The Four Swords

Chapter 87: Meet in the Woods

I looked down at the girl that fell from the tree. The moonlight made the girl's skin look even more pale than its ghostly shade. Her dress was simple but puckered and bulged in strange ways. The garment clearly had a different owner at some point.

Her hair was disheveled falling from a loose braid down her back. Even in the dim light I could tell it was some shade of brown. Her frame was so slight that if I were further from her, I could have mistaken her for a child. Everything about her made me want to help this girl. I could feel the pity I felt inside oozing through my expression.

"Don't harm me!" A small voice pleaded.

I lowered my sword but did not sheath it. I tried to keep my face neutral and not harden it fully. My pity dissipated almost instantly. I did not trust the accent behind the plea for mercy, but I did not want to tip my hand.

Carrion rode up beside me, allowing the other two men to keep Alina and Cali a distance from the stranger. After all Alina was highly recognizable even in this low lighting.

"We will not harm you, if you do not harm us," I responded. At this, Carrion lowered his own weapon, following my lead.

"Me? Harm you? Are you not with that army that passed me going the direction that you just rode from? I'm sure they were going to destroy my town!" The girl put on a perfect performance. The worry in her voice sounded like true panic.

"My companions and I travel alone," I answered. Attempting to be vague. What was her goal? Why would the Norads leave her behind?

"If you are not with the army, then maybe you can save my town! This army was not the king's men! You are warriors, no? No one else travels after dark," the girl pleaded as she approached my horse. She motioned toward the sleepy town we just passed through. Was she leading us into a trap?

I backed up my mount and repositioned my sword. I did not want to threaten the girl directly, but I still did not trust her. Her accent was that of all the other Norads I had met. If she was trying to get us to do something, there was definitely a purpose.

Sending us in the opposite direction of the capital would be an excellent way for us to feel like we were doing something worthwhile, all while the capital could burn to the ground. I thought for a moment and decided to answer her question with one of my own.

"What is the name of your town?" I questioned. I searched the corners of my own memory for any type of sign I saw in the last town.

"The name of my town?" I saw panic flash momentarily in the petite brunette's expression. She regained her composure in a rush of fury. "I tell you my town is about to be attacked, burned to the ground, by an army and you're concerned with its name?"

The anger that surged through her felt real. She must have really been frustrated that I did not jump to the aid of a damsel in distress so willingly. With her small frame the display of her rage felt more like a temper tantrum from a child than something to fear.

"Calm down," I coaxed in the most soothing voice I could muster.

"Lives are at stake and you tell me to calm down?!" Malice erupted again.

"I simply mean that if you tell me the town, we can make sure we don't stop in the wrong place," I reasoned. If there was a specific place she wanted us to go, we could better avoid it.

"Fine! Alderwood! I'm from the town of Alderwood. Now please, save them!" The lady begged again.

My eyes smiled. I made her tip her hand too much. She did not care where we went, just as long as we did not head toward the capital. Alderwood must have been the only town she could think of.

"Carrion, correct me if I'm wrong," I started.

"You usually are," Carrion mumbled.

I ignored the quip. "But isn't Alderwood almost a day's ride from here? The northern border? West of Lorcan?" I knew the answer. She knew the answer.

"For once you are right, Jacobson." Carrion admitted.

"I mean... that is... my town is... the army," the girl crossed her arms and snorted. "Clever. But it doesn't matter," the feisty female pulled at her garment. The ill fitting dress fell to the ground revealing armor similar to the scouts of the Norads. The girl pulled a strange looking blade from her belt and sized up Carrion and myself.

Our swords were back raised before she could make a move. Her weapon twisted up from the hilt, spiraling around a center axis. It came to a point reminding me of a horn from a woodland beast.

"Why doesn't it matter? Because we outsmarted you?" I asked. Taunting was probably not my best move, but it was the only trick I could think of to throw off this fighter more.

"You will be too late to do anything," the brunette lunged forward.

My horse spooked, not expecting the sudden movement. She reared back and struck the female on the shoulder with her hooves. The force of my horse's weight coming down on her knocked the girl to the ground, knocking her weapon from her hands. She scurried from beneath the animal not to get trampled.

I somehow remained in the saddle and soothed my horse with gentle pats on the neck. Carrion quickly dismounted and confiscated the fallen weapon.

The girl's lips twisted into an eerie smile. A low chuckle reverberated from her gut. A shiver went down my spine.

"Be careful who you find in the woods," she warned. What did that mean?

I set my jaw and tried to look more confident than I felt. "I could tell you the same thing," I countered.

The girl stopped laughing and sneered at me for a moment. She then disappeared in a vague whisper of smoke, leaving the ground beneath her scorched.

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