And here we have the third chapter! I'm not too sure about this one, so any comments, positive or negative, would really be appreciated.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 3:

Kyle took in a deep breath as he looked out across the desert. It should have been empty of everything but sand and hidden treasures. However, today it was swarming with Grado soldiers. Kyle had not expected this. Hadn't the army only just captured Jehanna Hall? They shouldn't have been faced with another trial so soon. He sincerely hoped his rigorous training would both sustain him and help him to support those who battled around him.

As the fight commenced, Kyle found himself facing a squadron of wyvern riders. They were certainly well-trained. Kyle dodged the careful blows of the first knight, managing to wound the soldier's mount before killing the soldier himself. He quickly dispatched the second as well, though he received a slight wound on his shoulder. Although he knew that eventually he would have to locate a healer to take care of that wound, it was nowhere near life-threatening and not even very debilitating.

Kyle advanced several yards to engage the third wyvern knight. However, he suddenly realized that his horse was struggling to keep its footing. It was floundering in the sand, just barely staying upright. There was no way Kyle would be able to dodge his enemy's blow. The wyvern knight was descending. Kyle slowly raised his lance. Perhaps he could wound the enemy before it landed its blow.

But there was no need for that. Before the wyvern knight drew any nearer, he was consumed by a massive column of flames. From inside the fire, one could hear the terrible screams of both the knight and his wyvern.

Kyle was not in the least surprised when Lute suddenly appeared at his side. What surprised him was the way she seemed to float over the sand. "There are two more wyvern riders flying towards us," she stated, looking up at the green-haired knight. "Would you like me to take care of them?"

"By all means," Kyle agreed.

Gripping her elfire tome with both hands, Lute gracefully dashed forward, quietly murmuring an incantation. It was not long before both approaching enemies had been engulfed in flames and destroyed.

"Marvelous," Kyle murmured. The sound of flapping winds alerted him to the arrival of several Pegasus knights. Although swift, these knights were too inexperienced to withstand Kyle's lance. Soon, the desert was littered with the bodies of Pegasi and their riders. Another wave of Pegasus knights flew in from the north, but Kyle dispatched them as quickly as before. His wound was beginning to pain him slightly, but it still scarcely impeded his fighting ability. He looked around for a new opponent, but there was none near. It seemed that Princess Eirika's army had completely eliminated all enemies in the area. Most of the army was now advancing eastward.

Hearing a small explosion, Kyle turned to see Lute dancing around a massive berserker. She gracefully dodged every blow aimed at her, all the while never ceasing to chant her incantations. When the berserker finally collapsed in a flaming heap, Lute ran back to where Kyle was waiting.

"This area is clear," she cheerfully announced. "Do you have another battle strategy?"

"I think you and I should go south," Kyle replied. "I believe there is a group of swordsmen advancing from that direction."

"That will be no challenge for us!" Lute stoutly declared. "With your lance and my unconquerable fire, they'll fall within seconds."

The mage's overconfidence lifted Kyle's spirits, and he smiled slightly. "Let's go," he said. "The swordsmen will be able to resist your magic better than the wyvern riders could, and their blows will be harder to dodge, so I think you should support me from behind."

"I can move better than you or they can in the sand," Lute pointed out. "Do you really want me behind you?"

After a moment's thought, Kyle nodded. "Very well. Wound the enemies, and I'll come to finish them off."

They worked well together. Lute would rush forward with her fearful flames, and before the soldiers could heal their burns, Kyle would charge in with his lance poised for a final, killing blow.

When they had finished their work, Lute zipped back to Kyle with a vulnerary in her hand. "Use this," she ordered him. "I see you're wounded."

"Thank you," Kyle gratefully said, glad of the chance to heal himself. As he tended to his wound, Lute stared intently at a mound of sand several yards away.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. Lute was standing completely still, just as she had when listening to bird calls several days before. She must have seen something.

Without replying, Lute ran towards the mound of sand, dropped to her knees, and began digging as quickly as she could.

"Lute!" Kyle shouted after her. "What are you doing? We're in a battle! We can't forget our duty!"

"Come help me!" Lute shouted in reply.

Casting anxious glances over his shoulder at the rest of the army, Kyle dismounted from his horse and ran to Lute's side. "What is it?" he impatiently asked.

"There's something here!" Lute squeaked. Apparently the pitch of her voice jumped up an octave when she was extremely excited. "I've almost got it. Help me!"

Sighing heavily, Kyle began to dig as well, though not nearly as feverishly as Lute. He was ready to tell her to give up and return to the battle when his hands struck something hard. Startled, he pulled his hands back.

"Did you touch it?" Lute demanded. She plunged her hands even deeper into the sand. After a few seconds of furious scrambling, she drew out a large book. Her eyes were wide and her fingers were trembling with excitement. "Can you believe this?" she breathed.

She hurriedly wiped all the sand off the cover of the book. It was inscribed with indecipherable runes. Lute gazed at the tome in utter awe for several seconds. Admittedly, Kyle was also extremely curious about this ancient book which Lute had just dug up from the middle of the desert. However, duty demanded that he return to the fight.

"Lute, we can't stay and examine ancient tomes," he said, rising to his feet and walking back to his patient horse. "Come. We need to rejoin the battle."

"Oh! Yes. But Kyle, isn't this amazing?" Lute jumped up, stuffed the tome into the bag at her side, and ran after the green-haired knight. "We've made a great discovery. Of course, it's not surprising that I participated in this, because I am, after all, a mage of profound genius. I can't wait to read the book."

"You can read runes?" Kyle curiously asked.

"No, not yet," Lute admitted, "but I'm sure I'll decipher them quickly enough. You can try to help, if you want, since you helped me dig the book out of the sand. Thank you, by the way!"

Kyle wanted to chastise her for the way she had forgotten her duty in the middle of a battle. However, the light of joy and gratitude that was shining out of her eyes was too much for him, and he couldn't bring himself to stifle any of her excitement.

"Lute, you're incredible," he gently said, looking down at her with the hint of a smile on his lips.

She beamed up at him with a broad grin. "Yes, I already know that," she replied.

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