The Adventure of Orinis

Orinis was rather excited as they traveled out of the woods on the other side of his village. He was a little sad to be leaving his friends and family, but he would come back a hero! The idea of that was very exciting to him. He asked all kinds of questions of Lewirand as they went on. The older man enthusiastically answered all of them. When they stopped in a town around noon to pick up extra supplies, Orinis got a lot of strange looks from the people around him. He flushed and stayed close to his companions.

“Why do they stare at me so much?” he asked.

“They probably haven’t seen a centaur outside of your village before,” Iro answered. “You will find that you will get more looks like that the further from your home we travel.” Orinis bowed his head to hide his red face. Iro smiled and patted the young centaur’s shoulder. “Be at ease. If it makes you feel any better, I am still regarded strangely by humans,” he said in a low voice. “Most people never get over it. It’s a part of life. You just have to learn to live with it.” A dark look crossed his face, but it was quickly covered by an emotionless mask. He straightened and made his way into a small shop with all different kinds of weapons on display. Sapphire took Orinis’ hand and led him into the shop.

“Let’s pick you out something,” she said to him. He followed after her, having to nearly run to keep up with the girl. She was very kind to him. His mouth fell open at all of the weapons that surrounded him. He examined a bow and arrows that were intricately carved. He reached out and traced over the design. He felt something calling to him from within the bow. Sapphire smiled and put a hand on Orinis’s shoulder. Startled, he jumped and tore his gaze from the bow. She laughed and he blushed. “Come, let’s buy this for you,” she said. He nodded, not even considering the fact that he’d never used a bow in his life, and they paid for his new weapon before leaving the shop.

At the time of the sun’s peak in the sky, the group met in the town square. Orinis held the bow awkwardly in his hands. Iro glanced at the bow, and a half smiled lifted the corners of his mouth.

“Have you never used a bow before, Orinis?” he asked gently. Orinis shook his head, lowering his gaze to the ground, embarrassed. Iro placed a hand on Orinis’s shoulder.

“Come now, don’t be ashamed. It took me many months to figure out how to use a bow! These things come with time and practice.” He patted the young centaur’s shoulder comfortingly as he led him away from the group a few feet. “I will teach you some things you will need to know about using the bow. First, you must string the weapon to use it properly. Watch me,” He took out his own bow and showed the young centaur how to string it and to knock an arrow. A few hours later, Orinis had his weapon across his back, his quiver stocked and stored neatly, ready to be used should the need arise.

“Are we all set here?” Lewirand asked, looking around the group. When the response was a collective nod, he himself nodded and they started off toward adventure.

---

Months passed after the adventure had started, and Orinis had yet to see any real action. The worst had been when Sapphire had gotten into an argument with a bar wench over the amount of gold their meal had cost. They had to drag her out of the bar before a brawl started between the two women.

“Worry not, my impatient young friend,” Lewirand said cheerfully. “You’ll see some real action yet, I’m sure. You must have patience, otherwise you won’t be prepared if we get ambushed. Can’t have you going around rushing into things headfirst. A young man I once knew did that and ended up dead.” He stopped abruptly, the smile sliding off of his face and he turned away, a look of sorrow crossing his face. Mirikus had said nothing the entire journey. He walked with his head bowed, his hood covering his face, buried in his own thoughts.

“Is he okay?” Orinis asked worriedly. Lewirand looked up suddenly, his gaze moving to where Orinis’s was.

“Who, Mirikus? Yes, he’s all right. Why do you ask?” he asked.

“I haven’t seen him eat since we left, and he doesn’t speak. It seems like he’s up to something. I have a strange feeling when I look at him, almost like I want to put an arrow through his heart.” Orinis sounded troubled. Lewirand looked at the young centaur and saw a look on his face he’d seen once before on the face of another young man, much the same age as Orinis was. It was a dark look mixed with a longing to help. It unsettled Lewirand to see such a look on the centaur’s kind face.

“Orinis! Lewirand! Mirikus! Come quickly!” Iro called urgently. They all looked at each other and raced toward where they heard Iro’s voice.

“Iro! What’s the matter?” Lewirand demanded, glancing between him and Sapphire. Iro pointed at the ground.

“What sort of tracks are those?” Orinis asked, fear in his voice. Mirikus turned his head toward the tracks, and he bent down to look at them.

“These are Pyron tracks!” he exclaimed, jumping backward. “I’ve seen them before in books, but never in person. I didn’t know they still existed.” He shook his head in wonder. Orinis, being so near the mage, felt a sudden urge to leap forward and strangle the mage with his bare hands. Blood pounded in his ears as he focused on Mirikus.

“Orinis!” Sapphire shouted. He jumped, turning toward the sound of her voice. His eyes had a wild look about them; his face was dark, and there was a half smile on his lips as he imagined the mage’s blood soaking into the ground. “Snap out of it!” she commanded, placing her hands on his shoulders and meeting the wild gaze. Orinis felt the evil desires fade away, his eyes widening in horror.

“What’s happening to me?” he cried, burying his face in his hands. “Why do I feel like this all of a sudden?” Tears built in his eyes, and he started to sob. “I can’t stand these evil thoughts. Why do I feel this way around Mirikus? Why do I feel like I’ve met him before? Why do I feel the need to murder him where he stands when I so much as glance at him?” He broke down in tears, collapsing to the ground. Iro stepped forward and put an arm around the young centaur’s shoulders.

“Orinis, there is something Sliora did not mention to you,” he said gently. “Mirikus murdered you in a past life. These feelings of revenge come from that life.”