Within the Shadow

Chapter 5

  Where the source of the smoke was, the villagers of Holden, watched as the men walked around, holding their swords. Kneeling on the ground, were five villagers from Holden, two of them being Mr. and Mrs. Hale. They were bruised and bleeding from the treatment they have received.

" Alright, villagers of Holden! This is your last chance! Unless you tell us where that magic user is, and the zodiac, we won't kill these people!"

" We don't know of any magic user of zodiac!" one of the villagers shouted. " What you're doing is foolishness."

The leader, George,  nodded and one of his men struck the villager with his arrow.

" Foolishness?" he repeated. " What I find foolish is that you're not telling us anything. Don't you want these people to live longer?" The man glanced over at Cassandra, with a smile appearing upon his lips. " I know that Hale girl wants her parents to live."

" We're hiding nothing," she angrily muttered. " What you're doing is too cruel. You're not human if you're not frightened by such a thing."

Of course, the man just glared at Cassandra, until she avoided his gaze.

" You hear what this Hale girl speaks? She speaks to us with courage, yet, her parents are here kneeling down on the ground--beaten and bruised."

Cassandra bit her lip, to avoid speaking ill of them any further.

" I want to kill them," Caspar said under his breath. Cassandra put her hand on his shoulder as she looked back at Austin--whom had the same look on his face--wanting to kill.

" That I know," she said. " But, you already heard what Mother and Father said before all this happened. Even if they were killed by George, they wanted us to help Nova. You remember that, don't you?"

Caspar bit his lip. He already knew that his sister was correct. George had looked back at the three, amused at the younger one's hate towards him. He then pointed to Austin. " You, younger Hale. Do you have something to say to me?"

Austin took a small step forward before being stopped by Cassandra.

" Austin," she muttered.

" Come young one, if you have something to say. I bet everyone here would to hear your opinion to all this." He looked down at Mr. Hale. " After all, your parents are the ones that are kneeling before us here."

As Cassandra's grip got tighter on her younger brother, George smiled mischievously. " We'll start the killing in five minutes if they don't step up," he whispered to one of his men.

~

As this was taking place, Nova was sprinting towards following the villagers in the process. She feared that she knew what was going on, but she didn't want to think it. Once she arrived, she found Cassandra in the distance. Taking everything she has, she jogged over to her, out of breath.

" Cassandra," she whispered. The red head turned around to find Nova.

" Nova," she muttered. " You're too late."

As Nova pushed Cassandra aside, she saw Mrs. and Mr. Hale fall to the ground, along with other villagers. She stepped back, shocked.

" From here on out, we're ruling this town!" George shouted, as his men cheered. Of course, the villagers cried over the loved ones, cursing George and his comrades, but he found it funny. He wanted to give them more pain. 

Cassandra held back her tears as her parents fell, but she managed to cover Austin's eyes from their death. Caspar was another matter--he already knew what this world could do to anyone he loved.

" We have to leave," Cassandra whispered to Nova. " Mother and Father would want that."

" L-leave?" Nova repeated. " But, if we leave Holden we'll be in even more danger than right now."
" We don't have a choice! George will kill everyone in this town. If we don't leave right now, then we'll be made into slaves." She looked at Nova. " Do you want to become a slave?"

The blond looked down in shame and shook her head. She shouldn't have argued in the first place. Cassandra smiled and turned her head back to George, who was now ordering his comrades to kill villagers.

" We have to got," she said, grabbing Austin and Nova's hands. The four of them then started to run, but George had caught sight of them.

" There! Kill those four! They are leaving!"

One of this comrades payed attention and chased after them on his horse.

" Austin, now is the time to use your magic," Cassandra said.

" But, I thought I wasn't allowed-"

" No time to argue! Just use your damn earth magic. That man would fall in a second."

Listening to his sister, Austin stopped and raised the ground where the man was running. The horse stopped abruptly and the man fell off, handing on his neck. Austin cringed, but continued to run.

" Those damn brats," George cursed under his breath. He swear he could see the zodiac sign of Sagittarius on Nova's shoulder.

" Lord George, that girl is..."

" Don't worry. We will find that girl once again. Once we do, there will be no more zodiacs in this world."