The 13th

"Hey, Maro, you awake?"
"Yeah, I'm awake..." Maro opened his eyes to see his childhood friend, Zodia, sitting at the other end of the small rowboat. The light of the moon was the only thing to illuminate her as her blonde hair whipped around in the harsh ocean winds.
"Good," she said, her face perking up with a smile.
Maro let out a small chuckle at her change in moods as he pulled out the dampened piece of paper he had kept in his pocket.
"I suppose you want me to read this, then?"
"Of course. Its not like we have any other reading materials, after all." Zodia used her hands to motion to the empty boat as she spoke.
Maro laughed softly and unfolded the paper. He put on his best formal impression and began to read as best he could in the moonlight:
"Locations of the Twelve Hidden Gods:" He looked up at Zodia, cleared his throat, and continued.
"As it currently stands, numbers one, four, eight, and nine are imprisoned by Levidicus. Numbers two, five, six, and twelve are still missing. Numbers three and seven were spotted in Shirodo; they appear to be working together to survive the Acolytes. Number ten is working in secret under Cyro, the right-hand man of Levidicus. And number eleven has been sighted in towns and cities alike, all over Novatus; she shows up for a few days and trains some rebels to fight against Levidicus before running off to the next town."
Maro looked up when he was finished.
"So, if we can get to Shirodo, or happen to run into number eleven, then we will be one step closer to stopping Levidicus!"
Maro smirked at Zodia's exclamation and nodded in agreement, not even bothering to point out that it was the exact same exclamation she had made every couple hours for the past three days. They had been stuck on this boat for far too long. They'd had nothing to do other than to eat from their dwindling food supply and read that letter over, and over, and over again.
The two of them; Maro, the short, brown haired, blue eyed boy, and the slightly taller, blonde haired, silver eyed girl, Zodia, were rebels. They, as their parents before them, and as their friends, hated Levidicus for all that he'd done. But Maro and Zodia were lucky; they had been chosen by the rebel leaders to complete this quest. Not because of any superior skills, or because of some fated destiny, but due to luck; some very bad luck.
Zodia's smile faded for a bit as she looked at Maro, and she asked him a question she hadn't asked him yet;
"Do you think they would want us to complete such a task for them?"
"Yes, Zodia. Yes, they would. They believed that we could do it. And so do I. Just because they died in that fire, doesn't mean that what they were fighting for died with them. We are what's left, and we will stop Levidicus. We'll do it for our parents, for the elders, for everyone in Kylan. No matter how many Acolytes we have to get past, we will do it.
Zodia smiled a tiny smile. "Yes. Yes, we will."
Maro reached down into the foothold of the rowboat and picked up the small telescope, following the routine of the previous few days. Scanning the horizon, he finally spotted a very distant shore.
"I see land!"
"Yes!" Zodia's instant excitement at getting off the boat was made very apparent.
"Well, let's get to work, shall we?" Maro said, grabbing a paddle and holding one out to Zodia.
"Fine..." Zodia grumbled, moving to help Maro with the oars, and the two of them began to row. In constant, steady rhythm, they slowly made their way to the shore.
***************************
As they pulled up to the dock, the noticed something.
"Where is everybody?" Zodia asked.
"I...I don't know...But, in a town this size, this shore should be packed with people."
"Yeah..."
Zodia and Maro slowly and cautiously got out of the boat and tied it to the dock, making sure not to make a lot of noise, so as not to attract any unwanted attention.
"Shall we try to fi---"Zodia's question was cut off by a blood curdling scream.
"AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!! HELP! SOMEONE HEL---" Someone was in terrible danger. Maro quickly unsheathed his short sword from its scabbard as Zodia charged up her favorite combination of spells; fire in her left hand, ice in her right. Each hand glowed with the power now held within them.
"Zodia, we don't know what caused that scream. We need to be careful..." But Maro's wise words echoed off of thin air; Zodia had already rushed off into the alleyway that the scream had echoed its loudest from. Maro sighed in annoyance and bolted after her.
Maro followed the red and blue lights as they bounced down the dark alleyway; they were the only beacons to show him Zodia's location. As he got closer, Zodia stopped, causing Maro to come dangerously close to running into her.
The dark of the alleyway had ended; they were now standing at the edge of a large stone courtyard. The moonlight cast a bright glow across the cobblestones and over the base of what used to be a statue's pedestal in the center of the square. Maro was the first to spot the young girl, draped over the side of the pedestal, with a shadowy figure leaning over her.
"Whatever you are, get away from her!" The shadow looked up in response to Maro's shout and smiled a deathly grin, his pointed teeth reflecting the light of the moon.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A young boy and his lover, I presume?" Zodia scowled at his words.
"What did you do to her?" Zodia's voice shook as she spoke, her earlier bravado fading.
The shadow stepped forward and began to take the shape of a tall adult man, thought the shape was hazy. His eyes glowed a vibrant red. All other features were lost to the constantly shifting shadows that were his form.
"Children really shouldn't be out after dark. A city can be dangerous at night." The Shadow's voice dripped with malicious intent as he continued to approach Maro and Zodia.
"St-Stay back!" Maro's body shook with fear as he stepped in front of Zodia, using his body to shield her from the Shadow.
"Ah, the boy has a spine, after all. But, alas, against me, that won't help you." The shadow took a few more steps, and Maro bolted forward, swinging his sword at the creature. But it was useless; the shadow simply backhanded Maro, sending him flying across the courtyard into a small drinking hole in the corner of the square and causing him to drop his sword at the shadow's feet. The force of the landing caused Maro to pass out.
"Maro!" Zodia's shouts did nothing but draw the shadow to her; step by step, he continued to come closer.
"G-Get back! Stay away!" Zodia was backed into a wall; she had nowhere to run.
"Oh, how I love the feisty ones!" The shadow taunted Zodia with every step.
Zodia raised her hands against the shadow; an act of defiance as she tried to stay strong.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
"Don't worry, my pretty. It'll only hurt a bit."
The shadow's face contorted into that of a vicious, thirsty beast, and he lunged at Zodia.
"AAAHHHHHHH!!" Zodia's scream echoed around the courtyard, and a blinding white light began to surround her.
"W-What? N-No. No! It can't be!" The shadow turned and tried to flee from Zodia, but he only managed to take a few steps before the white light exploded from her, sending him flying into a wall at the opposite end of the courtyard. Zodia and the shadow both slumped down to the ground. Zodia had passed out, but the shadow hung on just long enough to utter a few words, "M-Master...I have found her...." before fading into nothing. His words hung in the air for a moment before disappearing as he had.
Maro awoke a moment later to find Zodia passed out. He slowly stood up and began to limp over to her. He was badly injured; along with his limp, he found it difficult to breath. As he approached her, he noticed something out the corner of his eye; a portion of the courtyard's wall was distorted; it seemed to move around and pull in on itself. A hole was forming in the wall, seemingly on its own. It seemed to be a portal of some sort.
"Agh!" Maro felt something--something evil; a dark presence pressing on his mind. Maro fell to his knees, kicking his sword as he did.
"Tsk, tsk. Insolent children; they never know when to quit." The voice came from the hole in the wall, followed seconds later by a man. He stepped out of the portal, and it closed behind him. The man was as tall as the shadow had been---an imposing six feet in height. He towered over Maro as he approached Zodia's motionless body. He had a formal military gait about him; he walked with his hands behind his back, as if he were above his very surroundings; too good to be in a place such as this.
"G-Get...away...f-from her!" Maro struggled to speak through the pain in his head.
"Or what? You'll stop me? You're just a child, and children should respect their elders, not threaten them."
"Aagghhh!" The pain in Maro's head became more and more excruciating as the man approached him. The man knelt next to Maro and spoke under his breath; "My name is Levidicus. Fear the name, boy; make it your worst nightmare. Because the next time we meet, I won't be so merciful."
Maro was about to pass out again. His vision had become blurry; he couldn't see a thing. And he couldn't move; his muscles weren't working. He had no choice but to watch as Levidicus strolled over toward Zodia. Her body began to pull itself up, but not of its own will; Levidicus was using a spell. He was powerful; he didn't move a muscle, didn't utter a word, but, still, the spell worked, causing Zodia's body to hover in front of Levidicus, giving him a chance to look closely at her face; inspecting her; appraising her.
"Ah, the rabbit. I've been looking for you for a very long time."
Another portal opened up behind Zodia, and her body floated through, into the darkness. Levidicus swiftly followed her through, and the portal closed behind him.
The second the portal disappeared, the pain in Maro's head vanished. Maro gently stood up, still wary of his injuries. He wanted to cry; he wanted to go home and see his father and mother again. Being a hero was too hard. But he knew that he couldn't; not now. Levidicus, the man who'd burned down his hometown; the man who'd dethroned the Gods and sent them into hiding. And, now, the man who'd just taken his life-long friend. The man must be stopped; the man must not be allowed to continue with his plan.
Maro limped toward the girl on the pedestal, determination in his mission surging through him once again, giving him the energy to keep going. Without this energy, he would've layed down and died; let his injuries take him. But Zodia needed him, and he knew it.
[Suddenly remembering the events of the night, Maro looked over at the girl who'd screamed, before. Gathering a breath to steady himself, he approached the girl.]

"Are you alright?" Maro's voice awakened the girl as he reached her; her eyes fluttered open and she looked weakly up at him.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Maro. Maro Kinalith. Are you injured?"
"Yeah. I think my leg is broken, and I'm really weak. I feel like I may pass out..." Maro quickly helped her up, trying to be gentle with her leg.
"There's a doctor...that way..." The girl pointed down an alley to Maro's right, and the two of them limped in that direction, each supporting the other.
"What's your name?" Maro asked.
"My name...is Amelia. Amelia Inu."