The night was cold and I pulled my ragged coat close to me. The barely visible trees rose around me like impassible giants wanting to pull me into their depths. I stayed in the middle of the road straining my ear for any sound. Nothing. Not a thing stirred. I could barely hear the wind whispering death through the trees. The only thing alive in this darkness was me and my steed.

Then he came. My pony stopped, sniffed, and neighed. The almost yelling sound cracked the silence. I swear the pony jumped at his own voice. I stopped and listened. Slowly a sound reached my ears. Was it a trick of the strange silence or was it real? I decided not to take chances so I started to trot of. Then it came to me, loud and clear. It was another rider, but by the sound of it he had a big horse. I rode; sweat pouring down my nervous face. The noise came closer and I looked back. For a second I saw something on the road; then nomore.

“Ahhhh!” A blinding light flashed in my eyes, and I toppled off my scared pony. A rider flew past! He wore a black coat making him invisible at night. He also had a short spear with a flaming bundle on the pointed end.

As soon as he rode past I dragged myself behind a tree and lay concealed in some brush. The chase was on!

Slowly, so slowly, I got up. I heard him searching on the path behind me. Never in my life was I so grateful for the dark as then. The dark enveloped me and his body shielded me from my adversaries probing eyes. With him covering me I blindly tiptoed farther into his depths and fathoms.

I heard the black-robed man entering the forest, coming closer and closer. I tiptoed away from him and the noise grew fainter and fainter. I relaxed and decided to stop for a while. I lend against a tree and stayed there for a while. Eventually I caught my breath (caused more by the scare than anything) and sat down to think. Why would this black robed man be trying to kill me and is he one of the enemy spies?

I thought about this for a while when all of a sudden a hand grabbed me and I felt a sword jab my back. “Where is the scroll!?” He hissed.

“It’s in the saddle bag!” I croaked, not being able to breathe very well. He dragged me along obviously not trusting my word. If he had been smart he would have looked on me first for it was just stuck in my belt.

I decided not to stay around and chat, so I made my move. Quickly, I gave him a hard punch in the stomach and ran away as fast as possible. Quietly, I crawled under a thick limbed bush, concealed for the moment. Crack! We both looked toward the sound. A branch had fallen from the tree above me! He advanced, looking cautiously around.

I saw his face as he passed; long and worn. He looked about 30 years old and had a long pointed nose. He also had thick and slightly curly brown hair that almost covered his brown eyes. His big black coat brushed the bush as he past. He looked down.

Our eyes met for a second. His sword hacked a branch above me and I did the only thing I could. I rammed his feet and knocked him to the ground. Then I turned around and slashed, but my weapon only cut his cloak. Steel met with a loud clang as I stabbed again. I heard a sickening creak as he started to push against my small blade. It wouldn’t hold long! Quickly I pulled back and tried once more. It did the same. I slowly backed up until we were in the shadow of a tall oak. Then I bolted off into the trees with him close on my tail.

Branches tore at me as they flew past but nothing would stop me. Still I needed someplace to hide. I headed toward a big oak, the leaves cracking under my weary feet. I grabbed the nearest branch and pulled myself up, wrapping my legs around it. Slowly I pulled myself on top of it and swung to the next. I saw a thick branch about half way up and worked my way to it. I was on the closest branch when I heard something approaching. I leapt, slipped off, and grabbed on. I hastily lifted my legs up and hung there upside down.

Slowly he came into view. He was sneaking through the dim forest, looking left and right not missing anything. His long curved scimitar glinted as the moon shone off it. He circled the clearing and passed right under me.

Slowly he entered the clearing and stepped into the moonlight. His eyes shone with evil as he checked every bush and tree. I had slipped off into the night when he turned his back.

I snuck past the unmoving oaks heading toward where I thought the path was. After a while I came to a big bush. It was the one I hid in before. I started to follow my tracks back to the road but lost them. Finally I saw the road up ahead, but I was not alone!

My unknown enemy was on the road. He was on a horse and seemed to be waiting for something. I ducked behind a tree and he seemed not to have notice me. I crept along from tree to tree following the road trying to get out of the forest. As soon as I went around the first curve in the path I heard a clip-clop of a horse. It was coming from behind, but soon stopped. I continued on and I heard it again. He was following me!

I wanted to go into the safety of the forest’s depths, but didn’t dare getting lost again. So I just kept on going. Then suddenly I heard something up ahead! It was him. Don’t ask me how he got there so fast but he did. My first thought was to escape but why run when I could finish it right here and now!

I drew steel and snuck up to the noise. I saw him leaning against a thick oak. My padded shoes made no noise as I walked on the mosses and ferns. I kept the tree in between me and him and finally reached it. Slowly I crept around it. I carefully lifted my blade and suddenly slashed him on the throat. He fell with a gurgle.

I was exhausted, and I stumbled onto the road and fell. I lay there trying to decide if I should go home or deliver the letter. Finally, I decided to deliver it and pulled my self up.

He charged! A hoof crushed my left arm with a sound like a branch breaking. Pain engulfed me and my cry shattered the fragile night. At that his horse reared. His burning spear brushed him and he fell like a burning comet off his steed. He shed his flaming clock and ran, tripping over it. He fell for the last time. I stood over his writhing corpse and finished what the fire had started. So there were two riders.

Quickly I walked off into the unfriendly night, into the forest. The scroll would be delivered.

THE END