The world seemed ethereal, unreal. Expanding and contracting in slow pulses; rocking, swaying dreamily amidst the muffled sounds of the occupied forest.
Slowly, Lucius' senses returned to him, the world steadying and taking a solid, fixed state. Instantly the priest became aware of his surroundings and wished that he could have remained unconscious. The pain in his temples throbbed and jarred his body, causing his teeth to grit.
"You're awake then?" a soft, though cold, voice asked rhetorically. "I was beginning to wonder if my men had struck you too hard..."
"Who-?" Lucius managed to reply, realising that he shared similar vocal tones with his captor.
If the man made the same observation, he didn't pay it obvious heed, "The natural question. Lokus."
"Lokus?" Lucius parroted as though repeating the name would carry more significance to him.
"You wouldn't recognise me," the man spoke as though he had read the priest's mind, stepping forward into the glare of a nearby torch that had been fastened into the ground.
He wore dark robes extending from a black cloak down to his ankles where a pair of feet stood in sandals. His long green hair half-covered one of his eyes which was patched over; an old injury Lucius had to guess.
"What do you want with me? I am but a priest with nothing of value."
"Strange that even a priest can be so materialistically minded. It is you that I need. You're a hostage, of sorts."
Lucius felt as though a heavy weight had just landed upon him, making his chest contract and his limbs limp. His dry mouth worked in protest but no words succeeded in escape.
Lokus chuckled with a grim tone, "No need to fret, you're more use to me alive. One way or another."
"That is what I fear," Lucius sighed, closing his eyes in silent prayer. He had no hope of escaping the forest and would likely be taken as a consolation prize should the bandits choose to retreat from Caelin. Questions surrounding humanity's complex nature of good and evil floated through his sorrowful mind. One man's good could be another's evil.
Galloping. A sudden composition on the edge of Lucius' vision startled him for a moment, bringing him out of thought. Lokus was still stood motionless with his eyes upon Lucius, unperturbed by the sudden arrival of the defeated soldier.
He slid from his horse, a young man with a panicked expression and a nervousness to his movements. Finally Lokus turned to his cavalier and spoke with him in hushed volume so that Lucius could only make out a few words, though he was sure he heard a reference to a 'red knight'. Kent, Lady Lyndis' most brave and loyal subordinate.
Lucius smiled and made thanks to heaven, his heart all the lighter in the knowledge that Caelin was safe for the time being.
"It would seem that Marquess Caelin has some competent soldiers still," Lokus mused aloud, a subconscious hand upon his smooth, white chin. He turned sharply, spying Lucius' glimmer of hope. "I wouldn't get too confident, priest. Your knights merely took down the advance force. I think that even this rabble could defeat Caelin eventually, considering the state its in."
Lucius feared Lokus may have been right. After the death of Lord Lundgren, the attempted usurper to the throne, many of Caelin's troops loyal to him also fell while those that survived the onslaught of 'Lyndis' Legion' fled the land. With Caelin's forces so depleted, loyalties confused, even a rabble could pose a threat.
--
"We should counter-attack!" Lyndis proclaimed as they stood atop the battlements again. Kent proceeded to choke on a spluttering cough that constituted as his protest.
"So brave and fearless!" Sain complimented his lady. "But, my lady, methinks you should stay here and allow me, your faithful knight, to lead the charge!"
"No, Sain," replied Lyndis with a slight shake of her head. "I can't just sit here and do nothing."
Wil lent upon one of the turrets, watching the distant flames shimmer in the cool breeze that had ushered its own way over the castle grounds. He admired how peaceful and tranquil even the threatening torches could seem in the silent night air. He sighed, longing for the calm that had existed mere hours ago.
He enjoyed the simple things in life, the flowers, a warm breeze, the hot glow of the sun. He remembered laying on the outskirts of the wood with a rabbit cooking over a small fire during the earlier hours of the day. He disliked the food that the castle chefs prepared as it was always over-cooked and over-seasoned.
"Wil!" Lyndis' voice snapped the archer from his daydreaming. "Did you hear what I just said?"
Wil grinned nervously and rubbed the back of his head, "Could you repeat it?"
"Fine," Lyndis rolled her eyes. "One more time. Kent and Sain will lead a small cavalry unit straight at the enemy camp. I will then follow after them with the larger force and the torches. Meanwhile, Wil, you'll lead a small team of archers around the battle perimeter and attack from the rear. You won't have any torches so you'd best be careful. Understood?"
Wil nodded and smiled, recalling the very same scenario being issued by the tactician Lorrina several weeks ago. Lyndis had been inspired a great deal by the young travelling woman and had evidently taken on-board a lot of Lorrina's ideas.
"We go now!" She commanded. Instantly the two knights were gone, headed toward their mounts and to gather their troops. Wil decided he had better round together his own unit and get ready for his part of the plan. He hurried along the battlement, excitement building within him as he envisioned the end of the skirmish, creating his vision based on the many past victories Lyndis had won on her route to Caelin.
--
Lucius lay on his side, staring at a lone flower protruding from the rich soil of the forest. Lokus hovered nearby, barking orders every-so-often to one of the bandits. He couldn't be specific but Lucius was certain that there was something suspicious about Lokus, something strange that separated him from the rest of the bandits. He was intelligent and powerful, but something more sinister seemed to lurk within him.
A particularly loud and anxious minion stormed into the small clearly jabbering so quickly at Lokus that Lucius barely heard a word. Lokus' reaction, however, prompted him to roll over and pay heed. The black-clad villain grimaced at his subordinate with an incriminating glare.
"I shall deal with this. Your incompetence is astounding," Lokus growled with obvious disdain. Then he swept from the clearing, his cloak fluttering around him with the sudden, rapid movement.
There was a strange tension in the air as Lucius stared after Lokus, still lay upon the ground, his cold face pressed against the sparsely grassed soil. He watched the nervous messenger who was likewise staring after his master like a lost puppy searching for its owner. The stranger turned to look at Lucius and saw the determination in the priest's eyes moments before the blast of magical light tore through his chest, killing him quickly.
Without much effort, Lucius managed to wriggle his hands free of his bonds, using his light magic to shoot through the tough, old rope.
He scrambled uneasily to his feet and took a moment to steady himself, his legs feeling sore and numb from such a long period of inactivity. He glanced over his muddy robe with pity at its unfortunate state.
The sounds of battle now filled the night and a flock of birds flew from fright high above. The fighting was close, so Lucius guessed that Lady Lyndis had taken the fight back to the bandits.
After readjusting himself to standing again, the priest took the opportunity to depart, sneaking into the forest, headed in the direction of the castle. He had walked regularly through the woods since coming to Caelin and knew them as though he had been born in the land. The trees and the accompanying darkness shrouded him from watchful eyes, though he doubted that there were many patrolling when there was an active battlefield moments away.
It wasn't long before he drew near to the fields beyond the forest and Lucius' heart raced with elation, a joyful gasp escaped his lips as he breathed the cold air finally and gazed upon the distant stone castle that loomed fiercely over the land.
There was sudden movement from behind him, whipping Lucius' attention and body round to face the one sneaking up on him, but he was too late. The string of the bow pulled back with an audible creak and the arrow-head stung his forehead where the archer held it, ready to release and end the priest's life.