Pathways
Chapter 3: Blinding Light
Author's note:
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, general concepts, or anything else Square copyrighted.
Hawk crouched next to the stream, filling his water flask. They'd ran for nearly an hour before Lise had been satisfied that they were sufficiently far enough from Jad, and the exertion had taken a toll on his body. He glanced to the amazon where she stood calmly, staring off into woods. She wasn't even winded, even after that. What kind of training did the Amazons endure?
"We can go now," Hawk said quietly, standing up and slinging the water over his shoulder. Lise raised a hand, silencing him.
"We'll move across the stream and head south from here," Lise whispered, drawing close to Hawk. Her eyes had been a warm, gentle green during the day; in the shadows of night, those eyes were as cold as ice and sharp as steel. Hawk couldn't find words to answer as she stood in front of him, an entity of martial focus.
The moment of fear only lasted an instant. Lise trotted past him and stepped into the stream. He turned, shaken, and followed her as she dashed away. If he didn't dream of anything else tonight, he was sure he'd see those eyes.
Duran dropped to a knee, panting. How far had they come? Not far enough, it seemed. He could still feel something following behind them.
"Angela?" Duran called gently, turning to the girl. She'd dropped to the ground, only remaining partially upright thanks to her staff.
"I, I'm okay," Angela gasped, but it was obvious she couldn't go any farther. Her largely bare legs had been scratched as they fled and what endurance she had was now thoroughly depleted; they couldn't stop, though, not with their pursuers so close behind.
"Damnit," Duran spat, standing up. They couldn't be far from Wendel now; he'd glimpsed Astoria Lake through a gap in the trees a few minutes ago, and he knew that it connected to Wendel. There was supposed to be a cave that connected them on the Northern edge of the lake, a cave that was supposedly warded against evil. If they could just reach that, they'd be safe!
"I can still do more, Duran," Angela claimed weakly, trying to stand. It was futile; her legs shook wildly and she fell back. Duran stepped forward and caught her arm automatically, lifting her up.
"Don't act so tough," Duran said, pulling her towards him gently. He picked her up and put her on his back piggyback style, ignoring the looks of gratitude, indignation and surprise that filtered across the Princess's face. He had greater difficulty shrugging off the stabbing pain in his chest.
"This is hardly a way to treat a Princess…," Angela complained, blushing slightly. Duran was quiet for a moment, ignoring the slight wavering in her voice.
"We'll rest in Astoria village tonight and move on in the morning," Duran explained gently, trudging forward under the added weight of the girl. "If we're lucky, the beastmen won't follow us there."
"Thank you," Angela whispered under her breath, unheard by Duran. To find someone willing to carry her, and delay their journey a whole night for her by chance…it was almost too good to be true. And with those wounds! If he could do all of this now, what would he be like when they were healed?Koren had beaten someone like this?
Duran shook his head at himself. Maybe it was the blood loss, but he was feeling unusually generous right now. His wounds had reopened about an hour ago thanks to the damage Lugar had done earlier, though it wasn't bleeding too much.
Astoria village came into view only a few minutes later, appearing as a small cluster of lights reflected and stretched across the lake. On the far side, the Holy City of Wendel rose up in the night, the white stone it was built with gleaming like a second moon.
"Almost there," Duran sighed, slumping slightly. He looked back at Angela when she didn't respond, and marveled at the girls ability to sleep. After an entire day in bed, she was already out again after only a few hours. He trudged forward into the largely sleeping village in silence, his own thoughts flowing only sluggishly in his head.
"Hey!" Duran turned at the voice, startled, and saw a young man running towards them. "What happened?"
Duran's vision blurred abruptly as the last of his strength drained away and he fell forward, raising a small ring of dust around him as he landed face first. After a moment, he started to snore.
"What is it?" Lise asked in genuine wonder, running her hands over the smooth, invisible barrier.
"I've never encountered something like this before," Hawk mumbled through his hand; he was still trying to stop the nosebleed running headfirst into this thing had given him.
"Well, it looks like the entrance to the cave is completely sealed. Maybe we should backtrack to Astoria and see if someone there can get through?" Lise suggested, turning away and pointing to the small village.
"It's worth a shot," Hawk said, glancing up at the sky wearily. "It's getting pretty close to midnight, though. I doubt many of the residents will be awake."
"We won't know until we're there," Lise answered optimistically, walking off. Hawk sighed; how'd she keep this up? She hadn't given any indication that she was tired in the least, even after traveling this far. If she kept this up, he'd drop from sheer exhaustion.
"Oi, wait up!" Hawk called, shoving his thoughts aside when he realized how far ahead Lise already was. He dashed after her, surprised at his absentmindedness. Perhaps he should have gone to that blasted inn after all…
Lise only slowed slightly at Hawk's request. She was beginning to see just how the priest of light could help her retake Rolante; the ability to erect invisible, impenetrable barriers at will could make the coming battle quite possible, even with just a handful of warriors.
The flagstones were ripped away, tearing apart in the air. The far wall exploded outward, a jagged slash left where it should have been. The man standing there slowly stood up and sheathed his sword, examining the damage he'd done. His long black hair flowed out behind him in the wind, almost seeming to float. He turned around slowly, eyes distant, and shook his head.
"Wow! You could beat anyone, Katsu!" Duran said in awe, looking up.
"Anyone can fight, Duran," Katsu said quietly, glancing at the young swordsman. "It takes someone exceptional to have the strength to protect."
"Katsu?" Duran whispered, opening his eyes. "What a thing to be dreaming about now."
Duran pushed himself upright slowly, wincing at the pain. It looked like he was in someone's house, and next to him…
Duran jumped out of bed abruptly, backing against the far wall. Angela had been in bed with him! Actually in bed with him!
"Oh, you're awake!" A young woman said, stepping into the room. "You're lucky Astoria's a nice town, or else someone might have robbed you."
"Huh? What?" Duran asked, still recovering from the initial shock.
"Maybe you should lie down a little longer," she said, stepping towards him. "You don't look so good."
"No!" Duran cried, then composed himself. "No. I'm fine, thanks. What exactly am I, er, we, doing here?"
"Oh, my husband helped pull you in here. He said you carried that girl into town and collapsed!" She answered, with only a hint of excitement. "Are you running away from something? Or, maybe…eloping?" "What?" Duran yelped, pressing back against the wall again. "No way! I was just helping her get to Wendel!"
"Oh. Alright," the woman said, crestfallen. "The cave's sealed, though. You'll have to get someone to take you across in a fishing boat tomorrow, so you can stay here tonight if you want."
"Thanks, that sounds fine," Duran said, shaking his head uneasily. This woman was starting to creep him out, especially the way she'd been waiting around the corner for him to wake up. What kind of person did that? And assumed you were eloping?
"I see. Well, if you need anything, I'll be in the next room," she said sadly, backing towards the door. "You're at least on some kind of grand quest, right?"
"No, no I don't think so," Duran responded uneasily. The woman sighed, turned and exited the room. Finally.
Duran slouched against the wall. Getting some more rest really was his top priority at the moment. Maybe if he took off his helmet and used it as a pillow? Nope, that'd just hurt his neck. Hm. The room was, with the exception of the bed, completely bare. In fact, the only source of light was a tiny window above the bed.
Duran reached up and looked out, careful not to disturb Angela. The lake reflected the brilliant white moon above, casting a silverish tint over everything. Duran normally didn't bother to stop and appreciate the scenery, but it was hard to ignore something so beautiful. But, now that he thought about it, wasn't the Astoria lake supposed to be a blue lake? So why was there a green tint cast over it?
"The moon…," Duran said, looking up as realization stole through his mind. "Is moving?"
The thought wasn't especially intelligent, but to the point; the moon was not supposed to shoot across the sky, or get larger with each passing moment. Duran turned and ran out of the room, snatching his sword.
This was definitely magic. Nothing else could create such a light, nor move so quickly. If that light was connected to Altena, then it could be the work of that Red Wizard. This was the line of thought Duran used to justify his actions. In reality, he had no idea why he chased the light.
The green light came to ground as Duran left the village, somewhere in the woods. He turned down a deer path, ignoring the strange creatures moving in the shadows. Any monsters that thought they'd make a meal of him were in for a surprise, and any Beastmen that got in his way would die. Painfully.
Nothing bothered him, whether because he was lucky or because the monsters sensed the particular danger presented by attacking him. Duran broke out of the forest and almost stopped. The light hovered in the middle of the small clearing, floating there for just a moment, then it dropped like a falling star and landed heavily on the ground.
Duran approached it cautiously as the light faded, sword ready. What was that inside of it? It almost looked like it was a…
"Fairy?" Duran asked, astounded. "What is a fairy doing…? How did it get…?"
The fairy fluttered its wings weakly, sitting up limply. It had the physical proportions of a young women, but at one twentieth the size. The set of strange dragonfly wings on her back glowed when they moved, emitting the light Duran had seen earlier.
"Erm…you alright?" Duran asked, uncertain how exactly one spoke to a legendary creature.
"Huh? Oh, I'm alright. I just overexerted myself a bit," the fairy answered sweetly, trying to stand up. "Um…would you help me up? I can't seem to manage it."
"Uh, sure…" Duran said, reaching out a hand to the fairy.
"Hm. You'll do, I suppose," she said, just as Duran touched her. "Alright, I've picked you. Now, take me to the priest of light in Wendel!"
"Huh? What do you mean, picked me?" Duran asked as the fairy pulled itself upright with the aid of one of his fingers.
"Oh, nothing. I don't have much choice now, anyway. I'll need to take a rest inside your head for a bit now, thank you," The fairy said happily, dissolving into light as Duran watched.
"Hey! What do you mean, take a rest inside my…" Duran never finished. The golden light the fairy had become hit him in the face and knocked him over.
"Ugh…hey, what was that for? You…" Duran said angrily, sitting up.
"Oh, stop complaining. Now, let's head to Wendel!" a voice said quite sweetly. It reverberated slightly, and Duran was absolutely certain it hadn't ever reached his ears.
"Aah! There's a voice in my head! You get out of there right now!" Duran yelled, shaking his head in an attempt to dislodge the fairy. It only made him dizzy.
"Oh, settle down. There's no getting rid of me, now. Come on, we really need to head to Wendel! I have grave news for the high priest!" the fairy said, an edge to the deceptively childish voice.
"Hey! Are you listening to me? Get out! This is my head!" Duran yelled, smacking himself in the forehead. "I will not be possessed by some stupid fairy!"
"Stupid fairy? I might not be the brightest, but I'm not as dumb as you!" the fairy retorted. "And you really shouldn't do that. You might hurt yourself, and then where would the world be?"
"Why you little…hey, wait. What was that about the world?" Duran asked, stopping his struggle abruptly.
"You'll find out when we get to Wendel!" the fairy answered curtly.
"Now hold on a second! I've got some questions first!" Duran said irritably, folding his arms.
The fairy sighed inwardly, shaking her currently incorporeal head. This was going to take a while, it seemed. And, on top of that, the longer she stayed inside his head, the more like him she'd get. What a pain!
"Did they follow us?" Lise asked irritably, glaring at the line of wolves walking, or rather, marching, towards Astoria village.
"I don't think so. I'm certain the ones down their can smell us just fine, however," Hawk said calmly, kneeling so he could see through a small gap in the bushes. "The wind isn't blowing right now, so if we're ever within about a hundred yards they'll know."
"So, why are they ignoring us, then?" Lise asked, looking at the purple haired thief.
"I'd say they're attacking Astoria, to be honest. As long as we stay out of it, we should be fine," Hawk said, nodding to himself and rubbing his chin.
"What? We can't let them! We have to go warn the villagers!" Lise said, hastily rising.
"Hold it," Hawk said, putting up a hand. "I never said we shouldn't warn the village, but those wolves are on the quickest route there. Unless you're willing to swim through the lake, there's no way we can get there first."
"Fine with me! The lake's right over there," Lise said, jabbing a thumb at the sparkling water behind her.
"You don't know much about Astoria Lake, do you?" Hawk said, turning to Lise and closing one eye, titling his head to one side. "If we go swimming in that lake, we'll die. It was cursed by the Priest of Darkness a long time ago to drain the life from anything that touches it. Without a boat, you can't cross it."
"So, how do we help them, then? If I have to kill every one of these wolves myself, I will!" Lise said, raising her spear.
"You go nuts without sleep, don't you? Attacking over a hundred wolves by yourself is just suicide," Hawk said, standing up. "Well, I've had enough of a rest. Let's go."
"Go? Where? The enemies' over there!" Lise said, waving her spear wildly.
Hawk shook his head. He'd known a few people like this; they get low on sleep and start acting like morons, sometimes dangerous morons. Unfortunately, a highly trained Amazon suffering from sleep deprivation was quite definitely the latter. This was going to be a long, long night.
"So, basically, you're here to save the world because of some horrible thing that's happening somewhere else, right?" Duran simplified. The fairy would have fallen over in surprise, if she could while inside someone's head.
"Y-yeah, that's right," the fairy said shakily, mentally grimacing.
Duran nodded, satisfied with his version of that long, complicated story. He was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the clearing, a hand braced on each knee with a look of intense thought on his face. Mainly, he was just thinking about how to get rid of the fairy.
"Say…what's that smell?" Duran asked, sniffing the air. "It almost smells like…smoke?"
"Sorry, I can't smell in here, but if I were you, I'd head for Astoria right now. I've got a bad feeling," the fairy said, mentally leaning against the inside of Duran's head.
Duran went from sitting to sprinting in a split second, tearing through the underbrush with as little consideration for his already damaged body as ever. When a fairy that was trying to save the world said she had a "bad feeling" about something, it wasn't something to laugh about. At least, Duran didn't think it was.
It only took a few minutes to reach the village, not that it mattered.
"How could someone do something so horrible?" the fairy asked, deliberately expressing, and expanding, the feelings Duran himself was feeling.
"Beastmen…," Duran growled. "I can't believe they…Angela!"
Duran turned to the house, but there was no way any living human was in there. The entire village was burning, hotter than anything he'd ever felt. A spasm of pain from his chest corrected him; second hottest thing he'd ever felt.
"Damn them…," Duran snarled. "I'll kill them! All of them!"
"Calm down! I don't sense any dead souls here," the fairy said irritably, mentally rubbing her ears in pain.
"What? What's that supposed to mean?" Duran asked, momentarily suppressing his rage.
"It means, if everyone in this village had been slaughtered, at least one of their souls would be lingering here. Besides that, aren't there normally boats in a lakeshore village?" the fairy answered, as condescending as Duran could be when attempting to talk his way out of chores.
"You mean…Angela's alright?" Duran said, a picture of the scantily clad woman passing through his, and consequently the fairy's, mind.
"Yes…and the villagers, too," the fairy said, not in the least surprised. What was it with men and long, bare legs? Rather, what was it with women who dressed that way willingly?
Duran looked across at the white city. "So, they're in Wendel," Duran frowned. "How exactly are we supposed to get there without a boat?"
"That should be simple enough. Let's head over to the cave," the fairy said smugly.
"It's sealed up, isn't it?" Duran felt a small thump inside his head, or what felt like a thump.
"Just go, already! I'll take care of that weak seal!" the fairy stomped her foot again before slumping back. "Oh, and you should probably call me something other than fairy, so, think up a name for me."
Duran scratched his head as he turned in the general direction of the cave entrance. "Why am I thinking of a name? Don't you already have one?"
"Nope, fairies don't get to have names usually, and we aren't allowed to pick our own. In fact, only when we're bonded to a human are we allowed to have names, and only if the human chooses it."
"Once again, why am I thinking up a name?" Duran asked as he trotted towards the cave.
The fairy growled. "Just do it, already! There aren't any rules saying that the host has to give the name willingly!"
Duran mentally shrugged. If it was that important, he might as well do it. "Alright. I'll call you…"
Hawk rolled over in bed. It wasn't that he wasn't tired, or didn't want to sleep. Rather, it was the two women who were sharing the room with him.
The first was Lise, who, though he was considerably less uneasy in her presence, was still a beautiful, fully trained Amazon who slept with her spear in one hand. She was slumped in a chair by the small fireplace, to all appearances asleep.
The second would have the been the most attractive woman Hawk had ever met, if he had not reserved first place for someone already. Though, of course, for all he knew Lise could compete with her; in terms of facial appearance, she was actually prettier, and he had no idea what her body looked like. The second woman was named Angela, and since awakening in Astoria she hadn't stopped moving. Even now, she was pacing near the door, lost in thought.
To fully justify Hawk's inability to sleep, one must of course understand that the room they were occupying was roughly ten feet long and ten feet wide, with the single bed centered against one wall. So, even though the two women were as far as possible from him, they could still reach out and touch him at any time.
Hawk sat up and scratched the side of his head. He'd given up on sleep; even if he could manage to loose consciousness, he'd probably have nightmares. Too much had happened too fast, too many people were dead. Only about two thirds of the villagers from Astoria had managed to get onto the lake before the Beastmen arrived. Even more would have been left if Hawk and Lise had gotten there any later.
Their arrival in and of itself had been a small miracle. Some distance from the village proper they'd found a house built on the lake, and borrowed the owners boat. It was what Hawk had been hoping for, and with the added speed of the boat they were able to warn the village in time. Women and children had been the first to leave, and what men could fit followed. Those who were left behind…
Now that he thought about it, there had been one notable absence last night. The Forcenan swordsman that had been such an asset in Jad has escaped with Angela, but seemed to have disappeared.
"Can't sleep?" Hawk started at the voice as Angela leaned against the wall in front of him.
Hawk considered her seriously for a moment. Her skin was very pale, but quite healthy. Though her clothes were somewhat lacking in surface area, they were made of expensive cloth, particularly the cloak, and her hair was lavender, certainly not a common color. Who exactly was she?
"I've got too much to think about," Hawk answered at length, resting his chin in a hand. "It's been a long week."
Angela nodded gravely. "A month ago I was living in Castle Altena, now I'm sharing a tiny room with a thief and an Amazon. I'm still waiting to wake up."
"Altena Caste?" Hawk frowned. "How was it you were living there?"
Angela looked slightly uneasy; after seeing Duran's reaction to her origins, she was less than enthusiastic about telling someone else she was the Princess. "I was there studying to be a mage. My parents thought I had the gift, like most people in Altena. It turns out they were wrong."
"I see." Hawk looked down at his lap, considering. "Why didn't you go home to your parents?"
"I was ashamed. In Altena, magic is everything; without the gift, I would have been nothing but a second class citizen there," Angela's eyes were downcast as she spoke. Hawk was fairly certain she was at least partially lying, but he couldn't pinpoint it just yet.
Angela looked up when Hawk didn't answer, for a moment concerned with what his reaction was. Her fears were unjustified, however, when after a moment Hawk started to snore quietly. He'd forgotten to lay back down.
Kevin grunted as he was roughly shoved to his knees. He'/d managed to hold off six of his fellow beastmen single handedly, until Lugar had intervened. Even so, the fight had been quite close; the older beastman was nursing several rather large bruises and two broken ribs as he stood over Kevin, frowning.
"I did not expect you to help us apprehend the escaping humans, considering your human blood, but I never suspected the Beast King's own son would fight against the royal army so boldly," Lugar spoke with a slight lisp; Kevin may have loosened a few teeth during their fight. "This is outright treason against the crown. You will be held here in Jad until we receive orders from the Beast King regarding your punishment."
Kevin gritted his teeth. As far as he was concerned, the Beast King's decision's were meaningless. Not only had he ordered Kevin's single most precious friend to be, ultimately, killed, he'd invaded a peaceful human town with no real provocation. These were not the actions he associated with a great ruler, or father.
The two burly beastmen guards holding Kevin's arms raised him to his feat and marched him out of the room. The extremely heavy shackles attached to his wrists and ankles made a clanking sound as he walked, grating on Kevin's nerves. He was walked down several flights of stairs until the relatively new, polished building gave was to much older, stone passages. Cells, mostly occupied by the former town guard, lined the walls. He was taken to the very end of the passage and shoved into one of the few empty cells.
Kevin turned sharply as he was released, but the cell door snapped shut before he could reach it.
One of the guards tossed a small key through the bars. "For the chains. You still the prince, shouldn't be chained up like that."
Kevin wordlessly sat down and set to work freeing himself from his immediate restraints. He watched the two guards walk away out of the corner of his eye. If there were others here who would show him respect as the prince, he'd have plenty of opportunities to escape. All he had to do was wait for a particularly trusting one to appear…
"Psst. Hey, tall guy!" Kevin jumped at the human voice coming from the cell next to him. "We're trying to come up with a way out of here. You want in?"
Kevin paused for a moment, remembering his brief lecture with Duran about speaking properly. "I will help. I can get us out."
"Really? How?" the voice continued. A pair of hands grasped the bars, and Kevin suddenly became aware of the number of eyes watching him from nearby cells.
"I am prince of Beast Kingdom, but against invasion. Beastmen will still let me out if I tell them who I am and then I can take keys and help everyone else," Kevin explained as the last lock gave way and he kicked the shackles off. "Only problem is Lugar. Need to escape before he catch us."
Several angry murmurs went up throughout the cell at the mention of Kevin's parentage, but one voice shouted the rest into submission. "Quiet, you lot! Who cares who he is, if he can get us out? Listen, boy, if what you're saying is true, than you'll be helping us retake our city. The Lord of Jad has a private dock down the coastline that the beastmen probably haven't found. Moreover, it's a small fortress he built in case of an uprising against him. If we can make it there, even if his ships are gone we'll be able to hold our own for several months."
More complaints rang out in outrage at the casual explanation of their last true hope at liberating their city. Once again, they were shouted down.
"So, what do you say, boy? You help us get out, and I swear on my title as Commander of Jad's Militia to help you get away safe. Deal?" the Commander's voice was slightly gruff, but Kevin liked the sound of it. He decided the man who owned that voice was probably trustworthy.
"I help. Next time guards come down, we make escape," Kevin said quietly. He realized this would be seen as leading an army against the beastmen, but cared little about that. He'd have his vengeance on his father any way he could get it. First, however, he needed to get to Wendel. The holy city was ultimately the target of the attack, and he needed the priest's help first. It wouldn't be a bad thing to meet up with Duran again, either.
Yeah, end of the third chapter. Wonder how many people are still interested in this? Anyway, I'll have the next chapter up relatively soon, what with the imminent major plot battles coming up.