The nervous tension that had plagued Summer and Eunhyuk lessened but did not dissipate entirely when they were finally underway towards the capitol.  They were in good company and the minstrels did much in keeping their minds off of what was to come, but it could not block out their concerns entirely.  With nothing to show that any of their friends were alive or even going to be there, the rest of their journey would be fraught with uncertainty and the very real concern of how to beat Enrhyll.

                Zhou Mi and Henry were good at keeping things light with a bevy of songs and funny tales and even Hangeng had his fair share of amusing stories to pull from, but it really could only distract them so much.  The road stretched out before them, spotted with a handful of travelers; most of whom seemed oblivious to the state of the bridge.  There were just as many heading the direction they were as not so it was hard to say…  The majority of them gave way before the cart and some actually waved in friendly greeting, which the minstrels returned with a flourish.

                “How long have you been traveling for?” Eunhyuk finally asked later in the morning when yet another person seemed to recognize the minstrels.

                “Hmm…  I would say about six years,” Zhou Mi offered with a shrug.  At their look of surprise, he elaborated, “I started with my parents but when my father fell ill and passed away, mother just stopped wanting to travel.  She went to live with her sisters and I stayed on the road.  She graciously gave me Lute and the cart,” he shrugged in explanation.  He reached over and clapped Henry on the shoulder and smiled warmly with laughter in his voice, “And I picked up this vagabond in Lornhaldt about three years ago, was it?”

                Henry grinned in response and nodded in agreement.  “I was just working the street corners like usual and here comes Zhou Mi.  He just walked right up to where I was, bowed politely and then joined me with his harp, following my lead effortlessly.  We made more than double what I usually did that day,” he chuckled in fond remembrance.

                Zhou Mi shrugged but he continued to smile.  “I wanted a partner and he is gifted.  A blind man could have seen that.”

                Henry flushed at the complement and ducked his head in embarrassment.  “It’s been a good run so far,” he agreed.  “Better than living on my own any day.”  Unlike Zhou Mi, the violinist had run away from home because his family had made it very clear that he was going to do what they told him to and that did not include playing an instrument or dancing…at all.  His father had been little more than a dock worker and he had been expected to follow in his steps.  That had simply not been enough for Henry so he took what few belongings he had, including a worn but functional violin, and just left.

                “And they was able to meet me, too,” Hangeng winked playfully, an amused smile playing on his lips.

                “Indeed, sir Hangeng,” Zhou Mi bowed at the waist in the scout’s direction.

                “We’d seen them a time or two in the city before Enrhyll rise to power,” he explained to the elementalists in the back, drifting closer to the cart to speak with them better.  “When the Silverburgs were barred from the city, they stopped by to give them news and visit.”

                “And that is when master Sang Kyu requested we stay to assist his children with what they would consider court lessons,” Zhou Mi gestured, his manner indicating that the musical arts were far more than mere lessons to them.

                “Well that certainly explains a lot,” Summer smiled, remembering how her sisters fawned over the minstrels.

                “Don’t you ever get worried with being on the road by yourselves?” Eunhyuk asked in concern.  Their own experiences had been interesting to say the least…

                The pair shrugged.  “Most leave us well enough alone,” Henry stated somewhat nonchalantly.

                “Thieves tend to realize we don’t have anything much worth taking and your average person enjoys our company enough to let us be,” Zhou Mi added with a glance over his shoulder.  Offhandedly, he waved at another small group of travelers who had been smiling and pointing at the pair, though the young woman who appeared to be their daughter looked quite taken by Hangeng as her eyes followed him long after the group had moved by.

                He grinned despite himself and then pulled his attention back to the group.  “So what is it like to be an elementalist?” he finally managed to ask, his curiosity getting the better of him.  He understood what they were able to do and had heard the tale of where they had come from, but that said nothing about how it affected a person.  Undoubtedly, it was nothing like being a scout or a minstrel.

                The elementalist and the neutralizer looked at each other, not quite sure how to respond to the question.  Eunhyuk finally took over considering he was the only elementalist here, and spoke, “It’s almost exactly like it was before we were given our power, but you are more aware of your element.  Siwon could sense a storm coming just before we ran across you guys on the road,” he laughed.

                “That was a nasty storm too,” Henry recalled with a shudder.

                “Sometimes a waterproof cover is just not enough,” Zhou Mi added with an amused sigh.  They had been caught between stops on that one.  It was part of the reason they had gotten mired in the first place.

                “Agreed,” Eunhyuk laughed.  Their own waterproof cloaks had provided little cover from the storm when the sky had opened up.  He sobered quickly though when he recalled Hangeng’s question.  “That aside, being an elementalist is a lot more of a responsibility than I thought it would be.  We have these powers that no one else does and it really just…it really…it’s a lot sometimes,” he admitted finally, struggling to describe it adequately.

                Summer reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.  She took over at that point and leveled her gaze at the others.  “We have our troubles, just like everyone else, but then some.”  turned down into a frown and she sighed.  “Hyuk was right when he said we weren’t ready for what being an elementalist meant.  Even I admit that and I’ve been a Neutralizer for as long as I can remember…”

                Hangeng looked alternately confused and sorry for having brought the subject up.  He had figured it would be happier and well, more magical, having such powers as they did.  “So do you not get to have fun?” he queried.  He had seen them enjoying themselves in the manor but they weren’t using their abilities then.

                Startled by the question, both Summer and Eunhyuk shook their heads and hurried to answer.  The wind elementalist grinned and tossed a stray gust at Hangeng who looked surprised when it tousled his hair before sliding past.  “We have plenty of fun with it,” he winked, laughing as the scout fixed his hair with a scowl and then unbent enough to laugh with them.  “It’s just both, I guess.  And being with the others made it easier,” he sighed, his gaze traveling up the road again.

                “Understandably,” Zhou Mi agreed sagely, his expression respectful.  After a brief pause, he deftly turned the fluctuating conversation to something a bit lighter, trying to keep their spirits up.  They had some ground to cover but it should only take them just under two days at most.  That left them plenty of time to brood if he and Henry allowed it, which he had no intention of doing if at all possible.

                After a few riveting adventure tales with some comic relief, they found the tension dissipating again and the elementalists faces weren’t as clouded.  Hangeng was tired from laughing so hard and let his horse have his way, meandering next to them on the road in a steady zigzag pattern.  Just before midday, they slowed for food and paused briefly to stretch their legs.  Lute was given a bit of feed and some water during their break as a handful of travelers made their way past them in either direction.  Hangeng’s horse Rider cropped grass on the side of the road while he stood nearby keeping an eye on him.

                Eunhyuk and Henry were demonstrating dance steps briefly when Summer approached them at the front and laid a hand on the elementalist’s shoulder with her eyes fixed forward.  “Something’s coming,” she warned quietly with a worried glance at their companions.  She could feel traces of four different element types much like she had when they were fighting the constructs.

                Eunhyuk paused and focused ahead in turn, his eyes widening in surprise when he felt the corresponding element in the air.  Nervously, they looked around, lamenting the lack of cover and their own inability to decide what to do.  “We have a problem,” he finally admitted to the rest of the group.

                “What’s wrong?” Hangeng asked as he led Rider over to the group again.

                “Why are they stopping ahead of us?” Henry asked as he shielded his eyes from the sun and watched the few people immediately ahead of them bunching together and then freezing in place.

                “There’s something heading this way,” Zhou Mi explained from his vantage on the top of the cart.  “What are those?” he asked, catching glimpses of hard to see creatures on the ground and in the air.

                Summer recognized them first and she called the alarm, “By the gods.  They’re constructs!  Small ones but there are so many of them…”  She paled at the realization and gave up on trying to count the various types.  Hurriedly, she clambered back onto the cart and gestured for the others to do the same.  “Come on.  Time to go,” she encouraged, her gaze fixed determinedly on the oncoming creatures.

                It did not take the others more than a few seconds to get on the cart or for Hangeng to swing back into place in the saddle.  Rider shifted nervously beneath him as he caught sight of the strange creatures.  More so than his rider, he also sensed the constructs in the earth and it made him more nervous than usual.

                Zhou Mi snapped the reins as soon as they were settled and Lute nervously ambled forward, reluctant to pick up speed.  Henry reached down under the seat of the cart and retrieved a set of short swords.  They were nothing fancy but he gave one to Zhou Mi, who shifted his grip on the reins to accommodate the new item, and held the other one with an air of familiarity.

                Carefully, Summer and Eunhyuk steadied themselves in the back, holding the side with one hand as they focused on their opponents.  There was no doubt in their minds that these were sent by Enrhyll.  He was the only one who would do such a thing in the first place.  “Be careful,” Summer warned to the others.  “There’s something in the ground too.”  She could still feel them swimming there, hiding beneath the surface; it was a disconcerting and frightening realization.  For now, she focused on the things she could see.  How many…?

                She had little time to try and count them again before the creatures were upon them.  With a glance at her companion, she shifted her attention from the sky to the ground since he had flying creatures seemingly under control.  There were four shadow constructs that were quickly moving to flank both the cart and Hangeng.  Immediately, she reached for all of them and felt as if she was pushing against a wall again.  They all slowed down but she failed to stop them and while she was focusing on those, the ones under the ground made their way inexorably towards the group.

                The brash scout kicked his fidgety mount forward to charge the outermost shadow construct and it angled to follow him, straining against the invisible force that slowed it down.  Unimpeded by the neutralizer as of yet, an earth construct rippled through the surface of the ground and snapped at the feet of his horse, panicking the creature so that it leaped over the attacker and threw the unprepared Hangeng into the air.  He cried out in surprised fear, arms wind milling ineffectively before he crashed into the ground, sword still gripped tightly in his hand.

                Zhou Mi pulled the cart up sharply when they approached the prone Hangeng and Henry bounded off to assist him, short sword brandished in front.  “Wait!” the elder of the two cried out, reaching after the sprinting young man.

                Henry paid him no mind as he leaped at the nearest shadow construct, sword poised above him.  With a concentrated growl, he swung down and gasped in surprise when the creature bit the blade of his sword, stopping the attack instantly.  Thus distracted, it missed Hangeng’s retaliatory attack that sliced clean through the neck, beheading it instantly.  Before the head had even hit the ground, the creature had dissipated into smoke, blown away by the increasing wind.

                Around them, the nearest shadow construct unraveled swiftly and the other two stopped advancing entirely.  A glance at Summer showed her concentrating fiercely as she pulled at the threads that held them together.  Next to her, Eunhyuk had the flying constructs corralled by a heavy stream of wind tumbling them together above them.  As another shadow construct unraveled while Hangeng and Henry moved to take care of the final one, it seemed things were well in hand until Lute panicked abruptly, rearing in place and tilting the cart in turn, tumbling Zhou Mi over the driver’s seat, bumping into both Summer and Eunhyuk as he fell, breaking their concentration.

               The terrified horse surged forward, veering from the remaining shadow construct and the two attackers on foot.  At the sudden shift in direction, the centrifugal force of the unexpected turn tossed Summer over the side and she saw Zhou Mi reaching for her before she hit the ground painfully, curling into a ball to absorb as much of the force as she could.  “Summer!” she heard from Eunhyuk before she finally came to a stop.

                The flying constructs scattered immediately as the wind faded and while a group of three light and one wind constructs broke off towards Henry and Hangeng, the remaining four wind constructs spiraled down towards the two in the cart in a spread out formation.  Zhou Mi scrambled desperately to the front of the wagon and lunged over the seat to reach for the dangling reins, leaving the sword in the bed of the cart so he could grab the frame for better support.  Eunkhyuk reached up at the wind constructs and felt the element respond and then resist his command as they flowed jerkily through the air, fighting his restraint.

                Freed from constraint, the shadow construct leaped at Henry, bowling the young man over with the flat of the sword pressed against its chest, snapping at him savagely, the phantom claws digging into his skin.  He cried out in fear and pain, jerking away from the frightening fangs.  Hangeng tried to come to his aid but found himself surrounded by the flying constructs.  Blindly, he swung up at them, catching the wing of a light construct as it flew too close, sending it spiraling to the ground.  The other three swarmed him with the wind construct wrapping its long body swiftly around his torso and hauling him upward, needing no wings to fly.  Awkwardly he beat at its wispy body, trying to angle the sword to cut free before sharp talons dug into his arms and shoulders when the two light constructs latched on and hauled upwards.

                The scout cried for help and Summer heard him as she unfolded enough to see him being carried away.  Fiercely, she reached for the group of constructs and stalled them.  She was successfully able to unravel one of the light constructs, tilting the group in the air before the horrifying realization hit her that she was surrounded by two earth constructs.  Her concentration shattered as the ground rippled beneath her and she felt massive jaws clamp firmly on her legs, teeth pressing uncomfortably into her flesh, before she started to be submerged in earth.

                Summer shrieked and reached for the thing holding her.  It was easy enough to find and she grabbed the threads that held it together, pulling desperately so that it fell apart almost instantly.  When it disappeared, the earth around her solidified, trapping her in the ground, partially entombed with one arm stuck beneath and one still free.  Panic started to set in.  “Help!” she shrieked, clawing at the ground with her free hand.

                There was no one to assist her as she was able to make out Henry still struggling with the shadow construct and Hangeng being carried away while Zhou Mi was still attempting to stop the out of control cart and Eunhyuk clung to the back, alternately focusing on the constructs above him and the group they were leaving behind.  Eunhyuk sent a furious gust of wind at the distracting constructs in the air, giving him some breathing room and was just in time to see Summer’s terrified expression as something pulled her into the ground, the surface rippling like water for just a second before solidifying again.

                “Summer!” he screamed in anger and denial.  “No!” he yelled again as he looked back at Zhou Mi who was still struggling with reaching the reins as they dangled behind Lute’s rapidly moving legs.  Irrationally irritated by his lack of control, he carefully scrambled to the front seat, crawled over it and without taking the time to think about what he was doing, he launched himself to Lute’s back, clinging desperately to her mane and clamping his legs around her torso.  “Stop running already!” he growled through clenched teeth as he reached for the impossible to miss reins and hauled on them firmly with both hands, grimacing at the pain in his right limb.

                Reluctantly, the terrified creature tugged at the opposing force but finally slowed and stopped at which point Eunhyuk tossed himself off and pelted back towards where Henry was wrestling with the shadow construct.  He had managed to angle it off his body but was unable to position the sword for anything other than defense.  Overwhelmed by an array of emotions, Eunhyuk funneled the anger and fear and uncertainty into his power and he threw a cutting blast of wind at the dark creature.  His attack flew a bit high but the drag created by its passing was enough to pull the creature forward, allowing Henry to scramble to his feet and meet the construct head on.

                Eunhyuk wanted to go help him finish it off but there was something underfoot still and constructs in the air.  He took a deep breath as his nostrils flared, waiting for the thing that had taken Summer.  The sound of the earth shifting slightly gave him some warning as the ground beneath him weakened.  Before he could fall through completely, he saw the snout of the construct poke through the surface directly in front of him and he snarled as he threw as much wind down in that one spot as he could.  Immediately behind him, a roar sounded as a small gale of wind came crashing down directly in front of him, pulverizing the construct and the immediate ground in the vicinity, including the earth that had been trying to wrap around his legs just a second ago.

                The backlash of the power threw him back and out of the small crater and when he landed prone, facing the sky, he had a perfect view of the four wind and one light construct, its wing regrown, remaining in the air, flying down to claim him.  Angry tears spilled from his eyes and he reached up with his good arm to draw a circle in the air above him.  At his direction, a thin vortex sprang into existence above them and s its way towards them hungrily, drawing them into its center.  They flapped rapidly as they tried to escape the strength of the wind but were unable to free themselves from the larger monster he had created.

                In a tangle of wings and flailing bodies, the constructs crashed and tumbled together before they were methodically torn apart.  Even after the constructs had disintegrated inside the vortex, it did not just fade away and it wasn’t until Zhou Mi was at Eunhyuk’s side, hauling him to his feet worriedly, that the wind elementalist even had cause for concern.  “You have to send it away!” Zhou Mi cried loudly, trying to be heard over the howling wind.

                “How?” Eunhyuk responded immediately, unsure what to do with the thing now that he’d summoned it.

                “I don’t know.  Think of something!” the minstrel exclaimed as he gestured at the floating wind tunnel.  It hadn’t touched the ground yet but it continued to pick up smaller pieces of debris and even where they were standing they could feel a steady pull from it.

                Eunhyuk tried to reach to quell the power but it was still hungry and did not want to listen to him.  Summer would have been able to handle it, but she was not here…  The wind elementalist thought hard and his heart hammered in his chest as he came across an idea.  He couldn’t banish it, but maybe he could cancel it out.  “Stay back,” he told Zhou Mi as he stepped in front of the minstrel and reached up with his good hand to draw a circle in the opposite direction, willing the same thing to happen immediately next to the original vortex.

                He held his breath as a second wind tunnel sprang to life and forced himself to focus on bringing them together as opposed to looking back at the nervous Zhou Mi.  He had to raise his aching hand to help draw the powers together at the same time but slowly, the wind tunnels danced with each other and then wore themselves down from the opposing directions.  At last, the skies cleared and the winds in the area calmed down entirely so that not even a breeze stirred near him.  Weary with exhaustion and relief, Eunhyuk fell to his knees on the ground, resting the weight of his body on his hands as he leaned forward.

                “Henry!” Zhou Mi cried as he looked up from the wind elementalist to see his companion limping over to them, scratched and bloodied from his fight but the shadow construct was nowhere to be seen.

                “I’m okay,” he smiled through a grimace as he held one arm across his ribs, the shirt torn and covered in his blood.

                The taller of the two had to force a laugh at his bravado and hurried over to support him, holding him close and then gently lowering him down next to Eunhyuk.  “Wait here.  I’ll be right back,” Zhou Mi assured him quickly before he sprinted over to where Lute had wandered off the main path away from the travelers.  “Get over here,” he muttered warningly as she continued to amble slowly.  Firmly, he grabbed hold of the reins and with a more gentle hand, guided her back to the duo in the road.

                With everything that was frightening her gone now, Lute was happy enough to stay close to the three and while she lipped at Henry’s hair, Zhou Mi hopped in the back and sorted through the thrown about packs and equipment until he found the medicine back that Kibum had given them.  He tore through it and found wound salve and gauze.  With those in hand, he hopped back down and tended to Henry as best he could.  Considering they’d been on their own for as long as they had, both had a basic knowledge of first aid and while Eunhyuk struggled to compose himself and stop feeling guilty for what had just happened, Zhou Mi picked up the pieces.

                As traffic started to resume moving around them again, one or two persons here and there, Zhou Mi helped Henry to get seated in the back of the wagon, hissing sympathetically when the shift caused him more pain.  “Come on, Eunhyuk,” he urged softly as he knelt next to the devastated elementalist.  “We need to get going now,” he reminded him while he carefully reached under his arms to lift him to his feet.

                Eunhyuk nodded numbly and wiped at his teary eyes.  They had won, but they had lost both Hangeng and Summer…  He knew why they had taken the neutralizer and tried to take him, but why the scout?  It made no sense and it did not help that he had not been able to save them either; and Henry had been hurt too.  The thoughts were enough to bring on more tears and he bit his knuckle to try and stifle them, the attempt not very successful.  With Zhou Mi’s assistance, he clambered back into the cart again and settled himself next to Henry who, despite his injuries, threw an arm around the other man’s shoulder and pulled him closer comfortingly.

                “You did good, Eunhyuk,” he congratulated the elementalist.  The words prompted bitter laughter from his charge but even as he continued to wipe his eyes and cry softly, the minstrel could see that the assurance helped at least a little.  Henry looked up to find Zhou Mi returning leading Rider behind him.  The dark horse was covered with sweat but whole and he seemed calm enough now.

                The minstrel attached him to the back of the cart and finally took his place at the front where he gingerly held the reins, lamenting the splinters in his hand.  Those were going to need to come out later.  “Here we go again,” he sighed to himself with a backwards glance at the remaining companions.  The pair looked about ready to doze off and he wished them luck in doing so.  That had been a hell of an encounter, but if he played with it some, it might make part of a very good story.  He just hoped the ending would be a better one than this fight had…

(a/n:  Hello my dear readers!  I hope you enjoyed this most recent update.  I know I keep splitting them up even more but presumably we'll be seeing some more reunions soon!  I am hoping to have the next update out soon but I have no idea when that will be.  The end of the month always gets a bit hectic for me as far as time is concerned.

I have been absurdly happy to have been able to write in Henry and Zhou Mi and even Hangeng has been more enjoyable than I anticipated.  ^_^  As per usual, I would love to know what you guys think in so far as story/character development goes as I truly do appreciate your time and your words.  If not, then I am simply glad you're still here.  ;)  Thank you to my readers who continue to follow me, silent and otherwise, and I hope that you have a fabulous rest of your weekend!  <3 )