Trouble on the Road

The horse driven carriage rode through forest, and fields, while occasionally stopping at a village or two. Domi and Aniya loved to see the sights and Francis indulged them stories about his solo travels. Laija leisurely enjoyed the smooth ride.

The coachman had told them that the town was only a few miles away. They will have arrive before darkness fell.

A scream suddenly erupted in the air, startling them right out of their dazed states.

'What was that?' Francis asked, trying to see through the window screen.

'Probably trouble.' Laija replied him, patting the children's shoulders in an attempt to soothe them. They had been roused from their sleep because of the noise.

'Stop your horses!' A gruff voice shouted their way.

The coachman had no choice but to halt the horses.

Heavy footsteps steadily approached the carriage, the thin door swung opened to reveal three huge men. By the looks of it, they were bandits.

'Well, well, what a sweet family!' The middle one spoke first. He was the shortest of the trio.

'Get down.' The tallest man with a bald head, demanded roughly.

Francis climbed down first, holding Domi and Aniya by their hands, Laija followed behind slowly. After they got outside, they were led to a group of people who were huddled together, trembling and on their knees. Behind them were two carriages and a bullock cart with all the belongings lying scattered on the ground. These travellers were being looted by the three rogues.

Laija stood near a young woman who was covering her face with her hands, weeping. Her golden hair was dishelved and the sleeve of her red dress were torn. She was likely the one who had screamed earlier. An older woman who seems to be her mother was comforting her.

'Ugh, the new ones don't have any valuables with them, what the heck?!' The short guy complained after going through their belongings. It was true, they only possessed clothes and food, however, the big sum of money was with Laija.

The third man who had been quiet all this time, pulled off the grey hood from Laija's head without warning, revealing her face for all to see.

The bandits as well as the other people present, were taken in by her beautiful visage.

The tall man gasped in awe. 'She is a true beauty! If we sold her she might fetch us more than all these valuables combined!' He pointed out, a greedy smile on his guant face.

The guy who exposed her, reached his hand out to touch her face but Francis swatted it away. 'Hands off.' He growled, shielding Laija with his own body.

'You are fine looking yourself, Mr husband.' The short one jeered. 'But we only want your pretty wife.' He added rubbing his sweaty hands together.

While this harassment was going on, Laija remained unperturbed. It was not the first time she had to deal with bastards like them. Since she came to this world, she had plenty of experiences with their kind.

Laija removed the glove from her right hand and summoned her magic at once. Blue lights rose and crackled in the palm of her hand like tiny thunders.

The bandits' eyes widened, their initial excited expressions replaced by bewilderment at the display of the magic.

'You are a like a witch!' The short man screamed, taking one step back. Laija was surprised. It was the first time, she was accused of being a witch.

Having finally understood what or who they were up against, the men turned around, grabbing the valuables with them. They tried to make their escape into the woods.

The magical power on Laija's hand stretched out like streaks of lightning and struck the three running men right on their backs. Immediately, they stumbled on the ground, knocked out cold.

Everyone present watched the scene unfold in seconds. Francis exhaled a sigh and went towards the group of people. He began to say, 'Alright, its safe now. Get up, everyone.'

They got up one by one. There were six women and four men in the group. Before they could thank them, the steady sound of hooves were heard. Everyone looked towards the direction and saw a rowdy bunch of thirteen men with four hounds.

'Huh, why those three lying on the ground?' A man with a scar on his right cheek who appeared to be the leader remarked looking down at the fallen trio. Then, he turned his attention to the civilians.

'So, those newcomers fail to loot, I see.' He said dryly. His eyes suddenly widened in pleasure when they fell on the women present. 'Well, at least they did a good job getting these ladies. We will take them, boys.'

Of course, they were all part of a gang of theives. The muscular men climbed down from their horses, with their sharp weapons already in hands, ready to act. At such a threatening sight, the relief faces on the civilians distorted to frightened ones again.

Francis cursed, 'Shit, there were more of them.'

Laija looked behind her and said to the people. 'Stay put.' Without missing a beat, she unleashed a magic circle in hand. The glowing pink circle expanded and rose above, covering the heads of those within.

'Hey, chief! What is she doing?' One of the men hesitated to take another step.

But the leader stood his ground. With a mad glint in his grey eyes, he uttered, 'Seems we are very lucky or unlucky. If we can capture her, we will be set for life.'

Laija narrowed her eyes, she had hoped that showing her ability will be enough to scare them away. It had work in the past but at the moment it was not the case, it seems.

Laija was not worried though, the minute an arrow shot their way her barrier magic was already in place. The pointed weapon burned as soon as it landed on the enchanted circle. As long as the people stayed inside, they will be protected.

But the bandits kept attacking her barrier relentlessly. They appeared confident that the it will give in to their assault.

Laija frowned, she could not attack while defending. Although, she could keep the magic for a few hours, it was still annoying to drag it that long. Francis appeared to read her mind. He stepped out of the protective circle and snatched the blade from the man lying unconscious on the ground. Then, he slayed down the first man approaching her way.

'This weapon is too unsuited for a gentleman like me. But it will have to do for now.' He remarked casually and took down another man.

Laija was impressed with his fighting skills. He defended well even when outnumbered. But it will do harm if he kept on by himself. She will have to do something.

Seeing that his men were being cut down, the leader released his hounds.

Laija was quicker, she casted a different magic with her other free hand. A green circle illuminated on the ground and from its surface, a beast appeared out of thin air. Before the vicious animals got to Francis, a mighty roar from the beast drove them away with their tails between their legs.

The magical creature landed on the ground, a little distance away from Laija. It had a feline image but it possessed huge wings like a bird of prey. Its whole body bigger than a horse, was a strip of black and purple. Overall, it was majestic looking beast.

'Eridor, I seek your help.' Laija requested.

The magical being nodded its head, then flew off. It started picking the men with its sharp talons and dropped them from a height.

The bandits were all horrified now. They threw away their weapons and ran towards their horses at once. The leader also finally came to his senses. With gritted teeth, he ordered his men to retreat.

After they were gone. Laija walked to the beast. 'Thank you, Eridor.' She said scratching its nape.

'You never cease to amaze me, Laija.' Francis said as he went to her. But the beast snarled at him making him paused in his steps.

'It is alright.' Laija said soothingly. She took a few cookies from her side pocket and fed it to the creature. It enjoyed the treats very much. 'You may go back now.' Laija said and the beast called Eridor purred and vanished into the green magic circle.

The others were beyond shocked at her powers but they felt even more grateful at her. They rushed and thanked her again and again.

Francis looked on with a smile on his face. He was more than impressed at her capabilities but he was concerned too.

'Everyone, I have something to say.' He called for their attention. They all turned to face him with similar puzzled expressions.

'I want each and every one of you to not spread a word about what happened today.' He told them in a serious tone.

'But why?' One of them asked.

'Won't it be good to let people know of your heroic deeds?' Another said.

'We have our reasons. But please do us this favor.' He implored them.

They turned to face Laija who nodded and said, 'Yes, I would appreciate it very much if you kept this a secret.'

'You are our saviour, we will listen to you.' Said the older woman from earlier.

'Quite wasteful to hid such heroic deeds. But we will do it for your sake.' A man in the group also said.

Everyone agreed. Francis and Laija thanked them for their understanding.

They got back on their carriage and continued the journey. They arrived to the town by dusk. One of the family they had rescued, invited them to stay in their house as an extension of their gratitude. It was a big residence with a sprawling lawn.

When Laija slept that night, she dreamt of her last days in her previous world.

Like usual, she was done with her part time job and was returning home. She had met her ex friend on the road. This former friend of hers had said she wanted to talk for a while. Laija agreed reluctantly after seeing her in tears.

Trusting the person she once called a close friend, she followed without any doubts. But it turned out to be beginning of her nightmare.

Laija woke up startled and sweating. For a brief moment, she was confused as to where or who she was. Then, her eyes noticed Aniya and Domi sleeping on the other bed. Looking at the peaceful scene, her breathing calm down as her anxiety left her body.

She smiled wryly. She was becoming attached to them. It was not a good sign to her.

Unable to go back to sleep after that, she left her bed and opened the door to her balcony. Cool breeze greeted her cheeks and her exposed nape. She closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh air.

'What ails my fair lady?' A voice said.

Laija turned to her right and saw Francis Vermond standing on his side of the balcony. It appears his room was right next door. The man was dress in a loose fitting white shirt and dark brown pants. He was leaning on the rails, with a half full bottle of wine.

So, the man was enjoying being an esteemed guest of the house. Laija thought as she stared at him.

'Stop with that judgemental gaze. I only had a sip because I couldn't sleep.' He protested with a whine.

'I wasn't.' Laija denied, facing away.

'Please, you've been judging me with those eyes ever since we met.' He said huskily with light laugh.

Laija noticed the smooth cadence in his voice and laughter. It reminded her of good things, it uplifted her spirit and kept her expecting. She did not know why though. This was the only trait she appreciates from this man. She refused to accept that maybe she was attracted to his voice because she hated it when he whines or flirts.

'Can I ask you something?' He asked out of the blue.

'What?' She was taken aback but pretended she wasn't.

'Your magic. I notice they are different in colours according to their usage.' Francis said.

'That's a given.' Laija answered.

'I know for a fact that the pink one with the magic circle is for protection.' He remarked proudly.

'Barrier magic, yes.' She told him with a nod of her head.

'Then, the green one today? What's it called?'

'Summoning magic. That is only possible when you established bond with a magical creature.' She explained.

'I was really surprised. I know they exist but I only read about them in books. To see one with my own eyes was certainly amazing.' He said, his violet eyes seems to shine with delight. He looked no different from a child who discovered his favourite pastime.

'I wanted to touched it but it growled at me.' He groaned in disappointment the next moment.

'Eridor is cautious by nature.' Laija said simply.

'Wait, there is another magic, the blue one you did today and that time at the establishment.' He went on excitedly.

'Yes, blue magic is for assault.' She answered as a matter of factly. Then, she remembered another one and mentioned it to him, 'There is white magic too, the one for healing.' She told him.

She had also learned to distinguish her magic by their own colours, only two years ago. Although, her body knew by instinct how to release the magic in accordance with her need, she herself was new to everything.

But there was one other magic she knew she had but not unleash it since the first time she came to this world. It was fiery red and appeared to have its own control. She did not really remember anything about its ability, only the colour.

'Well, thanks for telling me.' Francis said, breaking her out from her reverie.

'It is nothing.' Laija replied, turning away from him completely. She could feel his gaze on her. It felt heated but the air was cold. It was about time she went inside.

'Good night.' She said and quickly retire to her room.

'Good night, my fair lady!' She heard him shouting. It was too loud, too enthusiastic.

She really can't grow attach to this person.