Chapter Seventeen ~ The Omen

The knights began to approach the man, giving him quite the fright. He ran right off the path and into the trees. They all shook their heads. If he was going for ‘not suspicious’, he failed miserably. They gave chase, easily catching up. Running on foot is nothing compared to a bunch of horses. He tripped over a tree root sticking up from the ground, causing him to fall over. The scroll flew from his grasp, landing nearby. With crazed eyes, he scrambled to get up. The knights, however, were already upon him. The man was surrounded on all sides. They dismounted, and he watched as Wen picked up the scroll. “What might you be doing with that?” Hazel questioned. With surprising speed, he dashed at Wen, aiming for his prize. Two swords swiftly blocked his path, forming a near X. He looked back and forth between Hazel and Ryne. “I believe,” Hazel said with narrowed eyes, “I asked you a question.”

To everyone’s surprise, the stranger burst into hysterical laughter. “Fools…” he stuttered between laughs. “All I wanted to do was save it…” “What do you mean?” Jack asked, deeply disturbed by the man’s poor mental state. Staring directly into the apprentice’s eyes with sudden seriousness, he said, “There is a terrible darkness coming. It will raze the kingdoms, destroying everything. I was hoping to spare this piece of history, but now it is doomed… Just like the rest of us.” “Darkness?! What darkness?!” Eva shouted, eyes wide and breaths growing faster. “You all seem to know it already…” he whispered. Emily tilted her head and commented, “Could he mean the black knight?” Upon hearing her last few words, the man yelped and huddled on the floor. Rocking back and forth, he muttered one word over and over to himself: “Coming, coming coming, coming…”

He didn’t seem to be paying much attention to those around him, so Wen asked, “Do we even need to bring him in?” Hazel shook her head. “Let him be. He’s messed up enough already.” Everyone got back on their horse and rode back the way they came, returning to the castle. As they left, Jack couldn’t shake the image of man, of his reaction. What coming? What is the black knight planning?

Queen Irma’s eye lit up upon seeing them return. “Did you find it?” she asked, hope clear on her face. Wen triumphantly held up the scroll. The queen rushed to greet her, careful not to trip over her dress. She hesitantly took it with a smile. “Thank you knights…” she said, bowing her head. Her expression changed to confusion for a brief moment and asked, “Where did you find it?” Before anyone else could respond, Hazel stated, “He got away before we could catch him. Thankfully, he left his prize behind.” She bowed respectfully and said, “Thank you for allowing us passage through your kingdom.” The others followed suit. Irma nodded. “Of course. It’s the least I can do.” The knights were quickly on their way.

They had set up camp right at the border to the next kingdom. The day was ending soon, so rest was the best option. There were a few leftover birds from their previous hunting trip, so dinner was arranged. Not much was said, the only sound being the crackle of flames. Everyone fell asleep quite swiftly. Well, almost everyone. Hazel stared at the night sky, unable to fall asleep. She nearly jumped when she heard a rustling sound in the bushes. She sat straight up, looking in the direction the sound came from. She immediately reached for her sword when she saw the man from before standing amidst the trees. He held a finger to his lips, then motioned for her to follow. Hazel glanced around at her sleeping comrades. Then, she reluctantly got up and followed. She held her sword at the ready, prepared for the worst. The man began to walk away, deeper into the forest. She headed after him, not knowing she had a follower.

When Jack saw the two leave, he waited a few seconds before he began tailing them. Something was far too strange about the whole situation to ignore. He also brought his weapon for good measure. What’s going on here?
Hazel followed the weird man, mentally reviewing every detail. His movements seemed strange… almost forced. His facial expression had been unnerving as well. There was a stiffness to him that set off alarms in her head. He eventually came to a stop, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. He turned to face her, shivering. And not from the cold. “Sh-She… She made me…” he stuttered, collapsing to the floor. Hazel’s eyes widened and  she took an involuntary step back. From the shadows, a laugh sounded. “He performed his job flawlessly, despite my expectations.” Both knights, while one was quieter than the other, gasped in surprise. A bud of fear blossomed in Hazel’s chest. “Ximena.”