The Lost Artifact of Sira

Chapter 20 - Fallen Wildlings

      The scouts move closer to the house. Lyra leads them by heading towards cover of trees, behind the house where no elves can see.
Ward trails behind, not saying a word. But as soon as they hide, Ward gathers their attention.
     "Village. Follow." Ward gained his strength to form those words. He arched his back as he ran with his hood upon his head, hiding him easily within the trees.
    Lyra, Eden, and Emphoria followed behind but were slightly slower as they might have been caught by the scouts.
    Successfully, they are met at the river.
    The river flows loudly, hiding their panting and loud footsteps upon the rocks.
Ward stiffens but continues towards his village. All reoccurring events flash through his mind.
He checks behind him and nods gently whenever met with large grass huts.
The village lies abandoned or at least seems like so. It's too quiet that the river that lays a mile or so away had been loud.
The largest hut within the middle of the village has torches lit in front of it with a couple of horses in front.
Lyra stammers as she examines the horse's armor more thoroughly.
"EverGlade. That's - that's his horse." Lyra is speechless.
Stray bodies of Ward's kind, wildling's, rot under the sun. Archers stand guard around the largest hut.
"Holy shit kid. You weren't kidding." Emphoria the tension was high between them all. Death had been done by these elves. These elves are from their kingdom.
Not much can be done with authority, Lyra knew.
But this isn't right.

Suddenly, a familiar prince waltz's into the largest hut. Everyone watches quietly within a trees shade and hidden from the guards that stand around this lonesome village.
Ward moves his head and examines his mother's body farther within the field. His hands and body start to shake with sadness.
Eden gently taps his shoulder. "Death isn't kind, I'm sorry you had to meet him at such a young part of your life." Eden whispered and bends down to him.
Ward holds his face as he sobs.
Lyra and Emphoria study Ward as he cries underneath his hood. Emphoria looks away with guilt, accusing him of lying had been awful. While Lyra felt her heart break slightly.

The loss of a loved one. Lyra sighed.

More movement within the grass village made the elves head turn. A different face left the large hut.
"Hallow." Lyra spoke.

The elves watched as Hallow snaps his neck towards a sound and draws his sword.
"Someone killed an archer and took their bow." Eden rang in.
Lyra and Emphoria nodded their heads as they kept watching Hallow's movements up the wall to discover a dead elf.
    Hallow calls for Luka. Luka comes out of the hut from where he entered.
     "There! In the trees!" Emphoria points out and sees a fast figure run from branch to branch with a bow in their hand.
    "This looks familiar." Lyra raised her brow, thinking back to whenever they first met Orion.

     His figure was menacing and crouched within a tree above them, an assassin ready to attack. Yet, this assassin turned out to become her friend.

   A friend that meant something to her.

   He made her laugh. He made her feel the joy she hadn't felt in almost the entire time she spent her life in EverGlade.

    Orion had meant a lot.

   That is in the past. Orion isn't who he seems, Lyra kept in mind and frowned greatly before being forced out of her thoughts by a screeching elf. This elf had been the new squire of Hallow.
  The scouts filed behind him as the squire yells, "I've found them!"
   Emphoria grabs Eden's wrist  immediately. Ward hadn't moved, including Lyra.
    Lyra was too focused on her thoughts for a second before reaching for Ward's small hand and running with him within the field. "Close your eyes if you need." Lyra muttered as she kept running and catching up with Emphoria and Eden.
   Luka and Hallow caught on fairly quickly as the scouts chased after them all. They all appeared within the clearing of the broad field.

"What's the call, Luka?" Hallow was ready to receive orders from him.

Luka forced the bow from an archers hand and an arrow.

"Stay out of my way and watch the fire burn out from this pyro's eyes." Luka manually aimed his bow.

  Hallow inhaled as he realized Lyra's form was running across the field with the brunette witch.

  Hallow snapped, but not in the way he thought he would be.

  "No." Hallow threw himself upon Luka, making them fall upon the ground.

   But, to Hallow's misfortune, the arrow had been flying in the air.

  The arrow penetrates Hallow's squire's chest. The squire falls and bleeds out perfectly. Lyra looked back, but continued running as she saw the new squire die upon the field's tall grass.

  The archers under Luka's command pried Hallow off of Luka. Luka squawked with disappointment.

  "You will not be serving with my kingdom no more! Traitor!" Luka screamed. The archers formed a stance around Hallow.

  The horses standing in front of the large hut became spooked and broke their bonds from their posts.

  They both run off into the forest.

  "Shit. This is your fault! You scum!" Luka called Hallow. 
   "Strip him of his belongings. We send him into the forest." Luka ordered the archers/guards.

   They did so.

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Emphoria and Eden hit the forest with Lyra and Ward following behind, sprinting as fast as they can through the thick woods.
   The scouts had continued to chase them but stomping hooves had been louder than them. Horses run along side Emphoria and Eden, with Lyra and Ward falling behind.
Eden noticed their presence and summoned her moon's force. Suddenly, the horse's eyes glowed a bright essence. Instead of their body language, while they ran, was unsteady, within the essence these horses came up to them with ease. Everyone stopped and watched as Emphoria and Eden climbed upon one, riding off father into the forest and into another clearing.
The other horse stands before Lyra and Ward.
"Not hungry." Ward blurts. Lura shakes her head and climbs on top of the horse. Lyra places out her hand towards Ward. Ward shakes his head. "I run." Ward started to sprint behind Emphoria and Eden. Ward has no where to go. He can easily part on his own way from now on.

Suddenly the branches above Lyra had parted and broke, slightly spooking the horse.
Lyra covers her face from being hit by a stray branch and leaves.
"Shit shit!" A voice rings. Suddenly, a person sits behind Lyra.
Lyra turns her head quickly and is met with familiar green eyes, squinting with pain. "Go." Orion holds his private region as he had hit it upon impact upon the horse.
"Orion?!" Lyra yelled. "You're still here?!"

She couldn't have sworn her heart skipped a beat. To reasons unknown to her.
Orion slightly laughed in pain. He leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder. "Just go." Orion kept a painful smile. He had felt his own heart beat, with a slight red flashing within his neck.
Hooded men watched from the trees, hiding themselves but starting to speak their tongue they did once before.
Lyra patted the horse roughly as she held onto the reins, riding off and after Emphoria and Eden. Ward wasn't in front of them anymore, we was no where to be found as they continued riding.
The scouts came along, intruding the marksmen. The marksmen disappear from the scout's sight, losing them.
   The scouts retreat back to the village. Luka watches as the guards take Hallow into chains and strip him of his sword he recently got back.
   "Never betray the prince of Southernörd!" Luka yells. The scouts stand with their heads high as they are ordered to.
   "I shall call a new companion in the state of battle." Luka kept his chin high.

  "Lilith will take your place. You've met the lovely demon before, haven't you?" Luka laughed.
  "No." Hallow muttered with pain as the guards kept him down.
   "It will be a pleasant introduction." Luka rings happily.
   "Messenger! Call her forth. We will move location more into the forest, after those elves." Luka yelled and ordered everyone. "Scouts. Lead us towards them." He ordered and followed, leaving the fallen village to its disposal.