the air. Before it hits the soft ground it starts to tumble as a man walks by, pushing the leaf from his path. The man turns his head lazily as he looks around himself at the peaceful forest. Nothing but the sound of the rustling leaves. Moonlight casts a silvery gleam to the hilt sticking out from a small bag slung over his shoulder. On the blade a small set of words stands out, highlighted from the moon. The words read, SynHawk Tsavo. The light not only falls on the hilt but also on two daggers. One strapped to the rear of his belt and one by his ankle. However as he walks he hears a small sound behind him, as if someone dropped to the ground. He stops and turns on his heel, eyes shooting open. He falls sideways suddenly. Narrowly avoiding a dagger in the air. The bag falls from his shoulders and slides off the slight rise of the road. Looking up, SynHawk frowns at the empty path behind him. He gets up quietly, listening for any sound of the assailant.

“You’re looking in the wrong place Syn” SynHawk’s eyes shot up to over him, where a female was looking down at him. She was perched on a branch, her grey hair falling over her shoulder in a long plat. SynHawk narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t call me that vampire” her tongue licked her two pointed teeth, protruding from her mouth. SynHawk watched her as he put some distance before them. “What are you doing following me? Surely your kind is not hunting me as well now” She smiled darkly, her eyes deep and black.

“No, not our kind. Just my master” She slipped off her branch and SynHawk stood his ground. She smirked and walked towards him you’re not afraid?”

“Of what? You’re not the first vampire to have attacked me” She closed the distance between them until she was close enough to see the depth of his green eyes.

“I’m sure that may be” he peered into her black eyes and smiled

“Your new at this, recently born aren’t you?” She stepped back a little

“What has that got to do with anything, I still have power. I can take anyone” She laughed as she felt her blood, running with the darkness in her veins. Pumping beyond human abilities into her existence.

“I’m sure you think that, and I’m sure you’re going to try and stop me” A faint sound emanated from her, almost a low growl.

“That I do, and I will” SynHawk smiled to himself and then jumped towards the girl. Twisting in the air he swept his foot up and it connected with her chest, making her fall back.

As she was thrown back she landed on her feet and threw her head back, baring her teeth. Her voice now came through from the tainted evil she really was.

“SynHawk, you will pay for that” she emphasized the start of his name, spitting it out like poison. He grimaced and put one foot back, bracing himself for her. She ran at him, closing the already little distance between them. She was almost upon him as her hand spun out from behind her, holding a knife she must have pulled out of somewhere. SynHawk’s eyebrows raised and he quickly moved to the side, her lunge barely missing his body. Quickly she spun when her foot touched the ground and she caught SynHawk’s arm with the tip of the blade. His hand shot to his arm, blood seeping into his already ragged clothes. He gripped it and winced slightly. She laughed coldly

“Why, what is this?” her eyes lit up as she walked purposefully towards the cut SynHawk “Oh don’t tell me the infamous SynHawk isn’t as invincible as they say he is” her words passed like ice over his ears. He shot her a dark look, a small glow edging from his hand. The light seemed to seep into his arm and he pulled his hand away.

“Now let’s settle this vampire” He raised his arm and the sleeve fell back. Where the blade had cut him the skin had grown back, still very red and angry but no longer bleeding profusely. His eyes dark from the shadows he moved towards her.

“SynHawk my boy, you don’t have the control here” she stepped back and an evil grin seeped into her features. It faltered for a second, showing her worry. Never-the-less she looked at SynHawk and then over them.

“Only I do” she jumped with surprising agility and disappeared into the thick overlay of branches over him.

He heard a deep echoing laugh as the woman mocked him. He looked up and around him, his body turning and trying to find her. A cold wind picked up.

“SynHawk Tsavo. The almost legendary SynHawk Tsavo. Though few know the real name”

His head spun and he was unable to see his on-looker.

“How do you know me?” his voice questioning the air

“Oh I don’t know you as such, and I only recently heard of you from a certain someone who knows all about you” SynHawk; frowning, picked up his sword from the ground and peered into the deep, unending gloom. Mind working.

“Alright, so we know about me... who do I have the presence of? Surely you must have a name” he could sense her smiling after this and he looked around, feeling her nearby.

“Vachilli” as softly as the wind he felt her drop to the oak leaf covered ground. He turned slowly and gazed upon her almost black eyes once again.

“Well Vachilli, how do you suppose we sort this? I have no intention of dying, and you want me for your master” She casually walked up to him and looked into his eyes.

“Dead for my master” Flicking her tongue over her lip she walked away. She did this and SynHawk saw the scimitar strapped to her back. He leaned against his sword and almost smiled.

“So I assume this may not play out in my favor”

“Not unless you can live a long life without your head” She slowly turned and SynHawk could see her muscles tense, ready to spring upon him. He grimaced at the threat and straightened himself, raising his blade.

“Enjoy trying” He ran at her and she spun, her blade’s edge screeching against his. The sound echoed throughout the forests ordinarily quiet air. Throwing her back he swings his blade at her again, the air whistling over the sharp edge. Twisting she dodged his swing with un-natural speed and almost effortlessly countered his stroke with her own. They separated and started to circle each other. Blades sharp and at the ready and minds even sharper.

Vachilli glared at SynHawk as their bodies slowly moved, their feet as fluid as a cat. A twig snapped under SynHawk’s boot and her eye’s flickered towards it. Her eye sped back but it was too late, SynHawk had closed the few meters between them and he pulled his blade upwards towards her. The side of the blade caught her along the chest and created a small gash. He smirked and she pulled back, anger in her eyes. The blade in her hand shone and she swung at him, putting him slightly off balance as he backed off. As he did she swing again, a wild passion in her eye. He blocked her scimitar and paced himself backwards away, her swings erratic and wild, unpredictable.

“Didn’t you want to finish this SynHawk?” her voice was slightly breathless. She lunged at him and he darted to the side, turning and bringing the hand grasping the hilt down onto her arm. Crying out she dropped her sword and pulled back. “Fine” Vachilli ran at SynHawk and then darted off to the side, sinking into the darkness. Again SynHawk was left alone in the darkness, his eyes and ears unable to tell where Vachilli was.

“Running away again?” He shouted out into the darkness of the surrounding trees. The path seeming so much colder now. Looking around he suddenly shouted as he felt something hard smack him in the back, throwing him to the ground and his sword out of his hand.

“Not quite ruining, I intend to finish this” She leaned down before SynHawk could move and smacked her knee into his neck, pinning his head down. “Syn you are too human, your too afraid of really hurting someone” Pressing harder against his neck SynHawk groaned and felt his bones bending. He grimaced and then slowly turned his body, the pain in his neck just bearable.

“Vachilli, get off” She looked down into his eye’s and smirked evilly

“Or what? You’ll bleed on me?” His eye’s flared up and a heat emanated from his skin. A small flame erupted in his hand out of Vachilli’s view.

“Not quite” he moved his arm and pushed the ball into her back, drawing a scream of pain into the air. Vachilli fell of him and writhed on the ground as she tried to stop the pain in her back. Gasping SynHawk rolled away and tried to breathe.

Vachilli’s eyes locked onto SynHawk’s as she lay there on the floor, fire running through her veins. She gasped and called out to him.

“Help…me” her eyes rolled back and she started to writhe more violently. Her mouth open in a silent scream. SynHawk’s mind raced as he watched her slowly die. He pulled himself over to her with a groan over the dirt and placed a hand on the side of her face. Calming her a little. He put an arm around her His arms glowing slightly. As the glow started to die Vachilli’s thrashing slowed and she started to pant. Rolling off him and crawling away in the dirt.

“Vachilli, stop this. You don’t have to fight, I won’t… kill you needlessly” She came to a halt against a rock and looked back at him.

“I can’t, he will do worse” a slight pleading in her voice “so much worse” She stood slowly, the breath and senses coming back to her. “I cannot go back to him empty handed” Her eyes deep and menacing once again, her fleeting weakness gone. Quietly SynHawk stood, his voice calm

“I won’t go, alive or dead” Vachilli’s eyes flared brightly

“I am not giving you a choice Syn” Her eye flickered “I can’t go back..” She glared at him and then held her hand up. Moonlight glinting on her sharp nails. Before SynHawk could do anything she dived at him and caught his face with her fingers and drove them, deep through his skin. He pushed her back and staggered back, blood quickly running down his cheek.

“So be it Vachilli, I don’t want to this but” he wiped his face carefully with his arm “I don’t want to die, not yet anyhow” She glared at him and spoke

“Too bad” SynHawk smiled a little and ran at her. Too bad for who?. He swung his arm around to meet her ribs as she was still surprised. Connecting, she was thrown back a little and swung her leg as she found her balance. It hit SynHawk square on his knee and he fell down to his knees. She then brought her arm around to smash SynHawk’s windpipe but he was too fast. Grabbing her arm and twisting it roughly he got up and spun her around, her back pressed to his front. She struggled but it only spread more pain into her twisted arm.

“I am sorry Vachilli” Her eyes widened as she felt a dagger press into her back, SynHawk had pulled it from his belt quickly.

“Malcorey will not forgive you for this!” SynHawk pulled her tighter to him, his mind furiously working

“Malcorey?! That name is… old. If that’s…” He stopped as Vachilli started to struggle again, her feet lashing out to his legs.

“Let me go” She felt SynHawk relax and then a brief burning sensation in her neck. Her mouth opening as she quickly burst into embers and crumbled into dust. Her body succumbing to a final death. As her dust and ashes slowly fell to the dirt ground SynHawk closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

Mind calming from the fight. He opened his eyes and then was quite aware of the blood falling from his cheek. Raising his hand he wiped some of the blood away before walking to his backpack. SynHawk bent down and picked it up, gingerly slipping the straps to his shoulders. The pain and exhaustion from the fight had caught up with him. As he tried to ignore the pain wandering through his muscles he looked around and smiled slightly, his long-sword a few feet from him. Picking it up and brushing the dust from it he slipped it back into his pack.

The moonlight shone down onto SynHawk as he once again was making his way through the forest. Although now his pace was slower and his body tired. SynHawk’s eyes searched the forest for some sign of rest, somewhere he could sleep. Gently a small stream of light worked into his eye as he saw a small square of a bright light in the distance. He smiled to himself and worked his way towards it, body determined now. He reached the now identifiable inn and looked at the small two-story grey stone building. The light was seeping through the dusty windows, figures moving within. SynHawk made his way to the door and opened it slowly, peering inside. He saw tables placed throughout the floor, most of them empty. A large table however was placed along one of the sides, probably for big feasts or some sort. As he walked in and closed the door a man walked from the other side of the inn. He had on black trousers and a white shirt, covered with a simple black waistcoat.

“Can I help…” the man’s speech slowed as he saw SynHawk smile at him and then slowly topple to the ground. His body finally overcome with exhaustion and pain. His bag fell to the floor and the man caught SynHawk before he collapsed to the ground but his mind was already gone. Engulfed by sleep.