The Guardian: Heart Of Magic

Death Escape II

Lyculn was feeling so bad, he could no longer continue on the journey, he knew the scream he heard only meant one thing and that is killing, Idahali his heartless brother is killing the villagers. Nagress was trying to console from behind on the horse but he kept on blaming himself for the death of anyone Idahali kills without knowing how many people he killed or would kill.

"This is all my fault, I should have waited behind, none of them would have died if I were to be there," Lyculn said.

"You are not the cause, you tried your best, I hope they can survive the attack," Nagress said.

"I did not try at all, I endangered all of them, and protecting them was not in my mind at all, when the danger came, What did I do? I fled with you and Helena like the rest of them did not matter" Lyculn said.

"But If we waited it would have been more dangerous because he would kill my daughter," Nagress said.

"I would have protected everyone with my last breath, I was born for this" Lyculn said. They both then heard the scream of another villager, Lyculn could not stand it anymore then he said they should go back, immediately he turned their horse around, he saw an archer on a horse coming towards them, he knew the archer was one of the soldiers of Idahali, which he sent to find them. Lyculn turned back and began to ride as fast as he could, the archer also was trying his best to catch up with them. Anytime, he got somehow close to them, he tries to shoot an arrow at them, he failed on three occasions with the arrows hitting a tree twice and passing their side once. On his four attempts, the arrow hit Nagress at her back, which caused her to fall from the horse which was moving at a very high speed. When Lyculn noticed that Nagress had fallen, he stopped the horse and jumped down, he stayed beside his horse with a knife in his hand waiting for the archer that was chasing them to come closer, when the archer was in close range, Lyculn targeted the archer and threw the knife at him. The knife flew in the air before stabbing the archer in his forehead, he fell down from his horse, the horse kept on running, it passed beside Lyculn and his horse.

Lyculn then ran back to where Nagress fell off the horse, immediately he got to her he carried her, putting her back in his hand. She was bleeding from her nose, face, and even ear, the fall made her smash her face on the root of a tree. She was still alive, she used her last strengths to talk to Lyculn.

"I am very sorry, I did not mean it to end this, take care of Helena for me, promise me you will not allow any evil befall her and you would stand by her till she fulfills her destiny," Nagress said slowly.

"I promise, please don't leave me alone, you can't go this way," Lyculn said. He was already crying seriously.

"I am not leaving you, I will always be with you and a place in my heart will always be yours, I Love you," Nagress said slowly. Immediately after saying this, she gave up the ghost, Lyculn could not hold himself, he was crying, Nagress corpse was still resting in his hands. Tears were flowing from his eyes rapidly, it rolled down his cheek and was dropping on the face of Helena who he was carrying on his chest with a wrap of cloth. Helena woke up due to the drop of tears that was pouring on her.

Lyculn knew that if he wasted any more time he might be seen by one of Idahali's soldiers so he went to remove his horse from the way, he then tied it next to a tree, a spot where it would not be easily spotted by anyone. He then began to look for a place he could bury Nagress before doing anything else. He found a spot that was good enough to bury Nagress, it was an open space, in the middle of two trees which are of not so good distance from each other but the space between them was enough to bury Nagress. Lyculn then used his magical wand, he chanted a spell and faced the wand to the ground, the ground open up, the depth was okay, the width was somehow too wide but it did not matter because he would close up or fill it. He then went to carry Nagress's corpse, when he got back to where he wanted to bury her, he entered the hole first before carrying Nagress inside the hole. While he was doing this, he had created a cot for Helena close to one of the trees very close to him. After dropping Nagress inside the hole, he looked at her in the hole for a while before covering her up with beautiful flowers. He caused beautiful flowers with nice fragrances to bloom from inside the hole and cover up the hole instead of using sand to cover the hole where he buried Helena's mother.

He was done so he carried Helena from where he kept her and sat in front of where he buried her mother. He began to play with Helena as he made her lie down in between his legs closed together. He was waiting for it to be late so he could return to the village and check how much damage Idahali made there.

***

Idahali was waiting at the village for the return of his soldiers he sent to go in search of Lyculn and the golden child. By the time the soldiers he sent out returned, all the drops of blood spilled on the ground were no longer fresh. They told Idahali that they searched all the possible routes in the woods that they still could not find neither the child nor Lyculn, Idahali was very disappointed in his soldiers. He jumped on his horse and began to lead his soldiers away from the village where he ordered his men to kill everyone, he left the village with the mind that there was no living being remaining in the village. Idahali and his men passed the woods to go back to where they came from, Dahacra Province. Idahali was checking if he would hear any sound of Lyculn or the baby using his enhanced hearing.

Lyculn began to hear the noise of numerous horses hopping and legs running on the ground so he stopped doing what would make little Helena laugh, he kept his hands on his lips like he was telling her not to make any noise, he was shocked she did not make any noise after he kept his finger on his lips. It took a while before he could not hear any sounds of horses or legs, Helena was sleeping by then already. Idahali and his soldiers left the woods without him hearing any sounds of Lyculn or even the baby who he was certain would make a noise. Idahali then believed that Lyculn got away from the woods with the baby that's why his soldiers did not see them.

When Lyculn saw it would be safe to leave where he was, he wrapped Helena around his chest with cloth like she was when he was riding his horse before. They both then began to head back to the village, Lyculn was eager to know how much damage Idahali caused in the village where he grew up. When he got there he was so sad, he could see different villagers' corpses on the ground. He got down from the horse and shouted loud to know if anyone was still alive.

"Is there anyone here? Who is left? Someone, please say something" Lyculn yelled but no one replied to him. He fell to the ground and began to cry when he realized that Idahali killed every single person before leaving the village with his soldiers. After a while, he heard noise from inside the village head's hut like someone was trying to come out. He picked up a sword and began to walk towards the entrance of the hut. The person came out of the hut, Lyculn kept the sword he picked up on the neck of the man that came out of the hut, the man surrender immediately, Lyculn told the man to turn around closely, it was when the man turned to him that he found out that the young man was Arda, the last child of the village head. Lyculn was very pleased to see him.

"Arda, you are alive, I am very happy to see you," Lyculn said.

"What happened here, where is my father?" Arda asked. He then began to check where his dad was, he finally saw his dad not far away from their hut. Arda sat on the ground and kept his dad on his legs, his dad was formerly facing the ground. He began to shed tears because of the condition he met his dad. Lyculn came close to him to console him, when he was consoling him, his dad opened his eyes to say his last words.

"Arda, don't cry, you must go with Lyculn, here is not safe at all for both of you, I am happy to see you both once again, Lyculn please help me take care of my son, check..." the village head did not say all he wanted to say before he finally died.

Lyculn and Arda both cried for a while, when they both stopped crying, Lyculn suggested that they buried everyone in the village before they go anywhere. Arda asked Lyculn how he wants to achieve what he said before nightfall, he then showed him his magical wand. They both began to bury all the corpses they met on the village ground, after the mass burial, Lyculn made beautiful flowers grow from everywhere in the village, the only parts he left out were the pathway, till the front of all huts he bloomed out beautiful flowers with good fragrance. When he was done and he saw that it was good, he climbed his horse, Arda joined him on the horse and both of them with Helena on the chest of Lyculn rode away from the village.