Kingdom of Zuland, The South Border, Present day.
The morning came quicker than expected as sunlight climbed up the east horizon. The night's heavy rain was replaced by soft winds and trickles of water. The horse's heavy breaths grew louder by the second.
Xeto felt a pin of guilt pierce his thoughts. The poor creature had galloped all night. "It's ok, girl," he said as he patted the horse's neck. "We can stop right up ahead." He focused on the upcoming view.
The path before now was mainly open fields which had no signs of the hawk or the demon. That only meant it made it farther than he predicted. In front of him was another collection of trees, though not enough to be called a forest. Far behind that was some sort of large castle or fortress that stood high above its neighbors.
"Whoa," Xeto said gently.
The mare slowed and shook her head.
He threw his legs off the horse and landed in the soaked grass. His hair stuck to his forehead which further irked him. "Come on, girl." He took the reigns and led the parched mare to a nearby flooded ditch. The area around him was full of numerous trenches and inclines that were also flooded, creating impromptu rivers and ponds.
The mare flicked her tail as she lapped the rainwater.
"That's it. Drink up." He clicked his tongue. "I used to have a horse like you back at the outpost."
She raised her head and rubbed against him.
Xeto shivered with the bite of the cold, the rage that had kept him warm until now dimmed. He ran his hand across her drenched mane. "His name was THUN." He paused for a second. "It's elven tongue. Thoon, it means sun. What if I give you a name seeing as I don't know your old one?" He rubbed at his chin as he attempted to remember the elven dialect. "Does URUN fit? It means moon."
She snorted before continuing to lap the water.
"Don't like it, huh?" Speaking with a horse…how trivial. The candlelight of anger did little to warm him as he gritted his teeth. Damn Zuland. Resorting to using demons for warfare. They must have been in control of the one at the inn too. "Come on." He tugged at Urun's reigns and led her through the maze of mud and water. Zuland was responsible for endangering Rebecca at the inn, killing Anaria's friend, hurting Alzac. It was his turn to take one of theirs. By tomorrow night Rebecca would have made it back to Taloz and warned him about Zuland. Taloz would send word to the capital and then they would mobilize the troops. What followed would be…war. No doubt, Zuland would retaliate and make use of its new weapon. Necromancy aura, a power capable of raising the dead. He thought it a folktale until he witnessed the two monstrosities firsthand. How many of them did they have at their disposal? Focus. That doesn't matter, what matters is that they'll have one less after I kill this cobalt-armored bastard.
Urun neighed aloud as they reached a stone bridge.
A large ravine split the land like a large black scar across the grass floor. Water flowed into the large gash only to be swallowed by the darkness below. The bridge appeared to be the only way forward though its appearance betrayed its reliability as algae and moss painted almost every inch of the structure.
"Alright, girl…" He tugged gently on her reins as he took the first step. He made his way slowly up the bridge. They reached the center which had large slabs missing from both ends. He gulped hard as he continued, making sure not to look down. Suddenly there was a vibration below him. Shit! He gripped the reins harder as knew what followed.
Urun must have known as well as she brayed aloud and jolted back.
Xeto released her reins, allowing her to get back to solid ground. He felt another vibration as gravity fed more of the bridge to the gulch. His heart raced as he ran across what remained of the bridge but he wouldn't make it unless— Instinct took over as he leapt for the edge of the cliff. Water and mud splashed on his face as he landed on his side. He turned just in time to see the final stones fall to into the pit.
What followed was a thunderous crash as the bridge reached the gullet of the ravine.
Urun whinnied as she kicked at nothing and spun in a panic at the opposite end. She stood on her hind legs then quickly ran back through the tree line.
"Fuck!" cursed Xeto as he slammed his fist into the mud. Droplets of sweat and water combined as they dripped off the tip as his nose. His labored breathing slowed alongside his heart. He was safe, yes, but now without a mount miles away from the Loradel border. Thoughts of failure flooded his mind but for second. He stood up, empowered by the anger of his misfortune. It seemed fate was against him, but it would take a lot more than fate to stop him. He glared at the fortress before him. There was no turning back now. He suddenly felt a pain at his neck. He reached up and pulled out a what looked like— No… In his shaking hand was a thin dart. One side honed to the point and the other decorated with a brown feather.
The ground below him began to melt and turn into a soup of brown and green. The cold that had plagued him until now was gone.
He fell to his knees, his hands now in the blend of grass and dirt. Water continued to drip off his skin, though he could no longer feel the rain as his hands went numb. Shortly after, every part of his body was devoid of any sensation followed by a wave of fatigue. The darkness that ingulfed his vision urged him to close his eyes. The idea felt soothing as he placed his head on a bed of rocks and closed his eyes.