The Sorcerer Knights
"Sir Cecil, we must stop for the night! The sun is about to go down and the horses are well spent!" one man shouted, recoiling when a rather angry gaze was directed at him. They had been on the run for two days straight. As they tired, it seemed almost as though their leader had limitless energy. Cecil said nothing as he continued to ride in the direction of Kanon. On the outside, the leader of the Free Knights was calm and collected; but on the inside, he was fuming. Duke Raster had dared destroy their fort?! It took all of Cecil's resolve to keep from blowing his top every time one of his soldiers whined about their vanishing resources. Then searing pain traveled up from a place on his left side. During the evacuation of the fort, he'd received a rather nasty cut from a swordsman as he dashed away with the few who had remained in the sickbay. Cecil grimaced, but remained seated on his horse. He did not want to be slowed down by this injury, even though it was urgent that he got to a healer as soon as he reached Kanon. Kanon. It seemed so far away……………..Cecil shook his head, trying to clear it of the vague feeling of dizziness that the pain had brought on.
"Sir Cecil? Are you all right?" a young squire asked, noticing that their leader had become very pale.
"I'm fine. Let's continue riding. It should not be too much longer before we reach Kanon!" Cecil shouted, motioning for them to move forward. With a few groans, the men complied and followed Cecil. It was two days later before Cecil agreed to stop and rest. Sheen, the young squire who had asked Cecil if he was all right, watched as the few remaining knights set up camp in a shaded glen. It wasn't until the last lean-to was set up that it was noticed that Cecil wasn't among those that had set camp.
"Where's Sir Cecil? He didn't continue to Kanon without us, did he?" one knight asked.
"No, he wouldn't have done that. He made a promise to Sir Parn that he would never leave his post." Another knight rebuked, as he fletched an arrow and checked its straightness, in preparation to go hunting. As the knights talked and settled in for the night, Sheen went to search for the leader that had led them so far. He found him a short time later, passed out near a stream.
"Sir Cecil!" Sheen yelped, as he rushed over to the sorcerer/warrior's side and levered him into a sitting position. Cecil's eyes fluttered open, but did not focus on him. When Sheen moved to get his glove off, his hand brushed Cecil's and he noticed that Cecil's skin was hot to the touch.
"Oh gods! He's got a fever! That could only mean………………!" Sheen thought, as he searched his superior's lean frame for wounds. He eventually found what he was looking for; an ugly slash in the man's side from a sword.
"This wound is infected. What we need is a Marfa Cleric! All I can do for now is clean this wound out and stitch it closed! Sir Cecil, I can only hope you will forgive me for this!" Sheen murmured, as he brought out his needle, thread, fire making kit, and bowl, and tore his cape into strips. After getting an adequate fire started, Sheen got to work. He first cleansed the wound, wincing when Cecil moaned. What the other knights did not realize was that Sheen was also a pupil under Slayn and Grievus; thus he knew some healing magic, but not enough to heal the wound. He could only take the edge off of the pain while he worked. Cecil still whimpered in pain, but at least it hadn't risen to screams of absolute agony. Finally, Sheen finished with his grim work and cleaned his hands off. He was very worried; Cecil had lost a lot of blood before the wound had been tended to. Then a dry cough drew Sheen's attention back to his patient.
"Sir Cecil?" Sheen asked, afraid that his friend and superior was dying.
"S-sheen? What………………..?" Cecil whispered, too weak to say much.
"Lie still, sir, you've lost a lot of blood and you are ill because of it." Sheen said, gently. Cecil looked up tiredly at the young squire.
"I remember I was thirsty……………came here to get some water………..must have passed out…………..I'm still thirsty." Cecil murmured, too weak to speak any louder than that.
"It's because of the blood loss." Sheen said, gently dipping his hand into the stream, cupping some water into it and held it to Cecil's lips. After Cecil had sipped enough of the water to satisfy Sheen, his eyes fluttered shut and he drifted into fevered sleep.
"He needs a healer, fast! But I can't leave him to go find some help, nor can I tell the others that he was wounded and is now very sick! Wait a minute! I have an idea!" Sheen thought, as he brought back the novice priest's hood away from his head, revealing the two elongated ears of an elf!
"I may be a novice Mairi Cleric, but I am also an elf! I might be able to reach Deedlit if I sent a message through Sylph!" Sheen thought, as he allowed his old elfin magic to flow through him.
"I call on you, Sylph, Guardian of the Wind! Please, send a nymph to deliver this urgent message to Deedlit, the High Elf in regards to Cecil, a Sorcerer of Lodoss and the current leader of the Free Knights! He has been wounded and is gravely ill. He needs the services of either Leilia or Grievus! Please hurry! I don't know how long he will last!" Sheen cried, as the wind whipped up around him. Finally he sat down, physically drained.
"Whew! It has been too long since I last used my own magic! But hopefully it will be enough to save your life, Sir Cecil!" Sheen said, as he settled in for the night.
Deedlit yawned as morning sunlight entered her tent by way of an annoying little grassrunner.
"Maar, what have I told you about waking me up?" Deedlit asked, somewhat testily.
"I know, I know! But this is important, Lady Deedlit! There's a Sylph nymph looking for you!" Maar said, looking somewhat at a loss.
"What do you mean? Couldn't you intercept it and ask what it is here for?" Deedlit asked, knowing something serious was up when Maar called her 'Lady' Deedlit.
"It would not tell me. This messenger was sent specifically to you!" Maar said, as he led the High Elf to where the nymph waited.
"What is wrong little nymph? Who sent you?" Deedlit asked, as the tiny little blue fairy alighted in her hand.
"I was sent by an elf who is traveling with the remnants of the Free Knights. The leader that the Free Knight Parn left was seriously wounded when he led the band out of the fort when it was being attacked. He told me to tell you that the services of either Leilia, the Marfa Cleric or those of Grievus are needed." The nymph said, its tiny voice sounding like a wind-chime.
"Who was it that sent you?" Maar asked, impulsively.
"The elf Sheen sent me." The nymph replied.
"Thank you, little nymph, for coming so far to tell us. Where are the Free Knights now?" Deedlit asked, gently.
"They are about twelve hours journey from here. Hurry, or the one known as Cecil will not survive." The nymph said, before departing. Deedlit was immediately concerned about the impetuous mage. It hadn't been until recently that she had learned that Cecil was her half-brother; the reason her father had left the Forest of No Return under a dark cloud, never to be seen nor heard from again. But Cecil did not yet know about his elf blood, nor did he seem to care. Even though people made comments behind his back about him looking so much like Deedlit, he shrugged them off and continued on.
"Parn!" Deedlit shouted, over the noise of the men putting up some rough scaffolding on the stone face of a cliff.
"What is it, Deed?" Parn asked, turning his attention to her.
"I just got a message from a nymph about your Free Knight garrison! It was attacked and Cecil and your men are out there, trying to find us! They are twelve hours' ride from here! Cecil's been badly hurt and needs a healer!" Deedlit shouted. All the color drained from Parn's face and, for a few moments, Deedlit thought it looked like he was going to faint. But then he regained his composure and went to saddle a couple of horses and get Leilia to ride with them. Within an hour, they were on their way, setting off at a gallop so they would get there quicker. Deedlit sent a small fairy on ahead of them, to lead them where the Knights had hidden themselves.
"Please, don't let us be too late!" Deedlit thought, as they raced to where the knights had been said to camp.
A few knights looked up in surprise when three riders rode into their camp but, when they realized who it was, they all let out shouts and yells of joy. Their leader had come for them!
"Where is Cecil?" Parn asked. The mood immediately darkened.
"He's in the glen over there. Sheen has not left his side since last night. He's very ill, Sir Parn." One knight said, grimly, as he pointed at the glen on the far side of the encampment. Silently, the three people walked over to where Cecil lay, almost afraid of what they would find. There, lying almost lifeless on the forest floor, was Cecil. Deedlit did not hesitate a moment and kneeled down next to her ailing half-brother.
"Cecil? Cecil, can you hear me? It's me, Deedlit." Deedlit murmured, hoping that the mage would react to her being there. There was a dry cough, then Cecil opened his eyes and looked up at her.
"Deedlit? Parn? Leilia…………..?" Cecil asked, sounding bewildered, but his voice carried in it some of his pain.
"We're here, Cecil. Just hang on while Leilia heals you." Parn said, looking worried as his friend grimaced against the pain. As Parn watched Leilia begin healing Cecil, Deedlit tracked down Sheen, who now stood next to a small waterfall.
"I want to thank you for doing that for Cecil." Deedlit said, as the younger elf looked away.
"It was nothing, honorable Deedlit. Wouldn't you have done the same?" Sheen asked, humbled by the fact that Deedlit was even talking to him. Deedlit paused. Would she have done the same thing?
"Still, I think that what you did was very noble. Even though you are a Mairi Cleric, you still relied on your native magic to call for help. I owe you my brother's life for that decision." Deedlit said, 'flooring' Sheen with her gratitude.
"Chotto…………….H-honorable Deedlit! I didn't do much! I only did what was necessary! Any other man would have done the same!" Sheen said, turning a brilliant shade of crimson. Deedlit giggled.
"You know, you're kinda cute when you're flustered." Deedlit said, smiling.
"Deed! Cecil's going to be okay! But he needs to rest for about a day or so before he can move!" Parn shouted.
"Okay!" Deedlit replied, before heading back over to where Parn and his knights stood. Sheen remained where he was, stunned by what had just happened, but glad that things had turned out all right.
~ Owari ~