Dawn broke the next day as Kel reached the woods she'd been riding towards
since midnight. Gratefully she dismounted and led Peachblossom further into
the dark forest. When she judged that she had gone far enough she stopped
and tied her horse to a tree. Her body cried out for sleep, but years of
survival training took over. Before lying down she called to the sparrows
that had followed her from the palace. How they had found her she didn't
know, since they hadn't been with her when she left, but she was glad of
their company. Not only were they loyal friends, but as scouts they were
invaluable.
Having asking them to wake her if anyone approached, she removed her sword from its sheath and lay down by a tree. She shifted to get more comfortable, the sword still gripped in her hand. If any attacks came, she was as ready as she would ever be. Finally satisfied, she allowed her eyes to shut and fell immediately into a deep sleep.
He stared at the road he had been following, frowning in concentration. She had scuffed out the hoof-marks at the point where she had left the road, and she had left it at a point where both sides of the road were hard-packed soil. Consequently no tracks could be seen on either side, and it was impossible to tell which way she had gone. She knows her stuff, he thought wryly, as he gazed off into the distance, where high mountains could be seen. Mountains. Tyra. Tusaine. Of course, he thought. Get away from the country, from the people who had made her life a misery. It's so obvious. It's what I'd do - it's what anyone would do.
And it was with this thought that he turned his horse and rode off in the other direction.
Kel knew something was wrong as soon as she opened her eyes. She didn't move, not wanting to draw attention to herself if danger was near. She listened carefully, but she could hear nothing. Not that that meant anything - a well trained soldier or bandit could move as silently as a shadow in woods like these. She eased herself into a sitting position, careful not to let her armour or weapons make a sound. Gripping her sword more firmly, she stood up quickly, intending to surprise anyone trying to attack. But there was no one there. She gathered her packs quietly and untied Peachblossom, unable to shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Better to get as far away from here as possible then to keep worrying, she told herself. It was as she was about to mount her horse when she heard the twig snap. Spinning around to face whoever it was, she heard a voice that she knew well call out. "Kel! MOVE!" And her brain started to work at a speed she hadn't realised was possible. If the voice belonged to the person she thought it did, Dom was somewhere nearby. Dom, the clever, the handsome, and above all the well-trained. Dom, who would never let himself tread on a stick which would give away his position. So something else had. She hit the ground even as the grey rope flew over her head. Something flew through the air in the opposite direction, marked by the familiar whistling sound that arrows made. It was followed by two more. She rolled to the side and jumped up, sword flashing in the afternoon light. Black shapes spilled from the trees, moving steadily towards her. No, not moving. Scuttling. "Spidrens," she whispered under her breath. A second later a horse crashed into the clearing, with Dom on its back. She didn't need to ask why he was here. She didn't have the time anyway. The immortals came steadily closer. She tried to count how many there were, but they were moving too fast. She suspected there were as many as 15, though most of them seemed smaller than normal. Without a word she moved closer to Dom, who had dismounted. Horses were no good when fighting spidrens. Her mind flashed back to the summer before, when she had faced five of them on horseback. They had bound her horse's legs with their repulsive webs, then converged on her when the mare collapsed. She had survived that fight, but only barely. The horse had been saved, but would never fight again. And then the spidrens were upon them. She sliced and slashed with her sword, almost mechanically. Something wasn't right. Spidrens were clever foes, they knew how to fight. Right now, only about six of them seemed to know what they were supposed to be doing. And they were all attacking Dom, separating them. He yelled out as one managed to disarm him. She desperately fought her way to his side again, keeping the spidren's back with pure strength of will. Eventually there were only two of the bigger ones left. They retreated a small distance, evidently having a rest. She didn't waste the opportunity. Dom was on his back, bleeding from a deep cut on his hand. She cut strips from her tunic, then wrapped his hand tightly. For now, there was nothing else she could do. The remaining spidrens approached, and she lifted her sword one more time. They attacked at the same time, clawed legs flashing through the air. Flashing? That wasn't right...She cursed herself as she saw Dom's sword gripped in one of their claws. This made it slightly more difficult. Her sword arced through the air, chopping at the unarmed immortal. It backed off a bit, leaving her with the more dangerous of her foes. It took a slash at her side, forcing her backwards. Her arms trembled from exhaustion, and she was beginning to feel dizzy. She fought back desperately, landing a shallow cut on the immortal. It hissed and renewed its efforts, eventually slicing open her lower arm. Blood dripped onto her sword, loosening her grip. The spidren made a quick move, hacking at the sword, sensing her weakness. She growled and changed hands, throwing all her remaining strength into the fight. The spidren faltered, unready for this violent assault, and she killed it. Sensing something behind her, she turned to find the final spidren almost upon her. She gulped and tried to gather some strength into her arms. She couldn't do it. This was it. She was going to die. Suddenly the spidren stopped, its face showing shock and pain. It collapsed slowly, rolling to one side. Dom lay behind it, a bloody dagger gripped in one hand, a small smile on his face. "Glad I came?" he whispered.
Hi sorry it's been a while since I updated - I kind of forgot about this whole thing after going back to school. Very sorry! Anyway, this chapter is...longer but a bit boring at points. I'm not so good at fights! But it'll get better - I promise! Anyway, hope you enjoyed...
Having asking them to wake her if anyone approached, she removed her sword from its sheath and lay down by a tree. She shifted to get more comfortable, the sword still gripped in her hand. If any attacks came, she was as ready as she would ever be. Finally satisfied, she allowed her eyes to shut and fell immediately into a deep sleep.
He stared at the road he had been following, frowning in concentration. She had scuffed out the hoof-marks at the point where she had left the road, and she had left it at a point where both sides of the road were hard-packed soil. Consequently no tracks could be seen on either side, and it was impossible to tell which way she had gone. She knows her stuff, he thought wryly, as he gazed off into the distance, where high mountains could be seen. Mountains. Tyra. Tusaine. Of course, he thought. Get away from the country, from the people who had made her life a misery. It's so obvious. It's what I'd do - it's what anyone would do.
And it was with this thought that he turned his horse and rode off in the other direction.
Kel knew something was wrong as soon as she opened her eyes. She didn't move, not wanting to draw attention to herself if danger was near. She listened carefully, but she could hear nothing. Not that that meant anything - a well trained soldier or bandit could move as silently as a shadow in woods like these. She eased herself into a sitting position, careful not to let her armour or weapons make a sound. Gripping her sword more firmly, she stood up quickly, intending to surprise anyone trying to attack. But there was no one there. She gathered her packs quietly and untied Peachblossom, unable to shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Better to get as far away from here as possible then to keep worrying, she told herself. It was as she was about to mount her horse when she heard the twig snap. Spinning around to face whoever it was, she heard a voice that she knew well call out. "Kel! MOVE!" And her brain started to work at a speed she hadn't realised was possible. If the voice belonged to the person she thought it did, Dom was somewhere nearby. Dom, the clever, the handsome, and above all the well-trained. Dom, who would never let himself tread on a stick which would give away his position. So something else had. She hit the ground even as the grey rope flew over her head. Something flew through the air in the opposite direction, marked by the familiar whistling sound that arrows made. It was followed by two more. She rolled to the side and jumped up, sword flashing in the afternoon light. Black shapes spilled from the trees, moving steadily towards her. No, not moving. Scuttling. "Spidrens," she whispered under her breath. A second later a horse crashed into the clearing, with Dom on its back. She didn't need to ask why he was here. She didn't have the time anyway. The immortals came steadily closer. She tried to count how many there were, but they were moving too fast. She suspected there were as many as 15, though most of them seemed smaller than normal. Without a word she moved closer to Dom, who had dismounted. Horses were no good when fighting spidrens. Her mind flashed back to the summer before, when she had faced five of them on horseback. They had bound her horse's legs with their repulsive webs, then converged on her when the mare collapsed. She had survived that fight, but only barely. The horse had been saved, but would never fight again. And then the spidrens were upon them. She sliced and slashed with her sword, almost mechanically. Something wasn't right. Spidrens were clever foes, they knew how to fight. Right now, only about six of them seemed to know what they were supposed to be doing. And they were all attacking Dom, separating them. He yelled out as one managed to disarm him. She desperately fought her way to his side again, keeping the spidren's back with pure strength of will. Eventually there were only two of the bigger ones left. They retreated a small distance, evidently having a rest. She didn't waste the opportunity. Dom was on his back, bleeding from a deep cut on his hand. She cut strips from her tunic, then wrapped his hand tightly. For now, there was nothing else she could do. The remaining spidrens approached, and she lifted her sword one more time. They attacked at the same time, clawed legs flashing through the air. Flashing? That wasn't right...She cursed herself as she saw Dom's sword gripped in one of their claws. This made it slightly more difficult. Her sword arced through the air, chopping at the unarmed immortal. It backed off a bit, leaving her with the more dangerous of her foes. It took a slash at her side, forcing her backwards. Her arms trembled from exhaustion, and she was beginning to feel dizzy. She fought back desperately, landing a shallow cut on the immortal. It hissed and renewed its efforts, eventually slicing open her lower arm. Blood dripped onto her sword, loosening her grip. The spidren made a quick move, hacking at the sword, sensing her weakness. She growled and changed hands, throwing all her remaining strength into the fight. The spidren faltered, unready for this violent assault, and she killed it. Sensing something behind her, she turned to find the final spidren almost upon her. She gulped and tried to gather some strength into her arms. She couldn't do it. This was it. She was going to die. Suddenly the spidren stopped, its face showing shock and pain. It collapsed slowly, rolling to one side. Dom lay behind it, a bloody dagger gripped in one hand, a small smile on his face. "Glad I came?" he whispered.
Hi sorry it's been a while since I updated - I kind of forgot about this whole thing after going back to school. Very sorry! Anyway, this chapter is...longer but a bit boring at points. I'm not so good at fights! But it'll get better - I promise! Anyway, hope you enjoyed...