Ize finally opened his eyes. The light from the sun stung deep. He tried to stand, but a sharp invisible knife rammed into his side. He cried in pain.
Ize’s teeth clenched as he forced himself to stand.
He went to search his pockets. Hopefully they hadn’t taken everything. But there were no pockets to be found! He realized he was standing buck naked in the middle of the woods.
“Fantastic. Really great. Four men against one, real fair. Bastards.” Too far from home, he had no choice but continue along the path that would lead him to Candra.
The chill of the first winds of winter made his bare body shake a bit. To distract himself from the misfortune of the night, Ize thought of his radiant, dark Candra.
He wondered what she was wearing and how her hair had fallen around her face today.
I hope she waits for me. He thought. He was supposed to meet her that night the bandits attacked him.
He looked up at the bright sky, crossed his arms and shivered. A sharp rock slid under his foot, slicing it neatly.
“Fuck.”