The wagons continued to move quickly as the road became better-maintained. More and more travelers and wagons joined the families on the two-lane highway. Soon, the families were just two of many wagons in a horde of racing horses, and they felt safe in numbers. In the evening, the families arrived at the outskirts of a big town. Once Patrick woke up, he again led the families to exchange new, well-rested horses from a local horse stable. They continued to move west for an hour and a half before stopping for dinner.
The families took an exit into a rest stop. This was a major highway across the mountain leading to the capital, so it was crowded with merchants and families who were cooking or eating dinner. Unlike camping in the wild, the well-maintained rest stop boasted numerous public stoves and clean bathrooms, as well as two restaurants with lines of people waiting to be seated. Patrick and Maya were fortunate enough to encounter a contingent of merchants who were just about to leave. Once they parked the wagons next to a set of stoves, everyone except Jonathan and Harold got down from the wagons and stretched their stiff bodies from the hours-long journey. The children played Eagle Catch Chick on a nearby patch of open lawn while Patrick and Maya prepared dinner.
Thomas played the eagle, Chana assumed the role of the mother hen, and Arielle and Ashley hid behind Chana as little chicks while Thomas endeavored to catch the fleeing prey.
"Gwarrr!" Thomas exclaimed as he charged toward Ashley.
"Ahhh!" Ashley and Arielle screamed as they ran away from Thomas. Chana pushed her brother away as she laughed.
With the dinner table prepared, Nathan returned to the wagon, where he engaged in a game of toy cars with Henry, sitting beside the recuperating Jonathan. The merry laughter of children playing outside reverberated across the wagon. Nathan gently pushed a toy car on the floor along the bed, then Henry scrambled behind the car. Each time Henry successfully caught a car, he would become exhilarated at his achievement.
Jonathan had been silently observing his children for some time, but due to his injury, he did not sit up, simply tilting his head to watch them.
Nathan noticed his father watching. "Dad, are you okay?" he asked, concerned for his father.
"I'll be good as new in a few more days." Jonathan answered in pain. "Thanks for looking after Henry when everyone plays outside, Nathan."
"It's fun playing with Henry too." Nathan said emotionlessly as he took another car and pushed it to the other end of the wagon. Henry crawled after it happily. The exhilarated toddler's antics helped Nathan relax, but they fell short of bringing a smile to his face.
"Please keep looking after your younger siblings for a little while longer. I'll help when I get better." Jonathan said, feeling proud of his son.
"Okay, Dad." Nathan said as he leaned his head on Jonathan’s shoulder. Jonathan gently fondled Nathan’s head with his right hand. At the same time, Henry sat up and clapped proudly as he caught a toy car. After seeing Nathan leaning on his father, Henry crawled to Nathan, stood up, and curiously stared at Nathan before leaning on his older brother.
"Dad, rest and get better soon." Nathan said, then returned to playing with Henry.
"Dinner is ready!" Maya called out a few minutes later.
Tonight, the families enjoyed baked chicken, creamy mushroom soup, and buttery mashed potatoes. There was also a side of chicken congee for Jonathan, Harold, and Henry. Patrick and Maya made extra, ensuring there would be some leftovers for a midnight snack. They planned to keep moving through the night to escape the Inquisition Knights.
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Nathan fed Henry first, which meant he finished dinner after everyone else. When he was done, the children were playing in the lawn. Meanwhile, Patrick and Maya tended to Jonathan's and Harold’s wounds, changing their bandages and cleaning them.
The rest stop's lawn was spacious, about the size of a football field. Surrounded by stoves and a parking lot that could accommodate over a hundred wagons, it was well-lit with Mana-powered lamp posts. After dinner, the rest stop bustled with strolling adults and children at play.
Thomas had been keeping an eye on Nathan as he played. Once Nathan finished his food, Thomas rushed toward him and said, "Play with Henry, don't worry about it," as he cleaned up and washed the rest of the dishes.
Nathan gratefully thanked Thomas before taking Henry to the lawn to play with the toddler. He threw a small playing ball a few feet away.
“Go pick up the ball and give it back to me," Nathan urged, encouraging Henry to pick it up.
Henry was very good a crawling. He quickly crawled to the ball and sat up.
“Give the ball to me, Henry," Nathan said with a smile, his mood improved after talking with his father.
Henry stared at Nathan, paused, and looked puzzled, as if trying to understand what his older brother meant.
“Come on." Nathan said gently, gesturing with his hands for Henry to give him back the ball.
Henry burst into laughter and, excited by Nathan's reaction, crawled back to Nathan, ignoring the ball.
Nathan then picked up the ball and threw it about seven feet away. “Pick up the ball, Henry," he said again with a gentle smile.
Henry happily crawled to the ball. On his way, Henry was suddenly struck by an arrow and immediately stopped moving.
“Huh?" Nathan watched as an arrow struck Henry. It was so sudden. He started running towards Henry, but then suddenly felt a sharp pain in his forearm. Nathan gazed upon his arm, and there was an arrow lodged in it. Still trying to process what was happening, Nathan looked to his left, where the arrow had originated. In the light from the lamp poles, he could see arrows raining down from the sky, with one of them heading straight for him. Standing still, at a loss for what to do, Nathan was frozen in place, unable to dodge the arrow. Suddenly, a man's back obstructed his view, and an arrow penetrated the man.
“Dad? Henry…" Nathan's voice cracked as his emotions caught up with him. Only then did Nathan notice that it was his father. He gazed back and forth between his father's wounded back and Henry's lifeless body, the traumatic scene from three nights ago replaying in his mind once more. Nathan's expression turned grave with horror as he thought, "What should I do? How can I save them?" Forgetting the pain in his arm, he stood there quietly, lost in thought, repeating to himself, "How can I save them? What should I do?"
People in the rest stop began to scream and shout as they scrambled back to their carriages and wagons, fleeing in chaos.
Just a moment ago, after dinner, Jonathan and Harold had gotten off their wagons to breathe some fresh evening air at the dining table. Patrick and Maya were talking to each other while Jonathan and Harold watched the children play in silence.
“By tomorrow afternoon, we should reach the capital," Maya said with anticipation and excitement.
"Right," Patrick nodded in agreement, calmly remarking, "The knights shouldn't be able to recognize us. We should be safe there. We'll need to find a job as soon as possible."
“Divine Spells: Enhance Strength, Stoneskin, Levitation." Jonathan and Harold abruptly chanted, as they saw the arrows coming down. With utmost haste, Jonathan rushed towards Nathan and Henry, while Harold dashed to Thomas, Chana, Arielle and Ashley.
Harold quickly gathered the children behind him like a protective umbrella, and quickly moved to hide behind the closest wagon. His left arm and leg were pierced by arrows during the action, but the frightened children were unharmed.
Jonathan watched in horror as Nathan and Henry got hit by the arrows while he sprinted toward them. Scorning at his own powerlessness to save his youngest child, he mustered every last drop of his strength to dash toward Nathan, who was still alive. As he shielded Nathan with his body, two arrows struck his left forearm as he tried to block them, while another pierced through his right chest. The arrow rain paused for a moment, but his battle-honed senses warned him that the next volley was incoming. Enduring the agony from his new wounds and old injuries, Jonathan scooped up Nathan in his right arm and rushed behind their wagon. “Henry is still there, Henry is still out there!" Nathan's weeping wail pierced the air as he was carried away by Jonathan.
Patrick and Maya were shocked by Jonathan's and Harold's sudden action. They had been facing away from the arrows and were oblivious to the impending danger. It all happened so fast. When they finally realized what had happened, the arrows had already struck Jonathan and Harold. Maya ran directly after Harold to hide behind the wagon. After chanting, Patrick followed behind Jonathan and retrieved Henry, taking him to the back of the wagon.