Without too much trouble, the group was able to resupply in Denmer Crossing.  Leeteuk had volunteered to head in by himself while the others had remained outside to reduce their exposure as much as possible.  In a fraction of the time it usually took them, they were back on the path to the capitol, packs settled reluctantly against their backs.  It had been nice not having to carry them for the past few days.

           Another side effect the group soon found was that without the minstrels, travel was considerably more boring.  Granted, it had been before they had met up with them, but the stark contrast was astounding.  They had all understood it would take them a while to reach the capitol but hearing about it and then walking it were two entirely different things.  Kyuhyun finally stepped up to Leeteuk while they were on the path.  “How far have we gone, Teuk?” he queried, reaching out to grab the older man’s arm lightly.

           The party paused as Leeteuk retrieved the map and brought it out so they could all see where they were.  “Well, we’ve just come from Denmer Crossing, so that would put us right about here…” he gestured at a spot between the town and the bridge over the Angmer.

           Having kept track the entire time, he did not groan but he wasn’t surprised to hear disappointed sighs around the circle as it was easy to see they still had at least a week of travel…if not more, ahead of them.  While the idea of confronting Enrhyll was frightening, the waiting and the time until then was just as bad.

           “At least we’re over halfway there,” Eleanara shrugged, trying to offer some sort of consolation.

           “One step at a time,” Siwon nodded, reaching out to pat her on the shoulder.

           “Come on then,” Kharin groaned, shifting her pack again.  “The longer we stand here, the longer it’ll take us to get there.”

           The group sighed but nodded in agreement as they fell back into step.  They were careful to avoid the subject of what they were actually going to do once they got there though.  While they were fairly sure that Enrhyll had a decent idea they were heading his way, they had absolutely no idea what sort of reception they could expect or how they were going to get to him.  All they could do was take it one step at a time and hope the gods smiled on them at some point.

           Fortunately the day progressed smoothly after that.  As they were used to doing by now, they pulled off to the side just before full dark and established camp.  Conversation was muted but when they did speak, most of it focused on the now absent Zhou Mi and Henry.  If nothing else, they had been an exceptionally bright spot in this whole journey.  It helped to keep them focused on what they were fighting for as opposed to the fight they knew was coming up and the travel in the meantime.  The watch was established and set without the use of Eleanara’s light as the moon was bright enough to give them natural illumination for a fair distance, even in the dark.

           In the morning, they did not dawdle long, hoping to reach the Angmer before dark.  After a quick breakfast of normal travel rations, they were off again.  They saw a few more travelers on their path, but most gave them plenty of room and they were quite content with that.  The less interest anyone had in them, the better.  The party paused long enough to retrieve food and share water at a midday break but finished eating on the road.  Part of their hurry was that they were eager to reach the last major landmark and barrier between them and Lornhaldt and the Sedgewood Forest might well be able to provide them with plenty of cover once they reached the other side.  All the territory they had crossed was new and foreign, but the idea of actually having something to hide in appealed to all of them the closer they got to the capitol.

           At last, as the day was failing, the group could see the sturdy arching bridge over the wide river.  Its appearance was met with weary smiles and relieved sighs as they had made it as they hoped they would, with some light to spare.  When they approached however, Siwon slowed down, a look of concern on his visage.  “Hold up guys,” he stated slowly, looking up and down the river intently.

           “What is it?” Leeteuk asked, concern flashing over his face.

           “I’m not sure,” Siwon explained, turning his head to the side, as if he was trying to hear something that was right there.  Something felt weird…  Looking at the river, he had no idea what it was.  He considered that it might be just that he was feeling the power of a large body of water for the first time, but then he pushed the thought aside.  He had felt the coming water in the storm and this wasn’t even close to being similar.  Something about the flow felt off and it bothered him immensely.

           “I don’t see anything,” Kyuhyun stated as he stared at the bridge and the water rushing beneath it.  For all intents and purposes, everything looked fine.

           Summer moved up next to Siwon, a puzzled expression on her face too.  “He’s right.  Something does feel odd.”

           That however, was cause for concern.  Unconsciously, Eleanara stepped closer to Leeteuk as she focused on the water and the bridge.  “It’s the only way to cross, isn’t it?” she asked quietly.

           “Looks like it,” Kharin frowned, not liking the direction this was taking.

           Uncertainly the group looked around.  Eunhyuk stepped up to Kharin and placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.  “We’ve made it this far.  Whatever’s making you guys nervous…I’m sure we can handle,” he said as confidently as he could, though his grip on her shoulder was a bit tighter than normal.  She reached up to place a comforting hand on his and forced a smile.

           “Alright.  I say we get this over with as soon as possible,” Siwon suggested, gauging the length of the bridge.  It was sturdily built of crafted stone and was more of a marvel considering it was easily at least fifty feet across.  Aside from the monastery, it was probably the most impressive bit of stone architecture they had the chance to see.

           “Right,” Leeteuk nodded.  “Okay…  Let’s go then,” he smiled nervously, trying to put on a brave face.  Easily, he grabbed Eleanara’s hand and nodded down at her.  She smiled in turn and gave his hand a ready squeeze, grabbing tight to her shoulder strap nervously with her other hand.

           Eunhyuk nodded at Kharin and they followed within easy reaching distance.  They wanted the freedom of mobility though in case they needed to react quickly.  Kyuhyun uncertainly grabbed Summer’s hand as he shrugged and nodded at the bridge, clearly nervous.  She shared the feeling and made herself take a deep breath as they stepped forward, holding tightly to his hand too.  Intensely focused, Siwon strode forward by himself, eyes scanning the water carefully as he brought up the rear.

           They picked up their pace as they got closer, nervously glancing to either side.  It was a large river, with a fast flowing current not that far beneath the stone structure.  This close to the water, even the others started to feel something else was different.  It was if there was another presence lurking somewhere nearby.  Leeteuk hoped faintly that it was maybe only them picking up Enryhll watching them…  That was still not a comforting thought but it would be better if the threat was from a distance as opposed to right here.

           As Leeteuk started across, trailing Eleanara beside him, he noticed something very strange almost immediately as the sound of the water altered slightly.  The bridge was quite solidly built and the water was supposed to be flowing under it, but they hadn’t even made it halfway across before he saw water seeping through the seams in the stone.  “Oh no…” he murmured as a felt the very structure of the bridge weakening; through the stone he felt immense pressure from below.  Immediately, he focused on holding it together, pulling at the weakening seams.  “Go!” he yelled heatedly, pushing Eleanara forward and looking at the others as he clamped down hard on keeping the trembling bridge together.

           “What the-” Kyuhyun started to say, alarmed by the feel of the stones vibrating under his feet, before several massive tentacles rose from the water on either side of the bridge.

           Simultaneously, the group screamed as they realized that the tentacles were made of water and a swell in front of them rose up, massive and transient.  Almost to the center, Siwon stopped immediately as he bent his will against the strength of the water creature, slowing its movements drastically.  It was too large to hold entirely, but he could feel the water shifting around and under the bridge, fighting him and the resistance he offered.  It was massive, towering over them nearly fifteen feet above the bridge, an amorphous, shifting blob with numerous, waving limbs.

           “It’s another construct!” Summer warned, already trying to unravel it, pausing immediately next to Leeteuk while Kyuhyun tugged at her.

           “We’ve got to get off the bridge!” Kyuhyun told her as she stopped, a focused expression on her face.  “Hey!” he yelped as the tentacles behind them caught his eye.  Immediately, he reacted and threw a fireball at them.  Two of them exploded into a spray of mist and boiling water, splashing him and Summer’s pack from the backlash.  “Ow ow ow,” he hissed, dashing away so that he couldn’t catch himself in the spray again, grateful only that the other two tentacles had recoiled as well.  The two he destroyed reformed almost immediately though, to his dismay.

           Both Kharin and Eunhyuk had moved past Leeteuk by now and were desperately trying to make a dent in the creature but as soon as they attacked it, the wound disappeared, reformed by more water.  “Freeze it!” she told him desperately.

           “I’m trying!” he cried back as he watched the section he was working on freeze over and then crack to pieces as the water beneath took its place, washing the ice away swiftly as it crashed against the bridge, chipping away at the massive structure and wearing down Leeteuk’s hold over it.

           Torn between trying to get to safety as told and unwilling to leave the others behind, Eleanara paused and stepped back towards them, determined to do what she could.  She managed to sustain a barrier behind their group so they wouldn’t have to worry about the reforming tentacles.  Fortunately, the construct was still considered a physical form and the limbs beat uselessly against the invisible wall, a maddening staccato as all four pounded again and again, relentless in their barrage.  “Come on!” she cried, panicked by the sight of water arching up on both sides of the bridge, slowly encompassing her friends.  She could see too, that Leeteuk, Siwon and Summer were all frozen in place by necessity, each one preventing disaster by the merest thread.

           Kyuhyun tried a new tactic and instead of throwing the projectile, he pushed a fireball towards the top of the creature, helping to weaken the body further as a cloud of steam billowed up, angrily hissing as the structure was worn away.  Trembling by the effort needed to control the steady burn and his own nerves at using fire again, he glared at the monster fiercely, his will like iron.

           “I’m losing it!” Siwon cried, desperation in his voice as the water construct began to move more freely.  The tentacles were beginning to lose their solidity though; a definite sign that Summer was having success.

           “Hurry, Summer!” Leeteuk cried, his body trembling from the effort of fighting the power of the river in keeping the bridge together.  Already, he was losing control of the outermost edges as the front railing began to fall away, worn down by the constant press and flow of the river.

           “I’m working on it!” she cried, fiercely pulling at the strands that weaved it together.  “Almost…” she muttered under her breath.  She could feel the form weakening, attacked on all sides.  Because of its fluid nature though, it was harder to lock down and grab hold of.  Too many extraneous threads that constituted the multiple arms kept flowing into her way.  She didn’t know if they were intentional distractions or if it was just the nature of the water construct, but it was damned hard to unravel.  There!  She reached for the main thread and even as she pulled, feeling the form unwind as it lost its solidity, she heard Leeteuk cry to her right as the resultant surge pressed past his tenuous hold.

           The bridge bucked and writhed like a living thing, coming apart at the seams even as the construct fell apart, returning to water as it had been.  The resulting wave from the massive swell that was still above them crashed down on the crumbling bridge, breaking it completely and sweeping Siwon, Summer and Leeteuk away instantly.  Unable to get away on the unsteady surface, the bridge fell out from beneath the others, plunging them all into the furious waters, pummeled briefly by stone fragments before the debris fell away, leaving the party to be swept downstream.

           Desperately, they tried to kick free of heavy packs that dragged them down.  Both Eunhyuk and Summer were able to weaken the straps enough with the tines of their sais so that the fury of the river and rocks helped to free them in the end.  It seemed too that they were decently close to shore and he could actually see Summer.  Fear consumed him as he couldn’t catch sight of Kharin or anyone else for that matter as his head was dunked under, the current pulling determinedly at his feet.  Wildly, he improvised and while it was incredibly cold, the ice he was able to form in the water helped to keep him afloat.  “Summer!” he cried as a particularly rough current shoved him around a large boulder in his path and directly closer to her.

           “Eunhyuk!” she cried, flailing.  Somehow, they were able to reach each other and fiercely, they clung together as they worked to guide themselves to shore, frantically trying to avoid additional injury from more boulders beneath the surface that grabbed at their limbs and the ones they couldn’t avoid but still saw before they rammed into them roughly.

           Eleanara was able to cut free only because she could reach her dagger.  Her weapon was lost in the next few seconds as she abandoned it to try and keep herself above water, fighting panic.  Like a rag doll, the water threw her about, bouncing painfully off boulders, even as the current helped to pull her smaller frame around them instead of running into them full speed.  Glimpses of color in the uniform blue and white of the river indicated the presence of the others but she could do nothing for them as she fought the eddying currents, frantically trying to avoid injury as her palms scraped against the next boulder that rose up in front of her.

           Similarly, Kyuhyun’s short sword came in handy for slicing through the waist strap and was subsequently lost as boulders in the water grabbed at his legs, turning him end over end.  He was free enough to wriggle out of the heavy pack though and kicked fiercely, struggling to get to shore and a semblance of safety.  A small drop surprised him, dunking him underwater where he collided with another boulder, pain exploding along his side and inside his head.  Dazed, he was barely aware that something else pushed him to the surface and slowed him enough to grab onto another boulder.  It was enough to steady himself as he awkwardly pushed his body towards the shore, fighting the current sluggishly.

           Kharin felt her mace and pack both dragging her down and she had to improvise swiftly.  A decidedly close shadow blade easily sliced through both straps and she kicked for the surface, gasping and spitting water.  Confused and disoriented, she looked ahead in time to prepare herself for the rock she was about to run into.  The impact jarred her savagely and she lost her breath briefly before it felt like something else had grabbed her around the middle and jerked her towards the shore.  Panic made her thrash as her immediate thought was the water construct…but it had been unraveled.  A helpless scream escaped her as another rock gave her a glancing blow.  Her sense of awareness eventually boiled down to surviving and she threw herself into that task with a vengeance.

           Leeteuk’s biggest dilemma was trying to get the pack free, yet he had nothing to cut himself loose with.  It dragged him down but before he could truly panic, an unseen force grasped him and shoved him near the shore, hauling him towards the surface.  Once there, he could reorient himself and focus on what was going on.  Weakened but not powerless, he had many tools to work with immediately around him, but the power of the water still drove him against the rocks he tried to control.  He felt sharp pain that was immediately dulled and pushed to the back of his mind as he fought to slow himself down and work towards the shore, eventually working out a method to shunt him that direction.

           Siwon could feel them in the waters nearby; could mark their presence in the medium he had control over.  He was drained from holding the construct, but he reached for them the same way the creature had; with tentacles that grabbed them and pushed them towards the shore…towards safety, though he could not distinguish who he was able to reach.  Over and over again, he tried to make sure he got them there, fighting to keep his head above water, feeling the fluid fill his mouth and nose.  He coughed savagely as he bitterly clung to awareness.

           Unexpectedly, he crashed into a rock, the blow dazing him even though the pack took the brunt of the force.  His awareness faltered…  No!  Pay attention!  Subconsciously, he manipulated the water to keep him afloat, fighting the drag of his heavy maul and pack.  He had to make sure they were okay.  He had to get them all out of the water.  Where were they!?  He couldn’t feel them anymore…  Another rock dazed him and he felt himself go under, kicking weakly to try and reach the surface, his normal control over the water interrupted.  His lungs burned and he felt his body grow weak and unresponsive.  The last thing he saw before another rock pummeled him again was the bright light of the sun shimmering on the surface of the water so far above him…

~~~~~~

           “No!” Enryhll cried fiercely as he threw the scrying bowl away from him in furious denial, surprising Hana and the pair of guards who were in constant attendance at the doors.  He had forgotten about the construct he had summoned to watch over the Angmer River and Denmer Lake.  Why hadn’t it recognized that he wanted them to come here!  It should have known!  He had created it, so it should have known his will!  Stupid, useless construct.

           A low growl escaped him as he glared at the overturned bowl, water slowly spreading from it in small pools.  He refused to accept they would be killed so easily.  No.  Of course not.  They weren’t like the rest of the humans.  Carefully, he composed himself and took a deep breath as he ran his hand carefully over his hair.  That is what he would do.  Swiftly, he strode to find his Captain of the Guard.

           “Kwan!” he stated imperiously, failing to use his title at all as he burst into the Officer’s Quarters, the doors banging loudly in his haste.

           A middle aged man in light armor stood up from behind his desk as soon as Enrhyll entered.  “Yes my Lord?” he asked with his fist over his heart and bowing respectfully.  His black hair was pulled back into a short queue and his face, when he looked back up, was lined with thin scars from numerous battles.  He was a hard looking man, with sharp features and cunning brown eyes.

           “There’s been a mishap at the Angmer River,” Enryhll stated calmly, as if this was a normal occurrence and there was nothing odd about the statement at all.  “Take your men and find the seven elementalists there.”  At the man’s surprise, he arched a brow and quickly gave a brief description of the individuals.  At the least, they were fairly easy to recognize.  After he had concluded that they were coming here of their own volition, he had stopped sending patrols out.  He was by no means sure the Captain would remember their initial descriptions and so wished to remind him.  “The river may have carried them a ways from the bridge.  You will need to move fast,” he further explained as Kwan listened intently.

           Kwan was no fool.  This would be a dangerous task indeed, not only if he found the elementalists, but also if he failed to do so.  “As you wish, my Lord,” he bowed again, already making a mental tally of who he would need to take.  He would have to send two parties at least.  If the elementalists were carried far enough down the river, then they may well be near Corley Port on the other side of the Sedgewood Forest.  If they were anything at all like Enryhll, they would still be worthy foes to capture.  He had no illusions about the condition they would need to be in when he brought them back.

           “Do not disappoint me,” Enrhyll stated coolly before he turned around and left Kwan to his thoughts.

           Immediately after Enrhyll was gone, the Captain of the Guard began calling out commands and getting his men ready.  At least they could start before the light failed.  Imperial horses were well trained but even they did not see at night and lame horses were not going to help him any.  Swiftly, he departed to begin preparations.  Already, he could feel the executioner’s blade resting on the back of his neck and he hadn’t even left yet…

(a/n:  I apologize for ending on a bit of a cliffhanger and will do my best to get the updates out as soon as possible.  As always, thank you to all my silent readers and especially to my commenters.  I look forward to sharing the rest of the story with you.  ^_^ )