Chapter 6: Princess and the Dark Rain

Ekiu woke up the next day and find out himself in a familiar place. The ceiling and the soft scent of whisteria lingers in the place. He feels very relaxed at the moment and he also feels someone's breath brushing he's hand that makes him open his eyes just to check it up.

He then find out that was the inn keeper, asleep beside his bed and her head was leaning on his arm. He could hear a solf breathing from the sleeping inn keeper. At the moment, he thinks about waking her up but then someone speaks from the corner of the room where the window is.

The person stands by the window, the wind flaps the curtain as the person speak with soothing and soft tone. The moonlight shines to the person as the curtain keep flapping to the night solemn breeze.

"you shouldn't wake her up. She's been taking care of you for since we arrived here."

Ekiu didn't recognize the face and the voice of the person. It doesn't match his memory at all.

"Who are you... Do i know you?" He ask then he heard a soft chuckles from the lady.

"I am your lifeline. My name is Adelle Dertovar. Or you can call me Princess Ade." she said as she leave her spot and stepping to the bed that Ekiu was lying on.

Ekiu was slightly confused but his fuzzy head finally manage to recall that he had a mission to protect and escort the princess back to Risidom's capital. Princess Ade sits by the bed on the other side of the inn keeper slept as she caresses Ekiu's face gently.

"I wish i could take you as my spouse but... That's not something I'm allowed to." She sigh before continuing. "What a shame." She released Ekiu's face.

"I... somehow agree with you, Princess Ade. I..."

"Shh... shh... shh..." She place her index finger on Ekiu's mouth to hinder him from talking.

She then lean back to the chair. Ekiu look at her and saw a glint of violet light in her pupil. He quickly realized about it.

"you're... a magician?"

"Yes. That's why I'm here, In this designated area. We, royal family didn't allow any of their descendants becoming a magician so I ran to a place where I'm not bound with the royal family rules."

"Then why..."

She chuckles again and crossed her legs and lean further into the chair.

"It just that my dad wanna see me again. He never know I am a magician since I run away from the castle in that one night. he discovered my whereabout and paying some people to bring me back in one piece."

"Then... why did the D.M.A. were after you?"

"Opps, we're running out of time. Sorry, sweety but I can't answer you that. But rest assured, I will go to the Risidom's capital with your friend by tonight and you will get your payment. I know how to sugarcoat my father so you shouldn't be worry too much."

Without Ekiu have that chance to reply, she walk out the room and gently close the door. He sigh heavily and then...

"Oh... You already woken up." the inn keeper rubbing her eyes as she just woke up herself.

"Yes... i am..."

"Well... That's a good thing to hear." She smile sweetly with her messy hair but it still look sweet.

Ekiu was stunned to it but just brush it off.

"Thanks for taking care of me. I'm feeling better now."

"Oh? You know? How..." her cheek starts to grow red as Ekiu stated that.

"It's not important. I really appreciated it."

She try to change the topic by looking away for a moment before turn to Ekiu's again and smile normally. the blush at her cheek still visible though.

"My name is Anna. Annabelle Stutgard. I know I didn't introduce myself yet."

"Nice to meet you. I'm pretty sure you already know me by name and background I guess?"

"I did." She giggles before stand up from the stool.

She sheepishly looking at Ekiu while rubbing her hands together.

"I... I have to go, I have a counter to take care off. Bye now..." She said and walk off to the door.

"Bye... see you later."

As she heard 'see you later.' her blush get intense and she hurriedly walking out the door and slammed it in embarresment. Ekiu smiled to himself before he planned to keep sleeping since he could feel his mana didn't really recovered yet after using teleportation spell twice... no, thrice in a day. The first one onto the horse, the second one during the chase and the last one when they were ambushed and he use teleport spell to hide the horse away from battle field.

After a short moment of lying, he finally fall asleep.

Meanwhile, at the same time at Black Blade's place. He was rushing up with his horse and Emerald were holding tight to his robe.

At that time, they were rained by dark bolts. When I say rained, I mean by a lot. It was night time and dark magic users usually have like increase in power by a lot. So, D.M.A. is a joke during the day but not in the night. Even a novice dark magician can do very powerful simple dark bolts and this is one of them. Dark bolts rain.

Black Blade was holding a circular shape shield and he was blocking the bolts rain with the shield. Instead of explode on contacts like most bolts did, the dark bolts that contact with his shield get deflected away or to the caster back. Depending on the angle of the bolt and the shield.

"Emerald! Can't you activate you wind barrier?" He ask while keep blocking and also riding the horse evading the incoming dark bolts.

"I can't, Master. that's impossible."

"Why!?"

"If I do, I'm gonna loose balance and fall of the horse, The barrier will quickly dissappear when that happens."

Black Blade thinks about it and he thought that Emerald has a point. He keep thinking how to counter this situation. Bladge can pretty much top the speed of their horses since they were pulling a wagon that makes it slower than Bladge top speed but due to they need to evading the raining bolts, they can't catch up with them.

After enough thinking, he had an idea which is a gamble of somesort.

"Emerald, do you know how to ride a horse?"

"I do! Why!?" She still hanging to him very tightly.

"Launch me to the air then I want you to ride my horse to catch up. I will break their offence." He said confidently.

"you sure? it's gonna be painful..."

Black Blade nods once and she prepare the wind blast and blast him to the air. He was levitating in the air and some of the mages start to target him. The plan is either Black Blade could lands on their wagon and just beat the mage from there or if he somehow get hits and failed, Emerald with the horse might get enough time when the mages were targeting him in the sky and Emerald gonna attack them head on.

Fortunately, Black Blade manage to deflect most of the bolts while only get one hit from it and he crashed right on the wagons that the roof broke and he was inside it. He change his shield into a sword and he walks out the wagon curtain then immediately stab the mage that was right in front of the curtain.

He cast firebolt to the leash that hold the horse to the wagon that makes the wagon slowdown. Some of the dark magician start to attack him. In this close proximity, they only use dagger and staff. Using magic in this small space will only deteriorate for themselves.

Black blade take this advantage and swings his sword to the dagger user and he tries to block it but he was standing at the edge of the wagon that makes him lost balance and fall of the wagon. Black Blade turn his sword into the shield again and block the other dark magician that infuse dark energy to it's dagger that should be powerful but due to the shield reflective prowess, It sends the impact of the dark energy back to it's owner and he falls off the wagon.

Other dark magician wanna strike him from behind while Black Blade was fighting with other mage but he feel someone pulling him and it was Emerald that uses her wind magic to pull him off the wagon and Black Blade slash the last mage fall the wagon.

"Well. great job." he said and stop the wagon there to inspect if the crystal still inside the wagon or not.

"Yeah... That was tight situation." Emerald said as she climb up the wagon that's already stopped.

to be continued...