Previously
Piper struggled against the crowds of people anxious to be inside the city gates before they were closed at sunset. He assisted a small girl who fell and was separated from her family in the rush. As he headed out of the gates, a city guard warned him of the dangers in the darkness and offered to wait by the city gates for Piper to let him in if he returns after dark. Piper spends the night at his grandfather's grave, mourning and playing his flute. A stranger in a hood appears and compliments Piper's flute playing.


Ending of the previous chapter
Then the stranger reached up to push the hood off of his head.

Piper's mouth dropped open and goose-bumps rose on his skin. The stranger's hair was pure white. Because of the dappled shadows of the moonlight shining through the trees, it was hard to tell if there was a silver-blue tinge to his skin or not, but the pointed ears left no doubt about his heritage. The stranger was Fae. Although he had never seen one of the Fae before, Piper realized he didn't stand a chance, not physically. Stories said the Fae were swift, strong and deadly.

"Your name is Piper, isn't it?"

"How ..." Piper choked the word out.

The Fae grinned. "Well, this is fortuitous. I was on my way to find you."


Chapter 3

"Why would one of your kind ..." Piper cringed. "I mean ..."

"Careful, my boy," the Fae growled even though he continued grinning.

"Sorry, sir, I mean ..." Piper took a breath and released it slowly. "Why would you be looking for me?"

The Fae strode forward, his pale blue eyes studying every inch of Piper as he advanced. "You're tall for your age, my fair-haired friend."

Piper felt the urge to run, but his legs wouldn't move. It would be a useless effort anyway, so he held his position while the Fae approached, predator-like. "You know who I am. Who are you? Why were you looking for me?"

The Fae stopped in front of Piper and folded his arms, amusement in his eyes. "Well, well. Right to the point." The Fae smirked. "All good questions, Piper." He drummed his fingers on his arm and pursed his lips. "I wonder ..." The Fae glanced at the grave for a moment, then back at Piper. His face took on a more serious expression. "Perhaps this is not the best time and place for this discussion."

"Just tell me."

The Fae raised an eyebrow, amusement trickling back into his eyes. "Ah, the impatience of the human youth. No. Now I am convinced we need to wait."

"Look ..."

"Hey, you there!" a voice shouted from the shadows.

Piper turned to see a soldier approaching at a fast jog, weapons drawn. As the man crossed into a patch of moonlight, Piper recognized the guard who had warned him when he exited the city gates at sunset. An instant later, Piper turned back to the Fae, but the Fae was nowhere to be seen. "How? Where?" He scanned the surrounding area.

The guard pulled up next to Piper a few moments later and stopped abruptly, huffing a bit from his recent exertions. "You alright, lad?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Piper continued looking around, but there was no one else in view. "Where did he go?"

"Does it matter, as long as he is gone?" The guard glanced warily around them, weapons still at the ready. "You shouldn't be out here alone in the dark anyway, especially with Fae around."

"I don't think he was armed."

"Oh, he was armed." The guard scowled. "Not that he would need weapons. I've seen Fae tear men apart with their bare hands."

Piper gulped. "Ah, I guess I should thank you for coming to my aid."

"Burkehart."

"What?"

"My name is Burkehart. And yours?"

"Piper."

A twig snapped and the bushes rustled in the tree line of the nearby forest. Burkehart jerked toward the sound and lifted his blades a bit higher as he surveyed the surrounding area.

"What is it?" Piper asked.

"Shush." Burkehart motioned for Piper to get behind him.

Patchy moonlight filtered through the trees. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance. Piper held his breath and strained to hear or see something out of the ordinary. He glanced at Burkehart and noted the tense and wary stance of the warrior prepared to deal with any threat he might encounter. Otherwise, the graveyard and the neighboring forest were silent.

Without looking at Piper, Burkehart said in a low voice, "We'd better get moving. That Fae isn't the only dangerous thing out here, and who knows if he is lying in wait to greet us somewhere along the way. Keep up and stay close."

Burkehart took a few steps, then looked back at Piper. "Come on, lad. Move it."

"Yes, sir." Piper took one last look at his grandfather's grave, glanced toward the nearby forest, then trudged after the guard.