The Blade Heir

A Grand Escape, part 2

Lucius searched the forest, looking for any sign of the Protectors. How had they spotted them so easily? And while they still stood inside the dark tunnel?

"We must go, Lucius—now!" Siegfried dashed outside in a split second, heading for the nearest tree.

Lucius quickly ran after him, adrenaline pumping in his veins. They ducked behind the nearest tree as an arrow whizzed by them, hitting the soft grass near their feet. Lucius grabbed his dagger, but Siegfried grasped his wrist.

"These are my brethren. They are merely serving Evingrad and protecting this sacred place," Siegfried tightened his grip as he said it.

Lucius snapped his hand free. "Well, who's going to protect us?"

Another arrow flew by them, landing a few inches from Lucius' torso into the tree trunk.

"We must flee to the Marble Gate. It is a few miles from here, the darkness can aid our escape, but not for long—the dawn is nigh. Follow my pace, brother," Siegfried ran from behind the tree and into the grey forest ahead, before Lucius could protest.

He followed his elf brother, trying hard to keep up. Trees and dense foliage whipped past him, leaving small cuts on his face and arms. He looked behind him a few times during the chase, searching for their pursuers. They remained hidden in the shadow of the trees, but he heard the sound of arrows piercing the cold air and smacking on the barks of the trees all around him. Siegfried was swift, ducking to and fro in a zigzag pattern which left Lucius. Several times he lost sight of his brother's flittering green cloak among the trees, but seconds later, he would reappear in front of him.

The sky overhead was beginning to illuminate with the coming dawn. The verdant colors around him burst into view and for the first time, Lucius saw the beauty of the forest of Verdania. He wished he could sit and marvel at the landscape, but it would have to wait for another day.

A few yards ahead, he saw a small clearing rapidly approaching as they ran full speed. He looked behind him, fearing to spot an elf with a bow fixed on him, but he saw no one. They reached the clearing and Lucius stopped abruptly. His knees ached and he took labored breaths, feeling as though he might collapse at any moment. Siegfried continued to run through the clearing, but stopped a few feet away when he noticed his brother stooped over at the edge of the clearing.

"Have you been hit?" he ran over to him, keeping his eyes on the trees they had run through seconds before.

"I'm alright, I just needed to catch my breath," Lucius continued panting and looked up at the sky. The stars and moon had disappeared and the sky was erupting with the sun's orange glow just below the horizon.

"The dawn is approaching, Lucius. Let us fly!" Siegfrieid sprinted through the tall grass of the clearing.

Lucius, still out of breath, followed despite the immense toll the chase was bearing on him. He hoped such long distance pursuits would not become common on this journey. The ability to sprint over long distances without experiencing fatigue was a natural gift endowed only to the elves, but he sorely desired such prowess for this race.

As he and Siegfried approached the center of the clearing, a sudden jolt struck Lucius in the back. The force of the blow knocked him to the ground. He realized he'd been shot with an arrow, but no pain to accompanied it. The arrow was lodged in his backpack and hadn't pierced all the way through to his back. Siegfried helped him up, pulling out the arrow in one quick motion. Lucius looked toward the edge of the clearing and saw the shining armor of two Protectors. He could not make out their faces, but one was unusually short for an elf and Lucius immediately recognized him. It was Kiret.