Silver moon-beam

bandits

The sky darkened as Lyza rode away from the city. The land around Lorian was mostly fields where farmers harvested corn and barly. Ferther to the north of the city, the land became rough and hilly, with small trees popping up here and there a mung the Rowling grassy hills. Lyza rode on a pact dirt road usually used by merchants to get to and from the city. As the sun set, a huge forest loomed up in the distance. Lyza knew this to be the great forest of Orlia. Orlia was a wild land with trees that brushed the clouds. There canapés cast a dark shadow across Lyza's path. Lyza motioned for Amalia to slow down as they entered the forest. She didn't want to be caught unawares by what might be lurking between those trees. As Lyza slowly traveled threw the forest, she noticed small eyes staring out at her from the dark cracks and crevices beyond her sight. The tree roots formed tall arches that curved over her head making her feel as if she had entered into a strange prehistoric world. Suddenly there was motion from behind a tree. Something was coming out of the darkness. Lyza braced herself as four men on horseback rode from the gloom to surround her. They were tall and muscular wearing hard leather armor over pasty skin. All four of them were wielding jagged silver knives that glinted in the light. "What do we have here" said one of the men examining Lyza closer.
     "Looks like a noblewoman from Lorian." Purred another.
     "She isn't dressed like a noblewoman" said the first man, "look at the rags she is wearing."
     "Look at her horse though" the second man said, getting uncomfortably close to Lyza "Looks like a cronian mare. We could get a pretty penny for that in Ornith. Amalia whinnied uncomfortable kicking at the ground with her hoofs. Lyza patted her head soothingly, trying to calm her down. The men were circling now, getting closer and closer to lyza with there serrated daggers pointed at her throte. Lyza was cornered. Just then, Read propelled himself from Lyza's arms, using his tail as a spring. Lyza looked up startled as he sored over one of the mens head. The man swung at read with his dagger, but it only cut threw air as read ran to the nearest tree root and began to franticly chew on the wood. The men were so close to Lyza now that she could feel the heat of there breath. One of the men pressed his dagger rite against Lyza's throte. Amalia reared up on her hind legs, delivering a swift kick to the mans head. The man fell off of his horse and landed hard on the ground. The other men were closing in now, there blades poised. Lyza tried to think of a way out of this. Did she know any magic that would... There was a massive creaking sound  from above. Every one looked up to see the ancient tree above them swayng  dangerously, teetering on  broken roots.
Read slither-walked out from under a root and sprang into Lyza's lap just as the tree came down. With a thunderous crash, It fell straight onto the two men behind Lyza They struggled under it's wait screaming for the third man to help them. The third man wasn't listening as he was already far away. Tearing out of the forest, spurring his horse until it bled. Lyza scooped read up and headed off again, away from the bandits and closer to her destination.