Hello, thank you for the last set of reviews( guest: thank you, i'm glad you like her! She might use the third sword later in the story so you'll just have to keep reading) um... sorry this isn't very long but i went on the ff page tonight and saw that i was ABOUT TO BE PUSHED ON TO PAGE 2! AND I WILL NEVER LET THAT HAPPEN!
I'd like to give thanks to maggiestarjump who supplied me with the horse's name: (i chose Akiko in the end, but thanks so much for the other ideas!)
anyway... please review!
Chapter 7… Song of Blood. 1362
It didn't come. Instead I landed on the hard stone of a balcony. Rolling over in pain and shaking my head to halt the ringing in my ears I staggered to my feet. My vision dipped and lurched as I leant against the balcony wall and climbed onto the other side of the railing.
Looking down I searched for Horace. A body-like shape was floating face down in the moat a trail of blood laying in his wake. Pushing back panic, I slipped underneath the balcony holding on with just my hands. My muscles burned as I hung without a foot rest. My boots scrabbled against the cold stone trying to find a grip.
When they did, I scaled the wall lightly and moved to the edge of the moat. Horace's shape was nearing the other side of the moat now. I glanced back hurriedly, knowing that a squadron of knights could come out any minute, then stepped into the moat.
I waded to the middle then had to start to swim as the water became too deep for me to walk. I tried to keep my head above the murky water so that I could see the body of Horace. I dragged myself the last leg and pushed his body onto the muddy bank. I climbed out afterwards and dragged the rest of his body out of the water.
There was no way I would be able to carry him. Horace had a large muscled shape and he was a lot taller than me. I leant over his body and slapped him in the face. His eyes opened drudgingly and I pulled him up. He staggered after me and I lead him to the wood where I whistled and waited for my horse to come.
The horse trotted up and I punched Horace in the temple, knocking him senseless, then hoisted him onto the saddle and climbed on afterwards. I slapped the rains and we sprinted on. Me glancing over my shoulder every once in a while.
My horse lurched and bucked as he rode full pelt through the trees. The horse's hooves moved in a blur of movement and its body seemed to hunch and realise as we gained speed in the gallop. I leant forward in the saddle covering Horace's body and forcing my body to become streamline with the horses curved back, just in case the knight's following me had archers. The horse hunched again and I peered forward to see why. A large rock loomed in the distance. I ready my foot to tap him left but he soared over the rock and recovered in his stable gallop.
I sent a look behind me again and listened intently. I could hear people behind me but not sure how many. I pulled gently on the horse's rains, slowing him to a canter, than to a trot and finally to a slow walking pace. Through my horse's quite steps I could hear five other horses.
Every horse has a different gait and on the uneven ground they were prominent in the silent wood. Looking around to make sure there were not people surrounding or watching me I slipped from the saddle and stood on the hard leather. I searched for a good tree and jumped from the saddle and climbed onto it. The horse kept on going for a moment then turned back and looked up at me. I made an annoyed movement with my hands.
'Go!' I hissed at the animal. 'Move you idiotic lump of brawn.' The animal shook is mane at me than continued on galloping away. I would find the stupid animal later. When the animal was little more than a blur in the distance I turned back to the five knights following me.
The first one was around ten meters away and I readied myself to jump from the branch. Pushing with my feet I sung onto the saddle. The horse stumbled under the new weight and the rider sifted around to face me as I bang my sword around in a swift movement. Blood leaked from a large cut on the man's neck as he fell from the horse's saddle. I jumped from the saddle and looked away as the body of the dead knight was dragged by the still galloping horse.
The next knight had witnessed the attack of his fellow solider and was rising his sword to lop off my head as he came forward. Not today, I thought and ducked under the horse's body. The horse reared back in fright and the man tumbled backwards out of the saddle. I twisted out of the way of the horses kicking legs and in a spur of movement brag down my sword in the man's chest.
The next two knights jumped from there horse's and advanced on foot. Running in an even gait next to each other. I turned around to face them, spinning my swords experimentally. When they were close enough I dived between them, delighting in the feral song of blood and bones. I felt like a whirlwind of steel, iron and blood. Cutting down the two men as though they were stalks of wheat in a field.
The men collapsed and I walked away from their bodies, covered in dark blood. I wiped the red from my blades and slid them back into their places. Then I heard the noise.
The last knight, I had forgotten him in my dance of death that had awoken the lethal predator inside. I carried on, acting as if I didn't know the man was there. I waited and till he was closer. I waited for the sound of a sword being drawn then turned.
The man's mouth was open in plead, but my dagger was already spinning towards his open mouth. The man tumbled backwards, blood dripping from his open lips. I turned and walked away without ever looking back.
Finding the horse was not very hard. The animal had left heavy footprints so obvious that a blind man could see them. I trailed the animal for twenty minutes before I found the animal drinking from a small lake. The prince laying on the ground still out.
I walked over to the horse and dragged it away from the water by the rains. I looked into its eyes and said frowned. 'You really are stupid aren't you?' I sighed and dropped the rains. 'I know what I'm going to call you, baka. That means idiot you beast!' I sighed, rubbed the animals head, clinging to his mane like a child. 'Akiko. Because that means memory and you will always be in my memory.' Akiko stared at me blankly and I couldn't help laughing and adding: 'Akiko, because you will always be in my memory as the most stupid horse I've ever met!'
I turned away from the horse and scanned the area. It seem safe and night was drawing in so I moved towards the prince and, with a coil of rope I'd taken from my saddle bag, tied him to a tree. My father had always said I had the best ways of tying knots because nobody, but me, could undo them.
I inspected the limp body then and searched his person for any weapons. I then applied a salve from the wound on his neck, there was no point in letting it get infected and him dying from it before I got him back to Arisaka. There was blood on his face and I washed it away to see the wound there. It was smashed slightly and he must have hit it on something in the moat.
I was about to move away when he caught my wrist with both of his that were tied together. His grip was strong and I felt sure he was braking something but I refused to show any pain on my face. He pulled me forward so far that I could feel his breath on my face.
He smiled. 'Your young, aren't you, to be abducting people.' He realised my wrist and I moved away.
I didn't reply but moved towards Baka and fed him an apple. I brushed a hand over his grey mussel feeling the soft fur against my skin brought me comfort and till I noticed the blood caked into the groves on my skin.
I pushed down the sickening feeling and washed them with water from the lake.
next chapter should be up soon cose i break up for half-term holidays on Friday! yay!
please review
