The Flower of Soline

Chapter 62 - Way Out

The tip of the knife gleamed under the sunlight. The guards watched it fly into the air with apprehension.

Although they were saved by the third prince, it did not mean they fully trusted him. Nox was throwing the knife in the air, something that would otherwise seem relatively normal for the prince, but to the guards it was a cruel reminder that who they were following was nothing less of a monster.

The knife should have been bloody. Especially with how many people he had killed. Yet, here it was in pristine condition as if it never slit a man's throat or cut off a limb. Usually they wouldn't think twice about a clean blade, but that was under normal circumstances and who they were dealing with was anyone but normal. They had been watching Nox's every move the moment he arrived. From the way he sauntered into the battle like he had owned the place to the way he single handedly defeated another ambush. They had personally watched that blade kill, but not once did Nox clean the blade.

Their hands clenched and unclenched. Unsure whether or not the person in front of them was trustworthy enough, they mentally prepared themselves for battle.

The action did not go unnoticed by Nox.

Nox simply smirked. He let out a small hum as he observed the path before him. With the ambushes alone it was easy to determine that they were headed in the right direction, but he could never be too careful. So he observed the broken down path in front of him.

Bushes and tree branches were broken and laying on the ground as if someone had cut them out of their path. Some even had remnants of being burned. He smirked as the image of Aether's personal maid came to his mind. He knew he kept her around for a reason.

The footprints, though hard to see, were trackable. That being said, they were not Aether's footprints, but he didn't question it. If what the guards had told him was right, then Aether was most likely being carried by the third guard. Making these footprints the guards and Mina's.

He clicked his tongue when he noticed a small splotch of blood on the ground. He caught the knife he was throwing and vanished into the shadows.

The guards behind him didn't have time to react. They cast each other a single look before darting forward.

The first body they came across was shrouded in darkness. The guards let out a sigh of relief at the familiar figure, but at the sight of Nox they tensed once more.

The injured guard was kneeling on the ground. Bloodied bodies lay around him, a sign that he was the winner of the battle.

Nox walked over to the guard, his demeanor haunting to the guards who watched from a distance. Without caring about the guards injuries, Nox roughly grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him up.

The guard spit out blood as he was forced to stand on shaky legs. Blood dribbled down his body, pooling at his feet. The other guards bristled. They wanted to move, to go to the aid of their fellow guard, but they couldn't afford to. It would be a mistake if they moved right now. They needed that monster on their side and if sacrificing helping their fellow guard for a while was it took then so be it.

"Where is he?" Nox's voice was menacing. The sound seemed to echo all around them. The guards would never admit it, but the sound brought shivers down their spines.

The guard did not speak. His face was ghastly pale and he looked as if he would drop dead at any moment. With a defiant look in his eyes he looked straight into Nox's eyes and pointed behind Nox and down another bloodied path.

There was a tense silence between the two and the guards at the side grew antsy. Just when they thought they would have to go and save their fellow guard, Nox moved away.