literature

Echo - Chapter 2

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        Hours passed since they started through the forest, and Cuán was slowly getting annoyed at this Templar lack of determination to find this Mage. They knew where the Knox’s lived, it was common knowledge at this point and time, but there was a feeling that Cuán couldn’t shake about the forest and it’s...Inhabits.

        Before he could order his men to search through every bush and tree of this Blighted woods, one of his Templar came at him from inside the forest, claiming felt a tree that was touched by lyrium wielder.

        This caused Cuán to smirk, demanding his men through that trail with a boom of his voice. All of them scurried off, other than the one who told him about the tree. Cuán had something planned for him...

        The Templar ran throughout the forest, most with swords and others with torches. They sliced through tree branches, and force their way past brushes, many of them shouting at one another for ideas.

        From the foot-steps, they could assume there were three of them.

        “Three Mages or three people?” A Templar had asked another, his medium-high voice echoing through his helmet. The other Templar ignored him, keeping down the path claiming they’ll light up the forest into flames if there was more than one Mage.

        The Templar couldn’t help but to agree with them, no matter how delayed his reaction was to their angry shouts and trashing.

        The trees were dense and the sun was disappearing fast. Many of them figured the Mage would freeze to death or use its allies as blood marital before they manage to catch up with it. Most of them thought otherwise once Cuán made his way through with fresh blood dripping from his blade.

        “We’ll go through this forest until dawn’s light.” His voice boomed as his eyes looked towards the men before them. “If we head back now, we’ll lose them.”

        What Cuán was keeping hidden from them was this was a mission neither of them could come back empty handed, for if they did they’ll most likely die from his hands and his hands alone.

        He’d blame the Mage for their deaths.

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        The forest was dark, and from the few shouts of Templar behind, Lyida didn’t take anything for chance. She yanked her brothers’ arms if they were dragging behind, she growled and threaten to set their worldly objects up in flames once they head home if they didn’t move the Blight on.

        Lyida was panicking, and Boots could tell. Speeding up to catch up to his sister, Boots looked at her with a look of worry on his face. He knew Lyida was about to snap at them again for lagging behind, even if it was only Remni and not him.

        “Lyida, I think we need to turn away here.” He said, voice horse and cracking. “The Templar are tailing onto us, and if we keep on going this way...” He left the last bit of his sentence quite down, a steady frown on his face.

        Lyida just glared at him, stopping in her steps. Her glare seemed to cause him to gulp. He wasn’t use to seeing his sister like this: she was usually so cheerful. Her glare seemed to weaken as she sighed, pushing her hair back, breathing heavily.

        “You’re right, Boots, you’re right.” She seemed shaken, even more so once she realized her brother was correct. “If we trick them, then we can make it. Right...Right...” She nodded towards her brothers pushing some of the bushes out of the way before stepping through, stepping away into the darkness.

        Remni, who hadn’t spoke until then, looked towards his older brother. He seemed rather childish compared to Boots: His eyes were slightly wider, and his lean body didn’t help mask his obvious childish look.

        “Do you think Lyida is a...?” He didn’t really want to finish his sentence, fearing the response from Boots. If she was one of those, it would make a lot of sense. Especially with her fighting and warrior skills.

        Boots stared at him, a small line on his face. Pushing Remni through the bushes, he muttered in a small, silent tone. “Shut up and get through.” He didn’t want to think about it. If his sister was really a Mage, she would have told them years ago when she was showing signs.

        Not now when Templar were afoot.

        Lyida was waiting impatiently, her foot tapping and her arms crossed. Her brows were lowered that to a worried expression. Once her siblings finally made it through the bush, she stared at them before counting on. 

        Both Remni and Boots looked at each other in worry, Remni gesturing towards their sister and Boots shaking his head. Once their silent squabbling were over, the followed her in silence. Not one of them daring to talk as the shouts and stomps were getting louder.

        They all had a right to be fearful.  

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        Aki was forced into a cell, her body shaking and her eyes wide. Not even hours before, she was interrogated for the where abouts of Autumn Winters – the Mage who escaped hours ago. She had no clue where she was, and even spilled a few truths about how Autumn was acting wildly a few nights ago, calming she was evading other Mages like the pledge.

        The Knight-Commander scoffed at her responses, claiming to the First Enchanter that she was lying, that it was obvious to him. She was left alone for a couple of hours, and she had a horrible feeling in her gut.

        Aki had a bad feeling about this, it gotten even worse when one of the Templar that was left behind from the search made his hourly rounds. It was hard to see his face, and his voice was muffled was the helmet. He did torment some of the other Mages in the cells, one of them whose hands were bind by something that stopped them from using magic.

        She did try to ask him once the Templar left them for the other cells, leaning against her cell to get a good look at him. He seemed...Winnie, like many of the other male Mages of the circle. He had dark shadows under his eyes and some stubble on his face. His messy black hair stopped him from looking towards her, but she was certain he was broken down more than once.

        “What’s your name?” Aki had asked, eyes darting towards the back of the Templar as he walked away. “I’m Aki Lithos.”

        The man seemed to stiffen, his mouth opening to speak but no words came out. Aki instantly took pity on the poor Mage – it was obvious he was locked up in here for too long. But...What was stopping them from just killing him or made him tranquil?

        She shuffled awkwardly in her cell, leaning against the bars. Closing her eyes she tried to drift off into the Fade in vain to get a demon to take pity on her soul, when she heard a muffled, quite voice. Her ears twitched, and her body tensed.

        The poor man kept trying to speak, getting Aki’s full attention. Once he did spoke, she couldn’t help but to fall into silence.

        “I know a way out...” His voice was weak and nearly foreign – it had a soft accent that Aki couldn’t put a finger on. “I know a way to get free...” The man coughed, wincing and wanting to cover his stomach.

        Aki tried to help him, but the bars were between them and laced with a powder that stung to the touch. The man seemed to notice her concern and smiled, his eyes softening. “Worry not, ma’dam Lithos, for I am weak...” He winced, before looking at the girl again. “To get free, you must find the Templar with the pale eyes.”

        Aki quirked a brow, frowning but nodding. How why a Templar would let them free? Wasn’t it their duty to keep them locked up? Before she could ask a question, the Templar on duty passed by knocking on the bars and causing her to panic and surrey back.

        A Templar will pale eyes that sent Mages free. She was certain this was a set up, and when the cell with the sicken Mage opened and Templar dragged him away.

She felt alone.

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        Lyida’s breath was gone, her chest was in pain, and her legs were weak. Her siblings were in better condition, and Remni was about to faint from the amount of running he did throughout the night.

        Boots glared behind them, the troches of the Templar close and her could nearly smell their sweat and hear their grunts. “Sis – did you bring your crossbrow?”  His sister’s hesitation was all the answer he needed. He cursed loudly, taking out his mix-matched daggers from their sheaths.

        Even Remni knew what he was doing, and glanced towards him, his breath rash and hurting to speak. So his sister spoke his thoughts for him.

        “You’re an idiot, Boots!” She coughed, her voice hurting and aching and her arm weakly grabbing a hold of Boots’ shoulder before dragging him back and throwing both him and Remni into a bush.

        “I’ll be running ahead – stay back here.” Lyida sounded like she didn’t knew what she was going to do. She was going to risk herself for her siblings, and Boots didn’t like that.

        He forced himself up but felt stuck – like he was...Paralyzed. Remni was also frozen, his eyes wide and mouthing out his words. Lyida just smiled weakly, before zipping off in the opposite direction.

         The sound of Templar footsteps were heard just outside their little bush hide-away, one of them yelling at their fellow Templar.

        “Move your asses – find the other two who fled with her! We need that Mage!”

        Boots caught a sight of the commander, noticing his pale grey eyes. Those pale eyes that would haunt him for years to come. He was certain the Commander saw him and smirk, pointing his great-sword towards the direction Lyida went seconds ago.

        “This way – the blasted Mage went this way!” The commander, Cuán, shouted watching his men run down the path. “There’s nothing in the bushes from here on out, don’t care about her companions they’re dead anyway!”

        Boots looked over to his younger brother, whose eyes were wide with fear and anxiety. None of them knew what to do even when the paralyzation spell faded and the Templar left.

They were left alone.

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        Lyida’s legs were about to give, and the torches of the Templar were close. She heard the shouts of Cuán close behind, and choked out of fear. Even with her limited amount of magic, she was still trapped.

        Her foot slammed against a branch, causing the wind to get knock out of her once she crashed onto the ground. She shook, trying to grasp for air and reach towards a branch. Her body was in pain and the shouts were coming closer and louder—

         “Where is the Mage?!” Cuán shouted, his eyes wide and stabbing his sword into the bushes in a mad furry.

        Lyida was grateful that she found a way to drag herself against a tree and away from Cuán’s furry. Her eyes were dry and her throat was cracking in pain. Cuán, whom she was assuming was their Commander, yelled at Templar. When one of them came up towards him to talk some sense into him, he sliced his blade under his helmet and under his chin.

        Once he yanked his sword out, blood seemed to go everywhere and stain the landscape. Lyida couldn’t help but to gasp, stepping back and snapping a branch under her foot.

        She couldn’t help to freeze, and Cuán glared towards the bushes. His Templar seemed to keep the near-dead and bleeding Templar from flailing about, their glances following their commander.

        Once all eyes were on her, she tried to step back, her heart thrashing in her chest. Cuán threw his sword onto that ground, taking a few loud steps towards the bushes, towards Lyida, his hands reaching out to reach for her.

        She panicked. Her breath in stuck in her throat, causing her to choke. Causing her to panic. She thwacked his hands hard, her hands glowing in a light purple hue.

        Cuán hissed in pain, bringing his hands close and glaring towards his men. “After her! Now!” He looked towards his now throbbing hands, them weaving with blue veins.

        She paralyzed his hands. She injured his hands. Growling and yanking his sword from the ground, wincing in pain, and chased after her. Shoving his men from his way, shouting.

        Lyida was close to tears. The forest around her seemed to get tighter and tighter. The braches tried to grab a hold of her clothing, ripping it and causing her to rip her arms about.  Sticks and leafs stuck to her, her arms battered and bleeding.  She couldn’t help but to cry out in pain once a branched whipped across her face, causing her to fall and tumble down onto the ground.

        Wincing in pain, Lyida touched her; the branched managed to cut across her face. The scratched area was bleeding and starting to puff up. She didn’t have enough time to heal herself, the Templar Commander jumping over the bush behind her.

        “Finally, Mage.” Cuán growled, whipping his sword to the side of him. The blade slice through a tree branch, causing it to fall between him and his men – one of them getting hit and dragged to the ground from it.

        “I’ve caught you.” He brought his sword up above his head, Lyida whimpering and bringing herself back.

        Cuán’s frown lingered on his lips before his slowly brought his sword down to his side, thrusting it into the ground. Lyida’s breathing was rash, but her heart skipped a beat: was he going to spare her...?

        Before her thoughts were be finished, could be hoped, Cuán grabbed her throat, bringing her into the air before his face. Lyida gagged, her hands trying to rip his hand away her feet swinging in a mad terror.

        The Templar who weren’t hit by the branch just watched in horror. Even they knew that their mission was to bring at least once back alive. They dared not to say a word however. With that way Cuán was murdering his men...None of him even spoke anymore.

        Lyida start to feel her life getting suck away from her, her hands losing their grip on his hand falling towards her sides.

        Once she stopped flailing, Cuán threw her into the ground. His men serried, one of the more soft spoken ones was finally looking towards their leader. As Cuán was yanking his blade out of the ground, the smallest one stepped up, mouth opening to speak then closing it. Cuán’s seer stance at him caused him to stand back in fear.

        “Bring her to the Circle, the other Mage is dead.” Cuán walked passed his men, most of them shaking and quickly picking up Lyida. Her breath was weak, but still there and that made many of the Templar sigh in relief.

        They dragged her off, following Cuán and the few Templar who openly talked and congratulated him on his days work. Those were the Templar who kissed the Knight Commander’s feet every day, claiming that Cuán was the best leader out there.

        That he should lead every search mission out there.

                        That everyone else was wrong.

Title: Echo
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Dragon Age
Pairing/Shipping: Implied AkiXBoots in the later chapters, Implied a lot of pairings to be exact.
Warnings: Violence, character death, past relations, angst, implied sex
Summary: They didn’t know how their lives would end up – nor did they expect things to turn out like this. It just happened, and they were to accept that...Right?
Authors Notes: Well, chapter two of Echo! Sadly, this chapter is one shorter than the other, so it makes me sad. D: I'll make sure the next one is longer for so. But, yeah, Cuán is a nice character is he not?
I like him lots.
© 2012 - 2024 CottonCanada
Comments7
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SirrahMouse's avatar
Boots' sister's a mage?
FANCY.
Mouse wants to meet her now. :I
No buts about it.