One rough hand idled upon the handle of his long bladed dagger as Hafred tramped through the dark forest. His boots tore through piles of leaves long left undisturbed as he sought to keep up with the figure before him. The shadow nymph's lithe and alluring form danced in and out of the edge of his senses as she forged ahead, senses that were already hampered by the Prince's insistence they use only the natural moonlight, such as it was. While nearly unable to see their nymphly guide most of the time, Hafred had to follow with haste, lest the whole party become lost in the woods.
He still didn't fully trust the two supernatural creatures, but after their group decided to head back to the Sage's house, the sisters had offered to lead them there through the wilds. Saving hours of travel and arriving before dawn had sounded like a good idea at the time, but after almost half an hour of literally chasing shadows, Hafred wasn't so sure anymore.
Lord "Black Dog" Rufus's dalliance with one of those very nymphs had kept them at the old ruined house longer than Hafred would have liked, though the Prince seemed unphased. Of course, the more the smith's apprentice had to watch that retreating rear end as it faded in and out of the darkness, the less Hafred could bring himself to blame the man. As set as he was on earning Jenrea's affections, even he found the two fae women tempting.
Indeed, echoes of the soft sounds which Elthyne's sister Sthelyne had made still haunted Hafred's memory. Though the crumbling walls of the ruined house had blocked any unintentional glimpse of the dark skinned nymph as she had taken her pleasures with the older knight, the ruined partitions and lack of roofing could do little to contain her cries and moans, or the sounds of her soft, silky flesh in motion.
The imaginings which those carnal noises had conjured in his mind had made him see the two women in a different light.
No, he had to remind himself, they were not mere women. They were unnatural beings of superhuman attraction, the seductive beauty of night made flesh and granted life.
At least Elthyne, seemingly the more serious and mature of the two sisters, had taken Hafred's rejection civilly, and refrained from seeking her own comfort with Rufus.
While Elthyne darted before them, leading the way, her sister cozied up behind Lord Rufus, doubled up with him on his horse. Thankfully, it seemed that even with such a lush form curled in against his back, the warrior could still focus on the task of trailing Hafred through the darkness.
A few paces further behind, Prince Cantrol brought up the rear. He never bothered to urge his own horse past a canter, always seeming so serene and aloof there. It was almost unnerving.
It seemed that of them all, only Hafred was doomed to run himself ragged on foot, for the nymph ahead of him never seemed to slow, never flagged. At least one mercy was granted by the route itself, for as they cut across the landscape direct toward Sage Illuminous's home, they managed to avoid any sight of the Broken Stone.
A shudder ran down Hafred's spine at the very thought of the abominable monument. Never again would he be able to gaze upon its distant silhouette with the same blissful ignorance he once did. Even the mere memories of the unnatural events that took place there made his flesh crawl.
Wrapped up in his thoughts, the youth didn't notice that the nymph he was following had slowed, at least not until he was upon her. Halting himself at her side, he glanced over at her troubled expression. He was about to ask just what was amiss, when she held up a hand to shush him.
Moments later, he heard what had caught her attention. The faint rustle of leaves under booted feet was a chilling indicator that someone was ahead, lurking between the small party and their destination. It seemed the Prince's foresight regarding their lighting had paid off, for while they might have stumbled about in the dark from time to time, with torches and lanterns cutting through the night, the party would have been quite visible to any ambushers, perhaps for miles out.
Hafred hesitantly drew back from Elthyne's side, and retreated toward the mounted figure of Lord Rufus and his distracting companion. As the youth neared, Rufus slowed his mount's pace, and offered a quizzical look. Before any words could be exchanged, the sharp report of a twig snapping resounded through the trees. A string of muffled curses followed, shattering any pretense that the forest was empty.
Immediately, Rufus's blade was in hand. The ringing steel was answered by the twang of bowstrings, and though the swish of the arrows cutting through the air and light foliage was readily audible, the arrows themselves were lost in darkness. It was impossible to tell by just how far they'd missed their marks.
The bodyguard's passenger, Sthelyne, shrieked in surprise, which could only serve to alert those who were hunting them.
Hafred ducked low, and drew his own long dagger. He squinted against the darkness, and spotted a broad shouldered figure rushing through the trees. It was far too large and bulky to be Elthyne, and everyone else was still mounted. Judging the form an enemy, Hafred charged forward, one arm held up, his knife held low. His hand caught one of the figure's, only to find the wooden haft of some sort of weapon gripped tightly there. He clasped his own hand about the wood shaft, and thrust his dagger upward into what he guessed was his attacker's chest.
He could hardly see anything, yet the solid feel of flesh giving under his blade, the gasp and gurgle of surprised death all served to confirm the thrust had been successful. The looming figure slumped to the ground, and Hafred found himself in possession of an axe, judging by the weight and heft. And a sharp one, if the way the dim moonlight glinted off of the crescent edge was any indication.
A pale, flickering glow suddenly illuminated many more darkly clad bodies, as the Prince drew his enchanted blade. The slender sword cast a ghostly light, and the world was thrown into a chaos of dancing shadows. Every swing of Cantrol's blade sent the long, eerie shadows twisting and jumping, and the glow the blade shone with was tinted crimson as he sliced through a man's neck.
An arrow suddenly deflected off of an umbral filament close to Hafred's head. It was so close, in fact, that he felt the breeze from the arrow's passing as it started an end over end tumble away from him. He focused upon the wispy thread of darkness for a moment, before the lush figure of Elthyne, standing some paces removed, came to his attention. Her gaze lingered upon his as she dodged a swordsman's swing, then her eyes shifted to a clump of bushes some thirty feet away.
When Hafred followed her line of sight, the shadows peeled themselves away from the bank of foliage, revealing a rather startled looking woman in black. She sparked a certain recognition in him, for she was the very one who had given him that arrow wound earlier in the evening. It still ached, and the strain of combat wasn't making things better.
Acting on instinct, Hafred threw the axe he held, and it sailed end over end toward the sniper. She realized her doom almost too late, and although she managed to throw herself out of the way, the whirling axe still scored a deep gash across her bow arm. She dropped the weapon and gripped at her bicep, trying to stem the flow of blood.
Rufus shoved a body from the point of his sword with one heavily booted foot, while Sthelyne apparently decided to be useful for once. The shadow nymph drew her hands apart, as if firing some unseen bow. Each time she loosed the invisible string, streaks of darkness sailed outward toward onrushing foes, and struck with all the impact one could expect of a physical arrow.
Neither of the nymphs seemed at all hampered by the shadows that so limited the mortal men's vision.
"There's too many, your highness," Rufus's voice boomed over the din. "We need to press on, or we'll be overrun."
"To Crow's home!" Cantrol's answer was swift and to the point, and he spurred his horse onward. With a great leap, the Prince's mount dashed forth, leaving Rufus and Hafred behind to deal with their own problems.
Rufus cursed as the prince charged so recklessly forth. He wheeled his own mount about, just in time to deflect the axe of another bandit with an expert sweep of his sword. Three more darkly clad men swept in from the trees, to block Rufus from pursuing the Prince without dealing with them first.
As the Prince put more space between himself and the group, the glow from his magical blade faded. Soon, only the light of the moon filtering through the clouds and canopy above provided any hope of sight. Hafred could barely make out the form of one slender figure coming upon him quickly from his left flank. He stepped hastily out of the way, and his swift reaction was rewarded with the thump of a blade into the ground where he had been standing.
Of course, the shadow nymphs were unhindered, and had free rein to unleash their assault on the nearly blinded bandits. All about him, Hafred could hear agonized cries and swift movements in the dark. He couched his blade, fearful of executing a slash against any of the shapes near to him, lest he strike his own allies in the confusion.
Squinting against the darkness, Hafred found his eyes near useless. The chaotic din of the battle made him question his hearing as well, but when the all too purposeful rush of footsteps from behind him was accompanied by a scent of oiled leather and soot, he felt it could only be one of their assailants. Quickly, he twisted about and raised his long bladed dagger. Sparks struck as his blade intercepted another, and for a moment he recognized the familiar shape of the woman he'd struggled with in the previous ambush. She certainly favored one arm, but still had strength enough to challenge him.
There was little time to contemplate the coincidence, however, for suddenly the forest was lit bright as day. A searing ball of fire erupted amidst the trees, and all about them, men cried out in alarm. Hafred could see Rufus nearby, trying to calm his horse, while on the ground four men fell unconscious from the sudden burns inflicted upon them. Others lay scattered here and there, and still more turned to flee into the woods.
