Red Moon Princess

CHAPTER 21: Moonwalker Maria

The sound of the horses' hooves was put to a stop, as Calder motioned for his men to.  narrowing his eyes and looking around with caution.

"We're being watched." He breathed out, swirling his body and the one of his horses.
The guards looked around but couldn't pin out anything out of the ordinary.
Calder got off his horse, grabbed it by the ropes, and started walking past the man, his eyes slowly darting around the trees.  the place fell into an awful quiet beat with no noise at all. No chirping of birds or the soft howls of the wind.

All of a sudden Calder felt the distant flick of something amongst the trees and he abruptly shifted his body back, not a second after the loud painful neigh of his horse filled his ears and the loud thud that followed, he looked down to his right seeing his white mare painted by crimson liquid on its neck, slowly twitching its legs as life desperately tried to hold on its owner, but with no avail. Soon the horse stopped moving and just laid there out cold, bathing in its life liquid.

"We're under attack." Calder hissed loudly, turning to the guards. Everyone withdrew their swords, eyes darting around like lightning, but none could detect anything. Two guards stepped before the King protecting him with their lives.

Calder felt a sharp sense of dread wash over him as he stared at the scene before him. His men could barely keep their heads straight, eyes darting frantically about in search of an enemy. The silence was deafening. The only sounds were the hushed whispers of the guards and the slow and steady creak of the trees in the breeze. The moment stretched on for what seemed like an eternity, but then, with an abrupt jolt of adrenaline, he could hear the unmistakable sound of footsteps rushing through the forest.

One, two three. No there's more. Many of them.

Many legs and hooves abused the grassy ground of the forest. Calder whirled towards the noise, just as a squadron of cavalry came charging out of the tree line. At the head of the group rode a man on a large black stallion. He was dressed all in black, with a dark hood draped over his head. His face was covered by a mask, leaving only his eyes visible. The man's expression was unreadable, but Calder could see that his eyes were burning with cold hatred.

The three guards that were with him prepared to strike an attack, alas having no care if they were outnumbered. Which they were.

"Hold your movements," Calder called out to them, as he walked towards the men, his expression unchanged with coldness.

"But, your majesty-" Calder shot them a glare that made them swallow their words back.

"I'm the Lord of the Water Realm." He announced staring up at the man, with a safe distance between the two. He brushed his eyes across the men behind him. He sought them to be approximately twenty. Hopelessly outnumbered. 

"We know who you are." The man answered, his tone having an edge to it.

"It's only fair if you tell who you are too."

"Lourk of the south," Lourk replied getting off his horse and standing before the unfazed Calder. The guards flinched instinctively rushing towards their King, but he held out his arm as a sign of disapproval.

"And what is it that you stopped us for, Lourk?"

Calder's eyes narrowed as he studied the man, trying to discern his intentions. The man's body language was relaxed, and his demeanour displayed complete confidence in his own abilities. Calder wondered what he was planning, and the thought of defeat brought a sour taste to his mouth. Finally, the man spoke, but in a low and calm voice that belied his outward appearance.
"I'm here to kill you," came the man's reply.

"Rebels." He cursed under his breath.

"Kill me…" Calder repeated, his voice flat but laced with bitterness.
"I do not know who you are, but you must’ve been fed lies," Calder said. "I have done nothing to slight the South. If there is to be peace, you will come to me as an envoy, not an assassin."
"I come only to seek justice," Lourk replied, in a tone that suggested the word meant much more to him than justice in the conventional sense.