Brian Anderson - The Sword of Truth

It was an hour before sunrise when Gewey heard it. It was the sound of a horse walking over uneven terrain. Lee drew his sword and motioned for Gewey to do the same. They waited for a time, trying not to make a sound. After a few minutes, the sound of the hoof beats faded.

“Who was that?” whispered Gewey.

“I don’t know,” said Lee. “But one thing’s for sure: it’s no accident that whoever it was is traveling the same way we are. I left a trail so confusing that only an experienced woodsman could follow it. We’ll stop here for now. Hopefully, it will seem like our trail has disappeared and our pursuer will be thrown off.”

Finding a nearby hill to wait out the coming day, they didn't bother to unpack the horses. Both of them kept their swords close.

They barely slept the next day, and hardly spoke a word to each other. Lee waited until it was fully dark before they continued. They zigzagged through the forest for hours, stopping from time to time to listen for signs of pursuit; much to Gewey’s relief, there were none. After a time, the flat ground transitioned into steep wooded hillsides, which made changing direction increasingly difficult.

“You do know where we are, don’t you?” Gewey asked, breaking the silence.

Lee scowled. “Would you rather guide us?” he replied irritably.

Gewey shook his head and kept quiet.

It was about two hours before sunrise when Lee brought them to a sudden halt and leapt from the saddle, drawing his sword. He motioned for Gewey to stay still, and disappeared into the night. Gewey’s heart was pounding and he drew his own sword, peering into the darkness. Ten minutes later, Lee reappeared.

“What’s going on?” asked Gewey.

“There’s an encampment just ahead,” Lee whispered. “Looks like bandits.”

“Bandits?” said Gewey. “What are they doing?”

Lee mounted his horse and urged them forward. “Not noticing us, apparently. It looks as if they’ve found some sport, so I doubt they’ll see us pass.”

“What kind of sport?” Gewey inquired.

“They’ve captured an elf,” Lee responded. “How that band of morons managed it, I don’t know, but I imagine they’ll be busy with her for a while.”

Gewey halted. “It’s a woman? What will they do to her?”

Lee turned. “It’s not a woman; it’s an elf. And you don’t want to know what they’re going to do.”

“You don’t mean to let them kill her, do you?” Gewey asked, appalled.

Lee reigned in his horse. “That’s exactly what I mean to do, boy. We don’t have time for heroics, and even if we did, she’s a bloody elf. ”

Gewey got down from his horse. “I don’t care what she is,” he said determinedly. “I’m going to save her. You can help me, or you can sit here and do nothing. I don’t care either way.” Gewey began to creep off into the darkness to look for the bandits’ camp.

“Fool,” Lee grumbled. He dismounted and caught up to Gewey.

“You’re not ready for this, boy.” Lee grabbed his shoulder and pulled Gewey behind him. “Just stay in the brush and let me take care of it.”

Gewey followed behind Lee as quietly as he could. They had only walked a few yards when they heard the yells and curses of the bandit camp. The glow of the bandits’ fire became brighter as they approached. Gewey could smell the stench of unwashed bodies, mingling with scorched, burnt meat. When they got close enough, Gewey could make out six bandits, each with a long knife at their side. A few bedrolls were cast carelessly about, and a single bandit guarded six horses tied off several yards from the fire. The rest were gathered around what appeared to be a young woman. She was on her knees, gagged and bound, with her wrists tied behind her back. A man that seemed to be their leader was squatting in front of her, while the rest passed a large jug of wine around, laughing hideously.

“Well, well, well, me lovely,” the bandit leader chuckled.

“Look what we ‘ave ‘ear, lads. Thought you could sneak up on ol’Durst, did ya?”

The elf glared defiantly at the bandit leader.

“Oy!!! Ain’t she a tough one?” a heavyset bandit joked. “I think she’s sweet on ya, cap’n.”

“Well, lads,” said the leader, flashing an evil grin. “I am quite the ladies’ man, after all.”

This brought gales of harsh laughter from the rest of the band. The leader stood up and grabbed the jug, draining it dry.

“Stay here,” whispered Lee, and silently moved around the camp to where the horses were being kept. With the lone guard’s attention focused on the elf, he neither noticed Lee's approach, nor his knife, until it had plunged into the back his neck. Before the first guard hit the ground, Lee had already drawn his sword and was rushing in on the rest of the group. Gewey had never seen someone move so fast. He killed two more bandits before the others noticed he was there. The leader managed to unsheathe his long knife and lunge clumsily at Lee. Lee easily dodged the blow and sent the man tumbling to the ground. The two remaining bandits tried to flee, but Lee quickly caught up to them and ran both of them through.

The bandit leader got to his feet. “I’ll not go alone!” he screamed, bolting towards the elf with his knife in hand.

Realizing Lee was too far away to do anything, Gewey sprung to his feet, rushing headlong toward the bandit leader. Gewey tackled the bandit just before he was able to plunge his knife into the elf’s chest, and sent the two of them crashing to the ground. The bandit landed on top, pinning Gewey. The boy feared for his life as the bandit began to hack at him maniacally. He instinctively lifted his arms to defend himself, and felt pain shoot through his body as the knife found flesh. He could see blood splatter as one final blow struck home, deep in his chest. It was then that Lee reached them, thrusting his sword through the bandit leader’s back. Lee ran to Gewey’s side as the man gasped and fell to the ground.

“Fool,” he cursed as he tore open Gewey’s shirt. Blood poured from the gaping wounds covering his arms and chest. “I told you to stay put.”

“I’m sorry Lee,” he said weakly. “I guess I’m not much of a hero.”

Lee smiled. “Nonsense. Your father would have been very proud of you.”

Lee tore Gewey’s shirt into strips and pressed one of them to the wound in his chest; the rest he wrapped around the cuts on his arms. “I’ll be back. I have a salve that will stop the bleeding.”

Lee dashed off, leaving Gewey lying on the ground, wondering if this was the end. He turned his head and noticed the elf woman, still bound, staring at him.

“Don’t worry, Miss,” said Gewey. “I’ll have Lee untie you when he gets back.”

The elf woman gave no reaction. Gewey had never seen an elf before, and he’d heard very little about them. She looked almost human. She was thin-though clearly not frail-and her skin was dark bronze. Her long auburn hair fell loosely about her shoulders, and despite the bruises on her face, Gewey could tell that she was quite beautiful. He guessed she was about as tall as most human women; in fact, her narrow piercing eyes and her distinctly elfish ears were the only features that suggested she was anything else.

It was only a few minutes before Lee returned and began tending Gewey’s wounds.

“Stop,” said Gewey. “Untie her.”

Lee shook his head, but he could see that Gewey was determined.

“Very well,” he sighed and walked over to the elf woman and cut her bonds.

She got up and stared at Lee for a moment. Lee tensed, ready to draw his weapon. She backed away slowly until she reached the edge of the bandit camp, then turned and ran into the woods.