Chapter Four

As dawn approached, the cloudless sky above the tree canopies was tinted a deep shade of blue like the mystifying depths of the sea. The stars were still scattered across the night but were growing fainter as the morning sun was not far below the horizon. The winter air was cold and whistled through the trees along with the early morning gusts, but it hardly fazed the party of men traveling through the dark woods.

Early in the morning, the Runners had awoken and prepared to head out into the frontier of the Dark Zone once again. Over the past few months, the Ravennites’ campaign had been on the offensive after they struggled to push Ramon Morenno further into the eastern territories. Sensing that they had him on the run, the Ravennites attempted to chase their enemies down and push them out of the Dark Zone for good, but the defensive circle Ramon managed to establish around the Domineers’ territory proved too difficult for them to break at once. It was not a trap, but simply a desperate last resort, and the Ravennites had sustained what casualties they could before they were forced to regroup.

It was at this time that Alex Lee took it upon himself to fulfill his self-prescribed moral obligations to the Ravennite cause. He spent the majority of the past year fighting alongside their people to push the Domineers back, and had even risen to lead the Ravennites whenever he felt that circumstances called for it. At the break of autumn, Alex shared his intentions with his closest friend, Rowan, to assemble a team brave and strong enough to endure the harshness of another winter at war with the Domineers. A team small enough to sneak through the constantly prying eyes of their enemies and engage their defensive positions one by one, but also large enough to combat even the best of the Domineers and strike a fear into their hearts that they would not soon forget.

In time, Rowan gathered the best of both Darowe’s people and her own; those strong and fast enough to rush through the snowy mountains to bring the fight back to the Domineers, and brought them to Alex’s camp in the northern regions where they trained vigorously to outmatch the winter. It was an extremely harsh trial, and not every man and woman Rowan gathered proved capable of handling such endeavors. However, in the end Alex would stand proud beside nearly forty strong Ravennite warriors whose names would ring out across the hills of the Dark Zone to the ears of their enemies as the Runners.

Alex evolved into a stone cold fighter as he led his newly formed team to several seemingly effortless victories against the Domineers’ patrolling parties. It was not long before they began hitting them closer to the heart when the Runners engaged Ramon’s defensive ring of camps, swiftly eliminating them one at a time. The Domineers’ numbers, however, were still far greater than their own, but the Runners’ tactics were disorienting them faster than Ramon could reestablish his defenses. Although they had yet to lure him out of his safe confines, the Ravennites could tell that Ramon Morenno was growing fearful that they would eventually break him for good.

A few days ago, Alex’s people discovered a large detachment of Domineer scouts patrolling several miles beyond Ramon’s defensive ring. Not wanting to leave any stones untouched, Alex gathered the fastest and stealthiest of the Runners as they headed out into the mountains just before dawn to track them down. Rowan was woken by the sudden commotion and she saw fit to see them off herself, but in truth, she wished to speak to Alex personally, as she was beginning to feel concerned about him. As Alex was preparing to head out, Rowan made her way to his quarters in the center of the camp.

It was a relatively large tent that he and his Runners had erected. Rowan lifted the flap hanging over the archway and looked around the dark structure. As she entered, Alex emerged from a separate room in the rear of the tent. He was fitting himself with a rough, leather harness that was strapped around his upper torso. Upon the harness’ chest was a pocket that held a large knife-like scabbard. On his back, Alex was carrying a newly crafted sword and he also had a couple of small, gun-like weapons secured on the back of his waist. He had helped to design the weapons himself after the battle for the Citadel, using the Domineers’ own concepts that they had attempted to wield against them.

As he emerged, he looked up to see Rowan standing in the archway. The two briefly locked eyes as she gave him a smile and a slight head nod.

“You’re awake,” Alex said as he finished securing his harness.

Before Rowan could reply, she found herself looking over the form of her best friend. The past year changed him so much. He had grown a lot, standing at almost six feet now. He was much stronger and healthier in every way. His hair had lightened and his eyes were as blue now as they had ever been. Rowan could see the dim light reflecting in them magnificently. What was it about him that caused his eyes to have such captivating power? So icy cold, yet even in the dead of winter, they felt soothing to look into.

Alex was not sure if Rowan knew it, but he had been seeing the exact same thing in her. She had also grown with every day that he did; stronger and much more confident. Every day, he looked into her eyes just as she did his. Her eyes were so green like the needles of an evergreen, and in a way, Alex believed that they were a part of what defined who she truly was. 

He remembered the day they had met, when she glared at him menacingly from across the arrow in her bow. Her gaze had frightened him, but he realized not long after that it was the look of a person with undying devotion to the people she loved. Every day after that, he had met her gaze like a lifelong friend, and he often found himself standing in her presence, as he was now, looking at the form of the one who had truly shown him reverence for his actions, helped him to understand what it meant to have the heart of one of her own, and stuck by his side through all their hardships ever since. Alex never told her, but it was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever looked upon.

Rowan regained her attention and replied, “I heard the Runners getting ready to leave the camp. Are you going after the Domineers?”

Alex let out a quick and quiet sigh before answering her. “Yes,” he said as he walked over to a small shelf hanging on one of the tent’s support rails. Rowan watched as he fitted himself with a pair of thick, leather arm guards. “They’re getting bolder. I just wanna know why.”

“I understand that,” Rowan responded, “but are you sure pursuing them now is the right course of action?”

“What makes you say that? We’ve been locked in a stalemate with them for months now, and we can’t afford to let them get the upper hand.”

“It’s not that,” Rowan sighed. “I’m just worried about you. You’ve been working with the Runners all winter. Are you sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard?”

“I’m fine, Rowan.” Alex attached a belt around his waist. “I made a promise after all, that I would do my part to help you end this war. Now that we’re this close, I’m just afraid of letting my guard down. I’m afraid that I might fail you, and I won’t let that happen.”

There was a brief silence between the two of them that made the cold, morning breeze feel resounding as Rowan managed a smile. “I admire that in you, Alex,” she said softly. Her kind words really warmed him up inside, but her expression suddenly became serious. “But please don’t underestimate the power of Ramon Morenno. Don’t you remember? His brother nearly destroyed us by himself. He broke right through our defenses; defenses we thought were impervious.”

Alex took in a slow inhale and looked casually away from Rowan. “Yes, I remember,” he uttered quietly.

“And then there was the siege against the Citadel that followed, when Ramon tried to finish what his brother started. Even with the help of Darowe’s people we were almost too weakened to repel him-”

“I know, I know!” Alex closed his eyes as he did not want to relive these events any more than she did. The truth was that he was still harboring a dark secret from Rowan and the rest of the Ravennites, a secret that haunted him constantly. Hardly a day went by when Alex did not recall that night all those months ago at the Domineers’ Iron Furnace camp; the night he regrettably revealed the location of the Citadel to Robert Morenno. He felt he had no choice. Robert held the knife to his throat by threatening Rowan if Alex did not tell him what he wanted to know. Rowan’s pendant was in his hand, he knew that he could not be bluffing. 

Some nights he choked on the thought of how many Ravennite lives might have been spared at the expense of Rowan’s if he had simply refused to speak. He knew that Rowan would gladly give her life for her people, but Alex was in no way ready to make that decision for her. Inside, he still felt that he made the right choice by unveiling the Citadel. He did his best to try to convince Robert that the fortress was impenetrable, but clearly he was wrong, and it only made him feel worse about his audience with that sadistic Domineer. Alex had no idea how Rowan might react if he told her the truth, and that was what scared him the most. Perhaps it was best if he simply stayed the course that he was on right now; to make amends for his actions by seizing every opportunity he could to help his Ravennite friends claim victory as soon as possible.

Alex gathered his thoughts back into place. “Well, maybe we learned a valuable lesson that night.”

“What’s that?” Rowan asked.

“That nothing is impervious,” Alex answered with a calming grin. “Not even Ramon. If there’s a way to crush him once and for all, I promise you we will find it.” He stepped forward and placed a hand on Rowan’s shoulder. “I better go and rally the men.”

“You should rest, Alex,” Rowan interjected. “Why don’t you let me take charge this time? Just this once, stay here and rest for a while. You’ve done more than enough already.”

Alex tried to appear as temperate as he could. “Thanks, Rowan, but I can handle this on my own.”

His sentiment was short and stern. Rowan watched Alex exit his tent no later than he had finished speaking. He never even looked back at her, and Rowan could not help but feel a little disturbed. Alex almost made it sound like he did not want her help. Frankly, she was having a lot of trouble lately understanding what exactly she was feeling. The very long portion of her childhood that had been stolen from her up until now was causing her judgment to be clouded, she could not deny that. The only feelings she understood were those of fear, suffering, and anger. Only a year ago, she was able to truly relive happiness.

There was one more feeling now; an unknown sensation, something she had never felt before. Rowan first experienced it prior to the battle for the Citadel, and now she was feeling it more and more each day, every time she looked at Alex. She felt in her chest like a strain against her heart, and it struck her again at the sound of Alex’s final comment to her before he left. She hated to see him go, and even more, she feared losing him to the darkness. Sometimes she felt that she simply could not live without him.

Rowan was speechless now as she exited Alex’s tent. The Runners were armed and rallying to their leader. Rowan stood still and watched as they headed out of the camp, and she noticed Alex turn his head and look over at her briefly, locking eyes with her for a quick second before running out into the darkness of the trees. Still, she was always proud every time she witnessed Alex’s desire to fight for her people. Rowan would be pondering that thought as she returned to her own quarters with what was left of the embers.