“I must…I have to…Kate, help me.” Blood pooled at the edge of the cave as Foster’s breaths came in heaves. There was nothing I could do. I just stood there, watching his life drain. I stepped closer, but I was too scared to help him. The moonlight caught the hilt of the dagger splitting his flesh and bones.

“There’s no time,” he groaned. “Kate.” Now it was nothing more than a whisper. I was frozen where I stood. I could almost feel his pain and the chilling sensation in his veins. All I could do was try to force my body to obey my mind. I had to hear Foster’s last words. I knew these words would be all I would have to hold on to. He rasped and my body was released from my statue-like position. I took the chance to rush to him.

“I’m here, Foster.” I put my hand in his and tried to tell him to relax and let go of his mortal existence. In these last moments with my brother, I wasn’t going to beg him to come back or to hold on. I wasn’t even going to lie about the circumstances or the inevitable outcome. That’s not how I want to remember him: weak and struggling to stay alive.

“Kate,” he wheezed. “Find them. Avenge me. Avenge all of-.” The last word slipped away and his hand was gently tugged out of my grasp. This was it. There would be no more hunting in the woods or tales of goblins to scare me. Now that he was gone, there was never going to be another Foster. All I could do was honor his final wishes.

I stood up and let the tears fall on his body as a parting goodbye, hoping that where ever he was now, he would know that his death would not be in vain. The tears were a promise that I made to him. I would avenge his name and all the others that had died at the hand of these bandits.

“I swear to you Foster. I’ll hunt them. I will find them. And if they take my life, at least we will be together.” With that, I left the cave, intending to live up to every word I said.


Walking in the woods, I looked for tracks like Foster had taught me to. They were fairly easy to find. For major mercenaries, they didn’t know how to cover tracks. I followed them with great haste. I didn’t even care that the leaves and twigs crunched and crackled with every step I took. This job was going to be done quickly, or so I thought.

I followed the path for days, finding dead bodies in the niches and alcoves that I slept in. At least I knew I was on the right track. Every day I was on the hunt, I practically ran, trying to catch up with these men. I would do anything to make them pay for Forster’s death.

After a week on the move, I noticed a makeshift fire pit. There were still glowing embers at the bottom. I’d found them. I thought I could almost hear their sinister laughter and the sound of swords against skin, but it could have been my nerves. I ran faster than ever before, and soon, I saw the band of men.

My heartbeat quickened. I had to finish this. For Foster and all the other villagers and farmers, woods man and bards that had been killed at their hand. I was just about to charge them when I felt a gut-rattling sensation, then numbness. Then, it was a sharp, searing pain that made you want to scream at the top of your lungs until your eardrums hurt. I fell to the ground as the mercenary pulled the sword from my stomach. I just lay there, on the cold ground, as the bandits laughed and walked away.

The coldness that I had felt when Foster was dying was back and had increased 10 fold. The light around me faded and my eyes felt like lead about to come crashing down.

“I’m sorry Foster.” I whispered as I tried to go to sleep forever. “I’ll be with you soon.”