I Will Pay Any Cost - 11
Monday, September 27, 2010 (11:14:03)

Posted by TerishD

Sapphire and Cindy in -
A Dream of Meeting Friends
Story Two: I Will Pay Any Cost
Chapter Eleven

...
“No.” Sapphire held himself from mentioning that Cindy was preventing him from focusing on the sounds providing information. “Ellemon is a strong fighter. I suspect that he is trying to make up for whatever treatment he received in his time as a prisoner. Still, whatever torture was used does not seem to have weakened him. Whatever he is doing, the Nixoops don’t want to challenge it.”

“Should we move?”

“Definitely not. With the light out, I doubt that there is any way that we could be found.”


Yes, well, things are never as simple as we think they should be.


Sapphire and Cindy in -
A Dream of Meeting Friends
Story Two: I Will Pay Any Cost
Chapter Eleven

Noise from the direction of where Poppa had his wagon continued to indicate that Ellemon and Reavis had either caused trouble or been forced to simply fight. While Cindy softly mumbled her fear of the two men being hurt, Sapphire could tell from the way an arm stayed around his neck that she directly worried about him. A familiar sensation of being something special filled him as she directly showed her desire to keep him safe while only mentioning being concerned about others, but he also found a feeling of being something that needed protecting while the others were assumed to be able to care for themselves. He stepped to put himself closer to the young lady simply because that is where he wanted to be, but also to somehow declare that he was protecting her and would fight for her should there be a need.

He heard her gasp, and quickly turned his head with the feeling that he had not been as alert in watching for danger as he should have been. Some relief came to Sapphire in realizing that no immediate threat caused the soft exclamation. He had already noted the strange magical light moving at a distance through the forest, and he knew that Cindy had recognized it as what had been earlier described as something the Nixoops did to sound an alarm should a magic horse pass through the warded area. What had caused the lady to gasp was seeing it greatly expand as it entered a large meadow. Sapphire however remembered that he and Sky had eaten in a smaller clearing, and felt himself safe in thinking the Nixoops were choosing an easy route through the forest and not performing a serious search. Not feeling a need to immediately respond to danger, he held his position.

Knowing that those who would kill him and Cindy did move with the strange light to direct and power it, he put his focus in that direction. As he had heard Fimmish and Ellemon speak before, the purple horse could tell that the light did not act as a normal source of illumination. It spread more like some liquid that kept attempting to fill the volume of its surroundings. As the one that worked the magic stepped through the forest, being directed by the voices of others that seemed to be spread out around him, the strange mass of light kept changing size depending on the spread of trees around it. Sapphire did not know what would really happen should a ray happen to touch him, but he obeyed the commands from Cindy to drop low to assure that he would not be where the illumination might reveal him.

Fimmish suddenly took off. Even though she tried to talk softly, the fear in Sky’s voice made it easily heard. Sapphire thus understood Cindy moving from him to try and comfort the mare with more than words.

“Stay down and quiet. We cannot have you or Sapphire found out.”

“I am not worth anyone dying for.”

“You are, Sky, because you represent something precious. There are not that many creatures such as you and Sapphire, and the evidence is that you do not breed true. We thus have to protect those of you that exist.”

Sapphire was glad that the ladies became quiet, as he tried to sort out the sounds coming through the forest. While he did have a feeling to move closer to Cindy, he kept his distance to assure that her words of comfort to Sky would not disrupt his ability to discern the distant noises. He lifted his head to better hear some shouts. As he was trying to make out words, suddenly the strange gelatinous light went out. When Cindy moved to whisper a question about what had happened, the purple horse felt that he had an answer.

“Some running from Ellemon and Reavis disrupted those working the magic that was being used to hopefully find us.”

She cheerfully whispered a comment about the Nixoops undoing their own schemes, but then spoke a question as if worried that they might also do something to disrupt her own plans. “Can you determine what Ellemon is doing?”

“No.” Sapphire held himself from mentioning that she was preventing him from focusing on the sounds providing information. “Ellemon is a strong fighter. I suspect that he is trying to make up for whatever treatment he received in his time as a prisoner. Still, whatever torture was used does not seem to have weakened him. Whatever he is doing, the Nixoops don’t want to challenge it.”

“Should we move?”

“Definitely not. With the light out, I doubt that there is any way that we could be found.”

It however became strangely difficult to simply stay still. The commotion from the various activities of the Nixoops caused Sapphire to also feel a need to act in some manner. He fully understood that holding his position was the wise action. He thus became alarmed when Cindy did move, but relaxed when she only went to Sky and had the mare step over closer. The young lady then stood in a manner that had one arm over the neck of Sapphire and he could tell that the other was over the neck of the mare. He really did not like sharing Cindy, but stayed silent determined not to move.

The purple horse heard Sky whisper a desire to see. He whispered in return that it was night, so the only way to see would be to have a light. Cindy added that for them to be able to see the Nixoops would mean that they could see them in return, which was not good. To try and keep the mare calm as well as pass the time, Sapphire spoke of what he was hearing in the distance. He related that the Nixoops had learned that their lights were being used against them. When one used magic to provide illumination or simply lit a torch or lamp, they were killed. Ellemon, Reavis, and Fimmish were staying in the dark near the trunks of trees, then moving upon any of the enemy that revealed themselves by providing a source of light. He concluded his soft comments by saying that they were safe as long as they stayed in the dark.

Probably also to keep a feeling of calm while allowing time to pass, Cindy followed by mentioning the Shibelgo that they had recently fought. Both Fimmish and Ellemon had worked in the darkness that existed around that monster. While the story still brought feelings of fright and fatigue to Sapphire, he found Sky to make rather awed sounds of amazement at what he and Cindy had accomplished. He thus found himself actually enjoying the retelling of the recent adventure.

A distant sound of wood breaking had Sky rise as she uttered, “Poppa!”

Sapphire could tell that Cindy sought to calm the mare as she returned, “Sky, you need to hide.”

“No! I have to help Poppa.” Cindy tried to get the mare to settle back down, but all that was gained was some sort of explanation. “Just as you and Sapphire work together to help each other, I need to help Poppa.”

“Poppa is not your rider.”

Sapphire moved to prepare himself for action as a momentary silence came to the forest. He really did not know why he felt alarmed, although he accepted that he might be needed to somehow respond to the mare. Cindy tried words to calm Sky, and Sapphire did not feel that he could help. Only out of desperation did he make sounds of agreement to what the young lady said, hoping the support would be enough to convince the mare to relax. As if the forest had been holding its breath, suddenly Sapphire heard his surroundings erupt in the noise of combat, movement, and animals making their sounds.

Sky declared, “I cannot understand it, but I have to help Poppa.”

A distance voice announced, “I swear that I hear the sound of that girl magic horse!”

Screams of others being attack could be heard. What bothered Sapphire was however hearing the hooves of the mare gallop off. He was rather uncertain about Cindy climbing on his back, but found himself not arguing with her words.

“Follow Sky.”

He thought of again using the side-to-side motion that he had used in running through the darkness around the Shibelgo. Sapphire however simply galloped off trusting that he would be alerted to any barrier by the sounds of Sky. As long as he heard her moving through the forest, he felt safe coming behind her.

There were sounds of the lady being in danger, but it was not due to her running into trees or underbrush. The Nixoops however tried to focus on the sound of her hooves, which were clearly discernable as being different than their boots. Knowing that his metal shod feet also sounded different than those of the humans caused Sapphire to feel that the night would not end well, but he promised himself that he would do what he could to not have Sky on his list of dead magic horses that he had met.

She stopped before a lit area. Sapphire came up behind her to see the wagon with a broken wheel. Nixoops filled the area, and while they now looked to the mare it was obvious that they had been focused upon the driver of the wagon.

Poppa looked from where he stood in the seat of the vehicle to say, “Sky, you are a stupid horse.”

Sapphire felt the words true. He however had to allow that he and Cindy had also been very unwise in following the mare. While he had stopped among the trees in the darkness, he could tell that others also moved through the blackness of the forest. He thus feared that even if he was not revealed by helping Sky, a Nixoop moving according to his own plan might run into him or Cindy. Wondering how he would survive this encounter, Sapphire felt fear as he realized that he was facing a very large and deadly group of opponents.


Well, Sky had her reasons, but that does not say that she won't die for them.