Phantoms

EMRICK

Scota, now smaller, flew ahead, relaying what she saw to Kerri, and in turn to the rest of us. After a few minutes, she came back and perched on Kerri’s left shoulder.

“There’s a small clearing up ahead where we can make camp for the rest of the night.” Kerri said.

It was still dark when we got to the clearing. So we set about setting camp. Kerri sent Scota ahead to scout Alastair’s keep.

We’d barely finished setting up camp when Scota came flying back. Kerri gave a sharp whistle. ‘Soldiers coming our way.’ She said to me through our bond.

I whistled, and the men stopped whatever they were doing and went for their weapons. It was a thing of beauty how they worked in tandem. ‘Everyone into the woods NOW!’ Kerri yelled into our heads.

All the men looked around in shock then sprang into action and headed into the trees. We watched as hooded figures moved amid the camp, looking for us, methodically making their way closer to our hiding spot. Kerrienne moved forward, bow in hand as she reached behind her back for an arrow. Without being told, the archers amongst us followed her lead and silently moved up, forming a line behind her aiming their bows as well.

KERRIENNE

I stepped forward and drew an arrow. My father’s archery lessons, playing in my head. Nock, aim, breathe and release. A shadow fell but two more took his place, as I took aim again, I silently instructed the archers behind me to do the same. As one, we took aim again and released at the closest moving shadows. All hell broke loose then as they were too close to allow for the use of arrows any longer. I drew my sword and jumped into the melee, even Scota shot from my shoulders and started breathing fire and taking bites out of the enemy.

As I fought with the hooded figures, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right, they only seemed to move whenever we did. I chanced a look around and realized they only swung their swords when we did. I opened the bond between Scota and I as she flew towards the middle of the clearing. There was a lone figure standing stock still. He had a shiny swirly black ball hovering between his open palms and he was rapidly speaking the same words over and over. To test my theory, I ran towards one of the hooded figures and made like I was about to attack. I swung my sword towards his neck but didn’t follow through. As he swung his sword to block mine, I took a deep breath and stood still. His sword stopped inches from my neck. I moved back slowly and he lowered his sword. But I could still hear the sound of clashing steel around me.

“Stop fighting.” I yelled, pushing power into my voice so that all the men could hear me. “They’re not real, they’re phantoms of some kind.” One by one, they stopped. Emrick moved to my side and all our men filtered back to us. We stood facing the hooded figures. Scota flew back to my side, hovering near my head. Nothing else moved.

‘Something is wrong. I can sense magic around them but it’s faint. Like it’s not really coming from them.’ she said to me.

‘I can feel it too.’ I replied. I took a step forward and raised my sword, and as one, the hooded figures all raised their swords as well.

Emrick growled out my name. “Kerri?”

I sheath my sword and stepped forward again. The hooded heads all turned in my direction. I raised my arm, palm extended out towards them. I could feel something alright and it made my skin crawl.

I closed my eyes and opened up my senses, connecting to everything around me. I could feel the earth beneath my boots keeping me grounded. The wind whistling through the trees, lifting my hair off my neck. The air in the clearing became crisper as I inhaled the moisture in the air. I felt Emrick’s presence by my side. His power reached out to mine, calling to a flame deep within me.

I opened my eyes and saw everything. There was a dark mist floating around the hooded figures. Powerful words involuntarily flew out of my mouth, “Ancestors hear my plea, annul this magic, let it be.” I added some extra umph to the last three words.

The hooded figures seemed to sway then disappeared, leaving one lone hooded figure in the middle of the clearing. The wind blew his hood back from his head, revealing his face. I gasped when I recognized the man Scota and I had glimpsed from the keep’s window. The bastard who had callously raped and disposed of a woman without care.

I growled as I took a step forward. Emrick sensing my rage took my hand in his and growled out a name. “Alastair.”

Shock from the mentioned name as well as the fact that I’d just growled reigned my emotions in a bit, but in my eyes, the bastard needed to die now more than ever before. With a smirk, his form swayed like the phantoms had then he disappeared as well.

“We need to rest before we go up against that asshat.” I said.

“I conquer.” Emrick added. “Set up sentries, Kerri and I will take the first watch.” I nodded in agreement as Lars came up to us.

“No offense but I’d rather Lady Kerrienne get some sleep since she seems to be the only one of us with the power to go up against Alastair.”

“I conquer.” Emrick sighed, wrapping his arms around me and drawing me in for a scorching kiss that left me unable to draw in enough air.

Lars cleared his throat. “Perhaps you should go with her laird, you’re newly wed after all.” He left out that not all of us might survive the battle tomorrow but it was implied.

My father came up to us then. “I’ll take the first watch with Lars.” He said.

The wind blew through the clearing once again, whispering unfamiliar words to me. Words only I could hear.

“No need.” I said. “Lars, can you bring me the salt Emrick had you pack?”

“Yes my lady.” He replied and went to fetch the salt. Lars brought back the salt and handed it to me silently. I withdrew a knife from my boot, one of the many stashed on my person and made a cut on my right palm. I took the bag of salt from Lars and let my blood fall inside the bag onto the salt, turning it red. When I was satisfied, I took out salt by the handfuls as I walked a circle around our camp site.

“Goddess, spirits, hear my plea, erect a protective barrier and safeguard all within from malicious intent.”

It took nine bloody handfuls and me saying the incantation thirteen times to complete the circle. As the last bit of salt and blood fell to the ground, there was a whooshing sound. Around the camp, the circle I’d walked lit up. The light reached over ten feet high, forming a dome high above the camp site, then dissipated.

I turned to the men. Some were watching me with something akin to fear on their faces, others with fascination.

Emrick stepped forward, reaching for my hand. “All right, to bed so we can rest. We attack at dawn.”