Defying Equilibrium: Book II

Chapter 14: Spared

Four black symbols,in a line on his chest. Tattooed onto his bare flesh. Put together that way, by a skilled magic user with a good grasp of Terea, and they rendered him impervious to any offensive magic. Mayard would have sworn out loud, if he'd had time.

Mayard hesitated for the barest of seconds when his eyes fell upon the tattooed marks on the captain's chest. Terea, magic in its written form. An ancient art, one long forgotten and seldom taught. He was the only man he knew of who knew how to write them. So how was it that this unknown swordsman came to bear these marks? Just who was he? And Mayard had never seen Terea used this way, drawn onto living flesh instead of inanimate objects. And did this mean that there were others out therewith these tattoos?

All these thoughts occurred within a fraction of a second, however, because they were still fighting. Chase still held a sword in his right hand, and he was swinging it downwards. And Mayard was still on the ground. Time to get up.

Mayard rolled and Chase's sword narrowly missed him, and in seconds he was on his feet again, knives in hand.

But how could he defeat the captain without magic? He was no stranger to combat, obviously, but as the fight went on he came to realise that the captain was stronger. He almost laughed. His skills must have gotten rusty after all the time he spent in the forges, rather than the outside world. In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd killed someone. Or faced anyone as skilled as the captain. Yes, it was clear to him now that he was outclassed.

Chase's sword swung, and opened up a gash across his left shoulder. The cut on his side was burning, as was the deep laceration on his leg. His strength was fading, and his knife swings became more haphazard and desperate.If he was going to lose to this man, he sure as hell wouldn't let the captain leave unscathed. No, he would try his hardest to drag the captain to hell with him.

"Essie! Over here!"

As soon as they exited out the hidden back entrance, there was a wagon waiting for them. Two great, grey horses were led by an old man atop it, and he called and waved them over.

Essie broke into a grin, glad for the familiar face. "Lex, good timing."

They began to pile into the wagon. It wasn't the most spacious of vehicles, with barely enough room for them all to sit, but that was the least of their concerns at the current moment. The horses whinnied and snorted, eager to get moving. They clearly could sense the mood of the place,the wrongness of it. Dakora knew how they felt, she had felt the exact same way when they'd arrived, and felt the same now as well.She couldn't wait to get the hell out of there.

The old man lifted his cap to them. "Nice to meet ya. They call me Lex, and y'all can call me that too. I'm just the driver, just an innocent old man. I know absolutely nothing about whatever unsavoury activities you happen to be planning." He winked.

Essie snorted. "That's a good one, Lex. Make sure to tell 'em that when they come to find us."

He smirked. "I plan to."

Ahmed nodded, ever sombre. "We truly appreciate what you're doing for us."

The old man shrugged. "Don't thank me. I got orders too."

Essie's good mood faded when she glanced around, and did not see her cousin. The smile fell from her face. "Lex, where the hell is Chase? He was supposed to meet us here. He should be here by now."

Lex frowned. "He should have been here a long time ago, actually. I don't know what's keeping him."

Essie glanced back at the gate. "I hope he's alright."