Dawn of Blood and Magic

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 12

Dust and debris rained all over the room. Men and women who were situated next to the wall were coughing from the dust, as they tried to get up from the blast that had knocked them down. From the centre of the ballroom, the people were in a panic. The crowds trampled over one another as they tried to make their way as far as they could possibly go. Women were halted into place when people stepped onto their skirts. Pulling them onto the floor. Haider looked around the hall, trying to spot where Adika had run off to. Haider pushed his way through the crowds, trying to spot a familiar face. Haider quickly climbed up onto a table. He tried to spot Hind from a distance, but she had disappeared in the crowds. That was until he found her on a corner of the ballroom. Haider jumped off of the table as he shoved his way towards her. Her hickory brown hair was matted with concrete debris. The grey a startling contrast as it weaved its way through her hair. Haider rushed forwards with his hands on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked genuinely.

"Physically, yes. Emotionally, no," she said, throwing her arms around him.

"Let's get you out of here." Haider grabbed her hand pushing towards a wall in which he knew had been an escape route long ago. Haider led Hind inside. He patted her arms and whispered, "Just take this tunnel into one of the safe rooms down there." Hind nodded as she ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. Haider looked back towards the crowd, tapping L.J who was trying to calm the crowd down. He nodded his head towards the tunnels before rushing off to find Jai.

"EVERYONE!" L.J shouted pointing towards the tunnel, "If you could slowly make your way towards the tunnels in an orderly manner. That would be great."

The crowd before him hurried as they ran through the tunnels, children in hand. Those further away hadn't heard a thing as the noise was overpowering. Guards were fighting incoming men. Blood being shed in every direction. Haider looked above, towards the thrones in which the king and queen would sit. As of now, the king stood proud. His ceremonial sword in hand. He parried against a single soldier. His guards below him fight off any oncoming threats. Haider jumped out of the way from an incoming jab. Sending the guard and his long sword onto the table. Unlike what Jai and Adika had planned, there were no archers insight. They hadn't tried to use an aerial attack and gods was that a good thing for Haider. Haider grabbed hold of an entrance behind a tapestry. The wall had hidden stairways made of stones and dusty bricks. Following the stairs up into the rafter. He had hidden crossbows and ammunition earlier. As much as Haider wished to hide this, he was lousy at physical fights. Sure he could hold his own to a certain point, but all the training sessions he had with Naveen and Kirin he hadn't been able to hold his own. He would land time and time again on the pavement below. Archery, however, was something he could do quite well. He had the accuracy for it and was able to be patient to the point he could get a good shot.

Haider docked an arrow into his bow, ready to aim it at the soldiers below. His eyes gazed down below. Trailing to see who was in the most danger. From above, he could see Jai fighting men from all sides. As much as Haider despised him at the moment, he wasn't going to risk losing their best fighter over a little scuffle. Jai took aim, his arm going as back as he could. He sent out a little prayer, hoping he wouldn't wound Jai accidentally. He let the arrow go from the tips of his finger. The arrow grazed the side of his face, everything slowing down from there. The arrow hit an oncoming soldier from Jai's behind. The arrow plunged deep inside, causing the soldier to fall back. Jai looked back ever so quickly, pouncing forward yet again when another assailant shot forward. Haider's eyes dwindled around the ballroom, scanning it for the long locks of hair he had ingrained in his head.

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Adika's skirt swayed in the wind that flooded the balcony. She had somehow been pushed towards a disgusting man there. The man was a beastly fellow. He had to have been at least double her size, both in height and width. Adika had cursed under her breath when the man had come charging at her.