What lies beyond the walls
Chapter 5
D entered his room and closed the door. He un-strapped his sword and propped it against the wall. His shoulder was beginning to heal now. He walked over to the water basin. He noticed it was cleaned and had fresh water. He took up the rag. His long fingers wrapped tightly around it as he wrung it out.
(D, she sure did get you good) his hand said with a giggle.
"I know." He replied wincing slightly as his armor with the rag. It was still very tender. He begun wiping the blood off his armor keeping his head turned away to keep the bloodlust from surfacing.
(You know you were being watched right? She didn't seem too bad.)
"She?"
(Yea stud muffin, you mean you couldn't tell? Hey maybe…)
"That's enough" D replied curtly.
(Oh come on D, geez you're hopeless you know that? Well I got something that might riel you up some. She is an elemental witch and a good one too.)
"I sensed that as well."
(Well are you going to see if you can find her?)
"Perhaps."
(Perhaps what? She might be able to help us. I have a bad feeling about this one. The mayor was leaving something out and I have a feeling that having her along might not be to bad of an idea.)
D said nothing as he finished cleaning his armor. His skin had healed and he could feel the muscle meshing back together beneath it. It hurt, but it wasn't anything he couldn't live with.
(D, are you ignoring me? Of course you are. Well she could come in handy especially if you intend on getting hacked to pieces again.) His hand said with a giggle. D knew he was right. Maybe she could pose useful. He walked back to the wall where his sword stood and strapped it onto his broad back. He looked down and saw that Twyla somehow managed to miss tearing his cloak in her wild attempt to tear off his arm. He looked up quickly and readied his right hand. He heard footsteps coming to his door. They were those of a woman, they were too soft to a man. Just then his door opened, it was Emily. He could see tears in her eyes as she walked up to him. Emily looked up at him and more tears spilt down her cheeks. D looked down into her eyes as she started to speak.
"Henry was only doing what he promised you sir." She whimpered. "Please bring him back D, I miss him terribly."
"I will try." Was all he said as he walked past her and headed down the hall. She stayed in his room and cried. She couldn't believe he actually looked at her and just how sad his eyes seemed. Those eyes, they were deep, though he held no emotion on his face.
D's footsteps were silent considering his build. He was tall, 6'5" tall and very muscular yet he didn't make a noise as he headed out the doors towards the stable where he put his horse. Henry made good on his promise. His horse had been tuned, cleaned and fed the best food and what water he could find. His steed nickered as he approached. D grabbed his saddle off the wall and put it on his horse then strapped his saddle bags to it. He noticed the kid cleaned and repaired them; he cleaned his bridle and fixed it too. He must have just finished when Twyla and Crash showed up. D mounted his horse and left the stable. He followed the road north until he reached the rear gates. There D noticed the church; it was an odd place for a church, being so far away from the people of the town. It looked like no on had entered it in a long time. It was very neglected and dirty. D dismounted, opened the gates as quietly as he could and led his horse out to the forest that lay around the walls. Closing the gates he mounted his horse once more. The cemetery was located outside the walls as well as the keepers cottage. Many of the graves seemed fresh; no one had mentioned any recent deaths and some even looked disturbed.
(They are afraid of their dead.) D's hand said as he started past the cemetery.
"Looks that way."
D continued walking his horse down the path that started towards the mountain. The moon hung low in the darkened sky and spilled down on D's back. His hair shone like black silk in it rays and his shadow was barely seen. It would light his way until he got deeper in the forest. The forest he was entering was dense. Once the path diminished the trees got bigger. They were wide and tall and provided the perfect cover. The moon no longer helped him on his journey. The ground was dry as a bone and proved that even the rain hardly hit this forest floor. It was a great place for an ambush. D's senses were on high alert. He stopped his horse and looked around. He was trying to determine the best way through these woods when he spotted a small clearing off to his right. It was dark, but he could see just as well as he could in daylight, he saw it was big enough to wield his sword if the time called for it. This clearing was about 2 miles in the forest and seemed almost too perfect. He scanned the forest again, but his eyes came back to that clearing. Something about it made him decide this is where he was going so he guided his horse in that direction. After all, he knew that right now at least one of the assassins could still attack him in daylight and the sun should be rising by now.
Once he got to the clearing he dismounted and drew his sword, something was there. He couldn't tell just what, but he knew something was already there waiting for him.
(D, uh I wouldn't if…)
"Quiet" D whispered as he clenched his fist. That was his hands queue to quit talking. He didn't' protest this time. Something was moving in the woods thought he couldn't make anything out but trees and branches. He stood as a statue listening for his enemy. He couldn't smell them but he could hear the footsteps coming closer, then they just stopped. It sounded like someone was standing behind him. D turned to see nothing but a large oak tree. He held his sword out to his side ready to make a fast kill then D waited, smelling and listening. He couldn't hear it moving or breathing for that matter. Something wasn't right here.
Then he heard a voice. It was a woman's voice and it was chanting. He got the feeling he walked into a trap and he couldn't leave it. His horse had walked off. That's when he noticed his sword getting heavy in his hands; it was being pulled away from him. He looked down and saw the ground sprout into vines, they were wrapped around his sword and pulling it to the ground.
(I told you so…) his hand Chuckled.
D tried to pull his sword, it took a lot of strength that he didn't have because of his previous injury. It was still sore and he could feel the muscle tearing again as he tried to regain his sword. He didn't like being without it so he reached around with his left hand and took the handle. He pulled as hard as he could with both hands and he still couldn't reclaim it. This was really starting to frustrate him. Something caught his attention and he let go of his sword with his left hand, reached in his cloak and pulled out a wooden stake, he threw in the direction of the noise he heard. Just as he released it he was struck in the stomach with a mithril arrow. He immediately let go of his sword and it was taken to the forest floor. He took a step back as he focused as hard as he could to find the shooter. He was beginning to weaken. Wrestling with his sword took a lot out of him and the sun was up now and the heat was really getting to him. He never heard anything releasing it. He growled as he looked down and saw the arrow protruding from his gut then his sword being held on the forest floor with the very vines that took it from him.