Chronicles of Aneariia

Chapter 3

Ewell slowly did as he commanded. Meanwhile, she was processing what happened in the pub. A tall, muscular man, obviously quite drunk, held a knife to Catlyn's throat.

Barely a few feet in front of him, Ashlyn was kneeling on the ground. Her hood was pulled down and her eyes showed anger mixed with pain.

At first Ewell didn't understand what had happened to her, but then she noticed the small ice crystals that were spreading down the tall girl's sleeves and the silver bracelet with a light blue stone on the man's wrist.

Ewell finally got the back story. The man had to tap the ice crystal over Ash's hands and now she couldn't move her frozen fingers properly. It was a type of magic stone, common among the non-aristocrat. It has the power to lower the temperature of anything.

"Now give me your money. And nothing's gonna happen to the little miss. Whoever can order two mercenaries won't have deep pockets after all,” he said with a sneer and pressed the knife harder against Caly's neck.

The princess must have been terrified. She was barely breathing and her face was snow white. She looked like she was going to pass out at any moment.

"Ceriva, take the lady's money.” However, no one named Ceriv showed up. "Get the hell out, you little bastard..." But suddenly his voice stopped and the man fell to the ground.

Ewell plucked up the courage to step closer. She knelt in the body and placed two fingers on the man's carotid artery, but she felt no pulse.

"How" she asked herself quietly. She haven’t seen anyone use the magic crystals. Mist magic, she thought instantly. She pulled off the man's bracelet with three Serenites - ice crystals, about the size of a pinky link.

She dusted off her pants and got up to help Ash with Caly. But the tall girl took the unconscious princess in her arms and carried her to the stables, as if the princess weighed no more than a small child. She actually was really light.

Meron led the horses out of the stables. Ash put the still slightly shocked, but at least awaken Caly on the horse and sat behind her herself so she could support her at any time.

Ewell and Meron also jumped into their saddles and set off towards the small town of Ford.

However, the horses of the princess and her protector were not very persistent.

An impoverished breed that could be afforded by poorer people and not just the nobility. It was part of their disguise. Meron as a blacksmith, Ash was his wife and Catlyn his daughter, Ewellerei then a cheap mercenary hired to protect them.

This way they did not attract unwanted attention, but their journey took longer. They had to stop several times to let the horses breathe and drink.

During one such break, Ewell plucked up the courage and while Meron tended to the horses and the princess slept, she came over to Ashlyn. The guardwoman was massaging with ointment, the injured area made by the ice crystal. It was a wonder she had no frostbites after such an attack.

"What happened in the pub," Ewell began timidly, "do you think it was a mist magic? " Ashlyn looked at her in a bit of surprise, but said nothing. So Ewell continued. "No one was close enough to use any crystal and night magic would move the darkness or reveal the shadow of a lost soul."

Ash remained silent for a moment as if she was thinking. She then sighed. "Have you ever seen Mist magic in practice?" she asked with a serious expression.

"At the castle, I learned and practiced how to fight an attacker with mist magic.”

"There's a big difference between words written on paper and tentacles trapping your mind and sending your own body against you," Ash took a breath. ,,True mist magic envelops the victim in a fine, icy mist.
You can't tell from a distance, but if you're close enough, you can feel the cold, you can see how the victim's mind is trying to break free from its impenetrable shackles. The mist feeds on his mind. When it is strong enough, it can force the brain to stop working.

I was close enough to see that it wasn't the magic that killed him,” she paused, giving Ewell space to process the information.

"Then it could have been poison. But that is…”

Ashlyn nodded and put on a thoughtful expression. "That’s most likely what happened. These poachers, I'm sure it's one of them, are incredibly skilled at what they do. Even anti-venom crystals won't protect you from them. They will poison you and disappear before you die. There is one of them that I swear, he is especially annoying to chase.”

"Aren't most of them dead?"

The guard shook her head. "It is true that a special unit once hunted them, but they were far from finding all of them. Even before I became Catlyn's bodyguard, I had the honor of meeting the one who earned the nickname Messenger of Death. I chased after him for half a year, but I didn't get a step closer to him while he killed most of my party.

Killing a person and not leaving a trace is good for these predators," she snorted. "Anyway, as long as the princess is okay, it's my job to protect her and not worry about the death of a thug, especially the one who dares lay a hand on a princess."

"The horses are ready, Miss Ashlyn," Meron approached them. Ash nodded, brushing off her pants and helping the princess mount before jumping into the saddle herself.

Ewell and Meron followed them, bound for the last stop of the day.

***

Ewell sat comfortably in her chair. Darkness fell moments before they reached the town of the Ford’s inn. Luckily, Ash was able to find this secluded building and ordered a hot meal and two rooms there.

The four enjoyed their dinner while the innkeeper told old folk tales and legends. One of them particularly caught Ewell's interest.

Forest of Lost Souls. The rumor told of demons who would take any unfortunate who came near their territory. If only it were a children's story, Ewell sighed to herself. She couldn't underestimate the fact that people really went missing there without a trace, sometimes even the search parties that went to look for them.

Allegedly, the lucky ones who made it out alive soon died, either going insane and committing suicide, or succumbing to multiple stab wounds and burns. Not even the royal family escaped misfortune.

It happened five years ago, it was also the first recorded accident. The entire escort, including the princess, disappeared for a month, only for half to return home and still without their protégé.

Ewell shook her head. She knew that many situations were exaggerated. There were still traders who were mostly able to get through the forest without much harm. Plus, they still weren't going through the forest for a few days, and Ewell believed that Ash knew what she was doing when he wanted to go through this dangerous area.

A sudden chill ran down the girl’s spine. Something, or someone, was watching them here. She intuitively felt which way the observer was sitting.

She caught Ashlyn’s gaze and looked her straight in the eyes. Hands folded over her chest, Ashlyn said nothing, but tapped her arms with her fingers: OBSERVER-GET-CATHLYN-SAFE. A casual passer-by would think it was pointless tapping, but it was a military finger code known only to higher-ranking armorers. Which meant that even Meron understood the message. All three knew how to act.

Ewell finally finished her meel and took the princess upstairs to their rented room, leaving the situation to Ash and Meron to handle.

A/n's note:
I'm sorry that I forgot to update the chapter yesterday. So here it is. Somehow i started working on a new book, know i wont finish it but i like the plot. Anyway I'll keep working on this.

Word count: 1319
Date: 2/4/2023
Status: Edited