Cien sat astride his horse wearily. It had been a long while, and he was more than ready to be home. They had not found Alex, but there had been gossip that he was dead. Cien felt a pang of regret. He wished he had not been driven to throw his cousin out, but it had come to it, he reminded himself sharply. It wasn't his fault. Nay, Alex had indeed gone daft. Speaking of elves and witches.
The rain didn't help his mood.
It had begun to drizzle a few hours before and was now down to a steady down pour. Glancing behind him, he saw his soldiers looking as miserable as he felt. He shook himself mentally and forced himself forward.
They rode steadily, the rain belting at them from a sharp angle as the winds changed. A short while later, Cien noticed movement ahead of them. Pulling his horse to a stop, he listened as the other soldiers behind him came to an instant stop as well. He watched the movement take form. The man on the horse rode fast, as if the hounds of hell were chasing him.
He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to pull it out if the man was an enemy.
As he approached Cien relaxed. It was Lochlain. Cien felt his mouth curve into a small smile as he watched his trusted soldier come riding up. When he was within distance, Cien saw the ashen color of his face and was instantly hardened up. The soldier stopped his mount in front of Cien and jumped down unceremoniously.
Cien descended the mount and walked quickly to his friend and soldier.
"They've taken Rose." He said without preamble.
The world went red, and Cien could hardly contain his anger. "Who?"