For Her

9. Hunt

The wind rustled softly against the brush, testing the patience of three men as they sped through the even roads, for the last few days. Barely stopping for break, Elliot Karon glanced back as the sun remained high but soon would disappear in the distance. Night would fall for the fourth time.

If luck would have it, they would encounter the Lord and the other Remdragon Knights soon. They'd at least be slowly heading back East to Anatol. Elliot could only hope, grimacing darkly. Otherwise, the situation was at least in this direction. The bandits tracks had led West but on ground where after days it faded away and was impossible to follow. Elliot would've loved nothing more than to run into the bandits and get the Lady out and safe but he was unsure of how many there would be not to mention the lady would be in the middle. But they would save her no matter what.

Garrow's eyes faltered as he glanced around with a brazen glare, pulling his horse to a stop and Elliot and Sir Edo came to a stop with him.

"What is it?"

"I hear something." Everyone clamped their mouths shut, allowing the world to grow closer to them as they listened as best as they could.

There!

Horses.

Elliot glanced at Garrow with a heavy frown.

Either it's the Lord and the troops. Or it was the Livadon thieves. Elliot was kind of praying for the latter but he doubted it as he remembered the ransom letter in his sack. Elliot reached into his pocket, pulling out a thin silver whistle and blowing on it once and they waited. If it was thieves, they'd be moving fast now-

A whistle suddenly blew back at them!

"Shit!" Elliot cursed but also relieved that they found the other Remdragon's quickly. They only had days to get to the destination needed to be at. But Elliot felt fearful at the rising situation and with how the commander would react to news.

Those bastards are fucking dead!

---

Riftan stopped short, glancing back with a fierce frown as his ears spiked at the high pitched whistle. The other's tensed, glancing back and Riftan swept his gaze through his men, counting heads and frowned. "We're all here." Riftan muttered darkly.

"Yes sir. But that is our code."

Another whistle blew through the air, somewhere still in the woods, maybe halfway reaching them. The whistle was sharp and short the first then longer the second that trailed off. Immediate reactions. Riftan tensed and Uslin pulled out his whistle, blowing into it with a sharp burst followed by a longer sharp one. Another one followed distantly.

They were coming.

It was other Remdragons but why were they here?

Riftan hated the immediate black ball that settled on his chest but the horses grumped at standing around and then distantly they could hear the sounds of horse beats on the ground - three horses and finally three Remdragon atop horses burst through the forest, slowing down as they reached the Remdragon knights.

"Oh boy." Hebaron muttered, glancing at Riftan warily. "I don't think this is good." No it wouldn't be. Elliot Karon, Garrow Livakion and Aren Edo, three knights who were supposed to be in Anatol and Elliot was supposed to be in charge of the hold. Riftan felt his every being tense. Nothing good can come from this! For the love of god-

"Commander!" Sir Karon nodded his head quickly as he climbed off his horse and the others settled their horses while in open grounds for a quick break. But the tension was prominent in the three knights who had chased them down.

"Why are you here?" Riftan's voice was calm and collected but everything instinct was on edge. Nothing bad will happen. It couldn't have-

"Commander." Elliot seemed tense and nervous but reaching into his pack as he spoke evenly and clearly as he could. "Anatol was breached six days ago. by Rob Midahas." Riftan blinked, his brows furrowing as he recalled the sneering quivering coward who shook at his lethal gaze. Who had tried to attack his home, his people, his wife-

"What? Seriously!"

"How did that happen?" Uslin snapped.

"Some guards on duty were attacked late evening, thieves came in. But they brought a cart, and they had werewolves-"

"WHAT?" Hebaron gaped as Riftan tensed further, his stomach tightening at the thought of such calamity that could've happened to the people in the town. So close together and unprepared! No one would've seen such a thing happening-

"The cart was brought to the castle gates and opened so the werewolves only attacked inside the castle walls."

Everything went stark cold in Riftan's head as his hands tightened, the image of werewolves, their bloody saliva, massive fangs, burning bloodthirsty eyes as they snarled and tore apart anything alive in their path-

"It was a distraction, commander." Garrow Livakion finished tightly as Elliot handed a rolled up scroll to Riftan. "A distraction to..." Garrow swallowed nervously. "To kidnap Lady Calypse and leave a ransom note."

Hebaron instinctively stepped back from the Commander who only reached for the letter, nothing changing in his posture which was far more frightening as the commander slowly unrolled the letter, head lowered as he read through it. Hebaron shivered as the sunshine seemed to fade and grow cold and he shuddered but anger sparked in his chest.

The Lady of Anatol had been kidnapped...Some bastards just signed their death warrant. Or worse.

"They must've scoped out the city captain, for a while with the plan."

"The treasury," Uslin muttered darkly. "They were after that last time and-"

"Some was taken and broken into. We lost one man who died to protect it and the Lady but-"

"The gold," Everyone tensed as Riftan spoke softly, his whole body to the untrained eye appeared calm and fine but his armour appeared taut and tense. The only outward sign of the simmering fury was the slight quiver of the parchment grasped in his hands. Riftan slowly rolled the scroll back up, his voice chillingly even and collected. "The money, is of no concern to me. Better yet, let them keep it."

Riftan tilted his head slightly, dark locks shadowing over his face as he a dead smile crossed his face and bloodlust burned within black onyx. A terrible shudder passed over the men but many of them didn't dare say anything, feeling the cold hit them as anger burned within them all at the situation. Riftan pulled Talon's reigns, climbing atop his stallion as faced the world as it narrowed in one direction. Everything could've turned to blazing frost at first glance.

"For they will need the money to cross the Stemnu river once I send them there."