#
Not far away, the soldiers drew nearer. There were sixteen of them, riding on fifteen horses. A fire burned inside them as they came upon the bodies of their fallen brethren. There were tracks leading into the woods. A trio of them, one human and two beasts. At full gallop, the Elites followed them into the thick, dark woods. With a few brief words, seven of the soldiers dropped back, holding their position while the remaining eight horses continued. Another command from the lips of the leader brought the second group to a halt. There was no one in sight, but the tracks had ended. Trigorah spoke.
"Myranda Celeste," she commanded. Hers was a clear and confident voice that carried every ounce of authority that her rank did. She bore a steely, impenetrable look of duty on her face.
After receiving no answer, the warrior drew her sword in one slow, deliberate motion. The blade sang against the sheath, gradually revealing five radiant blue points along its length, the tips of crystals like the one she had wielded during the pursuit. She then dropped from the back of the horse, signaling that the soldier who had been sharing a horse to take her place. The elf brandished the short sword in one hand and drew a mystic gem from a pouch at her belt. A few more words from her lips and the gem obeyed her just as the soldiers had. She tossed the crystal into the dwindling piles of snow just past the trees where the tracks had ended.
"If you value your life, you will reveal yourself before that crystal's spell is cast," she warned.
The light from the gem grew, illuminating the snow bank with its eerie blue glow. The air seemed alive with energy. Hair stood on end as glowing tendrils flicked out from the blinding gem. On the orders of the leader, blinders were quickly dropped over the horses eyes and all soldiers looked away. Myranda and Leo dove from behind the trees just as fractures on the crystal's surface gave way. The whole of the stand of trees, and perhaps the whole of the forest, was bathed in an utterly silent burst of the same white-blue light that Myranda had come to fear.
When the darkness came rushing back in, those things nearest to the center of the blast were smoldering. Bark was stripped from trees and the snow was reduced to a sizzling pool amid blackened ground. Myranda and Leo climbed to their feet and readied their weapons. Leo held his spike at the ready in his one healthy arm. Myranda held her knife as her father had taught long ago. The elf coolly surveyed her prey.
"You are Myranda Celeste," the general stated.
"I am," Myranda replied. Her mind was not much clearer than it had been when she had first seen the elf's face, but this time, the answer became clear. "And you are Trigorah Teloran."
The soldiers stirred, some drawing their weapons. A motion from the general quieted them.
"I am pleased that you remember me. I have been sent by the highest of authorities to bring you to justice. If you cooperate, no harm will come to you. If you resist you will be taken by force," Trigorah said.
"I didn't do anything, Trigorah," Myranda said. "I did not kill those men."
The soldiers were again rattled, requiring a spoken reprimand from their leader to settle.
"It is not my place to question your guilt or innocence, and it is not your place to do me the dishonor of speaking my given name. Perhaps you were worthy of that long ago, but you lost the right when you ran afoul of the Alliance Army. You will address me as General Teloran or not at all," she demanded, her tone wavering slightly with the anger she felt.
Leo grinned.
"So, Trigorah, how do you like my handiwork? A fitting retribution, I feel, for the torture," he said, attempting to push the anger further.
The soldiers stirred again. One raised a spear and made ready to heave it at the offender. No word came to stop him.
"Take care, malthrope. At the moment, my orders do not include your capture. If you submit, you too will be brought to justice without harm--but another word out of your wretched maw and my men will deliver you to the shallow grave you have earned," the general warned.
"Look at the horrors he has been through. How do I know you do not have the same in store for me? What is to stop me from standing my ground and losing my life rather than face the same fate as he?" Myranda demanded.
"That capture and subsequent treatment of the beast was at the hands of my associate. His methods are quite different from my own--wait . . . you are stalling. Where is the dragon!?"
The cries of terrified horses came as an answer as Myn did as she was told. While the tense exchange was taking place, the dragon had taken a wide berth around the immediate threat and sought out those soldiers Leo had predicted would be left as backup. Bursts of flame and slashes of claws sent the fear-crazed horses in all directions. As the dragon continued to stir up unseen chaos, Leo made his move. He swiftly moved in on the nearest soldier and, with a few deft strikes with his unconventional weapon, unseated him from his steed. He then hurled the heavy spike, burying it in the chest of a soldier moving to seize Myranda. The girl rushed to the horse that Leo was mounting, the weapon of a fallen soldier already in his hand.
Suddenly, an increasingly familiar feeling came to her, as a cold blade was pressed to her neck. It was Trigorah.
"Everyone hold still!" the leader demanded.
The soldiers quickly obeyed, as did Leo.
"You could have run, but you didn't. This girl means something to you," she said, addressing the malthrope.
"You won't kill her. Your orders were to take her alive," he said.
"Death is not as permanent as you think," she said. "Now drop your weapon, or would you like to experience the other side firsthand?"
Leo obeyed.
"I thought one more word would mean my death," he said.
"I've changed my mind. I am sure that my superiors are quite displeased with my associate and his failure to prevent your escape. Now I will show them never to doubt me again. I will bring both prizes," she said. "It is a shame. You are a peerless warrior, and Myranda had such potential. I pray that you see the light and join us. It would be an honor to fight beside you. The men you killed were like brothers to me, but they knew the risks. These were the deaths that they had chosen. Their souls will rest peacefully so long they are replaced by those of worth."
Myranda struggled briefly, but it was clear that with the blade of the sword held to her throat, escape was impossible. Her mind raced. The sights and sounds of the conflict flashed through her mind again and again. There had to be something . . . Yes! That would work! If only she could remember. What were the words? Finally the answer came. She worked her hand slowly to the pouch that hung at the general's belt. In one quick move, she shoved her hand inside and spoke the words that the general had used to bring the first gem to life.
The response was immediate. A shaft of light burst skyward, sending the leader reeling back. Myranda rushed to the horse and was scooped onto its back by Leo's one good arm. Chaos erupted as General Teloran tore the bag from her waist and threw it down. Her orders were swift and clear.
"Retreat!" she cried, loading fallen men to the back of horses before sharing one herself.
Like a blur, Myn launched herself after Leo and Myranda. As quickly as the horse would carry them, the trio fled south. A monumental burst of light shook the forest from end to end with a force that tore leaves from trees. A white heat burned behind them, bringing the hiss of wind and sizzle of trees to an otherwise silent burst.
Leo leaned low to the horse's ear. Instantly, the same fear that had caused the other horses to abandon their riders subsided from the animal, and they rode on, steadily and purposefully, eyes constantly on the woods behind them.