Mark of the Princess (22 page)

The sun burned bright onto the area where they slept.

Kaleb and Brennus arose immediately with nothing more than a glance at each other and began to fasten their belts and assure the weapons were well placed.

“So considering the amount of space we have put between us and the castle, do you think it would be safe to fly down?” Evyette seemed more rested today and eager to get to the forest.

“We should probably walk down a bit more and then fly. If they are looking for us they will probably assume that we would fly in the morning when we have more energy and walk in the evening.” No one argued Brennus’s response.

They began to walk discussing what direction they would have to go in to find the Kingdom of the Magi. Not to mention how they would find it at all since it has protective wards making it invisible to all those that have never been there.

“I have been there.” Brennus interjected, between suggestions.

Of course he has,
Kaleb rolled his eyes and looked at Tristan, who tilted his head to the side shrugging his shoulders.

“You have?” Alannah seemed to be the only one willing to respond. “What for?”

Brennus held out his arms as display. “I told you. I was born with the most Marks at birth than any other faerie in a century. I’ve had to train at all the Kingdoms that have masters at their craft.” He sounded proud but at the same time not very excited.

He scowled at Alannah, “I
am
honored.”

“Sorry.” She furrowed her brow more in confusion than anger. She hadn’t meant to insult him, but she was able to see that not being able to make his own choices and be a free faerie when he wanted was something that weighed on him.

The noon-day sun had already gone past. Brennus was the first in the air. Once he flew around scouting the area he called out to the others and they joined them.

It felt amazing to be in the air again.

They stayed close to the treetops in order to avoid being seen or to be able to duck for cover should they be attacked. They made it to the bottom of the mountain in less than half the time it would have taken them to walk. Once there, they had decided they would walk as it was dense with trees and flying proved to be a bit difficult.

Being that Brennus was the only one that had been to the Kingdom of the Magi they had to rely on his information to get there.

They continued in a westward direction.

Suddenly as they walked through some trees four trolls dropped down in front of them blocking their path. Each holding an axe that looked larger than each of their heads.

Velius walked up behind them with his arms outstretched.

“Hmpf, I should have known.” Kaleb’s brow furrowed, he would have looked at Tristan but he knew he must have been thinking the same thing.

“I only need the Princess. If she comes with me, then I will let you all live.” Instinctively Kaleb and Brennus turned and stood in front of Alannah.

“Oh, I see, then you will make it difficult,” Shaking his head, he dropped his arms, “that is your choice then.” With incredible speed he lifted his hand through the air and shot at them calling on his powers. Brennus and Kaleb blocked the shot and Brennus shot the first counter-attack.

“Contundé!” A massive surge of energy shot toward Velius and just barely missed him but destroyed the large tree behind him. Velius looked at the tree in horror.

The trolls that were now behind them, rushed at the faeries with the axes in the air. Alannah, Evyette and Tristan had unsheathed their swords already in preparation. Tristan who stood in front of the girls was the first to advance. He swung the sword in his right hand which was blocked by the first troll. As the other two ran to fight the girls, one of them ran to fight Tristan as well. Although he had two swords to fight with, the Trolls proved worthy adversaries. Tristan had shot spells at them, but they had managed to move or block them.

Evyette became invisible as one of the trolls lunged at her. She spun out of the way of the blade and as she turned she brought her blade down on the troll’s back, managing to cut through the leather he was wearing but not enough to kill him. The troll turned quickly and swung his sword in her direction but was fighting nothing but thin air. She ran to Tristan who was still fighting the two trolls. Just as one of the trolls raised his axe to hit Tristan she ran up and dug her blade through his lung and heart. Tristan and the other troll felt the blood splatter at them and saw nothing but a gaping wound on his chest where his blood was pouring out from. The troll that was fighting Tristan turned and swung his axe to the back of his partner that was already falling to the ground. He made contact and managed to cut Evyette across her arm and knock her down from the force. As soon as he hit her she was visible again.

Tristan immediately attacked the troll again so that he could not continue his attack on Evyette.

Alannah had been able to hold back the troll with little help from Kaleb and Brennus as they were fighting Velius. Velius who they now found was able to create a force field in front of him.

The force fields wouldn’t last long but it was enough to block many of the shots sent at him by Brennus and Kaleb.

Her sword clashed against the metal of his axe sending it off course. The pain in her chest was back, it gripped at her almost knocking her down.
Not now
she thought as she ducked, just barely avoiding the blade of the axe again.

The pain pulled at her again. Suddenly without accounting for her own actions she raised her hands to the sky and thrusted them in the direction of the troll. A bolt of lightning came from the skies above, between the tree tops and crashing onto the troll she had burned. The flash ripped the creature in two. Blood and flesh sprayed from his body before he dropped to the ground in one hard thud.

For a moment Brennus, Kaleb and Velius stood dumb-founded. Alannah turned to face them, her eyes glowing a luminous white and beneath her chestnut colored hair her mark tingled, sending shivers all over her body. She felt a sudden drop in temperature from within her, drained from what she had done, she dropped to the floor. As Evyette ran over to help her, her attention was drawn for a moment to two beady eyes that were fixated on the battle from afar. Saros sat perched on a tree nearby watching.

“Kill him and get me the girl!” Velius yelled at the two trolls remaining. “I need her to make
MY
plan work!” His force fields were getting weaker, Kaleb continuing to use his power against Velius as Brennus who was tired of this back and forth fighting advanced on him.

“Incendium!” Kaleb felt the heat from the flames across his back and turned to find that Evyette had shot a spell at a troll that was headed toward him.

He nodded at Evyette and began fighting the troll as he stood again. He swung his axe at Kaleb barely missing his chest. Kaleb swung back at him with his sword striking the troll’s axe as he blocked. He pulled a knife from his belt and turned to the back of the troll and jammed the knife in the back of the troll’s neck before he could turn around to defend. Dark blood spilled out over the knife covering the Marks that were etched on it.

Kaleb looked to Brennus and Tristan deciding where to help. He saw that Evyette had helped Alannah to a nearby tree and was heading over to Tristan to help him.

Kaleb ran to help Brennus. Velius is the one that wants Alannah so they must be rid of him.

Evyette ran faster than she ever had with her sword raised and swung it at the troll. He slid out of the way and she hit the ground. He was much larger and more skilled than the others. He had metal cuffs on his wrists instead of leather ones and was able to block swords hits and even spells with it. She saw that the troll had already managed to strike Tristan a few times. He had gashes on his arm and leg and a thin one across his face.

She looked and saw that the troll also had a knife in his other hand. He raised his axe to strike at Tristan but Tristan blocked it again with both of his swords. He lunged at him with his knife but Tristan pulled his body back just barely avoiding the blade. Evyette tried to make herself invisible again but the throbbing of her injury made it hard to concentrate. She stopped trying and began throwing spells at the troll that he blocked too easily. The troll threw his axe at Tristan but he managed to dodge it wedging itself in a tree behind him. The troll reached his massive arms back and unsheathed two swords off of his back. These swords were twice as thick as the ones Tristan held.

He swung them in his hands and readied them as he lunged at Tristan. Evyette picked up her sword again which had been knocked out of her hands and attacked the troll who had just blocked Tristan and kicked him so hard that it knocked him back.

Already with her arms up ready to swing at him from the back the troll turned and with a swift movement buried his sword in her chest, inches from her heart.

Tristan had grabbed a knife from his cuff and threw it at the leg of the troll before standing. He saw as the troll dropped to one knee that there was blood on his blade and a body dropping to the ground behind him. He ran swiftly to the troll dodging a strike with one sword and piercing him with the other. Suddenly the sword that was in the trolls outstretched arm dropped. Tristan yanked his blade out of the troll splattering blood across his legs, spinning the blade and swiftly running it across the neck of the troll detaching his head from his own body.

Brennus shot a spell at Velius knocking him against a large boulder and then to the ground. By the time Kaleb arrived Velius had gotten up and suddenly two blades were run through his abdomen. Kaleb and Brennus looked at each other since none had noticed until that moment what the other had prepared to do.

Pulling their swords from Velius’s abdomen, they turned to see the carnage of trolls behind them, and Alannah getting up and running to Tristan who was kneeling on the floor with Evyette in his arms.

Brennus got to them first in that speed that still astonished the others.

Evyette was gasping for air as Tristan was trying to perform healing spells on her but she was so badly wounded that none were taking effect.

Brennus put his hand over her wound and began chanting in a language they had never heard. As they watched, they saw that his marks became even darker than they already were, his hand began shaking slightly. They knew that whatever he was doing to heal her, was taking power from him.

Suddenly Evyette stopped gasping for air and closed her eyes. For a moment Tristan panicked, thinking that he may have lost her, but then saw that her chest was still rising and falling. She was still alive.

Brennus composed himself and slid his arms around Evyette’s back and under her legs taking her from Tristan’s grip.

“I have stopped her bleeding but there has been too much damage to her body and her spirit. We
have
to get her to the Kingdom of the Magi as soon as possible. I can run ahead of you, you can try to fly or run as well but I can surely get her there faster.

Tristan stood to face Brennus who was already standing. His arms dripping with Evyette’s blood. “Just save her.” his eyes begging Brennus.

Brennus nodded. “Try to keep up, but just in case you lose sight of me, remember to continue west. When you begin to smell the flowers and herbs strongly you will be close, if you know any revealing spells begin then to say them. They may not get you to the kingdom but will keep you on the right path. When the guards capture you, and they will, do not resist them. Calmly tell them who you are. I am sure by now they are expecting Alannah and the rest of you so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Without another word Brennus began to run, looking down at Evyette, bleeding and barely alive in his arms.

~
Chapter
21~

They started running after him but saw that there was no way they could keep up, so they began flying, it was challenging as there were so many trees so close together but at least they could still see him in the distance. They saw at one point that he stopped and knelt. They were still too far to hear what he was saying. He must have told them about the others as there were already Faerie guards heading toward them, and thankfully they didn’t look threatening. Suddenly as Brennus walked between two large Oak trees seeming to have disappeared.

He reached the kingdom
. They thought collectively, gasping for air, they were out of breath and tired.

Maligo’s scream echoed through the valley. Rage fueling his flight toward his destination, as he was joined once again by his pet.

“That traitor!
His
plan? He allowed them to escape and turned on me as well? Well, he got what he deserved then.” Maligo stopped flying and began walking, Saros still flying beside him.

“The princess will be more closely guarded than ever now. I will have to use others to get to her now.” He glanced at Saros, with an evil grin.

“If they have already uncovered the meaning of her mark, she will be making her way to the elder faeries.” He thought in silence for a few moments. “I will need you to deliver this.” He pulled a small piece of parchment from his bag, scribbled some wording onto it, and then dropped the paper into a bag of coins. “Take this to the ones we know will intercede on her journey. There should be enough in there to persuade him. I will need you to wait with him until you get confirmation that the plan is set into motion.” Saros tilted his head down once as Maligo tied the pouch to his leg and sent him off.