Chapter Four: Surprise Surprise
Disclaimer: I'm running out of snappy disclaimers....oh, poo.
Crystal and the others rode in comfortable companionship for several days. Until one day....
"Everyone down!" Ralinde commanded. Her face was pulled into a mask of anger and fear.
Crystal jumped silently from Fortanya's back. Alaeo did the same. Though she had half-obeyed Ralinde's command, she refused to duck down and leave it to only a few. She grabbed her bow from where it was fastened behind the pommel of her horse's saddle, and nocked an arrow. She drew it back, ready to let it fly if need be.
The gothwin as well were defying Ralinde. They had their weapons out, shields held up in front of their chests, and were also prepared.
Twenty yards ahead, orcs snarled and growled menacingly at the elves. They brandished horrible-looking sickles, scythes, maces, and chains. Suddenly, all elves and orcs fell silent.
Then everyone charged at each other.
Crystal loosed her arrow, which flew with deadly accuracy to strike an orc in the forehead and make him fall to the ground, where he was quickly trampled by his fellow yrch. Seizing another arrow, she let go the bowstring over and over until they came close enough to strike down with her sword. Dropping the bow when Fortanya was not to be found, she grabbed Nardurlos from its scabbard and began to strike.
Next to her, Alaeo slashed down orc after orc with his blade. Many went down under his sword, and those that didn't were struck again and again until they lay still.
When most all orcs had been killed, Crystal turned to see her companions, and look for more orcs, when she finally saw the gothwin fight.
The nine women stood in a circle, facing out, spears held at the ready. But they didn't throw them. Instead, the circle began to move, staying in the same place, but slowly rotating. As they did this, the gothwin tapped their spears against the shields to a fast beat.
"Come on, yrch. What are you scared of?" Gilraen taunted. She began the spectacular slaughter that began the next moment. She threw her spear with even more accuracy than Crystal had shot with, and the leading orc went down.
When this happened, the others also threw their spears. When each spear hit an orc and they snatched the daggers from their sheaths.
Lalaith stepped forward and slashed one across the face. Stabbing it in the gut, she stepped onto the next orc.
Of all nine gothwin, Gilraen did the most damage. She threw each dagger with cold precision, before grabbing them back from the bodies and tossing them again. Halia did almost as much. She also caused huge losses by stabbing the orcs, giving each wound a vicious twist before pulling it out of the orc she'd killed.
When at last all orcs lay dead, Crystal turned and looked to see who all had been down. All the orcs lay dead, but all the members of her company appeared to be there. She couldn't shake the feeling someone was lost though. So, she started counting to see if all fifteen members had survived. She counted only fourteen. Making sure all of the gothwin were there, she started, then realized that one was missing.
Looking around on the grass and rock around them, she saw a body that was definitely not an orc laying spread-eagled, face down. Lalaith lay there, her hair across her face.
Crystal and Gilraen rushed to her side. Lalaith's face was pale and drawn, and her eyes were glazed over. There was a gaping hole in her side, made by an orc arrow. If she wasn't healed soon, she wouldn't stand a chance.
Gilraen started crying. She made no sounds, but tears ran down her beautiful face.
She turned to Crystal. "Can't you help her? You are so powerful! Please, please help her!" She pleaded.
Ralinde joined them then. She nodded to Crystal.
Crystal wavered. She had never healed anything bigger than small cuts Ralinde had made on her own arm. Something like this.... What if she messed up?
Ralinde spoke quietly, as if she had heard Crystal's thoughts.
"She wouldn't make it if you didn't attempt. Everyone knows that." She spoke into Crystal's ear.
Crystal nodded. She took a deep breath, and put her hands to Lalaith's side. She closed her eyes, and willed the ability to come to her.
She felt as if she was searching for something. She seemed to see a ray of light in her blindness, and grasped at it. When she felt as though she had caught it, she willed it to go to the hole she could see in her mind's eye. Pictured it closing up without a mark.
When she opened her eyes, she saw just that. The color rushed back into the world, and Crystal looked at everything in wonder. It looked like everything had clarified into a crystal-clear solidness, and was beautiful.
Looking at Lalaith, she smiled. Lalaith's face had color again, her eyes were cleared, and she moved into a sitting position.
Gilraen gave a delighted cry, and embraced Lalaith. When the two were done hugging, they did the same to Crystal, all the while crying out in an ecstatic voice, thanking her, praising her. Crystal nodded and got up, brushing her breeches off. She walked to Fortanya and mounted again, patting his neck. She started riding, while the others simply let her go ahead. She had done this once, and all she would do would be to ride to a spot and think for a while. They could find her, easy.
She jumped from Fortanya's back and landed next to a tree. Running up the trunk, she sat gently on a branch. She felt a small pain in her side and realized she was sitting on the crystal sword. She looked at it, turning it over and over. She looked and traced the few carvings on it- the rose near the hilt, the marks on the hilt itself, and the tiny hole in the tip. She thought it might be for decoration, but if so, then why did it feel so old? So strong?
Disclaimer: I'm running out of snappy disclaimers....oh, poo.
Crystal and the others rode in comfortable companionship for several days. Until one day....
"Everyone down!" Ralinde commanded. Her face was pulled into a mask of anger and fear.
Crystal jumped silently from Fortanya's back. Alaeo did the same. Though she had half-obeyed Ralinde's command, she refused to duck down and leave it to only a few. She grabbed her bow from where it was fastened behind the pommel of her horse's saddle, and nocked an arrow. She drew it back, ready to let it fly if need be.
The gothwin as well were defying Ralinde. They had their weapons out, shields held up in front of their chests, and were also prepared.
Twenty yards ahead, orcs snarled and growled menacingly at the elves. They brandished horrible-looking sickles, scythes, maces, and chains. Suddenly, all elves and orcs fell silent.
Then everyone charged at each other.
Crystal loosed her arrow, which flew with deadly accuracy to strike an orc in the forehead and make him fall to the ground, where he was quickly trampled by his fellow yrch. Seizing another arrow, she let go the bowstring over and over until they came close enough to strike down with her sword. Dropping the bow when Fortanya was not to be found, she grabbed Nardurlos from its scabbard and began to strike.
Next to her, Alaeo slashed down orc after orc with his blade. Many went down under his sword, and those that didn't were struck again and again until they lay still.
When most all orcs had been killed, Crystal turned to see her companions, and look for more orcs, when she finally saw the gothwin fight.
The nine women stood in a circle, facing out, spears held at the ready. But they didn't throw them. Instead, the circle began to move, staying in the same place, but slowly rotating. As they did this, the gothwin tapped their spears against the shields to a fast beat.
"Come on, yrch. What are you scared of?" Gilraen taunted. She began the spectacular slaughter that began the next moment. She threw her spear with even more accuracy than Crystal had shot with, and the leading orc went down.
When this happened, the others also threw their spears. When each spear hit an orc and they snatched the daggers from their sheaths.
Lalaith stepped forward and slashed one across the face. Stabbing it in the gut, she stepped onto the next orc.
Of all nine gothwin, Gilraen did the most damage. She threw each dagger with cold precision, before grabbing them back from the bodies and tossing them again. Halia did almost as much. She also caused huge losses by stabbing the orcs, giving each wound a vicious twist before pulling it out of the orc she'd killed.
When at last all orcs lay dead, Crystal turned and looked to see who all had been down. All the orcs lay dead, but all the members of her company appeared to be there. She couldn't shake the feeling someone was lost though. So, she started counting to see if all fifteen members had survived. She counted only fourteen. Making sure all of the gothwin were there, she started, then realized that one was missing.
Looking around on the grass and rock around them, she saw a body that was definitely not an orc laying spread-eagled, face down. Lalaith lay there, her hair across her face.
Crystal and Gilraen rushed to her side. Lalaith's face was pale and drawn, and her eyes were glazed over. There was a gaping hole in her side, made by an orc arrow. If she wasn't healed soon, she wouldn't stand a chance.
Gilraen started crying. She made no sounds, but tears ran down her beautiful face.
She turned to Crystal. "Can't you help her? You are so powerful! Please, please help her!" She pleaded.
Ralinde joined them then. She nodded to Crystal.
Crystal wavered. She had never healed anything bigger than small cuts Ralinde had made on her own arm. Something like this.... What if she messed up?
Ralinde spoke quietly, as if she had heard Crystal's thoughts.
"She wouldn't make it if you didn't attempt. Everyone knows that." She spoke into Crystal's ear.
Crystal nodded. She took a deep breath, and put her hands to Lalaith's side. She closed her eyes, and willed the ability to come to her.
She felt as if she was searching for something. She seemed to see a ray of light in her blindness, and grasped at it. When she felt as though she had caught it, she willed it to go to the hole she could see in her mind's eye. Pictured it closing up without a mark.
When she opened her eyes, she saw just that. The color rushed back into the world, and Crystal looked at everything in wonder. It looked like everything had clarified into a crystal-clear solidness, and was beautiful.
Looking at Lalaith, she smiled. Lalaith's face had color again, her eyes were cleared, and she moved into a sitting position.
Gilraen gave a delighted cry, and embraced Lalaith. When the two were done hugging, they did the same to Crystal, all the while crying out in an ecstatic voice, thanking her, praising her. Crystal nodded and got up, brushing her breeches off. She walked to Fortanya and mounted again, patting his neck. She started riding, while the others simply let her go ahead. She had done this once, and all she would do would be to ride to a spot and think for a while. They could find her, easy.
She jumped from Fortanya's back and landed next to a tree. Running up the trunk, she sat gently on a branch. She felt a small pain in her side and realized she was sitting on the crystal sword. She looked at it, turning it over and over. She looked and traced the few carvings on it- the rose near the hilt, the marks on the hilt itself, and the tiny hole in the tip. She thought it might be for decoration, but if so, then why did it feel so old? So strong?