Shadow Heir
The steel caught the thin light and threw it in his eyes.
The other two flanked him, moving with the easy precision of those who had fought together before.
Eolan’s hand went to his short sword, the weight of it both foreign and familiar. The lead rider approached, testing his grip with a slow circle.
“Your name,” the rider demanded in accented common.
“Eolan,” he said.
The man’s eyes narrowed. “The Shadow Heir.”
It wasn’t a question.
The first strike came fast—a diagonal cut meant to test rather than kill. Eolan parried, the shock of the impact jarring up his arm. The second rider moved in, aiming low. He pivoted, letting the blade skim his cloak.