Lucas panted harshley, trying to control his breathing. His head swam with a mixture of pain and questions. He was laying on the floor of his cave with no clue as to how he arrived there. However he was more concerned about his extensive injuries than his escape at the moment. Groaning in pain Lucas pulled himself into a sitting position and examined himself. His entire torso was covered in a mixture of blood and mud, but it was his leg that worried him. The cursed knife was still buried to the hilt in his thigh, with twitching fingers Lucas grasped the wound pressing down on the flow of blood.
His first instinct was to pull the blade free, but he knew that he would bleed out in minutes if he did that, possibly seconds if he snagged his atery. X had apparently avoided it so that Lucas would not die the slow gray death associated with bleeding out. He had intended no soft floating death but the harsh suddenness of losing ones head.
Heart speeding at the memory Lucas tried to shift his thoughts elsewhere, if there was something he didn't need right now it was a faster heart rate. He breathed deeply, or as deeply as his chest would allow, and relaxed his mind. At the moment placidity was a must. Slowly his heart slowed, Lucas needed to find a way to remove the knife safely or he would bleed to death alone in the cave. Trying to ignore the throbbing pain Lucas closed his eyes and began to think.
*~*~*~*
X cleaned the blood off of his robe as best he could then donned it with a flourish. He then rent the clothing of the traitor and ground it into the mud. He couldn't take it back to the village, but he wouldn't leave it here for Lucas to come back and use. Growling angrily at the name X spun around and began his trip home. He knew he should hurry, but he could not face the idea of standing in front of the council and admitting the murderer had gotten away. Especially since he wouldn't have escaped if X hadn't taken the opportunity for revenge.
A large lump appeared in X's throat and he tried to swallow it along with the rest of his grief and guilt. It was't completely Lucas's fault Robin was dead, it was X who agreed to take her into the forest. While she was old enough for patrols, and she would have gone with someone else if he hadn't taken her, X could not help but berate himself for taking her as his companion. He had not trusted anyone else to keep her safe, but in the end it was him who put her in danger. He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain of her loss. All the pain and torment X had tried to inflict on Lucas was nothing compared to what he faced now. Blinking back tears X was suddenly glad Lucas had escaped, it have him the opportunity to capture him again, and create more pain.
Slowly X started to smile, Lucas hadn't truly escaped his judgment day, only delayed it a bit. And made it worse. With that thought X began to run.
*~*~*~*
Lucas dragged himself over to his bookcase, panting he strained to reach a book on the third shelf from the bottom. Luckily it was not higher so Lucas was barely able to reach it. Brushing the edge of the spine with the tips of his fingers Lucas slowly worked the book towards the edge of the shelf, until at last it fell. Sighing in relief Lucas picked up the old manual and allowed it to fall open on his lap.
It was a book of healing, of sorts. Rather than containing herbs and remedies this book held words and gestuers. It was a book of magic, one that Lucas had not looked into as he never planned on using it. But now he poured over the pages, searching for something to help him. It too him hours of reading the tiny cramped script and deciphering the old language before Lucas found a possible solution.
Before beginning he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, feeling light headed. Then he began to chant, waving his hand in two conjoined loops, the symbol for eternity. Warmth flooded his entire being, but the heat concentrated on his leg growing so hot as to be painful. Memories of rising smoke and fire assaulted him, but Lucas continued the spell. He uttered the last word then released the power flowing through him. Beside him was a clean blade, his leg had healed, now marred only with a scar.
*~*~*~*
X arrived back in the village as the evening sun became the early moon. He ignored the silent elves slipping between houses striding directly to the council hall. Four great oak trees had grown together in a square, so when the elves had moved to this home a millennium ago they had used magic to meld the four trunks into one, creating a warm safe space inside. Since that ancient time terrible accidents had led to the ban of magic, but vestiges remained in the form of this building and others.
X slipped in the side door, a small crack in the bark, and walked down a smooth hall. At the center of the great oaks the three council members met. Else, Megan, and Ourobus. The three had lead the village for as long as anyone could remember, ancient and all-knowing they seemed. But X knew better, as the only member of the guard in the village he was privy to the secret discussions and fears shared between the three.
Upon arrival he knocked on the thick door separating the council chambers from the open halls. Swiftly the door was pulled inward allowing his access. X stepped inside the small room and stood before the three figures judging him from above.
The high benches allowed the three to look down on all who entered and decide their fate, or hear their statements. X wasted no time on formalities, he glared at the lower elf who had opened the door until he took the hint and let himself out. Then X turned to the three and began his story. He had burned the tree without permission and that he freely admitted, but X withheld the story of Lucas's capture choosing to only convey a brief moment of custody then a wound in the leg during Lucas's escape.
The council listened in silence, each frowning. Then as X concluded his explanation for his actions Ourobus spoke.
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A/N
So what do you think Ourobus is going to say? How did Lucas escape? What's going to happen next? Please leave questions and comments, and tell your friends about my book :)
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Elves of Wood and Storm (Book one of The Guardians series)
FantasíaI've been penning this story during my boring class periods, so I doubt I will update often. But for when I do this is the story of Lucas outcast among elves, and his tale of revenge. P.S. With the way it's going this will end up as a sort of preque...
