The Huntsman of Adamos (Quartet)- draft

CH NOT THE USUAL KIND OF ORACLE

“Nilo, get Princess Serapha to the roof, I’ll lead them away.” Fleur ordered him and she slipped back out into the crowd, running behind those that were chasing them. She wasn’t even breathing hard while Serapha could barely catch her breath.

“She is brave,” Nilo said admiringly. Everyone from the street knew Xelusians were to be avoid at all cost and the blind oracle was chasing them.

“Yes... She... Is... Now... The roof,” Serapha panted.

Nilo was surprised only minutes later when a Huntsman and a Protector leaped onto the roof with them. Serapha threw herself into the Protector’s arms. Nilo bowed, he had never met anyone from the highest ranks of warriors.

“Get her out of here, brother,” The Huntsman ordered as the Protector lifted the Princess into his arms.

Nilo gaped as the Protector made an impossible jump to the next roof. He realized these warriors must be from a high house because they both possess magic.

The Huntsman looked toward the stairs with glowing eyes. “Where is Lady Fleur?”

Nilo bowed his head, trembling. “My Lord, Lady Fleur went after the Xelusians to lure them away, but my friends will help her. I’m Nilo.”

“Where will they lead her?” The Huntsman demanded.

“To the leather tanners, my lord. There is a passage through the wall back toward the central market that comes out near the wool weavers and dyers. Lady Fleur runs as fast as my fellows and I do, she can make the run in a quarter hour.” Nilo seemed impressed by Fleur and Yurieth could only hope he was correct.

“Then we shall meet them at the wool markets. Get on my back and hold on.” Yurieth picked up the youth and made several jumps that would be impossible for someone without magic, even scaling up a wall with no visible handholds. Yurieth focused on get to the exit of the tunnel and not the fact that Fleur was literally running blindly through a city she did not know. He doesn’t know if he wanted to kill her or kiss her when he found her.

Fleur stalked the Xelusians through the crowds, she could feel their darkness like holes in the glow of life and energy of this place. One stepped in front of her suddenly and she collided with him. Before he could shout, she silenced him with his own sword.

“My Lady Fleur, Nilo told us to watch for you.” A black-haired youth caught her hand, “They’ve seen you, run.”

She sprinted after him at full speed. “What’s your name?”

“Kitos, my lady.” He answered as he turned right. “I’m taking you to a hidden tunnel that will take us back to the far side of the market.”

“My thanks, Kitos.” She grinned. She might just get away.

They continued running, then Kitos slid to a stop and she collided with his back. Fleur could sense the evil of the ones ahead of them, as she pulled the young man behind her.

“What do want, Xelusian?” She hissed. She hadn’t felt this much darkness since the last war.

“My master wants you, girl,” he sneered back.

Fleur suddenly felt cold, as she realized they weren’t after Serapha to take her back to Xelusia. They wanted an oracle to be indwelled by the dark oracle entity. She had miscalculated because she didn’t realize their true intent.

“Kitos, bend down on one knee and stay very still.” Fleur whispered over her, she waited while Kitos, bowed himself down. She stepped forward with her head held high, she could feel people scurrying away from them. She had three to take out at once, but she would only have one or two chances at using the glyph magic or she risked passing out from overdrawing her power.

“Why would he want a blind oracle?” she demanded.

“I don’t know or care, I am only to bring you.” He and the other two moved forward.

She cast three small dense glyphs flying toward their attackers and they struck two but the third Xelusian managed to shield himself. Twisting, she cast two more and the shattered his shield as her foot hit his jaw.

“Sorry, I don’t go with strange men.” She taunted, and when he lunged at her, he found himself impaled on his own sword as magic swirled around her.

“What manner of Oracle are you?” He gaped at her shocked as he died.

“Not the usual kind,” she smirked.

There was shouting and Fleur turned to face the enemy only to find a familiar enchanted object floating in front of her.

“Hello, old friend.” She laughed as she took the Sword of Odini in her hand while eleven more surrounded her. Now, she had two swords, her favorite number.

“Don’t make us hurt you, girl,” one threatened.

“Don’t make me kill you, boys,” Fleur retorted calmly.

One of the Xelusians lunged at her and his head landed at his companion’s feet. Fleur twirled and lunged killing a second, then a third and fourth before the others managed to get their swords out. Suddenly, she felt Oshay-Shadz and Odini join the fray. In a few moments, all the Xelusians were dead, most would not revive because Fleur and Oshay had decapitated their challengers.

“Thank you for coming to save me, my friend” Fleur said to the older blade and kissed the hilt, to her son-in-law she smirked. “Thanks for the use of the Black Sword.”

She could feel his droll look, as he took it from her hand. “Like I have a choice, it chooses whom to protect. You and your young friend need to go, my lady. More will come.”

“Kitos, let’s go.” Fleur reached out and touched him, she could feel his awe.

“Yes, my lady, of course.” He turned and bowed repeatedly to Odini and Oshay, “My lords.”

Fleur caught his shoulder. “Kitos, we’re not much for that. We believe those of Royal blood and magic have a duty to protect and serve the common houses, not be served by them. Now, where’s this tunnel?”

A warbling whistle snapped Kitos head around, he blurted out. “The King’s Guard are coming.”

Fleur grabbed Kitos’ hand and they take off running in one direction as Odini led Oshay away in another. Fire erupted from the place where the massacre was, but Fleur had no time to wonder if Oshay or Odini did it to buy them more time. They made it through the tunnel without incident. Carefully walking among hanging skeins of drying dyed wool, Fleur held the Xelusian sword hidden in the folds of her skirt. Four more Xelusians rushed out of a side street. One jumped from a rooftop and managed to tackle Kitos. The much larger warrior held a knife to Kitos’s neck.

The sickening feeling from his aura had Fleur shuddering involuntarily. “The use of Blood Magic is an abomination.” She almost shouted at him. She couldn’t see him he was too far away, but she could feel Kitos’ terror and her magic showed her Kitos’ life glow and her enemy’s shadow.

“Perhaps for your people, Oracle, my people consider it the highest form of magic. It doesn’t matter where the blood comes from, but I will trade this boy’s life for your cooperation.” The Berserker warrior offered.

“Release him, his blood has no use to you. There is no magic in it for you to steal.” Fleur could feel his surprise at her knowledge of the nature of blood magic. Her attention seemed to be only on the berserker and Kitos, but when one of the others tried to grab her, she ended him in two moves causing the other two to back up quickly.

“Easy, Oracle, we can’t hurt you, but this lad we can do all sorts of nasty things too. He’s quite a pretty boy, don’t you think?”

“You’re disgusting,” Fleur hissed. She could feel Yurieth above and to the left and wonders why he doesn’t shoot the Berserker, almost immediately she can feel Yurieth touch her mind.

‘Turn him, if I shoot now, I may wound the boy.’

‘Not a problem, just save Kitos.’ Eyes glowing, Fleur began to walk around to the left as if studying the berserker.

He turned slowly keeping Kitos between them. The two warriors tried to approach but her blade ended one and wounded the other in three quick moves. “You’re unusually skilled with a sword, Blind One.”

Fleur sneered at his shocked over her sword skill. “I’ll make you a deal, Berserker Blood Warrior of Xelusia, you let my little friend go and I promise I won’t kill you.” She shined him and forced him to pull the dagger away.

An arrow went through the berserker’s upper arm and into his wrist.

“Kitos, run.” The boy bolted as Yurieth landed behind the warrior and had his Huntsman’s blade at his throat to remove his head. Kitos and Nilo are by the wall staring at the scene.

“NO! Not yet! Don’t kill him yet.” Fleur shouted at him, and Yurieth paused. “You’re late, Huntsman.”

Yurieth glared at her coldly as she went to the boys, in a motherly tone she asked, “Are you both unharmed?”

“Yes, my lady,” they chorused. Neither had ever imagined that a Royal would save them let alone risk themselves for common street runners.

“Very well. My dressmaker will see you tomorrow. Now go.” The boys ran from the alleyway.

Fleur glowed brightly; her light felt warm to him but Yurieth noticed something like smoke rising from the berserker’s tattoos. Her fingertips sparkled as they traced them, she demanded in a soft voice, “Now, what do you want with me, Xelusian?”

The berserker snarled in pain, but he didn’t dare move to more than breathe. Fleur placed a glowing hand flat on his tattooed shoulder and the Berserker trembled in pain.

Her voice almost sympathetic as she cooed, “I know how much it hurts to have the Essence of Darkness removed from one’s skin, abomination. I can do this all night.”

As she trailed her fingertip around on his tattoo the ink evaporated into smoke leaving a blistering line. She ran her glowing hand over his scalp and it hissed as the ink faded. Tears began to drip down his face, he had never imagined that an oracle of the light could cause him so much pain.

Yurieth had to tip his blade so the jerking warrior didn’t cut his own throat. “What does your master want with the Oracle, Berserker?”

The warrior shuddered, finally gasping out, “Our master wants her so the Queen may live again.” The thought of that creature returning enraged Yurieth and he removed the Berserker’s head in one movement.

“You killed him? You promised you wouldn’t kill him.” The last surviving Xelusian accused.

Fleur turned toward him, her eyes glowed with light magic. The blind oracle smirked. “Technically, I promised I wouldn’t kill him. I never said the Huntsman wouldn’t kill him.”

Yurieth stood over her shoulder, his eyes glowing from beneath his hood, his voice menacingly deep. “Do you wish to finish this Xelusian or shall I, Oracle?”

“I need to ask him a few questions, please.” Fleur answered, and Yurieth made a growling sound and looked away from them.

“Now Xelusian, your answers will determine if I forever kill you or let you revive. Please, know that I am going to kill you either way. Do you understand?” Her voice was so calm and level he could only stare at her and nod mutely. “Good. Now who is this master?”

“I... I... Don’t know who the master is. Prince Lucif himself said he wanted to meet you first, he said you were special, and we were not to harm you, only your protectors, and to take you to him so he could present you to the master.” He answered and she frowned while tapping the wrist guard of the sword she held with her nails, thinking about the dark oracle entity.

Her eyes narrowed hostilely, through gritted teeth she hissed at him, “Tell your prince, the one he seeks is dead and she will never be allowed to come back.” Then she stabbed him through the heart and pulled out the blade, throwing it across his lap. He would revive unlike the others she killed this day. “Take me home, Yurieth.”

He grabbed her arm as she turned to walk past him. “Why do they want you for the Dark Queen, you aren’t a siren? And who was She?”

“I believe this dark queen is the one we called dark oracle entity in my time. Siren’s magic and Oracle’s magic are similar enough, like Huntsman’s magic and Assassin’s magic. Close but not quite the same. My magic is unique. She succeeded in catching me unawares and indwelling me once, but I fought back. You and I killed her long ago. She can’t take me again,” Fluer answered confidently.

He felt her add the words ‘I hope’ in her heart. He wondered briefly how she knew about his magic being like assassin’s magic.

“That’s it? You have special magic, resisted the queen, we killed her in the future, and no more.” He knew she wasn’t telling him everything.

“Yes. Can we go now? I would like to have a bath and wash the Xelusian blood out of my hair.” Her defiance was on her countenance and in her spirit.

He nodded and she held onto his back as he scaled a wall so they could travel across the rooftops. They were both splattered with gore from those they had killed. He did not understand how an entity of darkness could indwell an oracle of light, but he thought about the way she used her light to torture the Berserker warrior into talking. It was not a behavior that would be acted out by any oracle he knew or had ever heard of. Something about Fleur was different, something about her actions reminded him of his own darkness. He tried not to show her his frustration that she isn’t telling him more.