Mason's eyes widened in a mix of fear and concern. "Amie!" he called, but the lady was already clashing her steel against one of the bandits'.
She parried a blow to the left while leaping back to avoid another from the right. A bluff man with an ill-fitting goatee notched an arrow and aimed at Amie, but before he could let go something hit his head.
The man looked down at what had hit him on the ground and frowned. If the stone Mason threw at him pained him at all he made no record of it. The man raised his head and spotted Mason standing beside the cart, another stone ready to be launched in his hand.
The goatee man dropped his bow and drew his sword, striding purposefully toward Mason. Amie, however, had taken down one of the men fighting her, burying her sword in the bandit's throat. Blood pumped out of his gash as he looked at his companion pleadingly before collapsing.
The second man, a redhead, muttered curses in his language as he lunged. His blade nicked Amie's shoulder, and even from a distance, Mason could hear her hiss.
The goateed man overtook Mason at the back of the cart and thrusted his sword at him but Mason staggered back. Even though he had a sword on his waist he couldn't muster the courage to unsheath it. The man hacked at him but Mason dodged again, stumbling to the ground in the process.
Seeing his foe vulnerable, a lopsided grin appeared on the man's face. Mason attempted to slip away but the man grabbed him and hit him with his boot. He raised Mason by his tunic and slammed him against the back of the cart.
Mason fell to the ground, groaning. His unbelted tunic opened wide as he rested his back against the cart's wheel, revealing his necklace. The goateed man raised his sword to strike, but didn't bring it down. His eyes widened as they locked on Mason's pendant. His hands froze in the air. Indeed, his entire body froze for a moment.
"The royal emblem!" The man gasped as his hands finally fell. He dropped his sword and reached for the pendant. "How in the nine hells do you have this—?"
"I wouldn't call it a good idea for you to touch it," Mason whispered weakly. "Just take whatever you want in the cart and leave us alone!"
But the man, with curiosity on his face, grasped the pendant. However, the instantaneous response of the necklace sent him flying back a few feet away. Landing hard on the ground, fear sent his body shaking.
"Who in the world are you?" he shouted.
Ha! Ha! Ha! Curiosity is the fastest wheel to drive mortals to their end!
Mason whirled around. He heard the voice; loud and clear, followed by a wave of sinister laughter. Before he could stand up the goateed man zapped past him. Relief was distant.
My, he did know how to run when he sensed danger. The voicecame again. Should we kill him, love?
"Who the fuck are you?" Mason snapped as he hurled himself up from the ground and staggered after the goateed man. "Why are you getting in my head?"
Mason waited, but no response came. He searched his head, however, the foreboding presence he felt earlier was gone. He was alone now. Great. He raised his head and saw his attacker conversing with his friend.
"Let's go, Jerek!" The goateed man shouted to his companion who was fighting with Amie. "We dally with the wrong people!"
The redhead lowered his sword and frowned, though his gaze never left Amie. "What nonsense are you saying?" he grumbled. "They took down our brothers!"
"Let us go if you do not want the grotos on our tail by the end of the day!" The goateed man said and disappeared into the woods. The bandits who are still alive – most of them sustaining arrow injuries – stood up and followed him. With no other choice but to listen to his friend's advice, the redhead stepped back and began to retreat into the forest.
Amie, dumbfounded, turned to look at Mason who was just coming from the back of the cart. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Mason shrugged when he met her gaze.
"Like how?" Amie asked, still staring.
"Are you really a demon? Why are bad people running from you? Something like that."
"I didn't say anything like that."
"No. But your eyes said much. Just ask if you're curious."
Amie scabbarded her sword and sighed. "For starters, help me get rid of these bodies off the road so our horses may pass," she said. Mason nodded and joined her.
"You were telling me the truth last night, weren't you?" he said.
"What was that?"
"You know, about being the best fighter in your village. Oh my God! Three dead."
"Four, actually. This one—" Amie pointed at a body with a hole in the throat, "— and the one I first shot were the only ones that were supposed to die. But those," she pointed at the other two bodies already dragged away from the road. "They refused to stay down after being shot by my arrows. So–"
"You had no choice but to help them stay down forever?" Mason completed her sentence.
"So I would not be outnumbered, yes. Do you understand my reason for switching to range weapons now?"
Mason slowly nodded. So both of them returned to their mounts and continued their journey. They stopped occasionally to eat and feed their horses before continuing. During the journey, Amie waited for Mason to tell her what he was hiding, but Mason had a better time in mind. A time to execute a plan he had conceived since the previous day.
The sun was high and bright. The day was just beginning and they both knew the prospect of the inevitable danger ahead. And of course, they knew too well that their adventure was only beginning.
*****
Raymond woke up from a long nap and he yawned. Beside him sat Phoebe, the girl who Agithara assigned to cater for him until the day he would be anointed. She happened to be the priestess's apprentice, and Raymond pondered if he could trust her.
The girl should be about the same age as Nana if not younger. In any case, she appeared to be someone of great faith. And as innocent as she might look, she seemed to be trustworthy and mature. After she had brought Raymond to the house as instructed by Agithara, she had prepared a bath for him in a large bathtub.
By the time Raymond finished taking his bath and putting on a black furry cloak prepared for him, Phoebe had prepared him a meal. Raymond had lain down to rest thereafter, and the girl had promised to stay with him throughout his sleep. Raymond had declined, but he never thought she would actually stay with him.
Presently, as Raymond looked at Phoebe, the girl was sitting beside him with her eyes closed. He thought she was sleeping, however, he saw her mouth moving as though she was muttering some inaudible words. Raymond assumed she was saying a prayer to her god, or perhaps more likely in a meditative state.
Raymond rose to sit, and at the same time, Phoebe's eyes flipped open. Her innocent brown eyes peered into Raymond's. "Greetings, my lord," she said, now smiling.
"Why did you stay?" Raymond said. "I told you to leave."
"Who would've protected you then?" Phoebe asked. "My orders are to keep you safe. You must get used to not being alone now."
Raymond looked at the girl closely. Her face was set in determination, and something about her eyes told Raymond she wasn't going to defy Agithara, no matter what. He would need to be alone often to gather his thoughts and plan his next moves, but with Phoebe following him around, he doubted he would be given such a privilege. He must get used to this. He definitely must.
Raymond descended from his bed, got out of the bedchamber, and appeared in a grand hall. The walls were lined with shelves, showcasing a collection of noble artifacts. The marble floor shone with a polished gleam. Near the room's center stood a sturdy table, its surface richly carved and adorned with fine silverware. The chairs that surrounded it were lavishly upholstered.
Despite having had his share of surprises earlier when Phoebe gave him a tour of the house, Raymond still found himself marveling at the grandeur of the house. He strode toward the large table and sat on one of the chairs surrounding it.
He grabbed an upside-down cup on the table and poured himself some water from a pitcher. He downed it and exhaled.
"Are you okay, my lord?" Phoebe asked from behind. Raymond glanced at her. He was about to speak when voices came from beyond the door. "Wait a minute, my lord," Phoebe said as she rushed toward the door and stepped out.
After some minutes, and the noise persisted, Raymond reached for the door. He was about to open it when the door suddenly flung open. A young pregnant woman with jet-black hair rushed inside, crying. When she saw Raymond, who stood frozen in shock, she lunged at him. However, an invisible force lifted her off the ground and she began to float backward.
"You murderer!" The woman shouted as she was being pulled away toward the door. "My husband is going to die because of you! His unborn child is going to be fatherless because of you! I shall never forgive y–" Her words were cut off as the door swung shut after she was out of the grand hall.