Embers of Frost

Chapter 5 - Dusk

He landed on the balls of his naked feet, dust flying from the impact. Yelling people could be heard from the other side of the wall but he couldn't care less. The outsiders stared at him, their eyes wide as he approached.

"Weren't you inside the arena for your duel, lad?" an elderly lady asked, her neck craned to look him in the eye. She held a walking stick in one of her hands, her back hunched over. "How did you manage to leave mid-way? And-"

"Look, I really need to go before they reach me," Dusk cut her off, glancing over his shoulder. "I'll stay and talk some other time!"

Before she could ask him more questions, an angry yell pierced the air. "There's that boy!" a deep voice roared, a man running out of the main gates. Several others followed his lead, glaring at the shocked boy. "Our champion Hugh has been frozen because of his powers. Stop him before he gets away!"

"And that's my cue to leave," Dusk muttered under his breath and sprinted to the side. Rough hands tried apprehending him but he was too quick for them. Anticipating their actions, he gracefully slid in the opposite direction. They missed him by mere inches, fingers brushing against his dark tunic.

The panicked crowd screamed at the running boy, quivering fingers pointed towards him. His hand accidently knocked over a cart laden with fruits, the seller shouting at him.

"Sorry!" Dusk said, rushing into a wagon. The surprised family who was in the midst of having their lunch screamed. A wooden bowl flew out of a little girl's hands, scorching soup striking Dusk's face. He clenched his teeth to stop his scream and placed a hand on his face. Soothing icy sparks caressed his features, his body temperature dropping a few degrees.

"Who are you?" the lady demanded, nestling the girl in her chest.

"Just a passerby," he replied and jumped over the family, exiting the wagon from the other side. "Sorry for the intrusion!"

I'm sure they lost my trail now, Dusk thought to himself. He glanced over his shoulder, his jaw dropping. An entire squadron of soldiers was only a few meters away, armed with weapons of all sorts. The spear tips gleamed maliciously in the sunlight, brutal axes heaved on their shoulders. Their eyebrows were knitted together, faces contorted into scowls.

"You aren't escaping us this easily, imposter!" one of them yelled, a red bandana tied around his head.

Sign of the leader. And imposter? What does he mean by that? 

He waved a hand towards them, icicles rising from the ground. The soldiers skidded to a stop, staring at the growing obstacle in their path. In only a few seconds time, the icicles had risen to great height, separating the boy from the rest.

"Magic!" the leader whispered, cursing under his breath.

Dusk smirked at them, his hands on his hips. "Good luck thawing through all that ice!" he said, the spectators gazing at him with a mixture of awe and surprise.

Not giving them a chance to reply, he ducked into a dark alleyway. He released his breath and smiled to himself, dabbing at the sweat beaded on his forehead. "I'm here," he called.

Heavy footfall could be heard from the other side, a figure approaching from the dark. A young boy stepped out of the shadows, sighing to himself. He held a pair of rich leather boots in one hand, the other firmly clutching a long red cape. "Your duel started half an hour ago," he said, tightening his jaw. "Obviously, you couldn't have defeated their champion this easily. What really happened?"

Dusk stepped forward and snatched the boots away. He lifted his right foot and stared at it. The foot was covered with red blisters from all that running, slight blood seeping out of the wounds. Grimacing, he kneeled down and pulled the boot onto his leg.