Princess of Silver Sands - Chapter 32
Posted by: Kura in Writing, Princess of Silver SandsPrincess of Silver Sands
Book 01
Chapter - 32 - False Accusation
Chapter Thirty-Two
False Accusation
Echo stares down at the body of the demon that Li had killed, the young wizard unsure of what to make of all the events that were happening related to Li.
Hitsumi’s horse walks up next to Echo, Angel looking over at the wizard questioning him, the demon though now laying lifeless on the ground still frightened her. “Is it dead?”
Li doesn’t look back to them. “I can’t see how it would be alive… I cut the damn thing’s head off.”
Angel looks back down nervously at the demon. “But… it had two heads didn’t it? There was another hidden on it stomach… the face of a human.”
Li stops her horse as she turns back to look at the demon’s body, Li turns away from it towards Hitsumi. “Cut the other head off.”
Hitsumi looks both confused and sickened by the request. “Hey what!?” He looks back at the demon that was laying dead on its side, the second face that had been hidden on its stomach clearly visible now. “Why?”
Li looks back down at the demon explaining the situation. “The demons that are more difficult to kill have more then one face… some can have up to six… the only way to kill them is to find the head that holds it’s brain and attack it there… that’s why this one was so difficult for us to kill.”
Hitsumi looks back down at the demon. “So… this thing might still be alive?”
Angel nervously looks down at it, the creatures body laying motionless in a pool of its own blood. “It looks dead to me…”
Li looks back at Angel. “I’d like to keep it dead by having Hitsumi cut off the other head to make sure it doesn’t get up again.”
Hitsumi walks his horse over to it lowering his sword towards the body, Angel watching fearfully unable to look away when she was on the same horse as Hitsumi. “Do you really have to do that… what if it is dead… you’d only be hacking at a dead body and that’s just really disgusting… and I hate blood….”
Hitsumi looks down at the princess as he tries to explain that this was something that needed to be done. “I don’t have a choice! If it’s alive and it escapes-”
The demon jumps back to its feet ramming into the side of Hitsumi’s horse almost causing it to fall over. The Demon quickly turning away from them and running from them as fast as it could.
Li’s horse breaks into a run once again as Li begins chasing after it. “Damn it! I should have realized it might have more then one face!”
Angel turns back to Hitsumi in a panic. “It got up! It actually got back to its feet and now it’s running away!”
Hitsumi narrows his eyes as he watches it the demon already to far for him to start giving chase. “If it manages to escape Li it’s going to informt the others we’re here… after that it won’t be long until they find us…”
Li’s horse is unable to catch up to the demon, the animal already tired from its long run and battle through the refuse, Li cursing to herself as she watches the demon quickly gain distance between them. “Damn it!” She forces her horse to a stop knowing that she would not be able to catch up to it at this pace, trying only resulting in making her already tired horse even more weak.
She is about to turn back to the others when a hideous screech fills the air, Li’s attention now in the direction the demon had gone in. “What was that…?” She looks back at the others for a moment then begins running forwards once again, her horse soon coming to a stop when Li finds the demon she had been chasing, its body in several pieces littering the ground.
Li’s horse takes several steps towards the demon’s body so that Li could get a closer look, a voice startling her to a stop. “Don’t get any closer!”
Li looks up from the demon’s body gazing in the direction the voice had come from, Li spotting an armored knight on horseback. The horse he rode and the armor that protected both him and his animal a bright white.
Li stares at the figure before her. “A white knight…” Very few families of knighthood were granted with such a high ranking status. The colour associated with that which was good or holy and was given to those that proved the most threatening to and effective against demons.
The knight removes the helmet from his head, looking over to Li as he spoke to her, the features he carried no doubt belonging to those in the Zimiko family. Clor continues with his warning as he points his sword down to the ground beneath the demon’s body. “A seal has been placed on the ground… step inside of it and you will have the same fate as that creature.”
Li looks back to him relived that the knight had been able to kill the demon before it was able to return to its master with their location. “Thank you… my horse was too tired and unable to catch up with it…”
Clor looks to the side the serious look not leaving his face. “Do not thank me… the information you are afraid of being delivered will still reach its master, I was only able to kill one of them.”
Li narrows her eyes. “One?” She turns in the direction the white knight was staring it spotting several other demons similar to the one that had just fallen.
Clor stares at them as well, he explaining to her. “The smaller demons hunt in packs.”
Li watches as the demons quickly turn and dash off disappearing from sight, Li cursing to herself knowing that her horse would not have the energy to chase after them.
Clor continues to stare at her. “I know you.”
Li looks back to him shaking her head no. “I assure you, we have never met.”
Clor shakes his head Li wrong. “You’re the one that travels with Whisper aren’t you? The one that recently went missing.” Li remains silent while Clor continues speaking. “You were a small child the last time I saw you… but there’s no mistaking it, you’re her.”
Li frowns no longer bothering to deny it then. “So what if I am? How does this information concern you?”
Clor places his helmet back on his head as he returns to his travels, the large armored animal he rode moving forward with ease, the armor upon its body and the heavy knight he carried hardly noticeable to the strong animal. “It going to be difficult to continue your travels… judging by the way you look your health is in a poor state. You’re not going to be alive for very much longer.”
Li glares at him, it was one thing to be told she was weak by Hitsumi but to be told she was weak by a knight who possibly knew a lot regarding her abilities was unbelievably insulting. “What would you have me do then!? There’s not a lot of options open to me at the moment. My companions need my help, if I abandon them now they will be killed.”
Clor stops his steed to turn back to Li before leaving. “Your ‘old friend’ Lucifer should be close by. I ran into him back at town, he’s a skilled demon hunter you know. Perhaps if you’re persuasive enough you can talk him into helping you and your friends. He knows you doesn’t he? I’m sure he’d be more than happy to lend you a helping hand, he seems that type anyway.” He turns away from her his horse quickly galloping off, the usually lazy knight in a hurry to get to his next destination.
Li turns away from him as she returns to her companions, the others glad to see her walk into their sights once again, Hitsumi being the first of the group to speak up. “Did you kill it?”
Li nods her head. “It’s dead…”
Angel sighs in relief glad that they were able to avoid making the journey even more difficult. “I guess we don’t have to worry about the demons finding our location.”
Li shakes her head as she begins to inform Angel that what she though was actually far from the truth. “They’ve spotted us… and they know where we are…”
Angel doesn’t seem to understand, after all Li had said the demon was dead hadn’t she. “What? But you just-”
Li interrupts her explaining the situation before Angel is able to babble any further. “There were more that were watching, it won’t be long until those things return with the information on our whereabouts to their leader.” She walks past them ignoring everyone’s uneasy expressions. “This way, the end of the refuse is just over here.”
The rest of the group begins to follow Li, their horses slowly walking along the remainder of the refuse, all of the animals tired and worn from the attack as well as running for such a long time.
Soon the travellers spot the end of the refuse Li was talking about.
Angel sighs in relief when she sees it glad to be rid of at least one of the many terrible things plaguing them. “Thank god… it really was close…” She looks over to Li. “It’s a good thing you’re with us! You know the West Continent right? You’ll be able to help us if we run into anymore more obstacles that we’re not used to!”
She stops talking as she looks from Echo and Hitsumi, neither of them looking as thrilled as she was to see Li again. “What’s wrong… aren’t you happy that she’s back with us?”
Hitsumi looks back at Li his anger clearly showing on his face. “She isn’t supposed to be here! Li isn’t well enough to travel!”
Echo looks down at the ground. “She doesn’t trust us… why would someone hide information from someone they trust?”
An upset look fills Angel’s face. “Why… you two never had a problem with her before… why has it suddenly changed?”
The group reaches the end of the refuse the horses all beginning to relax now that they are off of it. The whinnying of Angel’s horse soon catching the other’s attention, the group looking to see Angel’s horse tied to a tree, the horse still frantic from the pain it was feeling.
Hitsumi looks the horse over a little impressed to still see it alive. “You were able to rescue it!?”
Li nods her head. “It didn’t die from shock, and is still forcing herself to stay on her feet. She’s tough so she looks like she’ll be able to make it.” Li dismounts her own horse walking towards Angel’s and gathering hers. “There’s a stream not far from here. We’ll be able to clean out our wounds there.”
Angel watches Li quietly as leads the two horses away. The princess understood that the demons knew that they were near here and that it wouldn’t be long before they come back in larger numbers. “Li… we don’t have time to tend to her… the demons will catch up.”
Li turns back to Angel angered to hear her say something like that. “Are you suggesting that we leave it behind?”
Angel shakes her head arguing back with her even though she liked the idea as much as Li did. “We don’t have a choice… A wounded animal will just slow us down…”
Li is about to argue back when Angel’s horse whinnies turning at the sound of Angel’s voice and walking over to her, the horse ignoring the pain it was in nuzzles against her master as if just being by Angel’s side was enough to overcome the pain she was feeling.
Angel stares down at the horse. “Don’t do this… you’re just making it harder for me…”
Li watches Angel annoyed that the princess would even think of leaving it behind. “She’s happy to see you’re alive.” Angel quietly brushes the horse’s muzzle as Li continues. “She’s been carrying you since Bronze Riverton. Of course she would have become attached to you by now.”
Angel strokes the horses head closing her eyes and giving in to Li’s request. “How long will this take?”
Li smiles glad to see that Angel had changed her mind. “I just have to clean and bandage the wounds… I’ll be quick about it so it won’t take too long. I’ll treat her properly once we get to the next town.” She turns back to the others. “Besides… the rest of the horses and ourselves need to rest after that attack, we’re all worn from it wounded or not.”
Angel nods her head having forgotten for a moment that the rest of the horses and companions would be tired after such a demanding chase. “Alright…”
The group dismounts once they reach the stream, Hitsumi’s horse laying on the ground as soon as its riders were off of its back the animal groaning as it began panting for breath from the hard work that it had been put through.
Li’s horse runs straight into the shallow stream as it prancing in it splashing for a moment before laying down in the water and rubbing its wounded neck against the smooth stones at the bottom of the water.
Li ties Angel’s horse beside the stream taking a cloth from her bag and soaking it with water, using it to clean the horse’s wounds, the horse jumping and pacing on spot from the stinging, Li managing to keep a decent control on it.
Hitsumi walks up next to Li to speak with her, the bandit still annoyed that she had come when she knew well just how much danger Li was putting herself into. “Li… what are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay behind! If things keep up like this you’re going to get killed!”
Li clenches her teeth Hitsumi one of the last people she wanted to deal with right now. She turns away from Angel’s horse to face Hitsumi lifting her arm to him and punching him hard across the face. “You don’t leave me behind! You don’t leave ANYTHING behind just because they’re wounded!”
Li fights back the tears that were trying to form, the pain from her wounds and her emotions starting to pierce through the cold shell she always had around her. “Even my Master, as cruel as he was would have never done such a thing to me!”
Echo walks in between the two not wanting them to get into a fight at a time like that. “Li! Please understand! Hitsumi had his reasons…” He turns back to Hitsumi explaining for him. “You were badly wounded… he was told that you wouldn’t live if you continued with this journey. Don’t you understand that he cares about your safety? He didn’t have a choice!”
Hitsumi places his hand on Echo’s shoulder. “It’s okay… if she would have left me behind I would be reacting in the same way…” He looks back at Li. “The both of us… are not very smart when it comes to things like this…”
Li crosses her arms stubbornly. “You’re not very smart at anything so don’t compare me to you!”
Hitsumi gives her a frown while Echo smiles up at Li, glad to see her again despite the trouble Li was right now causing them. “Welcome back.”
Li turns away from them to once again start working on the horse’s wounds.
Hitsumi lifts his hand rubbing the side of his face that Li had hit. “Why can’t you slap me… if you slap I don’t have to worry about you dislocating my jaw…” He sighs to himself as watches Li do her work. “You didn’t bring the charm with you either… did you…?”
Li doesn’t look back, she wanting to get her task done as quickly as possible. “Of course not…”
Hitsumi shakes his head knowing what something like that would mean for them.
*******
Lucifer is in her panther form laying on the ground and licking the wound she had received, because of this wound the large creature was having trouble walking.
Felicia wipes the last of her tears from her face realizing that this wasn’t the time for her to be crying. She gets to her feet walking next to the panther, looking down at the wounds the animal was licking. “You were hurt badly weren’t you…?”
The panther continues to lick her wound not responding to the question at all. The girl sighing as she looks the cat over, the animal looking as gentle as the small house cats she had at home. “I wonder why you were chained down like that… you don’t look like you’re going to hurt anyone… well… unless they’re bad people.”
Felicia continues to stare down at the large cat in front of her, a curious look filling her face. “Are… are you having trouble changing into your human form?” She looks around her for a moment before turning back to the female panther in front of her. “I know you’re supposed to heal faster in your animal form… but I kind of need your help right now… the guards are looking for us… and I have to get that Keeper’s Tear back from them…”
Lucifer looks up at the girl for a moment before sitting up and transforming into her human form so that she would be able to explain the situation to her. “I cannot fight them… it is forbidden for me to kill humans.” He pauses for a moment thinking over what had happened. “Although… I could possibly kill the knight that leads… the demons were following his orders so he may have made a pact with them, but even then I cannot attack him until I am able to confirm by seeing the marking.”
The girl stares up at Lucifer confused, she not paying attention at all to what the wizard had just said to her, she having though all this time that the panther in the carriage with her had been female. “I… I thought… that you were a girl…”
Lucifer looks back at her a little annoyed by the comment. “I am a girl!” He winces as he turns down to his arm grabbing onto it tightly in hopes of stopping both the stinging and bleeding. “Damn it… I should not have been so careless…”
Felicia looks over at Lucifer’s arm not wanting to annoy the wizard too much. “Are you going to be alright?”
Lucifer hushes her as he ducks down covering the two of them, a knight walking into their sights as he searched the woods for the two of them.
Lucifer whispers quietly to Felicia once the knight had passed by them. “Damn it… even if it was a demon that came near us I could not do anything… if I start casting a spell those damn black clouds will form and then they will find us…”
Felicia looks up at him a little confused. “Black clouds?”
Lucifer hushes her quickly ducking down again as the guard returns to search the area over again.
The two remain as silent and still as they can until the guard again leaves, the both of them sighing in relief once he is gone.
Lucifer sits back up shaking his head as he tried to make sense of what was happening. “Why… things were not supposed to turn out this way…” He looks down at the ground. “I followed all of Siren’s orders until now… nothing that I have done should have been questionable…” An upset look fills his face as he comes to realize just what could have happened. “Someone must have informed him that I was hiding information from the royalty… but who could have possibly found something like that out?”
He moans to himself, slouching his shoulders and hanging his head. “Where did I mess up…?”
Lucifer sighs to himself as he gets back to thinking the situation over regarding the young girl that was right now with him. “There is not a lot I can do to help you… I cannot pick them off one by one as my magic gathers too much attention, anytime I cast something those black clouds will form and give our position away… and it is too dangerous to fight them in my animal form when I am in the condition I am in now. I do not know about you but I do not wish to throws thousands of years worth of living away just because of a stupid stone.”
Felicia shrugs her shoulders not thinking that magic was their only solution, there had to be something else that the wizard would be able to do to help her. “Then don’t use magic… fight them normally!”
Lucifer frowns that something that was impossible for him to do. “I can only fight physically in my animal form, and right now I cannot even walk well in my animal form.” He looks over at the wound on his arm. “I could not even steal the keepers tear for you, if I touch that thing it will absorb into my body because I am a wizard.”
Felicia frowns at Lucifer a little annoyed by all of this. “You know… for a wizard you sure are useless…”
Lucifer growls angrily as he points accusingly at her. “I could say the same about your entire race!”
Felicia sighs as she gets back to her feet, obviously the wizard was going to be no help to her. “Fine… I’ll get it back myself… I don’t need your help!”
Lucifer grabs onto Felicia’s wrist preventing her from going anywhere. “You will be killed if you are to do something such as that!”
Felicia worriedly looks up at him not sure if that was something she could do on her own. “But you won’t help me!”
Lucifer shakes his head as he begins trying to explain. “I cannot… I must leave… I have to give someone important to me a warning.”
Felicia stares up at him curiously. “A warning?”
Lucifer looks down at the ground, a worried expression filling his face. “Siren… if he did this to me, a wizard who followed him loyally… then he will do the same or even worst to the wizard who refuses to follow him…” He looks to the side angered that Siren had gone through such measures. “Siren has put too much into this war… he is determined not to lose.”
*******
Li walks back to her companions who where resting tiredly on the ground, all of them exhausted from the demon attack they had managed to pull through.
She stops next to Hitsumi kicking at his limp form until his eyes open. “I’m finished tending to the animal’s and my own wounds, so let’s go.”
Hitsumi yawns as he sits up Echo and the princess getting up soon after him. Hitsumi look over in Angel’s direction. “Who is the princess going to be riding with? You or me?”
Li turns to the princess. “Neither… she can ride fine on her own.”
Hitsumi sighs to himself that not being what he had meant. “But… her horse can’t carry her in the condition it’s in right now.”
Li nods her head already knowing that fact quite well. “I don’t think Angel will be able to handle my horse, she’s temperamental and doesn’t adjust easily to new riders.” She turns back to Hitsumi having already thought all of this out. “Angel will ride Hitsumi’s horse, Hitsumi will ride mine, and I will walk and lead Angel’s.”
Angel looks a little confused to hear this. “You’re not going to ride one yourself? Won’t that slow us down?”
Hitsumi looks down at the area he knew Li’s wound to be. “You can’t ride anymore… can you…?”
Li turns away from him not giving him an answer, she not wanting to spend anymore more time idling in one spot. “Let’s not waste any more time… we’ve lost and are losing enough ground as it is.” She turns around walking back to the horses, Angel getting to her feet and following after her.
Hitsumi is about to follow but stops, he taking a moment to look down to Echo who still had not gotten to his feet. “Hey Echo… lets hurry.”
Echo stays seated on the ground. “Hitsumi…” Echo stares down as his feet not really sure if him being in the group helped the others at all. “Am I being nothing but a burden to the group?”
Hitsumi looks a little confused at the accusation. “A burden? No! If it weren’t for you that demon would have killed us!”
Echo closes his eyes that fact not really one Hitsumi should be using to convince him. “But… I couldn’t do anything to help… not until I was given instructions by Li… until orders were given to me I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t even think… I was too scared I would make a mistake…”
Hitsumi frowns realizing that what Echo was saying was right, but that fact alone didn’t mean that Echo wasn’t helping them out. “You’ve never experienced a real battle before… you’re still learning so just give it time. No one starts out strong you have to work to get there. I don’t mind that you’re still a student and I’m sure that Li doesn’t either… we’ve both been down that road after all.” He smiles at him. “As for the princess, I know she loves having you with us.”
Hitsumi holds his hand out to him trying to persuade the wizard to his feet. “Now come on, if you don’t hurry up and mount your horse you’ll keep us behind more than Li is already, and then you really will be a burden.”
Echo gets to his feet walking past Hitsumi without saying a word.
*******
Hitsumi and his group are walking along an old path, Angel riding Hitsumi’s horse and Hitsumi riding Li’s while Li trails behind the rest of the group guiding Angel’s wounded horse along the path.
Hitsumi is holding out the map his father had made for him, reading over it and looking to the left. “There’s a town nearby here. It’s not on our stop but-”
Li’s horse shakes its head as it suddenly dashes forward throwing Hitsumi off her back. Hitsumi cursing as he pushes himself back up, Li walking up next to him and taking the map that had was gliding to the ground looking it over. “It’s too far out of the way. It’s only a few hours longer to the town we’re supposed to arrive in. We’ll make it just fine.”
Hitsumi glares over at Li’s horse and he grabs back onto its halter and forcefully pulls himself back into its feet. “I suppose so…” He pauses for a moment looking back down at Li, the tone in her voice not sounding like it had any pain in it at all. “This might be an odd thing for me to say, but you kind of sound like you’re feeling a little better…”
Li smiles to herself as she nods her head, looking out towards the gloomy overgrown trees and weeds that surrounded the path they right now walked. “The feeling in this forest is nice… it almost makes the pain disappear.”
Echo shivers slightly not being able to same thing Li was. “I don’t know how you could possibly feel that way… I hate it…”
Angel nods her head agreeing with Echo, as soon as they had entered this forest things had not felt right. “I don’t like it either… for a while now cold chills have been running down my spine… and my whole body is shaking… I’m waiting for someone to say ‘we shouldn’t go this way lets take another path’… but no one’s said anything yet…”
Echo nods his head in agreement. “The feeling… it makes me feel sick to my stomach…”
Hitsumi closes his eyes, the bandit had been trying to ignore the uneasy feeling as soon as it had shown itself. He turns back to Li agreeing with both Echo and the princess. “Echo and Angel are right… something’s wrong… it doesn’t feel right here. The wind is different like it doesn’t want to pass through these trees, and the animals, they’re so quiet I’m starting to question if there really are animals here. I haven’t even seen as much as an insect.”
Li closes her eyes for a moment before lifting her hand and explaining to the others just what the uneasy feeling was. “The West continent is filled with demons, so it’s no surprise that the animals feel the presence of these creatures. There are probably more up ahead.”
Angel seems nervous with this information, their last demon encounter having not gone so smoothly. “More of them…? Already?”
Li looks back to Angel as she continues explaining. “Don’t worry, this forest is to thickly packed with trees and weeds, the demons that are here cannot be very large if they intent to survive in this environment. I’m sure that even Hitsumi would be of some use against them.”
Hitsumi is of course insulted by Li’s comment. “Hey!”
Li looks back ahead of them explaining further. “As for that uncomfortable chill you are getting, that is probably cause by the smell and feel of death.”
Angel doesn’t seem to like this information, her whole body beginning to shake just from hearing Li’s words. “Death…?”
Li nods her head as she lifts her hand pointing ahead of them further down the path they were travelling on. “From up ahead.”
The other three quickly look ahead of them, waiting and expecting to see something gruesome, nothing showing up.
Echo looks a little disappointed that there was nothing to see. “There’s nothing there…” He glares over at Li. “You’re not just trying to scare us are you!?”
Li shakes her head. “I’m not trying to scare you… I’m serious.”
The group continues moving forwards, the other three more nervous then they had been before after listening to what Li had to say.
Angel looks over at Hitsumi a frightened tone in her voice. “You don’t think… what Li’s saying… do you think this forest might be haunted!?”
Hitsumi looks back at her with a smile. “No way!” He looks back at Li. “Right Li?” A nervous look fills his face when he gets to response. “Li…? It’s not haunted right?”
Li groans as she turns back to them. “No it’s not haunted.”
Angel worriedly stares at Li. “Do you really mean that!? You’re not just saying it to make us feel better are you?”
An annoyed look fills Li’s face. “Believe whatever you want…”
“That’s not helping!!”
Echo turns back to the others. “Actually… I’ve heard stories about this place.”
Hitsumi and Angel both turn to him, Angel being the one of the two to speak up. “What… what kind of stories…?”
Echo turns back ahead of him as be begins to explain. “It’s a story about a woman who ran away from home, and chose to stay in these very woods. The woman liked being alone and was not very found of travellers… she hated them so much that if someone was to enter the forest-”
Angel whines loudly begging Echo to stop. “Come on!! That’s not funny! I know your lying so stop it right now!!”
Echo laughs while Hitsumi glares over at him a little annoyed. “What? You were just making it up! I was starting to believe you too…”
The wizard laughs to himself. “You’re such a gullible child.”
Hitsumi frowns as he points over to him. “Hey! Don’t call me a child!”
Echo grins as he begins to explain. “Come on! If spirits were haunting this forest, it would look a lot different than this. The trees would be sparse and dead and the air would be so chilly you could see your own breath in front of you.”
Angel questions Echo’s information. “Really?”
Echo looks over to her, really uncertain. “Well at least that’s what I assume. That’s the description given in most of the books I read involving spirits and hauntings.”
Hitsumi stares at Echo. “You know some of these books you use as study materials sound really weird…”
Echo turns his attention back on Hitsumi. “I’m a wizard, I deal a lot in magic and spirits, so it’s normal for me to have to read up on such things.”
Li shakes her head as she tries to ignore them not in the mood to join in such a foolish discussion.
Echo stops in his tracks as he stares ahead of him, the wizard being the first in the group to spot something wrong. “What happened here…?”
Angel frowns as she again asks Echo to stop, not wanting to be any more scared then she already was. “Come on Echo! This first time was reasonable but now it’s just getting old!”
Hitsumi forces his horse to a stop as well, the bandit spotting what had caught Echo’s attention, Hitsumi staring ahead of him at the scene in silence.
Angel looks over at Hitsumi to question him. “Now what’s going on? Hitsumi don’t do that, it’s scaring me.”
She turns to look in the direction the other two are staring in also spotting what had caught their attention. “What… what is this…?” Ahead of the group on littering the path they were right now walking are the bodies of more then a hundred armed men and women, soldiers and knights who were dressed in armour belonging to the royalty. “What dose this mean!?”
Li hands the harness of Angel’s horse to Echo as she walks ahead of the group into the blood filed scene, she the only one willing to immediately step forward to look through what had happened. From first glance she could obviously tell that it was from a battle of some sort, but there looked to be no bodies belonging to any would be enemies, all of the fallen being followers of the royalty. Li looks confused, without an enemy it was unclear as to what really what had happened. “I don’t know…” She thinks the situation over, something not right. “There are so many highly ranked people here… how is that that not even one of them was able to strike down one of the enemies they were facing?”
Echo dismounts his horse running ahead of the others to join Li, the wizard looking each of the fallen over as he passed them. “These knights… all of them are members of royalty…” He follows Li as she manoeuvres her way through the bodies, Echo realizing something else he believed to be important. “A lot of these men… I know them… they’re the top in their class… some of the strongest knights of all four of the royal households!”
Angel looks back at Hitsumi. “Do you think they were attacked by bandits?”
Hitsumi shakes his head knowing that couldn’t have possibly been the case. “Bandits!? No way! We attack travellers sure but not armies of more then a hundred men! We’re guided by the promise of money and jewels not stupidity.”
Li stops when she sees several half eaten bodies, she knelling down next to them to get a closer look. “I guess they were attacked by demons, some of the bodies have claw and bite marks…” She looks at her shoulder where the demon had bit her knowing the markings were the same. “It was the same kind of demon we ran into…”
Angel yells over at Li in annoyance. “I thought you said that the demons in this forest were small and easily defeated!! That one that attacked us not to long ago was anything but small or easy to kill!”
Li looks back to her. “The demons that attacked these men are not demons that normally live in this forest. Something about these people drew them here, for whatever reason high rank demons were sent to hunt down this group of people.”
Echo is kneeling down next to another body looking it over, the marks he found on this one he knew clearly could not be from a demon. He turns back to Li to question her about this. “Do demons usually attack using heavy broadswords?”
Li
