Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Skywind ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Wing, and I do not make any money from the writing of this fanfiction.

 

Chapter 5

 

“It's Kat,” Quatre said for the umpteenth time. “Not m'lord Kat. Not Kitty-my-Kat. And NOT Cranky Quatre. Kat. Do you understand?”

 

Duo eyeballed the dagger he held just under his left eye. “All you had to do was say so,” he said reproachfully.

 

“I have,” Quatre said with deliberation. “Many times. Since you do not understand the concept of a hint, I have been forced to be a bit more direct.”

 

“If this is what you call a bit more direct, I don't want to see what you call being forceful,” Duo muttered, edging away from the sharp blade.

 

He grabbed Duo by the collar. “Do we have an understanding?” The knife pricked Duo's throat.

 

“Agreed, agreed!” Duo said in great haste. Quatre released him and Duo rubbed a thumb across his throat, blotting the tiny smear of blood trickling from the light cut the dagger had given him. “Sheesh. All I was trying to do was lighten the mood a bit.”

 

Quatre ignored him, sheathing the dagger and striding ahead.

 

It had been three days since he had met the dandy, and he had hated every minute of it. His blessed solitude was completely destroyed; the fool insisted on flirting with him all hours of the day, teasing him with various versions of his name, and continuously pestering him about magic. He cursed himself mentally, over and over, for revealing that he had some knowledge of magic. Apparently the fool was a wannabe magician, and persisted in showing off the few ridiculous spells he knew - over and over.

 

He scowled. He was not stupid; the noble had avoided his questions about where he was from and the circumstances behind the bet that had gotten him stranded too easily. He was hiding much from Quatre, and he did not like it. He knew the noble was not as big of a fool as he seemed.

 

A chill went down Quatre's spine as he passed beneath an oak, and he stopped abruptly.

 

“I say, what is it?” Duo asked, trotting up behind him, dragging on his horse's reins.

 

He paid the idiot noble no heed, focusing his senses.

 

wind whistling…the scent of deer and rain….

 

There doesn't seem to be anything wrong, Quatre thought, frowning. So why did my sixth sense give me a warning?

 

“Quatre.” Duo touched his shoulder. “What is it?”

 

He immediately jerked away from his touch, and glared at him.

 

“Hey.” Duo held up his hands in the general symbol of peace. “I wasn't meaning any harm, Kat. I just wanted to know what's got you spooked.”

 

Quatre blinked, and looked Duo directly in the eyes. The fool was actually concerned about him. Or more likely, he thought derisively, he was concerned with whatever was bothering him, and whether it would provide any risk to his own skin.

 

The stillness in the air was all that warned him. He threw himself forward at Duo, pinning him down as a hail of arrows hissed out of nowhere at them. The horse went down with a scream of agony as several arrows struck him in his throat. Quatre gripped Duo, forcing him to roll with him out of the open path and into the thicket.

 

“What?!” Duo gasped. He clamped a hand over Duo's mouth hard, his other hand busy tracing golden symbols in the air in front of him. Lian, a little help would be nice! he called to his friend, who was out hunting his own meal for once.

 

Another hail of arrows came seemingly out of nowhere, and he instinctively ducked, forcing Duo down with him. Several arrows struck the ground near them; they would have hit if not for the invisible force field his hasty spell had erected. Unfortunately, that haste had a cost: the spell would not last long.

 

Now would be a good time, Lian!

 

The reanlos erupted onto the path with a feral roar. He threw himself up into the branches of the oak, battling with an opponent hidden from Quatre's eyes. He strained with his magical vision, but still could not see what it was that Lian wrestled with so fiercely.

 

The reanlos snarled, then let loose with a high-pitched screeching noise that made Quatre's head scream, and Duo cried out. There was a sound very akin to a thunder-clap, and the reanlos fell from the tree, still locked in battle with a now-visible creature.

 

A demon of some kind, the thing had the body of a large goat, with curled horns and long, deadly claws on its feet instead of hooves. Its teeth were long, its snout shaped more like that of a dog than a goat. It had tremendous flexibility, and Lian was using everything ounce of physical strength he had to keep the creature restrained.

 

An imprisonment spell! he snapped at Quatre. Now!!

 

Quatre didn't stop to ask questions. His hands flashed with lightning speed through the air, gold fire lashed from his hands. The creature let out a shriek of rage as the magic wrapped around it, and black fires rose from it as it fought Quatre's spell. Quatre's lip curled in scorn; he spoke a single word that made the air around him hum. The gold fires lashing the demon expanded, forming themselves into a cage - a thing he knew it would hate more than being tied up.

 

It took the creature a few moments to realize what had happened. Then it threw itself forward with a howl of absolute fury. There was a sparking sound, and the smell of burned flesh as the creature pulled back from the fires, howling in pain.

 

“What the hell is that thing?” Quatre asked Lian.

 

An eim, Lian growled, licking at the nasty cuts inflicted by the demon. It's a low-level demon, easily controlled by an outside force. It has a limited ability of blocking its presence from mages - that's why you couldn't feel it. Why this one attacked us - with arrows of all weapons - is something I can't answer. And don't bother asking the demon, either, he added as Quatre's icy gaze turned on the demon. It's not intelligent enough to understand anything but the most basic of human words. Kill, hunt - those sorts.

 

“So I can assume it was sent after something?” Quatre asked softly.

 

Most likely. I still don't understand the arrows, though. Eims don't use human weapons.

 

Apparently, he had used an open path of telepathy, for Duo heard those words as well. The noble stooped and picked up one of the arrows gingerly, studying it. “I think I can answer part of your question, Lian,” he announced.

 

Quatre's razor gaze snapped to him. “Well?”

 

“Look at the tips of these things,” he said, holding the arrow out for his own inspection.

 

Quatre narrowed his eyes, then let out a hiss of breath. The tip of each arrow was coated with a gooey white substance - poison of some kind. But that was not what held Quatre's attention. At the tip of each arrow glowed a bit of magic - not much, but a touch of human magic was there.

 

“It would appear you are right,” he said, soft and deadly, glancing at his cat friend. “The demon was being controlled. Take a look at the tips of the arrows.” The cat focused his gaze, and let out a hiss of his own.

 

Duo missed what they were talking about completely. “How can poison control a demon?” he wanted to know.

 

Quatre glanced at him. “You claim to be an aspiring mage. Focus your magical sight, if you have any, on the tips of the arrows.”

 

“That is mean,” Duo objected. “Of course I have magical sight. You can't be considered a mage without it.” He stared at the arrow for a long time, then suddenly his eyes went wide. “Oh.”

 

“Oh,” Quatre echoed sardonically. “My, but that didn't take you too long.”

 

He actually gave Quatre a glare. “I'm not that good at using my sight,” he said, sounding defensive.

 

Quatre cocked an eyebrow. Finally, something seemed to annoy Duo. He'd have to remember to twit him about it the next time he got on his nerves - which should be all of within the next five minutes.

 

“Let's go,” he said calmly, stepping out into the path once more. He spared a glance for the horse - dead. He stooped, retrieved his own simple pack, and straightened. He looked over his shoulder at Duo. “Get your things. We have to get out of here.”

 

“My horse…”

 

“Is dead. You're walking now - get over it,” Quatre said flatly. He bent down, grabbed the two bags he knew to contain the most important of Duo's belongings, and tossed them at him. He caught them reflexively. “Come on, we've got to get going.”

 

Duo looked over at the demon, still howling in its cage. “What about that…thing?”

 

Quatre regarded it coldly for a moment, then gestured. The gold fires closed tightly about the creature. It only had time for one last shriek before it died a burning, most painful death. The golden fires lifted from the charred corpse, swirled into a knot, and returned to Quatre's outstretched hand, absorbing back into his skin.

 

He looked over at Duo, who was staring at him with his mouth open. “I show no mercy to those who try to kill me,” he said coolly. “If you want to get to Hitsome alive, I suggest you start walking. Now.” When Duo continued to stare at him, he calmly started off down the path, Lian pacing beside her. After a moment, he heard Duo scramble to catch up.

 

It was no coincidence that eim was on this particular path, Lian said quietly, in Quatre's mind alone.

 

Yes, I figured that out, Quatre responded tightly. But was it after me or…

 

Not Duo, Lian said, reading the suspicion in his mind. Yes, there is much that noble keeps quiet about, but the focus I read in the creature's mind was on you. Those arrows were meant to kill you, unequivocally.

 

And because it wielded human weapons, we have no choice but to assume I have a human enemy, Quatre thought bitterly. So soon out of my captivity, too.

 

Do not worry too much, Lian said softly, and Quatre heard the menace in his voice. You have me to watch over you, and that is no small reassurance among my kind.

 

Quatre did not stop walking, but he put his hand in the fur below Lian's ears, and scratched him gratefully.

 

Mmmm. Lian leaned into the touch even as they walked. A little further down…a little further…ah, there, perfect…The giant cat audibly purred. A corner of Quatre's mouth twitched ever so slightly.

 

Duo walked quietly, observing the two interact. Quatre was obviously very close to Lian, and the way Lian had fought the demon told the mage that Lian bore a strong loyalty to the Winner. Duo stored this knowledge away in his mind, and made a mental note to ask his cousin about the dealings of the reanlos with the Winner clan. Reanlos could be damned useful to those they decided to befriend.