Shifting into the form of a small human boy, Nergal checked his map one last time. Red crosses marked the posts of every watchman. He remained just a few hundred yards from the outermost watchman. Smiling, he started down an overgrown path, doing his best to look feeble and afraid.

  As if on cue, a rebel soldier called for him to halt. "Are you alone?" the soldier asked, approaching the boy cautiously.

  "The monsters attacked us." Nergal started to sniffle and cry, "My...mommy...told me...to run."

  "You poor child." The soldier took off his helmet and knelt down to Nergal's level. "When were you attacked?"

  "Yesterday right after we woke up."

  "Well I suppose if you're still alive now then you likely lost 'em. Still..." The soldier cupped his hands awkwardly around his mouth and whistled a strange birdsong. After a moment, other songs rang through the trees.

  The man looked Nergal over carefully. "Kid, have you eaten? Had any water?" Nergal shook his head. The man opened a pouch on his vest and removed a small bar, apologizing as he handed it to Nergal. "I know it's not much, but it should help."

  Nergal did his best not to grimace as he ate the grainy bar. Luckily, it smelled of oats, not wheat. After finishing it in as few bites as he could manage, the soldier handed him a water canteen. He took a few small sips and handed it back. "Thank you, sir."

  "No problem kid."

  After a few minutes, the whistles started to ring in again. The soldier listened intently, and after the whistling stopped, he gave a small smile. "Well kid, looks like you weren't followed. Let's get you a change of clothes and some better food." The soldier stood up and held out his hand. Nergal took it with a small amount of hesitation. "zmy name's Jimmy, by the way. What's yours?" he asked as he walked them down the path.

  "Judas." The lie tasted sweet as it slipped off his tongue. He had not used the name in quite some time.

  "Huh. Never heard that one before."

  As they approached the settlement, a small sign welcomed them to the village the rebels called Igono.

  ***

  "So, kid, you ready to meet the boss?"

  "Is he scary?" Nergal asked timidly.

  "Not at all." Kneeling down, Jimmy brushed imaginary dust off Nergal's shoulders. "Not unless you're a demon. Then he's the scariest human alive."

  "Really?" Nergal managed a small amount of excitement.

  "Yep, it doesn't even matter if they wear a disguise, he always knows what they are."

  Nergal smiled at the thought. In his younger days, the Seers could pick him out easily. However, since he mastered the ability to shift his aura, even the most seasoned Seer remained blind to his true nature.

  As the pair walked through the dimly lit village, Nergal took care to remember the layout. He studied the faces of each guard they passed and noted their posts. He even made note of all cross streets and buildings along their route. His plan relied on remembering as much as possible.

  "Judas?" Jimmy tried to break the awkward silence that had formed. Nergal made a noise of acknowledgment to show he was listening. "How are you holding up? I mean, you seem to be doing fairly well given everything you've gone through the last couple of days."

  Not wanting to bring on too much suspicion, Nergal continued to walk in silence as he thought of an appropriate answer. "I..." He let tears fall from his eyes. "My Mom isn't the first person I've lost. Last year, it was my oldest brother and dad. They went out on a hunting trip and never came back. A few months later my other brother was attacked by something. He died slowly. I guess I just tried to distance myself after that." He wiped the tears from his cheeks and continued walking. "It's not that it doesn't hurt, I'm just used to the pain."

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Jimmy shook his head and patted Nergal's back comfortingly. "That's tough kid. But you'll find a lot of people here with similar stories."

  "Why do they do it? Why do they keep attacking us and taking everything away?" he asked, feigning anger.

  "I don't know. I'm sure most of them are just following orders at this point. But hey, I hear it'll all be over soon."

  "How? We've been fighting for longer than any of our people have been alive."

  "That's a secret for now. You'll find out soon enough." Jimmy stopped in front of a small hut that looked just as humble as the ones around it. "Well this is it. You sure you're ready?"

  "As I'll ever be." He did not have to fake the nervousness. His heart raced as he faced the ever-so-small possibility of being discovered. Just because no Seer in the last five hundred years saw through him did not mean this one would be the same.

  Nergal entered as Jimmy opened the door for him. The hut was sparsely furnished. A round table with eight chairs sat in the center of the room. A young man with light, curly hair and gray-blue eyes sat in the chair directly facing the door. He never looked at them as they approached the table. Instead, his eyes stayed focused on a map of Denim. Jimmy pulled out the chair across from the man and directed Nergal to sit, then stood at attention behind him.

  "Judas." The man's voice still held a youthful undertone. "That is a unique name."

  "Named for my great-grandfather, sir."

  "I see. Jimmy?" The man had yet to look up from his map.

  "Yes, sir?" Jimmy's voice vibrated with mixed amounts of fear and admiration.

  "He may stay. But I want him to take up chores immediately. Tomorrow he can collect firewood with the others his age." Nergal felt a weight lifted from his shoulders.

  "Yes, sir."

  "Now, take the boy back to your cabin and return here. I need to go over some things with you."

  "Yes, sir." Jimmy gestured for Nergal to rise and follow him.

  On the way back to Jimmy's cabin, Nergal faked exhaustion. As they entered their cabin, he asked Jimmy to tuck him in. "My dad used to cover me up and make sure no monsters were under my bed."

  As soon as Jimmy locked the door behind himself, Nergal reformed into a shadow and followed Jimmy back to the leader's cabin. He paid careful attention to avoid the light cast by the oil street lamps. As Jimmy entered the cabin, Nergal slipped around to the side and listened carefully.

  "Sir, what was it you needed to speak with me about?"

  "As I'm sure you are aware the new moon is in two days. I would like to bring you with me to the meeting this month."

  "Iit would be an honor, sir."

  "Please, call me Zack. I hate all the formalities."

  "Duly noted."

  "We leave at dawn the day after tomorrow. Your post has been covered tomorrow so you can prepare for the journey. Now go home and get some rest."

  As they said their goodbyes, Nergal rushed back to the cabin. After carefully avoiding the watchmen, he made it back with a couple of minutes to spare. He took the time to search the cabin. Finding a knife, he quickly slipped it under his pillow.

  When Jimmy entered the cabin, Nergal sat waiting on the bed. "Judas, what's wrong?"

  "I got scared and couldn't sleep."

  "I'm sorry, kid. If you want I can stay up with you until you fall asleep."

  "Can you tell me a story? I haven't heard one in a long time."

  "Sure thing, but don't blame me of it's not very good." Jimmy sat on the bed next to Nergal and told his story.

  "Before the apocalypse, when humans held dominion over the Earth, there existed hidden groves throughout the world. In a time when magic had been lost to the world, these sanctuaries held a tranquility that could only be described as supernatural. It was in one of these groves that the Blade of Hope was found. It is said that the blade was forged in the breath of the last dragon. The hilt was made from fairy gold, and the titanium for the blade was spun from a unicorn's mane. It is said that a savior will rise up when the world is on the brink of destruction and use the blade to overthrow the Tyrant King."

  During the story, Nergal carefully unsheathed the stolen knife, keeping it hidden under the pillow. "That's a really short story, Jimmy."

  "Sorry, it's the only one I've got." Jimmy apologized. "It's getting late, we'd both better get some sleep."

  As Jimmy got up to tuck Nergal in again, Nergal slipped the knife into his abdomen, severing his aorta.

  As Jimmy's life poured onto the floor, Nergal transformed into his true form. Licking the blood from the blade, Nergal smiled. "Jimmy, your memories taste so sweet. You've always worn your heart on your sleeve, haven't you? You're creating a mess, Jimmy. Looks like I'm going to have to clean it up." Nergal knelt on the ground next to Jimmy's near-lifeless body. Setting his hand in the pooling blood, Nergal closed his eyes. The pool of thick crimson elixir started to shrink as a golden mist formed around Nergal's palm and crawled up his arm, wrapping itself around his body. As the pool of blood dried up, the golden cloud faded away.

  Nergal frowned at the shriveled, dried-up body. Wrapping his hand around Jimmy's face, he applied a light pressure, causing the body to crumble into dust. Smiling at his work, Nergal shifted his form to replace Jimmy.