Dawning Skye

Up on the farthest cusp of the outer-most cliff of the mountain pass, a giant of a man stood at the edge. He watched as a large group of southerners rode towards the entrance to the pass like the devil himself was chasing them.

Murdoc Campbell watched the tiny force with a large grin plastered on his face. The fight wouldn’t last as long as he’d hoped because there were so few Alconians, but it would be an interesting battle none the less. He could already see his target careening towards him at a decent pace.

“Gimme them field specs,” Murdoc practically barked.

As another Highlander handed the binoculars to him, the overgrown man peered through them, then laughed boisterously. He turned and adjusted the binoculars until the details of Tidas face came into focus. A sound akin to a growl bubbled up in his throat as he stared at his target..

It was odd to see the Alconian Prince in all black, but what tickled Murdoc’s fancy the most was seeing the breathtaking woman riding just slightly ahead of him. Their armor matched, and Murdoc could guess who she was by the color of her hair.

He made some kind of catcall-type noise as he focused on the beauty riding towards him. Murdoc could already feel massive amounts of magic coming from her, and knew that she must’ve been the one that Petrie had told him about.. The multi-trait user that the Fae thought was the Catalyst.

As he kept his eyes on her, another Highlander asked; “How many?”

Murdoc didn’t bother removing the binoculars as he spoke; “Scant amount.. A full Company at the most. Nothin’ we canna handle.. Tis not the RMC Ima worried about..”

.....

Finally setting his field glasses down, Murdoc turned and started barking orders to his men; “Aye, lads! This is it! They killed Petrie! They killed Alex and Callum! And I just learned that they killed Angus, too! Time to get our vengeance! Ready the laddies and horses! We ride when they reach the forest!”

As his people cheered, Murdoc masked his pain with a menacing smile. He loved Petrie like a son, and had planned on training him to be his predecessor, but it was a moot point now..

‘The lad deserved better than ta be stabbed in the back.. When I see that bastard prince, I’ll kill’em me self!’

To calm his ire, Murdoc turned his attention back to Skye. Her short, curly golden hair bounced and whipped about her face as she rode. The black armor was tight-fitted, and showed her curvy figure splendidly.

She was as beautiful as Petrie had described her, but the point was invalidated by her betrayal. Because of it; Murdoc wanted to kill her with his own hands..

He was probably the tallest man out of all the Highlanders, and was built like a grizzly bear. A long braid of dark-brown hair that had little streaks of white ran all the way down his backside to his arse. Scars dotted his arms and legs, and he had a large scar across the bridge of his nose.

Touching the scar on his face, images of the one who’d given it to him played over in his mind’s eye. Tidas was the best fighter he’d ever seen, and the most honorable southerner he’d met. The only one that Murdoc thought more highly of was Lucas Moonstone, but he was a rare breed of man himself.

Generous and kind, yet still cutthroat; that was his most apt description of the man. Lucas had been making deals with the Highlanders for well over a decade now, and was the only southerner that Murdoc trusted.

When Petrie and Lucas had approached him about the peace treaty, the only reason he had agreed to it was because of whom the presenters were. Anyone in less standing would’ve either been thrown out of their community, or killed on the spot for simply suggesting the proposal.

The Highlanders’ history taught them what might happen to them if they trusted another MacArthur King, and they weren’t willing to risk it. Their homes and livelihoods were on the line..

‘All those bastards do is take. Children, land, lives; none of it matters to ’em.. Well, they ain’t takin’ ours! I’ll die a bloody, gruesome death before I give me kin up!’

Murdoc’s internal self was roiling as he thought about the fight to come. Tidas had always been an honorable man in his eyes, which made his betrayal all the more enraging. Especially when he considered how it all came about.

‘Did they plan it all from the beginnin’, or did Magnus just change his mind? I bet that weasel of a Crowned Prince has somethin’ ta do wit all this.. Was Lucas in on it, or was he a simple pawn? He and Magnus have been friends for a length, so tis possible..’

The more he thought about it, the madder Murdoc became.. ‘What about that daughter of his? She’s the only one connected to all of ’em.. Is she the mastermind? Hard to believe that Sorcha’s kin could turn out like that.. but she is married to a MacArthur..’

As dark thoughts filled his head, a Highlander that neared his size approached him. Murdoc sighed heavily as Drexel stopped in front of him, and started complaining about his lack of involvement in the ambush.

His hair was a dark red shade, but had even more white in it than Murdoc’s. He was a good eight years older than him, and constantly challenged his rulings. If Murdoc could; he’d simply kill Drexel. But fools tended to follow their own, and the jester had quite the following now that the southerners had broken their word..

“I should be leadin’ the raid, and ye know it! Why do ye waste me talents on such paltry-”

“Oh, shut it, Drexel. Yer stayin’ near me so I can keep an eye on ye, and ye know it. Do ye think me daft? I know what you and yer laddies be talkin’ about at those not-so-secret late night gatherins’.. If ye underestimate me, I’ll kill ye, and sleep like a happy wee bairn after.. Don’t. Tempt. Me..”

Drexel wanted to throw the man from the cliff side right then, but he needed to bide his time.. ‘Just ye wait, ye southern-lovin’ traitor.. Ye’ll be gettin’ yers soon..’

After Drexel walked away, another Highlander ran up to him. He hushed the man and found a place away from the gathered warriors before he’d let the man speak..

“Are the laddies ready?” Drexel asked low.

The man caught his breath and replied; “Aye, they be ready, but how do ye know Murdoc will even getta chance to fight the prince?”

An evil smile spread across Drexel’s features; “Oh, they will. They seek each other out on the field.. Tis the only challenge either of them have..”

Drexel gritted his teeth on the last part. He was a Tank mage like Murdoc, but not nearly as strong. He’d challenged him for the right to rule on three occasions, and all three resulted in crushing defeats.. ‘Tis like the bastard is made of rock! But rocks can be crushed wit enough chisels...’

Breaking away from his thoughts, Drexel asked; “Did the lads make it to the Old Capital?”

The man shifted uncomfortably where he stood; “We havna heard from ’em yet.. Maybe they suffered the same fate as the traitor?”

Drexel’s eyebrows furrowed as he thought; “If Petrie makes it back here, we’re all dead men.. Send someone to check, then make sure the laddies knows the plan. We need to surround ’em completely. If someone sees me killin’ Murdoc, we’ll be joinin’ the Southerners on their trip ta hell..”

“Aye, sir.. What do we do about Angus? We never found his body,” the man added as he turned to walk away.

“Go find Finn and ask ’em what he saw. If ye think he’s lyin’, start cuttin’ pieces off until he talks,” Drexel replied with a wicked smile.

With a nod to his leader, the Highlander took off, then Drexel followed a few moments later after checking to see that no one had seen them...

Murdoc stayed at the top of the ridge and watched the Alconians ride into the small forest. It was only a few miles away from the mouth of the mountain pass, and a common ambush spot during the summer months. As the lead horse hit the halfway point, Murdoc started issuing orders..

“Alright laddies! Time to mount up! I want one company chasin’ the rats, three companies in the mountains, and three waitin’ for the not-do-lucky bastards that make it through!”

“We won’t get the war we wanted, but on this day: the snow and grounds will stain red wit the blood of Southerners! Leave the two royals to me! They’ll Suffer for their treachery at My Hands!”

As Murdoc mounted a horse the size of Thoth, he looked out at his men. He felt bad that most won’t even get to raise their swords, but at least they’ll still get some satisfaction that day. When he displays the severed heads of the two responsible, they would praise him for his swift justice.. Or so he hoped.

Murdoc wasn’t blind; he saw that Drexel was slowly turning his people against him. If he didn’t win the battle, he’d lose his position. Glancing back at Skye, Murdoc muttered, “Let’s what the Catalyst is capable of...”

************

As the RMC Company exited the small forest, Skye maintained her speed as the rest of the RMC slowed down. She needed to ride ahead of everyone else to create the roof to the tunnel, and didn’t want anyone to get caught up in the Highlanders’ attacks.

As they galloped towards the entrance to the pass, a large group of Highlanders on horseback came whipping around the far side of a protruding ridge. Panic surged within her, but Skye refused to loose her cool; too many lives were depending on her..

‘I need to get ahead so I can start reshapin’ the pass! But how?! Come on, ye great big beastie! You can do it!’

Skye kicked at Thoth to move faster, but he was already at his maximum speed. He nickered huffily, letting her know that he was at his limit. At that moment, a thought popped into her head..

‘Tidas channeled his Tank trait into his horse before! I should be able to do the same for Thoth!’

Placing her hand on the side of his neck, Skye focused on her Tank trait, but couldn’t give Thoth any of her magic without combining it with her Shaman trait. The realization nearly knocked her from her horse..

As Thoth began to thunder across the barren field, Skye’s mind tried to process the impossible.. ‘Does that mean that Tidas has multiple traits too?!’