Chapter 12
“ALEX!” Shade howled in desperation and Alex’s eyes instantly flew open, ready for danger.
Off to the side of the clearing moved Shade, running in circles and jumping. He was moving like when they spar, Alex saw, but he wasn’t sparring, he was evading an opponent’s fierce and unrelenting assault. Alex clutched his staff tightly; since it never really leaves his side. His legs began running even before he was standing properly. He crossed the small clearing and came to Shade’s aid.
Before he made it to his side there was a metallic clang as something hit his fur coat and was deflected. Then there came a battle cry, but not from any fiend.
Alex ran around Shade’s body as he struggled to avoid being hit again from the pressing enemy. A human fought against Shade. While jumping between them, Alex’s staff began deflecting fast and fierce blows. Two fearsome blades were whipping dangerously through the early morning light. The staff weapon was suited for fighting multiple opponents and those with multiple weapons. He could dodge, deflect and attack simultaneously. There wasn’t enough time to think as the two swords converged on him. His staff started spinning to deflect every deadly and focused blow. What took mere seconds felt like minutes against such a skilled fighter as this. Then the two swords were deflected back as his staff flipped in his wrist with all the strength his arms had to offer. That was the only opening Alex was searching for.
With the swords forced overhead Alex kicked the assailant squarely in the chest. The person flailed backwards and landed on the ground. Then the end of his staff flipped and pointed at the person’s throat, ready to be used again should there be another struggle. His voice was laced with angered authority. “Make another move and your dead.” The body stopped fighting. “Who are you?”
“My name is Lily.” Her voice spilled out defiantly.
“Lily?” Alex turned to where he last left her during the night and she was gone. Turning back, he asked in a gentler voice “Lily, why were you trying to hurt Shade? He helped me to rescue you last night.”
Lily lay on the ground with her white hair sprawled out over the grass. Her skin looked healthier, but her one eye remained swollen shut. Her only open and rich purple eye revealed was prepared for a battle to the death. She clutched a sword in each of her hands, ready to be used if her opponent dropped his guard. He remembered the crescent blade all too clearly and it was shaking in the grass, she was trying to distract Alex so her other weapon could be used. The other blade was rectangular, with three bladed edges, but that didn’t catch his eye first. The rectangular short sword was a dark pink, like a rose. Each sword she had was of the same length, but were completely different in shape. Her white sheathes were missing and they were probably laying on the ground, where she freed them.
“Look out! A Shadow Fang is right behind you!” She warned.
Unconcerned, Alex raised his left arm, withdrew the end of his weapon from her throat and planted the butt of the staff firmly in the ground. Shade lowered his head so he could come under the raised arm. He lifted Alex’s arm up and he began to pet his brother’s large head. Lily’s one good eye widened in confusion and fear at this partnership. “Lily, this is Shade. He helped me to rescue you… Stay right there until I return.”
Marlin was standing with his pole extended, ready for what was occurring. He didn’t say anything, but he was prepared for the eventuality of a fight. To placate him Alex said “It was just Lily.”
Locating the two sheathes were easy because they were as pure white as her hair. After picking them up, Marlin walked back with him to Lily.
Lily hadn’t moved nor had Shade, who watched her coolly. Alex tossed her the two sheathes and stated “Put your items away.” She sat up cautiously and slid each sword into their scabbards seeing how outnumbered she was. Even she knew her condition was useless against these three.
Alex sat on his heels, after his staff was planted to his right. “Lily, what do you remember from yesterday? Take as much time that you require.” He looked up at Shade. “Sit down. She needs to see you aren’t a threat.” Lily gasped at the strange primal grunts and growls that came out of his mouth and he knew she had already forgotten his ability from last night.
Shade laid on his belly while keeping a close watch of her every movement. Marlin took the hint and sat next to his friend’s side. Alex studied Lily’s eyes as she looked at the three of them. She was processing her options and her expressions started going from shock, disbelief, mistrustful, frightened, outnumbered, pride and even more looks that were difficult to articulate.
She finally said “Last night?... That was my supposed to be my execution. I’m alive somehow because I’m still feeling weak. One wouldn’t feel this bad in the next life, would they? I don’t really remember too much after a loud howl, it was sounded after they tried taking my head. The rest is all foggy.”
“Do you remember me?”
Her purple eye squinted. “I don’t remember your face, but that voice… Alex?” Then she began to blink in confusion. “Am I actually dead?”
“Aye, it’s truly me Lily. And nay, you are very much alive.” Alex smiled.
“This cannot be real. If I’m still alive then you cannot truly be my friend, Alex. He was…” She shook her head and her pure white hair swayed from the sudden shake.
His chest remained exposed from taking his tunic off to dry throughout the night so he twisted his left arm straight out. “Look at my arm. It was the one you popped back in place.” Her eye instantly shifted to the large bite scars that were prominently left behind by Shade’s uncle. “It really is me, my friend. We are both truly alive.”
“But…? But…? But how? I saw that the Shadow Fang you killed, pumped its toxin into your body. You should be dead.”
“I should be, but I’m not.” He admitted to her. “I’m somehow immune to the toxin.” Alex then stood up and the other two followed his lead and rose with him. “You’re still weak from your imprisonment. Follow us and we’ll get you some food.” Petting Shade’s head he added “We need some meat. Do you feel up to a hunt? We could use the filling food. Stay away from the road and if you spot any trackers or scent come back immediately.”
He grinned. “I’ll be right back.” He turned and strolled into the woods.
Marlin began talking to Lily and the conversation gained Alex’s attention. “As you can tell, Alex can speak with fiends and practically every other animal. I’m still not used to all the sounds he makes, but it works. That Shadow Fang is Shade. He and Alex became something like brothers after Alex saved you from the other Shadow Fang.” Then he stopped speaking and realized she didn’t know who he was. “I’m sorry. My name is Marlin. I’m also a recent friend of Alex’s. He has told me much about you.” He looked at Alex, winked and grinned. “I’ll try to catch us something. Shade went hunting, right?” Alex nodded and then Marlin walked away from them.
Alex walked up to her and extended an arm. “We have much to discuss.”
“Aye, we do.” She finally smiled and grabbed his wrist. The moment they touched a strange tingling sensation occurred where their skin contacted. Before the sensation could affect Alex any more, she stood erect and their hands disengaged.
When Alex’s back turned to her and he couldn’t see, she looked at her hand to wonder what she had just felt. Strange?
After he walked her over to the leather bedding, they began talking and she kept drinking as much water that she dare handle. The sun came up almost towards noon and Alex had done most of the talking. Mostly because she wanted to hear how she had been rescued. Both Shade and Marlin hadn’t come back yet as they continued catching up. And she was intrigued mostly about his abilities to speak with fiends.
She caught Alex off guard as she asked in an unconcerned tone “So who dressed me in these clothes?”
She made him choke. “Umm… I did. I also cleaned you up.”
Lily was unfazed at such words. It was to be expected. “Well thank you. It really was a mess be
ing inside that prison for four months. I must have really been filthy to look at. So what did you think of my naked body?” She grinned and then began to laugh.
She might have thought him bathing her as a joke, but he growled, infuriated. “I want to kill every person who harmed you. They tortured and forced you to live in filth for so long. When they were done doing that, they paraded you around to make you look like a traitor. They starved you and marred your beautiful body. Every person who harmed you should be given the exact same punishment.”
“So you think my body’s beautiful?” She said evenly and then she rolled up the sleeves of her arms. “You think I’m beautiful with all of these battle scars?”
His grey eyes didn’t waver from hers. She seemed to appreciate that. “Do you remember what I said, when we first met that night after the battle with Shade’s uncle. You asked why I looked happy and I said ‘Because I have the most beautiful woman in the world as my friend’ I spoke the truth that night. When you get back to your old self I’ll show you your beauty.”
For the first time in her entire existence she looked down and began to blush. She looked so frail suddenly and before she could give him a retort a noise in the forest alerted them to an approaching presence.
It was Shade bringing a large doe into camp. Alex whistled over to the water’s edge and Marlin came over just as Shade dropped his kill by the fire’s edge. Shade’s hunting is still better than ever
Shade said that he didn’t find any trackers coming in their direction, but their escape had stirred the entire city like a hornet’s nest. Alex then told the others the positive news to receive quiet laughter. Then Lily stood up and did something no one expected. She stood both proud and weakly. “Shade, is it? I apologize for attacking you. I thought you were going to eat us.”
Shade looked to Alex for clarification.
“Lily, take this.” He handed over his staff. “Can you read and write?” She said she could. “Good. Shade cannot understand human language, but he can read and write anything that you wish to convey to him.” Her eye widened in disbelief. “Go over to that patch of soil and write to him and see what happens.”
The three men watched as she reluctantly walked over to the soil. Marlin had begun cutting into the deer meat as she began using the staff as a writing aid. Alex stood and Shade walked with him over to Lily’s side.
Once she stepped away from the sand, Shade moved forward to read. Lily wrote exactly what she said as an apology. Shade then walked up and scratched her writing away. Then he began writing and she whispered “Impossible. He does understand.” He moved away as he finally finished scratching in the words. She then began reading aloud in a dumbfounded voice. “Yes, my name is truly Shade. I saved your puny life and you repay my generosity by attacking me in my sleep. My brother might fancy you, but if you attack me ever again I will not hold back.”
She looked at Alex wide eyed and then looked at Shade who wasn’t showing any emotion. He had meant every word. She then wrote another quick letter and then Shade read “If you don’t attack me, I won’t be forced to kill you either.” Shade finally broke into a grin and looked up at Alex. “I like her.”
“Well then write it down.” He gladly did.
She looked at the exchange between the brother’s cautiously and then read. She burst into laughter and it was a beautiful and seductive laugh. “Marlin’s right, your ability to speak to Shade is a little disconcerting, but it is fascinating to listen to. I’ve made the oddest friends.” She walked up and patted Shade’s ribs and he sloppily licked the entire side of her face.
Her stunned expression sent all of them into a laughing fit.
The meat was cooked soon enough and they all ate their fill; Lily especially. She ate ravenously and they all knew why. Her body was starving. After the meal, she and Marlin became acquainted. He explained how Shade and Alex had saved his life, when she asked how they all met. She laughed and said that Alex must take it upon himself to save everyone. She then listened to his side of the story on how they got her out of the city.
Later on she asked “So what are we going to do now? We are all wanted fugitives now. I bet we already have a substantial bounty for our heads. A good number I’d wager. No prisoner has escaped that prison in over thirty years.” She laughed.
Marlin and Alex exchanged worried looks and he nodded for Alex to speak on that subject. “Lily, we are going to join Freelan. We have gotten permission for you to join as well, but it is your choice if you’d like to join with us.”
She sat stunned for the longest time. Then she cleared her throat. “Freelan is a rebel group that opposes the king. How could I possibly join a group when I’ve killed so many people in the name of sacrifice? Their people? I cannot even begin to tell you all I’ve done for the Royal Guard.”
“Freelan is a group that is trying to abolish the foolish notion that sacrifice is the only key to happiness. I want people to think for themselves, just like you came to do. You knew that killing that family was wrong and you took the best option in securing that family’s lives. Killing your superior shifted the focus off the family and onto yourself. You’re my first friend and I couldn’t have been more proud of you than I already am. I’m grateful for how you’ve changed.”
She smiled and was trying not to cry, she vowed not to ever cry again. She had changed after meeting him only once, but she knew not why he could say and do things that caused such a reaction in her. She needed to clear her straying thoughts and asked “But, how can I join a group with so much blood on my hands?”
“Then use your bloodied hands to help end the king’s regime. More blood will be spilt if you just give up. You know this as truth, you’ve seen it and felt the effects for those who think differently than they do. I hate killing, but it is a fact of life to survive. Life and death is a gamble already, but put a tyrant on the throne and death will topple the scales until all that’s left of life is existing from day to day. Life and freedom are the only things we hope to achieve. Just think about it and let me know when you decide. If you choose to not want to join then you can go wherever you want.”
She looked down and started rubbing her fingers over the two swords in her lap. “I…” She stopped short when there came a loud rustling noise, coming in their direction.
Shade and the rest of them were instantly on their feet. Shade started growling deeply and his fur was bristling. He was surprised because the wind blew from the opposite direction and he didn’t catch the scent. Marlin had his pole extended and flipped back behind his shoulder, ready to throw the bobber with its maximum weight. Alex jumped in front of Lily as she had each of her swords brandished in the sunlight. Alex, as leader, held his staff defensively at the front of the pack.
The sound became louder and the large bush at the edge of the clearing began shaking.
Then a familiar snort entered the clearing. “Alex? If it’s you, speak to me.”
Alex lowered his staff and casually stood up. “Clift?”
The chestnut horse, who gained his freedom, walked out from behind the bush with his head held high. His short brown hair glistened in the sunlight. His mane blew in the gentle breeze. Even hooves looked well. The only thing out of place was that he hasn’t been brushed clean in quite some time. Once his brown eyes met Alex’s he neighed happily. “Alex, I finally found you!”
Clift quickly trotted up to his side proudly. Once the others saw it was him they relaxed. Marlin explained to Lily who it was. Alex asked “Clift, what are you doing here? I thought you were long gone by now.”
He threw his head back, dignified. “After you freed me, I searched for a mare or other wild horses, but my search was in vain. Every wild horse, colt and mare has been captured and broken for humans to treat as slaves. There were a few promising scents, but they were all old and gone from this area. So I decided to track down your scent.”
“Why did you come back?” Shade barked as he walked up by his brother’s side.
; Clift wasn’t afraid of Shade’s approach because they slowly became comfortable with each other during their long travels together. “Because there isn’t anywhere for me to go at the moment. Plus I’ve somehow grown attached to the three of you, Marlin especially. He has taken good care of me during our travels. He is a respectable two-legged stallion. I want to rejoin your pack until a herd of horses allows me to join them.” His ear’s swerved forward. “Who’s the new mare with the white mane?”
Turning around, Alex held his hand out to Lily. She still clutched her items, but she shifted her three bladed pink weapon to her crescent hand. Her left hand touched his right and he led her up to his side. “Clift, this is Lily. Thanks to your help we were able to rescue her last night.” Alex then turned to Lily and introduced her to him, after letting their hands separate.
Clift put his flared nostrils close to her face as he took in her scent. He then raised his nose a little bit. She looked at Alex awkwardly, but Marlin said “He wants you to scratch his chin. He enjoys it.” Clift never said that aloud, but Alex did remember seeing Marlin doing that every now and then.
Lily smiled as she scratched Clift’s bottom jaw. He almost purred with pleasure. Once she finished she asked “What did he want in coming here?”
“He wants to come back.” Marlin liked the idea and patted Clift’s flank. Alex asked if everyone wanted him back and he gave Clift the good news.
Once the introductions were over he asked “So where are we going to next?”
They couldn’t stay here any longer so they began packing. For all they knew there were already search parties heading in this very direction. The longer they remained the greater the chance of being spotted, or worse. They all told Lily to sit under the shade of the trees and rest while they packed up. She firmly said “I’m as useful as any man.”
“I don’t doubt that, but right now you need to let your body recover. You have been through much and I will not have your pride getting in the way of your well being. Just take it easy.” Her expression lit furiously, but she knew that Alex’s words were true and he was only watching out for her well being. She sat in the shade after he gave her his spare leather belt. She needed it more than Alex because the pants she wore were continually sliding down, off her hips. She then slid a sword to each hip before finally relaxing.
Packing was easier with Marlin’s help and once Alex’s bag was ready, he put out the fire and began hiding the evidence of their stay. The doe skin from Shade’s hunt was still in good condition so Marlin was charged with salvaging the hide for their use at a later time. It would prove useful when Alex would need a quiet distraction. He already had a plan in mind for it. Marlin shaved off most of the hair from the skin by the time Alex was finally finished breaking camp down.
Marlin washed the hide off in the river before giving it to Alex. He then began loading up Clift with the cloth he saved and his pack was tied behind where he would sit. Alex tied the ends of the new skin over the top of his pack before he slid the pack on his shoulders. It would dry during the day’s travel.
Lily had been too quiet as they packed up and Alex’s pride grew once his eyes found her. Shade lay by her side and they were both writing in a small patch of sand. A few hours ago she was trying to kill him, but now they were becoming fast friends.
“Is everyone ready?” Alex asked and everyone said they were.
Marlin easily jumped atop Clift, but Lily’s reaction was hilarious. “What!? You want me to ride Shade? Why?”
Shade offered for her to ride him because she was unfit to travel on foot. Even if her condition was ideal she didn’t have shoes and her feet weren’t used to changing terrain. Shade was correct and he had already taken a shining to her after their private conversation. Both Shade and Alex were looking at her as she became inhibited at the thought of doing something no one else besides Alex has ever done. Then Shade reminded him of a certain fact and it was translated. “He said you rode on his back yesterday.”
While she was stunned to hear this bit of information, Alex stepped forward to make a reckless move. He grasped both of her hips and lifted. Shade moved strategically under, squatting down. As she now straddled his back, she took an opportunity in her embarrassment as her fist rounded and connected squarely with Alex’s jaw. “Don’t ever do that without my permission again!” He staggered back from her satisfying blow and it had some power behind it, even in her weakened state. Shade quickly stood and she said “Whoa” and clutched his fur for safety.
Marlin began laughing. “That was a great punch, Lily. I knew Alex found a woman who could keep him in line.”
She sat her good eye deftly on him and he cowered under such a dangerous stare. “Do you want to be next?” She smiled as he shook his head rapidly. “Now that I’ve settled that, where are we going?”
Alex’s jaw continued throbbing, but his voice remained calm. “We will head west until you make a decision on if you wish to join us or go where ever you want. Once you’re feeling whole again that is. We cannot tell you where our destination lies unless you reach a decision on your own. If you decide to leave you won’t know where we are heading, but we won’t fault you for a decision you’ve made. If you wish to stay and join you’ll learn what we know.”
“Who are you going to ride with?” She asked calmly.
“Since we hurried to get to you I want to make our way at a comfortable pace. I’m going to walk with everyone else. You just relax and look pretty.” She looked confused, but didn’t offer any more objections.
With staff in hand, Alex turned and began heading west. The other four followed and soon walked by his side. They headed directly into the trees and left the prison far behind.