Tales From The Emerald Isles: Hope Chest

13

Marric reeled in anger. He had planned so carefully for this, and it was all falling apart. None of the men would follow his orders now. At first it had been a dozen or so mutineers, and perhaps if he hadn't reflexively killed that solider, he could have reasoned with those dozen or so men. But, he had killed more than just that one. He had killed too many of the men he brought to aid him in his regicidal machination.

He had killed too many to save his brother. He would only have a limited amount of time to sneak into the castle now and execute Alric before the entire castle was on alert as word of the battle would surly reach them before morning. Ash would never allow him to fulfill his murderous ambition. But Ash's current condition offered Marric an opportunity. Ash was in no state to stop him now. If I can slip away now in the confusion of battle, then I could accomplish my goal, he thought to himself. The anger he felt rose and fell like the air in his lungs. It gave him life. It pushed him forward. He needed to make sure Ash would survive before he slipped away. A single ray of light on the ground caught his eye for a moment. It was coming from the hope chest. The chest was vibrating. Shaking.

Farrah and Ash reached Euan, who had waited until all of the soldiers trapped the torrent of wind he created had been incapacitated by either concussion or asphyxiation. Ash saw the chest shaking. A single ray of light slipping through. "Is it. Opening?" he asked Euan.

Euan looked him up and down. His eyes were narrow. "It might be. It will open when it opens. My mother is a fickle woman." Euan pressed his hand to Ash's forehead.

"I taught you one spell to build a campfire, or, to help you out of a bind. You are no where near being able to use magic for battle you fool."

Ash looked up at him, his blue eyes were glassy and red. He smiled a small smile that felt much bigger to him than it actually was, "And. Yet. I did." Ash said between breathes.

Euan shook his head at the prince, "Ever the fool." He said, as hee turned to Farrah, "Can you keep us safe from those men over there for a short while? I can help him recover some of his strength. If you can give me the time to do so."

Marric struck two soldiers about twenty feet from Ash, Farrah, and Euan, a ball of fire hitting one while a bolt of lightning the other.

"There aren't many more left. I can handle it. Just help him." She said as she squeezed his shoulder before then took up a position just ahead of them. She picked up two spears from the ground and drove them into the ground beside her. I can throw these at anyone outside of my reach, she thought to herself. I could even hit Marric from here. She gripped the shaft of one of the spears and lifted it to the level of her eye.

Marric was on top of a solider. Reigning down on his face with his fists. While the burning solider next to him lay writhing on the ground, not yet dead, but not long for this life. He stared intently at Marric as his hands patted down the side of his leg. She pulled her hand back, took two steps forward and launched the spear into the air. It flew straight towards her target. She cringed as the spear hit home in the man burning next to Marric.

The dagger he pulled from his boot fell from his hand. Marric turned to the man and then back to Farrah. She glared at him. She looked around the camp. There were the bodies of Hylaen soldiers all about them. Some dead, others dying, while there were some only injured, and retreating to attend to their wounds.

"I can't completely heal you Ash. And, I can only do this once. So, don't go getting any crazy ideas." Euan said as he cupped the back of Ash's head with his right hand and placed his left upon the center of his chest.

"Thank. You." Ash said softly with more effort than should be necessary for so few words. Euan's hands began to warm. Ash felt their warmth. It was like the first warm rays of the sun after a long cold winter.