Freedom At Last chapter 2: Attacked! Enter, NightHunters.

Hey! Sorry for the LONG wait. Recap: James was traveling to Torien, searching for a thief. He finds him in an abandoned fort. He captures the first man and chases down the other. As he was about to bring the last man back to the fort, an arrow kills him. A shadowy female said that she had been hired to do so. As he leaves to go back to the fort, the girl's eyes stare for a while and then dissappear.

Chapter 2: Attacked! Enter, NightHunters
James rides at an easy lope as he went to the fort. A smack from him could give a man a concussion, though James didn't hit that hard this time. As he nears the fort, he has the feeling that he was being watched. He turns slowing in his saddle. Midnight, sensing his master's uneasiness, shifts to the left and neighs. After a while, James continues on, though much more cautious.
Two pairs of eyes follow the young man's movements. "What do you think?" the blue eyed person asked.
The green eyed person crept along the forest floor. "That's him alright. The resemblance is remarkable." As James walks out of the fort with the thief over his shoulder, the shorter person smirked.
"Ravew is going down."
James grunts as he rode into town. He hopes an inn would be open at ten o'clock at night. As he approaches an inn, the thief stirs. After a nice thonk on the head from James, the man was out cold yet again. A sleepy looking man opens the door. "We're closed so..." He didn't finish as he stares stunned at James.
James sighs. "I know it's late. I know I bear the seal of Gorwen, but please, I would be most grateful for a room. Tonight and two days afterwards. That's all I need."
The man is smiling like a two year old with a new toy. "Of couse! Your..." He trailes off as he looks over James shoulder. James turns but sees no one. "I mean course sir."
The next day he tries questioning the thief, but it proves to be useless. He walks awkwardly through the marketplace looking for supplies. The people whisper excitedly. The children ran around his legs giggling. Shopkeepers shout to him to come and look through their stores. "It's like I'm royalty." James murmurs.
"So true, young James." a shadowy man chuckles before disappearing into the alleys.
James' third day in the town Thorstrom isn't nearly as peaceful as he'd hope. He is about to leave in the morning after breakfast with the theif tied onto a pack horse he had bought when a shout came from the northern end of town. "It's the Black Riders!" a woman screamed grabbing her kids and running to her home. As she passes James, she grabs his shoulders. "Help us please!" James nodded and started to run off. Gorwen and Torien have never been friends. Besides, the townspeople are kind to him. Riding into the northern marketplace, he spies ten riders wearing black and red armor. They quickly see him on Midnight.
"Capture that knight!" the leader hollars. James spurs Midnight forward and his sword into the rushing rider's shied and quickly strikes again at the exposed ribcage before the man could react. As the rider falls from the saddle, his horse went running into the group of ten riders. James takes advantage of the confusion to jab an exposed side of a nearby rider. The man screams in pain and is toppled from his saddle. The third rider smashes his sword into James' shield with tremendous force that jars his shied arm. Groaning, he quickly cuts across the riders stomach as the sword is stuck in his shield of a second. James turns Midnight back a bit. With a damaged shied, he has doubts that he can take the rest of the seven men. A hiss sounds right next to his ear striking the man in front of him in the neck. Immediatly, he reconizes the black arrow with white feathers. He turns only to see six more arrows sent flying. Each one finding their mark. Too stunned for words, he stares at the seven bodies of men that used to be living ten seconds ago.
"Your Highness," a voice says to his right. James nearly jumps out of his saddle as a man walks up to him.
"Come with me. We must get you away."