Amelia

Chapter 3

          I had no idea how long we had ridden, it began to seem like hours. Every moment was melding into one and I might have passed out at some point. We finally came to a stop, however and I started hearing voices.

          “Is she okay?”

          “Yes,” This was Glen. “No thanks to me.”

          I tried to peek out from the curled-up state I was hiding in and see who was speaking. It was a deep, exasperated voice that I was secretly hoping was the captain. My curiosity for him may never cease. Since the moment I first awoke in the forest and saw him standing before me, I knew he must have something to do with how this all started.

          “The creatures have fled the camp. We need to find the rest of the men.” It was the captain. The same face as before, except half-smeared with blood. He met my eyes for barely a second before spurring his horse to dart away as if deterred by my glance.

          We rode for a few more minutes in the direction the Captain sped off. I finally had the will to keep my eyes out. I could see the clouds brightening in the sky and knew the sun wasn’t far off in the horizon. That was what drew the creatures away. Most of them are nocturnal, including the learions.

          The camp was as much a disaster as when we left it. Glen dismounted and tied the horse to a tree before lifting me off its back. I stumbled on the still earth as if taking my first steps. The rough ride completely disoriented my concept of balance. Soon I resorted to squatting against the tree so I wouldn’t fall over.  

          The first thing I noticed was the dead learion nearby. The smell was awful, and the cause of death obvious. It had been gored by a longsword which still inhabited its throat. I was mesmerized; I had never seen one so still and up-close. That, and never would I have believed a human capable of killing one. As I watched, a soldier approached the corpse and pulled the weapon gently out of its rigid position.

          Could this be the man who brought down the beast? I watched closely but he only cleaned the blood off the sword before handing it to someone else.

          “Captain,” He said. “I believe this is yours.”

          “Thank you.” the Captain took his sword and sheathed it.

          Could he have killed it? Not on his own, I’m sure. Perhaps I overestimated the strength and power of the learion. Either that or I just won’t admit that killing one is extremely impressive. I watched the captain and Glen trudge back into the camp and I was left to sit for a few minutes, still lightheaded.

          The horse was uncomfortable, pulling at its leash to the tree and stepping anxiously. I got up and took a long look at its face. Like the learion, I had never seen one so close before; except the horse was a beautiful and harmless creature instead of a bloodthirsty killer. It started to calm itself, looking back into my eyes for momentary intervals before shyly turning away. I eventually decided it was okay to touch it. I gently stroked its broad neck, and it was at that point the horse decided to ignore me completely. I took this as a sign that he was comfortable with me and began running my fingers through his mane and scratching his round cheeks. He didn’t do much but twitch his ears.

          I looked around, noticing hardly anyone was nearby. The closest man was out of earshot and had his back turned. This was my chance. The sudden urge to escape took over and I began hastily untying the knot of the reins. I had no idea where in the forest I was but tried to mount the horse regardless. The foothold was almost too high for me and I struggled with choosing the right foot to place in it. By then I heard frantic yells and the sound of several men running towards me.