Feyland by Jackson Duckworth [Legends of Serede- Book 1]

Chapter 1

Aesis jumped the large crevice in the ground.  When he landed on the other side, he was tempted to rest, but he knew that the assassin was coming for him.  He grimaced, but kept running through the dense forest.  A crossbow bolt whizzed past his head, slamming into an oak tree next to him.

Aesis risked a glance behind him, and saw the hooded figure only a few yards away, leveling the crossbow at his head.  Aesis knew he'd have to stop and fight the figure eventually.  But not yet.  More adrenaline pumped into him, and Aesis put on more speed.  Another crossbow bolt smashed into the dark earth near his feet, much closer than the last one.

Aesis grabbed hold of the hilt of his sword and pulled it free of its scabbard.  He kept running, dodging large tree roots and the trees themselves.  Then, risking another glance behind him, Aesis suddenly tripped on a root and found himself tumbling into thin air.

He had seconds to admire the beautfiul hills, sparkling blue rivers and lakes, and golden sunset, before he began to fall rapidly.  The world raced past him as he tumbled.  Despite his dizziness, he saw water advancing rapidly.  Releasing his hold on the sword, he curled himself into a ball.  Then, at the last second, he uncurled and dove into the blue lake, his steepled hands piercing the water perfectly.

The water was extremely cold, the first thing Aesis registered as he plunged deep into the lake.  His eyes opened, and he began to struggle to the surface.  When his head broke the surface, he looked up to where he had fallen from.

The robed figure stood at the edge of the cliff, but then turned and walked back into the forest.  Aesis sighed in relief and looked around.

His sword was stuck solid into the ground, which was a short way from where he was now.  He swam through the water and dragged himself onto the ground.  He lay there for a minute letting the fading sunlight soak away the cold.  Eventually he pulled himself to his feet and jerked the sword from the ground.

"Shelter.  I need shelter," he muttered to himself, raising his eyes to the sunset.

He looked around, admiring the beautiful landscape.  The cliff he had fallen from was crescent shaped, encircling three quarters of the valley.  The lake was sparkling crystal clear, and the distinct smell of Spring filled his nose.  Where am I? he wondered.

Then he finally spotted a cave dotted into the cliff, only a little ways from him.  He shivered and sheathed his sword before beginning to walk.  He reached the cave entrance and peered inside.  It was shallow, so he could see the back wall.  Nothing lived in it, otherwise there would be signs of food, or nests of some sort.  It was perfect.  Aesis walked inside, slid to the floor, and fell asleep.

He woke sharply to the sound of hoofbeats.  He drew his sword quietly and crept to the edge of the cave, peeking around the side.

Three horses, decorated with ornate gold armor, trotted past.  Each bore a dark armored knight, who held wickedly sharp, entirely black swords.  They didn't look very friendly.

"Are you sure you sensed one?" a raspy voice said from beneath a golden horned black helmet.

"Smelled one.  Very fresh, too.  Must have just crossed the border," another voice spoke.  He was also wearing a black helmet, but instead of horns, it had a pointed golden spike sticking up from the center.

"Yeah, right," muttered the one with the golden horns.

"Enough!" barked the knight in the center.  He was obviously the leader.  He had a tall golden plume of horse hair coming from his helmet and carried a black shield in his left hand.  The shield had a golden crest in the middle: a pair of wings, with a dagger through the middle like the body of a bird.

Aesis backed away slowly, into the shadows of the cave.  He was careful not to make a sound.  He didn't really want to meet these knights.  He winced as hoof beats clattered onto stone.

"What about the cave?" the one with the raspy voice asked.  Aesis tightened his grip on his sword, preparing to fight.

 "No.  We must move on.  The High Archfield expects us tomorrow.  We do not have time," the leader said.  "Onwards!"

Aesis heard the muttered complaints of the other two riders, but the sound of retreating hoof beats signaled that they were leaving.  He peered outside the cave again, and watched as the three riders spurred their horses into a gallop and took off.  When they disappeared, Aesis sheathed his sword and crawled out of the cave.

He looked to where the riders had gone, just barely able to see the cloud of dust behind them.  They were heading towards the break in the crescent cliffs.  With reluctance, Aesis followed them.  It was, after all, the only exit.

It was around noon when he finally passed through the opening between cliffs.  The horses were long gone by then.  Aesis studied the land around him.  He stood in an open prairie, with few trees around him.  Rivers crisscrossed over the land.  No signs of people.

Aesis sighed.  He was definitely lost.  In all his travels and wanderings, he had never before seen this place.  Who were the knights?  And who was the 'High Archfield'?

But he continued nonetheless.  He traveled until his feet burned and the sun was fading.  He emptied the last bit of water onto his parched lips.  He didn't want to drink any water from the rivers, in case they were unclean or poisoned.

Finally, he saw a small hovel.  Smoke curled from the chimney, and light was shining through the shutters.  It was still quite a ways in the distance, however.  Aesis forced his feet to move forward.  One step at a time.

When he finally reached the hovel, the sky was dark.  Aesis struggled up the cobblestone steps to the door.  He knocked firmly until someone pulled the door open.

"What in carnation is--" a man spoke from the door, but then stopped abrupty.  He took in Aesis' weary face, "Oh, my."

Aesis was too tired to study the man, so he stared instead at the ground.  He vaguely heard voices before he was guided inside the warm hovel and laid down on a bench, layered with thick woven blankets.

"Rest here," Aesis heard a voice say.

He didn't need to be told twice.  He abruptly fell asleep.

When he woke up, he found that he had a blanket over top of him.  The hut smelled of fresh bread.  Aesis pulled the blanket off and looked around.  Cool morning sun shone through the open windows, and the sound of chirping birds filled the air.

A girl was kneeling over a fireplace, her raven black hair falling over a silver shawl, which she wore over a black dress.  She was stirring something that looked like gruel.  Aesis realized how hungry he was, and sat up.  The girl stood up sharply as Aesis knocked over a pail of water that had been at the foot of the bench.  Her shawl fell from her and she clutched at it.  But it was too late.

Wings like a butterfly spread from behind her back, black and veined with sparkling silver.  She blushed, and her wings folded back behind her.  She pulled the shawl back over her dress and ran out of the house, leaving the gruel behind.  Aesis stared after the girl with shock.

The girl was a fairy!