The blind man, chapter 18

The horse steps are being heard in the grass, the sun was going down, but across the far horizon lays a mountain, huge and pale, pointy his head is piercing the clouds like a needle, it marked them reaching the outskirts of the kingdom of the Varish, as the sun came down to vanish, they got close enough to the mountain to rest, tying their horses down and putting up their tents, the kids had a chaired one with each other, while the knights had theirs around the kid’s tent in a form of defence and to keep them in check
“I guess we will stay the night cold and raw” said John making sure the Horses are in place
“Well, we reached the cloud eating mountain so by tomorrow’s nightfall we will enter the walls of the king” replied William putting up the tent with Sara
John Hummed in agreement while his eyes showed he wasn’t focused on the conversation, he was staring at Sara with so much concentration, his eyes wide and clear
William looked at him and looked back, and then said to him “did you even hear me”
John who jumped back to reality said “Oh yeah, I am” while going back to checking the ropes
“You were staring at her weren’t you,” said William as Sara looked at them hearing her name being mentioned
“No actually, I was looking at him” as the 3 of them looked at the masked man’s tent, he seemed to just have left it looking around him checking the surroundings
“He is just that anxious I guess” said Sara “who knows he might be searching for another fight to drag us into” as she tightened the last rope of their tent
The other 3 who have just come back to them have brought 6 plates of food and some drinks in their hands, the night got darker as they were laughing and eating.
“Well, I think behind his mask there is just another” whispered into the fire Thomas with his head down
“For me, it is either that his face is full of scars and he is hiding it, or he is some kind of a popular knight who doesn’t want to get noticed training us” replied Isabel while drinking
“What if you all are wrong “said William “What if his face docent even exists”
“Here we go again, you and your theories about ghosts and monsters and what not,” said Thomas
“You know magic is just what science hand haven’t reached yet, so who knows, we can’t even see any part of his skin to theories about his origins,” said William
“Until we beat him up one day in a duel and take off his mask, we will never know,” said John
“Then I guess we will never know” replied Hery as he drank some water
“What if he is a ghost” said William as everybody started taking the dishes back and getting ready for their beds in the tent
“Oh, come one, I mean it really, he might be a ghost wearing armour” while they did not care for what he is saying
In the tent they were sleeping, ever 2 beds had their head touching each other to make use of space, in the quite night Isabel woke up seeing everybody else is a sleep, she went out to get a drink, and while she is, from the commander’s tent she saw him walking away from it and towards the other edge of the mountain
Step after step she followed, hiding in the grass, in the cracks of the mountain, behind a tree, he seemed to have his own doubts about something lurking behind him, but he did not care much of it, after some time when they got into a dark corner in the mountain, she is hidden behind a bush without touching it so no sound would be heard
“Come out” he said in a very calm voice as he looked back at the entrance, chills grow down her spine, fear coloured her eyes, and her voice sank beneath her throat, she was scared of what could be her punishment, he reaction is that of one who knows what kind of consequences , she looked back at the entrance wanting to leave quietly, but how she thought to herself, just then she saw a man walking through it
Confusion replaced all emotions, she did not notice him until he got this close, staring at him closely, she noticed his eyes pale and white, his face showed scars that time couldn’t possibly , in his hand a spear that was all metal, and old as his body and cloths
As she was breathing heavily trying to get herself together the blind man looked at her direction as if seeing her for a second before turning his head back fast towards the masked man
He had another spear behind him, but what got her attention is the symbol that was on his hand, a crown placed on a sword, but that same tattoo had a scar over it, one that was more of a burn
“Hello old man” said the mysterious man who came from the entrance leaving Isabel in confusion
“I guess you have come here with no good intentions,” said the masked man
“I would have let you go by removing your mask but it is too late now” said the mysterious man stepping closer
“You wouldn’t fight an unarmed old man like me in a dark alleyway,” said the masked man
“The last possible thing in this universe is you being unarmed,” said the mysterious man
The moment he got into an enough space for his spear to reach the masked man he swinged his sword as fast as he can, the winds were strong, such strength in one swing was fascinating
The masked pulled a sword out of his cloths and deflected it
“See, I told you,” said the mysterious man
The mysterious man kept on pushing forward while keeping his distance, striking safe enough to not get caught in the web of the masked man, he seemed to be succeeding in his doing, the masked man was being pushed back, but he did not seem in distress, strike after strike he pushed forward, a low one after an upper cut, a surprise fake stab that turned into a pining attack that takes a wide range
It was long before they reached the wall, and without hesitation the mysterious pulled the other spear behind him, it wasn’t as tall as the other one, but that works in his favour for too much weight with two weapons would get him in a disadvantage
He swinged the tall one as he stabbed with the shorter one, the masked man used his sword as a shield against the swing and pushed away the stab with the part from his elbow to his hand, he grubbed the little spear and pulled the mysterious, the mysterious tried going back but he was overwhelmed in strength to pull his weapon so he left it and went back, but it was too late, a slash of the masked man’s sword came forwards taking a bit of the mysterious man’s armour, skin and flesh
“I can’t seem to find an opening” said the mysterious man while smiling and putting his hand on his wound
“You may run away; I won’t be chasing you” replied the masked man as he threw him his spear back
“Run? Why? where to?” replied the mysterious man
“To get another chance another day, or to find another purpose” replied the masked man
“You are mistaking, teacher, there is no another chance, and no place to hide or run to anymore, this end here and now, the curse ends here and now” replied the mysterious man, with anger glaring with his blind eyes at the location
The masked man without another word he continued his clash against him, the mysterious man seemed to be getting tired, while on the other hand the masked man’s strength did not go down at all, in fact his strikes became harder, but never reaching for the body, only trying to push him away, as if trying to implant fear that will drive this shadow back in the dark
In a moment of hesitation ,the mysterious man finds and opening that led him to get into a situation where he sat down to strike down the masked man into his back, he used that moment where he was in the air to continue with a slash with both his long and short spear, although the masked man used his sword to clash both into the dirt while using his knee to kick him away in the chest
The mysterious man grasping for air on the ground
“My offer is still up, I will not chase you,” said the masked man
“Just stop. Stop it I hate it” said the mysterious man as the masked man moved his head in confusion
“I hate it all, you breathing sound, the words coming out of your mouth, the lies! the smell that you leave behind, I wish it all gone, but it hunts me, alongside their sounds, but this is how it can end”
As he rushed forwards striking rapidly over and over again, his strikes seemed disparate, his eyes sad and angry, he striked with all his strength the masked man deflected it leaving him on the ground
“This will not blow away the sounds, believe me boy it will only add another,” said the masked man
“I don’t care” said the mysterious man as he continued recklessly and violently pushing forward, the sounds of steel filled the space, but no step went back from the side of the masked man, after some strikes the small spear went flying away leaving only the long one in hand
The masked man started striking random parts of his body, leaving minor injuries to push him away, one after another until he was painted red, but the blind eyes were filled with determination
the mysterious man slashed upwards as the masked man wanted to parry it, but that was a trap, the mysterious man was only pushing the sword away so he could use a hidden knife he had, the knife went forward a sound of guts being ripped were heard from Isabel’s side, she watched in shock as blood was falling between them, the masked man used a small sword he had to push a knife into the guts of the mysterious man
He slowly put him on the ground, he took the knife from his guts and wanted to finish him through the heart, but the mysterious man held the knife with his bare hands blood dropping on his body
“Where their a point where I had a father” said the mysterious man as blood disappeared from his face
The masked man silently pushed forward the knife to his heart without any answer, as the mysterious man’s hand fell to the dirt and the other were on his spelling stomach blood
In the green field Isabel is running towards the lights of their camp, scared, confused she thought to herself “They need to hear this, they must at all cost”