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Description
Leo sat back, satisfied with the fire he had built. Just in time too, since the last of the sun was slowly disappearing behind the horizon.  The chill in the wind could not overcome the warmth of the flames.
“I think I may forget the tent tonight,” Kal mused as he stretched and yawned.
“Good plan. “ Leo agreed. Looking toward the sky, it seemed very clear as the first few stars barely twinkled into sight. “I don’t suspect poor weather tonight.” He looked over at Slik, who sat far off under one of the trees, closer to the forest’s edge, which of course, was no surprise.
“Mister anti-social.” Leo muttered.
“Yeah, just when I think he’s coming around, he always proves me wrong by doing. . . well, that.” Kal waved his right hand around in the air, obviously unable to come up with the proper word for whatever he wanted to express.
“He’s just tired.”
Lann walked up from out of the forest. “We did travel quite a way today.”
Leo tried hard not to roll his eyes.
As always, Lann ignored the insult and continued to speak. “I am going to go set up my tent by those trees over there. I really don’t like sleeping so close to the road.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Leo said.
“Would you like help?” Kal piped up. “I’m not quite ready for bed yet myself. . .”
Lann looked at Leo while she responded, almost as if to spite him with her smile. “Of course Kal, I never mind your company.”
At that, Leo did roll his eyes.
Kal quickly leapt to his feet and took Lann’s tent from her. He nearly ran over to the treeline.
Lann stayed a moment, as did her smile. “You could help too, if you wanted. I know how you tend to get lonely.”
“No thank you. I have had my fill of the Kal and Lann show for the evening. Besides, somebody has to keep an eye on the road.”
She turned to leave. “As you wish.”
Leo watched for a moment as Lann sauntered off to where Kal had neatly begun placing the poles for the tent. The muscles in Leo’s jaw tightened. It really aggravated him how Lann seemed to know exactly how to get under his skin.
He tried to ignore Kal and Lann’s voices and child like giggles as he set his eyes on the road. Now that the sun had gotten so low, it was becoming harder for him to see over the little hill. The shadows began to creep up as the last lines of sunlight continued their retreat. Leo didn’t look up as he heard Kal’s well placed footfalls return to the fire.
“She go to bed?”
A heavy sigh answered him. “Yeah,” Kal muttered.
“It is ridiculous how enamored you are with her.” Leo grumbled.
“Mmmmm, enamored. . . I think I like the sound of that.” Kal laid down with a stupid smirk on his face. Leo watched him while his friend stared dreamily at the stars.
“You don’t even know what that word means, do you?”
“Nope.” Kal answered immediately. Leo couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle.
Leo continued to watch the road as Kal stared blankly into the sky. Every now and then he would glance over to Slik, to see if he were still there, and then to Lann’s tent, for the same reason.
All seemed pretty quiet, which made Leo very grateful.
Leo looked over to Kal, who still appeared to be awake. Maybe he’d be willing to take the first watch tonight?
As he opened his mouth to ask, a very distinct noise caught his words in his throat. It was a horse neighing.
Senses immediately alert, Leo stood to his feet. “Did you hear that?” he asked Kal.
“Yeah. It’s probably just some travelers. I think I hear a wagon.”
Leo strained his eyes up the path. Sure enough, it seemed to be a rickety old wagon with some people traveling on foot around it. Lanterns from the top of the wagon cast very little light, but revealed two horses and a few men. Leo sat back down. It didn’t appear to be anything to be concerned with. Nevertheless, he covered his sword with his blanket.
As the wagon approached, Kal sat up. “Is that a cage?” he whispered.
Leo turned and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, on closer inspection, it appeared that there was a large, black metal cage in the back of the wagon. The lanterns shook back and forth with the hoof beats of the horses, who tossed their heads about as if they were annoyed with the driver. The vagabonds that were on foot spotted the fire at that moment and halted, which caused the driver of the wagon to stop as well.
“Uh oh.” Kal mumbled. Leo nervously got to his feet, leaving the sword hidden. He didn’t want to cause these travelers any undue stress, but watched carefully as the men exchanged hushed words with the driver.
“What should we do?” Kal whispered as he too got to his feet.
“Nothing yet,” Leo replied. “Maybe they’re just playing it safe. This is an odd spot for people to camp.”
Suddenly two of the men began to walk in their direction. One of the men seemed much older, stout in appearance like a hardened warrior should look. The other man just looked scruffy, not so sure of himself. Leo struggled with the urge to go for his sword, but the way the men were approaching didn’t seem threatening. Their traveling cloaks were grey, and bore no insignia. They stopped far enough out of reach of a sword, but close enough to hear.
“Who are you?” one of them demanded.
Leo tried to hide his nervous voice. “Just some travelers. We decided to camp here for the night. Who might you be?”
“The same,” The older man said as they looked at each other. The scruffy traveler shrugged, and the older man walked closer, as if to inspect them further. He looked Leo and Kal up and down before continuing. “You know it’s not safe in these parts at night, don’t you?”
“We are pretty good at taking care of ourselves.” Leo said. He looked down at the man’s hand, which rested firmly on the hilt of a sword.
“I see.” The man replied. He looked past Leo to where Lann’s was sleeping. “Who’s in the tent?” the man replied.
“A friend.” Kal snapped, very defensively. “Who’s in the cage?”
The man gave Kal a very dirty look, but smiled at the same time. “A friend.” He sneered. “Or a criminal. It depends on who you ask. At any rate, you had just best forget him, understand?”
Leo thought the old man’s response was pretty curt, but decided not to push it. He put his hands up in the air. “Hey whatever man. We’re just minding our own business.”
The old warrior leaned in. “Good.”
He turned and rejoined his scruffy comrade, who barely gave them a second glance as they hurried back to the carriage.
“Good night to you too, then.” Kal shouted. Leo gave him a dirty look.
The carriage began its onward trek, horses protesting and all.
Leo sat back down next to his fire, and Kal laid back down, resuming his glare skyward. The wagon lurched forward, and passed by where they were situated. Leo couldn’t help but scowl at the old warrior, who locked eyes with him as the caravan passed by.
Sure enough, the man inside the black cage must have been some sort of criminal, and a dangerous one at that. He sat in the middle of the cage, a huge beast of a man. His eyes were closed and his head slumped forward, but Leo could see how strong he was by the way his skin barely stretched over his taut shoulders. The man was bald, and even his brow and skull seemed muscled.  Though the light was nearly gone, Leo could tell this man had come from a different part of the world, as his skin was a deep olive color.
The man appeared to be heavily sedated, but even so his arms were strapped to his chest by thick chain, and still there were other chains that seemed linked to the cage itself. Yellow runes had been etched into the bars of the cage, and Leo realized that even those appeared to catch the light of the lanterns in a strange way. They seemed to have a luminescence of their own.
About fifteen to twenty soldiers surrounded the wagon, and Leo wasn’t sure if they were there to keep the man in the cage, or to keep others out. They all had shifty eyes, however, and were very quick to put a hand to their swords at the slightest notice.
The cage finally passed them and continued slowly down the path. Leo breathed a sigh of relief. He was very glad that these men didn’t appear to be from the Empire, or if they had, didn’t recognize them.
“That was strange, eh?” Kal mumbled, apparently a little drowsy.
“Very.” Leo agreed. He didn’t take his eyes off of the carriage, which was slowly fading out of sight, lanterns bobbing up and down in the final shadows of the day.
You must help him.
Words pierced Leo’s eardrums as if they had been audibly spoken, coupled with a sudden sense of urgency.
“Help who?” Kal asked.
“The man in the cage obviously!” Leo jumped to his feet, and stopped himself. “Wait, what? I didn’t say anything.”
“Yes you did,” Kal argued. “I heard you say ‘You must help him.’”
Now Leo was confused. “I didn’t say that. I thought you said it.”
Kal looked totally lost. “What?”
“Leo is right.” Slik appeared out of nowhere, nearly making Leo jump out of his skin.
“HOLY MOTHER!” Leo shouted. “Could you learn to NOT sneak up on people?
Slik ignored Leo. “We need to help that man.”
Kal got to his feet. “Well, I guess so. It’s funny, because I was just thinking the same thing. Like, I feel. . .I feel. . .”
“Compelled.” Leo replied.
Kal’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! That’s exactly how I feel. Strange, huh?”
“We need to get Lann.” Leo said, without even realizing he was saying it. The words just seemed to be tumbling out of his mouth.
“Don’t bother, I’m here.” Lann was tying her belt on as she approached them. “We need to hurry before it is too late.”
“How can we be sure he’s not a criminal? That he’s not supposed to be in that cage for a reason?” Kal asked, a little more cautious then the rest.
Lann shook her head fanatically. “He’s not a criminal. I can feel it.”
“How can you feel that?” Leo asked, but knowing she was right, because he felt the same thing.
“I don’t know. I just do.” She replied.
Leo couldn’t grasp exactly what was happening. Obviously, they had all heard the same command, but it wasn’t quite clear who had spoken it. He shoved his foot under his sword and kicked it up into his hands.  “Let’s go then.”
The four of them ran as fast as they could toward the carriage, but Leo and Kal and Slik quickly left the girl behind. The cage was clearly visible from the lanterns in the road.
Leo had no idea what to do. He had no plan, no grasp as to how to execute this rescue. He just knew he had to do it. They ran ever closer, and at any minute Leo knew they would be seen, and the fight would ensue. If he were a prayer, he would have prayed for some guidance, because at that moment, he was clueless.
Sure enough, one of the men behind the wagon cried out, and the wagon took off while the soldiers all unsheathed their swords.
“How are we supposed to stop the wagon?” Kal cried out. “We’ll never catch those horses!”
“Just get there!” Leo shouted, unsheathing his own sword.
“Don’t touch the cage, it’s cursed!” Slik shouted out behind them.
Leo nearly stopped running, furious. “Then how are we supposed to get him out?”
Leo was certain Slik cursed from under his breath. “You two are impossible. MOVE!”
Leo and Kal both jumped to the side of the road, and Slik stomped on the ground, firmly planting his feet in a wide stance. Holding his hands near his stomach, he cried out in a terrible voice.
Lightning erupted from Slik’s fingertips and struck the back wheels of the wagon, sending it skyward. The horses screamed as their reigns became tangled in the confusion, ripping the driver from his seat and dragging him down the path screeching. The carriage turned over a couple of times in the air as the soldiers looked on in horror, before the cage crashed to the ground, splintering in hundreds of pieces.
“Brilliant, Slik. We’re supposed to help the man, not murder him!” Leo spat.
Slik held his chest in pain as he snarled his response. “Just take care of the soldiers, fool!”
Leo didn’t have much of a choice, as the grey cloaked men rushed them. Kal and Leo met them with a fervor, but were no match for these skilled men. Leo and Kal were quickly encircled, pushed back to back.
“You idiots!” One of the soldiers screamed. “Do you realize what you’ve done?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Leo saw the flash of a white robe hurry toward the cage. Lann snuck around the tree line, making her way to the smoldering wreckage of the cage.
The old soldier that had warned Leo to stay away crawled out from the remains of the carriage shouting bloody murder. “Secure the prisoner!  He must NOT escape!”
“Escape?” Kal said. “If he’s even alive!”
Just then, a earth shattering roar ripped through the night, shaking Leo to his very core. Everyone looked over to the rubble, and watched as it exploded again. Leo, Kal and the other warriors ducked to avoid the debris. When the smoke cleared, there stood the man, fists clenched and teeth bared. He was nearly naked, save for the ripped shorts he wore, and Leo marveled at the sheer size of him. Yul’guise he was not, for he wasn’t proportioned like the giants, but never had Leo seen a man of his stature. A glowing purple emblem, a tattoo of sorts, covered his left shoulder and a good portion of his chest.  Bald brow furrowed, the man’s eyes peered directly at them, and they glowed with a purple hue so fierce and angry that Leo knew this man was going to kill them all.
The moment hung in the air, still, as time seemed to stop. It seemed to Leo that everyone had forgotten how to breath, or rather, they were simply savoring their very last breath.
The old soldier shrieked in horror. “DON’T LET HIM ESCAPE!!”
With a roar, the man leapt directly into the crowd of soldiers, and began to rip them apart.
“Oh my god.” Kal gasped, as the man, who still was in chains, was now using the chains to decapitate one of his former captors. “I think, I think we need to leave,” Kal nervously mumbled.
Leo didn’t even think twice, but began to panic. He turned and ran toward the carriage. “Lann! LANN!”
He found her next to one of the soldiers that had the poor misfortune to be under the cage when it landed. She was furiously trying to save the man’s life, but looking at him, Leo knew it was pointless.
“Lann we need to go.”
“I’ll just be a minute.”
“Now!” Leo demanded, more panic in his voice than he intended. Lann’s eyes met his. She was crying.
A twinge of pain struck Leo’s heart as he knew how hard this was for her. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “But we are in serious trouble if we don’t run now.”
She nodded and ran with him, but Leo knew she looked back.
Kal met up with them. “Where’s Slik?” he whispered.
“RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!” One of the soldiers streaked past Leo and the others, toward the forest. Before they could react, the prisoner ran past them, faster than Leo could have expected with someone in leg shackles. It was no use, for the soldier was much faster. He was going to escape.
The prisoner turned and looked directly into Leo’s eyes and held out his hand.
“SWORD.” The man demanded.
“I- I. . .”
“GIVE ME YOUR SWORD, NOW!”
Without any hesitation, Leo pulled his sword from his sheath and handed it to the man, who instantly, in one swift movement, hurled it at the soldier’s back. With a sickening sound, the sword found its target, nearly cleaving the man in two.
Lann screamed in rage, and lunged at the giant man. Leo held onto her tightly. “NO! HOW COULD YOU KILL HIM LIKE THAT??”
The giant man turned and ran off towards one of the other soldiers who had taken flight.
Slik appeared as Lann slumped to the ground, and openly wept. Slik ignored his sister as he spoke to Leo.
“We can’t let these soldiers escape. We have to contain them.”
Leo couldn’t understand it, but he knew Slik was right.
“Kal, stay with Lann.” Kal nodded with nausea in his eyes, and sat down next to her. “Slik, go around the right side of the wreckage and look for any of the others.”
Slik wandered off muttering. “I know what to do, I’m not a child.”
Leo really thought it best that he go in the opposite direction, not just to retrieve his sword, but to avoid strangling Slik.
Leo pulled his sword free deep from the back of the dead man, and grabbed a lantern off the part of the wagon that didn’t seem so broken. He ran into the forest, looking for anything that moved. Every now and then he’d come across a dead soldier. . .
. . .or part of one.
A muffled grunt made Leo instinctively raise his sword. A metallic ringing echoed off of the surrounding trees as the scruffy soldier angrily attacked Leo.
Leo tossed the lantern aside, and found it much easier to fight one of these men then fifteen at a time.
“You’re a fool! A FOOL!” the scruffy soldier cried as he fought, rather sloppily. It became apparent to Leo that scruffy didn’t care if he survived this. His life was forfeit if he were to return without his prize.
Leo tripped the man and shoved a knee into his chest. Pointing his sword at the man’s throat, the man began to laugh and cry, all at the same time.
“Don’t you know he’s going to kill you all??”
“No he’s not,” Leo shouted, though not fully believing his own words. “Now calm down!”
The scruffy man’s eyes suddenly got very large, as a shadow appeared over them. On instinct, Leo leapt to the side, just in time to see the purple eyed man crush the soldier’s face with a piece of broken wagon wheel.
Terrified, Leo stumbled backward and ran back to where he had left Lann and Kal. Lann was still sitting on the ground, while Kal had managed to find his feet.
“Get up! GO!” Leo shouted, as the forest behind him raged in anger. “Slik!!”
Leo got to Lann and stood her up, just as Slik appeared from the other side of the wood. “Get out of here, NOW!” Leo shoved Lann and Kal toward Slik, and then turned with his sword out, determined to stand his ground as the others made their escape.
Of course, as stubborn as ever, they stood with him as the behemoth of a man charged them.
Fury in his eyes, he stopped inches from the tip of Leo’s sword. Heavy warm breaths turned to fog in the cool air as the man heaved his massive chest.
Leo could feel the electricity in the air behind him, as he knew Slik prepared to call forth his own power.
The man shifted his weight to bear his left shoulder to them.
“Do you know what this is?” the man spoke, in a surprisingly normal voice.
“We’ve never seen it before.” Lann replied, which enraged the man.
“DON’T PLAY WITH ME!” the huge man yelled as his purple eyes flared. The symbol on his shoulder appeared to glow brighter when his anger was roused. “LOOK CLOSER AND TELL ME!”
Again, Leo felt compelled. He stared at the symbol, and tried to make it out, but it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was not the symbol of any kingdom he was familiar with, rather, it appeared to be a creature of sorts. A tribal monster, with seven horns and gaping jaws, cumulating in giant fangs or tusks. A wicked tongue forked about the creature’s lower teeth.
Leo stood up straight, and put his sword down by his side.
“Kill us if you will, but I can assure you, I have never seen that insignia before.”
The light went out in the man’s eyes, and the symbol instantly ceased to glow. He stood up straight, and that’s when Leo realized he wasn’t that much shorter than the man who had moments before seemed so huge.
“I believe you.” The man spoke in a shockingly gentle tone. He turned around and headed back to the wreckage, and began to rummage around, as if he were looking for something.
The four warriors looked at one another.
“Are you as confused as I am?” Kal asked.
“Immeasurably.” Slik replied. “I’m going back to our camp now.” And he turned to leave.
“Oh no, this guy has some explaining to do,” Leo said, feeling a bit angry.
“It’s probably best not to rouse his anger,” Lann argued, but when Leo turned to look at her, Lann’s face wasn’t defiant. “I do admit, I would like some understanding of what happened.”
“Hey!” Leo shouted at the man, who was now turning over the seat of the wagon effortlessly. “I think you owe us an explanation.”
“I don’t owe you anything,” the man didn’t look up as he fumbled in the wreckage, “except maybe a thank you.”
“I disagree.” Leo demanded, feeling more sure of himself now that the man’s eyes weren’t glowing. “Who are these men? Who are you? Why did they have you locked up like some animal?”
“Uh, Leo. . . I think you know the answer to that last question,” Kal whispered aside.
The man continued to avoid their eyes. “These men are evil. That is all you need to know.”
“Evil enough to be slaughtered like cattle? Even evil men are still men!” Lann shouted, and Leo could tell by her voice that she was on the verge of tears again.
The man stopped what he was doing, and sighed. He stood up and looked at Lann.
“I’m sorry, m’Lady. I know this is hard for you. I cannot explain why, but I could not let them live.” The sincerity in his voice must have sated Lann’s misgivings, because she didn’t argue any further.
“If you please, I am trying to find the keys to these cuffs.”
The feeling of compulsion re-entered Leo’s mind, and as if on cue, Lann and Kal went to look for the keys amongst the dead soldiers.
“How did you do that?” Leo asked.
The man looked confused. “What?”
“How did you get us to help you? All of us heard you ask for help in our heads.”
The man nearly smiled. “Clearly, you are mistaken.” He pointed to the cage. “See those yellow runes? Those are disabling words, inscribed on all of the bars. I couldn’t even think inside that cage, let alone speak.”
Leo looked closely at the twisted metal. Leo couldn’t make out any words, but the yellow writing didn’t seem to be glowing any more.
“When your friend destroyed the cage, it broke the spell, and I was able to wake up. I don’t know why you helped me, but I do thank you.”
Leo looked at the man carefully. “That solider was right, wasn’t he? You really were going to kill us all.”
The large man sighed deeply, as if the answer was too painful for even him to speak.
Leo held up a hand. “Don’t say anything. I already know.”
“I found the keys!” Kal hurried back and unlocked the cuffs with Lann not too far behind.
“If you had known what the symbol meant, I would have had to kill you. My existence is too important for just anyone to know about. It probably would have been better for you if you had left me in that cage.” The man rubbed his wrists and pulled a cloak off one of the dead soldiers, tying it about his shoulders carefully, to make sure the symbol was not seen.
Leo and the others watched in dumb silence as he also took a sword and a belt for himself.
“I can assure you, that your kindness will not go un-rewarded.” The man paused. “I just don’t know when that will happen.”
Leo shrugged. “We’re used to it.”
“I wish I could tell you more. But consider your lives a promise that one day you will understand.”
“What is your name, at least?” Lann asked. The man looked at her, hesitantly. Somehow, Lann’s magic had an effect on the sturdiest of hearts.
“My name is Kullis. I can say no more. I would bless you with peace, but I can tell that will never be your destiny, so I shall bless you with victory instead. Good bye.”
At that, Kullis disappeared into the forest.
Leo, Kal and Lann stood there for awhile in silence.  It was Kal, as usual, that broke the quiet.
“I don’t think we should stay here tonight.”
Leo sighed. “Agreed. But you have to wake up Slik to tell him we are leaving.”

Description
Leo sat back, satisfied with the fire he had built. Just in time too, since the last of the sun was slowly disappearing behind the horizon.  The chill in the wind could not overcome the warmth of the flames.
“I think I may forget the tent tonight,” Kal mused as he stretched and yawned.
“Good plan. “ Leo agreed. Looking toward the sky, it seemed very clear as the first few stars barely twinkled into sight. “I don’t suspect poor weather tonight.” He looked over at Slik, who sat far off under one of the trees, closer to the forest’s edge, which of course, was no surprise.
“Mister anti-social.” Leo muttered.
“Yeah, just when I think he’s coming around, he always proves me wrong by doing. . . well, that.” Kal waved his right hand around in the air, obviously unable to come up with the proper word for whatever he wanted to express.
“He’s just tired.”
Lann walked up from out of the forest. “We did travel quite a way today.”
Leo tried hard not to roll his eyes.
As always, Lann ignored the insult and continued to speak. “I am going to go set up my tent by those trees over there. I really don’t like sleeping so close to the road.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Leo said.
“Would you like help?” Kal piped up. “I’m not quite ready for bed yet myself. . .”
Lann looked at Leo while she responded, almost as if to spite him with her smile. “Of course Kal, I never mind your company.”
At that, Leo did roll his eyes.
Kal quickly leapt to his feet and took Lann’s tent from her. He nearly ran over to the treeline.
Lann stayed a moment, as did her smile. “You could help too, if you wanted. I know how you tend to get lonely.”
“No thank you. I have had my fill of the Kal and Lann show for the evening. Besides, somebody has to keep an eye on the road.”
She turned to leave. “As you wish.”
Leo watched for a moment as Lann sauntered off to where Kal had neatly begun placing the poles for the tent. The muscles in Leo’s jaw tightened. It really aggravated him how Lann seemed to know exactly how to get under his skin.
He tried to ignore Kal and Lann’s voices and child like giggles as he set his eyes on the road. Now that the sun had gotten so low, it was becoming harder for him to see over the little hill. The shadows began to creep up as the last lines of sunlight continued their retreat. Leo didn’t look up as he heard Kal’s well placed footfalls return to the fire.
“She go to bed?”
A heavy sigh answered him. “Yeah,” Kal muttered.
“It is ridiculous how enamored you are with her.” Leo grumbled.
“Mmmmm, enamored. . . I think I like the sound of that.” Kal laid down with a stupid smirk on his face. Leo watched him while his friend stared dreamily at the stars.
“You don’t even know what that word means, do you?”
“Nope.” Kal answered immediately. Leo couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle.
Leo continued to watch the road as Kal stared blankly into the sky. Every now and then he would glance over to Slik, to see if he were still there, and then to Lann’s tent, for the same reason.
All seemed pretty quiet, which made Leo very grateful.
Leo looked over to Kal, who still appeared to be awake. Maybe he’d be willing to take the first watch tonight?
As he opened his mouth to ask, a very distinct noise caught his words in his throat. It was a horse neighing.
Senses immediately alert, Leo stood to his feet. “Did you hear that?” he asked Kal.
“Yeah. It’s probably just some travelers. I think I hear a wagon.”
Leo strained his eyes up the path. Sure enough, it seemed to be a rickety old wagon with some people traveling on foot around it. Lanterns from the top of the wagon cast very little light, but revealed two horses and a few men. Leo sat back down. It didn’t appear to be anything to be concerned with. Nevertheless, he covered his sword with his blanket.
As the wagon approached, Kal sat up. “Is that a cage?” he whispered.
Leo turned and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, on closer inspection, it appeared that there was a large, black metal cage in the back of the wagon. The lanterns shook back and forth with the hoof beats of the horses, who tossed their heads about as if they were annoyed with the driver. The vagabonds that were on foot spotted the fire at that moment and halted, which caused the driver of the wagon to stop as well.
“Uh oh.” Kal mumbled. Leo nervously got to his feet, leaving the sword hidden. He didn’t want to cause these travelers any undue stress, but watched carefully as the men exchanged hushed words with the driver.
“What should we do?” Kal whispered as he too got to his feet.
“Nothing yet,” Leo replied. “Maybe they’re just playing it safe. This is an odd spot for people to camp.”
Suddenly two of the men began to walk in their direction. One of the men seemed much older, stout in appearance like a hardened warrior should look. The other man just looked scruffy, not so sure of himself. Leo struggled with the urge to go for his sword, but the way the men were approaching didn’t seem threatening. Their traveling cloaks were grey, and bore no insignia. They stopped far enough out of reach of a sword, but close enough to hear.
“Who are you?” one of them demanded.
Leo tried to hide his nervous voice. “Just some travelers. We decided to camp here for the night. Who might you be?”
“The same,” The older man said as they looked at each other. The scruffy traveler shrugged, and the older man walked closer, as if to inspect them further. He looked Leo and Kal up and down before continuing. “You know it’s not safe in these parts at night, don’t you?”
“We are pretty good at taking care of ourselves.” Leo said. He looked down at the man’s hand, which rested firmly on the hilt of a sword.
“I see.” The man replied. He looked past Leo to where Lann’s was sleeping. “Who’s in the tent?” the man replied.
“A friend.” Kal snapped, very defensively. “Who’s in the cage?”
The man gave Kal a very dirty look, but smiled at the same time. “A friend.” He sneered. “Or a criminal. It depends on who you ask. At any rate, you had just best forget him, understand?”
Leo thought the old man’s response was pretty curt, but decided not to push it. He put his hands up in the air. “Hey whatever man. We’re just minding our own business.”
The old warrior leaned in. “Good.”
He turned and rejoined his scruffy comrade, who barely gave them a second glance as they hurried back to the carriage.
“Good night to you too, then.” Kal shouted. Leo gave him a dirty look.
The carriage began its onward trek, horses protesting and all.
Leo sat back down next to his fire, and Kal laid back down, resuming his glare skyward. The wagon lurched forward, and passed by where they were situated. Leo couldn’t help but scowl at the old warrior, who locked eyes with him as the caravan passed by.
Sure enough, the man inside the black cage must have been some sort of criminal, and a dangerous one at that. He sat in the middle of the cage, a huge beast of a man. His eyes were closed and his head slumped forward, but Leo could see how strong he was by the way his skin barely stretched over his taut shoulders. The man was bald, and even his brow and skull seemed muscled.  Though the light was nearly gone, Leo could tell this man had come from a different part of the world, as his skin was a deep olive color.
The man appeared to be heavily sedated, but even so his arms were strapped to his chest by thick chain, and still there were other chains that seemed linked to the cage itself. Yellow runes had been etched into the bars of the cage, and Leo realized that even those appeared to catch the light of the lanterns in a strange way. They seemed to have a luminescence of their own.
About fifteen to twenty soldiers surrounded the wagon, and Leo wasn’t sure if they were there to keep the man in the cage, or to keep others out. They all had shifty eyes, however, and were very quick to put a hand to their swords at the slightest notice.
The cage finally passed them and continued slowly down the path. Leo breathed a sigh of relief. He was very glad that these men didn’t appear to be from the Empire, or if they had, didn’t recognize them.
“That was strange, eh?” Kal mumbled, apparently a little drowsy.
“Very.” Leo agreed. He didn’t take his eyes off of the carriage, which was slowly fading out of sight, lanterns bobbing up and down in the final shadows of the day.
You must help him.
Words pierced Leo’s eardrums as if they had been audibly spoken, coupled with a sudden sense of urgency.
“Help who?” Kal asked.
“The man in the cage obviously!” Leo jumped to his feet, and stopped himself. “Wait, what? I didn’t say anything.”
“Yes you did,” Kal argued. “I heard you say ‘You must help him.’”
Now Leo was confused. “I didn’t say that. I thought you said it.”
Kal looked totally lost. “What?”
“Leo is right.” Slik appeared out of nowhere, nearly making Leo jump out of his skin.
“HOLY MOTHER!” Leo shouted. “Could you learn to NOT sneak up on people?
Slik ignored Leo. “We need to help that man.”
Kal got to his feet. “Well, I guess so. It’s funny, because I was just thinking the same thing. Like, I feel. . .I feel. . .”
“Compelled.” Leo replied.
Kal’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! That’s exactly how I feel. Strange, huh?”
“We need to get Lann.” Leo said, without even realizing he was saying it. The words just seemed to be tumbling out of his mouth.
“Don’t bother, I’m here.” Lann was tying her belt on as she approached them. “We need to hurry before it is too late.”
“How can we be sure he’s not a criminal? That he’s not supposed to be in that cage for a reason?” Kal asked, a little more cautious then the rest.
Lann shook her head fanatically. “He’s not a criminal. I can feel it.”
“How can you feel that?” Leo asked, but knowing she was right, because he felt the same thing.
“I don’t know. I just do.” She replied.
Leo couldn’t grasp exactly what was happening. Obviously, they had all heard the same command, but it wasn’t quite clear who had spoken it. He shoved his foot under his sword and kicked it up into his hands.  “Let’s go then.”
The four of them ran as fast as they could toward the carriage, but Leo and Kal and Slik quickly left the girl behind. The cage was clearly visible from the lanterns in the road.
Leo had no idea what to do. He had no plan, no grasp as to how to execute this rescue. He just knew he had to do it. They ran ever closer, and at any minute Leo knew they would be seen, and the fight would ensue. If he were a prayer, he would have prayed for some guidance, because at that moment, he was clueless.
Sure enough, one of the men behind the wagon cried out, and the wagon took off while the soldiers all unsheathed their swords.
“How are we supposed to stop the wagon?” Kal cried out. “We’ll never catch those horses!”
“Just get there!” Leo shouted, unsheathing his own sword.
“Don’t touch the cage, it’s cursed!” Slik shouted out behind them.
Leo nearly stopped running, furious. “Then how are we supposed to get him out?”
Leo was certain Slik cursed from under his breath. “You two are impossible. MOVE!”
Leo and Kal both jumped to the side of the road, and Slik stomped on the ground, firmly planting his feet in a wide stance. Holding his hands near his stomach, he cried out in a terrible voice.
Lightning erupted from Slik’s fingertips and struck the back wheels of the wagon, sending it skyward. The horses screamed as their reigns became tangled in the confusion, ripping the driver from his seat and dragging him down the path screeching. The carriage turned over a couple of times in the air as the soldiers looked on in horror, before the cage crashed to the ground, splintering in hundreds of pieces.
“Brilliant, Slik. We’re supposed to help the man, not murder him!” Leo spat.
Slik held his chest in pain as he snarled his response. “Just take care of the soldiers, fool!”
Leo didn’t have much of a choice, as the grey cloaked men rushed them. Kal and Leo met them with a fervor, but were no match for these skilled men. Leo and Kal were quickly encircled, pushed back to back.
“You idiots!” One of the soldiers screamed. “Do you realize what you’ve done?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Leo saw the flash of a white robe hurry toward the cage. Lann snuck around the tree line, making her way to the smoldering wreckage of the cage.
The old soldier that had warned Leo to stay away crawled out from the remains of the carriage shouting bloody murder. “Secure the prisoner!  He must NOT escape!”
“Escape?” Kal said. “If he’s even alive!”
Just then, a earth shattering roar ripped through the night, shaking Leo to his very core. Everyone looked over to the rubble, and watched as it exploded again. Leo, Kal and the other warriors ducked to avoid the debris. When the smoke cleared, there stood the man, fists clenched and teeth bared. He was nearly naked, save for the ripped shorts he wore, and Leo marveled at the sheer size of him. Yul’guise he was not, for he wasn’t proportioned like the giants, but never had Leo seen a man of his stature. A glowing purple emblem, a tattoo of sorts, covered his left shoulder and a good portion of his chest.  Bald brow furrowed, the man’s eyes peered directly at them, and they glowed with a purple hue so fierce and angry that Leo knew this man was going to kill them all.
The moment hung in the air, still, as time seemed to stop. It seemed to Leo that everyone had forgotten how to breath, or rather, they were simply savoring their very last breath.
The old soldier shrieked in horror. “DON’T LET HIM ESCAPE!!”
With a roar, the man leapt directly into the crowd of soldiers, and began to rip them apart.
“Oh my god.” Kal gasped, as the man, who still was in chains, was now using the chains to decapitate one of his former captors. “I think, I think we need to leave,” Kal nervously mumbled.
Leo didn’t even think twice, but began to panic. He turned and ran toward the carriage. “Lann! LANN!”
He found her next to one of the soldiers that had the poor misfortune to be under the cage when it landed. She was furiously trying to save the man’s life, but looking at him, Leo knew it was pointless.
“Lann we need to go.”
“I’ll just be a minute.”
“Now!” Leo demanded, more panic in his voice than he intended. Lann’s eyes met his. She was crying.
A twinge of pain struck Leo’s heart as he knew how hard this was for her. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “But we are in serious trouble if we don’t run now.”
She nodded and ran with him, but Leo knew she looked back.
Kal met up with them. “Where’s Slik?” he whispered.
“RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!” One of the soldiers streaked past Leo and the others, toward the forest. Before they could react, the prisoner ran past them, faster than Leo could have expected with someone in leg shackles. It was no use, for the soldier was much faster. He was going to escape.
The prisoner turned and looked directly into Leo’s eyes and held out his hand.
“SWORD.” The man demanded.
“I- I. . .”
“GIVE ME YOUR SWORD, NOW!”
Without any hesitation, Leo pulled his sword from his sheath and handed it to the man, who instantly, in one swift movement, hurled it at the soldier’s back. With a sickening sound, the sword found its target, nearly cleaving the man in two.
Lann screamed in rage, and lunged at the giant man. Leo held onto her tightly. “NO! HOW COULD YOU KILL HIM LIKE THAT??”
The giant man turned and ran off towards one of the other soldiers who had taken flight.
Slik appeared as Lann slumped to the ground, and openly wept. Slik ignored his sister as he spoke to Leo.
“We can’t let these soldiers escape. We have to contain them.”
Leo couldn’t understand it, but he knew Slik was right.
“Kal, stay with Lann.” Kal nodded with nausea in his eyes, and sat down next to her. “Slik, go around the right side of the wreckage and look for any of the others.”
Slik wandered off muttering. “I know what to do, I’m not a child.”
Leo really thought it best that he go in the opposite direction, not just to retrieve his sword, but to avoid strangling Slik.
Leo pulled his sword free deep from the back of the dead man, and grabbed a lantern off the part of the wagon that didn’t seem so broken. He ran into the forest, looking for anything that moved. Every now and then he’d come across a dead soldier. . .
. . .or part of one.
A muffled grunt made Leo instinctively raise his sword. A metallic ringing echoed off of the surrounding trees as the scruffy soldier angrily attacked Leo.
Leo tossed the lantern aside, and found it much easier to fight one of these men then fifteen at a time.
“You’re a fool! A FOOL!” the scruffy soldier cried as he fought, rather sloppily. It became apparent to Leo that scruffy didn’t care if he survived this. His life was forfeit if he were to return without his prize.
Leo tripped the man and shoved a knee into his chest. Pointing his sword at the man’s throat, the man began to laugh and cry, all at the same time.
“Don’t you know he’s going to kill you all??”
“No he’s not,” Leo shouted, though not fully believing his own words. “Now calm down!”
The scruffy man’s eyes suddenly got very large, as a shadow appeared over them. On instinct, Leo leapt to the side, just in time to see the purple eyed man crush the soldier’s face with a piece of broken wagon wheel.
Terrified, Leo stumbled backward and ran back to where he had left Lann and Kal. Lann was still sitting on the ground, while Kal had managed to find his feet.
“Get up! GO!” Leo shouted, as the forest behind him raged in anger. “Slik!!”
Leo got to Lann and stood her up, just as Slik appeared from the other side of the wood. “Get out of here, NOW!” Leo shoved Lann and Kal toward Slik, and then turned with his sword out, determined to stand his ground as the others made their escape.
Of course, as stubborn as ever, they stood with him as the behemoth of a man charged them.
Fury in his eyes, he stopped inches from the tip of Leo’s sword. Heavy warm breaths turned to fog in the cool air as the man heaved his massive chest.
Leo could feel the electricity in the air behind him, as he knew Slik prepared to call forth his own power.
The man shifted his weight to bear his left shoulder to them.
“Do you know what this is?” the man spoke, in a surprisingly normal voice.
“We’ve never seen it before.” Lann replied, which enraged the man.
“DON’T PLAY WITH ME!” the huge man yelled as his purple eyes flared. The symbol on his shoulder appeared to glow brighter when his anger was roused. “LOOK CLOSER AND TELL ME!”
Again, Leo felt compelled. He stared at the symbol, and tried to make it out, but it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was not the symbol of any kingdom he was familiar with, rather, it appeared to be a creature of sorts. A tribal monster, with seven horns and gaping jaws, cumulating in giant fangs or tusks. A wicked tongue forked about the creature’s lower teeth.
Leo stood up straight, and put his sword down by his side.
“Kill us if you will, but I can assure you, I have never seen that insignia before.”
The light went out in the man’s eyes, and the symbol instantly ceased to glow. He stood up straight, and that’s when Leo realized he wasn’t that much shorter than the man who had moments before seemed so huge.
“I believe you.” The man spoke in a shockingly gentle tone. He turned around and headed back to the wreckage, and began to rummage around, as if he were looking for something.
The four warriors looked at one another.
“Are you as confused as I am?” Kal asked.
“Immeasurably.” Slik replied. “I’m going back to our camp now.” And he turned to leave.
“Oh no, this guy has some explaining to do,” Leo said, feeling a bit angry.
“It’s probably best not to rouse his anger,” Lann argued, but when Leo turned to look at her, Lann’s face wasn’t defiant. “I do admit, I would like some understanding of what happened.”
“Hey!” Leo shouted at the man, who was now turning over the seat of the wagon effortlessly. “I think you owe us an explanation.”
“I don’t owe you anything,” the man didn’t look up as he fumbled in the wreckage, “except maybe a thank you.”
“I disagree.” Leo demanded, feeling more sure of himself now that the man’s eyes weren’t glowing. “Who are these men? Who are you? Why did they have you locked up like some animal?”
“Uh, Leo. . . I think you know the answer to that last question,” Kal whispered aside.
The man continued to avoid their eyes. “These men are evil. That is all you need to know.”
“Evil enough to be slaughtered like cattle? Even evil men are still men!” Lann shouted, and Leo could tell by her voice that she was on the verge of tears again.
The man stopped what he was doing, and sighed. He stood up and looked at Lann.
“I’m sorry, m’Lady. I know this is hard for you. I cannot explain why, but I could not let them live.” The sincerity in his voice must have sated Lann’s misgivings, because she didn’t argue any further.
“If you please, I am trying to find the keys to these cuffs.”
The feeling of compulsion re-entered Leo’s mind, and as if on cue, Lann and Kal went to look for the keys amongst the dead soldiers.
“How did you do that?” Leo asked.
The man looked confused. “What?”
“How did you get us to help you? All of us heard you ask for help in our heads.”
The man nearly smiled. “Clearly, you are mistaken.” He pointed to the cage. “See those yellow runes? Those are disabling words, inscribed on all of the bars. I couldn’t even think inside that cage, let alone speak.”
Leo looked closely at the twisted metal. Leo couldn’t make out any words, but the yellow writing didn’t seem to be glowing any more.
“When your friend destroyed the cage, it broke the spell, and I was able to wake up. I don’t know why you helped me, but I do thank you.”
Leo looked at the man carefully. “That solider was right, wasn’t he? You really were going to kill us all.”
The large man sighed deeply, as if the answer was too painful for even him to speak.
Leo held up a hand. “Don’t say anything. I already know.”
“I found the keys!” Kal hurried back and unlocked the cuffs with Lann not too far behind.
“If you had known what the symbol meant, I would have had to kill you. My existence is too important for just anyone to know about. It probably would have been better for you if you had left me in that cage.” The man rubbed his wrists and pulled a cloak off one of the dead soldiers, tying it about his shoulders carefully, to make sure the symbol was not seen.
Leo and the others watched in dumb silence as he also took a sword and a belt for himself.
“I can assure you, that your kindness will not go un-rewarded.” The man paused. “I just don’t know when that will happen.”
Leo shrugged. “We’re used to it.”
“I wish I could tell you more. But consider your lives a promise that one day you will understand.”
“What is your name, at least?” Lann asked. The man looked at her, hesitantly. Somehow, Lann’s magic had an effect on the sturdiest of hearts.
“My name is Kullis. I can say no more. I would bless you with peace, but I can tell that will never be your destiny, so I shall bless you with victory instead. Good bye.”
At that, Kullis disappeared into the forest.
Leo, Kal and Lann stood there for awhile in silence.  It was Kal, as usual, that broke the quiet.
“I don’t think we should stay here tonight.”
Leo sighed. “Agreed. But you have to wake up Slik to tell him we are leaving.”