Surge and Grit

FORTUNE

With our hands tied together in the front we walked down the hills together with the prince and his troops. Two of the tinsaz leading  and the others following behind us. A blue light covers us, moving with us as we walked. It was cast when the tinsaz blows a substance in the air. I guessed the substance is hiprud to confuse people as Gaius have been confused.

We’ve been walking for two hours. Two hours. Saxar is great and all but this is a punishment. I can’t help but imagine what a high tech version of this world would be like? I’m not sure I can continue like this. I could hear my hea—

“Lium," the prince called, "get the girl on your horse. I could hear her heart drubbing.” What? 

A human with a black hair full of oil ride to us. He smirked and without saying anything carried me on his horse. I would have resisted if I have the energy.

Magic don’t work on me; I would have said he heard my thoughts. Guess it was so obvious I will slumped down any second.

The ballflies are now a level below me since I’m on a horse so I kept my wandering yet tired mind on them.   

We got to a mountain and paused. Two mountains actually. They are close to each other and joined at the top. So far, there’s nothing saxar about it; it is towering and rocky. And it is all bare.

The two tinsaz in front advanced to the prince beside me. They swayed their jelly hands and the blue sphere round us disappears.

 “Stay here,” the prince said to them. “Seeiers,” he hollered as he straightened his back.

Five manics jockeyed to the front and lead the way. The prince and Lium followed. Ankie and Gaius are out of my sight. If I could just get this Lium guy to slow down, I would be able to see them. Unable to slow him down, I focused on the ballflies and their reflections in the streams of running water. The enchanting sight and the blissful sound of the streamflow manages to keeps me in check.

 “You think we should divide ourselves?” Lium asked in a way that says he is friends with the prince.

 I waited for the prince reply but it never came. He really is a jerk.

 “Your highness, a distinct glow has been sighted,” one of the Seeiers announced. "It must be the sword and it is two miles away from us.”

 And for the first time, I see the prince smiled. He is a jerk but a beautiful one.

He looks at me suddenly as if trying to figure me out.

 “I guessed she could walk now. Drop her,” he ordered then turn back smiling as if he didn’t just show his monster self.

 Did I do something? I’m glad I will finally able to walk with Ghayul and Ankie but he could have wait till we are few meters away from whatever place we are going. Two miles is going to end me.

 Lium looks at me with what I assumed as pity on his face before he lowered me down.

Guess they are not all bad.

 “I’m sorry, darling,” Ankie whispered.

I just smiled. Ghayul says nothing. He didn’t even look at me. 

Two miles in and I could see the sword myself. It rotates sideways along its midline with rings of glowing green light spaced equally throughout its length. It is of course beautiful and magical.

Ankie looks at Ghayul. She wriggles her hands trying to get free.

 “I thought she’s not here for violence,” the prince said chuckling as he got down from his horse and walked to the sword.

 Ankie continues to wriggle her hands.

 “Is the sword dangerous? Are they going to kill us with it?” I asked but no one answers me.

“There’s nothing you can do Ankie. This belongs to me already,” the prince said and advanced to the sword.

 I’ve never seen my mom so mad with rage and Ghayul looks ready to disrupt the cave whole if set free. I’ve never felt so useless. Why did my dad never taught me how to fight? Why didn’t I have any powerful gifts? If Mazarine was here, she would have found a way to get us out of this mess?

 The prince lifted the sword, smiling and then it happened. One second he is admiring the sword, the next, a tinsaz with an arrow in its tummy flies out of nowhere and displaced the sword from him. Blood oozed out of the tinsaz into the flowing river.

The prince with the other knights brought out their sword the same time manics in red scarfs rushed to us on horses. Dolange sisters. Ankie told me so much about them. They are on our side but that doesn’t stop my heart from hammering. A creature just got murdered.

“Lium, get the girl to safety,” the prince shouted.

 Lium rushed towards me and again, I realized I’m the girl. One time he wants to save the girl and other times he wants to make life miserable for the young girl.

Lium grabbed my arm and tried to steer me away from the chaos but I resisted. If he’s getting me to safety, then Gaius and Ankie are also coming with me. Gaius squirms his hands, unable to mask his emotions as Lium drags me away.

 Lium continues to drag me as he fights the sisters with his other hand. I should do something to distract him but I don't want the sisters to kill him. Their vicious eyes, their agonizing screams and the resoluteness use to strike with their two pointed sword has only one aim; to kill. And Lium has displaced three sisters without killing any of them.

“Lium," the prince shouted.

We both looked back to see the magical sword flying toward us. Lium drops his sword and runs few steps back with me still in his hands. He raised his hand ready to catch the flying sword while I tried to save myself from it. He caught it the same time I tripped and we both slumped to ground. Him under me.

 My breast pressed firmly to the sword on his hands. I tried to get up but a bite as sharp as an electric shock consumes me starting from my head and spreading the way down to my feet. Lium eyes were huge as saucers as he stares at me in horror.

The walls of the mountains glows brightly and a word as if being carved appears letter by letter on the sword. It’s only after I read the word out, I realized what the word is. Marina. My name.

 “No,” I heard the prince screamed. “Do not let anyone escaped. Especially not the girl.”

 At once, Lium stood up taking me with him. He bent to retreat his sword and that was when I saw Ghayul tiptoeing to him. He grabbed a rock chain from around his neck and smashed it to the floor.

 Lium take few steps back, raised his swords to swing at Ghayul but stopped midair. Ghayul has altered his mind.

Ghayul held out his hands and I took it.

 “We need to go back for Ankie,” I pleaded as he pulled me on top of a horse.

 “We need to get out of here first."

 I don’t like that idea at all but I didn’t object because I don’t have a better option.

 He held me in place with his arms as his hand gripped the horse’s rope. We rode for hours till we get to a farm in a town. He helped me down and loosen the rope tied to my hand.

He folded his hands across his chest, dimmed his eyes—trying to figure me out maybe—and says, "One night in Remis and you've caused so much and earned the greatest thing of all. The sword of Mitar."