Kendrolgo and Malera were barely able to stay in the saddle. Looking back at what happened before their crazy journey, he tried to understand just what happened. He had run back to the village, after Malera heard the voices of the villagers. The carnage of the village that night continued to play through his mind. Seeing his home heavily damaged, his family missing, he only imagined the worse. After all the Daemonises were killed, the Ladies of Grace ordered them to go with them and flee from the village. Even now he didn’t know why they needed to leave in such a hurry.

In front, the Ladies of Grace began slowing the pace of their horses. “We’ll be resting here for a couple of bit, before we continue to the town.” The Lady of Grace that talked to him before informed them.

Getting off his horse, he led his horse to where the Ladies were, off to the side of the road. He could tell from how far they stopped from the road that they were expecting trouble.

“When are you going to explain everything?” He asked to the Ladies, though he didn’t expect them to answer. The two of them seemed to keep secrets easily, and rarely kept Kengrolgo and Malera in the loop.

Ignoring the questions the Lady said, “Keep all your gear on the horse. We may need to leave in a hurry.”

“I’m not doing anything until I get some answers!” He yelled at them. On top of being confused, angry, and tired, he was fed up with all the secrecy. Ever since he’s met them, they have brought trouble to him and his family.

Pulling out a bedroll, one of the Ladies cleared the ground of debris and unrolled the bedroll. Sitting down, she looked over at him and motioned him to do the same. After he finished, she simply said, “You were the reason they came.”

Looking at the Lady he asked, “What are you talking about?”

“You know deep down what I’m talking about, or at least a suspicion as to why.” She stated. “Well before we go any further, I figure a proper introduction is in order.” Pointing at the other Lady, she said, “The Lady that has been accompanying me is Amela.” She then placed her hand on her chest. “I am called Jamelia. When saying our name you will always place a Lady in front of our names and when there is only one present you will refer to us as ‘my Lady’.”

“Lady Jamelia, then, what did you mean when you said I was the reason they came?” Kendrolgo asked them, trying to stay calm and collected. As the night’s exhaustion finally caught up to him and the sense of danger dispelled, he realized how he had been acting toward the Ladies of Grace. He had to remind himself that those who belonged to the Order had ultimate authority given to them. Killing him in cold blood would be within her right and nothing could stop her.

Pointing in the direction of the village, now showing up as just an ember-like glow, she asked “Do you honestly believe that the attack on the village was some kind of coincidence?” Sensing his suspicion she continued on with just a simple statement. “The demon blood coursing through you should be answer enough.”

Without hearing those words, Kendrolgo felt that what happened in the village was indeed connected to him. Just seeing creatures only mentioned in books, from an age long ago, the attack in the forest and also in the village could only point to him. The only question was why the attacks happened now of all time.

“Are you ready to begin following what I ask, now?” Lady Jamelia asked him. Behind her, Lady Amela came up to her and whispered into her ear. Lady Jamelia then walked back to her horse and grabbing a ground cloth and laying it on the ground. “We need to rest while we have a chance, so both Lady Amela and I will take turns keeping watch, while you two rest for the night.”

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“Lady Jamelia.” A voice whispered in the darkness waking her up. Shedding the haze of sleep from her mind, Jamelia saw Amela crouching next to her.

They are starting to close in on our location. Using the secret hand signs of The Order, Amela briefed Jamelia. After directing her to ready the horses and bring them over, Jamelia headed over to where Kendrolgo and Malera were resting peacefully. Though they were being chased by monsters, which would tear them apart in second, the sight of their peaceful faces brought a pain filled smile to her face.

Kneeling next to Kendrolgo, she lightly placed her hand on his mouth waking him. Moving to Malera, Jamelia performed the same motion and then motioned for the two of them to follow her.

Amela quietly came leading the horses, and one by one they mounted their horses. Seeing impatience on Kendrolgo’s face, Jamelia placed her index finger in front of her mouth, signaling him to be quiet. The current situation was very volatile with Daemonises closing in on them. Even a whisper could alert them to their presence.

We’ll walk the horses first to try and get some distance. If they find us then we’ll have to risk it and make a dash to the village. Jamelia signaled to Amela.

Leading their horses back onto the road, they continued as quietly as possible. The darkness casted from the trees seemed to hide monsters in their shadows, spooking the horses and putting everyone on edge. Even for a Lady of Grace, taking on multiple monsters at once was a stretch in their ability. With both Kendrolgo and Malera following them, the task of surviving an encounter would be near impossible. For them to survive and reach the next village, they would need to run into one of the various security patrols in the area. Luckily there was an outpost between the two villages and so the chance of meeting up with one was high. With the large military presence, the Daemonises should be deterred from following after them.

In the distance a howl could be heard behind them. Glancing at Amela, Jamelia gave the signal for them to pick up the pace for the horses. The howls most likely meant that the Daemonises were getting closer and were now actively tracking their “scent”. The hunting ability isn’t really understood and was assumed to be based on a normal animal’s senses. She had a strange feeling that something outside of an animal’s sense was allowing them to track the group. Was it possible that those creatures sensed the boy? If they are tracking him then there was a strong chance that they will be racing towards the village, regardless of if they meet up with a security patrol or not.

Even at the quick pace they were going at, the group would probably not even make it till morning before the Daemonises were on top of them. Digging her heels into the horse, she raced away from the village, and towards the next village. Howls could be heard all around them as they raced through the night, as the monsters figured out where they were from the sound of the hooves pounding the road. Even though they were pushing their horses to the utmost limit, reaching the village let alone the outpost was now impossible, though sneaking at this point was pointless.

Their only option now was to either survive until a security patrol could hopefully reach them, though this option depends on being found, or killing off all the Daemonises, though this was also an unlikely scenario.

“They’re right behind us!” Kendrolgo screamed in the back of the formation.

Jamilia clicked her tongue in frustration, she didn’t think the creatures would reach them this quickly. In a matter of seconds the Daemonises would reach them and the fight for their lives would start.

In the forest running alongside them, Daemonises could be seen getting into an attack formation. Using some kind of signal, both sides of Daemonises jumped towards them arm and claws outstretched towards them.

With timing only existing through countless hours of practice and discipline, both Ladies of Grace jump from their horses towards the nearest Daemonis, to their position on either side with daggers in both hands, like the fangs of an animal.

Jamelia saw the claw aiming towards her and shifted her weight, barely dodging the claws. Using the dagger in her left hand, she stabbed the arm of the beast and used the leverage to propel her forward. Drawing her right hand back, she swung the blade and lodged it into the temple of the Daemonis. Instantly killing the beast and turning to stone, though only after taking away the two blades now stuck, Jamelia continued, ignoring the lost daggers, and used the statue of the beast to launch herself at the next one.

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An entire lifetime seemed to pass by as the group dispatched the monsters one by one. Sounds of the Daemonis’s howls filled the air and the crashing of their bodies, like boulders, continued through the night. Throughout all the chaos, Kendrolgo stood panting while holding a dagger Amela had given to him before the fight began. Everything seemed to happen so fast when the Daemonises began their attack. The two Ladies seemed to fly towards the monsters and danced to a song of death, as they moved through their ranks. Suddenly he found himself on the ground, the horse he was riding lay on its side bleeding. Looking up he was surrounded by Daemonises.

“What are you doing?! Don’t just sit there!” Lady Amela shouted, as she threw one of the daggers at a Daemonis behind him. Tossing him one of the many daggers she carried she then yelled out, “don’t just stand there. FIGHT!”

“Kenny! Help me!” Malera screamed on her horse with a Daemonis chasing after her. It seemed that the Daemonises were concentrating mainly on the two Ladies of Grace and him. With only one of the creatures chasing after her, the horse was able to keep ahead. Briefly looking at the situation he could see that she wouldn’t last much longer.

Taking the dagger, Kendrolgo swiped at the leg of a beast. Though this didn’t kill the Daemonis, it wouldn’t be able to follow after him as well. Trying to catch up on foot would be impossible, even with his increased speed. Noticing the horses that the Lady of Graces rode on was off to the side and still alive, he quickly ran over and jumped on the horse. Grabbing the reins, Kendrolgo rode as fast as possible towards the Daemonis.

The distance between him and Malera made reaching her in time almost impossible. Though he was riding a horse, Kendrolgo knew that he wouldn’t make it unless he did something else. “Malera! Go into the woods and try to lose him!” He didn’t know if she heard him or not but until he could get closer there wasn’t much else he could do. “Please run faster!” He begged the horse, while digging his heels urging the horse.

Malera must have heard him, because he could see the horse heading into the woods. Going between the trees, the Daemonis had to slow down since it was wider than the horse, though not by much. Luckily for them the forest became denser the further away they got from the village. Kendrolgo only needed a little more time to catch up with her. Ducking under a low branch, he weaved the horse between the trees. Having gained the needed ground, Kendrolgo felt the demon blood in him awaken and from somewhere deep down he could see images inside of him forming. Somehow he knew that the distance from him to the monster was close enough for him. Balancing himself on top of the horse, he launched himself toward the nearest tree. Unsheathing his dagger, the one Lady Amela had given him; Kendrolgo drove the blade into the tree and used it to propel himself forward. He was able to go from tree to tree, catching up to Malera, and when he was a horse length away he aimed towards the Daemonis and flew, like an owl to its prey. Force from the kick was so great that the tree was split in two; the sound alerted the Daemonis of his presence and facing him, Kendrolgo was able to swing his dagger down and like the tree split it in two.

The ashes of the monster swirled around him as he landed on the ground. Sweeping his arm in front of him, to clear the ash, Kendrolgo could see Malera pulling on the reigns of her horse and steering it towards him. Trotting up to him, he could see the tears running down her face. Placing his hand on the horse, he lead it back to the horse he left behind reaching her. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?” He asked her, while trying to figure out what he could say after everything that happened. The sound of the horse’s hooves seemed to echo as they snapped the twigs and leaves, on the forest floor.

“Thank you… for saving me” Malera said, as she tried to keep her voice steady. Looking back, Kendrolgo could see her hands shaking, while holding the reigns.

“If I was stronger, then you would have never been in this situation in the first place…” he replied, his fist clenched in the dark away from her sight. The memory of her, with the demon flowers surrounding her, flowed through his thoughts along with of her being chased.

Getting to the horse he rode, which stayed right where he left it, Kendrolgo mounted the horse and steered it towards Malera. Trotting up next to her horse, he laid his hand on her shoulder and tilted his head signaling that they needed to get back to where the Ladies were. Hopefully the two of them were still alive and well.

Running away from the Daemonis had caused them to deviate, greatly, from the main road, so galloping at full speed, they tried to return to the where they originally were, before getting separated. Seeing the road, he could already see that nobody was there, both Daemonises and the Ladies. Raising his arm, Kendrolgo signaled to Malera to rein her horse. He was worried about what lay ahead, especially considering how there may still be monsters. If the Ladies were killed in the attack then he would need to protect Malera from all the monsters left. Hopefully, after they reach the road the Ladies will appear and they’ll be able to continue on to wherever the Ladies were planning on taking them.

Reaching the road, the two of them cautiously stepped out into the open. Looking both ways, Kendrolgo could see that the road was completely empty, aside from an occasional statue. Shattered limbs littered the ground, if he hadn’t been here moments before he would have thought a major battle had occurred.

“Where are they?” Malera whispered, trying to see into the dark. Fear was laced throughout her voice and considering their circumstances it was understandable. Unfortunately if there were any more Daemonis out there then a single dagger would not be enough. Protecting just himself would be difficult but making sure Malera stayed safe…just the thought.

“I’m sure they are coming back for us and will be here soon.” He tried to reassure her. The night seemed to be especially quiet, with the wind dead and nothing moving. A part of him wanted the two of them to get off their horses, the stamina in each of the horses were most likely low from the battle, but with the uncertainty of the situation he was unsure of whether that would be the safe move. The problem was that even if they needed to run off for a long distance, they wouldn’t make it with the horses’ condition. A compromise would be for them to just keep the horses at a steady trot and hope for the best. Most likely the Ladies would be here soon, he attempted to comfort himself.

Making sure that Malera was staying near him, he turned his head and saw the terrified state she was in. Kendrolgo could tell that the only thing keeping her from breaking apart was the fear that any remaining Daemonis would hear her. Fear seemed to keep both of them awake, through their exhaustion, and keeping them alert.

“Kenny, what do we do if the Ladies never come back?” Malera asked the one question both of them were thinking about.

“I’ll protect you,” he reassured her, trying to keep his voice steady and confident. Both of them knew the answer to that question, but he refused to torment her with the reality. “Let’s head further down the road and see if the Ladies are there.”

Nodding her head wearily, Malera had her horse follow him and the two continued down the ghostly road.

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The two of them continued down the road for what seemed like hours. Due to the horses, Kendrolgo tried to keep them at a slow enough pace that the horses could recover lost stamina. Even after several hours of road and silence, neither of them could see signs of the Ladies.

Kendrolgo occasionally tried to reassure Malera that they would get to one of the outposts scattered throughout the Kingdom. He honestly had no idea if the outposts even existed, but he figured that the occasional security patrol that came to their village must have come from a nearby outpost. The adults in the village were the only ones who really talked to the patrols, so the information about outposts along the roads was from the books that he read. Hopefully they would run into one of them soon since neither of them had any long-term supplies.

“Kenny do you smell that?” Malera asked him, as her horse came up next to his. For most of the trip, Malera had been fairly quiet aside from the occasional question, so he was startled by her sudden question.

Calming himself down, Kendrolgo tried to smell whatever Malera had smelled. Straining his senses, he initially didn’t smell anything but with a sudden breeze the scent of decay nearly knocked him off his horse.

“What is that?” She asked as the smell became stronger and more intense.

A part of him wanted her to stay behind, while he checked out the situation, but considering how nowhere was safe for them he decided to discard the idea. The two of them kept going at their paces and within half an hour, they saw light down the road.

Seeing the light, Malera urged her horse into a gallop and sped towards the light.

“Malera wait!” Kendrolgo yelled out, but by then she was too far ahead. Clicking his tongue in frustration, he followed suit and raced after her.

He caught up to her horse and stopped next to her. “What were you thinking?!” He yelled at her. Considering everything they had gone through he couldn’t believe her actions. Her facial expression made him snap back to reality and he looked to where she was staring off to.

In front of them was a huge stone building that seemed to have been destroyed. The light they had seen was from the fires still burning, from the various furniture and wooden structures. It looked like the structures were originally horse stalls, enough for a small army.

“Kenny…” Malera, next to him, whispered with horror in her voice.

Quickly looking back at her and then to where she was pointing to, he could see bodies littered throughout an empty field, that surrounded the structure, straight ahead of them. From the way they were laying, the bodies must have been from the patrols that guarded the immediate area since they were in some kind of formation. Scattered throughout the formations, he could see the remains of statues that were most likely from Daemonises. Judging from the number of shattered statues, the Daemonis must have swarmed and overwhelmed the patrol, even with the numbers they had.

Next to him he could hear Malera crying, her sobs deafening in the darkness made darker from the flames.

Between the sobbing and the grisly sight in front of him, Kendrolgo knew that everything had changed.