Chapter Three - A Fool's Errand
The flaming arrow that singed his hair slammed into a nearby tree with a mighty thunk and Flint did not seem to notice it. He kept on, digging at the gnarled root system, scrounging for mushrooms like some great, trained hog. The thundering of his siblings' feet behind him gave him pause and he lifted his head marginally, glancing back. It took a long moment for him to realize what he was seeing. Iris, with Lily hot on her heels, had little Clay slung over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She was running toward him and only as she drew even with him did he notice the terror in her indigo eyes.
Her mouth was open and she grabbed at his sleeve at she flew past him. A heartbeat later, as he stood slack-jawed with a few grubby fungi in his hands, his ears and eyes caught up to the scene at last and he heard Iris scream.
"RUN!"
Lily stumbled and shrieked, twisting her ankle and splitting her knee open. Flint scrambled toward her, still clutching his mushrooms and scooped his arm under hers. He dragged her to her feet even as she was crying.
A second burst of flame flew past them, skewering the dirt not a foot in front of him.
"Jasper? JASPER?"
He whirled, letting go of Lily, at the sound of Daisy's scream. A pink mist exploded into the air, obscuring Jasper's beet-red, panicked face. His big brother dropped to his knees as a thick, pointed shaft burst through his chest. Thick crimson dripped from the gaping wound. Lily was sobbing, clinging to his leg and preventing him from running to Jasper. After an interminable minute, he toppled forward as if all the bones had seeped from his body.
"JASPER!"
Bloody fool's errand, this is, he thought.
With a muffled curse, Horace leapt from his ill-tempered destrier and gave the black-and-gold barded beast a smack to the neck. His shoulders were aching from the weight of his mail and plate, his thighs throbbed after the long, hard ride, and all he wanted was to shed every scrap of armor or clothing and climb naked as a babe into Lasala's creamy white embrace.
His spear had hit home, he could see that as he strode forward. The kid's blood was still pumping, but weakly; he wouldn't last long enough to meet Karack. I'll catch hell for this shit, I know I will. Fuck. We'll get the others. It'll be enough.
Casually, he reached a mailed fist down, catching the little curly-haired blond by the collar of her dress. She screamed and kicked and tore away from him before he could get a better grasp and Horace spat another oath as he was left with naught but a wisp of cheap calico.
The little one threw herself atop the boy he had killed and began to sob to hard her entire body shook. Horace felt a little poignant tug at his heart, and felt it callously obliterated it a heartbeat later.
"Round the leftside of the road," he heard Captain Martan bark at the others as the captain reined up beside him. "Ride 'em down. Lord Karack wants them all."
Horace muttered beneath his breath. "He's ain't no fucking Lord."
The Captain either ignored him or failed to hear, but in any case, he put his heels to horse and wheeled around. Probably off to mollycoddle that pansy-ass lord of his, Horace grumbled.
Stooping low, the knight reached an arm under the blond child, prying her from her sibling's still corpse. There was a small stone in her hand and she pummeled him with it as he nudged the boy with his steel-toed boot.
"Ha'kalai'aem vo!" his charge screamed suddenly, her eyes squeezed shut and her tiny hands gripping the stone so tightly they went white.
"Quiet, brat," he said, swinging up into the saddle. "Your brother's dead and if you ain't gonna cooperate, you'll be ne-"
The words died on his lips.
At the edge of his vision, Horace watched the dead boy push himself onto his back.
And then, his eyes opened.
Posted by Pheenie @ 8/24/2008 07:52:00 PM