The Chosen and the Marked

[The secrets of her past revealed in the words of two Knights of Lycia. Now, to meet her grandfather, Lyn heads west, to Lycia, and to her destiny. A mountain range separates the Sacae Plains from Bern. There are many bandits lurking her, the cruelest of which are the Taviler. They wreak havoc on both Sacae and Bern, and their savagery knows no bounds. On thier tenth day away from the plains, Lyn and Lily witness their atrocities themselves.]

Chapter 3
Band of Mercenaries

Lyn and I walked through the destroyed town, jaws agape at the massive destruction. The stench of burned corpses filled the air and fogged our senses. It was horrible: broken windows, destroyed walls and doors, the bodies, too. I pointed out a wall to Lyn, a large ‘T’ carved into its surface.

“Taliver,” she said with disgust. “This place… It’s…” Lyn started, but trailed off,

“The whole town is desecrated,” Kent reported as he and Sain returned. “Bandits are crawling everywhere, too,” he mentioned with a solemn look on his face. “Why doesn’t their marquess do anything to help?” he asked Lyn.

“Taliver Mountain is home to a gang of vicious, ruthless bandits. No marquess holds power here,” she explained. A look of deep sadness crossed her features. I stroked her hand with my palm.

Our conversation was cut short by a volley of arrows raining down upon us. One hit my thigh and another hit Lyn’s shoulder. The force knocked us both to the ground, Lyn unconscious from head trauma. “Archers!” I bellowed, scrambling for cover under a decrepit porch, pulling Lyn along with me. “Take cover!” I yelled again. I muttered an incantation and compressed air protected us from the arrows.

Kent was across the way, his horse in a partially destroyed building. Sain’s horse was injured, but safe in another building. The two knights leaned up against the wall together, swords drawn. Sain had an arrow sticking out of the breastplate of his armor.

“We’re pinned down, ladies!” Sain called out to us. I growled and nodded, tearing off the bottom two inches of my shirt. I tore a piece from that and got ready. I bit my lip and pulled the arrow out, stuffing the leather piece in the wound. I let out a muffled scream, which roused Lyn from her dreams. Quickly tying the strip around my leg, I made a makeshift bandage.

“Sain, hold still,” Kent said, placing a hand on his partner’s breastplate and forcing the arrow to the side, snapping it off at the tip, which remained buried in the armor.

I tore off another four inch strip, preparing it the way I did before; much of my toned midriff showing now, as my shirt ended just an inch above my naval. My tribal piercing on my naval gleamed in the sun. “This is gonna hurt, my love…” I told Lyn softly, a worried tone in my voice. She nodded bravely and bit her other fist. I fixed her up the same way I did myself.

The arrows kept raining down upon us, but my shield held; I didn’t know how long it would, though. A blue blur rolled into the middle of the street, bow drawn taught. He had three arrows loaded and let all three fly. An equal number of cries of pain were heard and the volley stopped.

The man looked up into the high sky and whistled sharply six times. A large Pegasus landed, bearing a beautiful young woman with periwinkle hair. Her bright sea-green eyes shone warily as she dismounted, holding her lance at her side, loosely. The archer came over and took the reigns of the Pegasus after kissing the girl lightly on the lips. “It’s safe for now…” he told her.

The archer led the Pegasus to a building quickly, the rider on his other arm. He glanced back. “C’mon, you for, you’ll be safe indoors,” he said to us. “Bring your horses,” he told the knights.

****

Our savior’s name was Wil. We were in his makeshift home. Wil told us that he and his mate, the Pegasus rider Florina, were the self designated protectors of the survivors of this township.

“So tell me what irks you so bad about these particular bandits,” Wil asked Lyn. He sat in the corner of the tavern, restringing his bow.

“My village was near here, on the other side of the mountain. My people were…” she started but trailed off, I adjusted my seat so our legs were touching, my good leg that is. She took my hand quickly, but winced in pain. “The Taliver bandits came at night. It took only one night,” she explained, I squeezed her hand softly. “The survivors numbered less than ten, including me. We were the biggest tribe, the Lorca. They’re soulless beasts. I will never forgive them. Never,” she finished with an air of vengeance.

“Lyndis…” Kent said gently. She shook her head, standing up.

“We will rout them from here, show them that this place is free of their influence. Show them what it’s like to routed from their home!” she cried out. I stood up, too; my leg in pain.

“I am not running away. We will take them, today. We are stronger!” Lyn exclaimed. I funneled a healing spell into my leg, causing it to clear up to a dull ache. I placed my hand on her injured shoulder, doing the same.

“We will break their swords beneath us like twigs beneath a stallion’s hooves. I will avenge my people, we will avenge these people. We’ll do everything in our power to crush them!” she finished, her body shaking with fury and invigoration.

Sain raised his flagon of mead. “Here, here. I’ll drink to that. You have my lance and my sword,” he told her. She smiled gently

Kent nodded. “You have mine, as well,” Lyn turned to him, her smile growing.

“We just met you, but you have my bow,” Wil told her. Her smile grew.

“And my lance,” Florina said meekly.

“You have me and all my power to help you, love,” I told her, her smile grew to a beaming grin.

“C’mon, lets do this.” Lyn said.

****

An arrow flew from Wil’s bow and caught an enemy archer through the chest from behind the wall. “Ha ha! Too easy,” he commented as Florina felled the swordsman running at Wil. She withdrew her lance and spun it deftly, taking off to the sky again.

Lyn sidestepped and sunk her blade into a brigand, his final groan caught in his throat as he fell to the ground. I let out a fierce yell and an inferno ripped from my hand, engulfing an archer and a nearby brigand.

I watched as Kent and Sain charged out of the thick trees and felled two more bandits, leaving us with just what appeared to be this group’s leader.

Lyn stalked towards him with a menacing grin on her face. “Hey, listen! There’s something I wanted to ask you,” her tone full of malice. I stepped up beside her, electricity wrapping around my hands and forearms.

“Begging for your life so soon, wench?” the bandit spat at her. I grew infuriated and clenched my fists, fire whipping around my arms and hands now.

Lyn brushed it off. “You’re Taliver, right?”

“Taliver? Those greedy monsters? We’re nothing like them!” he declared in all seriousness. “Those fiends will even kill women and children! We’re from Ganelon, and we know a little something of honor, for one thing,” he said defensively. Lyn opened her mouth to speak. “After all, why kill what you can sell?” he asked, raising his axe.

I let the fire drop from my arms. “If you’re not Taliver, then there’s no reason for you to die here today,” I told him. “If you would like to tuck your tails and flee, do so now,” I said acidly.

“You… You… No more courtesies! You’re gonna learn to watch your tongue!” he exclaimed, charging me. Lyn saw red at someone attacking me, she pulled back and unleashed a flurry of blows on the bandit quicker than the eye could see. He gasped and fell to his knees, dying. “Ugh… You’ll live to regret this… My brothers… The Ganelon bandits will not let this stand…” he said before falling over dead.

“No one will ever lay a hand on my mate. Ever,” Lyn said venomously.

****

So Wil and Florina, the odd couple, decided to band up with us, making us a total of six. Lyn slept next to me again that night, but this time was a bit different. Lyn leaned over and kissed me on the lips gently. “I love you…” she told me. Ten days of knowing someone and we’re already in love.

“I love you, too,” I told her, kissing her back. We lay cuddled up together till the morning sun rose.

We have a name now, too. We’re ‘Lyndis’ Legion’. We give credit to Wil for thinking that one up. This is getting better and better every day that goes by.