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Battle of the Bloodline

Chapter 5

By Sara AuldsPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 7 min read
3
Battle of the Bloodline
Photo by Casper Johansson on Unsplash

“Okay,” Zane said flatly. “Now that that's over there's something you need to learn.”

He was really getting on my nerves now. We had just lost Logan, and he did not seem to have a care in the world. As if he could not tell I wasn't going to be letting her death go anytime soon, he thinks I should have a lesson. We finally reached an old, rickety barn in the middle of the forest. As if that wasn’t convenient. Zane swung the door open aggressively as if he had been waiting until this moment to take his anger out. He stepped inside for a moment before I heard faint hissing sounds. The curiosity got the best of me. I poked my head in. The overwhelming musty smell of sitting wet wood wandered into my nostrils. Zane was lighting torches. The cloth wrapped around it were so dry, in less than a second the flames engulfed it leaving the handle untouched.

Zane disappeared behind piles of loose hay on the far side of the barn. I was imagining more of a stable when I saw the looks of the barn, but instead it was more of the barn for their food. Two lofts stood attached to the pillars holding up the roof. Up there were stacks of hay bundles and windows with broken panes, but what I didn’t see was…

I jumped back at the sound of something hitting the dirt floor beside me. A sword in it’s lather sheath laid under the puff of dirt it’s impact created. My eyes trailed upward to find Zane standing on the edge of the loft on the opposite side holding an identical long weapon. I gave him a long, dark stare before returning my gaze to the weapon on the ground.

He urged softly, “Pick it up, Paeyton.”

“A sword?” I questioned. Was this the ‘something you need to learn?’ He already had his in hand as if waiting for a duel. “You expect me to sword fight?”

Before Zane answered, he stepped off the edge of the loft as if it continued landing on his two feet in a crouched position. He jabbed his sword into the damp dirt then walked over to pick up mine. “I'm going to teach you.”

He slipped the leather hilt into my cold hands and held his on top of mine for a second. I did not look up at him because I knew if I did, I might change my mind about my feelings for him. Instead, I stared at our touching hands before he let them go to retrieve his own weapon.

"Place your right foot forward with the tip of your sword facing out,”

I did what he said. My skirt touched the wet dirt under me, so I could see my feet. I took my best guess then raised my sword.

“Perfect,” he smiled.

I couldn't help but smile back. His smile was one that couldn't be left without a return. It had been a few hours before we realized how dark it was getting. The last little bits of sun disappearing between the trees. He suddenly lunged forward, blade in full swing. Chink. Our weapons collided above my head. Chink. Then again near my feet. The next moment was a blue, I held my blade against his throat and his lay on the ground out of reach. How did I do that? What did I do? Zane looked at me with a surprised, yet proud look. His shaggy black hair fell back in front of his eye as he bent over to pick up his sword.

"Well done," he congratulated.

A few feet away, in between some trees laid a small field no bigger than the barn floor. Little yellow dots stuck out like polka dots on green fabric. Zane bent over and plucked one of the yellow dots from it's residence. Returning to me with the item held to his nose, I recognized it as a marigold. He looked up from the flower, his green eyes held my gaze for a moment before he reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind me ear. His hand began to tuck the marigold into my hair resting atop of my ear, but the moment was suddenly broken by the sound of hooves and clanging metal. Zane pushed me off into the direction of the barn as he grabbed his sword. I still clutched mine in my hand. We grabbed what baggage we could and made for the opposite side of the pond to hide among the trees. His sword drawn Zane watched and waited for the Black Knights to appear. I hid behind a bigger tree a little farther away as I waited in anticipation as a single mounted Knight trotted from the thick, wooded forest.

“Where's the lady?” He demanded. I recognized that snake of a voice. It was him, head Knight, Lucifer, leader of the Queen’s whole bodyguard protection. There is no way Zane is going to make it out of this fight…alive.

The rider dismounted his horse. He seemed to be the only one around. I watched Zane’s footwork as he and the Black Knight step in circles taunting each other.

“Don't make me ask again, boy,”

Zane again did not reply. He made the first move. His lunge did nothing to the armor; it deflected right off.

The Knight chuckled, “You think you're a match for me, boy?”

“You underestimate my skill,” Zane tested.

Lucifer spat at the ground in Zane's direction. “You're so naïve to challenge the Queen’s Black Knight.”

I could not watch anymore. I hid my face behind the tree, leaning my forehead on the bark as I heard the clattering and sharp encounters of their blades against each other. Suddenly, I felt a cold breeze through my hair, covering my skin with goosebumps. Whipping around to see who was behind me, but there was no one. All the sat behind me was a bow and a sheath of arrows. I knelt to pick up the bow and a single arrow. The rush of adrenaline made my brain think I knew what I was doing; it felt an instinct to shoot. I ran my fingers along the soft feather fletching. Zane’s sudden groan brought my attention back to their fight. He was on his knees, and the Black Knight had the tip of his blade under Zane’s chin. He had been bested. Without a second thought loaded the arrow, took my aim and let the arrow fly. The weapon whistled until the sharp tip plunged into the flesh of the Knight at his thigh. Instantly, Lucifer toppled onto his knees and then to his side, clutching his leg in agony. Grabbing his sword, and his opponent's, Zane raced toward me and we didn't look back.

“This isn't over, boy!” The Knight yelled at Zane, shaking his fist in the air. Zane grabbed my hand and pulled me along as we ran deeper into the woods. It had to of been not five minutes until sunset, and we were losing light. Wolves would be out soon if they were not already. Zane stopped suddenly; his hand still clasped to mine as he planned a quick hideout for us tonight.

He pointed to a tall tree a few yards away. “Over there,”

We stood at the base of the tree, “You want me to climb up there and sleep?”

“Well, it's either that or sleep down here not knowing whether a wolf is going to eat you or not.”

He had a point. Ugh, I hated it when he was right.

“You might want to let go of my hand first,” I suggested, tilting my head in that direction. “I might need it to climb.”

He looked down at our hands, still intertwined at the fingers. His cheeks flushed with a pink hue before letting go.

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. He wiped the palm of his hand against the edge of his pants like it was covered in dirt.

I just turned and hoisted myself up onto the lowest branch then proceeded to climb higher. Zane stood paused a few feet below me staring off into the distance. I turned around to see what he was looking at. An orange glow hung along the tree line as dark clouds of smoke rose to the night sky. The barn.

Short Story
3

About the Creator

Sara Aulds

I am a photographer and videographer from Cincinnati, Ohio. I write as a hobby and capture reality as a profession.

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