Dark One Rising(106)

“Let’s just stop all this trouble and come with me nice and quiet like.”

“Never!” She spat on him.

He wiped the spittle from his face with his free hand and growled at her, “I should show you how a woman should behave. You would make a nice addition to my household. All spit fire and feistiness. Or maybe I should take my pleasure of you now and be done with it.” He shifted in the saddle as if trying to ease the pressure from between his legs.

“I don’t think Fallon would look to kindly on you despoiling his prize possession.”

The man noticeably shifted now in nervousness at that realization, swallowing absentmindedly. He held on tighter, but she fought hard. He yelled at her, “Enough! Let’s go!”

He yanked one more time and this time pulled her out of her saddle. Holding her by her blouse, he backhanded her across the face. She felt a warm trickle run down her lip. She slipped to the cobbled street, slumping on the hard surface. He dismounted and reached down, grabbing her by the front of her blouse again. She heard it tear under his grip but couldn’t move. She was dazed from the blow and was trying hard to get her wits about her.

He lifted her off the ground and was just about to lift her and himself into the saddle when his grip loosened, and he slumped forward on top of her in a heap. His heavy body was crushing her. She slipped out from underneath him and pushed him away. There was an arrow sticking out of his back. She looked over to the other man she had grappled with earlier. He was lying on the ground now as well, blood pooling under him from the slice to the neck. She was breathing hard and stood from the ground, reaching for the reins of her horse. Galloping footsteps came from around the corner. The guard that had accosted her first was coming toward her. An arrow whistled by her and hit the man square in the throat, tossing him backward in his saddle to the cobbled street. His horse galloped away. She looked around and saw a man riding toward her, his face hooded from view, carrying a bow. A quiver of arrows was slung across his back and a sword hung from a scabbard at his side. He was riding a beautiful all white horse, and as he approached, she could now see his eyes from under the hood.

He kept his vigilance for a moment or two, then stopped his horse in front of her, pulling back his hood. The man was young, or so he looked, with flawless pale skin, and green round eyes. His long deep shiny black hair was pulled back with a simple tie, and his clothes were made from a homespun material in green and tan colors. He wore brown riding boots and had no adornments of any kind. She would’ve thought him ordinary had it not been for the lobeless pointed ears. He was an elf. An elf away from Vallis, inside the cities of the kingdom. He looked down on her with a steady gaze, then put his bow away on his back with his quiver. She stared up at him in surprise but said nothing. She was holding together the torn pieces of her blouse and did not speak to him.

She pulled her gaze away from his when she heard horse clops coming from around the far corner. Another man came into view, this one older, carrying no weapons at all. He approached them both and smiled down at her, her lip still trickling blood down her chin. She reached up and wiped away the blood

“That’s all of them. The other two won’t be waking anytime soon, but when they do, they’ll find themselves cold and damp in the city dungeon, I reckon. I have filed a report with the Constable. There will be someone coming to clean up the mess in short order. I suggest we be on our way and through the gates before they do. I put a spell on him so that he wouldn’t ask too many questions, but it will eventually wear off. We would do well to be on our way before it does.”

She stared at him but didn’t move. He smiled at her again. “It’s lucky we happened to come along, Princess, or you’d be in the hands of Fallon right now.”

“Who are you?”

He climbed down off his mount and bowed to her, the belled sleeves of his robe almost touching the ground.

“I’m Sol, magician and map maker.”

“The Sol? The magician who it’s said lived over a hundred years ago?”

“Yes, well, I age more graceful than most I guess.” He hid an amused smile, then cleared his throat and motioned to the elf still sitting on his horse. “My companion is Tomaz Faolin, High Warrior of Vallis.”

The elf bowed in his saddle to her. “We finally meet after all these years, Princess. It is an honor to be in your presence once again.”

She was confused and looked over at Sol again, questioning in her eyes. “We’ll discuss things in more detail a bit later. Right now, I think it’s best we get you back to Drydon Keep before the king puts out a bounty for you. And you know Alek, he always gets his man.. or woman as the case may be.” He chuckled to himself.