Warriors of Prophecy

The land was barren and dry. The sun shone down creating a heat that couldn’t be beaten with just a drink of water. It was a scorching heat and the Prophet knew better than to be out in the open like this. However there were rumors of Shadow Men coming this far to hunt down people. They normally didn’t come out this far but lately F.E.A.R had been getting braver in its escapades. They were hunting down any remaining people it could find and dragged them to the secret prison they had.

The Prophet stood with the Destroyer as they surveyed the land. “It’s time we head back.” The Destroyer looked over at his leader. “We won’t make it back to camp before sunset if we don’t leave now.” They had gathered supplies on their scouting mission and with the items they gathered they would be set for awhile.

Lowering the binoculars, the crystalline blue eyes of the Prophet were revealed. He sighed and licked his lower lip, flicking at the silver ring that pierced it. Nodding slowly he sighed again. “Then we’ll head back. They’ll be waiting for us. Let’s go.” He clasped the shoulder of his friend. He knew it would be a long trek home but it was good that they came this far. Thankfully they hadn’t run into any Shadow Men but the day was still young.

“You didn’t have to come you know?” The Destroyer looked over at the Prophet as they walked. “I could have gotten Mystic to come with me. You should have stayed back at the base. If anything were to happen to you—“

Raising a hand to stop him, Prophet looked over at Destroyer. “You honestly think just because I’m the leader of the Wild Ones and the Legion that I’m going to stop all activities? I’m not made of glass. The Legion needs to see its leader active, not sitting down ordering others to do things for him.”

“Actually I meant you’re a pain in the ass on trips so I’d rather have him with me instead.” Destroyer shrugged as he smirked. “But ok, if you want to go all noble on me, sure we’ll go with that.” He joked.

The Prophet’s laugh rang out in the silence of the desert as they walked. “I forgot what a smartass you were.”

“Someone has to keep things light.” Destroyer smirked.

“Yes, this coming from someone whose moniker is The Destroyer.” Prophet smirked back.

“Never confuse my powers with my sense of humor.” Destroyer waved a finger at him as they walked.

Just then Prophet froze as he stared ahead. There was something on the horizon. He felt a shiver go up his spine as he feared what it was. No, no more death, he thought to himself.

“What is it?” Destroyer asked as he squinted to look out as far as he could see.

“Body.” Prophet sighed in defeat.

Destroyer hung his head. “Fuck, and Mourner isn’t here.”

“We’ll go collect it and bring it back.” Prophet ordered him as they walked as quickly as they could. Killing wasn’t the only thing the Shadow Men liked to do with the free people. It was rumored they brought the dead bodies back to F.E.A.R to experiment on. The last thing Prophet wanted was to give F.E.A.R another one of his people, alive or dead.

It didn’t take long for the men to reach the body. Destroyer could see that it was a woman and she was covered in various bruises and cuts. There looked to be a good sized cut above her eyebrow that had bled down her temple. Prophet knelt down at her side and gazed over her. She had golden hair that was matted and covered in dirt. Her wrists were bruised and from the looks of it handcuffs were the culprit. Her clothes were ragged and torn. She had gone through Hell and back wherever she had been.

“She was beautiful whoever she was.” Destroyer couldn’t help comment.

Turning his head to look up at his friend, Prophet arched an eyebrow. “Really?”

“I’m just saying maybe that’s what got her killed?” Destroyer pointed out.

Suddenly there was a small almost inaudible grunt that came from the direction of the body. Both men whipped their head around and stared at her. The woman grunted again as she moved, but barely. Then her eyes snapped open and Prophet sucked in his breath. Two of the bluest eyes he had ever seen stared back at him.

At first her eyes were full of fear but he raised his hands in defense as if to show he meant no harm. Prophet looked down at her and spoke softly. “Relax little one, we won’t hurt you.”

She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Destroyer scrambled to grab his canteen and he handed it to Prophet. Prophet brought it to her lips and helped her drink. “Easy, slowly…drink slowly. There is plenty here.” His voice was smooth and gentle. He waited for her to drink more of the cool water before he pulled it away and capped it back up.

Licking her lips, the woman squinted up at Prophet and then nodded. “Thank you.” Her voice was hoarse and scratchy from the desert. She tried sitting up and once again the leader was there to help her. He pushed her hair away from her face as he cupped her neck for support.

“How long was I out here?” She croaked.

“I have no idea. We just found you. We’ve only been out here half a day.” Prophet told her. His eyes roamed over her and winced. “From the looks of it you’ve been out here for a bit.”

A look of fear came over her blue eyes as she tried to get up. “Shadow---“ She tried to speak louder. “Shadow Men. We have to run. They’ll—“ She tried to warn him. Her body began to tremble as she scrambled to get up but due to the lack of energy she fell back.

“Hold up little one, the Shadow Men won’t harm you.” Prophet reassured her. “We’ll make sure of that. You’re safe now. I swear. How about we start with a name? Do you have a name?” He asked her.

Her head whipped around to stare at him as he spoke. The truth was she wanted to tell him everything. Yet she knew better than to trust anyone. She barely escaped and now this man wanted to know everything. But what harm was there in her name? Surely he wouldn’t know who she was, right? “Rhiannon.” She murmured softly. “My name is Rhiannon.”

Nodding, Prophet stared down at her. “Rhiannon. It is good to meet you.” He offered her a gentle friendly smile. “I’m known as The Prophet. This is my good friend, who is known as The Destroyer.” He motioned with his hand back towards his friend.

“Pleasure to meet you Rhiannon.” Destroyer gave her a matching smile.

Instantly Rhiannon’s face went pale as her eyes moved from one man to another. “Prophet…..Destroyer…..the prophecy!” Her voice was soft and if one wasn’t listening closely they would have thought it was nothing more than the desert wind.

Prophet bit his lower lip and closed his eyes. He knew of the ancient prophecy and yet when events unfolded to make it seem as if it were coming to fruition, he cringed. If you asked him he was just a man who was trying to help those in need battle the evil that raged over the land. He wasn’t anyone’s hero. His eyes opened and he focused on Rhiannon again. “I know of the prophecy in which you speak.”

“You are one of the five?” Rhiannon asked. “Are you the rebels that are talked about?”

“We are.” Destroyer told her which only earned him a hard look from Prophet. He gave him a look that said, what?

“Yes, we are the rebels. Better known as the Legion of the Black.” Prophet nodded his head. “Now you know who we are, so it would help to know exactly who you are.” He crossed his arms over his chest as he stared down at her. The woman was a mystery and Prophet hated things he couldn’t figure out. He was given the name Prophet because he was the leader of the Legion of the Black. He was promised to lead them to destroy F.E.A.R. one day. He had visions of the future but what he hated most was that he had no control over them. The visions came to him in dreams and it was up to him to make sense of them. It was then he froze. Last week he had woken up in a cold sweat and he had been shaking. He had a vision of holding a beam of light in his hand as he stood in the desert. It shone brightly as he held it but as the Shadow Men appeared the light grew dimmer and dimmer. Just before the light went out he had awoken. Could this woman be the light he had foreseen?

“I told you, I am Rhiannon.” She told him. “I came from….the prison.” Rhiannon knew that it was better to stick to the bare bones when it came to the truth. Swallowing hard, she pushed her hair back. “I had been taken by the Shadow Men along with my twin sister, Morrighan. We were prisoners of F.E.A.R.”

“How did you escape?” Destroyer’s eyes narrowed. It was nearly impossible for anyone to escape the F.E.A.R prison alive. It happened but the people who did rarely lived long. Rhiannon was a rare breed.

“My twin…my sister.” Her eyes fell as she looked to be struggling with her words. “She sacrificed herself for me. She helped me escape and gave herself up to F.E.A.R to allow them to torture her and—“ She broke off.

Prophet reached out and rubbed her shoulder in sympathy. “I’m sorry about your sister. However I don’t think she would want her sacrifice to be in vain.” He helped Rhiannon stand. “You are hurt. Our healer back at the base can tend to your wounds. We’re not far. We’ll reach it by sunset. Come with us. We have food, shelter and we can keep you safe.” He offered. The truth was he had an urge to keep this woman safe and close to him. The vision he had still plagued him. Was she the light?

Knowing that she didn’t have any other choice, Rhiannon nodded. “Thank you.” She was nervous about entering their base. Someone might recognize her, but then that was a long shot. The last thing she needed was for her survival to be known.

“Do you need more water or are you ready to travel now?” Destroyer asked.

“No, I’m ready to travel.” She gave him a grateful nod.

“Then let’s go. The sooner we reach the base the sooner we can tend to your wounds.” Prophet told her.

Within minutes the three of them took off in the direction of the West, towards the sun.

~ ~ ~

The sun was setting and it cast the desert in a fiery red glow. Despite the dusky light, the air carried a distinct chill. Nightfall would happen soon and the desert would feel would turn cold. The three travelers were moving as quickly as they could. With the fading light it was a perfect time for Shadow Men to be out and about. “Hurry, we’re not far from the base now.” Prophet looked over at Rhiannon as she walked between him and Destroyer.

“I’m walking as fast as I can.” She grimaced with every step. If she didn’t know any better she tweaked her ankle when she jumped from the balcony to the floor back in the prison.

As they came over the ridge the Legion of the Black’s base camp became visible to the trained eye. To anyone else it looked like an abandoned factory that was one good breeze away from collapsing. Yet in the recesses of the building and underground it housed the rebels, also known as the Legion of the Black. They were what were left of the people that scattered from the old kingdom. They were the ones that were brave enough to stand up to F.E.A.R. The closer they got to the base the more people came out to greet them. At first it was children, but then cries of “Prophet!” and “Destroyer!” as the adults came out to greet them as well. Soon the entrance of the factory was crowded with rebels.

“Welcome home, Rhiannon.” Destroyer chuckled as he walked with her.

“This is home?” She asked him.

“Yes. This is the home of the rebels, also known as the Legion of the Black.” Prophet told her.
They approached the crowd and suddenly it parted to allow three men to walk out to meet the travelers. Rhiannon’s eyes widened as she saw exactly who was coming out to meet them. It had to be the remaining members of the Wild Ones. That’s what the leadership of the Legion would be called according to the prophecy. Up until she was captured by F.E.A.R, Rhiannon didn’t believe in the prophecy. She was born with it as her bedtime story, but she never believed. Until now.

“Welcome home.” One them stepped forward and nodded at the two men. He had jet black hair like the rest of the Wild Ones, but he carried a violin in his hands. He was dressed similar to Destroyer with black leather pants and a black leather vest. A belt of chains hung from his hips.

“Mystic.” Prophet nodded his head. He looked at the violin and he smirked. “Did I miss the nightly concert? I thought we would arrive in time.”

Mystic chuckled. “No, you’re in time.” His eyes roamed over until they landed on Rhiannon. “I see you brought us a gift?”

Prophet chuckled softly as he looked over at Rhiannon. “I think she found us to be honest. “

“Do you have a name?” Another one of the Wild Ones stepped forward and gazed at her.

Rhiannon felt as if she were on trial by the way all their eyes were on her. Licking her lips, she nodded. “My name is Rhiannon.”

“Rhiannon.” Mystic tried the name out on his lips. Then his eyes widened as the meaning of her name rolled through his mind. As he went to reveal the meaning of her name he saw the fear fill her eyes. She was scared to be revealed in front of everyone. So he kept silent. The truth would come about soon enough.

“Welcome Rhiannon.” Another one of the Wild Ones came forward and took her hand in his. He smiled as he brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. “I’m Deviant.” He winked at her.

“I can see why.” Rhiannon drawled as she took her hand back. She remembered that Deviant had the power of seduction. He could get any information through the power of his seduction. He could read the minds of those through any act of seduction. It came useful when the Legion needed information. All Deviant had to do was turn on his charm and he could see what they don’t want him to.

Destroyer and the rest of the Wild Ones laughed as Prophet smirked. The little one had fire in her and he found that interesting. It seemed his little one had claws. She would fit right in with them. “These are the Wild Ones. You’ve met Destroyer, Mystic and Deviant. The only one you haven’t met yet is Mourner.” He pointed to the man standing to the left of Mystic.

Gazing at Mourner, Rhiannon felt dread fill her. She knew from the prophecy that Mourner not only oversaw the burials of those that passed in defiance of F.E.A.R. but also could tell when someone had died, even when he was miles away. “Please tell me that she’s not gone?” Her voice cracked.

Mourner’s face softened and he shook his head. “No, I sense no death.”

She let her shoulders relax as she let out a breath. “Praise.”

“You’re hurt. We have to get you to the Healer.” Prophet told her. Putting his hand on her back, he led Rhiannon through the crowd. Before he left he looked at his fellow Wild Ones. “We’ll talk later.” He murmured. They nodded.

Heading through the factory, Prophet led her down the stairs. They reached a solid steel door and he knocked on it with several knocks in a different pattern. Rhiannon could tell it was a passcode of some sort. Soon the door opened and a man nodded at the couple as they entered. “Prophet, welcome back.”

“Thank you Aron.” Prophet nodded as he pushed Rhiannon into the base. “That is Aron, he is one of our guards. He’s a good man. He’s lost his family in some of the raids.”

“Poor man.” Rhiannon turned to look back at him.

“Come, you need to be healed.” Prophet led her through the corridors. They passed members of the Legion and everyone moved out of their way. They traveled down more stairs until they reached a door at the end of another corridor. “Here we are.” He knocked on the door and waited.

The door opened and there stood an older man. He had graying hair and a beard. His careworn green eyes softened as he smiled at Prophet. “Prophet! Welcome back. How can I help? Are you injured?”

Smiling, Prophet shook his head. “No no. But I do have someone for you to heal. Her name is—“

“Rhiannon!” The healer gasped as he stared at the woman next to Prophet. “Forgive me Your—“

Suddenly she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around the healer as she hugged him. “Mikal!” Rhiannon needed him to stop what he was about to say. She couldn’t let anyone know who she really was. The rebels and the prophecy depended on it. “It’s good to see you!”

Mikal hugged her back as he whispered in her ear. “I’ll keep your secret.” He pulled back and smiled at her. Then he frowned. “You need healing.”

“You know each other?” Prophet’s eyes narrowed as he stared at both of them.

“Um...yes. Mikal was a friend of my father’s. A very very long time ago.” Rhiannon offered up.

“I remember Rhiannon as a child.” Mikal smiled gently. “She’s in good hands Prophet. I’ll heal her.”

Prophet looked between the two again. “Thank you. When you’re finished with her, please send her up to the council room.” He stared at Mikal. When the healer nodded, he looked at Rhiannon. “Until then.” He turned on his heel and walked away.

Mikal sighed and looked at her. “We have many things to talk about Rhiannon.”

Notes

So tell me what you guys think. Is it any good? Should I continue?