Chapter 3 (Part 3): Breaking dawn
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The cloak was way too large for her, its tresses dragging long onto the floor despite her best efforts to hold it up, but Meia held onto it for the soothing warmth it brought. The morning winds blew in gales around the Cathari falls, sending chills up her spine. She kept largely in the pale shades of trees, hiding from plain view, she had barely enough energy to walk, much less fight, if attacked. Below the falls, the sound of skeletal feet rasping the ground sounded endlessly. The skeletal army, immune to fatige and hunger, had patrolled the area since daybreak, their poorly made blades jutting out from all angles, another encounter with them would surely spell her doom this time.
"Karien!" A girl's voice sounded out from behind her. "Over here!"
Meia's mind lit once again as the last reserves of strength kicked in, muscles whining as she willed them to draw her sabres.
"Who goes?" She mastered, trying to hide her weakness.
"At ease,
Ma'dame" came a calm reply. A young lad clad in the metals of a chain mail walked slowly towards her, his hands lifted in the air as a peace offering.
"Judging from those Sabres, I'd presume you are Adelina?" He inquired as another two people joined him.
"We are the Silfang pioneering family." The fighter introduced with a small bow. "I am Kaerien, a sword fighter. The girl you heard is Miho and this is my musketeer,
Luther."
"I go by the name Meia now," She eased a little, letting herself slide back down against a nearby tree. "Why are you here? It's not safe." Meia could've laughed at herself if she wasn't hurting so badly. 'Not safe' was so far an understatement she might as well had told them it was a pinic trip.
"Nunez got suspicious when your family did not return last night. He sent us to King's garden this morning, we met with the undead army and managed to fight out way through here." Miho offered chirpily, seeming unfazed that a hundred walking corpses surrounded the valley around them.
"Let Miho see to your wounds, we'd need to move out soon before the skeletons find us. Where's the rest of your family?"
"I'm not sure... We got seperated before..." Meia paused, hesitant to admit her weakness. "Before I got knocked out."
A spark suddenly lit in her head, "Kaerien? Did your family see anyone else here? He was wielding a rapier"
"No? We're the only people here." Karien replied. "Is there someone we're supposed to be looking for?"
"No..." Meia mumbled, "I think it's just my imagination."
But in her mind, Meia knew it was not.