Swords of Stealth Chapter 4

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Feeling a fresh soft breeze brush my cheek I opened my eyes. I glanced around to find myself in an abandoned street, the houses formidable and dark with washing blowing in the wind and children’s toys scattered over the balconies.


The soft breeze picked up slightly and carried hushed angry voices from further down the street. I walked slowly close to the left side of houses the red dirt of the packed road stirring under my feet. I came to an ally and ducked behind a pile of wooden crates.

Peeking through the slats I made out two men, still arguing in hushed tones, at their feet lay a body. A pale arm thrown above her head, her long black hair fanned behind her on the dusty red road. The breeze grew stronger and the rusty, metallic odour of blood wafted over me.

I returned my attention to the men who had turned to leave, without thinking I stepped forward “Excuse me is this girl okay?” They spun faster than an eye could blink, angered at the intrusion. A small voice inside me told me to walk toward them, daring to speak once more before they fled. “I mean you cannot leave her in the street.” I glanced to the man on my left, taken aback by his beauty his soft features and bright eyes.

I took another step towards him careful not to tread upon the girls hair. “what do you want, Human?” the venom of his words stung like I had been slapped. I turned to the rugged men on my right his face an equal mixture of anger and hatred.

Something caught my eye, I glanced down at the girl by my feet and stared sickened by the long gashes across her chest and down the front of her legs, her dress torn open revealing torn flesh and her once beautiful face lay mauled, with a gaping hole where her neck would have once been. I struggled to tare my gaze away, looking to the beautiful man I instead saw a monster. His face ragged and torn as though mangled, his skin drawn tight across his bones making his eyes seem larger than would fit in his skull. His teeth so long they had drawn blood from his lips, that ran down the corners of his mouth a single drop fell to the dusty road below and he lunged, I closed my eyes wanting to scream waiting for him to tear out my throat as he had done to the girl by my feet.

I felt a soft brush against my cheek and sneaked a peek through my tightly closed eyes. There in front of me stood a Wolf his fur a golden brown shimmering in the sunlight, pinned beneath him the monster. I turned to face the last man and found that he had an amour of shimmering scales covering his body, his fingers now sharp claws and a large pair of wings flittered slightly. I looked once more at the girl by my feet and new who had caused the long gashes down her body. I looked up in time to see the long claws reaching for my chest a searing pain taking me to my knees as they tore through my light shirt.

I heard the small voice once more “let it flow through you do what is right.” I struggled to my feet feeling a heat rise through my body I opened my eyes to face the bewildered monsters before me. Acting before they would attack again I thought of a place crowded with man and monster, The deserted plains. I let the cries of battle fill my mind, the smell of death, sweat and fear overcome my senses and the overwhelming urge to do what is right fill me with determination.

The cries stopped and below me the fighters stood and stared at the five suspended figures. Letting my anger and determination flow through I spoke. “Man and beast has fought for to long and here with me I have a representive of all five Clans. All of us have been injured such that we will die if not now then in mere days. So I sacrifice our Souls and bind them in swords so great you will bow before them and obey.” I felt a need to speak words in a language I didn’t understand but I felt the power as I spoke each word. I had but one more task my strength ebbing I hurried through. “I bind the Vampires to Trust, I bind the Wolves to Loyalty, I bind the Elves to forgiveness, I bind the Draconians to Truth and I bind the Humans to love. Each will live by the sword and die by the sword.”

So with my last breath I let the bodies fall to the ground below and bound the souls to swords. “Eyes of green, Hair of red, Voice of summer, Let it be said, From the east, to the west, swords of stealth, begin their quest.” I felt my strength give way and I succumbed to the feeling of love that surrounded my every being and let myself rest, certain I had done right.


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I woke with a start, disoriented I untangled myself from the sheets. The vivid dream still fresh in my mind, the way his eyes searched my face as he lunged toward my throat, blood dripping onto the red dusty earth.


I looked around the familiar surroundings a soft moonlight glow settling upon the room. I turned and let my feet dangle over the side of the bed, my laced tennis shoes stared back up at me, now stained a dusty red. Hearing a rustle I leapt for the coat stand by the bed and spun to see Sheldon standing before me his arms outstretched.

“It’s the middle of the night and the last time I saw you, you drugged me and Lucias attacked me. Speak quickly or this coat stand is going to do some serious damage to that perfect face.” Sheldon stepped a little out of reach and opened his mouth as if to speak, changing his mind he lit the candle on the dresser beside him.

The soft warm glow cast dark shadows on his handsome face. The line of his strong jaw softened and his eyes glistened. “You’re not really going to hit me with that are you?” Amusement crossed his face briefly, surprising myself I took a step forward and heard the loud crack of wood as the stand hit his head. As he lay still on the floor I returned the stand to corner and leant over him.

Just as worry tingled at the back of my mind he flipped over and pinned me to soft rug beneath us. I saw hunger in his eyes as he looked over me settling upon my chest but for a moment. Breathless he whispered, “Good shot,” he rose and lifted me off the floor, “but did you really think you could take me down with a coat stand?” I laughed “I didn’t want to take you down. You asked if I was going to hit you, so I thought I might as well.” He smiled and sat on the bed beside me, “Ella I did drug you but only to make you sleep.”

“At the table! why not a drink in bed, and what of Lucias why was he standing above me, surely you could have carried me on your own.” The thought of him carrying me to my room sent shivers through my body.

“Lucias is a time medium, he is the one who helped you here.”
“You said I came on my own?”
“You did in spirit, Lucias had to bring you through physically. To do so one needs to be asleep.”
“So that dream I had was real?” the memory flashed once again of the blood dripping to the road. I rubbed my chest where it had been slashed and there was no pain.
“Not entirely that dream was more a vision of the past you replaced a girl named Sophia, your ancestor. It was she who brought peace into Alasmere and created a world safe for humans.”
“Well why did you put me to sleep if I only had to go through in spirit.”
“It is safer for the spirit doesn’t always return to the body.” His expression grew grave and I immediately knew what he was thinking about. Before he said anything more I had one last question. “Those creatures, they were real?” I searched his eyes for laughter but saw only truth and as he silently agreed I realised that this nightmare had only just begun.