Chapter 4: Rescue

An eerie scream pierced the stillness of the forest, causing three riders to pull their mounts to a halt. Aideen yanked her knife from its sheath, swiveling her head side to side, searching for the origin of the noise. Her pulse was racing and her bones were aching in anticipation of a possible battle. This was why she had truly become a page – to fight, to defend herself and others. The little pranks she pulled were nothing compared to the thrill of battle.

In a flurry of hoof beats a grey mare pounded out of the shadows, coming to a halt on the path in front of the riders. The horse was breathing heavily and her wide, fearful eyes were indicative of looming danger.

Bryn was the first to identify the mare. "Naryl? But then where's Lianne?" He and Aideen looked frantically but saw no sign of their friend, whom they had last seen moments prior.

"She went off in that direction," said Payton with confidence, pointing into the forest to his right.

"But why would she just run off? How can you be sure?" asked Bryn, obviously confused.

"It doesn't matter." Aideen was clearly eager for battle, and also at this point worried about her friend, giving her double the initiative to rush into the forest in the direction Payton had indicated. "We all heard the scream. We have to hurry – Lianne might be in danger!" Unknowing of how true her prediction was, and with her hand gripped firmly around the hilt of her knife she urged her horse off the moonlit path and into the dark cover of the trees.

Bryn shot a confused, questioning look at Payton, who said nothing in response. Both pages grabbed for their own weapons: Bryn had a knife similar to Aideen and Payton fingered his longbow. Without further preparation they too turned their horses into the woods, following Aideen's lead.

We should have done something about Naryl, thought Payton, remembering that they had left the mare standing on the path. He hoped they would find her again later, or that she would have enough sense to return to the stables unassisted. His worry for Lianne was combined with the guilt of knowing that, had he not confronted her, she would not be in trouble. Immediately Payton shook his head, violently trying to rid himself of such thoughts, the likes of which would leave him distracted and vulnerable in battle. A full blooded Bazhir, Payton had been raised around discipline and fighting.

In silent urgency, the three pages combed the forest looking for their friend.

Lianne's first reaction when she saw the spidren was to scream. The spidren's head was that of a slightly older man with graying hair and wicked, bloodshot eyes. He reeked of death and evil. In one hand he carried a small sword, which he pointed ruthlessly at her. Lianne forced herself to conquer her overwhelming terror, pushing herself to her feet to face the immortal squarely. This is my chance to prove myself, she told herself as she straightened. I can show my father that I'm just as good as any of the pages.

"What's a tasty little morsel like you doing alone at this time of night?" The spidren's voice had a rough, grainy edge to it.

Up until then, Lianne had been able to retain at least some composure, but even that faded upon the awful realization that she was unarmed. While most pages carried belt knives, as a princess she had been unable to arm herself without her father's firm disapproval. Even that won't stop me if I get out of here alive, Lianne thought. She panicked, backing away from the monster until her back came in contact with something hard and rough: a tree.

"Don't run from me little one. There is no escape from death."

"You wouldn't dare hurt a princess of Tortall!" she shouted back. "My father will have you and your kind hunted until the end of time." Lianne clasped her hand over her mouth, realizing her grave mistake. Most assuredly the immortal would see her identity as extra incentive to kill or capture her. Possession of a king's daughter could indeed be a strong point in making bargains.

A grin spread across the spidren's barbaric features. He gave no verbal response, but began creeping towards her. He lunged forward with his sword, and only Lianne's quickness enabled her to duck under his attack. Just as she had started contemplating her chances of fleeing safely, the immortal's attention was taken from her. It turned its focus to three pages who had suddenly emerged from the trees opposite her and who were brandishing daggers at it. The moment Lianne recognized her friends she was filled once more with courage.

The horses were shuffling nervously in the spidren's presence, anxiously awaiting an opportunity in which to escape. Payton must have taken note of the fact, for Lianne saw him whisper a word to the other two, then all three dismounted. Lianne could do nothing but watch helplessly as Bryn and Aideen approached the immortal with their daggers, looking terribly inexperienced as they headed into their first true battle. Aideen was the first to reach the monster; the bloodthirsty smiles on the two faces were matched perfectly. Her eyes were locked on the short sword that was being waved at her. Rusty as it was, the weapon was still sharp and perfectly lethal. Aideen's first trust was parried easily, with a lazy stroke that seemed as if the spidren had just been toying with her. She changed her grip on her knife and lunged again, this time avoiding her opponent's strike to score a hit on its hairy body.

Bryn had used that time to circle unnoticed to the spidren's other side, near where Lianne was standing. He winked casually at her before diving in on the attack, working to draw the spidren's attention from Aideen. The two pronged attack worked amazingly well, ensuring that neither of the pages were in harm's way for too long. Lianne found herself watching the battle with a keen eye, wishing she could join her friends in their fighting and thoroughly not enjoying the role of a helpless lady. Her sight was drawn then to movements away from the battle, where she noticed for the first time where Payton had stepped off to the side. He had strung his bow and was aiming an arrow at the attacking spidren. His first shot flew narrowly wide, burying itself deeply in a tree with a resounding thud. The second arrow he released found its target in the immortal's left eye. An ear-splitting scream shook the forest, and then silence took over, ironically serene after the violence that had just ended.

"Great Mithros," said Bryn, apparently in shock. All his friends could do was nod in agreement. The profound effects of battle and closeness to death had not yet taken control of their thoughts.

Lianne was the next to break the stillness. "I'm so sorry. If I hadn't run off none of this would have happened. It's my fault we were –"

"No I'm sorry," Payton interrupted. "I shouldn't have been so angry with you." The sorrowful look in his dark eyes begged for forgiveness.

"Both of you shut up!" Aideen was certainly not in the mood for mushy apologies; her veins were still pumping with the adrenalin of battle. "If we don't hurry and get back to the palace now, we'll all be sorry. Look – the sky is getting lighter and it's almost dawn." Indeed, the once black night sky was fading to grey and gaining feathery touches of pink that shone down through the trees. Lianne caught Payton's eyes as they walked toward the horses, shrugging in defeat.

"I hope the two of you will kindly relate to the rest of us when we get out of this mess what exactly is going on," Bryn stated with a casual, business-like air. "Not that I'm worried about getting in trouble, of course. I am Brynnen Lo-"

"Shut up," said Aideen dryly. Lianne giggled.

On the short trip back to the palace, Lianne was too distracted by her planning to notice Payton's apologetic glances toward her, or when they found Naryl waiting patiently upon their return to the path. Oblivious to the fact that she had certainly gotten her friends and herself in trouble, she was searching her brain for the best way to go about learning to handle weapons. She wanted to really fight, not mess around with staffs like she had been doing. There were plenty of people she could turn to: she could try convincing the combat teachers at the palace, or even the Lady Knights Alanna and Keladry if they happened to be around. When the four friends exited the forest near the stable, Lianne still had not been able to come up with a definite plan, but she knew she would do something. She promised silently never again to let others fight to protect her, not when she was going to learn to do it herself.