Escape From Evil

Chapter Five

Tide stepped over a fallen branch and he cut his eyes to the side, searching for any enemies. He was a skilled warrior and he knew the High Forest better than anything else. There wasn't a single Amazon warrior that could layout the entire High Forest like he could, and if he'd ever wanted to disappear, not a single person would be able to track him. Not even the Hunters - the best the Amazons had in their ranks - would be able to track him. However, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, and in fact, he intended to die as an Amazon warrior in the village or in defense of it.

He held his greatsword tightly in his right hand as he walked, moving carefully so as not to disturb any of the snakes that were nearby. He had detailed in his mind where all the snake dens were, and just in case, he had each man carry a snake anti-venom kit on him just in case. The only reason that he even still had his greatsword out was because of the Demon at his back guarded by the Forest Guard. With that thought in mind, he stepped to the side as he walked and he cut his eyes to look upon the Demon out of the corner of his eye.

He had called himself Acheron, but from what he knew of Demons, they were nothing like Humans. In fact, the skin that he wore now was just a cover for something far uglier and far more deadly. Demons were evil, plain and simple. There was no shade of grey when it came to Demons, just evil. They killed, they brutalized, and they destroyed. That was all they were good for and he knew it.

So why was it that this Demon had managed to get under his skin so easily?

The Guard Captain tore his eyes away from the Demon and he turned his gaze towards the horizon. He couldn't afford those kinds of thoughts. Those kind of thoughts got good people killed and he wasn't going to be one of those people. He had been trained by the best and he'd risen through the ranks of the Forest Guard through his own merits. There were those that whispered about favoritism of course, but he'd ignored them because he knew that it wasn't true. He'd had to work just as hard as any man - maybe even harder - because of who he was and who his mother was.

The Amazon sighed and he lifted his sword, resting it on his shoulder. He looked up ahead and he saw the beginning of the incline that would lead him over the hill. On the other side of the hill was the Amazon village and that was where he was taking the Demon. His mother probably wouldn't be too happy about him bringing a Demon into the village where just about anything could happen. He didn't know what was going to happen when they got to the village, but for some reason, he felt that he didn't have to worry about the Demon doing anything.

He didn't know why, but he trusted that the Demon wouldn't do anything stupid. After all, the Demon could easily break through the vines and kill them all, that he had no doubt about. However, the Demon had gone willingly and had even allowed them to take his broadsword. No Demon would allow something like that to happen unless they really didn't mean any harm and he trusted that, though he didn't know why. There was no reason for him to trust the Demon, but he did and that was all that mattered. After all, the Demon had helped them in the battle and he'd seen the skills that he possessed. He was way too powerful and skilled with his blade for them to handle if it came down to it.

Tide reached the top of the hill and he looked down into the valley below. There was a clearing there where the tree branches parted and allowed some sunlight through. The Amazon village was filled with over one hundred homes and every one of them were made out of wood, but they were spread out in a weird tableaux. There were people - men, women, and children - moving around the village, setting to work for the day. It was still rather early in the day and work hadn't even really begun for the day. At the eastern corner of the village, he noted several men holding yew bows and dressed in leather hides getting ready to leave for the day. They were the Hunters, the one's who went out, tracked down animals, and killed them so the village could have meat.