Chapter 13 - First Assignment
"Alright, Alec. The best way for us to get all of these things finished is to split up. I will take this half of the list. You take the other half and we will make back here when we are finished. Sound good to you?" This was the question Eliza had asked him early that morning and it had been foolish of Alec to answer with a yes. He was sitting at the same table that they had sat discussing the best way for them to complete their objectives. Eliza was kind enough to leave Alec all of the fairly simple tasks, allowing him to talk to villagers for various reasons, whether to hear their complaints about different policies or to deliver messages.
His favorite task of the day had been to travel into town and collect a list of groceries from the town market. None of the tasks Alec had performed that day was what he would deem a worthy enough cause for a knight to be required, but they were all tasks that had been set forth to them by the council. Now, he sat where he had been sitting for several hours, impatiently awaiting Eliza and he assumed Zelus to return from their half of the tasks. The waitress had already made several rounds toward Alec and he had already eaten one meal there and was becoming increasingly tempted to order again when finally he could hear the sound of a young man and woman arguing. Alec raised three fingers into the air and counted down the seconds before Eliza came barging in and sat next to him.
"What are you counting?" She snapped at him. He rolled his head to the side and saw Zelus sit opposite Eliza, a broad smirk on his face despite the enormous handprint that also bore on his face. From the look of the smirk on his face, Alec knew that Zelus had been laying on a thick layer of sarcasm, and had probably been hounding Eliza for hours, judging upon the look on her face.
"Me, oh nothing. I was just getting ready to flag down the waitress." As if on cue, the young girl who had been flirting with Alec for most of the day arrived.
"Anything I can get for you, darling?" Alec smiled at the greeting as the young woman placed her hand on Alec's. Eliza rolled her eyes already annoyed by the girl. Zeus smirked, hinting to Alec the source material of their bickering.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, my friends and I would like whatever it was that you brought me earlier." The woman smiled.
"Alright then, three bowls of the red fire stew. I'll be right back, darling." The waitress turned and both Alec and Zelus perked up and watched as she swayed her hips as she walked, aware that they were watching. She turned back to match their gaze and smiled as she continued to walk seductively. Eliza cleared her throat loudly to alert them that she was still there.
"So Eliza, how went your half of the list?" Alec asked as he stretched back in his chair and took a deep breath. Eliza glared at him for a few minutes and then looked to Zelus.
"Well, not that he was of any help, but we managed to finish everything on the list." Zelus attempted to hold back a laugh and instead let out a choked gurgle.
"What happened? There's obviously a story here." Again, Eliza glared at Zelus as the waitress came back and sat down three steaming bowls of heavenly smelling stew, three cups and a pitcher of water.
"Is there anything else that I can get for you three?" Sensing the tension, the waitress smiled, winked at Alec and Zelus, while she walked away, giggling to herself as Eliza fumed.
"As I was saying," Eliza started after swallowing a mouthful of stew. "That we had started to finish our half when." A shocked expression crawled across her face as if she had just seen the reaper and then, with panicked intensity, sprang into frenzied action, trying to pour water into her glass. After fumbling around quite some bit, she managed to gulp down three glasses as Alec and Zelus roared with laughter. Eliza gasped trying to catch her breath before starting at the two of them.
"You could have warned me that it was so hot!" Alec and Zelus looked at one another and then very plainly spoke in unison.
"Eliza, it is called red fire stew."
"I did not know what it was called. I was too distracted by that girl ravaging you two with her eyes to pay attention to what she was saying." Alec and Zelus continued to laugh at Eliza's discontent as she gulped down another mouthful of water. As she attempted to recover, by taking in deep breaths of air and trying to exhale the heat out, Alec and Zelus dug into their stew by the spoonful and, through their own deep mouth breathing, emptied their bowls and sat back content.
"Aren't you going to drink any water?" Eliza looked at the two of them with awe.
"Nah, I am good, but are you going to finish that?" Alec looked at Eliza with great curiosity.
"Of course I am, I'm just not used to spicy foods like this. That is all." Alec and Zelus laughed for a moment.
"What's so funny now?"
"Oh, it is just you have lived among the high society for so long you have never had a taste of the local delicacies. Zelus and myself live off things such as this." Zelus nodded in agreement as Eliza battled with another spoonful, each time taking smaller and smaller bites.
"I have not been pampered, thank you. I merely eat what is available to me. Besides Zelus lives in the noble district as well." Zelus spoke up in defense of the argument.
"Yeah, but I practically live on my own since my father is never around. So, I eat here opposed to sitting home alone." Eliza continued to bicker.
"I have not been pampered." Alec and Zelus turned to one another and acted pompous and high strung for a moment until Eliza landed a slug in the shoulder to each of them. Eliza, unwilling to sway from her foul mood allowed, Zelus to continue the story.
"Well, we were working with the locals to try and find a thief and after a small degree of trouble we were able to catch him and return some stolen goods and..." Eliza slammed her small hands onto the table interrupting.
"No, what happened is I chased the thief through the streets, alleys and across rooftops in order to catch him while you were hitting on some random girl you met in the square." Alec looked to Zelus who shrugged his shoulders and nodded before continuing.
"Anyway, it so happens that the thief came back my way and, through my own elaborate methods, I tripped him up and captured him."
"If you call accidently running into someone and falling on them elaborate methods, then yeah you were superb." Zelus smiled again and went on.
"Afterwards, we finished the job that we were initially on and started another, which involved finding a cat. It was hiding in the owner's house and..." Alec leaned forward to interrupt.
"I am more or less just curious as to why Eliza is so upset." Zelus smirked again and as soon as Eliza looked up, Zelus averted his gaze. It was Eliza that finished.
"After spending the entire day hitting on anything wearing a skirt, he had the nerve to kiss me." Alec turned to Zelus, a shocked expression on his face, and Zelus smiled.
"She said that I didn't have the guts to kiss a real woman on a whim, so why even bother." Zelus paused a moment. "She was wrong." Alec laughed and the three carried on their various tales for an hour before finishing up and Alec paying for their meals.
"So, there is nothing left to do on your list?" Eliza pulled the crumpled parchment out of her pocket and began to read through the list.
"No, the one thing that we have left to do is to gather supplies and go to Tarnas and meet with the local barkeep. It seems he has a matter that he must discuss with us.
"Alright. Well. I have already been to the market once today. How about I head there and gather supplies. Then, first thing tomorrow morning, you two and I head out." Zelus leaned forward and spoke up.
"I am sorry, Alec, but I have to meet with the council tomorrow. They have some things they would like to discuss with me. Apparently, I was just helping today to make sure that you two could get through everything."
"Well, we appreciate it Zelus, Eliza and I both." He looked at Eliza who mumbled a thank you under her breath. Alec looked at Eliza and goaded her.
"Come on, Eliza...say it as if you mean it." He spoke to her as if teaching manners to a toddler.
"Thank you!" She looked at Alec angrily.
"That is alright Eliza. That kiss earlier was well worth it." The two men laughed as Eliza balled up her tiny fist and threatened to punch Zelus again. Eliza reared her head towards Alec, who stopped laughing immediately.
"Alright then. Let us go gather some supplies." Alec and Eliza both left the tavern and went their separate ways, each gathering a different set of supplies.
Chapter 14 - The Knight's First Steps
Early that next morning, Alec opened his eyes to see Oz lying beside him, sleeping peacefully, his chest steadily puffing out and deflating with each breath. Alec listened contentedly as the baby lion hawk purred quietly. After a few more minutes of lying in bed, Alec slowly rose and started his morning workout, to the best of his ability. Once finished, he began gathering up his things into a pile and then proceeded to wash himself. As he exited the washroom, he came out to a rather hyperactive griffet bounding from one end of the room to the other carrying Alec's traveling bag with its beak. He smiled and shook his head before reaching out and attempting to wrestle the bag free.
"Come on Oz. Let go of the bag." Alec grabbed one strap and pulled gently. Oz tugged playfully against the bag.
"Oz, give me the bag!
"Brr brr!" Oz teased.
"Oz come on. Give me the bag now!" Alec's irritation was apparent.
"BREE!" Oz screeched and, pulling himself away, jumped, kicked and flapped his youngling wings and scrambled his way up the wall and rested on the support beam.
"Brrr!" He cooed in spite as he stared down at Alec. Alec paced around the room for several minutes debating on what his first course of action should be. He closed his eyes briefly and concentrated on the mental connection that bound them. He could sense an overwhelming amount of excitement flooding into him and knew that Oz thought he was going with him. Alec looked up at Oz with sadness on his face.
"I am sorry little one, I cannot take you with me just yet. I can next time, though." Oz let out a sad cue and turned his back to Alec blocking Alec's view of his face.
"Come on Oz, it's not because I don't want to, I'm not allowed to take you out and about until I have permission from the council." Again, Oz let out another sad cue before there came a knock at the door.
"Alec, I am coming in." Eliza spoke as she slowly entered the room.
"Brree!" Oz squealed as he jumped from his perch, nearly landing in Eliza's arms.
"Well, someone is awfully happy to see me. Who is a cute baby?" She cooed at him as he continued to squeak excitedly jumping up and down pawing at her.
"What is got him so excited?" She laughed as she petted his mane. Alec looked at Eliza and closed his eyes focusing on their connection.
"I think he believes that he can get you to bring him with us." Alec focused some more trying to comprehend the jumbled emotions. Eliza turned her head to the side and then realized what Alec must be doing.
"Have you been working on your mental connection with Oz?" Alec nodded his head and then proceeded back to recovering his bag. After a couple of jumps, he resorted to throwing things at it.
"BRR!!" Oz pushed away from Eliza and shimmied back up the wall, placing his body over top of the bag. Eliza burst out into a fit of laughter, which after a minute, forced her to bend in half and eventually take a seated position. Alec waited with an annoyed look on his face for Eliza to stop laughing. When she had finished, she took a moment to recover and wipe the tears from her eyes.
"Having some trouble, are we?" Alec made an irritated clucking sound with his mouth and continued to stare at Eliza. She rose from the chair and called to Oz.
"Come here baby. Bring the bag to Aunt Eliza. Come here sweetheart. Give Auntie the bag." She continued to baby talk Oz until he poked his head out and after some more goading hopped down with the pack in his beak and released the strap into Eliza's custody. As she patted Oz on the head and lifted up the bag, she gave Alec a look as if to show him how easy that was.
Alec walked over to her and took the bag from out of her hand and mumbled a thank you before he finished packing his bag. Slinging his pack onto his shoulder, he squatted down and patted Oz on the head and rose again.
"Kristiana said that she is coming over later to play with you, would you like that?"
"Bree bree!" The griffet cheered causing Alec to smile bitter sweetly, not wanting to leave his baby behind. Their goodbyes complete, Alec and Eliza walked through the door and, closing it behind them, tried to tear their ears away from the sound of the baby's cries. As they walked, Eliza turned to Alec and spoke to him, walking backwards.
"Hey Alec. I forgot to tell you I invited Zelus to join us. Is that alright with you?" Alec was surprised to find that this news was not a shock to him.
"I thought that he had an important meeting with the council?"
"I am not sure. He told me this morning that he was free now, and so I invited him to come along. Is that alright with you?"
"Yeah, it is fine. It will be nice to have someone else to help handle you." He smiled and waited for the inevitable but friendly shove. They both smiled at one another after she pushed him as she nearly ran into Zelus.
"Oh, guess I should have figured that you would have invited nymph boy as well." Zelus looked at Alec as he caught Eliza by her shoulders and tenderly released her. Eliza smiled and pulled the straps of her pack back up onto her shoulders. Zelus eyed Eliza's outfit which consisted of many garments not suited for travel wear.
"Eliza, you don't plan on traveling dressed like that do you? It's a two day hike from here to the shrine at Tarnas." Eliza smiled as they walked and stopped, tossing her bag to Zelus.
"Of course not, this is our last stop before we leave. I just wore this in town to make my father happy." She strolled into her house and closed the door. Alec leaned his back against the wall and tipped his head down and crossed his arms. Zelus struck a similar pose on the opposite side of the door and spoke to Alec without looking at him.
"Are you sure your afflictions are well enough for travel? Would not want you to wear yourself down." Alec smiled and chose not to ignore the taunt.
"I see you lost your sling, you must have laid off from your, you know, late night activities." Zelus snapped his head toward Alec and glared at him for a moment before looking back to the bustling street.
"You know it was not your fault, right? The trials? Ask the others, Dom and Nilus agreed with your decision and as much as I hate to admit it, I do too." Alec glanced over to Zelus surprised by something so out of character for him.
"I could have done more."
"No Alec, you could not have. None of us could have! You were forced to make a decision and you made the appropriate one! Eliza was all alone and outnumbered. You had no way of knowing that there was a Valdurn waiting around the corner." Alec looked at Zelus who seemed angry now, but it was not usual for him to lose his temper over something like this. Alec questioned the odd behavior but Zelus was not willing to discuss the matter further. At that same time, Eliza opened the door.
"Are you two at it already? I swear you are worse than children." She continued to yell at them but they were both momentarily distracted by Eliza's change in fashion. She stood before them wearing full strider's gear, tanned breeches, tall black leather boots and long leather trench coat, two curved swords on her hips and a bow and full quiver on her back. She held out her arms and spun slightly.
"Much better, do you not think? It was my mother's." Alec nodded his head in agreement and then assisted Zelus in picking up his jaw. Eliza smiled, satisfied with their reactions, and taking her bag from Zelus, slung it over her shoulders and began to walk toward the town gates.
"Do either of you have anything that you need to take care of before we leave? It is still early and we have a few moments to spare." Eliza mentioned and only one thought came to Alec.
"Is there enough time to stop by the Highmoorian sector and say goodbye to the kids? I have not been by the past several days and I would tell them goodbye, if I am able." Both Eliza and Zelus nodded their heads.
"That is fine, we can meet you at the gates in a couple of hours. That will give us a chance to make sure that we have enough provisions." Alec nodded his head as he walked north towards the Highmoorian sector. As he reached the gates to the sector, the knight posted by the gate, tipped his head to Alec as Alec walked inside.
The buildings on either side of Alec were worn, some of which beyond repair. As he walked down the main street, he saw many of his own, who smiled and acknowledged him as he passed.
"Good morning to you, Sir Alec. May the goddess bless you with a swift recovery." One of the many spoke to which Alec thanked.
"Admirable performance," another spoke. Alec smiled and bowed his head to the praises, as he admitted to himself that his performance had not yet been enough to grant his people the break they deserved. As Alec continued to walk down the street, he saw three children, two boys and one girl at play, who immediately recognized him.
"ALEC!" They yelled as they ran up to him. Alec knelt down slowly, placing his pack on the ground and gave them a hug as they ran into his arms.
"Are you going to play with us today?" The little, red haired, green eyed, freckle faced girl asked.
"I am sorry Seera, I cannot today. I just wanted to say goodbye before I leave the city, on my first mission as a knight." The larger of the two boys, Timothy, a brown haired, brown-eyed boy spoke.
"I am going to become a paladin." Alec smiled as the boy puffed out his chest and Logan, the smaller of the two boys looked at him. Logan was blonde haired, greenish blue eyed and was by far the quietest of the three.
"I thought the paladins were gone?" Timothy turned his head.
"The paladins will return. I know they will." He spoke as Alec stood up.
"Are you leaving?" Seera asked.
"I have to but I should be back before too long. You three be good while I am away, alright?" The children nodded their heads as they each gave Alec another hug, before trotting off. As Alec watched them run about, he took a long look at the Highmoorian sector and reaffirmed the reasons for his hard work. Alec turned and walked back towards the gates to Valascaa.
Alec quickly found Zelus and Eliza, looking at the food stalls on the way to the gates. Confirming they were indeed ready to leave, they turned and walked to the southern gate. As they neared the gates, several guards approached and barred their path, weapons outdrawn.
"State your business." The guard grumbled at them, his shield clanking with that of the soldier next to him.
"We have been ordered by the council to travel to Tarnas in order to aid the people there and spread the word of the council." The guard seemed to accept her answer because after examining the group and seeming particularly interested in discussing Alec, they unbarred the path and wished them good fortune.
As the three of them began to march down the road, they all looked out onto the marvelous expanse that lay before them. Grassy plains and roaring rivers stretched out all along it, but then Alec turned his head west and knew it to be west that lay the home of the Forsaken.
"Tarnas is this way." He pointed east by northeast and they began to walk following the long road.
"Eliza, do you have any more information about what kind of job this is?" Alec asked as they walked. There was a pause for a moment and then Alec could hear the crumpling of parchment before Eliza read.
"Speak with Talon, local barkeeper at Tawna's Tavern in Tarnas. Talon has information regarding a suspicious character that we are to investigate. That's all it says." She folded the list and placed it back into her pocket. As they continued to walk for several hours. Often at times, they would take a few minutes rest and they would take turns sparring or just sitting and stretching out their legs for a moment. They had been given additional time to meet the contact and had left sooner than the council had anticipated. That night, they set up camp and built a small fire that they circled their tents around. Alec sat leaning against a log looking up at the sky as Zelus drew circles in the ground with a stick. Alec turned his attention to see Eliza reading a book. He glanced at the title on the tightly bound leather cover.
"The Epitaph of Twilight, Seal of the Nameless God." Alec smirked and shook his head, realizing that it must be some crummy novice author's novel about some alternate world he created.
"You draw often, Zelus?" Alec nodded his head toward the shapes that Zelus was engraving in the dirt. Zelus shrugged in response.
"It helps me to clear my head, drawing, practicing my letters, things such as that." He said.
"Hmm, guess I never considered that. Does drawing them out help you?" Alec thought of the many thoughts that plagued his mind on a regular basis.
"Yeah, I would say so, it just relaxes my mind, gives me some clarity you know?" he looked around him for a brief moment and plucked a twig from the pile of brushwood.
"Here, you try it." Alec took the twig from Zelus's hand and began to draw his own shapes. He started with just simple things at first but after a couple of hours he had made a simple mockery of their camp. He was pleased at his work, never realizing that he could take pleasure in something so simple. Zelus looked over after a while and smirked.
"Not bad, not good either though." Alec threw the twig at him, and they both laughed. Eliza lowered her novel from in front of her nose briefly to see.
"Actually Alec, I think that with some more practice that you might make a decent artist." Alec smiled and looked back at his creation before laying and looking up at the sky. He knew that if they woke early that they would be arriving in Tarnas by the time the sun reached its zenith. He looked to his fellow companions, wished them goodnight and then closed the flap on his tent and went to sleep.
Chapter 15 - The Seer
The woman with the sad green eyes sat on a swing humming a tune to herself. She continued to swing under the tree playing with something in her hands. Alec tried to watch her hands, but could not quite glimpse what it was that she was doing. Eventually, she turned her gaze toward him and smiled, warming him from within. He walked up towards her and reached out to pull back her hood, revealing her long flowing amber hair.
"I have been looking for you," he whispered to her. She smiled, her sad eyes brightening slightly.
"And I you," she said. Alec smiled, but was suddenly pulled from his peace, his arms reaching out for anything to anchor himself to but he was still drawn away. Alec let out a sigh of discontent as he opened his eyes and sat upright.
"Again, why do I keep having this dream? Who is this girl?" He ran his hands through his hair when an idea struck him. He began rummaging through his pack for anything that would suit his purpose and came upon a piece of parchment. Rushing from his tent without putting a shirt on, he grabbed some char from the fire and began to draw the long narrow lines of the beautiful woman's face. Despite his lack of practice, Alec's hand moved with unparalleled speed and precision having seen her so many times before. Within only a short few minutes, he had created an accurate resemblance to her, and sat now staring at it with awe.
Moments passed before he remembered that there had been a reason for him being pulled from his dream, and began to search the nearby area. There was nothing in sight, to provide reason for concern. Instead, he checked his bandages, strapped on his sword belt and walked out towards the area of camp, where he had practiced earlier.
He made a note not to stand too far from the fire, as the frigid night air was still all around him. Alec tapped back into his memories as a child and began to perform the different stances his grandmother had taught him as a child.
He took a wide stance and carefully drew the sword from its sheath. He looked down to the bandages on his right side, and slowly raised the sword, holding it out. As he did so, he remembered how strict his grandmother had been when training him. He made sure to hold his posture and control every contracting muscle fiber, aware of his body's position and his surroundings.
He had not quite reached shoulder level when he could feel the burning in his ribs, but as it was not unbearable, he continued. He surpassed shoulder height and held the sword over his head for a few seconds. He tipped the blade downward, as he imagined himself defending against an overhead attack and continued to roll the sword over, assuming the next form.
He tipped his body and leaned to the side as he gently stabbed and immediately flowed into a smooth sideways stroke, stepping into the next form. He brought the sword upward slowly and swiped downward across his body, flicking his wrist and bringing the sword vertical in front of his face, clasped firmly with both hands.
"Alright Alec. You can do this." He encouraged himself, and clasping his other hand over the hilt of his sword, eased himself through a series of uncomplicated strokes. He squinted slightly as he felt a rise in his level of discomfort with certain forms, but pushed himself further. As his confidence began to grow, so did the consistency of his strokes against his phantom opponent, until the pain had caused sweat to appear on his brow. He slid the sword back into its sheath, sat cross-legged on the ground, and closed his eyes to think.
"Come on orphan! Get up!" A much larger Highmoorian boy from Alec's past kicked his seven-year-old self, while he was lying on the ground. Alec forcibly spat as his body twitched reflexively. The boy and his friends laughed as Alec slowly rose to his knees. The large boy moved in and kicked Alec again, knocking Alec over as his grandmother, accompanied by a red and gold clad paladin, approached. The paladin had long white hair, pulled back in a ponytail, also possessing no right arm.
"Leave that boy alone!" The paladin called as Alec's grandmother held out her hand to the man.
"ALEC! Do not be afraid to defend yourself. Have I not taught you to be strong? Have I not taught you to overcome all doubt, fear and opposition? Stand up! Defend yourself!" The boy and his friends stared at the old woman and the paladin. Alec rose to his feet and wiped his mouth, as he glared at the boy in front of him. The bully and his friends eyed the two adults, a moment longer, before looking back to Alec.
"What? Do you want some more, orphan?" The larger boy taunted, stepping forward. Alec's eyes narrowed, the feeling of his grandmother's eyes on his back, unnerving him, placing his defenses on high alert. As the boy, swung at him, Alec shifted his back leg, turning his body from the blow, as he swung low.
The larger boy stumbled, as he took Alec's much smaller fist, in the small of his rib cage. Angry, the bully moved on him again. Alec raised both of his forearms, blocking the boy's punch, then wrapping around his arm, Alec twisted, kicking the boy hard in the ribs. After stumbling back once more, the boy backed down and moved on with his friends.
"You see, Alec. It is important to defend oneself. You cannot always allow others to press you." His grandmother chided.
"I did not want to hurt him." Alec whined, wiping the small trickle of blood from his mouth. "I do not want to fight."
"If you wish to shield others, you must first learn to shield yourself. There will come a time, when you will find something worth saving. You must be ready, at any moment, to do all that is necessary, in order to safeguard that, which is most important to you, in this life. I will not be around, forever, to watch after you."
"Alright, grandmother." Alec mumbled, as the old woman turned her head up to the paladin.
"See, Zerendil. You worry too much. The boy is flourishing in my care. Should you not be somewhere, tending to something?" She asked, smiling.
"Of course." The man replied, as he turned and walked away.
"Go ahead, and play, Alec." The old woman smiled at him, as well, before Alec, trotted off.
As Alec continued to meditate, he thought of his first days in Valascaana and of his friend Rowan, who had once been his Valascaan rival. Rowan was built identically to Alec, but had dark brown hair and brown eyes. The same as Alec, Rowan bore no noble name and shared the same headstrong attitude, leading to constant clashes between them. He smiled as he thought of the battles they once waged, until they were both too bloody and sore to continue their fight. Often times, they would continue their brawling until they were forcibly separated by an adult.
After about a year, he and Rowan had become sound friends, being the only outcasts in the knights' academy. It had also been Rowan, who had first convinced Alec, to break the rules, regarding the Aneiran maze. Rowan had eventually returned overseas, to be with his family after the deaths of his older brothers, whom Alec had never met. Alec remembered something Rowan had told him before his departure.
"I must see this world with my own eyes. I must face my doubts, fears and turn my every weakness into strength. One day, I will become a guiding light for my people and for that to happen, I shall see this world and come back, stronger, wiser. I will return my friend, and when I do, I hope you have also found the strength that you seek."
Alec thought to himself of his own need to grow stronger and wiser, in order to protect the ones he cared for. He remembered his various reasons, but mostly his ultimate reason for this, his sister. He continued to ponder about the things that bothered him most, namely, his being chosen by the long silent nymphs. Of the people that had experienced what happened in the throne room, he had been the only one to assume the worst, or so he was told. Not reassured by their comforting words, Alec still attempted to think of reasons that boded well for him.
"Maybe Aurora is not after me, but giving me a chance to redeem myself." Was the best he could come up with, but still found redemption a better alternative than punishment.
"I am not convinced on redemption, but perhaps something closer to forgiveness." Alec had not heard Eliza approach, but he dipped his head toward the ground and smiled, appreciative of her company.
"Ah, I would love to think that Aneira could forgive me." Alec mentioned. "I am afraid some crimes, are simply beyond recompense." Eliza shook her head and sat next to him.
"I meant forgiveness for yourself." She sighed heavily before continuing. "Alec, you cannot blame yourself for being a victim in the war with the Forsaken. You are the one of the few, who survived the attack on Highmoore. The knights and paladins stationed at the town were not even enough. No child had a chance against them. You should be thankful to Aneira for shielding you from harm." Alec did not respond. Eliza waited for him to say anything to back her feelings but knew that he could not, because he did not share them. She patted his scar causing him to tense before whispering in his ear.
"Allow your wounds to heal, brother." She kissed him on the cheek before walking back to her tent to wait morning. After several more minutes of quiet contemplation, Alec rose to his feet and walked back to ready his things for travel. He saw that Eliza and Zelus were already gathering their belongings eager to get an early start on the day. As Alec was packing, he came across the picture of the mysterious girl and stared at it for a moment.
"Who's the pretty girl?" Zelus stood staring over his shoulder.
"Looks as though she could go for a little Zelus action." Alec turned his head toward Zelus and let out a near audible growl. Eliza walked up and flicked Zelus in the forehead and then shooed him away. Eliza could not help but glimpse at the picture herself, however.
"Is that her? The woman from your dreams?" Alec nodded slightly.
"She's beautiful!" Eliza admired Alec's artwork for a moment, before Alec lovingly packed it away in his bag and shouldered the load.
"Too bad I have no idea who she is." He turned and began to walk toward the road. Eliza walked beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Do you think that she has anything to do with the nymph?" Alec shook his head.
"I have no idea. If she is, then I wonder what it means. I have been seeing her for a while now, Eliza." They continued to talk as they walked down the road, drifting off toward friendlier topics. Just short of late morning, Zelus walked up beside Alec and Eliza.
"How far away is Tarnas from here?" Zelus asked. Alec turned toward Eliza then nodded.
"We should be there within the next few hours." Zelus acknowledged with a shake of his head and began to walk a few paces ahead of them when they came upon an upturned wagon, its horse and owner, an elderly man, lie dying next to it.
"Hurry!" Zelus called back to the others as he threw down his pack and ran toward the man and began to tend to his wounds. Alec and Eliza weren't far behind and took up guard watching the roads carefully. As Zelus worked on stopping the man's bleeding, the man opened his eyes and began to speak to Zelus.
"I was just traveling down the road." Zelus tried to quiet the man.
"Please sir, you need to save your strength. I have to get the bleeding to stop." Zelus continued to work when the man placed his hand over Zelus's and held it in place.
"Too late, save the girl." The man strained to get out the words. Alec spun on his heel and knelt next to the man.
"What girl? If you can please tell us what happened?" Zelus eyed him angrily.
"Found a young girl on the road, said she needed a ride to town. Forsaken came, attacked, and took her." The man was far too weak to speak further so he pointed in the direction. Without regard for his own body Alec dropped his pack and began to sprint in the direction the man pointed.
"Zelus stay with him. Alec, I am coming with you." Eliza began to run as Zelus stayed with the old man. Alec ran, the pain in his side unbearable, as he unsheathed his sword and swung his shield out in front of him. Eliza, likewise, drew her bow and nocked an arrow in flight. Soon they came across the tracks of four pairs of armored boots. They slowed their run to a hastened walk and crouched down low enough so that their heads would be concealed behind the nearby shrubbery.
Alec crouched as close to the ground as he possibly could and peered through the nearby bushes toward the three armored men standing around their camp.
"Why are they setting up camp so close to the road?" Alec asked Eliza. She searched around the site but found nothing of note.
"I do not know, Alec. I do not like this though, something is wrong. The Forsaken should not be sitting about so leisurely within our lands. This isn't good." Alec continued to look around when he saw the fourth armor clad creature walk forward, dragging a child behind him.
"Sit!" It hissed through his metal mask, as he flung the child who stumbled toward the others and sat by the fire.
"We have to save her Alec. What should we do?" Alec thought for a moment and looked back toward Eliza.
"Let me reach the other side of the camp. Is there any way that you can distract them long enough for me to grab the girl?" Eliza thought for a moment and then grabbed something from her pouch.
"Go ahead. Signal when you are ready." Alec nodded and began to make his way toward the other side of camp. As he neared the other side, he could faintly overhear the hissing masks speak of their oncoming party. Alec's heart sank as he listened to the little girl's sobbing. He clutched at the left side of his chest as pain seared in his chest and rage coursed through his entire body. He gripped his fist so tightly that it began to go numb. He made it to the other side of the camp and held his sword out sideways, catching the sun's light, sending a quick flash to Eliza.
"What was that?" One of the creatures seethed through its mask and turned in the direction of Eliza. Alec prepared himself as three of the men rose and began to walk toward Eliza's hiding place. Without hesitation, an arrow shot through the bushes and bounced off the fourth's metal helmet.
"Attack!" This time the four of them charged toward her and Alec slowly walked toward the girl. Just as Alec reached for her there was a loud bang and the first of the four was propelled backward. The others hissed angrily as they were showered with debris.
"Hurry, come with me!" Alec called to the girl holding out his hand toward her. The girl looked at Alec with sheer terror decorating her face, a face that made Alec's worst fears come alive. In his mind, he knew that it could never be true but he could not help but notice how much this girl resembled Rayne.
"Grab the seer!" Alec heard a hiss and a growl as another small explosion sent another armored body through the air. The girl looked to Alec again and grabbed his hand as they ran as fast as they could back toward the road.
"Hurry!" Alec yelled, dragging the young girl behind him, her small legs and feet barely able to carry her. Alec quickly swung his shield over his shoulder and placed the girl over his opposite one. He could hear the men getting closer to him. His side burned and he knew that he would not be able to outrun them for long. As he reached the top of the hill he was scaling, his feet hit the dirt road and he nearly tripped as the ground leveled out.
"Zelus, take her!" He yelled as Zelus rose from the wounded man, drew his own sword and shield, while running towards them.
"Alec, what happened? Where is Eliza?" As he said it, she came running from the other side.
"We have to move now I have wounded two of them but they are ticked, and on their way here now." She whipped around blindingly quick and shot an arrow at one of the armored beasts as it reached the top of the hill. The creature hissed as the arrow lodged itself in its chest plate and black mist oozed from the hole.
Eliza shot several more arrows into it until finally she shot one through the faceplate and the creature buckled and remained still, falling into the tall grass where it vanished from sight. She reached back to grab another arrow as the remaining three arrived on the scene and she found she had none.
"Alec, Zelus we have a problem!" She unstrung her bow and slid it into her quiver and drew out her long curved knives.
"Stay behind us." Alec placed himself between the young girl and the Forsaken, pulling his shield in front of him. As if to laugh at them, the three men hissed in bursts, each standing in front of one of the knights. The one who had once been the fourth, whom Alec had heard speak, stood before him, larger than his brethren. His helmet was horned, where the others masks, were partially covered by hoods.
Alec raised his shield to block the first blow of his attacker and caught a long glance at the black twisted metal that grated against his shield. The blade was sharp and serrated, long jagged spines ran down the back, allowing a kill stroke regardless of which side one was struck with. Alec pressed back with his shoulder and swung his sword in a broad stroke scratching the armor that decorated his enemy's chest.
The creature swung back, knocking powerfully into Alec's shield, causing his right side to buckle. He crumpled slightly as the pain seared through him, but still managed to swing a counter blow. With a flick of his wrist, the armored giant slapped Alec's blade aside and kicked into Alec's chest sending him backward and onto his back.
"Kill them all, and grab the seer to return to the Fallen." The towering monster hissed as it stabbed down toward Alec's chest. Alec rolled to the side and sliced toward the Forsaken's ankles. He kicked at Alec's weapon but Alec still managed to cut into the back of its leg. A horrible squealing emitted from the wound in the leg and Alec had to cover his ears to blot out the horrible sensation. The Forsaken stumbled backward and began to work on his leg until the squealing stopped and Alec uncovered his ears and rose to his feet. He looked from side to side and saw Zelus and Eliza fighting savagely against their opponents but losing ground. He looked behind him and saw the Rayne look alike and then heard a voice within his mind.
"Awaken Alec."
Alec let his shield fall to the ground and, gripping his sword in both hands, felt an empowering rush flow through him. The Forsaken stepped backward for several paces.
"I said kill them!" The more heavily armored one yelled. Each renewed their assault on the knights but this time, Alec's arm felt stronger, his blade felt lighter. As the Forsaken leader swung toward him, he sidestepped and brought his own sword down across its back. He could hear the squealing start again but this time felt no need to cover his ears. Eliza and Zelus however, both covered theirs as the other two Forsaken looked to Alec curiously.
"Why do you not cover your ears? The banshee shriek has the power to kill. Why do you not crumble?" The leader raised his hand to the others to silence them.
"Back away you foolssss. He is one of the blessed ones. Quickly, we must return." Without further hesitation, the troop doubled back and vanished. Alec, Eliza and Zelus all ran toward the hill but knew that with the elderly man in his present condition and now this mysterious girl that they would never catch them. Alec turned to Eliza and Zelus who both stared at him awkwardly.
"What is the matter?" Alec stared back at them as they continued to gawk.
"Alec, do you feel alright?" Eliza asked as she walked toward him cautiously.
"Yeah, I feel fine, confused, but fine, why?"
"Alec, your eyes and your hair started glowing."
"What?" This time Zelus spoke up.
"Yeah man, the big one knocked you down and you lashed out at him. Then, when you stood up, you were glowing." Alec grabbed onto the longer locks of his hair and pulled them out, trying to examine them for himself. Zelus laughed as he watched Alec pull on his bangs.
"You are not glowing anymore but you were. What I want to know is what did the Forsaken mean by a blessed one?" Eliza spoke up after Zelus finished.
"Alec, I think that this has something to do with the nymph but that doesn't matter right now. We have to get them," she motioned toward the man and the girl, "to Tarnas before he bleeds out. We also have to warn the capital of what happened here." Alec and Zelus both nodded as they ran to gather the man and girl and, after some careful consideration, made a stretcher and began to make their way toward the nearby city that rested only a few hours away.
As they carried the old man, Alec and Zelus silently prayed for the his safety as the young girl cried. Eliza ran up ahead to inform the guards of their arrival.
"Just hold on sir, we're almost there." Alec spoke to the old man as several guards came running from the open gates ahead of them, Eliza in tow.
"Hurry, young knights, inside, give us the man and report to the commander." Two of them took the makeshift stretcher from Alec and Zelus and sped off with him while the other guards took the three of them in a different direction toward a large stone building. The guards stopped them there before the massive wooden doors.
"Only one of you needs report to the commander, which of you would like to." Zelus stepped forward, his chest pressed forward.
"I am the leader of our squad. I will report. I will need the young girl to accompany me as well. She possesses information the rest of us do not." The guard nodded and led Zelus and the young girl into the building. As he entered, Zelus turned his head to the side and yelled.
"Turn in your report now, then get busy with the rest of your mission." Alec and Eliza asked where they might find the tavern and followed the road toward its location. The odor of sweat, perfume, meat and ale filled their noses as they walked into Tawna's tavern. Men and women of many walks of life surrounded them as they marched their way toward the front of the room and stopped at the counter. A barmaid came over to them and waited for them to speak.
"Is Talon here?" Eliza asked, pulling the paper from her pack showing off both the knights and council seal upon it. The woman smiled and pulled back her long flowing hair, revealing the tattoo of the eagle's talons on her cheek.
"Pleasure to meet you, lass. Are you the knights the capitol sent?" Eliza nodded her head.
"Ah, well there seems to have been a number of abductions lately, young girls. The guards here chalk it up to local brigands, but I am unconvinced. Then, you have the Forsaken sightings, not many at once, but in packs of three or four roaming about. I tried to take this to the commander, but he tells me that I am giving into local superstition and I should leave the investigation to real investigators. That's why you're here." The woman smiled, but turned her attention toward a rabble on the opposite side of the bar.
"It appears that some of my tenants have grown rowdy. This tends to happen often. No need to concern yourselves." Alec turned his head to the large man causing the ruckus who then turned toward two cloaked figures, one was another large bearded man, the other a much smaller feminine figure in a gray cloak, but Alec could not see either of their faces.
"Oy, ow bout you an me go upstairs an make some noise." The man moved into position between the two cloaked figures and the door.
"Out of our way, if you please sir." The bearded man spoke the young woman reaching up, pulling her cloak tighter around herself. The drunkard was not to be deterred however and shoved the bearded man.
"I ain't talking to you, old man, I'm talking to the young lass o'er there." The drunk shoved the man again. Eliza and Alec rose from the bar and walked in between the groups.
"Sir, I must ask you to stand down by order of a Valorian knight." Eliza spoke with the authority her mother and father were both famous for. The drunk was not convinced. However, Eliza turned toward the other two in order to ask them to turn around.
"It is you!" She exclaimed and leaned toward the woman. The bearded man shifted quickly startling the drunk who struck out. Eliza jumped onto the drunkard as Alec stepped in the way to stop the bearded man. As he did so, the feminine figure said something Alec did not catch and stepped forward. The bearded man placed his arm on her shoulder, pressed her back, and shoved Alec away with his free hand. Alec shoved backed against the superiorly powerful man. He caught a glimpse of a symbol, a shining sword and shield with a lion hawk on it, a paladin's seal. The man, also bore a massive broadsword on his hip.
"Sir, please stand down." Alec started to say as the man shoved back again, knocking Alec's right side into the corner of a heavy table. He clutched his side as he felt his stitches open as the man came back upon him and threw him down on the floor.
"Quickly mistress." The bearded man grabbed the young woman's hand and began to drag her away. As if on cue, the town guards showed up and drew their weapons, ending the fighting.
"What is the meaning of all this? Cadet Knights, speak, what happened here?" Eliza rose. Her lip was split badly, but otherwise she was unharmed. She looked to Alec who pulled his hand away from his side showing the blood on it.
"My friend needs someone to reseal his wounds. Those two men were fighting and we tried to break it off." She pointed out the drunk lying passed out on the floor and then to the bearded man. The guards quickly dragged them off. Eliza turned to Alec who was sitting as Talon came over with some rags to help stop the bleeding. Eliza looked around the room frantically for a moment. Alec noticed her distress and then questioned it.
"Eliza, what is the matter?"
"Alec, that was her!"
"Who?" Alec was confused.
"That woman was the one from your picture!"