Chapter 5: A Decision

Rutee and Angel crouched among the snow ferns that manifested the white treeline. The sun shown brightly and with the snow and ice, the house glowed. The house stood two stories high and was kept in a very poor condition. The shingles that would be made off wood, were sheets of metal, the windows were dark, and cracked. The chimney brewed black smoke which smelt terrible.The front door seemed to be made of metal and it had a guard sitting infront of it, sleeping by the looks of it. Rutee narrowed her sharp eyes and reached back for an arrow, Angel turned his head toward her and shook it,"No, if we cause a commotion, they will most likely harm her.", Rutee lowered her arm and bow, she nodded and crept slowly down the treeline. Angel took the opposite away, and began his rotation around the house.



The side of the house had a great amount of logs and garbage which made his nose cringe. Angel perked his head up to see an eagle perched on the tree above him. The small but perceptive ears gazed intently on Angel,curious and calculating. Angel returned to the task at hand and spotted cellar doors hiding snugly against the back of the house. It seemed to have just been opened because of the patted down snow trail leading to it.Angel looked around and then quickly ran to the doors.He put his back against the wall and listened for any sounds of alert. Nothing. Angel reached toward one of the door handles ,but it suddenly the flew open.The smell of blood wafted in the air and came as clear as day to Angel.It was all too familiar. Angel ran quickly and quietly to the other side of the house and lay against the wall. He flicked his sword from its sheathe and tilted it forward, anticipating a quick draw. The sound of footsteps sounded heavier than most and there's was a clinking sound that undoubtedly sounds like armor. There was the occasional snap of fabric that sounded like a cape of some kind. This wasn't a bandit.



The footsteps grew louder and louder, as did the clinking of metal. Angel lay low, and waited until the sound was right beside him. With lightning speed, Angel drew his sword and brought it up in a upward diagonal motion, but he cut only air. Angel narrowed his eyes and looked up to see an armored person clad in red above him. This person was of Sotha, and was a ranking officer. The knight brought out a sword from the hilt that hung to his side and brought it down on Angel. Angel put his sword up and parried the attack, causing the attacker to stumble a bit, but they caught their footing quickly. The knight backed slowly back, a red cloak covered the face, but from out of the cloak,the knight spoke,"An odd style of yours." The voice was light, but it was of male descent. Angel didn't reply back, he readied himself for another attack.



  "I beseech you to stop this attack, I do not wish to kill you.", the knight called out, lowering his sword. Angel had his doubts and kept his stance,"Was there a girl here?" The cloaked knight took a second to answer,"Yes, she is in the house. I was just retrieving some wine to drink while she recovered.Would you...", the knight slid the sword back into its sheathe,"..be the Rotheran she spoke off?"



Angel nodded, the knight turned away and walked to the side of the house,"Come..I'm sure she will be happy to see that you came." Angel looked up to see Rutee lowering her bow. He motioned to her to stay and followed the red clad knight. Around to the front of the house, Angel noticed that the guard that was here, was actually dead. He wasn't hit by any weapon, Angel stopped and looked at the dead man. The knight looked back," I used Aevis for that one. The situation needed for some silent handywork." The knight opened the door and walked inside, Angel looked at the doorway,"Aevis?", he walked inside while Rutee crouched in the treeline. Inside the house was surprisingly clean, there were many wardrobes and chests in the house that probably held contents of stolen loot and other things from the poor victims. From the hallway, it led into a furnished living room, with tables,chairs and an animal skin couch. On the couch,rested Lanni. She seemed to fine but Angel decided interrogate the knight, who sat at the table behind the couch. He looked intently at the map that was on it. Angel sat on the chair opposite of the knight.



"Why is a knight of Sotha here?", Angel asked. The knight answered quickly,"I have been tracking these thieves for awhile, they stole something of importance from Sotha.", Angel cocked his head and continue to ask questions,"You said you used Aevis to kill that man, what is Aevis?"



The knight went silent and seemed to chuckle a bit. Then he put his arms down the map and asked,"Haven't been here long ,have you Rotheran?", Angel peered into the dark confines of the hood,"No."



The knight sighed and explained,"Aevis is magic. Magic are like the mental actions of the fighting spirit.You wouldn't know of this cause you are of Rotheran descent, which holds no Aevis or any other magic at all, because Rotheran take care in their weapon arts, being masters of combat. But...", the knight held up his hand and clutched his fist, then he threw his arm to the side, casting what seemed to be a ball of air against the wall. The wall was pushed in a great deal and the paint was non-existant.


"The main continent is known for magics." The knight crossed his arms.


"You said Aevis or any other magic. Are you saying there is other magic?", Angel asked, his hand still resting on the hilt of his sword,prepared. The knight nodded,"Aevis is the elemental power of the Sotha. Controlling the elements of air,ice, and fire.Water is also utilized as it is the inbetween of ice and air. Kryl is the healing power of the Sylph, though a warring country, they are known for their healing and alchemic abilities,strange isn't it? Then there's the Borel arts from Bores. This magic is odd as it does a variety of things. Only the nobles can use it as it takes a long time to learn as well as a lot of money to pay for the time of the Magi. Borel magic can be powerful or weak depending on the user. I never seen it used but I have heard that if the user is in distress ,unpredictable results may be an outcome." Angel looked at the animal skin couch, so why didn't this one use any of this magic?   Angel returned his gaze at the knight,"Who are you, you're a long way from home."



The knight nodded,"You are right. The necklace was that important. Anyways, My name..", the knight reached up and threw back his hood. Revealing a young face with the ears of Wolkin. Wolkin are a beast race that are half man, half wolf. From looking at this knight he was the perfect tracker. He had white hair that resembled the snow of Boreas but fiery red eyes that burned with the elements inside of him."...is Lloyd Cross, Mage Knight of the Sotha Knight Order, and son of Knight Captain Razial Cross."   Angel smirked at the formal introduction. Lloyd reached into his cape and brought out a bottle of wine. He walked to one of the chests and dug around in it, his ears twitching with interest. He pulled out two silver goblets.   and returned to the table, leaving the chest open.



  "Do you wish to have some   wine?", Lloyd asked, pouring a glass. "No", Angel lied, leaving the table and walking to the side of the animal skin couch. Lanni's sleeping face was so relaxed and at peace, even though it was dirty from being in captivity.



The Rotheran crossed his arms,"Well now it's time to ask you something knight.".   Lloyd lowered the goblet before it reached his lips,"What would you ask of me?", he asked, his right ear twitching.



Angel stood silent for a bit and then he asked,"Can you take her to Sotha?". Lloyd placed the goblet onto the table, covering a corner of the map. He walked slowly to the back of the couch," Why would I do such a thing?", he replied, resting his arm on his sword. Angel sighed," Because this girl is the Princess of Borea. She needs to find asylum in Sotha so she can selfishly escape her marriage day with the Prince of Sylph.". Lloyd took a moment to soak the information in.



He walked to the side of the couch and kneeled by the girl. He grabbed a bit of the girl's hair and sniffed it,"Indeed, her hair still smells like the perfumes of aviola hip flowers, quite expensive to commonfolk." , he sweeps the hair to the side of her face, the girl's face twitches slightly but returns to its peaceful state. Angel nodded," Now I can leave.", he turned from the couch and walked into the hallway.



"A moment before you leave,Rotheran.", Lloyd's voice called, walking quickly behind Angel. Angel grabbed the door handle and looked at the Wolkin.



"Why don't you take her? I take it that she charged you with this?", Lloyd's left ear was lower than his right. Angel's gaze casted downwards, and he was silent for awhile. When he finally spoke, he replied,"..Because I can't protect anyone." He thrust open the door and walked into the cold tundra.

Author's Note

More chapters are available, I choose not to post all of them as I doubt anyone will really read my stories.