The Crescent Warriors

A Chapter by SnowCat

All her life she had never known something that would feel better than riding through the woods at night. It was so quiet…not even the moon was shining tonight and thick black clouds now wove an intricate pattern on the velvety sky. She brought Kratos to a light trot as she took the left path that lead to the castle, her stop for the night. It was time to end this story.

Calliope swore to herself as she realized that a dense curtain of mist had appeared out of nowhere only to lay itself upon the frozen earth and hide the path she knew all too well. As she urged Kratos to hurry his pace, she reached back and counted the remaining arrows…only three left. Not nearly enough if she ran into trouble before she got to her destination. If memory served, there had to be a village a few hours away. She would rest there tonight and look for provisions in the morning. But what if the guards posted at every entrance and exit would recognize her? With a sigh, she accepted the fact that she had no other choice and looked down at her sword, hanging heavily on her horse’s left side. She hadn't drawn it since the…but she banished the thought before she could finish it and averted her gaze from the black leather hilt with a silver horse head on the top.

The night was cold, her face freezing and yet she didn't care. All she could think about was the future. It was now past midnight and often were the moments when Kratos became one with the shadows. His black mane and hair looked as dark, beautiful and dangerous as the night itself. Little clouds were forming before his nostrils as it grew colder and colder. They moved swiftly past the enormous trees lining the small forest road, almost like a phantom. Briefly she wondered where Aura could be.

‘She will come to me eventually’ though Calliope. The only sound she could hear besides the uneasy rustling of leaves was the soft thud of her horse’s hooves as they galloped on through the night. She was so tired…at times it was hard to keep her eyes open but she knew sleep was a luxury she couldn't afford right now. Uneasily, she looked behind to see if anyone had followed her. She was well aware of the fact that these parts of the woods were very dangerous, even for her. If she could only reach the clearing, she would be somewhat safe.

The silence that had befallen upon the woods was deafening. Something was amiss. She had been careless by not taking notice of her surroundings better but Calliope was aware now of all the dark shapes boxing her in. Kratos too had sensed the danger and he automatically quickened his pace as his rider pulled the bow loose and reached behind for the first arrow. Too many silhouettes now broke the silence and made their presence felt as they sprinted alongside the road, making sure to keep behind the tree line. She couldn't kill them all with the remaining arrows; not to mention the fact that actually shooting one would be really hard to do, even for one as skilled as she.

Behind her the yelps and moans intensified…she trusted Kratos to keep on the trail so she secured the reigns and with a fluid movement turned around in the saddle so that she was now looking back at the road they had come on. Shapes darker than the night itself with gleaming red eyes had flooded the road and were now trying to keep up. She aimed for the nearest creature, and let the first arrow loose. And then the second, and the third. It didn't do any good...where one fell, two more sprung up from its corpse.

They raced on through the tightening darkness, hoping to reach the clearing before the creatures got them. Everywhere Calliope looked her gaze was met by hundreds of sparkling red eyes. The path ahead was blocked. There was nowhere to go forward to.

“What do you want?” she asked in a quiet but powerful voice. No answer.

“What do you want from me?” she shouted into the black nothingness.

The air seemed to grow even colder around her leather clad body as the mass of red-eyed things parted in half, bringing into sight a little part of the clearing, just a few paces away from them.

“They want nothing from you. They are merely doing as they are told. I, on the other hand… ” answered a thick, low, masculine voice.

Calliope looked around, trying to figure out whose voice she had just heard. It seemed so familiar…she knew she had heard it before somewhere. She couldn't even figure out where the voice was coming from. It seemed like the night itself had addressed her. Kratos stirred.

“Who are you? Show yourself!”

He laughed a terrible, seductive laugh that would freeze anyone’s blood in his veins. "Don’t recognize me, do you? True enough, a long time has passed since we last crossed paths. Very well then, let her through. I said, get out of her way!” he shouted, when nothing moved.

As the creatures cleared the path to the clearing, she could clearly make out a figure which seemed to be sitting quite comfortably with what she thought to be Daemon, a giant dog, at his feet. A chill crept up her spine as memories she had been trying to suppress filled her consciousness. She now knew who it was. He was waiting for her in the middle of the clearing shirtless, as always, wearing only his tattoos, a pair of black pants, boots and a sword which hung loosely at his side. His long dark hair framed his face perfectly, accentuating the wonderful gray of his eyes. As she closed the distance between them, he rose, as did his dog and bowed gracefully before her. Calliope drew her sword, tightening her grip on its hilt as she dismounted in one, swift move. She bowed back, all the while keeping a close eye on Kristen who for some reason kept smiling at her. They looked at each other for a moment.

“You do know that you are not welcome here, don’t you?” he asked in a low voice.

“Yes, well what can I say? I don’t care much for your welcoming.”

“Where is your little band of rebels who call themselves the Crescent Warriors? Hiding in the woods like cowards again?”

“I came alone, Kristen. Your king and I have unfinished business. Did he not tell you about that? No? Well then I should think you just mustn't be important enough to talk to.” The creatures laughed.

“I know all about your ‘unfinished business’ with our king,” he hissed through clenched teeth, the smile completely gone from his face.

“Good. Then don’t stand in my way.”

He moved closer to her so that now they were standing almost toe to toe and as he moved so did his enormous shadow of a dog, Daemon. The look in his eyes softened just a little as he raised his hand to her cheek and let it fall without ever having touched her.

“You would do well to leave this land, little warrior, while you still have the chance. Things have changed since you left, so many years ago,” he whispered in a hushed voice, so that only the two of them could hear.

“I do not fear him.”

“It is not him you should fear. There are…darker things in our kingdom.”

“I can see that,” she said, glancing around.

“Consider this you only warning. Tonight only we grant you safe passage through the Dark Lands,” he said in a loud, strong voice as he stepped back.

And then they vanished into the black nothingness they had come from. Calliope was alone.

© 2013 SnowCat

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Reviews

Nina Mack

Oooh, I like you... "It was now past midnight and often were the moments when Kratos became one with the shadows." Love it. Your writing style is beautiful. The story started out great and I want to keep reading! Keep it up!