Paths of Green and Gold

Bodyguard - prey

The wagon was attacked two days ago, maybe even last night. The bodies of the driver and his two companions were already cold, but – despite the heat - still didn't stink much. The blows that killed them – hurried and sloppy. 

Thorn grimaced seeing the entrails torn out of one of the corpses – achieving such effect required either a lot of work with a sword or the use of farming tools... Local bandits didn't differ much from the animals they shared the forest with – they just attacked their victims for completely different reasons. 

There was nothing he despised more than killing those who were not meant to fight, and in such a disgraceful way, too. A wave of anger rose in him - but as of now, he could still control himself. Or maybe he only thought he could? Trying to calm down, he focused on other details. 

Why was the wagon knocked over and mostly broken into pieces? The bandits took everything of value, starting with the horse, and ending with the men's money. Senseless destruction of the vehicle seemed idiotic. “What a bloodbath..."

Thorn turned to Selena, her sudden words reminding him of her presence. The girl was standing next to the eviscerated corpse, observing nearby trees. Her lips tightly pressed together in concentration, she was carefully examining her surroundings. Even from afar, Thorn noticed how tense she was - like a bowstring right before a shot, or a predator ready to jump on its prey. She stepped over the dead body still looking around.

“There were definitely more than three of them," her voice lost all its childish chattiness - now she sounded like a hunter. "Poorly organized but, without a doubt, terribly efficient. There are no traces of any ranged weapons being used, so maybe we have better chances than these guys..." she said as if already making plans for the fight.   

Thorn looked at her - a short girl with a slender waist and round hips, a thin, slightly curved sword hanging from her belt; a girl who should rather be weaving or embroidering, and not running around a forest chasing bandits. However, seeing brutally murdered men didn't affect her.

Remembering his uncle's request sobered him for a few seconds. She was in his care. Her safety on the way to Thoris was his responsibility...

A raven’s call resounded high above in the tree crowns.

He looked at Selena again – the aura of the hunting fever around her was so intense he could almost smell the bloodshed, and it made him forget everything else. 

Some time ago - he felt like it was ages ago, in another life - he really did think women should rather handle needles than blades.

Then he met Her... 

 * * *  

[The streets were dark and quiet, huge snowflakes lazily falling from the sky. A fresh carpet of soft snow muffled the sounds of footsteps.

They were walking side by side in complete silence. The woman, probably lost in thoughts, trying to foresee the course of the conversation she was supposed to have. The man - just enjoying the silence and her company. 

Suddenly they both heard a sound behind them. The sound that shouldn’t have been there. 

They turned in unison. Two smooth movements happened in perfect harmony. A head rolled marking a red path in the clean snow. Two corpses fell to the ground with a dull thud. White snowflakes melted soundlessly falling on the still-hot blood on the blade. One lonely drop of blood settled on the sleeve of the elegant dress, like a falling petal of an embroidered flower. 

Silence returned.] 

* * *   

The warrior still vividly remembered Her eyes that night, brighter than the snow glimmering in the cold moonlight... He almost smiled to himself.

“So what do we do?” Selena’s fingers slowly closed on the sword hilt. 

The question brought Thorn back to the present moment. He carefully detached a long narrow package covered in thick fabric from his backpack. After partly unwrapping it, he took out a short, curved sword in an intricately decorated scabbard. The craftsmanship suggested the owner should not be human. He drew the flawlessly maintained blade and weighed it in his left hand. It would have to do. Nodding as if he just made a decision, he wrapped the package and fastened it back in its original place. He slowly sheathed the blade and attached it to his belt. Finally, he grabbed the backpack hanging it over one shoulder to be able to easily get rid of it if needed. 

These methodical movements were meant to calm him down, give him a familiar routine to concentrate on. He knew he couldn't do anything reckless, as he was not alone, so he had to make sure he could control himself. When he was ready, he looked at Selena again.

“Lead the way, cousin," he said simply, already knowing that the girl was better than him both at tracking and stealth. However, finding the group whose work they just saw probably wouldn't require a lot of mastery.

His companion nodded. Her serious expression didn't betray her emotions - whatever she was thinking, she didn’t let him see that. Even if his previous conclusions were correct, at the moment she just looked like a teenager who was very mature for her age. He started to realize, however, that the protection Selena needed didn't necessarily have much to do with a sword to shield her from enemies...

Without hesitation, the girl started walking into the forest, the thin blade in her hand. The warrior adjusted his backpack and followed her in silence.

They didn’t have to be particularly attentive to follow the bandits. The group was big enough to feel safe, so their trail was marked by a wide line of trampled ferns and broken branches. 

Thorn didn’t really focus on the tracks, though, too busy watching his companion's behavior. Selena was walking confidently, glancing around her and from time to time raising her head listening intently. The warrior didn't know how far they would have to deviate from their route, but the possibility of even considerable delay would not change their minds now. It was too late for that.   

Selena suddenly stopped and hid behind the nearest tree. Thorn reacted immediately, disappearing behind a huge pine. Even before he saw anything, he understood what alarmed his cousin. The camp of their prey was near – he could hear voices and laughter, although he couldn't discern the words. He looked at the place where his companion was hiding, but she was gone. He had no idea what she would do, as it was the first time they were together in this kind of situation – her age, however, didn't make him overly optimistic. 

He decided to move closer to catch sight of the enemy. Trying to remain hidden by the undergrowth, he got to Selena's previous spot and could finally see something. Between the branches, he noticed a few people: a bald head of a huge man was shining in the sunlight, a few bandits dressed in leather clothes were sitting around a small campfire and roasting some animal for their next meal.  

Thorn looked around in search of a better hiding place to observe the situation. Those six men could have more friends hidden from his view.  

A few meters away he saw an old oak tree with a wide trunk. He managed to move there without being noticed. Now he could see more details of the bandit campsite.

It wasn't a clearing – just a place where the trees were growing less densely, allowing for some huts and a space for a campfire wide enough for a few people to eat together. Shelters hidden in the shade of the trees looked quite sturdy which probably meant the gang had been staying here for some time.

He knew that Thoris being far from the biggest cities of the Empire meant the roads didn't have adequate protection. For the last few days, Thorn and Selena didn't pass any towns or villages, so there were no safe places to stay for the night. Merchants who couldn't - or didn't want to - spend enough gold on security risked ending up like the corpses they just saw on the road. 

While watching the thugs, the warrior was also trying - so far unsuccessfully - to spot his cousin. The relaxed atmosphere around the campfire, however, assured him that she hasn't done anything unreasonable yet. He almost laughed to himself. In this kind of situations he was usually the unreasonable one. The fact he was supposed to ensure Selena's safety was the only thing that restrained him now.   Suddenly another bandit came out of one of the huts stretching lazily. His appearance made all other men straighten up and tense…