Chapter 1: Grey Arrows

The sound of thundering hooves echoed through the vast darkness of his subconscious. Not the steady lope of his own horse, he would have recognized that. It was the thundering of a herd, galloping kilometer after kilometer in joyous frenzy.
Odd, he thought, why was he dreaming horses? Especially one that was not his own? He turned in an attempt to find the horses, they sounded like they were all around him but he saw nothing of the herd.
Then from the darkness a rider appeared. They were hazy, moving like a shadow through the nothingness. What he could make out clearly was the hue of the rider on an invisible horse in the thundering herd. Green filled the space around her. She charged passed him not even looking his direction.
Instead she glanced over her shoulder as if in search of pursuit. "Find her," a voice commanded over the hoof beats. The woman pulled back, hauling on the reins of her invisible steed. She turned her mount, casting another glance over her shoulder. He watched her ride on, vanishing in the darkness.
Leaving him to listen to the thundering of the invisible horses, and the distant echo of the commanding voice; "Find her."

The sun was bright and warm. The sky was clear blue, after over a week of constant rain and thunder storms. Birds sang as they flitted from tree to tree, shaking dew from their feathers. It was the kind of day Karigan loved.
Except for the part where she was about to die... Again.
Condor charged through the dense scrub growing up beneath the towering white Oaks and Pines making up the large section of the Green Cloak she found herself in. She glanced over her shoulder at her pursuers, three score of those damnable groundmites. She had been expecting an attack. She was so close to the reconstruction site it was accepted that there were groundmites roaming the countryside. But not three whole scores of them.
Karigan cursed silently, turning to face the direction Condor was running. She trusted him to navigate the forest while she fought off attacks, but she still preferred to think she had some control over the trail they took. He was making for the city of tents near the reconstruction. Karigan hauled back on her reins, turning Condor away from the camp. There were wounded there, that was not the place to confront her enemy.
Condor pulled against his bit, balking in an attempt to continue down his chosen path. Karigan tugged at her reins, they could not go to camp for help. She would have to manage on her own. She had faced worse alone, she would just have to make due once again.
"There are wounded there," she spoke through gritted teeth, forcing Condor away from the D'Yer Wall. Condor snorted, tossing his head, managing to free his reins from Karigan's hands. "Gah," she gasped trying to retake her reins as Condor raced for the camp.
"Why can't you listen to me for once?" Karigan snapped, finally getting the reins back in her hands and hauling them to the right to turn Condor. "I do know what I'm doing," she leaned over his neck, hearing the buzz of crude arrows coming up behind her, gasping as they soared past her ears.
"Not a word," she seethed, giving Condor his head and allowing him to ride for camp.
Behind her more arrows cut through the air; raining down around her in Condor's mad dash through the forest. Karigan looked over her shoulder again, looking to see how many were keeping pace with Condor. These groundmites were faster than any she had encountered before, they were easily keeping pace with her on foot after a full night of pursuit.
"Faster Condor," she urged, laying her heels into his flanks.
More arrows soared through the air around Karigan, this time coming from her right side. A dozen grey shafted arrows flew past her toward the charging groundmites. Karigan turned in her saddle, watching as each arrow found its mark. Another dozen flew in rapid succession, again and again the arrows found their mark.
"Impossible," she breathed looking for her savior.
Had someone new arrived at the reconstruction site? Were there people in Sacordia with that kind of accuracy? Had a new Rider joined their ranks with magical abilities allowing that degree of accuracy? Or had it been luck the archer had hit the sixty groundmites in the weakest points of their armor, effectively killing them? What Karigan would give for that sort of luck.
She turned back toward the source of the arrows, shading her eyes against the bright beams of early morning sunlight showing through the foliage. All she could see were trees and scrub. She was alone with sixty dead groundmites, and had no idea how they had gotten that way. Had another ghost decided to follow her and save her? If so, why?
"Aeryc and Aeryon have mercy," she mouthed making the symbol of the crescent moon, turning to sit back in her saddle, her brow puckering in concentration. What was happening out here?
She would have thought it was some force from Blackveil, plaguing her once again. Except, whatever it was, had saved her. The forces of Blackveil, as a whole, were trying to fulfill a vendetta against her since her ancestor from before the Long War had betrayed Mornhavon the Black, which led to the creation of the perverted forest beyond the D'Yer Wall.
What had saved her?
"What do you think Condor?" she asked, seeking some solace from her constant companion.
Condor snorted, shaking his head. Whatever was out there must not be much of a threat to her if Condor was not trying to flee. She frowned gathering her reins up in her hand, wanting to leave the carnage behind. Condor gladly complied.
The camp around the reconstruction was in an uproar with Karigan dismounted on the edge. Soldiers were running everywhere, some running in circles lacking clear direction. In the center of the chaos she could see Alton D'Yer and a newer Rider by the name of Jackson, both trying to exert some control over the soldiers. Now that she was listening she could hear them crying out about the monsters of Blackveil charging through the breach.
Had it been some beast of Blackveil that had saved her? Had some ancient presence in the forest known that she was descendent of Mornhavon's most trusted General, and came to her aide, not knowing about the betrayal? Or was she allowing the panic to addle her mind? The monsters of Blackveil would not have saved her; it would be more likely to kill her.
With a fair amount of shoving, and shouting, Karigan made her way to Alton and Jackson. The two Riders had managed to find a sergeant, though it seemed it was a struggle to get the man to stand still long enough to receive orders. The sergeant looked torn between listening to Alton, Heir of D'Yer Providence, and the need to run from the monster that had escaped through their encampment.
"Whatever it was, it's gone. Get these soldiers settled, and back to work. We have to make sure nothing comes through that breach."
"Aye, Rider," the sergeant licked his lips, his eyes roaming the span of wall behind Alton and Jackson. "I'll get the men settled."
Jackson raised his brow at the sergeant, not believing a word the frightened man had to say. "See that you do." Jackson released the sergeant and watched him run into the fray of circling soldiers.
"Karigan," Alton greeted, seeing her approach, offering some choice words to a few soldiers as she passed them. "We didn't expect you until tomorrow."
"Well I had some help getting here. That sped my progress up."
"Really?" Jackson shaded his eyes looking out over the camp to try and see who had arrived with Karigan. "Who was it?"
"Groundmites," she rested her hand the hilt of her saber, taking comfort in the metal. "Three score of them."
"I would rather have fought the Groundmites," Alton sighed shaking his head. "At least then the men wouldn't be in an uproar."
"What happened?"
"About an hour ago something came through the breach," Alton began. But that was all he could manage before Jackson took over, the young man was a natural story teller.
"I was sitting there, leaning against the tower when a great shadow leapt over the reconstruction effort, a grey-green cloak billowing behind the top half, as it soared over my head firing grey shafted arrows behind it. The thing landed in the center of camp and rode out of here faster than any horse I've ever seen! Even Crane on Aeryc's Day."
"The soldiers think it's another of those giant birds of prey that came through at the beginning of the reconstruction effort. It vanished into the forest, and we had just managed to get things back under control when it came back."
"It came back?" Karigan looked between Alton and Jackson, waiting for one of them to tell her it was a joke. Why would something return to Blackveil if it had made it out? Karigan hoped she would never have to return to that horrible forest, and she had only spent a few weeks in there. "Did it go back over the wall?"
"No," Alton answered, slapping a hand over Jackson's mouth to stop him from overtaking the story again. "It rode along the wall, that way," Alton pointed north along the wall, where workers were just beginning to build a road.
"And frightened the whole camp?"
"The command to follow it was what started this," Alton sighed, releasing Jackson.
"And then it fired more of the grey arrows at the camp," Jackson added. "It's an obvious warning that we shouldn't follow after it. It could be another Eletian like Shawdell, cursing people with the arrows of Blackveil."
"Did he actually hit anyone?" The last thing Karigan wanted was another insane Eletian trying to bring Sacordia to ruin. It had nearly killed her the last time, and this new threat would know that she knew how to defeat them. This new Eletian would go about things in a whole new way, and Karigan would have to almost die, again, to defeat him.
"No," Jackson answered hesitantly, his enthusiasm diminishing by her lack of visible reactions. "But he almost hit someone with all of the arrows."
This thing from Blackveil was obviously not a threat, and not another disturbed Eletian like Shawdell. If that had been the case there were would be a camp of enslaved ghosts, who would be plaguing Karigan, since that was what every specter in all of Sacordia felt was a good idea. But what was it? And could it be related to the thing that had saved her from the Groundmites?
"I don't think it's a threat," she voiced her thoughts quietly. "It might have been what stopped those Groundmites." At the confused looks from Alton and Jackson, Karigan recounted her mad night long flight through the Green Cloak, how the beasts had began gaining ground even with the use of her special Rider ability, and were close to overtaking her and Condor when something killed them. "Whatever it was, it used grey shafted arrows, and had incredible aim," she finished.
"But you didn't see it?"
Karigan turned a pointed glare at the young Rider. Jackson held his hands up in surrender, taking a small step away from the woman. "No, I had thought it was some shade following me again."
"It was real enough when it tore through the camp," Alton sighed rubbing the back of his neck. "The Generals were not exactly pleased with the damages, said they'll have to waste resources to rebuild," he shook his head sadly.
"Damnation," Karigan seethed, her fist tightening around her saber. "Don't they realize where they are?"
Jackson grinned rolling his eyes, knowing full well about her hatred of the elite class. The Generals involved with the reconstruction of the D'Yer Wall were all bought positions, children of the Lord-governors who were not going to inherit the title upon their parent's death. As far as anyone knew, Karigan did not know that, which was maintaining relative peace in this stressful encampment.
"Well, it's gone for now. And you must be tired," Alton laid a hand on Karigan's shoulder. "You can use my tent until the chaos has settled and we can get one pitched for you."
"I could use a bath," Karigan yawned, now that they were talking about it, she realized how tired she was.
"I can promise a wash basin and fresh water," Alton smiled, catching a younger soldier who seemed in control of his emotions. "Fetch some water and bring it to my tent for Rider G'ladheon."
"Of course," the soldier nodded moving toward the edge of camp where there was a fresh water spring.
"See, a nice long rest, some fresh cool water, and you'll be good as new. Ready to relay that message you came all the way out here to deliver."
"I'm not here to deliver a message," Karigan yawned again. "I've been stationed here. Captain Mapstone thinks something about Blackveil might help with my eye."
"I'll relay that to the Generals," Jackson beamed happily as Alton opened the flap to his tent for Karigan.
"I should tell them myself," Karigan half attempted to follow after Jackson. Then she caught sight of Alton's cot; that stopped any thoughts she had of anything besides stretching out on it. "Or I can let Jackson handle it," she sighed contentedly kicking her boots off.
"I'll look after Condor," Alton laughed backing out of the tent, knowing that Karigan was asleep before he had even finished speaking.

A/N Unlike my other stories, this one will be posted as I finish the chapters, not on a weekly basis. So if I finish a chapter tomorrow, it will be posted, or if I finish one next week, it will be posted. In short, if you don't see anything in a few days, or in over a week, don't give up, I'm working on it!