Fan Fiction ❯ Skyhawke ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

3-
stared into the flickering campfire, brooding on her journey so far. Maybe that's all it was, a journey. She had set out intent on finding excitement and adventure, and so far, all she had were sore feet.

"Is everything okay?" Sachi asked from where she was perched on Morgan's shoulder. "You're very quiet."
shook herself, "Sorry, just thinking."

"Well keep it down." Maarkiss called from where he was resting in a tree, of all places, "I'm trying to sleep."

"I know!" Sachi exclaimed suddenly, "How about I tell a story?"

"How about you don't." Maarkiss grunted.
her grumpy companion Sachi stared into the fire and began her story, "It is said among the fey races that long ago, in a time of chaos and madness, the Elements convened to discuss a solution."

"Does it involve your silence?" Maarkiss grumbled.
again ignoring him Sachi continued, "Man had figured out how to bend elemental energy to their will, a study they named magic. Unfortunately, the magici, as they were called then, used the magic without restraint, disrupting the equilibrium of the elements. Forests were burned, oceans dried up, mountains moved, the dead raised"

"Ridiculously long legends told"
not paying him any mind, Sachi continued gazing at the fire, "If the magici managed to unlock the secrets of Time magic, they could rend the very fabric of existence. Unable to directly interfere in the physical world, the Elements decided to create agents of their will."

"The Guardians." Maarkiss said softly, now caught in the story.

"Yes, the Guardians. The Elements created nine Guardians and imbued them with power to stop the magici. The Guardians waged war on the magici, whose primitive magic was no match for the Guardians' overwhelming power. Fearing the resurfacing of the magici, the Elements made the Guardians of Time, Life, and Death, the elements with the most delicate balance, immortal. Instead of letting the other Guardians pass into the plane of Death, they were placed in a cycle of rebirth.

"Today, the Guardians still exist, and contrary to popular belief, all nine of the Guardians exist, although only the sisters acknowledge their power publicly."
sisters. Morgan'd heard stories about the three Guardian sisters. Genesis, Guardian of Life, presided over the Nine Towers, an establishment on Guardian Isle that educated new magi and functioned as the center point of the magical community. Avarice, Guardian of Death, represented the Towers on the Caitrin Council, a group of advisors to the King. Chronia, Guardian of Time, wandered around the Caitrin Kingdom. Her duties and whereabouts were unknown.
suddenly realized his fascination with the legend and scowled suddenly, "That's real nice and all, but I'm going to sleep. G'night!" He snapped his feline eyes shut and relaxed in the crook of the tree. Sachi smiled at Morgan and fluttered over to a patch of clover and succumbed to slumber herself. Morgan unrolled her bedroll and kicked dirt onto the fire, falling asleep in the darkness.


"Bandits!!"
lurched up from her bedroll at the base of the tree, shaking the morning haze from her head and looked around.
suddenly dropped out of the tree and landed in front of her. Morgan's eyes went wide as his feline visage filled up her vision.
alighted on her shoulder, "Bandits coming down the hill there." She pointed to the next steep hill ahead of them.

"How many?" Morgan asked as she clambered to her feet, wincing. Her legs were stiff from climbing that hill yesterday.
stared to the north at what looked like a smudge on the hill to Morgan, "Eight mounted men, mostly studded leather armor, really rough looking. They're ambushing a couple of travelers."
looked at the smudge dubiously, but took his word for it. She grabbed Tempest from under her bedroll and slung it on her back.

"We're going to help?" Sachi asked, with more than a little incredulity.

"Of course." Morgan replied at the same time Maarkiss answered, "Why should we?"
blinked at Morgan, "We're helping??" he blurted. In reply, Morgan took off toward the conflict with Sachi clinging to her shoulder. Maarkiss swore under his breath and bounded after them.

clutched desperately to Morgan's tunic, "Sl-o-o-ow d-d-down!" Sachi cried as she jounced along.

"If you know a faster way to move, then feel free." Morgan gasped in between breaths. She felt her heart sink into her stomach as curling gusts of wind lifted her from the ground and she began to speed forward.
she looked a Sachi.

"Fey magic." Sachi explained.

winds set Morgan down gently a little ways away from the skirmish. She drew Tempest and leaped into the fray, intent on plowing her way to the travelers in the center. The two were women, she realized, and were holding their own against four times their number.
her shoulder, Sachi cast about them with her magic. The ambushers found themselves tangled up in clinging vines, blinded by flashes of light, and scorched by well-placed fireballs.
Morgan reached the core of the battle, she saw that the two women were not only holding their own, they seemed to be getting bored with the battle. One of them expertly wielded a sword, while the other used twin daggers with equal ease. The sword-wielder acknowledged her with a nod and the two of them shifted to allow her to put her back against theirs.
choked cry came from the edge of the skirmish as one bandit stiffened and fell limp, clutching his bleeding throat. Morgan gaped as Maarkiss absently flicked blood from his claws as he selected a new target. Staring with morbid fascination, Morgan watched the blood soak into the dirt.

"Hey kid!" The sword-wielder tossed over her shoulder, "Don't stand there gapin' like a dead fish, fight!" Morgan tore her eyes away from the corpse and set her mind on the bandits around her, or tried to anyway. She couldn't help but to think of the dying man a few feet away

"Aww! C'mon, you guys are running already!? I was havin' fun." The sword-wielder crowed suddenly. Morgan snapped out of her thoughts to see that the bandits were running away, back up the hill they came from. Morgan let her sword drop, suddenly exhausted.

"Nice of you guys to want to help out. Name's Fierna of Venkelos." Fierna said as she sheathed her sword. Fierna was tall for a woman, with close-cropped red hair that curled around her ears. Two amber eyes dominated her strong features. Her tanned complexion was typical of the desert province of Venkelos.

"And I am Rilla of Agrive." Rilla was a sharp contrast to her companion. She was shorter than Fierna, but her willowy build gave her the illusion of height. Her pale blonde hair was pulled back into a neat bun, except for the two shoulder-length locks that framed her delicate-featured face. She possessed a pair of wide pale blue eyes and a pale complexion. Morgan was a little astonished at Rilla's lack of color, but people from the forest province of Agrive were said to be pale.

"Maarkiss of the Sunset Isles." Maarkiss murmured at he picked over the corpses for anything useful.

"Sachi of Pikette." Sachi chirped from Morgan's shoulder.
wondered briefly why Fierna and Rilla didn't offer their last names, then decided to follow suite. "Morgan of Tirre."

"Tirre?" Fierna asked a little doubtfully, "You don't look Tirrish" Tirrish people were known for their curly hair. Morgan ran a hand through her thick auburn hair. "This is where I was raised."
shrugged, "I'll take your word for it. Where're you guys headed?"
hesitated; she had no idea who these two were Rilla noticed the hesitation and smiled, "Don't worry, my friend and I are headed north, to the lake. We would like some company."
considered. The two seemed to be really good in a fight, and Morgan had no doubt that she was going to come across more hostile parties "We're going to the lake as well."

Fierna smiled broadly, Morgan wondered if Fierna knew something she didn't