The Guardians' Blade

Kain was not impressed with the latest addition to the group; she seemed to know a little bit too much. However, he was outvoted when he suggested leaving Serraria behind. Leading their horses they continued on into the foothills, following winding trails that brought them closer to the lost Dilbare Fortress. The trees here were stripped of their vegetation, and trunks blackened by fire. It reminded the Guardians of what Hymbroli looked like, and to see a part of the Drakebare hills looking the same only made it more urgent to find out what was going on. They had no desire for the Golden Realms to be laid to waste as the Desolate Lands had been. There didn’t seem to be any sign of wildlife; instead what they found were the bodies of burnt animals and birds. The streams they came across were either empty or black with ashes and not safe to drink. It was enough to make Boar think that this was worse than Hymbroli, as the destruction was so complete it almost brought tears to his eyes.

Soryn reined in his horse at a signal from Kain and dismounted. They were not far from Dilbare now, but he could understand that the Ranger didn’t want them to chance getting any closer than they had to, not with all evidence that showed the Sidhra were moving around these foothills in large numbers. He slowly dismounted, and patted the neck of his destrider who snorted at him in an anxious way.

“They are too close, Soryn.”

He nodded and patted the nose of his faithful companion. “I know Raja, I can feel it too. But we need to check it out. It is imperative that we get a confirmed sighting of Dilbare lost than relying on the rumors and old wives tales of the folk that live about here.” He looked at the destrider, before glancing towards Serraria. “Look after her eh?” he said, before he moved slowly to stand on a boulder that was half buried in the hill. He was joined by Kain.

“This is where we stop.” Kain stated. He had no wish for the entire company to be put in danger, therefore they were going to split up. “Tarn, Ryu and I will go with the Guardians, the rest of you will wait here. Be ready to make a rapid retreat. The Sidhra move fast and I don’t want any of us to fall into their hands.” He glanced at Serraria a moment but she offered no argument. He turned to head off with the other warriors following him.

Soryn paused a moment, he then turned and walked towards Serraria and leaned down looking at her intently. “Sometimes being left behind means you are left with greater responsibility. If we come back we may be running with thousands of Sidhra behind us. You need to be ready.” He motioned towards where his large destrider stood watching them. “Have the horses ready at a moment’s notice – that is your task.”

Serraria blinked at this, and watched as the Guardian turned and jogged off to catch up to the others. She had been feeling left out, but after what Soryn had just told her she felt as if he had given her a mission that was just as important as spying on Dilbare fortress. She folded arms over her chest and frowned, before asking. “Are all men of Omar so disrespectful and suspicious?”

Dovelin had to smile a little at the girl’s words. She settled down on a log, folding her hands neatly upon her lap. “Not all, my dear. He has lost a lot to the darkness of the north, and does not give his trust easily to those who seem strange to him.”

“Am I strange?” Serraria moved to sit down next to the Peacekeeper, fixing her with wide curious sapphire blue eyes. “I am attempting to converse in your tongue, and behave as you do.” She tilted her head slightly. “Am I missing something?”

Millianyia laughed lightly from where she sat on a boulder, carefully tending to her bow. “No, little one, you are not missing anything. The men of Omar have always been children of the earth, power and greed is in their blood. But there are a handful of men like Kain who try to rise above it and be better men.” She looked up from her work, sapphire and emerald eyes looking directly at Serraria as she said softly, “Tread carefully, but ask many questions, young one. You will learn swiftly what you must while amongst us.”

Dovelin frowned. Millianyia had spoken as if she knew exactly where Serraria came from. She pondered if the girl was a half-breed like Storm; though there was no light coloration of spots on her skin that both Millianyia and Storm shared, being part of the Krysalith race. It was an interesting puzzle for her to work on.

“What are you like with the bow?” Storm asked from nearby. She motioned Serraria over to her. “I see you are armed with only a sword,” she added, staring at the sheathed blade that the girl wore strapped to her back.

“I am fairly skilled,”

“Here” Storm grinned and gave her a bow and arrow. “While we wait I will give you some lessons. Sometimes it is good to be master of both close combat and long distance.”

Serraria nodded as she slipped arrow to string, then raising the bow, felt Storm straighten her arm, and nudge her elbow up. She waited a moment before letting the arrow fly, watching it slam into a tree trunk.

“Not bad.” Storm nodded with approval as she drew out another arrow. “But now focus on that knot of wood and try to hit the center.”

Dovelin watched with a little smile. She glanced over to Millianyia who was tending to her weapons, running a whetstone along the length of her blade. When Dovelin thought she heard something. She moved to a rocky boulder that gave her a view of the landscape around her. She knew Kain had chosen this spot so that no one could sneak up on them and take them by surprise. A frown wrinkled her forehead as she looked off in the direction that Kain and the Guardians had gone.

“Kain should be returning soon with information,” murmured Millanyia, as she stepped up next to the Peacekeeper, idly flicking some of her beaded braids over one shoulder. Dovelin nodded at the tall Krysalith. Her hands were neatly folded within the long sleeves of her gown. “I know,” she said softly as she stared out at the broken and burnt tree trunks. Not a green leaf to be seen wherever she looked. It was disheartening to see such violent destruction. She frowned a little and turned back to watch Serreria with Storm a long moment. The young girl was full of so many questions, she was strange and almost alien in her speech and interaction with them all. But so eager to learn and understand, though a bit headstrong and Dovelin wasn’t sure if that was a shortcoming or a strength in the girl’s character.

Millianyia continued to look off into the distance, she would keep watch as her eyes were sharp and keen and could probe the far distance with little effort. The more time that passed however, the more she got a little worried about the men and their plan to inspect Dilbare Fortress. The Guardians had insisted on seeing for themselves if it was indeed over-run so that they could report it to their superiors. She shook her head slightly and glanced back over at her comrades and smiled a little as Serreria seemed to be a fast learner with the Bow. Then she returned her attention to the distant hill, not allowing anything to distract her.

Soryn followed Kain amongst the wooden burnt trunks as they crossed the ground. They had to climb over one more hill, before the Fortress came into view. He wondered at what he would see. He had only witnessed one other Guardian fortress fall and that had been Tari, but there had been no bloodshed as it had been taken from the inside by a Black Robe. Once at the top of the hill they quickly got down on hands and knees as there wasn’t a lot of cover to be found, only broken-down bushes and splintered trunks. Soryn eased carefully forward on his stomach, and then lay still. He drew an eyeglass from its pouch at his belt, and surveyed the landscape. Before them was a section of the Drakebare Mountains. Large slabs of rock were sticking up out of the ground, meters high in length and width. Rope bridges had been laid between these slabs to create a pathway up this precipitous mountainside to reach a small but flat plateau. Here there was a bridge, again made of rope and logs, stretching out from the stony plateau, over a deep ravine and to another mountainous wall where an opening had been carved.

In this opening was a raised portcullis. Rock on either side of this opening had been carved into walls that extended outwards along the ravine and then turned, curving back into the mountain. Within these walls was a large courtyard, sweeping back towards the mountain’s wall directly behind, and another opening which was barred by a pair of double doors of black wood. These doors were closed, but Soryn knew what lay beyond them. It was the entrance to one of the largest mountain Fortresses that the Guardians had ever constructed. It was going to be the base but since its loss, Ramoth had taken that position instead. Soryn adjusted the spyglass slightly and the image now showed Dilbare’s courtyard overflowing with a mass of twisting and shifting sea of black bodies. The Sidhra had definitely taken over the Guardian Fortress, and were leaving a clear trail down to the plains through the hills. Slowly he lowered the spyglass with a sigh, than glanced over at Kain. “It seems that the rumors are true,” he muttered as he focused upon the lost Fortress one last time.

“Indeed.” Kain nodded in agreement before idly commenting. “This doesn’t paint a pretty picture for the Guardians, now does it?”

“Perhaps not, but no one said anything about us not getting it back. Boar ...” Soryn looked around and frowned as he couldn’t see his fellow Guardian anywhere. He looked over towards Alixa. “Where’s Boar?” he hissed at her.

“How should I know? I’m not his keeper” Alixa eased her way down the hillside, trying to keep as low as possible as she did so.

Soryn scowled at her then turned his head as he heard shouting. He saw that Ryu, who had been trying to disentangle himself from a thorny bush, had lost his footing and had fallen down the other side of the hill. Kain nodded and the two scrambled back up the way they had come. This was no longer a simple spy mission. Once reaching the top of the hill the two flung themselves down and half ran, half slid down the side of the hill to where Ryu had landed. Reaching him, Kain grabbed the man by the arm and hauled him to his feet, spun him around and sent him scrambling back up the hill. Soryn was ready to draw his sword, as he didn’t think that what they had been doing would go unnoticed. He was correct. Several Sidhra spotted them and shrieked before charging towards them. “Time to go,” he stated firmly as he grabbed Kain by the tunic and helped him clamber back up the hill through the slippery mud.

Upon reaching the top, he slithered down the other side with Kain not far behind him. At the bottom of the hill the two men set off at a run to catch up with the rest. The ground by now was vibrating from the thumping of many feet. Kain jerked and staggered as he felt pain in the middle of his back and fell to his hands and knees. Soryn turned and saw the arrows protruding from his back and rushed back to Kain’s aid. Drawing his blade, he looked up to see the Sidhra pouring over the top of the first hill. “Alixa!” he bellowed. Boar had arrived at his side, ready to help fend off the Sidhra while they got Kain to safety.

“I know!” Alixa, along with Ryu and Tarn, hauled Kain to his feet, and climbed up the other hill. It was hard going as the slippery mud made it difficult to get a good footing, especially with an injured member of the party who could barely walk. “Come on, Kain,” Alixa panted as she pulled at his tunic while the two other men tugged at the man’s arms. “Not far now.” Through wet tangled muddy hair she could see Soryn and Boar, who had remained behind to give them time, clashing with the Sidhra. “Almost there,” she panted, as they got up to the top of that hill and set off in a staggering run down the other side. Tarn than ran on ahead to give warning to the rest of the party.

“IT’S KAIN! He’s hurt!” Tarn panted and leaned heavily against a tree once he reached where the rest of the group were waiting. “Down … by the boulders …” The young man sounded anxious as he pointed back the way he had come. He knew that Kain would have to stop soon as one could only run so far with such injuries as his. The group hastily made their way down amongst the rocks to where Kain lay sprawled on the ground. Ryu was on his knees trying to keep the man from passing out, when he looked up and saw Dovelin approaching. “Peacekeeper?” Tarn looked pleadingly towards Dovelin, silently begging for her to reassure him that everything was going to be all right. He felt as if he was half out of his mind with worry, they played with fire every day but it never drove home just how dangerous what they did was until something happened to someone in the company.

“Lie still,” she instructed Kain, she gave Tarn a re-assuring gentle smile before beginning to investigate the injury.

“Ramoth, have to go to Ramoth, Dovelin your husband will know what to do. You’ve got to talk to him …” Kain muttered between hisses of pain beneath her ministrations.

“Shhhh…” came her soft soothing response as she brushed hair from his hot brow. “Rest a while.”

“We should move him to safety,” Tarn stated, looking around nervously as if he envisioned the Sidhra suddenly appearing and leaping to attack them.

“He cannot be moved at the moment.” Millianyia gave the man a dark look. “We stand our guard until Lady Dovelin is ready.” So saying, she unslung her bow and moved towards a tree, with the intention of climbing up into the branches. Storm moved to follow suit.

“We’re too close!” Tarn’s voice rose as his fear of attack grew.

Millianyia spun abruptly and reached out for the young man. Grabbing hold of his tunic, she dragged him close. Her eyes narrowed as she hissed softly at him, showing pointed eyeteeth. “We stay put…”

Meanwhile, Grong crouched down opposite the Peacekeeper, his tail lashed about, showing his unease. Where were the Guardians? His head lifted as he sniffed the air. He could smell rotting flesh, and his sensitive ears could hear the cries of the Sidhra closing in on them. It seemed that they were in a hopeless situation at the present moment.

“I can help.” Serraria had been looking on with a troubled expression on her features. She had argued with herself over doing something but a life hung in the balance and that outweighed her cover being blown. She knelt down next to Dovelin and reached out her hands, showing a soft golden light glowing in her palms. The black shafts slowly disappeared and the wounds healed. Already Kain could be heard breathing easily again. All who watched were silent for a long moment, staring at what the girl had done. All had questions on their mind, specifically who was she and where did she come from? Serraria on the other hand only felt a little tired from exercising her energy like that.

Dovelin smiled at her, “Thank you, you saved his life.” The girl nodded, before drawing away from the group followed by the suspicious gaze of Tarn.

A couple of minutes later the Guardians could be seen running towards them. Soryn was waving his arms wildly, motioning for them to go. The Sidhra were pouring over the hill behind them and charging straight towards where they gathered around the sprawled body of previously injured Ranger. There was no time to waste. Kain was hauled up to his feet between Krammer and Boar, and the companions scrambled through dead undergrowth to reach where the horses stood waiting, with the sound of pursuit clearly echoing in their ears. “I take it they don’t like getting disturbed,” panted Boar as he ran as best he could with the weak Kain leaning on him.

Soryn smirked towards his fellow Guardian. “Indeed, but such things will occur at times.” He then waved a hand at his Destrider Raja who turned about and nickered at them.

Kain was helped up onto his horse by Millianyia, who swung up behind him, strong arms wrapping around his waist to keep him in the saddle. The horses were given their heads as the Sidhra had gained on them briefly. They no longer fired arrows, but they could still be heard crashing through the forest. The horses finally broke out of the wooded Drakebare foothills, and Soryn headed west, riding furiously along the outline of the foothills, as he knew that once they reached the mountain pass they would be safe. He had no desire to lead the Sidhra down to the plains, to cause havoc amongst the villages there.

“Where are we going?” shouted Tarn, casting a look over his shoulder as they slowed briefly, turning to follow a trail that was not familiar to him.

“Eagle’s Point,” Soryn shouted, he looked over towards Tarn. It was one of the mountain passes. It was his hope that the Sidhra would eventually tire of chasing them down. And he was right, as the Sidhra were starting to fall back in their pursuit. The Guardian didn’t wait for further questions or protests, kicking his destrider into a canter, forcing the others to follow. Raja answered the kick with a snort sensing the urgency of his companion and rider.

Rakkath stood on a nearby hilltop having witnessed the activity between the travelers and the Sidhra. A little smile briefly appeared before he turned and hurried down the hillside, his long legs covering ground easily. If he could place himself in the right spot, he might be able to cross paths with them and make it seem like he was a rogue, especially if he helped to kill off a few of the Sidhra who were intent on killing them. Things were falling into place perfectly almost as if Dargoth had carefully engineered every aspect that he had witnessed so far. These Guardians would do all the work, and he had a feeling that Malificant had reported the group back to the Wolf King. The Dark Krysalith pondered as he quickly jumped over a fallen log and continued in his race to try and cut ahead of the Guardians and their companions. Any time now and he’d be close to the girl and would be able to see for him-self if she was this fabled Dragon child that the Wolf King was so obsessed with.

Soryn was forced to pull his destrider up when some logs fell down into their path, raising a hand he signaled for the other members of his group to stop. A scowl touched his features when Sidhra appeared and perched on the logs ready to attack. He rested a hand upon the hilt of his blade ready for battle, when a whistling noise caught his attention and three Sidhra fell off the logs, sprouting an arrow from each chest. He quickly turned in the saddle, thinking it was Storm or Millianyia, but found neither had a bow in their hands and were looking at him questioningly. He turned back and pulled his sword free, but watched as the last three Sidhra fell also. “Who’s there?” Soryn shouted, turning his horse about, glancing at the trees around them. “Friend or foe?” he bellowed.

“Friend,” said a disembodied voice, then a couple of moments later a dark-skinned Krysalith materialized at the base of a nearby tree, black bow in hand. He slowly approached like a skulking great cat. His long silvery white hair hung in thick tangled dreadlocks with a couple of scars marring the left side of his face.

“Name?” demanded Soryn lowering his blade slightly though still fully on his guard.

“Rakkath.” The dark Krysalith slowed to a halt and bowed slightly. “I am friend. Allow me to join you for a time. I may be able to assist you.”

Soryn turned his head and looked over towards Boar, waiting to see what the Shadow Warrior would think. He knew of the Dark Krysalith and where their loyalties lay. Boar gave a nod to his mentor, if he could turn against the north, a Dark Krysalith could also. “Join us,” Soryn said after a couple of moments, and Boar held out a gloved hand to Rakkath, offering to take him up on his steed. The Dark Krysalith nodded, and vaulted up behind the Guardian, briefly glancing over at Serraria who was staring at him curiously. He offered a smile to the girl before the group continued on in their journey to Eagle’s Point.