Sunrise

Decided to draw Fyrd again. He can look sweet when he wants to, but be warned, he still isn't up to good! This is an illustration to the following excerpt of my NaNoWriMo story, where LeBrant first meet the Red God of Chaos:

***

A man was sitting on the edge of the cliff, resting his chin on one of his knees while the other one hang loosely over the edge, keenly watching the sunrise that coloured his hair flaming red.



LeBrant halted. The man was wearing what looked like a brown suit, not black of the Seekers. He neither looked like your typical mercenary, not with his petite size. But you never knew, they could have finally decided to hire some extraordinary bounty hunter since everyone else had failed. Wizards wore robes, but LeBrant wasn't stupid enough to think that their magical abilities were necessarily linked to their clothing. He had heard though that they rarely could do magic without their staffs and this man had no sticks lying around him. No hilts or quivers either.

"You know, most people think that I prefer sundowns, but I think the dawn of a new day bathed in red is a more profound metaphor", the man spoke with a slightly nasal tenor voice. LeBrant hadn't made much sound in his approach, but apparently enough to have drawn the stranger's attention. Still, he had to look around him, to make sure there wasn't anyone else the statement had been meant for. There was no one to be seen.

"Yes, I'm talking to you, Black-winged-one."

Now he had LeBrant very nervous. He just couldn't shake these people at all it seemed. His hand instinctively went to his pocket and clutched the key. Maybe it would save him again.

"And don't worry. I'm not working for Riley'eh, nor am I going to hand you over to him", the man continued, now turning his head halfway towards LeBrant. His slim and angular face had a smirk on it, but he didn't seem to be threatening him, only making fun of his panicking.

"Then what do you want?" LeBrant manager to blurt out.

Leaning back, the man finally turned fully towards him. His grin showed his perfect white teeth and his amazingly green eyes sparkled from both the golden light and amusement he found in the situation. He didn't look to be much older than he was, but he was a much more carefree character. His well-tailored jacket was unbuttoned and so were the first few buttons of his shirt. The blood red loose tie fluttered in the sea breeze. And his hair wasn't red just because of the sunrise, that now made a halo around his head. Only one could have that shade of hair.

"I wanted to see the person who took my key", Fyrd replied.

"You can have it back!" LeBrant offered the item back in his open palm. The Lord of Chaos laughed heartily at his baffled face.

"Oh I don't need it. I was just curious of someone who would touch, let alone take something tainted by chaos." The last words were said in a mocking voice.

"I... I didn't know what it was... when I took it", LeBrant had to admit. The god merely kept on smirking at him.

"But you did figure it out eventually. So why keep it?"

"It... it helped me out of a tight spot", he tried to explain, feeling that this excuse wasn't a very credible one. The rational thing to do with anything connected to Fyrd was to destroy it, or at least leave it be. Not carry it around.

"Clever fella."

The redhead seemed to find his answer satisfiable though. Well of course, he was the being of chaos, beyond rationality. Thenagain, keeping the key, a possible weapon to defend himself with, it did still feel like a smart move to LeBrant. He just couldn't admit it to anyone. Anyone else except for this entity before him. But he didn't know how smart he now was, having picked the curiosity of the most dreaded being in the world.

"What will you do to me now?" he asked slowly.

"What would you want me to do to you?" Fyrd asked with the most lecherous grin he had ever witnessed. LeBrant felt like he was being toyed with the same way he had toyed with Ellie and the other girls in other towns.

"I want to be left alone". He finally said with determination. If the chaos god was going to devour or kill him, he might as well go with resistance, kicking and screaming.

"Left alone? Now how's that going for you? You wander from place to place, always looking back over your shoulder, watching out for shadows to get you. Are you going to run forever? Is it your destiny to be a fugitive?" he mocked, but LeBrant could sense the slightest bit of tension in his voice. It was like the god had said a secret line and now waited for him to give the proper answer to him. Like code.

"If that's my destiny, I'm going to tell it to go fuck itself", he replied defiantly. Fyrd burst out laughing. The sounds of his chuckles ringed in LeBrant's ears and seemed to invade every nook and cranny of his brain.

"Well said, lad, well said!"

The god got up, and dusting his clothes clean, strode too close to LeBrant for comfort. Although he had seemed shorter a few steps back, his eyes were now in level with his. An uncomfortable smile still curled in his lips.

"So how about you fight the Mother of Destiny? Join us, in the battle for freedom. I think you could use some."

Freedom. It was something he had always hoped for. But how could he trust this man? Everything he had ever learned of gods yelled at him to run, as fast as he could, to the arms of Seekers if nowhere else, just to get away from this demon. But now when he was literally face-to-face with the Red God, he didn't feel like his souls was being eaten. Despite his nasty grin, the god seemed very amicable, even friendly. He hadn't been tried to put in shackles yet. But years and years of running away didn't shake off that easily. He had made the mistake of trusting Ellie too easily, and they had know each other for years, this entity he had just met.

"And what would you want with me? It can't be just about the key!"

"Oh, it isn't", Fyrd said, raising his hand to gently stroke his cheek with his long fingers, "I need people like you. People who have nothing to lose, except for themselves. I need loyalty, I need followers."

"You need an army?"

The god chuckled.

"Maybe at some point. For now, I'll settle for recognition. The more I have believers, the more powerful I become. The others, they try to smother me, try to snuff me out and I can't have it. I have a place in this world, just like they do and for my sake, I can't let them win!"

"I can't un-believe in you! I've met you!"

"True. But if you end up in the hands of the Seekers, or worse, the Scribes, they will make you believe this was all just a dream. A very bad dream, after a night not slept well. You were probably just too exhausted and still very traumatised after spending any time in that horrible lair of demon-worshippers. The sunrise made you see things, that weren't there."

LeBrant frowned his brow in confusion.

"Are you now trying to convince me that you're not really here?"

"Oh dear boy, I'm just a figment of your imagination, no?"

"Then I have a very bad imagination."

LeBrant wasn't liking this game. He felt like he was being made fun of and the sneer on the other one's face wasn't exactly helping. What had he expected though? This being was evil to the core. Well, firstly, he hadn't ever expected to meet the Lord of Chaos.

"But I have a good one", said Fyrd, leaning even closer, "I can see you, untouchable, laughing at the people who tortured you. I see you, impervious, in front of Destiny. I see you, my Hope, flying over the wreckage of the other altars."

LeBrant jerked back from the redhead. He had almost been mesmerised by that irritatingly nasal voice, but the last line had snapped him out of it.

"You want me for my wings! You're no better than Riley'eh!"

Faster than he could see, Fyrd had snapped his wrist in his fists. Smile was gone from his face. Instead, ominous shadows shaded his features, and only the piercing green eyes could be seen. Surely it was only because the sun was shining from behind his head.

"Never! Never compare me to the others!"

"I won't, ever again, oh Lord!" LeBrant quickly cried out. Shadows faded from Fyrd's face.

"I don't want your wings, I prefer them on you", the god growled, "You are an asset just the way you are."

An asset, a tool that meant. Was that any better than a study subject? Would he have any more freedom with Fyrd than anyone else?

"But you want to use me."

"Of course, I won't lie about that. But in return, you can use me, and my powers."

LeBrant couldn't say anything. He couldn't find the words let alone the muscles to say them with. The Lord of Chaos wanted him. He didn't know how to react to that. He couldn't trust that this god wouldn't try the same thing as Riley'eh had. What all the stories about him had in common was that Fyrd was the most untrustworthy entity in the world. But thenagain, LeBrant couldn't trust the gods they were supposed to be able to put their faith in. He knew that they would be the enemy. They were also the enemy of Fyrd. Enemy of my enemies...

He looked into the emerald eyes staring at him. They truly looked like stones. They sparkled in the light, but it was the sparkle of diamonds, with an inner glow of their own. They were such a stark contrast in colour to the deep red of his hair that seemed to move to the blow of a non-existing wind. Fyrd looked very much like a human, but there was something so very off about him.

"Do I need to decide right away?" LeBrant asked weakly.

"I'm immortal", Fyrd answered, and LeBrant was slightly relieved to see a dawning smirk on his lips. Although the god's constant grinning was nerve-racking, he had never been as scared as when he had angered the redhead.

"So long as you make the right decision, I can wait for it", he continued with a wink. LeBrant gulped. Maybe he needed to run away from all celestial beings. He now noticed that Fyrd had him in his embrace. When had the god moved? Had he been too shocked about all this to have not noticed being held?

"I'll need to be going, that Willow might already be on my tail", LeBrant muttered, trying discreetly to free himself. He felt a strong urge to get some distance between them. Fyrd noticed his attempt and his smile became smug, like a cat holding a mouse in it's paws. LeBrant didn't want to think of himself a s a mouse. He knew what the cats did to them after getting bored with playing with their food.

"Oh don't be scared, Hope", Fyrd whispered to his ear, "I'm keeping an eye out for you and I won't let anything bad to happen. Not to my toys."

Then he felt something hot touching his lips. Fyrd held him tightly, and the kiss was a strong one, but there was no passion in it. It felt more like branding than intimacy. But when he was let go of, his knees felt weaker than ever before.

He had instinctively closed his eyes and when he reopened them, Fyrd was gone. He could see an after-image of red smoke, that quickly evaporated in spiralling gusts.

He had to close his eyes again. He had to crouch, and balancing on the balls of his feet, he held his head in his hands. He felt dizzy. Maybe he had just had a nightmare. He had sleep-walked here and had an illusion. He had experienced to much stress in the last day and it was taking it's toll.

His fingers touched his lips. No, he could still remember that clearly. His other hand reached for his pocket and felt the cold brass object that was till there. He was now wanted by not just one god, but at least two. He was becoming too popular for his health.

But this was no time to worry about it. Fyrd had left, and he was alone again. But if he stayed here, he wouldn't be for long. Willow must be after him by now. He had already waisted too much time here, he needed to make haste if he wanted to keep on being alone. He spread his wings and took flight.