The Dragon's Eye by Ebonydove

Chapter Eight: Outside the Village of Alma

Trowa pulled back on the arrow he had nocked and stood perfectly still. He hated to do it, but it was necessary. They couldn't keep their strength up on tea, almond cakes and biscuits for too much longer. And if he had to endure another of Wufei's tonics on an empty stomach, he'd throttle him. Letting the arrow fly he watched as the deer fell without so much as a whimper. Thankfully it didn't even know what hit it, as it fell lifeless to the ground. As he walked towards it he smiled at the approving cry from Grace above him, as she floated on the humid breeze. It was going to rain.

Quatre had been watching with great interest from on top of Snow, at the calculating and silent way Trowa moved through the countryside. He pulled the cloak a bit tighter around himself as he felt the first few droplets of rain hit the top of his head. They were at the edge of the Callabas Mountains and stopped at the small village of Alma for rest and a few supplies. Not wanting to stay in the only Inn, they had made camp on the outskirts and waited for Trowa to return with dinner.

Quatre had wanted to get the quiet Prince alone without Duo's constant interference, however well meant it was. So he had followed him to the small glen and watched as Trowa dressed the deer to bring back with him. He was within forty yards when he saw and heard Grace above him and smiled knowing it was all that was needed to alert Trowa of his presence. Sure enough when he looked back to where Trowa had been standing over the deer, he met the curious look of the Malavin Prince.

"I thought you were staying at camp." Trowa said as he watched Quatre approach.

Quatre slid down from Snow, letting the Arabian graze contentedly on the tuffs of wild grass. "I was going to, but Duo took off to be alone and Wufei was trying to get me to drink his latest concoction." He made a little mock shake and laughed his sing song giggle.

Trowa wiped the blood from the knife on the ground before sliding the blade back into its sheath. "Well I'm glad you came, it means that we can carry all the meat without having to make more than one trip." Trowa gave the blonde a small shy smile and held the aqua eyes for a moment.

Quatre blushed slightly and scuffed the ground with the toe of his boot. "Can I ask you something, Trowa?" Trowa raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Why is Heero being so mean to Duo?"

Trowa frowned. "I don't think he means to be. He's just... confused."

Quatre seemed to think about that for a moment while Trowa turned back to the deer and began to prepare it to hang over Nanashi's flank. "Why is confused?"

Trowa smiled as he threw a piece over his horse and secured it. "Heero and I never really grew up with a lot of friends as children. We had our studies and the life of young Princes in a court, but not a lot of time to make relationships. Heero was always sullen, even as a child and other than Catherine and I, had very little social exposure." Quatre helped to secure the second piece of deer on Snow as he listened intently to Trowa. "He likes Duo very much, he just doesn't know what to do about it."

Understanding flickered in the aqua depths as he turned to face Trowa. "He's never been attracted to a man before."

Trowa almost laughed at the bluntness of the statement. "Heero's never been attracted to anyone before, male or female. Duo's thrown him for a loop."

"What about you?"

Trowa felt the warmth of a blush as it crept across his face and making his ears hot. He glanced to Quatre while he finished packing the last of the meat and leaned over his saddle. He crossed his arms and set his chin on top of them as he studied the nervousness in Quatre's frame as he stood on the other side of Nanashi. Giving the blonde Prince a warm smile he simply shrugged.

"You don't know or aren't telling?" Quatre asked when he didn't get any answer.

"I think it is the person who matters not the package they come in." Trowa answered cryptically as he flung himself up into the saddle. "Come on we should get back." Quatre laughed and scratched the back of his head and he walked around the other side of the horse to Snow. Both boys suddenly snapped their attention to the sky as Grace let out a piercing screech. Arrows began to fall like rain all around them causing both horses to snort and scream. Snow sidestepped to the right almost knocking Quatre to the ground as he tried to avoid getting hit.

"Get on your horse Quatre!" Trowa hollered as he watched the band of black clad rider's burst from the small grove of trees across the glen. "It's the Horde! They must be heading to the village and we are in their path! Move Quatre!" Trowa swung Nanashi around and fired a flurry of arrows at the oncoming riders, as Quatre scrambled up into his saddle. Snow reared and took off at a flying gallop with Trowa right behind.

Quatre heard Grace cry again in the sky above them and heard the thunder of the rider's horses gaining on them. The blood from the deer streamed down along the sides of Snow making the once white animal streaked with pink. He ducked low as another arrow nearly missed his shoulder and urged the horse forward. They needed to get to the village and warn the people there before the Horde descended upon them all. If they were caught now they wouldn't be able to warn Duo, Heero and Wufei of the danger that was hot on their heels.

Trowa heard the riders behind him and glanced backward to see how close they were. His eyes widened in horror as he watched them turn their arrows skyward and let them fly. "GRACE!"

Quatre heard Trowa's terrified yell and tried to turn in his saddle, afraid he had been hit or worse. He saw Trowa turn the great bay horse and began racing toward the eight members of the Horde that were closing fast. "TROWA NO! There are too many of them!" The sound of thunder was his only answer as it started to rain. He pulled his horse up fast and turned to watch in horror as Grace fell from the sky.

Heero had been walking back to find Duo when the sounds of fighting erupted from the village. He raced towards it to find Duo already engaged with a band of the Horde's raiders in the center of the village. It was a small rural place with little or no fighting men. It was mostly farmers and peasants who had no formal training or weapons and the slaughter would have been total if Duo, Wufei, and he weren't nearby. He and Wufei herded the fleeing women and children into a small hut when the Horde descended upon the village like a storm.

He hacked at another of the Horde as he rushed toward the hut. Several riders where forcing their way through the small group of frightened men who were trying to battle them off. Racing forward he reached the door at the same time as a rider. He thrust his sword deep into the belly of the creature and drew it up. It screamed an inhuman screech as its guts spilled out onto the ground into a steaming pile. The stench was enough to momentarily send Heero reeling as he backed away to try to get a breath.

Duo swore viciously again as he sliced yet another of the Horde. The demon-spawned riders from Hell seemed to grow in numbers despite the ones he killed. He was covered in dirt and grime from rolling around on the ground with the last two and was liberally smeared with blood from both himself and them. He could smell the stink of rotted flesh as thrust his silver blade into the neck of rider closest to him and prayed Wufei and Heero were faring better than he was.

Wufei finished mixing the powders in the bowl and quickly wrapped spoonfuls into small cloth squares. Bringing the edges together, he tied them securely leaving the strings long and drew his Staff. The long, black staff was curved at the top and had a small white crystal that hung in the center. The bottom was all in silver and when Wufei twisted it in the ground a few times and pulled up it revealed a dagger-like spike on the end. "Stay here, and no matter what you see or hear do not leave this hut." The young boy held a knife close to himself and he shakily nodded to Wufei's command. Seeing the fear in the eyes of the little ones and the women who stood behind the boy, fueled Wufei's temper further and with a great war cry, he burst out of the hut.

Heero turned at the sound of Wufei's cry and smiled with satisfaction that the healer was well armed and angry as Hell. With the bladed weapon at the base of the staff Wufei had sliced through a rider's leg like it was soft bread sending the creature howling to the ground. With a quick strike he had stuck the spike deep in it's head, leaving it nothing more than a bloodied heap. Around them a few villagers tried to ward off the creatures as they continued getting pushed into the center of the village.

Heero gazed across the battlefield to see Duo gracefully slicing one after the other of the Horde as they attacked him from all sides. It was like watching a deadly dance as Duo carved them to pieces. Great red arcs of blood rose in the air and splattered to the ground to mix in the mud and muck at his feet. The rain poured down from the gray sky streaking Duo's hair black with blood and grime. He was like a wraith twisting and lunging and soon not one of the creatures dared to do anything more than dart at him before quickly dodging back to a safe distance from the silver rapiers Duo brandished with practiced ease.

Wufei yelled loudly and pointed his staff drawing Heero and Duo's attention to the small child that sat screaming and bloody in the center of the village. Before anyone could reach her, a rider pounced and ripped her apart.

Heero hacked and shoved his way over to where the torn body of the small child lay in pieces in bloodied pools of mud. Unseeing brown eyes stared up from her decapitated head as her blood ran into little rivulets around her. Pieces of bone and strands of ripped muscles and vessels twitch against her severed spine. Her fine brown hair fanned out like a crown around her face as it began to soak up the stinking water on the ground. Heero was so engrossed with the carnage he didn't hear the yells from Wufei who was battling near him, or Duo's frenzied cursing as he watched the blood color her pale skin a rusty brown.

Duo watched with horror as the Horde began to close in around Heero. The child had been bait to draw one of them away from the others and it had worked on Heero. He raced to where Heero stood stunned over the body of the child they had all witnessed get torn to shreds. When his eyes saw a rider nock an arrow and take aim at Heero's head, he looked frantically to where Wufei was fighting off too many enemies with another man, too far away to reach Heero in time. With a soul-tearing scream he lunged forward.

Heero didn't even realize he had been hit until he felt the slow sting of a blade slice him across his back. He pitched forward and stumbled over the child's arm when Wufei's sudden blood-curling yell reached him and snapped him out of his furious haze. Spinning and regaining his balance, he locked eyes with Duo as he stood before him. The creature that had been within inches of a killing blow was unrecognizable as he lay at Heero's feet. Duo's blade had sliced through Heero's back as he swung to kill the rider about strike him. Heero saw the rusty colored blood glimmer on the silver blade that Duo held and realized how close he had come to death. And now Death stood before him in all his gruesome splendor.

Duo's hands hung limply at his side, with the silver blades barely staying in his grasp. His posture was completely relaxed as the battle continued all around them. He gave Heero a slow, tender smile that made Heero's pulse race with much more than battle fury. Heero took a shuddering breath as he saw all trace of tension drain from Duo's face as the battle raged violet eyes darkened to almost black. Then Duo slowly let his eyes slide shut as he fell to his knees in the muck and filth in front of him. The blades dropped from his fingers and began to sink into the red mud.

Heero howled with rage and anguish as he saw the arrow sticking out of Duo's back and watched as the braided boy begin to fall forward. Dropping his sword he wrapped his arms around him and drew him as close as possible to his chest. Duo's head fell forward onto Heero's shoulder. "WUFEI!"

A blinding flash of white followed by an ear splitting explosion almost sent Heero backward to the ground with Duo. Wufei tossed another of the cloth-covered powders into the closest crowd of riders, blowing them apart. Between the noise and the flash, the creatures suddenly turned tail and retreated, as the few remaining village men fought off the rest that where left behind.

Heero ignored the rain that soaked through to his skin and the mud that oozed like red putty around him as he pulled Duo into his lap, careful of the arrow that still was embedded in his back. "Duo? Duo? Open your eyes."

"I told you to duck, you ass." Duo whispered as he opened dull violet eyes and smiled his broad grin.

"You fool. You damn, arrogant, thoughtless, careless, fool." Heero frantically ran his hands over Duo's blood smeared face and pushed the wet, mud slicked hair away from his eyes.

"It's all right Lion. Don't worry, I'm not dying yet. Besides, I still have to convince you that you love me." Duo's eyes fluttered closed as he went slack in Heero's arms.

"I do love you, you fool. You beautiful, deadly fool." Heero whispered back.

End Part 8

Author's Note: I will be attaching a map to the story soon so readers can get an idea of where the characters are in the Realm. If anyone is completely confused, let me know and I will see if I can clear it up. Thanks!

(:./ebony/dragon8)