The Girl of Ossetia

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Rushing down the hill was when Arrana caught up to the others with Saelam. She gripped her horse's mane tightly, breathing in sharply as she sat back. Luinil charged somewhat in front of her, her pale hands brandishing a glistening sword she had never noticed before. Across the pit of a hill they rushed, and Saelam glanced behind him before pointing at Arrana.

"Get to the middle, now." He barked, and she obediently spurred and weaved her horse into the middle of the mass. Amongst the snarling breaths and pounding hooves of the horses she dared to glance back at whatever was pursuing them now. Her autumn hair twisted and turned, withholding full sight of what it was, but she got a good idea of what they were as they crested atop the hill.

And she knew them well.

The three beasts thundered down the hill, with their powerful ebony haunches, rabid looking wolf heads raised and snapping their bloodied canines as their masters jerked their heads about. The shadowy looking figures riding atop of their horse wolf beasts whispered in foreign tongues to one another, gaining on them. One raised a familiar bow, and Arrana nervously glanced at Saelam.

As they crested upon another hill, the land flattened out, and was a straightaway to the Forest of Aspura, which loomed still far in the distance. Iasarith turned, drawing her bow and dropping the reins of her horse. As she aimed, one of the most hideous shrieks left her mouth and it was then Arrana realized she had been hit with a long, black arrow. She limply rolled from her horse and was quickly diminishing behind as the others rushed along.

"No!" Arrana shrieked, not hesitating to slip from her horse onto the ground, which she hit fairly hard. The air rushed from her lungs as she stumbled up. She heard her name yelled and glanced back to see Saelam's horse lurch to a sudden stop and whirl around. She turned back to Iasarith, who was writhing painfully on the ground, the black beasts rushing extremely close.

She sprinted to her, breathing angrily, drawing a bow as she stood over the woman, who coughed and splutered, trying desperatly to yank the arrow from her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" She croaked out, looking up at the prodigy girl. "Run, don't wait for me."

"I'm not losing you." She hissed in reply, just as she released an arrow, which zipped through the air. An odd splintering noise occured as it was deflected by the middle rider with his sword. She cursed under her breath, drawing another arrow aiming, firing, again deflected.

"I'm the one who is supposed to be protecting you, remember?" Iasarith burbled out between gasps, her eyes growing hazy.

"Hold on!" Arrana screamed down at her, feeling helpless. The black beasts were now circling them, making hideous noises.

"Stay back!" She roared, unsheathing a small dagger, which gleamed in the moonlight. The rider's let out a hissing, whisper of a cackle from their shadowy faces at her. She barred her teeth, lunging out at one of the beasts, who only snapped at her. She stumbled back, tripping over Iasarith and landing hard on the ground next to her. She winced, watching as one of the dark riders swung their swords down at Iasarith, yet was interfered with a bellow of a cry and a metallic clang. Arrana ducked out of the way, rolling sideways as Saelam lunged and stabbed, succesfully jabbing one of the riders in it's hooded face. It let out a horrendous scream, before imploding into black smoke, the Beast whithering and turning in on itself.

Arrana was so mystified by the fight, she ahd laid stock still and in awe, her eyes following Saelam's every move. It was a mistake, because she suddenly felt something wrap around her neck and jerk her backwards. She let out a horrified and terrified shriek as she was ripped backwards and pulled away, her sight growing dim, air being cut off. She whrithed and kicked, letting out halfhearted screams. Her fingerrs tore at the black chain around her bird-boned neck. She closed her eyes, and Nuae darted frantically back and forth like a jellyfish caught in an angry current. Suddenly air filled her lungs, along with the scream of the beast that was dragging her away. A familiar voice snarled behind her, used in a context she had never heard escape from her mouth before. She had stopped being drug across the ground and she scrambled to turn around, watching as Luinil furiously swung her sword across the rider's neck.

The thing imploded into smoke again, and Arrana breathed in heavily, her eyes fogging with tears. She kicked to her feet, quickly unwrapping the chain from around her neck, shakily exhaling as she wrapped her arms around the centaur, who's heart was hammering in her chest. The girl drew away, feeling warmth on her hands and looked down to see crimson blood on her fingers. She looked up at the woman, her face stern but eyes soft. She raised her arm to show the long, bloodied cut upon her waist.

"It's okay, come on." Luinil breathed, easily whisking the girl up onto her back and charging back at the grouping, where Cav and Ged where swinging the battle axes at the creature who snapped viciously at them. Amundil was kneeled defeatedly next to Iasarith, his face pale. He was running his hand over her bloodied hair, whispering something as he yanked the arrow from her. Arrana winced, and turned her eyes back onto Saelam as he helped take down the last beast and rider.

It grew quiet quickly, and they stood for a moment, staring at the ground, chests heaving long and startled breaths. Saelam looked over at Arrana, his arms covered in crimson. He blinked slowly before letting out a shrill melodic whistle, and within a minute, the horses all came thundering back over the hill.

"We must get her to the Forest, Duager poisons their weapons." Saelam said, striding over to Iasarith, who jerked at his firm touch. He swung her up onto his horse, and Amundil offered to ride with her, his voice wavering. Saelam nodded distantly, and mounted onto Amundil's horse. Arrana turned her eyes down back to the long cut upon Luinil's waist. With a moment's hesitation, she reached to it, placing her cold finger tips upon the pulsating wound. The centaur jumped at her touch, breathing out sharply. Arrana swung down from her back, her hand still on the wound, her eyes steady on the dripping blood.

She exhaled, closing her eyes slowly.

An electric tingle buzzed at her fingertips, and for a moment, Nuae was not in the black expanse. She let out a long breath, and with it, a shock zipped up from the base of her fingertips, up her arm and straight to the back of her neck. She jerked, her lips parting with a breath and eyes flitting open, her fingers drawing away. The blood had dried, and the wound had sealed shut, black poison was running down the girl's fingers. She frantically wiped her hand upon the grass in a dazed manner. She blinked several times, frowning.

Had she really just directly healed someone?

She was always so used to mechanically healing and repairing, the mystery still and always there. She was used to having her soul on auto drive, to do it unconciously, yet had she been able to actually hone her power?

Her mind flickered back to the moment she had been drug under the water by the groping fingers of the black watered river. The shock that had eminated from every inch of her marble skin, it was so familiar.

She shook her head, walking to her horse, watching Iasarith loll about the saddle limply very far ahead. She wanted to heal her too, yet she felt drained. Luinil stared down at her in awe, brushing the hair from her face. A question sat at her lips, even made an effort to be spoken, but died away with the confused knit of her eyebrows and a subtle shake of her head.

Arrana mounted Gunsynd, numbly gathering the reins and heeling him into a walk, leaving behind the blackened ashes of the beasts.