Chapter XXVII

Michael held the yatagan up to the sun, feeling its weight in his hand, and staring in awe as the rays of light shone brilliantly off its shiny surface. According to Uriel, only a small amount of these weapons were crafted in Al-Moravid, and it looked like this one was imported from the east - either Maraliyah or Salaim. It was an excellent weapon. It was a bit heavier than the wooden club used for fencing practice.

It was a strange moment to think about all this now...

Michael, who went to the balcony, was looking at the walls of Livia’s house, the white reflected rays of the sun. Lucius was talking to Livia in the room, and Uriel and Angela were also there.

Vittorio forbade them from being in the presence of the children.

As he departed the house, Michael was aware of the sneaky glances from the maids. Livia assured them she would take care of Lailly.

They hurried to the gate and then to the harbor. They attempted to keep the fact they were leaving town secret. According to Vittorio, the best way to transport the four was by boat and then across the ocean. Because all the ships in Mondelay were burned, they had to resort to riding horses until they could locate a surviving ship in the nearby harbor to cross the ocean.

In a strange way but, Michael's dream of sailing on a frigate was becoming reality.

After being burned, partially repaired, and then deserted, the city was now beginning to fill up once again...

“How quickly people forget everything,” Michael heard Angela’s voice.

“It’s just that life goes on,” - the Blondy added emotionlessly.

The salty scent near the sea evoked a string of memories for Michael, a combination of happy and sad moments... Various things happened after escaping from the shelter...

Rufus and Vittorio waited at the harbor with their steeds.

“I want to explain our plan to you now,” Vittorio began.

We can't all go together, as the vessel will search for you. I have already attempted something to evade the pursuers, but it won't be sufficient. Rufus will accompany you. You will journey to Werthgold on horseback and, from there, continue to Aleman. Upon saying that, Vittorio mounted the horse and spurred it.

“Have any of you ever ridden a horse?” - Rufus broke the silence.

Uriel's gesture of agreement and the lack of objection from the others was enough of a response for the wizard, and he moved toward the horse. Michael wasn't particularly good at riding, yet he was still bold enough to go near the horse.

They took off from the city, journeying along the royal road for roughly an hour. Then they turned the horses into a lush forest.

The morning breeze bore the fragrance of spring. Michael was no longer fearful of falling, and he wanted with all his might to let the horse go all the way, but Rufus wouldn’t let him until they reached the field, and he didn’t decrease the horse’s speed until he was on the spur.

Fields and small hills followed one another, and the space between them expanded more and more. As the afternoon drew nearer, the sun grew darker and darker, so they kept going through the woods.

Michael's back was in pain and his legs were hurting from being on a horse for so long, but Rufus kept going. He refused to slow down. Before they knew it, the afternoon had passed, and they hadn't stopped anywhere.

Michael saw the distant burnt houses, taverns, and windmills at the edge of the horizon multiple times, yet the wizard stayed away from any settlements.

Once the darkness descended, they were more troubled by the hunger than the aches in their body. Yet Rufus kept going until the sun had gone down and the horses were exhausted. Rufus kindled a fire close by and took out food from his bags.

He handed out small necklaces from the luggage to the four of them.

“Amulet’s magic is now ready to work,” - he informed the youngsters. After seeing their troubled expressions, he added that the purpose of this was to hide their presence.

Roasted ham was delectable and Michael got parched, so he went to the nearby stream. The spring had a coldness that made it delightful to drink.

Angela was examining the crossbow they had presented her. Lucius sat pensively next to the fire that was slowly burning out. Rufus went away while Uriel and Michael were having a fencing match. Uriel was unrivaled in skill, but Michael was making progress as well. His swings were precise and swift, his deception was convincing, and he blocked his adversary's blade as usual, even though Blondy was his rival...

Michael, with a broken nose, but neat and clean, soon joined his friends by the campfire.

“Is Werthgold far away?” - he asked while sitting down.

“The nearest to the eastern border of Al-Moravid is Werthgold,” said the Blondy.

“It’s far enough” - added Angela, when seeing Michael’s confused face.

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“Why are we going to Werthgold?” - Lucius asked this time.

The dark beasts have not attacked the eastern corner of the land, and Werthgold is a doorway to the Yellow Sea.

“Is there an exit route for the Yellow Sea to the ocean?” Angela asked.

“True, although you can reach the cities of the Samaratian Empire, for example, Aleman, and from there, there is already a road to the ocean,” Uriel finished explaining.

Samaratia... the royal throne... Michael remembered the lessons of the shelter, even though he only remembered that Al-Moravid was a vassal of Samaratia, yet he did not know what type of empire Samaratia was or what its cities were named.

“Let's get a move on!” - Rufus, dressed in plain clothes, stood up in such a way that they can not even hear him.

“So fast?” Angela exclaimed in surprise.

“We don’t have time to waste,” Rufus replied curtly, but was stopped by Uriel’s questions as he turned to the horses.

“What's the rush? What have you been doing all this time?”

“You weren't hidden before giving the necklaces, and the vessel could discover you. It is aware of our having stopped here before. Vittorio split the false trail in many directions, and the vessel can't distinguish which is the real four. Just Vittorio and I know about this plan and our destination, so even if others get caught, the vessel won't learn anything. To determine the power of the necklaces, I kept the necessary distance. Now it’s time to overtake those who left here and hope that the vassal doesn’t choose us and come hunting himself.” - finished the wizard.

The field illuminated by the moonlight no longer looked green as those going with the downpour trampled the grass under their palms and the wind blew on their faces. As the horse neighed, Michael noticed red dots between the trees.

“They still found us...”

“Speed up the horses!” Rufus yelled, and soon they dashed towards the open fields. With each glance, Michael observed the figures of the deceased, their red eyes glimmering from a distance, and with each view, they seemed to be farther and farther away. The speed of the finest horses picked in Mondelay was greater than the chasing party could manage and...

He was thankful to whoever had given them the horses that allowed them to surpass the others.

“Let's head up the hill!” Rufus shouted and nudged the horse to climb the slope. The hill turned out to be not so small, and for a few minutes, the horses ran uphill. When they reached the peak of the hill, the wizard commanded, “Let’s halt!”

Michael was so surprised by the order that it didn’t even occur to him to do it himself if the horse hadn’t stopped.

Rufus, already demoted, handed the bridle to Uriel.

Keep an eye on the horses to make sure they don't flee.

“Had we continued, would we have been able to pass them?” Uriel shouted.

“The red-eyed ones have spotted us, and the vessel is already aware of our location. If we don’t kill them, they will follow us and the vessel will find us and the speed of the horses will not save us. There are four of them. I can feel their presence!” - called the wizard and turned away from the riders.

The wind made the grass dance like silver ripples from high up, and against its backdrop, three doublets of red spots were easily visible coming closer.

Rufus sprinted downhill, and right before he reached his adversaries, he jumped and twirled in the air. While in the air, the bright wave made the red-eyed creatures rock back and forth. A bright green color flashed three times, and a bolt of lightning spread in three directions. One remained on the ground, and the two others rushed to the wizard with their swords in hand. The lingering Rufus seemed to tumble on the grass just as two swords came down towards his head and because of this tumble, the swords cut into the ground instead of flesh...

Fire blazed and lightning flashed, swords clanging together…

In the end, Rufus emerged victorious, though his body had been marked with wounds from the battle.

“Where is the fourth one?!” - he shouted when he got to the top of the hill.

The horses neighed, and a red-eyed figure leaped out of the trees on the right side of the hill, but not in human form...

The massive bear was running incredibly quickly and Rufus was utterly shocked, unable to move for a moment. Fortunately, he recovered in time and could fend off the attack with his hand.

The spell, enough to stop the red-eyed human, was ineffective against the bear, who still ran. The raging beast leaped towards Rufus and swept the wizard away with a single swipe of its paw. At that point, a crossbow shot rang out from the horse on the hillside. The animal gave a growl, but then unexpectedly settled down and returned to Rufus. Uriel managed to get his horse toward the bear, and before the beast could hit Rufus with a paw, he plunged his sword into its back, leaning down from the saddle and with some exertion, he grabbed the wizard, though he could not remain on the horse, and pulled him from the ground and away from the creature.

“Lucius, Michael!!” - Blondy grunted, and both friends turned their horses towards him with drawn swords.

Marcus had enchanted all of their weapons to fight the Red-Eyes, though how long it would last against a creature of such size, no one could tell.

The bear was incredibly agile and soon reached Uriel, who shifted his horse to be in the space between the bear and Rufus. He then jumped out of the saddle. Predator claw killed the horse instantly. And just as the bear was about to blow off Rufus’ head too, Lucius plunged his sword into the predator’s back. The animal stood on two legs and growled. Just then, the arrow shot by Angela hit him in the heart, but it didn’t kill him.

“Lucius, give me the sword and take Rufus!” Uriel shouted.

Lucius dropped his sword, turned his horse around, and, leaning slightly from the saddle, took Rufus’s hand through his clothes. Blondy’s lessons did not include fighting on horseback, but proper sword thrusting came in handy here, too.

The rider's swing connected powerfully with the standing bear, and it went in so deeply that Michael left it as is.

“Michael, give me the horse!” - Uriel should have already taken Lucius’ sword. Michael barely dismounted when the Blondy was already in the saddle and was driving his horse toward the bear.

The prey was getting closer and closer to its target as the horse, already tired from the entire day's labor, had two riders on its back.

“Move in a circle, Lucius!” - shouted Uriel. Lucius did so. The Blondy cut his way and, leaning slightly from the saddle, left a long streak on the bear’s back.

The moonlight guided Michael in his search for the sword as it glowed on the ground.

He took the sword and ran towards Angela at full speed. The girl was already pushing the horse towards him.

It was difficult for Michael to sit on a horse, but now, somehow, he did it on the first try.

“Angela, shoot arrows in the legs, but only when we attack it!” - shouted the Blondy. Then he called out to Lucius as well, - “Lucius on the circle!”

The predator still had Uriel’s sword and Michael’s yatagan in its body. It looked like a giant hedgehog because of the arrows thrown, and blood was flowing from the wounds. Despite this, the beast didn't die, and it kept on rampaging. But Uriel’s plan worked as it couldn’t run as fast because they shot the legs with arrows.

“Push it to the fire, Lucius!” - Uriel pointed to the place where the wizard had burned the red-eyed man’s body.

The wind blew the fire, and soon a large area was engulfed in flames.

Blondy sprinted towards the trees and snipped three long branches, tossed them to Michael and Angela, and ordered them to sharpen the branches.

The branches caught fire easily, especially the fur, when the pointed branches found themselves in the bear’s body.