Darkness
Chapter 34 Death and Scenery
Darkness Chapter 34
Death and Scenery
“Relax, Keylyn, try not to pull so hard on the reins. You could injure the horse’s mouth doing that,” admonished the Captain gently. “Besides, it’s been a while since gentle old Gray-Gray has been ridden. We wouldn’t want My Lord Seer’ Reign to be angry at us for damage his favorite horse, an animal that is the last remaining member of his long dead family, now would we?”
“Sorry, Captain Dresden, I wasn’t aware I was doing it. ” Keylyn leaned down and whispered an apology in the ancient horse’s ear before patting the pale gray animal’s neck. Immediately, to the elf’s surprise, he received a soft whinny in reply as the old stallion even tried to prance about just a little on his aged legs, as if he was trying to be young again, as they slowly moved along.
“Young Key, I think old Gray-Gray likes you. You seem to be doing quite well with your riding and you seem to pick up the concept of the skill quite easily. Really, I am most pleased with your progress. Now just try to relax more and enjoy the ride, especially, this beautiful, warm, sunny day. ”
“Thank you, Captain Dresden, I’ll try!” And that’s just what Keylyn did. He savored his freedom after so long being a prisoner of castle and the master. His heart sang with happiness as he stared about him in appreciation at the sight and sounds of the beautiful scenery.
They had been riding in easy silence for just a little over an hour and the Captain had long since stopped giving Keylyn riding instructions, for the young elf's basic horsemanship instincts seemed to have kicked fully into gear and he knew what to do next without being told.
All at once, a loud hissing sound soared over Keylyn’s head and he watched as an arrow narrowly missed the Captain's head by a matter of inches, becoming imbedded in tree trunk. They were under attack!
Dresden quickly, and loudly. ordered Keylyn to gallop Gray-Gray and follow his huge roan stallion. Finally, after riding rapidly for several minutes, they reached a protective clearing a safe distance from their possible pursuers. The clearing was surrounded with a great number of huge boulders, which were larger and higher than a house. Instantly, as they rode in between the protective boulders, Dresden leaped from his horse at a run and pulled Keylyn down from his horses back, roughly forcing him down on his hands and knees at the base of one of huge boulders, out of the way of more arrows, then ordered, “Key be still and silent until I tell you otherwise!” Dresden, anxiously, seemed to expected more arrows to fly at them any second.
Then Keylyn watched as Captain Dresden drew his sword and put on his helmet that had been tied to his saddle up until then. Then they waited to see what was going happen next.
The young elf felt something warm brush against his cheek and found old Gray-Gray standing protectively right along side of him up close to the boulder. He couldn’t help but run a hand over the animal's soft warm nose in affection.
The silence of the nearby woods and clearing was broken when, suddenly, a loud, almost hissing, voice came from the dark concealing woods. “Human, you have something that belongs to the Sidhe. Hand the young elf over to me NOW. Do so and I will let you leave with your head and life. Otherwise, you will shortly be food for scavengers. So, what is your reply, human?”
“Only cowards hide themselves, from sight. Show yourself and I might consider your request. ” Came Dresden’s reply. But his thoughts took another direction, when he saw what walked out from the shadow of Woods! A deadly masked Elf assassin of the Gray Viper Clan. Too bad Dresden couldn’t use Magick, it would have been over quickly and easy!
“Consider quickly, human I don’t have all day. Give me this elf child now. His blood is, by rights, ours. He belongs to us, you have no right to possess him!”
Meanwhile, after hearing the attacker’s voice, Keylyn's curiosity got the better of him. He got up just enough to peer around the base of huge boulder to see the gray armored, masked figure holding the hilt of a very long, narrow dagger nearly the length of a sword, drawn and ready, while stalking arrogantly out of the shadowy woods . Keylyn could only wonder what the strange armored one wanted with him. He was just a homeless nobody.
Suddenly, Captain Dresden laughed loudly, something in the evil sarcasm in the man’s laughter along with arrogant cold attitude reminded Keylyn of Darkness and his other mercenaries. How utterly suited they were to fighting and killing they actually enjoyed it. So, perhaps, Dresden was no different than the others after all, it was but an illusion that he appeared to be more gentle and kind .
“Assassin, if you want my companion you’ll have to fight me for him, winner takes the prize. Or, as an Assassin, are you only capable of fighting from concealment like a vile filthy coward.” Came the Captains calm, but vicious, sneering bating cold voice.
Seconds flowed in silent slow motion, which allowed Dresden to signal to Keylyn to take his horse and flee. Key could see almost pleading in the man's green eyes for him to escape to safety. Finally, Keylyn gave in to man’s orders and slowly led the old gray horse away concealed in the shadows of boulders. As he passed from the clearing with the boulders and into a dark dense woods, he carefully got up on Gray-Gray back. Key heard the gray assassin, hissing reply, “ Human I accept your challenge right now with no further delays!”
Almost immediately the fleeing elf heard behind him, the clash of metal weapons beating against each other as he and the horse headed away. But the further Keylyn rode into the woods his guilt grew more intense. The man was endeavoring to save him from the God knows what and here he was running away like a frightened cowardly child.
Instantly, he pulled the old horse to a complete stop and jumped from his back then proceeded to search his saddle bags for something he could use as a weapon. But, the only thing he could find in the saddle bag was a very old long, rusty utility dagger with 8 inch blade. Key considered using his magick, but he decided he wasn’t nearly ready. His skills were just not dependable enough as of yet. So maybe it would better to use some kind of a weapon after all. Keylyn quickly scraped the worse of the rust off the old dagger with a rock and then an idea came to him. He then proceeded to searched for a recent wind fall of broken limbs, and, luckily, found a strong long nearly straight Ft wooden staff 2 inched diameter. Next, he managed to, quickly, split one end of the staff down the length of the dagger handle then he wedged the dagger handle between the split wood and tied, it in tightly place using some of the leather ties that held his saddle bags closed until he had a makeshift spear. Then Key got back on his horse and ,quickly, headed back to the clearing and boulders.
Barely thinking, just simply reacting Keylyn cried out wildly in warning and kicked old Gray-Gray into a fast gallop with his long makeshift spear held out directly in front of him moving head on toward the new attacker. Even before the second attacker reached Dresden’s back, to Keylyn’s relief, his longer spear with a rusty dagger for a point was there first. It hit the new attacker with full force exactly in the center of chest piercing him through all the way to the back, causing the second assassin to fall dead nearly under Gray-Gray hoofs. Then Key watched as the Captain with, a final swing of his long sword, finished off the first assassin was as well.
Keylyn sat panting, stunned, and shivering on Gray-Gray, as the exhausted ancient horse stood trembling as well as wheezing under him. The young elf’s hand still griped the butt end of the spear so very tightly his knuckles were white.
“It’s over, Keylyn, my beauty. We’re both alive and safe. You saved me, boy. You can release the spear before your soft little fingers cramp, love.” Ordered Dresden gently and Keylyn obeyed. Then instantly, and gently, Dresden pulled the young man down from the horse’s back into a tight embrace, something the elf youth found himself quickly returning as tears spilled down his cheeks, realizing in horrified shock, what he had just done.”
“I killed him, didn’t I Captain?”
“Yes, my fair lovely Key, I fear that you did. But if you hadn’t, I'd be dead too, for these attackers are vicious, ruthless assassins and they had no intention of allowing me to live, even if I had turned you over to them without a fight. By the Gods, I can’t imagine what they wanted you for and what they would do to you when they had you.”
“I never killed a man before!” Tearful and distraught, Keylyn whispered softly as he clung even tighter to the blonde Captain.
“Yes, my dear innocent one, I can most certainly tell that, up to now, you never killed anyone before. But try to let the guilt go. Keylyn you only bravely did what was necessary. Some of us mercenaries believe that you’re aren’t truly an adult until you killed your first man in battle. We even have a short little ritual that is performed upon the first such an occasion. It's supposed to bring luck and reduce the ill luck brought about by the death. Would you like me to show you? Can you stand up now? I am going to let go of you, but you must follow me, understand?
Horror and Curiosity fought their own battle in Keylyn's head but, as usual with the youthful elf, his curiosity always won out.
“Yes Captain!” Replied Key wiping his tears away from his eyes.
Dresden lead Keylyn over to the corpse of the man who was killed by his spear and then he knelt down by the man and pulled off the mask, revealing the face of pale male elf of an aristocrat clan. One the man’s cheeks had the assassin tattoo of viper. Then he pulled Keylyn down to into a kneeling position beside him. Next ,the Captain, shockingly swiped the bare fingers of one hand in the Elf’s assassin cooling blood. The next thing he knew, Dresden smeared Keylyn’s face and forehead with still warm blood and chanted a number of words in a reverent tone:
My foe I killed thee
First blood I have spilled
So to the sacred gods I send thee
Now I wait my turn, a blooded adult…
Till Fate calls me, and death greets me!
Keylyn stomach lurched from scent of blood on his face. For a moment he thought he was going to loose his lunch at Captain Dresden morbid actions and words. But he managed to take a deep breath first and will his stomach back to some degree of calmness. For, suddenly, an overpowering curiosity was wiping away all other thoughts and worries. Why were these elves sent to get him, who had sent them? “Captain what do you think these awful elf “assassins” wanted with me?
“Actually, boy, I have no idea, unless maybe it’s because of this.” Gently Dresden tugged on the lock of purple hair that hung down over one of his violet eyes. Then he continued, “The coloring of your hair and eyes are a major signs of a high level aristocrat elfin family. Perhaps someone from your blood line wants you back in the fold in the worse way, since you might be a true prince of the blood.”
A flash of awareness came to Keylyn. Was that why Darkness had called him on occasion, his tiny toy prince? It was not because of his human royal family at all, but it had been his elfin mother’s family all along. The evil bastard knew more about his background than he did. Keylyn started to walk back to the old stallion. When a hand on his shoulder quickly brought him to a sudden halt.
“Key, since I made you and honorary mercenary with that little chant, you must learn to examine the bodies of your defeated enemies for clues to their origins. Remember, knowledge is power and protection. Plus, the practical value of retrieving any possible valuables you might find on their bodies. A mercenary will never walk away from a deadly fight empty handed, for you never know what you might need in the future. If you don’t want to keep anything you'll find that you can always sell it in town and keep the coins. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a couple extra coins of your own to spend, when we go into town?
“I suppose, Captain, but it's a I little too much like robbing the dead to me. Something tells me I 'm not really cut out to be a mercenary like you!”
“I think you might be right, my exquisite, soft hearted little Key, but shall we check this one anyway and see what we can find? After all, the dead have no use for what we take, now do they? ” Coaxed the tall blonde Mercenary.
“No, I suppose not!” Replied Key with little enthusiasm for the deed. But he did as he was ordered anyway.