Summer watched Al's fussing with increased amusement. Ida seemed worried, but on a lot less dramatic level compared to the men.

It wasn't the first time it happened, and this left Summer wondering who exactly was Leon. He'd told her he was a figure in the military. But something about it bugged Summer.

Hmm...

The boy's father sat down, cradling both his sons in his arms. His face had regained some color. She'd snatched the baby earlier, thrusted him at the father and told them to run in the direction of Ida and the others.

She'd stayed to make sure Leon didn't harm the bear, and what she witnessed made her realize how easily Leon could break her bones without breaking a sweat. It was an alarming thought, but she wasn't particularly worried. She could hold her own and Leon, begrudgingly, did not strike her as a man who would do that.

He had spared the bear, after all, when it would have been much easier to kill it with that massive sword of his.

Felix and Al had to contain themselves until they all put enough distance between them and the sleeping black bear. Now they sat, Felix mending Leon's shredded back under the fading light.

"Thank you," the man said, his face still bloodless. "I owe you my son's life."

In his mid thirties, with dark brown hair and sun weathered skin. The man had Felix's slight built. His light hazel eyes still retained a hint of fear for his child's life.

"Don't mention it," Leon said. His upper body was bare, and Summer could see old knife scars. His body was that of a soldier who'd lived through many battles.

So maybe he really was in the military.

"How did you get yourself in that situation?" Ida asked.

The man sighed, the toddler slapped his chubby hand on his father's cheek, having already forgotten his earlier predicament.

"We just moved to a cabin near the river a few weeks ago. I gather medical herbs and sell them for a living. I never go too deep in the forest. Today the kids tagged along. Dale wandered off, so I told his big brother to keep an eye on him."

The man looked ashamed. "I think I lost track of time. The next thing I know, I couldn't find either of them. I spotted Reed running after Dale, by the time I caught up with them, the bear was there..."

He squeezed his sons to him again, eyes haunted. Reed, the older boy, looked at Leon with fascination written all over his young face.

Summer could understand him. A giant bear of a man with a clawed back and a big sword, Leon looked like the personification of every war book's warrior hero.

Leon put on his clothes after Felix finished bandaging his wounds.

"Are you travelling east?" the man asked. He shook his head and stood up, his youngest propped on his hips while the oldest stood near him, still gazing upon Leon with wonder. "Where are my manners? My name is Sage, this is Reed, my eldest. And the little trouble maker is Dale."

After the introductions, in which no one mentioned that Summer was actually a prisoner. Leon said, "we're travelling north."

Sage frowned. "Across the Red river? The Big Stone bridge is the most common point of crossing in these parts."

"We're headed west for a particular reason," Ada said, making no mention of the ambush they evaded. "Do you live nearby? We have to make camp for the night, but one of us can escort you home if you are still shaken."

The man drew himself to his full height. "My house is not far from here. I do wish you would do me the honor of being my guests for the night. It is the least I can do. My place is not very far off your path."

Al and Ida glanced at Leon. He quietly observed the man for a few seconds before nodding. "Then we will gratefully take advantage of your hospitality for the night."

Sage beamed.

His house was, indeed, not far off their road. It was also close to the Red River.

The heavy tree canopy opened to reveal a stretch of grassy land where two buildings stood. Beyond them, Summer could hear the river rushing wild and relentless.

The night would fall shortly. Sage showed them to one of the buildings. It was a stable and a shed, where they could put their horses for the night. As they settled their horses in the stables, Sage and his sons preceded them to the house to let his wife know they had company, as Sage explained.

Summer helped Felix rub down his horse, made sure the animal had water and food for the night, then went outside to see the river.

The wind had a bite in this part of the kingdom, even with spring settling down. Summer looked up at the gray sky. The gloomy clouds looked heavy. Rain was coming.

Boyd had told Summer about the Red River when she was about ten or eleven years old. She had wondered with fascination and disbelief at the time, about how a river could truly be red.

As she looked down the cliff at it, now, she suddenly missed Boyd with a sharp ache in her chest. He was essentially the only parent figure she'd had. The only person, other than Rose, who had cared whether she lived or died.

Summer shook off the somber thoughts, blaming it on the weather, and picked up a rock. The river had dug deep into the ground in this part of the land. The cliffs on either side were almost vertical, with a few protruding rocks on the way down.

Summer let the rock drop from her hand and counted. One, two, three, four.

Roughly four seconds. Hmm. That would make it round a two hundred feet fall. With the rocks jutting out haphazardly and the racing river down below, it was certainly a risk.

Ida and Leon joined her. "Quite a drop," Ida said, looking down.

"But it's beautiful," Summer said. And it was. The water appeared red. Summer knew it was an illusion of the red algae coating the river bed. Illusion or not, however, the sight was still supernaturally beautiful.

"It's going to rain tonight." Ida shivered. "We're lucky we happened upon Sage."

Lucky. Summer smiled. Spending a rainy night in a dry, warm bed was definitely lucky.

"Let's hope we stay lucky." Summer grinned, wagging her eyebrows at Ida. "You have me, after all."

***

Sage's wife was as tall as he was. A slender dark-eyed beauty. The long locks in a thick braid down her back were almost blue black, and her pale skin was touched with gold. Both children inherited their mother's coloring, but their features were purely their father's.

The house was big, in Summer's standards. A living space, with a long table and chairs, opened into the kitchen. There was no plumping. They got their water from a well Summer had spotted earlier.

Sage, his wife and Al chatted cheerfully as the couple set the table for dinner. They explained their big house and large dining table by the frequent visits of their relatives. The small town where the couple was from was located a small distance south of the river.

"With two boys running around, I wonder how you get anything done?" Al asked as they all sat down for dinner. Dale was sitting in his mother's lap, and Reed sat next to Leon.

"We don't live here permanently," Sage's wife, Amber, explained with a soft smile. "We come here a few days every few months because my husband collects the red algae from the river and some herbs from the forest. Our relatives tag along some times to spend time off away from town."

Summer could barely wait for them to start eating. The sight of the homemade meal made her mouth water. Mashed potatoes, roasted meats and more dishes she didn't recognize. It was a veritable feast.

And homemade bread. The smell had hit Summer as she entered the house, and she had been close to drooling since then.

The food tasted as heavenly as it smelled. Boyd had always scolded her for her manners. He'd called them table manners. But ever since she'd told him she never once had a proper meal at a table, he stopped bugging her about it. Now, she was barely conscious of people around her, but she tried not to make a spectacle of herself.

Silence reigned, the only sounds were those of forks and knives, and of Dale's loud munching and unintelligible chatter.

"I take it you like the food?" Amber asked. Summer looked up when no one answered. The woman was looking at her with a kind smile.

Summer swallowed the food in her mouth, washed it down with water and nodded. "Yes, it's amazing. Thank you."

Amber's smile widened. Thankfully, no one engaged Summer in any more conversation, and she ate to her heart's content.

After dinner, Sage took care of the dishes, rejecting all offers of help. Amber took Dale in to put him to sleep, and the rest, along with Reed, sat around the table with cups of hot tea. A fire crackled in the hearth, casting an orange glow and sharp shadows across the house.

Leon was wiping down his sword, the scent of clove oil drifted to Summer's nose, making her relax. It reminded her of calm evenings with Boyd after a full day of training. The two of them would sit by the fire after devouring dinner, and Boyd would wipe down his sword with long, slow strokes of a cloth dipped in clove oil.

Reed reminded Summer of herself. She used to sit by Boyd just as Reed now sat by Leon, following the motion of his hand, mesmerized and relaxed.

"Ah, it's pouring," Sage said, looking upward. The pitter patter of rain intensified.

"We're lucky you met that bear," Felix said, drinking his tea with a drowsy expression. Everyone looked at him, Sage's eyes wide and brows raised.

Felix blinked, then his cheekbones and the tips of his prominent ears turned bright red. "I-I mean, not lucky that the bear attacked you! Just that we would have spent the night in the rain if it hadn't. If we hadn't heard your son scream, that is. Not that your son should have-"

"He's trying to say we're lucky to be able to spend the night in a warm, dry place," Ida said.

Felix nodded frantically. "Exactly. What she said."

"Can I hold the sword?" Reed whispered to Leon, his dark eyes gleaming with childish eagerness.

Leon glanced at Sage. "If it's okay with your father."

Sage wiped his hands on a kitchen rag and looked at Leon apologetically. "He has an unhealthy fascination with weapons. I'm sure your sword is very valuable, you don't have to."

"It's no bother," Leon said. Reed was standing straight, almost on his tiptoes, his face glowing with excitement.

Leon handed the boy the big sword. The weapon was almost as big as the child was tall.

The double edged blade was thick around the handle and tapered ever so slightly as it flowed to the tip. Its stark simplicity only lended more to its impression. Summer was sure a sword that big was meant for two handed use. But she'd seen Leon swing it around with one hand as if it was made of cotton. The man's brute strength was unbelievable.

Leon kept his hand on the base of the handle, supporting the sword's weight, even as Reed closed both hands on it.

"Dad, look! It's taller than me!" Reed said. "Ooh! It's really heavy, too."

"His grandfather was a guard," Sage told us as Reed waved the sword slightly from side to side. "Reed was very fond of him. We lost him last year."

"I'm sure he was an impressive man," Al said. Leon murmured something to Reed, the boy nodded.

"He used to let Reed help him clean his weapons. Amber would always throw a fit about how he could hurt himself."

Summer was so taken by the look on Leon's face, the conversation receded to a distant buzz. Gone was the stoic, flat expression. Leon's lips now stretched into an almost imperceptible smile as he listened to the boy, his eyes had softened. Instead of the black ice she was used to seeing there, the fire reflecting in his dark brown eyes made them warm and inviting.

He was probably a father, Summer thought. Or he had been.

That thought made him seem almost human. Summer looked down at her empty cup. She wasn't ready to deal with the fact he might not be the heartless, unscrupulous man she thought he was. She couldn't. He was the one who threatened to take her friend, an innocent woman, as a suspect in case Summer thought of running away.

Right. She just had to remember that little fact. He wouldn't seem human then.

Summer preferred viewing him as the untrustworthy person she thought he was. Leon was a person of great authority, if the way the others treated him was anything to go by.

Her distaste for authority and its representatives was something so ingrained in her mind, so familiar, that even with proof of the contrary, she'd rather stay blind than face the possibility Leon was simply a human being with a life of his own outside his job, with a family and children, with fears and aspirations. Just a regular man.

Nope. She wasn't ready to face that just yet.

*** ***

The five of them slept on the dining room floor after pushing the table and chairs against the wall. It was a luxury after days of hard riding and nights of sleeping on the forest floor.

Al was the closest to the door, while Summer was against the wall on the inner side. She curled in her warm blankets into a tight ball, the sound of rain pelting down lulled her to sleep.

She slept like a baby. When she came to, it was because of Al's incessant whispering. Summer curled tighter and tried going back to sleep. Mmm, it was so warm.

"It's already morning and it's still raining hard."

"We have no choice," Leon replied. "We have to keep going."

"Shh," Ida said, her voice alert. "Do you hear that?"

"What? The rain?" Al asked, mockingly.

"No, you idiot, listen."

Sleep was a lost cause. So Summer tried listening as well. Rain was pouring down heavily on the roof, but beneath it was something else.

"The horses!" Al said. Everyone jumped to their feet, grabbed their weapons stomped into their boots.

Felix sat up, startled, hair sticking up one side of his head and eyes wild. "What? Where are we going?"

Summer was tying up her boot laces, wishing she had the same easy to wear shoes as the others. Leon yanked Al back when he would have opened the door.

"Wait. Ida stay here, secure the children," Leon said.

Al cracked the front door open. The sound of the horses was now more pronounced.

"A fire," Al hissed.

"But it's raining." Felix said, struggling to his feet.

"Well, it's not raining inside the stables," Al snapped. "There's smoke coming out of there. Leon, the horses."

Leon hesitated. Summer understood why. Someone, whoever it was who lit the stables on fire, was trying to draw them out. But the horses wouldn't survive the smoke if they delayed any longer.

"I'll go get the horses," Summer said.

Leon stared at her. Summer could almost hear his mind churning with all sorts of possible outcomes. Summer advanced to the door. He put a big hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

Sage exploded out of his room at that moment. Ida held him back, explaining the situation in a low voice.

"I'm fast, and I'm a smaller target," Summer said, meeting Leon's dark gaze.

"She's right," Felix added. "She's also good at being invisible."

"They'll be watching the door. She'll be their only target. Even she isn't that good," Al said.

Leon squeezed his hand once and let go. "Let the horses out."

Summer nodded and peeked through the door. The ground was a muddy mess and the river's violent current was a loud roar over the horse's screams for help. The sun was hidden behind thick clouds of gray, but it was already morning and the world was clear through the heavy sheets of rain.

Summer sprinted to the stables, her boots hitting the slick wet ground. It took two seconds for the first arrow to arrive. She wasn't expecting it, it whizzed past her, grazing her arm with a sharp sting. Whoever it was, was hidden in the forest among the trees. They were a good archer, too, given the rain and the wind.

Summer dodged the following three arrows and lunged into the stables. The smoke was so heavy, her eyes watered instantly.

Summer's lungs burned as she worked on freeing all the horses. They didn't need any encouragement to leave the smoky barn. The fire was lit in the dry straw of one unused stall and it was quickly spreading. Summer ran out of the stables.

All the horses had followed Leon's massive stallion toward the cover of the forest. Summer had just stepped outside when a man emerged from the trees and stormed her way. A hood shadowed his face. Almost as tall as Al, with wide shoulders stretching his heavy black tunic and long legs eating the distance between them, the man was brandishing a short sword.

Summer only had her dagger. She moved out of the barn's entrance. The last thing she wanted was for him to lock her in there. All he'd have to do is wait for her to choke to death. Leon and Al broke out of the house. More arrows whistled through the air. And more men left the cover of trees and intercepted her two friends. Summer slowly backed away. She was on her own.

"Give us the artifact and you will live," she heard one of them sa to Leon and Al. "No one has to get hurt."

"Drop your weapons and turn around," Al said. "Then we'll consider letting you live."

The man reached her, his stance was so relaxed that Summer felt offended. He had a weapon with a longer reach, though, so it was in her advantage to be underestimated. In a sword against a dagger fight, the dagger-wielding party is almost always at a disadvantage.

But Summer had the element of surprise on her side. He didn't know she had a weapon. And he didn't suspect she was a good fighter. She would only get one shot at this.

The man made a move to grab her, his blade half heartedly raised at his side. This was it.

Boyd's voice echoed in her ears, "you only have one chance against a well trained fighter. Step in, deliver a killing blow and jump away. Your speed and element of surprise are your biggest assets."

They had practiced this simple maneuver so many times she could do it in her sleep.

In a swift succession of moves, Summer knocked his hand aside with her forearm, stepped into the man's space, thrust her dagger and jumped back. She didn't think about it. Her body moved on its own.

The motions were all familiar to her. But the soft resistance of flesh the dagger met was not familiar. The up close look of shock and pain on the man's face was not familiar. The glistening, red blood drenching her dagger was not familiar. The man dropped to his knees.

The loud clang of swords shook Summer out of her shock.

"Don't think about it, just do it," she whispered to herself. She kicked the bleeding man's head, he fell to the side. Had she just killed a man? She didn't have the chance to find out. A hand yanked her back right as an arrow whizzed past her. Leon. She was almost behind him.

They were leading the enemy away from the house, she realized. She needed a longer reach weapon. Summer picked up the man's sword off the wet ground. "Thank you, Boyd," she murmured. She would have been dead if not for him.

Al and Leon were fighting off six assailants at once. Their swords rang loud and clear over the water rush.

Wait, were those arrows sticking out of Leon's arms and legs. Summer blinked. Goodness, the man was indestructible.

Leon was holding his own quite well with three assailants. But he paid dearly for it.

His two swords knocked off his opponents' weapons like they were toothpicks. He was fast, too fast for even Summer to follow. The men stood no chance.

He kicked one man in the guts with his boots- the impact sent the enemy flying several feet back- while blocking two attacks at once. His swords drove the weapons away.

Before the men could recover from the force with which they were knocked away, he thrust his right sword into a man's heart, while the left blade sliced another's neck almost open. Leon then turned his attention to Al's opponents. Summer swayed on her feet. Why was she suddenly feeling lightheaded?

The man Leon had kicked regained his footing and charged towards them. Summer stepped out of Leon's shadow, thrust her newly acquired sword as Boyd showed her countless times before, right into the man's heart.

The man's eyes were wide open. He stared in shock at Summer.

"My lady," he said, loud and clear for everyone to hear, blood spurted out of his mouth as he mumbled his final words, "what are you doing here-?"

--- ---- ---

Thoughts?

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And Ramadan Mubarak! Warm wishes to you and your families. Keep Gaza and Palestine in your prayers <3

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M.B.