A.N. This chapter was turning out a lot longer than I expected so I cut it in half to post this part first because I'll be out of the country soon. I'll get the other up before I leave if I can. Hope you enjoy
Disclaimer: POT characters not mine
Chapter 11
A group of particularly prickly looking guards strode forward as Eiji stood under the tree that had betrayed him. The branch he had occupied lay beside his feet, still and unhelpful as vegetation had a tendency to be. Sweat was beginning to trickle down the back of his neck, making his skin feel clammy and uncomfortable and he was struck with the strange and sudden urge to scratch.
Fuji would think that was funny, he thought fleetingly before giving himself the mental equivalent of a slap on the forehead. What are you thinking?! They've got spears aimed your way and all you can come up with is that Fuji would find it funny?
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the nearest guardsman demanded, his voice oddly tense despite the fact that he was the one who was armed—heavily armed, at that. The Speaker wasn't going to give up the opening though. These guards were probably new at their job.
"I was just passing by," Eiji said quickly, bobbing his head up and down and grinning sheepishly. "Didn't mean to cause any trouble or anything. If you wouldn't mind, I'd be glad to be on my way and out of your hair…?" Trailing off, he turned large, hopeful eyes on all the guard's now confused faces as he edged slowly back towards the trees.
"You're from the village, aren't you?" scowling, the spokesman guard took another step forward. "How many times do we have to tell you people to stay out of our way?"
"Oh—no, no, I didn't know you were here. I won't cause you any trouble, if you'd just—"
"Move aside."
The calm command cut through the air, smooth yet hard, and the guards shifted uneasily, their backs snapping ramrod straight as though caught in a sorcerer's binding spell. Hurriedly parting like drawn curtains, they watched as a tall man with dark colored hair made his way towards the intruder. He carried no weapons, but his presence felt heavy nonetheless.
Eiji gulped. The man had his eyes closed, reminding him a little of Fuji, but he had the sudden urge to leap back into the forest regardless of the guards and the bows and arrows some of them carried. But he stood still, watching.
The man too stood motionless, scrutinizing him with unseen eyes. Minutes crawled by and it was almost painfully obvious to the redhead's sensitive ears that the forest around them was silent. Then the man shook his head and turned away.
"He is not one of them."
The guards relaxed slightly at his words, but when one of them opened his mouth to speak he was interrupted by the harsh, rasping cry of a crow.
Jerking as though they had all of them been struck by lightning, all eyes flew upward to where a single, black shape circled against the pale blue of the sky. Even the man with the closed eyes turned, though his expression was unreadable. Over them all, the bird circled then dipped, glaring at them all through beady, crimson eyes before flapping ebony wings to send itself skyward once more.
"I guess the lieutenant wishes an audience regardless," the man murmured, waving at the guards. "Put him with the other prisoners. We will move out in half an hour."
"Yes, Sir!" they chorused, saluting. Then, as though they had rehearsed it, they turned in unison to face the confused Speaker.
Eiji blinked, "What—hey! That's not—"
Cutting himself off, he leapt into the air as the nearest guard suddenly lunged towards him. Landing feet first on the already off-balanced man's head, the redhead sent him sprawling to the ground and catapulted himself towards the trees. The twang of a bowstring struck his eardrums and he threw himself sideways as something whisked past his ear. Rolling to his feet, he found to his dismay that there were now three guards between him and the route back to camp.
Cursing inwardly, he spun and sprinted in a different direction, performing a perfect handspring over yet another arrow. Seriously, these people were either overly confident in their aim or so desperate to make sure they caught him that they would risk the wrath of whoever this lieutenant they wanted him to see was. After all, a dead man couldn't have an audience with anyone, except maybe another dead man—but that was a different matter altogether.
Grinning as an idea struck him, he cart-wheeled past one of the bowman, snatching the man's weapon right out of his hands and relieving him of his quiver for good measure. Stunned, the guard stared at him with his mouth agape, but Eiji was in too much of a hurry to appreciate the sight.
Bounding backward, he notched at arrow to the bowstring and drew it back to his ear as his feet landed in a solid stance. He wasn't the world's greatest archer, but neither were they the world's smartest guards.
"Don't come any closer!" he shouted, eyes narrowing his he leveled the arrow at the man he had stolen it from. The poor fellow's face had completely drained of blood and his companions weren't looking much better, though since it wasn't their lives in danger they just seemed baffled as to what to do. That was good, in Eiji's opinion, perfect actually.
Grinning, he adjusted his position a little—only to find that he couldn't move. Startled, he scanned his surroundings as best he could while being unable to turn his head. Nothing.
"Seriously." The voice was coming from behind him—the voice he recognized as belonging to the man from before who had given the order for them to go after him. "It's no wonder efficiency is going downhill these days. There are at least nine of you and one of him, and yet here I find you're the ones with your hands in the air—so to speak."
Gritting his teeth, Eiji struggled to move, or at least to turn enough so as to be able to see the man who had paralyzed him, but it was no use.
Ah well, he thought in resignation as the embarrassed guards approached, at least I'll get to find out what's up with that stupid crow. I knew I never liked those birds.
x-X-x
"I hate having to do this, Hiroshi."
Pulling the stable door shut, the speaker reached out to pat his gray gelding on the nose. It whickered softly, tail swishing.
"True, but it is necessary if we wish to retain the peace we currently have," his companion replied, adjusting his glasses.
"It's having to deal with him in particular though…" He wrinkled his nose at the thought. "It always gives me the chills. You're nervous too, aren't you?" he added, eyeing the erratic pulses in the green light that wreathed his friend. The usually steady aura was currently laced through with ripples of yellow that vanished and reappeared unexpectedly, the mark of a nervous spirit struggling not to show his uncertainty.
Hiroshi sighed. He never liked being scrutinized, especially not by those he knew could see more than a person ought to be able to see. "There are…many more pleasant tasks, I admi—Masaharu?"
Sharp eyes having snapped wide open at something Hiroshi—again—could not see, the silver haired youth directed his piercing gaze towards the stable wall. He studied it for a long moment, a frown creasing his brow, then he shook his head, looking puzzled.
"I could have sworn…"
"What is it?"
"It's…nothing." Shaking his head, Masaharu turned. "Let's go then, we can't be late if we want them to take us seriously."
X
Stepping out of the shop with the acquired brushes in a small bag the shopkeeper had kindly provided, Tezuka and Fuji had only just turned to head back out of town when two strangers dressed in traveling clothes appeared from around the corner where the stables were. A tingle at the edge of his senses made Tezuka stiffen and he stepped quickly back into the shadows, pulling Fuji along with him as he murmured a quick shielding spell. Glancing curiously up at him, Fuji considered asking, but chose not to. Instead he followed the other sorcerer's gaze to the two travelers. One was wearing a pair of extremely round glasses that caught the sun's light, obscuring his eyes. He had a long bow and a quiver of arrows slung across his back. His companion carried a standard sword, though his eyes were unusually bright. He was staring at them with a slight frown as though he thought he should be seeing something that he wasn't. Finally he turned away with a little shake of his head, muttering something to himself. The two disappeared down the street.
"That one has power…" Fuji murmured, his own expression speculative as he watched them go. "Not a sorcerer's power though…"
"They may still be dangerous," Tezuka said quietly. "We cannot let our guards down. We should get back to the others quickly."
"I do wonder what they're up to though."
"That is not one of our concerns right now."
"Hmm… Are you telling me that you aren't curious?" Fuji arched his eyebrows in a mild show of disbelief.
Tezuka turned away without answering and headed down the street again. There were a lot of things that happened that one should care about, but the point was that there was only so much time allotted to each person and for people like them that time was even more limited because they didn't have the luxury of a stable life to work from. The best they could do was to move forever forward and face the obstacles that came up there—they were numerous enough as it was.
He halted abruptly near the edge of the town. Something didn't feel right. Turning, he scanned the street behind him then to either side. He was alone.
He wasn't generally one for cursing—it was neither dignified nor particularly useful in any situation—but if he had been a man of that sort he would most certainly have been exclaiming away. Pivotting sharply on his heels, he strode quickly back the way he had come, visualizing the path the strange travelers had taken.
x-X-x
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Eiji glared at the guards that tramped past him. They didn't so much as flinch—if anything, they didn't even notice, too busy scurrying mindlessly here and there on whatever mundane errands they had to care about one little prisoner who wasn't even 'one of them', whatever that meant. The redhead snorted. Jeez, here he was, letting them off easy by not trying to escape, and they couldn't even pay him the courtesy of looking at him once in a while.
What more, sitting next to a bunch of bound and floating people wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to be. It only served to worsen the situation once the prisoner next to him—a young man with lank, dark hair that looked a little bit on the 'in severe need of washing soon' side—began to eye him curiously.
"Why does he sound so impatient? It is hardly a wonderful thing to be a prisoner headed for who knows what, but it is most probably better here than anywhere else," the stranger was musing to himself as though he thought Eiji couldn't hear him. "They never did tell us exactly where they were taking us, but I suppose that could be a good thing. It would be better not to know too far before hand if they were going to execute us or something of the like—but maybe if they did it'd be better to know after all because then one could prepare for it. Hmm… I'm not sure what I would do if they were going to execute me, it doesn't really seem like it's worth all the trouble to drag us all this way just for it either. I would like to tell my mother though, but she'd probably rather not know… Yes—"
"Mister—"
"—it is better that everything is the way it is, unless of course they really are going to kill us all—which would probably be better for them—but then I think I would rather be elsewhere—"
"Excuse me—"
"I wonder if they would answer me if I asked them where we were going? There is no harm in such a question after all, since it is they who choose where it is, but—"
"Could you please be quiet?!" Eiji exclaimed finally, patience running out. "I mean, talking's all well and good nyah, but if you're going to talk at me you can at least talk to me."
The strange prisoner paused for a long moment and looked down at Eiji from his lofty perch in midair as though he had only just seen him or remembered that he existed. Then he opened his mouth—and started muttering again.
"Did I do something wrong? He's looking at me like I did something wrong… Maybe he knows where we're going. It's probably not a very good place if he's so irritated already, I wonder…"
Eiji stared then let out a long sigh. I can sure imagine a lot of ways this guy could have gotten himself imprisoned…
"Don't bother about it," the prisoner on the mutterer's other side said in a resigned voice. "Shinji won't shut up when he's bored, annoyed, or just doesn't have anything else to do—and sitting here's pretty damned boring."
Craning his neck around, Eiji could just barely see the redhead who was talking. "Oh well, that's all right, I think I can understand that. So, why exactly are you all here?"
The redhead blinked, looking at him in surprise. "Isn't it obvious? We're being taken to some kind of prison somewhere—they won't tell us where though."
"That's not what I meant nyah!" Eiji laughed. "I mean, why are you guys being taken to prison? And come to think of it, why are you floating?"
The redhead snorted. "It was those ungrateful bastards who call themselves the Elite. We toss around a few small spells and they just lose it."
"And the floating?" Eiji pressed, now thoroughly intrigued. So these people had to all be magically gifted…
"We're not floating."
He blinked, taken aback. "You're…not? Are you sure?"
The redhead rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm sure." Twisting around, he pressed his shoulder against the air in front of him which apparently was occupied with something Eiji couldn't see. "What? You've never seen a containment field before? Seriously," pausing as a thought struck him, he frowned at Eiji. "Why are you here then? You're not like us."
"Ah," Eiji laughed a little uncomfortably, "I was…kinda watching this place when I fell out of a tree and the guards sort of freaked out and well, some crow was flying around overhead and they decided they'd take me along to see whoever it is you guys are going to see…"
"So that was the commotion I heard…"
"Well hm…what's your name nyah? I'm Eiji Kikumaru." He grinned, about to offer his hand before he realized it was tied behind his back.
The other redhead frowned slightly at him. "Akira Kamio," he said shortly.
Blinking, Eiji lowered his chin slightly. There was something familiar about the name…and come to think of it, that other one's name sounded familiar too… Shinji…Shinji and Akira Kamio… An image of damp, cavern walls flashed before his eyes and he sat bolt upright, an excited grin lighting up his face.
"Oh! You were Imperial Guards, right? I've met your friends nyah!"
Kamio's head snapped around so fast Eiji wouldn't have been surprised if he tore a muscle and Shinji stopped talking to himself to stare down at the Speaker with an intensity that was unnerving. He blinked uncertainly, looking from one to the other.
"Is…something wrong?"
"You met Captain Tachibana and the others?" Kamio demanded. "Where? When?"
"Oh I don't know." Eiji grinned sheepishly. He wasn't that good at keeping track of time. Where he came from, it had never really mattered much. "It wasn't that long ago. We fell through the ground and they attacked us, then Oishi helped heal that badly injured guy and Echizen gave them directions to the mountains and they left. They're all great by the way, in case you were worried nyah."
"Directions to the mountains?" Shinji's quiet voice inquired, his face solemn.
"Yeah. I think it's to the Sor…Sor…" He trailed off, frowning. "Sor…Sorcerien! That's it."
Shinji shook his head. "The Sorcerien were destroyed by the Elite when the Empire was established, They were the most dangerous branch of the Alliance, or at least in the eyes of the Elite, and it was they who shared the touch of power. I wonder though…is it really so that those who wield the blade can never hope to attain the same strength and potency in battle as those who wield magic? I mean…"
Eiji watched the rambling continue for a few minutes before deciding he simply had to interrupt. He had a lot of explaining to do after all. It would be better to get started soon.
x-X-x
Darting behind a tree, Fuji pressed his back against the trunk, letting its hundred years of girth hide his own slight form from view. The two strangers had left town about twenty minutes ago but they were still walking deeper into the forest with the confident steps of those who knew exactly where they were going. He had been studying them carefully every step of the way and was now certain that his first impression had been correct. Whatever they were, they were not sorcerers. The problem was that he couldn't help but feel that the silver haired one at least was not entirely mundane either.
There were many types of supernaturally gifted in the world who were not sorcerers—they were simply the most well known because their powers were the most actively affective in the lives of those around them. The healers were perhaps the most recognized out of these others, though most of them were not strong enough to be clearly distinguishable from the skilled doctor. Them aside though there were still the Speakers, who could understand and speak any language whether man or beast at will, and the Seers, who cast their sights through the layers of time and space. There were the Callers and the Walkers who were all thought to have vanished not long after the Alliance broke, their powers dispersed by the four winds to become nothing more than legend. Each of the major branches had their own smaller divisions so that they formed an intricate web that crossed in many places yet still contained individual strands. If the silver haired man was one of these others there would be no magical signature to read. He would have to wait and see.
Standing much farther back behind a a different tree, Tezuka frowned. He could see his companion peering at the strangers and it was clear the other sorcerer wasn't about to turn around and leave any time soon. Letting out an inaudible sigh, he raised his left hand and murmured a quiet command. A small, translucent bird materialized in his palm.
"Inform Syuichiroh that we have been delayed and that we will return as soon as possible," he instructed it. "And take this to him," he added as an afterthought, holding up the small bag containing the brushes that had started the whole thing. The back vanished with a flash of light and the bird looked a little bit rounder, if not any bigger. "Go."
Spreading glimmering wings, the small creature launched itself into the air and was gone.
X
"Hiroshi."
Glancing sideways at his companion, the archer raised an inquisitive eyebrow. His companion was staring straight forward and speaking out of the corner of his mouth. "What is it?"
"We're being followed."
Hiroshi took in the comment, a slight frown flitting across his face. "The Elite?"
Masaharu gave his head a slight shake. "I can't tell. I thought I saw a spark, but not enough to judge anything."
They both fell silent then, their footsteps never once faltering. Around them the forest rustled gently.
"There's a clearing up ahead," Hiroshi said finally. The two traded looks. No more was said.
TBC
Notes:
The Crow: I know it was strange, but I promise it will be explained soon.
The Divisions: The names are extremely and mundanely simple, but it's because I find it's less confusing that way in the long run when I have to start talking about them more because they'll be the sub categories to add and everything. Again, I'll talk a little more in depth about them later. If they ever do get confusing, just ask me to clarify.
A.N. Hmm…I think that's everything for now. Comments, questions, suggestions always welcome. Again, I'll try to get the next part up before I go. I went to this convention recently and am feeling a lot more keyboard friendly right now