Almarëa

Escape

The loud noise of the forest quickly shifting around them merged with the raging thunders as they ran through the forest. To her sides, the branches cracked as they stretched suddenly intertwining with one another to make a sealed wall, the sound so could that for a moment she thought she would end up deaf. The iced rain hit her face violently, like bitter knives cutting through her skin and inside her eyes, making it hard to see as she maneuvered the horse through the uneven ground. She could see Elladan to her right, riding close to her, her siblings not too far away either.

Another flash of light brightened her surroundings for a split second, making everything look silver and white before it turned black again, followed by the massive cry of yet another thunder. Her heart drummed loudly inside her chest, her senses sharp, looking rapidly from side to side, ready to make an unexpected turn whenever a branch suddenly blocked her path.

She could no longer see the Palace behind her, its majestic balconies and halls, the may glittering windows under the silver moonlight, vanished into her memories, no more than a picture inside her mind. She could still feel the heavy power floating in the air, accompanying the stretching trees, floating quickly around them as it paved their way. And yet, for the first time the Elveking's power did not only feel like an invisible force floating around her, but it had a concrete path, a concrete direction. She could feel it moving along the way, hear it merging with the desperate cries of the trees.

She did not know what was happening, or how it was happening. It was as if she was once again in the dark stone hallway, watching the arrow flying at Tadion, feeling the wind parting for it. Suddenly her father's presence seemed as reachable and real as the wind had seemed in that moment. She could feel it moving along their path, calling for the trees to move in collaboration. But what scared her the most, was that she could feel not only where it was, but where it would go next. It was almost as if it were guiding her, her senses able to follow where it turned before the branch had even reacted to it.

She could still hear the wind crying in her ears, the constant burning rushing through her veins, her body responding to its calls without her control, fingers tingling lightly. It was more powerful than her, she could not pull back. And yet, it felt so natural. The burning, the strange sense of something she could not control rushing through her veins, the cries of the trees and wind. It all felt natural, effortless. Everything around her seemed so clear, even thought there were moving fast, she could see every detail every leaf, every branch, could hear every sound as if it was the only sound. The rush of adrenaline in her body stopped her from feeling fear, her body acting of pure instinct.

Her eyes fixed on Tadion, riding some distance ahead of her. Her brother had no trouble in guiding the horse through the unexpected labyrinth of trees, knowing the territory expertly. Blood still flowed from his side, his hand, which remained firmly pressed over the wound, was drenched in the crimson liquid, sliding through his fingers and continuing down his tunic. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the ashen complexion of his face. Tadion seemed to be turning paler and paler by the second. The Crown Prince rode close to him, at the front of the line. Arahaelon seemed to be one leading them now, his piercing emerald eyes turning to look at his younger brother every two minutes, as if ready to catch him if needed. To her surprise Arahaelon moved in perfect coordination with her the trees, rapidly turning to left and right as they changed, perfectly guessing ahead of time were they would move.

Her thoughts were quickly drawn into a different path as she suddenly heard something else move some distance to her left. Her heart jumped inside her chest, eyes frantically looking through the forest. She could see nothing but darkness behind the flying tree trucks. Fear started to boil inside of her, merging with the strange power rushing through her veins, begging to be released.