(T)he (B)ig (T)op

[Kaison of Larris]

Elias Gladius stared out moodily at the brightly coloured tent, he wasn't in the mood for bright colours, he rubbed his tired eyes, and sighed, he had to be there tonight, he had promised Drake he would, and no matter how often he stretched the truth he always kept his promises. He moved back into the hidden copse of trees, eyeing his horses with a wary gaze of one that has dealt with horse stealers to many times to count, he turned his gaze towards the pebble grey stallion that was grazing nearest to him, Make sure to stay safe Storm, I'm off to see Drake, I'll be back, hopefully with him this time... Again he sighed, every time he hoped Drake would forget about his desire to perform and come with him, it would be much easier to look after him if he was under his nose, and out from under the nose of Lucian, he had never forgiven Elias, and in turn Elias could hardly ever forgive him. He turned and walked briskly towards the tent, the crisp winter air forming small clouds as he breathed, despite the fact he was going on thirty now, he was still at the peak of fitness, due to the excessive amount of time he spent in the saddle. He was dressed in plain riding leather, soft and comfortable, over the top was black leather armour, tough that deflected sword blades easily, and more importantly, a knife in the back, a horse rustler and a gypsy was hardly popular.

He entered the big top without a fuss, buying a ticket and moving to the seat he always sat in, slightly to the left of the main stand, directly in front of the tightrope, he would have a prime view of his son. He flicked up his hood, settled down and waited, people were arriving in droves to see the world famous Circus Maximus, families celebrating a birthday, couples enjoying a good night out, and the odd individual, drawn by the festive lights and loneliness. The show started, and out walked the ringmaster, Lucian, Elias' eyes bored into his head, aflame with anger, though really was it his fault? Or was it Tana's? No time to dwell on the past as the show started, Elias had seen it so many times it was all routine to him, and the fact that he himself had worked in the circus ruined some of the more carefully planned acts, he could see right through some of the special effects, he saw the horse master that had replaced him, he had trained him, he was a young lad with an innocent face, and he rode the horse with some skill, though he couldn't match Elias on the jumps and turns, he had ridden Storm, and being bonded they had always been accurate with every pace.

The grand finale, a hush went through the tent as the tightrope was illuminated by a hundred flames, Elias looked up and his eyes briefly men those of his son, a handsome young man with black hair tied back, and vivid blue eyes he had inherited off himself, he saw the faint flush of pleasure in his son's face as he saw his father, before he spun into a heart stopping act, of what appeared to be great skill and a thousand near topples of the wire, any parent would have been nervous of their son going up there, but Elias knew that his son had inherited his mother's talent, he could manipulate air in a way he had never seen any do before, he could jump, spin and dodge without batting an eyelid, pride showed momentarily in Elias's gaze before vanishing, Drake finished took his bow and the show finished.

Elias slipped backstage, the other actors, his friends and family, pretended to either not see him or nod a greeting, Elias moved swiftly over to the place where he knew Drake would be waiting, they always met here, just outside the big top, this time hidden by a row of trees. Elias glanced around for a moment, before moving out to hug his son warmly, his own piercing blue eyes noticing that since he had last seen him he had grown once more, it wasn't noticeable in his overall stature but his clothes were several centimetres shorter and he was starting to catch up in height his naturally small father, one of the reasons he was so skilled on horseback, his gaze also noticed the reproachful look in Drake’s eyes, and guilt filled him once more, he had been over late in his coming’s recently, sometimes not showing up for four months or more at a time, he had no excuse other than the fact he knew Drake was being looked after and the freedom that he had…well sometimes it helped him forget.

“You did good tonight, not a step out of line, as usual, Timorous has trained you well, for that I am thankful, I always wonder when I’ll come back to find you’ve taken a topple off that wire…”

[[S]am]

Drake walked easily through the crowds of people pushing and shoving to get to the ticket box, vivid blue eyes searching the crowd hopefully. There was only one person he was looking for out of all these people – the one person who wasn’t hear. He heard himself sigh and shook his head, turning away from the edge of the encampment and sliding through the crowds. He noted with interest that it wasn’t as easy as it used to be, he had grown again. He was naturally small and light, but the strenuous activity that often filled his days at the circus had taken form in muscles on his arms and legs, making him less inconspicuous than he would have liked. There were always horses that needed to be broken, heavy barrels that needed to be lifted, tents to be packed and wood chopped, and Drake, just turned sixteen, was often volunteered for these jobs. Not that he minded – everyone had to do their bit – right down to the youngest boy, who did little more than show guests to their seats. He half-pushed his way through the crowd, ignoring the admiring and irritated looks that were flashed his way as he did so. He knew he was handsome – he had his father to thank for that, the father that wasn’t here. Again. But Drake didn’t blame him, at least, not really. He knew the call of freedom that his father had answered all those years ago had a strong pull on him, which kept him away from his son for months on end. Drake always thought ‘maybe tonight will be the night, maybe tonight he’ll be there, in the crowd, watching…’ Not that Drake could blame him for staying away – Lucien was still in a rage with the young horse master, and had no qualms about stressing this to his son.

Drake finally cleared the crowds and slipped backstage, grinning and joking with the troupe as he did so. These were his family, and although they shared no ties in blood they had looked after him as if he were their own flesh and blood. Many of the people here had no ties to family, but some, like his father had, decided to marry and have children within the troupe. Tana, who Drake strongly suspected was his real mother, had been the tightrope walker before him, but she had caught the eye of the ringmaster, and now she spent most of her time abroad, and never displayed her talents openly. Whenever she made one of her rare visits, Drake did everything he could to stay well clear of her – anyone who could walk out on a man as faithful and brilliant as his dad weren’t worth knowing. As he dressed for the performance, Drake felt the first stirrings of nerves flitter through him. Today marked the start of a new routine – one that involved the triple skydive and the double twist manoeuvre. He just wished that his father could see him. Drake shrugged it off, and shrugged on the clothes that he would be wearing. They were made of strong leather, and were perfect for his acts. Everything, down to the boots, were light as feathers and flexible, which prevented them catching on the rope. He felt a surge of adrenaline flush through his system as he heard Lucien’s opening speak. Git. Drake thought, rushing swiftly to the side of the tent. His act was last – the big finale. He knew Lucien would have found some excuse to ban him from the circus, but Drake was even better at the tightrope than Tana had ever been. When his cue came he stepped lightly into the ring, not daunted by the hundreds of faced looking down on him eagerly. He agilely climbed the rope that lead up to a small plank of wood, from which a rope spread across to a similar construction on the other side. The tightrope. He glanced at the seat just in case, and joy flooded through him as he saw the familiar black hair, the piercing blue eyes that never seemed cold to him.

With that he launched into his routine, eyes closed in concentration. He heard the roar of the crowd, mixed in with the roar of the wind as if rushed through his ears. This was what he called freedom – this was what he lived for. He leaped and spun, fell and twisted, tumbled and rolled, all the time manipulating the air with his hands and feet. Now for the big finish – the triple skydive into the double twist manoeuvre. If he failed he would fall – and there was no net to catch him, that was all part of the act. Drake never fell. He glanced at his father once, overjoyed to see the flush of pride sparking in his eyes. But only for a fraction of a second, and Drake launched himself from the rope and spun, pulling the combination off effortlessly, landing flat on his feet. The crown had gone silent, watching in horror as the handsome young man fell – and then amazingly pulled off a breathtaking series of moves before landing on his feet, amazingly unharmed, even after jumping from that height. Drake left the ring to the deafening sound of applause, but he had no need for them, what he was really after was his father. Hew went to the familiar spot, watching in joy as his father approached, his small figure cutting through the bustle of backstage. He knew that Lucien would be lapping up the applause, perhaps he would call on some of the other acts for an encore, but he never called Drake. He knew that Drake would never come. He grinned as his father came within touching distance, but couldn’t help a flash of retribution – his father had missed his sixteenth birthday. But his laughed it off and savoured the moments he had before Lucien came looking for him – probably to send him on some kind of errand. Everyone had to do their part to pack up after the show.

“Huh! I missed you too! Where have you been? I want to hear all about it – and the horses, how are they? Did Fira have her foal? What did you call it? Did you enjoy the act? You’re lucky, today I tried out a new act, do you think it’ll be enough to please the people in Mezrelda? That’s where we’re going next – that huge city, have you ever been there?”

All of the questions he had been longing to ask for all four months came out at once, as well as a few more that had just come to him. He pulled the leather tie out of his hair and let it fall loose, right down to the shoulders, like his father. That was another reason Lucien couldn’t stand him, he was the picture of his father. He looked his father up and down, pleased to see the old dog was just as health as ever, kept fit from his hours in the saddle. Then again, Drake did his own fair share of travelling – it was a travelling circus. He sat down heavily on an upturned barrel, now that the show was over he felt deflated. His powers often did that to him, and he had pushed himself further today on the new act and to impress his father, not an easy task these days. He looked up at his father, blue eyes shining with joy and curiosity, after all, Drake had known all of the horses personally, and was just as interested on how they were getting on as he was his father.

[Kaison of Larris]

Elias gave a tolerant smile as the torrent of questions launched out of his son's mouth, he vowed silently that he would try and come more, but perhaps after tonight he wouldn't have to, but he had seen the look of pure joy on Drake's face, it was the same joy that he felt whenever he went on horseback, riding as fast as the beast could carry him, the freedom to go wherever he wanted, do whatever he wanted, within reason, he just couldn't have lived cooped up in the circus arena much longer, but where he feel short Drake excelled. Unfortunately. He allowed his mind to sort through the questions putting them in order of importance, he allowed himself a slight grimace at the first comment, he supposed he deserved that. He thought back to the past few months, where he had been, what he had done, he had been all over, from the wild plains of Noterina to the bare moorlands of Eslantia, he had picked up new enemies, new friends and new scars along the way, and had enjoyed every minute of it, he paused wondering how to soften the blow, he knew that Drake lived for his visits, how he waited day after day, wondering if it would be the day that Elias came, he also knew that Drake realised why his father could never stay long, this place held to many bad memories for him, Tana, Lucius and of course Tal, the brown paint that he had stolen, he didn't see it as stealing as he had paid for him, in money, blood and his wife. He fixed Drake with a serious gaze, pulling him up with one hand, already pulling him towards the copse of trees where the herd was sheltered, Drake hadn't seen them for at least a year, and he hadn't even met Whisper, Fira's foal, a filly she had been born an albino and Elias had been delighted, she was wilful but had a sweet nature, she didn't take after her mother, but Elias truly wasn't sure witch stallion was the sire, her colour should have determined it but she had been born pure white. He paused before the copse and sent a low whistle, alerting the herd to his presence, he entered the copse, his herd whickered gentle greetings to him, their thoughts floating to him through his bond with Storm, the stallion himself trotted up nudging Drake curiously.

Fira approached, the four month old filly trotting at her side, while she, bold and brazen, showed off her filly to an amused Drake, Elias did a mental count of his herd, and old habits die hard he thought sourly. Storm, Comet, Fira, Tal, Whisper, Juniper, Serpent, Zephyr, Flash, Spirit, Atlantis and Jinx. He nodded to himself before turning to face Drake, he glanced over the rough campsite he had made earlier that day, the bedroll waiting by a pile of sticks ready for lighting, Jinx, the packhorse and the only horse that was tethered tied firmly to a pole wedged into the ground. Now to answer the torrent of questions that had come his way, Elias paused before answering, unable to shake off the feeling that this would be the last time he would speak to Drake in the same way for a long time, he hesitated before choosing his words as carefully as he always did, he rarely said anything hastily,

"I've been all over Drake, Noterina, Eslantia...the horses well you can see for yourself, old Fletch died last month, I struck him on the head, he was struggling to keep up and the test of time had worn him down, Whisper was born, only days after I last saw you, an albino, it's irritating because I have no idea who sired her, and Storm's not telling, you know how horses can be sometimes. ' My foals’ twice as pretty as your foal' and all that. I've never been to Mezrelda, I avoid cities, but I've seen it you'll enjoy it...if..."

Here he paused as he heard a rustle behind him, his hand went automatically to his sword as he moved between Drake and whoever was going to come out of that bush. He drew the sword holding it firmly as out stepped...Tana...he didn't lower the sword, his icy eyes didn't flicker as she gave an amused smile, her perfectly formed blonde hair framing an innocent face with eyes as blue as cornflowers, it was no wonder she had caught the attention of Lucian. Tana took in the scene, the horses standing ears pricked, Storm standing resolutely behind her icy faced ex lover, and her son, standing confused behind them. She frowned slightly as the sword didn't waver, she was fickle creature and saw no wrong in what she had done, she regretted it, deep down somewhere she hated the thing she had done, but she was as wilful as Fira, and malicious to boot.

"Come now, Elias we know each other to well for this, and young Drake, my how you've grown!"

There it was, the bemused tone of voice, the perfect face and beautiful smile that he knew so well, but never again would it reel him in, not this time, not ever again. Elias ground his teeth, ignoring the questioning gaze Drake was throwing him, he had meant to tell him, had wanted to, but there had never been a right moment, never a right time when the mood was right, and now he would find out in the worst possible way, he gave a small sound of disgust and sheathed the sword, deliberately turning his back on Tana, he patted Storm on the neck, reassurance. He kept silent, his eyes filled with anger, he knew that Tana had always been able to find the answer in his silence, he was a man that naturally kept his own council, but she had always known, even when he wasn't sure of it himself,

"You mean you haven't told him? Drake darling I'm your mother, Elias honey really what have you been doing with him, he looks a mess, and he is such a handsome boy as well..."

Hmph…flattery that was rich coming from her, but what did she want this time, it was always something, he had made a point of avoiding her like the plague since she had walked out on him, of course it had been impossible not to see her, she always held the attention of everyone in the same room when she entered, she’d had the ringmaster wound around her little finger for years, Drake thought the only reason he was allowed to stay at the circus was his talent, and perhaps that was true, but Elias was fairly sure that Tana had a hand in that as well. He refused to speak his actions speaking for him, he rolled his bedroll up packing it onto Jinx in one swift movement, he paused for a moment, before saying in a neutral tone,

“Drake get on Spirit, now. We’re going, this instant Drake!”

He added more forcefully as he saw his son’s hesitation, Elias had worked out for himself what Tana wanted, what she wanted Drake for, and why Elias wasn’t all that keen on finding out, he had deliberately chosen Spirit for Drake’s mount, Spirit could weave and dodge, dance and sway, arrows couldn’t hit him and a swordsman stood no chance, he frowned as Drake still hesitated he fumed silently, his eyes watching Tana carefully, she seemed to be more amused than ever, witch meant…the trees! He refused to wait any longer, grabbing Drake and vaulting him onto the saddle, he gave a sharp whistle his herd bolted for the grasslands beyond the trees, all had been trained to react in an instant, even Whisper, who stuck close to her mother, Storm stayed by Elias, he mounted in a swift motion, the men that had been hiding in the trees, on horses, though none were as fast or as clever as any that Elias had, he turned and shot a small smile at Tana, who’s expression had turned into one of hate, but contempt, she still thought she could outride him, even after all these years? Storm raced after the other horses, easily outpacing the other men on horses, several shot crossbow bolts, Storm dodged as easily as he had in training, Elias slowed him to a fast gallop as they drew closer to the rest of the herd, Tana and the other men were gaining slowly but surely, Elias ground his teeth angrily, perhaps if he didn’t have Drake with him he would have risked a confrontation, but not with his son in danger.

“Drake hold them in, come on now, rein to the left, the left!”

He called fighting for purchase on Storms lead rein, the speed the herd were galloping at, making it hard for even an experience rider to ride one handed, Storm, tell the herd to head for Calcarna, we will meet them there, but we need to ride with Drake, fast and hard, Whisper and Jinx will never keep up. He heard Storm’s assent as he transferred the information to the herd, they broke off and galloped hard, as expected the men continued to follow Drake and Elias, it was all down to luck now, luck – that fickle Lady that came and went as she chose.

[[S]am]

Drake grinned as his father answered, savouring the moment that was so sweet. He knew Elias would ask him to come with him – again. Every time he came he asked the same thing, and every time Drake gave the same regretful answer. He wanted nothing more than to spend all the time in the world with his father – and he didn’t mind the idea of buying and selling horses either. Perhaps along the way he could do some performances. But that was just it – Drake loved the feeling of dancing high above, master of the air, allowing it to rule you as much as you ruled it. For him, there was no feeling that rivalled it, and he knew that for his father there was no greater freedom than what he already did. He would never return to the circus, and Drake was loath to leave it, but he knew that if Elias really called on him to come, he would come. He was slightly disappointed that Elias hadn’t ever been to Mezraldas – his father always knew the best pubs and bars to go to. Drake looked over the horses with a practised eye – or at least what little he had inherited and learned from his father. He had his own horse – Twister, who was a brown and white paint, chosen for him by Elias. Drake paced over to the new foal in delight, stroking her coat and grinning. He noticed that Fira flared her nostrils and glared at him through her narrowed eyes, but he knew she wouldn’t attack him. He noticed she was an albino, and grinned when his father confided that not even he knew who the sire was. That did it. If Elias didn’t know something abut horses it either wasn’t worth knowing or impossible to know. Drake went over to all the horses it turn, patting them and enjoying the moment – maybe another one of these horses would be dead when he next saw his father. He mourned over Fletch – the old horse had been a good friend to him, and he knew how hard it must have been for Elias to kill him. He walked back over to his father, rejoicing in the moment, waiting for the question he knew would come.

But Drake snapped his head around as he heard a rustling from the bushes, and Elias drew his sword. Confused, Drake drew his own short sword, almost as small as a large knife. If it came to a fight, he wouldn’t get in the way. But it wasn’t an enemy who stepped out the bushes – it was worse. Tana. Drake clenched his hand tightly around his sword and made to stand forwards, only to find Elias in front of him. Drake rolled his eyes and sidestepped so that he was standing next to his father – the time when he needed to be looked after was coming to an end. But he father sheathed his sword and turned back to Spirit, apparently ignoring her. Drake stepped backwards slightly; even more confused, but didn’t sheath his sword. He knew how dangerous Tana could be. Then it came to him – she would never come alone – but where? He couldn’t see or hear anything. The news that she was his mother bought a small amount of surprise and shock, but also large amounts of anger and revulsion. Then Elias was shouting at him – ordering him to come with him. Now. Elias froze. So this was it, finally after all these years he was leaving, maybe for good. He saw the impatience in Elias’s eyes, the frustration. But still Drake did not move – couldn’t his father see? It would be like asking him to leave the horses and run with the circus, Drake belonged here. But apparently not any more. Elias, obviously fed up with the amount of time it was taking his son to make the decision, made it for him. He shoved Drake onto Spirit’s back and Drake yelped and grasped on with his right hand, sword clenched in his left. Drake was left handed, like his mother. Mother. He shuddered and yelled as men burst from the forest, and hastily grabbed the reigns as Spirit and the other horses bolted. Drake did not look back. Then he and Elias broke free of the main group, and Drake’s mouth ran dry as he realised they were now alone. He narrowed his eyes in determination as he held on grimly, noticing with no small amount of envy that Elias wasn’t even looking fazed. Maybe Drake should have tried more galloping, but when travelling with the circus, the pace is usually slow and steady, eating up the miles. And he had never had to run for his life before, but he guessed Elias might be used to it. Ignoring his father’s look of frustration and spun around and concentrated, swinging the sword in an ‘X’ shape. The wing gathered around the blade and sent a gale towards their pursuers, knocking some off their horses, sending their mounts screaming and rearing in fright. Drake grinned and followed his father, Spirit easily catching up to his master. Then an answered gale flew past Drake’s shoulder and his heart lurched. His mother could use the wind as well, and could hit them even if she couldn’t catch up with them. Spirit and Storm struggled as gales whipped around them, slowing them down to a crawl.

“It’s useless father! We aren’t getting anywhere! We muse fight!”

Drake yelled over the gale, turning Spirit around, relieved to see his father close his eyes for a second and then turn Storm, slowly and deliberately to face her. Tana advanced through the gale, the men that had been following them close behind, eyes wide as they gale continued around them. Drake swallowed. He hadn’t been called upon to use his powers in battle much, only those rare occasions when bandits had attacked the circus, drawn by the wealth that obviously travelling with it. He had never called up a gale like this – it was far easier to focus the wind on a certain point – such as his hands or feet – or on an object, like his sword. He knew she was probably showing off – showing them what she could do, the harm she could cause. Well you aren’t the only one with powers around here. Mum. Drake thought grimly, dismounting and facing her, realising she had called the gale off. She smiled, and it was a sickly sweet smile, and he wasn’t fooled for a moment. She had come here for something, but what? Revenge? Did she want to get back at Elias for leaving the circus and stealing the horse? But she had never shown all that much interest in the circus after she had left, spending much of her time abroad. Why had she shown up now, on the one time he could have spent with his father? If it was coincidence, he was lucky. If she had shown up and Elias wasn’t here she would surely have killed him, he wouldn’t have been able to survive on his own. He swung the sword threateningly, slightly put off when she didn’t step back. Rather, she moved forward slightly, still smiling.

“Drake, sweetheart, you wouldn’t really hurt me, would you? Your own mother? Put the sword down and come with me, back to the circus. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

She said softly, smile warm and inviting. But her eyes were as cold and emotionless as daggers, and they frightened him. What did she really want? She gripped the sword tightly, refusing to budge, sending one small, uncertain look at Elias. But he wasn’t looking, he was glaring at Tana with all the hate under the sun, long sword clutched expertly in his hand. Drake swallowed nervously. By the look on his father and mother’s faces this could get really nasty, really quickly. He shifted, and Tana flickered a look behind her. That was all it took. They were attacked in a stream of curses and swear words, and Drake fell back in shock. But then he rallied and fought desperately, watching as his father calmly and calculatingly took out man after man. Drake had no qualms about killing in self-defence, he had dome so on several occasions and would do so again now. It was them or him, and life was too sweet to give up. He dropped one of the smaller ones with a thrust and as he pulled the sword out he was already being attacked. He yelped and blasted the man backwards with a concentrated force of air, before looking around. Spirit and Storm were both fighting, rearing and striking out with their sharp hooves and teeth, tussling like training warhorses, and Elias was fending off several the men at once in a breathtaking display of swordsmanship. There she was. Drake had for her, ignoring the men around him and cutting a path through to her, his focus locked. She turned and smiled, drawing a pair of small ,golden daggers. Drake looked at them in contempt. If she thought she could cut him with those things she was sadly mistaken. She shook her head and smiled, always smiling.

“Don’t worry dear, I couldn’t strike my own son – at least not with these, you’re much too strong for that, aren’t you? I realise it was a mistake to let Elias have you, but then, I thought you’d be another Eslantian like him. But you’re not like him, are you? People like you and me actually have power, not some twisted creature that follows our orders – that’s what men are for. Join with me, and we can return to Astoria together, two unstoppable air mages. Isn’t that what you want, darling?”

Out of the corner of his eyes Drake saw Elias freeze in fury and saw his eyes darken with hate. There was something that Elias knew that he didn’t, of that Drake was certain. Had his mother really come to exact her revenge on her ex-husband? Or had she come for the son she had abandoned? Either way, she wasn’t getting either. Drake leapt at her manipulating their air and sending it at her. She blocked with her own magic and soon the pair of them were fighting together, locked together in a duel of wind and blade. Drake grimaced as the air, as sharp as and blade, struck him on the point of his left shoulder, causing him to loose all feeling in his arm. His sword dropped from his grasp, useless as paper, and he retreated furiously, checking that Elias was alright. He was bleeding from several wounds, and Drake made to help him, but found his path blocked by Tana.

“Why don’t we leave the men to their primitive sparring, hmmm? I’m sure my ex-lover will be the victor in a few moment, but for now I must go through the terrible process and bringing you around, dear. Don’t you see how weak men really are? You and me…we are Gods!”

Drake staggered backwards as the wind hit him, but closed his eyes and sent a blast of his own at her, knocking her off her feet, sending her petite form skittering across the ground. He launched himself at her and scooped up his sword awkwardly in his right hand, unused to the feeling. He ran at her, fast as lightning, and pressed with sword to her throat, drawing a thin line of blood.

“You’re not a God. You’re an animal, much more so than Storm or Spirit. And you aren’t worth it.”

He muttered, staggering backwards and sheathing his sword, running over to Elias, hoping he was all right. He knew that the horse master had probably been in fights before, but he had been hopelessly outnumbered, and when Drake had seen him, in that last quick glance, he had been covered in small cuts and bruises.

[Kaison of Larris]

Elias realised around the same time as Drake did, that they were both in serious trouble, he knew Tana as well as any man could, and he still never underestimated her, she was too unpredictable, to wild for that, and her powers of wind were going to decide the outcome of today, he frowned at Drake when he used his own powers, partly because he wanted to put as much distance between them and their pursuers as possible, and partly because he knew that Drake had inherited his own horsemanship skills, but they weren’t finely honed, he would struggle to ride one handed. Then it came down to the scrap, Storm and Spirit dispatched a fair number of enemies under their flailing hooves, they were trained to react violently to being captured or attacked, he wasn’t worried about them. He tried to stay as close to Drake as possible, his own sword skills were razor sharp, he had been in one to many tavern brawls to become complacent. But they were heavily outnumbered, ten to each of them, and that didn’t include the horses, Elias received a few minor cuts in the first few seconds of the furiously paced duel, he paused breathing heavily, checking Drake’s position, he cursed Tana had eyes for only his son. He parried and thrust, dodged and weaved, but however many he dispatched there always seemed to be more, when he saw Tana draw her daggers his blood turned to ice, she was a master with the two handed daggers, golden or not, but surely she wouldn’t turn them on her own son? His fears were realised when his own battle took a turn for the worst, just as Tana began to lay into his son, he cursed and swore loudly as one of the swords got lucky, sliding under his armour and causing a deep slash on his right calf, he glared at the man, that would make riding difficult, he kneed him hard in the groin before bringing his elbow up to bash him in the nose, he had no qualms about fighting dirty. He received a kick to the stomach, he rolled before striking the man down with a nasty slash to the face, serve them right for not wearing proper armour.

He dispatched another man whilst fighting towards Tana and Drake, he yelled loudly as Tana slashed Drake’s shoulder, he went into a frenzy, dispatching the last three men, not caring about the damage to his own body, breathing heavily he rushed towards Tana and Drake fearing the worst, Lady Luck had been with them today, he thought heavily as he saw with relief that Drake was battered but alive, he looked with distaste as Tana and the remaining men that were alive scrambled onto the horses and cantered off, but the look in her eyes…Elias was sure that they hadn’t heard the last of them, and little did he know that his predication would prove to be correct, and much sooner than he might think. He sighed throwing his sword onto the floor, gazing for a moment at the bloodbath that he had created, he didn’t regret it, these men had been hired hands, and if they had been prepared to attack a child…and he was sure they would have attacked even if Drake had been on his own, then perhaps the world was a better place without them. Elias turned his gaze to a worried looking Drake, one glance told him Drake’s shoulder could be a serious problem, the only thing they wouldn’t have to worry about on that wound was poison, air wounds were clean and generally infection was a long way from setting in by the time they were seen to, Elias grunted a affirmative, he was alright, he was bruised but apart from the slash on his leg he was relatively unharmed he had survived much worse. Another quick glance told him Spirit and Storm were both unharmed, both were snorting, actually eager for more, he rolled his eyes and turned to Drake,

“Let’s see that shoulder wound son then we need to get out of here, we haven’t sent he last of her…”

Elias glanced worriedly at the wound in Drake’s shoulder, it was deep and he would have a scar for the rest of his life, but right now the worry was the amount of blood Drake had already lost, Elias dumped a anti-septic cream on the wound, ignoring the howl of pain from Drake, who evidently hadn’t had a sword wound before. He paused for a moment, gave a small grin and drew out a needle and thread once again he drowned out Drake’s nervous protests, and expertly began to sew the wound together, Drake came close to passing out, he must be in a lot of pain, the wound was deep, but luckily by the time he had finished and bound the wound, it looked as though it wouldn’t get any worse. He clapped his hand on Drake’s shoulder, he had been very brave and he was very proud of his son, he hadn’t flinched when the men attacked, or when he had to right his own mother, it was something Elias would have struggled to do at his age. It was then that he turned his attention to his wounds, outwardly he appeared calm and calculated, but inwardly he was already flinching from the wound on his calf, he carefully peeled the armour off, the blood was soaking into the linen tunic, it couldn’t be allowed to clot, that would be very, very bad. He tore the cloth out of the wound, the pain was immense but he gritted his teeth, examining the wound, confident that all the sword had indeed come out with the actual sword, he washed the wound with water from his drinking gourd and antiseptic cream, now came the hard part. If you have ever had to sew up your own wound, you will now that it takes strength of will as well as physical strength, you can’t pass out or stop, that would course infection and ultimately death. He was vaguely aware of Drake asking him something, this he ignored, he pulled the needle through his skin, his face weary and grim, he gave a curse when he finished and cut the thread, breathing heavily, covered in sweat, but at least he would live. Storm was snorting, feeling the pain on his bonded he gave a high whinny and trotted nervously around Drake and Elias.

“Right, that’s that, are you well enough to ride? In fact, strike that, you have to be, we can’t linger here any longer.”

He pushed himself up, testing the pressure on his leg, he limped over to Storm mounting gingerly, he clenched his teeth against the pain, this was going to be a long ride, but it was only about thirty miles to where the other horses would be, there they would be hidden and safe, they could hide there for a week or two before…well he suppose they would have to go back and get Drake’s horse, as far as Elias was concerned there was no way the boy could ever go back there, he was in the reach of his mother, and right now there was no greater danger. The ride was long and hard, Elias fought to stay awake, it would have been so easy to sink into the darkness, escape from the pain and tiredness. Drake passed out about half an hour in, Elias couldn’t blame him, the wound in his shoulder sapped his strength and he was only sixteen after all, and that reminded him, his sons’ present was at their destination, he allowed himself a small smile, it hadn’t taken to long to figure out what to get him, and it would be all the more important now. They arrived several hours before dawn, having ridden through the night. Elias slipped off Storm, his leg aching with pain, grimly he carried Drake to a bedroll, greeting his herd with a faint mind touch, they whickered nervously, several snorted a greeting and Whisper trotted up snuffling at Drake curiously, before being called back by her mother.

Elias watched over Drake with a father’s worry, he was unsure what damage that slash had done, but Drake did appear to have a fever, there was little that Elias could do apart from administer a few herbs, keep dousing him with cold water and pray that the wound wouldn’t get infected, if that happened then Drake would need more specialist care then Elias himself had. He rubbed his tired eyes, but was rewarded when Drake awoke, several hours later, looking bewildered and in pain, but Elias couldn’t hide his relief, the fever had broken, that meant that he stood a chance, there was little chance that he wouldn’t recover now.