FOREVER KNIGHTS: #4 Battling Black Roses

Northern Netherwood, Netherlands

TEVERIUS

Teverius walked the Northern Netherwood. Meandering to where the trees broke into the path to Gilwynn Village. He’d been staying close to the crone’s shack and had seen no sign there was any more threat to Serdephe, now. Despite that, he assured that when night fell, he was within hearing distance. Which meant he needed to get to the village for supplies and back fairly quickly.

I only have a few hours of daylight left.

The path to Gilwynn was broken by grassy spans since it was so rarely used. Trees jutted up around. With giant leaves in typical Netherwood fashion. Their high trunks generally keeping the foliage from the faces of passerby. Green grass separated them. Rounded areas of dirt circled the trunks where the sunlight couldn’t reach the ground. Just as he was a stepping toward the dirt road, a shadow passed over him.

What the hell was that? Twisting he looked up and barely had time to roll out of the way of a descending Sarabi. A flying one.

It rotated fast enough to catch him across the face, in an effort to grab him. He moved from its reach and drew his hatchets. Leaping and whirling too quick for the Sarabi to get his claws in.

Tev ducked and slashed. Twirling his hatchets too swiftly for the Sarabi to see. When he finished, it hunkered over limply. Trying to hold itself up with its wings and the remaining stumps of its legs. Grunting pitifully. As his hair fell back into place down his back. He faced it. Staring up at it. Taking in the sheer magnitude of it.

I’ve never seen one so large.

Tev spun his hatchets to cut through the creature. In his intent study of the animal he didn’t hear the whispered steps of two Targue creeping up behind him.

As he would’ve been bitten there was a great crashing behind him. Tev turned in time to see the lumbering redhead rushing from the trees. Charging between the two Targue. And when he brought down his mighty fists in the center of the animal’s backs they collapsed in, tossing their legs at a contorted angle. They shrieked in a terribly shrill wail. Heads lolling limply, no longer attached to their shattered spines.

Mardichi straightened. And lifted one giant fist to point to Tev.

“Your pasty arse kills one…” He turned his hand to lift two fingers. “I kill two. Like a true warrior.”

Tev scoffed. “You killed two Targue. I killed a-” He gestured up at the towering beast which only now swayed and inevitably dropped, thudding to the grass.

Mardichi turned and waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder. “One day you too may be so mighty, Little Brother.” He said.

Tev glowered at his massive back. “Two Targue! I-”

“To one. Pitiful.”

Tev thought about tossing a hatchet into Mardichi’s back.

“Don’t do it, Lad.” Mardichi warned without turning, as he wove into the trees. “I just saved your pale arse.”

Tev eyes narrowed. His hand aching around the hatchet.

He headed back into the woods. “Zierno!” He shouted.

It was close enough to the evening the boy would be somewhere in the Netherwood.

“I need to spar.” His grip was white knuckled on his weapon.