Serial XXXII: Resolution

With a solid jerk, Isen tore his knife free with a wet suction sound. Syr fell to the ground as soon as he was let go, his body limp and unmoving. Isen stood over the corpse, breathing deeply, partially from exhaustion and partially from his sense of triumph. The entire side of his face and shoulder were painted red.

Nik screamed out and tried to rush forward, but the Wilder tightened his grip and refused to let go. The youngster struggled in vain against the man’s superior strength. The two sisters nudged their horses forward, but Isen was not completely lost in the moment. He cocked his knife over his shoulder and pointed at the young hostage with his other hand.

“Take another step and I’ll kill the boy too.” When he spoke, the words came in short bursts between deep breaths. His chest still heaved as he breathed.

Elliena reined up instantly and then remained perfectly still. Rienna stopped, but sill shifted her weight in her saddle. Her eyes flicked back and forth between the Wilders. She fingered the still-knocked arrow and started to raise her bow. She immediately lowered it when she saw the resolve in Isen’s stare. She knew without the slightest doubt that he would not hesitate to kill Nik.

Time stretched on without meaning as the warriors remained caught in a stalemate. The only movement came from Nik and his captor as Nik struggled in vain to get free. An unspoken agreement was reached and Rienna removed the arrow, tucking it back into the quiver. She dropped the bow on the ground at her horse’s feet. Isen looked over at Elliena and she tossed her spear into the grass as well. Only then did he lean down to clean his blade on the corpse’s clothes.

Isen nodded to his companion. The Wilder let go of Nik, leaving him free to run to his guardian’s side. He blindly rushed forward, stumbling and sliding on his knees as he got close to his friend’s body. Rienna tensed, but remained in place as Isen reached out quickly and wrapped his arm around the boy’s neck. Jerking him to a standing position, the two of them proceeded to walk backwards towards the tree line. The shadows seemed to reach out and embrace them as they entered the darkness.

“If you want him to stay alive, do not follow our trail.”

The two sisters stood there as Isen and his companion took their captive into the woods. As soon as they disappeared from view, they both leapt into action immediately. They dismounted and rushed over to Syr. His throat was ripped open, and it was clear that there was nothing they could do to bring him back to this world. Elliena reached out with two fingers and gently closed his eyes.

“We need to find them, and rescue Nik. It is the least we can do,” Elliena said, her tone quiet and reserved.

Rienna’s response was to turn and walk back to her discarded weapon. She stopped after a few steps and bent forward, picking a small dart up out of the grass. She looked at it closely for a moment, and then continued on her way to her horse. Elliena grabbed Syr’s katana and removed the saya from his belt. She wiped the blade clean and then sheathed it. She took the weapon and slid it between the straps of her saddle. After gathering her weapon as well, she moved to join Rienna who was leading Red Wind to the forest.

“We must move quickly, but can’t let them see us.” Rienna said.

There was no need for Elliena to comment, so she merely began to strip off pieces of her armor in silence. Rienna walked under the trees while her long time companion tried to make herself as silent as possible without removing all of her protection. She wrapped the armor in rags and stashed it in saddle bags. The only protection left when she had finished was her breast and back plate. By then, Rienna was barely visible between the trunks and in the relative darkness of the forest.

Further up ahead, the two Wilders were traveling with impressive speed. Nik had ceased his struggles and was limp in Isen’s grasp. In some ways, this made the weight more difficult to manage as his body flopped around haphazardly. He was still conscious, but his eyes were distant and unfocused. In contrast, Isen was the epitome of adrenaline and was currently using that energy spike to propel him and his captive off towards his village.

“What are we doing with him?” the other Wilder asked after they had journeyed for some time.

“He could be of use to us.”