by Tristan Vick
The woman snaps the stick, all the while holding his gaze, and throws the pieces of wood at the stout guard’s head. As expected, this angers him, and he rattles the iron shackles against the bars and threatens to bind her again if she doesn’t behave.
Calming herself, the woman brushes her hair back, revealing elfin ears, and then sits in the corner of her cage, her back toward her abusers.
“Bah,” says the guard with the mustache. “You’re not worth the effort.” Turning toward his compatriots, he issues orders, telling them to get a fire going and to roast the wild boar they caught last night.
Once the fire is going and the guards are distracted with preparations for their meal, Leif turns to me and says, “I think I can sneak over to her without being detected.”
“It might be better if it’s me instead.”
“Can you pick a lock?” he asks.
“No,” I reply. “But I could cut the lock if need be.”
“I’m sure you could,” Leif says sympathetically. “But it might draw too much attention. I can get in and out without them knowing I was ever there.”
“All right then. But be careful.”
Leif winks at me, as if to say no worries, and then disappears into the foliage, keeping as quiet as a jungle cat.
Soon enough Leif reemerges near the back end of the cart with the girl in the cage. He makes sure to keep it between him and the others as he starts picking the lock.
The elf looks at Leif with a blank expression and I cannot tell whether she’s relieved or annoyed to see him.
Unexpectedly the girl shouts out, “Guards!”
“Shush!” Leif hisses through his teeth glancing up nervously.
“Oh guards, I’m being kidnapped!”
“What are you doing?” Leif asks in an audible tone. He’s all but given up trying to sneak around.
“Hey there! Thief!” the mustachioed guard shouts. All four prison guards spring to their feet, weapons drawn.
Leif takes a step backward and raises his hands. “Um, hello fellas. What’s cookin’?”
“Nothing that concerns you, friend,” the leader says frigidly. “Now back away from our bounty.”
“Bounty?” Leif says, his curiosity piqued. “This little thing?” he scoffs, eyeing the elf girl up and down. “What’d she do?”
“That thing…” the guard growls, pointing his pudgy finger at the elf, “killed three of our men simply for taking a drink from a pond.”
“It was not yours to drink from,” the elf declares.
“Silence!” he shouts through his rotting and haphazard assortment of teeth. “If you weren’t so pretty we would have killed you and left your body back in the woods. At least now we can sell you to the slavers. We’ll fetch a pretty penny for your pretty little head.”
“Well,” Leif says with an apologetic sigh, “I’d best be getting on my way.” Then, with a quaint salute of two fingers to his brow, he adds, “I’ll leave you fine lads to it.”
“Hold it right there!” the main guard barks through his corroded teeth, training his blade on Leif’s position. “You don’t move another inch.”
Suddenly two of the four guards grab Leif, and drag him by his arms back toward the cage. Once he’s set back on his feet, the guards disarm him, taking everything he has on him except for his clothes.
Giving him a strong shove, the prison guard yells, “Get in.” At the same time, the guard with the mustache unlocks the steel cage and opens it wide, shepherding Leif inside.
Reluctantly Leif climbs in and takes a seat across from the elf girl. “Thanks a lot,” he grumbles, shooting her a scathing look.
Rolling my eyes at the fact that Leif managed to get himself caught so quickly, I draw out the Moon Blade.
I raise my blade high above me. I take one step forward, planting my other foot behind me, and with one swift motion, I swipe down, cutting the air before me. Flying across the terrain, I use the wind rush technique to blast through the trees to where Leif and the elf are being held captive.
Dust and leaves kick up as I appear before all the guards in a sudden flurry of wind. All of them startle as I manifest as if out of nowhere. Stumbling back, they look upon me as though I am an all-powerful enchantress.
17
Drawing out his dagger, one of the guards lunges at me and yells, “Witch!” But his attack is slow and clumsy and I easily evade. I swat him on the butt with the flat part of my blade and send him face first into the dirt.
Usually I’d take time disarming them one by one, toying with them some before, ultimately, humiliating them. But knowing the people of Sabolin are depending on me, I can’t waste time on this little diversion. Which means I’ll have to act fast.
Racing from one guard to the next, I lash out, slicing them down left and right. The final guard blocks my attack with his blade, the steel clanging. Pressing him against his own steel cage I stare menacingly into his eyes.
“What do you expect to do, girl? There are four of us and only one of you!”
Over my shoulder, all three of his comrades topple to the ground. One after the other.
“You were saying?” I say through clenched teeth. I keep my voice low and rough for added effect.
“I-I was saying…um…just take the keys,” he stammers, raising them in front of his pudgy, splotchy face. The keys rattle as his hands shake with fear. “The prisoners are all yours.”
Snatching the keys from him, I nod for him to toss his sword onto the ground and he complies. Once I open the cage I tell Leif and the elf girl to get out and then motion for the guard to take their place. He climbs in without so much as a word of protest and takes a seat.
“Good.”
“You know, he’s just going to call for help the moment we turn our backs on him,” Leif says, his hands on his hips.
The elf girl reaches through the bars and grabs the guard by his collar.
“Look, it was all just a misunderstanding!” he says, scared out of his wits at what she’ll do to him.
Giving him a firm tug, the elf girl slams the guard’s head into the bars, knocking him unconscious. Releasing him, she lets him fall to the floor of the cage, unconscious and no longer a threat.
“Problem solved,” I say in response to Leif’s concerns, a smile forming on my lips.
Leif turns toward the elf girl. “Hey, why’d you turn me in?”
“I told you…I don’t need saving.”
“I was just trying to help,” Leif informs her in a dejected tone.
Sliding my blade back into its scabbard, I turn and head back toward camp.
“Wait,” the elf girl calls out to me.
I stop and glance over my shoulder at her.
“Who are you? How can you harness the powers of the wind? I didn’t think it was possible for any human to learn such an ancient art.”
“I’m Arianna De Amato. Master of the Moon Blade, protector of the highland tribes, and daughter to the realm of Bellera, the great city of the north.”
She stares at me with violet eyes which remind me of amethyst crystals, and suddenly I feel the butterflies fluttering in my stomach. Her skin is paler than the moon, her hair is platinum, and she is slender and elegant. Taller than I would have imagined an elf being. Her chest is full and round and now, to my embarrassment, I realize I do have a type. Elf girls.
“I owe you my thanks,” she says.
“Do you have a name?” Leif asks as he cinches tight the straps of his knife vest.
“I’m Alegra Lockwiel of Thananor,” she says as she gathers up her things which the guards confiscated from her. She slips on some leather bracers and begins to tie them. “I’m fifth in the Order of the ‘Tir-Pelo-Rena’, or what you would call the border guard.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, chérie” Leif says with a courteous bow. Rising to a regal yet stiff posture, he begins his rehearsed introduction. “My name is Lei—”
“So, you’re Belleran?” Alegra asks, addressin
g me directly while deliberately cutting Leif’s introduction short.
“Yes. And I’m on an urgent mission to call for the aid of Queen Sabine De Atano. As we speak, Lord Dathrium’s forces are laying siege to the holy city of Sabolin.”
“That’s a bold move,” she says, brushing back her platinum hair, revealing a delicate pointy ear. “Even for someone as heartless as him.”
“It’s a reckless move,” I say.
“As I was saying, my name is—” Leif starts up again, but as soon as he does Alegra interrupts him once more, completely discounting his presence.
“If I may be so bold, I humbly request to join you and aid you on your quest, Mistress De Amato.”
Caught off guard, I look at her for a few moments and then answer, “If that’s truly what you want.”
“It’s my people’s custom to repay those who have saved our lives by becoming indentured to them until the favor can be returned in full. I cannot leave your side until I pay you back for saving my life.”
Alegra bows reverently, bending her whole torso and lowering her head so that her gaze falls upon my feet, and holds it there until I start speaking again.
“In that case, you are more than welcome to join us. We can use all the help we can get.”
Alegra Lockwiel rises and then bows just her head this time, as a show of gratitude. She walks over to the prisoner transport wagon, reaches underneath it, and pulls out a long and slender elven blade.
“You mean to tell me that was there the entire time?” Leif asks in astonishment.
“As I said, I can handle myself.”
“So let me get this straight,” Leif says. “It’s perfectly all right for Arianna to save your life, but when I try to do it you throw me to the wolves?”
“Arianna is a woman.”
“And why should that matter?” Leif asks.
“How would it look if a prissy, fancily dressed lad leapt out of the bushes and tried to save you, oh rugged hero? Would you grovel at his feet and take his hand in yours and bestow upon it a kiss gratitude? No, you’d likely say…”
“I can handle myself,” Leif says, finishing her sentence. “Gotcha.” After a moment’s consideration, Leif holds up a finger in and says, “Wait a minute. In that analogy, am I the prissy, fancily dressed lad?”
Alegra replies, “Exactly.”
I smother a laugh and then turn toward the tree line and begin making my way back toward camp. Alegra follows after me, as does Leif.
“Are all elves this ungrateful?” Leif asks, placing his hands on his hips. “Or just you?”
Alegra continues to ignore him. Soon enough, Leif is practically treading on Alegra’s heels trying to get alongside her to have a few more words with her. But she keeps walking faster and faster, forcing him to catch up. Growing fed up, Leif clears his throat and attempts to gain her attention and, this time, manages to get a few words in. “I’m Leif Ericson, by the way,” he sputters quickly as to ensure she won’t have the chance to cut him short again.
“I don’t care,” Alegra replies without so much as looking at him.
I have to hold back a cruel snicker, but I find it rather amusing. It’s clear by the sour expression on Leif’s face that he isn’t all that accustomed to be rejected by beautiful women. But Alegra has zero interest and it’s clear there’s no changing her mind.
“Fair enough,” he says with a nonchalant shrug. And he leaves it at that.
As we approach the location where we left Lisette, I slow down and look around. The terrain if familiar, but there’s no sign of Lisette, the horses, or any of our belongings.
“If I recall correctly, this is the spot.”
“What spot?” Alegra asks, looking around.
“Where we left our friend,” says Leif.
“There’s nobody here,” Alegra replies.
“I know that,” Leif says through his teeth, managing to fake a smile. “Obviously, something has happened to her, otherwise she’d still be here.”
Alegra crouches down and touches the ground, placing her hand flat on a mossy patch. Picking up some nearby grass, she rubs it between her thumb and fingers, sniffs it, then brushes it away and lets it fall to the ground.
“What did you find out?” Leif inquires.
“There were two riders. Heavy by the looks of the sunken tracks. Probably wearing armor.”
“The two centurions on horseback,” Leif growls. “They must have ransacked the camp and run off with Lisette and the horses.”
Alegra looks at me and declares, “I can track them if you want. They can’t have gotten far.”
“Thanks,” I say, drawing out my blade. “But I have a better idea.”
18
I outline a circle around me in the dirt with my blade, and crouch down as though I’m a lioness about to pounce on its prey, then extend my sword behind me. My torso rests between my thighs as I get ready to leap forward.
Pebbles and dirt begin to float around me within the circle, and when I catch Leif and Alegra looking at me curiously from the corner of my eye I smile. Then with one impressive bound I leap into the sky, easily clearing the canopy of the forest.
Climbing higher and higher, I ride an air wave which I channel into a cyclone. The vortex forms directly beneath me and pushes me upward, thus launching me hundreds of feet into the air. It almost feels as if I’m flying. But only for a moment. I know, eventually, gravity will pull me back down. There’s no escaping it.
Even so, I don’t need to stay up in the air forever. Just long enough to get high enough above the tree canopy so that I can spot Lisette on the landscape below.
Gently riding the funnel of the cyclone back down, I feel as light as a feather. My toe touches the ground and I set back down. I see Leif lying on the ground. He climbs to his feet and dusts himself off. The sudden rush of wind must have knocked him down. “Are you all right?” I ask him.
“Fine. Perfect. Why wouldn’t I be?” he responds, dusting himself off, and pretending not to be embarrassed.
“He blew over,” Alegra informs me. I can tell by her character she’s one to always cut to the chase and doesn’t much care for the formalities of small talk.
Blushing, Leif is quick to change the subject. “So, you can fly too?”
“No. Not fly. It’s more like a leaf riding the wind. I can float for a bit, but that’s about it.”
Leif scratches the stubble on his chin as he takes it all in.
“Did you find the girl?” Alegra asks, cutting to the quick.
“Yes. They’re headed north, in the direction of the white cliffs of Sangorine.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Leif says, his voice filled with urgency. “Let’s go get our girl.”
Alegra and I share a glance, and for a moment I can feel her trying to figure me out. We feel the intensity of each other’s gaze build until the pressure to say something arises, so we quickly break eye contact and then follow after Leif.
Alegra keeps her eyes fixed straight ahead, but I’m weak and I can’t help but steal another glance at her beautiful face. Without a doubt, she is one of the most alluring creatures I’ve ever seen.
Without warning, she glances back at me, and my breath catches in my chest. She catches me shifting my gaze elsewhere as I try to act like I’m not some kind of love-struck Dire wolf pup. When she looks away again I let out a pent up sigh and then chastise myself for my lack of focus. Especially in the middle of a rescue mission. Getting myself together, I begin devising a plan to rescue Lisette.
After about an hour of racing through the greenwood at a brisk pace, we catch up with our kidnappers. Spying on them through the trees, I see Lisette. Her hands are bound by rope and she’s being towed behind one of the guard’s horses. It appears she has been a bit roughed up as well, which sparks my ire. Fortunately, however, she doesn’t appear to be too badly injured. Just a few abrasions and a bit of rope burn on her wrists.
“If they put even one scratch on her head,
” Leif growls in a deep tone which barely holds back his rage, “I swear to the Goddess I’ll…”
“Shhh…” I whisper, hushing Leif’s tirade before he exposes our whereabouts.
I turn toward Alegra and Leif. “I’ll get in front of them. Once I make myself known, I want you two to flank them. All right?”
“Understood,” Alegra says.
Something seems to be going on behind Leif’s eyes when Alegra nudges him with her elbow. “Right,” he whispers, although I can tell he only half means it. I fear he’ll ruin the plan by doing something stupid while mistaking it for a bout of chivalrous heroics.
“Keep to the plan,” I say, turning back to the task at hand.
“Right,” Leif answers in the exact same tone of voice as before. Angry. Determined. His eyes remain fixed on Lisette, and the way he focuses only on her and nothing else unnerves me. I’m about to step out into the clearing when, suddenly, he launches past me and shoots out of the trees screaming a warrior’s cry.
The centurions on horseback startle and turn. Without hesitating the two soldiers draw their swords.
“You there! Halt!” the lead centurion shouts, pointing the tip of his blade directly at Leif.
Leif digs the heel of his boots into the dirt and skids to a stop in front of Dathrium’s soldiers. “Unhand the girl and no one will get hurt,” he snarls. Staring the centurions down with his hardened gaze, he draws out his inwardly curved Kukri blades, which shine like white ivory, and holds them by his sides—at the ready.
Instead of acquiescing to his demands, the first centurion merely nudges the horse with the heel of his armor-plated boot, and the steed breaks into a trot. Leif and the horse’s chest plate collide and Leif is tossed onto his back. Both centurions laugh contemptuously as they watch him scramble back to his feet.
Meanwhile, as Leif keeps them preoccupied, Lisette is busy scanning the surrounding trees, presumably searching for me. I look behind me to tell Alegra that now is our chance to flank them, but she’s already gone. By the time I turn back around Alegra has already stepped out onto the road. I can only presume she’s trying to draw their attention away from me so that I will have a better chance of a sneak attack.