The Death Bridge

The white-haired man slowly opened his eyes.

He slowly sat upright and looked around him, confused. Suddenly the memories rushed back and he remembered the bright golden light. The numbness in his body went away as the pain gradually returned.

He touched the back of his head and felt something wet. He looked at his hand and saw blood. He sighed and gently rubbed his neck that was still sore after he was nearly choked to death. He looked around and saw men lying dead all around him. He heard a voice call out to him from but he couldn't hear the words, his ears still ringing.

The big man walked over. "Come on lad, get up", he said to the white-haired man.

He stumbled a few times before he managed to reach the white-haired man. When he saw the slightly puzzled expression on the man's face, he bends down and looked the man in the eyes.

"Did ye hear me, laddie? Come on…I said get up…", the big man said as he extended his left hand to the white-haired man.

Looking up at the big man and then to his extended hand, the white-haired man sighed. He grabbed the big man's hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. He saw a small piece of wood sticking out of the big man's right shoulder.

"What happened?", he asked the big man, pointing at the piece of wood.

The big man looked at the wood and then back at the white-haired man. "Oh thes…well, when we were hurled away, I ended up fallin' into one of the branches lying around…it turned out to be a piece of wood from a broken tree…", he said with a chuckle. "I need to get a few things…Look around and see if any of these idiots are still alive…don't feel bad if there aren't any…", he said to the white-haired man as he turned around, walking away.

The white-haired man started checking the bodies. All of the men were dead with bloodstained mouths. He frowned at the strange appearance of the bodies. He couldn't see any injuries on their bodies except for some bruises.

{"How did they die? It couldn't have been the force of the light, because then we would've been dead too…yet, that's all I can think of…so how could it be…"}, he thought as he carefully examined one of the bodies. {"The death was very instant…their eyes are still open…strange…"}, he thought.

The big man walked over to the white-haired man who was still crouching beside a body. He looked at the man. "What do ye make of thes lad?", he asked the white-haired man.

"I don't know…I've never seen anything like this. Their deaths are too strange."

"What do ye mean its strange? It's magic", the big man said, a deep frown on his face.

"It is magic, yes, but no magic I've ever seen. There should be signs of physical damage but, there's nothing…just a few bruises", the white-haired man explained. "It is almost as if…almost as if their entrails melted", he said as he stood up.

The big man's eyes widened.

"Melted?"

"Yes, melted…"

The big man handed two swords to the white-haired man. "Thought you might want something sharp", he said as he looked around.

A body with an arrow in its c.h.e.s.t caught the big man's eye. He walked passed the white-haired man towards the body. "Well, well, well. Seems 'at yer betrayal didn't go as planned, now did it Riggar?", the big man said as he looked at the body of the dead man.

He looked up and spotted Raven lying on the snow not far from them. He rushed over and kneeled beside her. "Lad! I could use your help over here!", he yelled over his shoulder. "Lass, can you hear me?", the big man asked as he gently removed the strands of hair on Raven's face.

The white-haired man reached them and knelt down. He pushed the big man's hand away and held two fingers at Raven's throat. A frown formed between his brows when he felt nothing. He quickly held his other hand in front of Raven's nose. He felt a faint warm breath brush against his skin at the same moment a heartbeat surfaced beneath his fingers.

"She's alive, but barely. Do you have anything I could use?"

"I…I…No?", the big man stammered.

The white-haired man jerked his head up. "What!?", he said as he looked at big man's confused and worried face. "Nothing?", the white-haired man asked, flabbergasted.

"Look here, laddie. I'm nae some healer! How would I know what you're gonnae need?"

The white-haired man grunted in frustration. Suddenly they heard a strange other-worldly sound. They both looked up in the direction of the sound, their hands on their weapons. The saw a whitish blue doe walking towards them. The big man felt his mouth drop wide open.

"What in the warld…are ye seein' whit I'm seein' ?", he whispered to the white-haired man.

"Yes…", the white-haired man slowly replied in a soft tone.

The doe came closer and bend its head down, sniffing Raven's hair. It looked up at the two dumbstruck men and turned around and ambled away. Not far from them, the doe stopped and looked back at the still dazed men.

After a few minutes, the white-haired man slowly spoke. "I think it wants us to follow it…", he said as he slowly looked away and turned his gaze towards the unconscious woman before him.

He carefully placed one arm under her knees and the other under her back, careful not to touch the arrow in her side. He carefully stood up and looked at the big man who seemed to be frozen in place. He kicked him on his leg and startled the big man out of his daze.

"Grab my swords and let's go", he said to the big man as he slowly walked forward.

The big man did as he was asked and followed the white-haired man. Seeing the two men following, the doe turned its head back and started to walk.

After what seemed like hours, they reached the clearing where they saw the shack near a big tree. The two men stopped, feeling unsure. They saw the doe walking straight towards the shack and disappear through the closed door. They looked at each other and followed the doe. When they reached the shack, the big man quickly went to open the door. He reached for the wooden bar and lifted it. He placed his hand against the wood and pushed.

But nothing happened.

"What!?", he exclaimed.

He pushed harder but the door did not want to open. He glanced at the white-haired man in confusion.

"Use some force!", the white-haired man said, feeling annoyed at the big man's confusion.

The big man looked at the door and slammed his left shoulder into the door…Nothing happened. He tried again and again, but the door did not open.

He grunted in frustration and took a few steps back. He ran forward, his left shoulder hitting the door. The door opened and the big man flew through the air and made contact with the hard floor, pure surprise written all over his face.

The white-haired man entered the shack and laid Raven down on the table. "Look for bandages, medicine, anything!", he urgently said to the big man as he grabbed Raven's dagger.

He carefully cut a hole in Raven's shirt and removed the material, exposing the wound.

A deep frown formed between his brows as he carefully examined the wound.