James and Kath's co-joined effort
The night was eerily quiet and still. A soft mist covered the forest and the thick, green leaves of the towering trees dripped a slow trickle of dew onto the luscious grass growing beneath them. The forest animals seemed to have ceased any activity and gave the forest a deathly quiet effect.
The forest itself was a unique landmark. It was situated right in the middle of many hills and valleys, virtually well hidden. For one to make the journey on foot would be a tremendous task as the nearest village was miles away and the hills themselves were extremely steep.
The silhouette of a lone stranger was approaching on horseback from the East side of the forest. He knew not of the evil tidings that the night promised. As the forest came into clearer focus, it gave him the feeling that he was somehow entering a fairy tale with the silvery mist and the majestic hills that overshadowed the forest.
The stranger had a weather beaten face with an ashen colored complexion. He seemed rather rugged and had the look of someone who had been through many of life's experiences. His hair was untidily messed up and people might have once called him handsome but now, he was far from that. A number of grey hairs grew all over his scalp which gave him an old appearance. He donned a thin white shirt and a tattered and torn pair of cream colored pants. His black sandals made him look like a pauper but if one looked closely at his hips, they were less likely to laugh; hanging loosely around his hips were two large revolvers which gleamed maliciously in their holsters. He was definitely not a man to trifle with.
As the horse trotted downhill, the man released his hold on it's reins and dug deep into his pockets, searching for something. He took out a small leather bound bible and a packet of grass like substance. With amazing deftness, the cigarette was rolled up and lit in his mouth. Inhaling the thick, heavenly fumes, he gave a contented sigh as he watched the bright red amber burn in contrast to the pitch black night.
Upon reaching level ground, he flicked his cigarette onto the wet grass which produced a loud hiss as the amber was extinguished. Dismounting his horse with a graceful motion, he gave the reins a tug for his horse to follow and walked along the only path that was located at this end of the forest. The path could barely be seen in the darkness but the man's eyes had grown accustomed to it and could roughly guess his whereabouts; he was no stranger here anyway. The thick undergrowth was not helping either as they grew in abundance along the path, sometimes even
concealing turning points.
After a relatively long walk which consisted of various scratches by thorns and the dense undergrowth, the man reached a small clearing and breathlessly slumped to the soft ground with a small prayer to heaven.
He took a long, big gulp from his water pouch and poured some into his cupped hand for his horse to drink. Slurping the water gratefully from him, she turned her attention to the fresh, green grass on the floor and paused once in awhile to nibble the man's ears.
Suddenly, the man's body tensed and his hands inched slowly to his guns, his eyes alert to the slightest movement. He had sensed rather than heard something approaching and whatever it was, if it meant to attack, it's end was near.
'Who may you be? Friend or foe? Speak know or hold your peace forever' The man said gruffly drawing both of his guns silently with the deftness his training had given him.
'Were you thinking of attacking us Alan?' a mild voice said within the shadows of the trees.
The man broke into a smile and holstered his guns hastily.
'For the love of god, Jeremiah!' he shouted 'I hate it when you're up to your tricks'
A man had emerged from the shadows along the path followed by three others; An old man, a woman and a young lad. They too were armed with revolvers but looked anything but menacing. The man called Jeremiah was a balding man with a slight paunch and the hint of a man that age was catching up with, his eyes were currently twinkling in the dark with mischief as he grinned from ear to ear.
'Even old men like me deserve some fun once in awhile.' he croaked giving a short booming laugh which echoed throughout the entire forest. The people behind him smiled warmly at Alan and the woman waved cheerily. To him, this was his family.
He sat down on the softest bit of grass he could find and promptly proceeded to light up another cigarette.
'Really, those things will kill you one day Alan' the woman said and sat next to him with a reproachful look on her face.
'Cease your intolerable nagging Lyanna and may we please proceed with the meeting?' Alan said gruffly and stared at Jeremiah 'Of all the time and places too'
Jeremiah looked at all of them wearily and sighed. He obviously had something on his mind and Alan was not leaving until he found out what it was.
'Banishers are a sacred race of people, sworn to protect the innocent and destroy evil am I right or wrong to say this?' Jeremiah questioned the rest who all nodded in acquiescence.
'Your point being my Lord?' the young man asked causing the others to wince; Jeremiah never liked to be interrupted during a speech. However, he had voiced out what they all had been thinking.
'The first generation swore upon an oath that not one soul who passed through our training would allow evil to envelope his soul.' Jeremiah said oblivious to this interruption 'Only Alan, Geoffrey and myself are the remnants of the first generation. We are but mere mortals and cannot be around every living day.'
'It is not like you to beat about the bush my friend' Alan said incredulously at Jeremiah 'Say what needs to be said I can sense it needs no more delay'
'Only you would know me so well my friend.' Jeremiah said giving Alan a warm smile 'The task I am going to entrust you is no small feat and requires the true Banisher to execute it.'
'Just say the word my Lord' the young man said eager to prove himself worthy of the task.
'Very well, you may have heard the rumors that many of our kind have consorted to evil' Jeremiah said gravely 'Sadly, these rumors are very much true and i fear there can be no forgiveness given to these demonic people.' he said in quiet anger 'What i ask of you is to bring them peace by ending their pitiful lives, only then will my soul rest easy.'
'I'm on it, the council need not put themselves in danger' Alan said after a short period of silence 'Though I may be the First Generation but I have much fight left in me and I intend to use it to full capacity'
'I'm with him, I may not be a council member but I will fight to the bitter end.' the young man said with much feeling causing Alan to raise an eyebrow at him.
'Well said Jake' Jeremiah said to the young man 'You were called here for that purpose, and i knew you would not disappoint me.'
'Jeremiah, surely you do not intend to place such great responsibility on these two?' the old man Geoffrey queried 'You overburden them'
'I have been in touch with the Prophets of old, they speak to me and guide the path of my life.' Jeremiah said firmly 'Ka has spoken and these two have been chosen for a purpose, Lyanna, you and myself will go into hiding till their return.'
Before the old man could reply, a volley of gunshots erupted around the clearing.
'Fools!' a dry, hoarse voice cried echoing into the clearing. 'You can never hide from Lord Balack, let alone kill him. He sees and knows everything!'
As one, the five banishers in the clearing sprang to their feet and drew their guns, adrenaline pumping through their bodies.
'How would anybody know we would meet here?' Jake asked
'Lad, be quiet!' Alan hissed 'There's a time and place for everything and now's not the time for questions!' just as he said this, a bright light was cast into the clearing, momentarily blinding them. They were surrounded by a ring of torches carried by people wearing pitch black cloaks with their hoods up, concealing their faces.
'Come, my brethren! Lower your hoods and hit them with the cruel revelation that fate has destined for them!' the dry raspy voice said once more.
They could not locate the owner of the voice due to the furry of movement in response to the voice's orders. Some hesitated at this point but there were others who promptly lowered their hoods with no tinge of fear.
As the trapped Banishers looked wildly around them, their faces contorted with fury and disbelief. Every single person surrounding them were followers of the code, Banishers of the Land.
'What in Jehova's name is happening down here?' Jake muttered as recognition dawned on him.
'What you see before you is the evil which has crept within our ranks and corrupted us completely' Jeremiah said with sadness etched into every word he spoke.
'Well said, I could not have put it better myself' thus saying this, a solitary figure seemingly glided across the clearing towards them, entering the proximity which the light provided, illuminating the face behind the voice.
'You!?' Jake spat in disbelief 'Why are you doing this?'
'Yes, me' the man said simply 'I have endured enough of this insufferable code, a code that serves no purpose to anybody.'
'No purpose? My child, you know not what you say' Lyanna said furiously 'We have worked continuously for the triumph of good over evil these decades, how could you say a thing like that?'
'Good? Evil?' the man mimicked mockingly 'What do you know of good or evil? They do not exist, there is only power and I was fortunate enough to be able to realize that before it was too late.'
'Laddie, I suggest you call your dogs off or we'll show you no mercy' Alan said dangerously not taking an eye of the man.
'Fight a losing battle then, old teacher' the man said sadly and turned around. 'My master will be very pleased to hear of your deaths'
'How can you be so selfish?' Jake said softly, the man halted in mid turn and stared at him 'Why have you changed? It is not too late to redeem yourself Eugene, start afresh'
'Jake, your death will contribute towards a new era, you should be proud' Eugene said nodding his head with approval 'Till we meet again comrade' with that he resolutely turned around and looked back no more.
The valleys and hills echoed with the thunderous sound of gunshots as the Bainshers surrounding the clearing opened fire, this time with no trace of hesitation. At times like these, the brain fails to function properly and fear is the only feeling coursing through your body and keeping you an inch away from death. Alan dived on the ground miraculously unhurt amidst the bullets striking the grass all around him and scrambled behind the big boulder. He chose his targets in front of him with quick precision and deadly accuracy. His spent shells lay all around him as he returned volley after volley of fire, his hands doing what they were specially trained to do; reloading his weapons with godlike speed and abiding his motto 'One bullet, one body'. Jake and Lyanna had managed to scrambled with him behind the safety of the boulder but Jeremiah was in a perilous situation, his leg had been shot by a stray bullet and to move was causing him great agony. The old man, Geoffrey was long dead, lying in a immobile heap on the soft grass next to Jeremiah, soiling the colour of the grass to a blackish red.
'You two must live to fight another battle, it is not your time' Lyanna said frantically to Alan and Jake 'Go, make haste, I can only hold them back for so long'
'No! I will never leave you here alone' Alan said fiercely
'It is destined, do not go against fate' she said sadly 'For the love you bore me, go!'
'I will come back for you' he said and embraced her tearfully.
'May god be on your journey' she whispered in his ear and kissed his cheek tenderly
'Do you realize we're being shot at?!' JAke shouted angrily and whirled around putting a bullet through the head of a young man several feet away from them; it seems the lad had false hopes of sneaking up on them through the dense undergrowth. His fingertips were singed by the continuous reloading of his guns and his nose was clogged up with gunpowder.
'Come!' Alan said beckoning to Jake and sprinted into the woods. Jake ran at his heels turning back occasionally to give a shot or two.
Lyanna watched them go with contentment in her heart, she longed to give chase but her place was here, it was her time and she knew it. Giving a huge sigh as if to steel her resolution, she stepped away from her hiding place and let her guns beat their atonal music in the air. She felt no pain as the bullets sunk into her flesh neither did she hear Jeremiah's scream of agony as she fell, all that she could think of was that Alan was safe. As she took her last breath, her lungs drowning in her own blood, she smiled serenely and gave up her life.
Go Go Go!!!!
Kath's blog
James' blog
