Regardless of how much I trained, nothing could ever prepare me for the horrifying screams of those suffering injuries during the skirmish while I hid inside the carriage. Gripping tightly the hilt of my sword, I peeked out the window, looking for Eliot. Ellie cried, frightened as any child would be when faced with danger. Penelope on the other hand tried to remain calm, holding her tightly while infusing mana.
The knights that were escorting us fought valiantly and managed to fend off the initial assault but from what I saw, the enemy simply took the opportunity to surround us from all sides. Eliot stood his ground channeling mana into his longsword, cutting down anyone who approached him. He too must’ve been scared, but that didn’t stop him from fulfilling his duty.
My options were limited and while I could’ve gone outside and fought alongside them, protecting Penelope and Ellie was my top priority. The girls would’ve been defenseless had anyone gotten past the knights and entered the carriage. While talented, Penelope never had any practical training in the art of combat, thus counting on her was too risky for my liking.
“Hold the line, men!” The commander of the knights ordered, circling the carriage.
Taken by surprise caused us to suffer losses, but our knights weren’t as fragile as to break so easily. The problem was that we couldn’t counter-attack since it would’ve left us exposed, meaning we were sitting ducks for their archers.
“Why aren’t we pushing through?” I yelled out through the window at Eliot who kept looking around heavily breathing.
The terrain was far from ideal for horseback, thus everyone but the Commander, Eliot, and another knight dismounted.
“Shut up and keep them safe!” he yelled out, not explaining anything.
“Hold your fire. . .” an empowered croaky voice echoed from the mountainside. Presuming it to be their leader, I rushed over to peek through the shutters. I needn’t hear him speak again to pinpoint who he was as he wore dark clothes and a painted black breastplate with no insignia on it. His long dirty blonde hair was tied into a ponytail and his face covered by an unsightly scar reaching from his left ear to his opposite side cheek. It was almost as if a wild beast brutalized him. “It’s an honor to face the valiant Sir Kalandor of the Kallis family. Your reputation as a master precedes you. It would be a waste to spill such fine blood on this lonely road. So how about it? Surrender now and I promise you the lives of your men in exchange for the noble blood you protect.”
“You’re a fool if you believe I’d abandon my oath. . .” Sir Kalandor, the commander of the knights, held his sword firmly as crimson mana oozed along the edge of the blade.
“A shame you’ll all die then,” he grinned devilishly as violet-colored mana burst out of his hand, materializing a greatsword covered in oxblood red runes.
“Eliot!” Sir Kalandor called out to him, dropping the formalities for the first time.
The mysterious man and his band of what I presumed were mercenaries still held their position, not engaging recklessly. It was almost as if they were toying with us from the beginning. Eliot rushed to his side on horseback.
“Yes?” he yelled out, holding his sword out and preparing to fight.
Since they were the only two who could use mana apart from Penelope, he must’ve believed that Sir Kalandor wanted him nearby for support.
“Take my horse and run. . . Protect your family while we hold them off.”
“What?!” Eliot yelled out shocked.
“As if I’d let you. . .” their leader snickered, lifting his sword in the air. “Zacio!”
I watched him disappear out of thin air as a loud thunderous boom echoed where he once stood. He reappeared a moment later next to Eliot, swinging his sword to decapitate the horse as a wave of translucent mana traced behind it. My eyes couldn’t even follow what happened next, but the loud bang of swords clashing caused a massive amount of energy to burst around them as Sir Kalandor blocked his attack. The mana surging everywhere caused a strong wind to shake the carriage, making it clear that there was no place for them in their fight.
Sir Kalandor masterfully dismounted the horse before standing in between their leader and us. Eliot hated it but for the sake of his sisters, he had to swallow his pride and retreat.
“Knights of Kallis!” he yelled out, thrusting his sword into the air. “For honor!”
“Slay them all but keep the kids alive. . .” their leader ordered before warping around in a puff of smoke, engaging in a ferocious duel against Sir Kalandor.
The fierce melee that followed caused many to lose their lives within seconds as the knights gave up all hope of survival for the sake of the Kallis children. Ashamed that I couldn’t help, I bit my lip strongly enough for it to bleed.
“Lady Penelope!” a mounted knight yelled out from the forest side. “Take my horse!”
He dismounted quickly before turning to face the enemy while Penelope opened the door, grabbing hold of the reins.
“Ellie, come!” she pulled on her hand but it had slipped away.
Elena was too terrified to listen and instinctively rushed to me, hugging me tightly.
“You go on ahead. I’ll take care of her!” I told Penelope, reassuring her with a confident nod.
There was no time to complain so Penelope quickly mounted the horse and channeled forth mana.
“Atra Elis Valasa!” she chanted as blazing mana surrounded her arm before a small red transmutation circle appeared in front of her, floating in thin air.
The two armed men that rushed toward her suddenly found themselves engulfed in flames. The fire bursting out of the transmutation circle scorched anything in its path. It wasn’t powerful and the cone was narrow, but it was enough to buy her time to look around.
Seeing Eliot approach with another horse, I hastily picked up Ellie so she couldn’t slip away and kicked the door open.
“Hop on!” he yelled, looking ahead for any weak point in the enemy line that we could use to break through.
I grabbed the reins and jumped on the saddle with Ellie in the front. Finally, I could see what was happening on the outside as over thirty men engaged us in a fight. From what I heard, it was obvious that all of it was planned ahead of time. The loud explosion that stopped us from moving forward was nothing less than a spell that summoned large rocks to crash down upon the road, causing a massive amount of debris making it impossible for a carriage to pass.
“Zephyr!” Eliot yelled out as leaf green mana engulfed both horses.
Penelope invoked the same spell on her horse.
Zephyr was the only spell I remembered the incantations for which was something that our father insisted both siblings learn. It allowed the affected creature to move significantly faster without drawbacks. The problem was the intensity at which it consumed mana. Otherwise, it would’ve been a common traveling spell.
Eliot took the initiative and rode forth with his sword out, ready to cut down anyone in our path. My eyes were glued to the fight between their leader and Sir Kalandor who were in a whole different realm of power compared to us.
“Alex, focus!” Penelope yelled out, snapping me out of it before we both charged side by side.
The knights that were slowly dwindling in numbers and under constant arrow fire charged to assist Eliot. With their help, we managed to slip past them without me having to swing my sword while I held Elena close to me. The only reason we were alive was that they wanted us captured, thus never aiming for the horses.
It was a crushing defeat on our part, but at least we survived. Now that we were riding on our own as fast as we could in silence, I finally noticed that the sun was blocked out as a light late summer rain began to pour.
“Fuck. . .” Eliot cursed, not slowing down even for a second.
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“We have to get to Whitestone!” Penelope yelled out. “Is Ellie okay?”
“She is. . . Just a bit spooked.” I explained while looking down at her.
Thankfully the path ahead was straightforward and we wouldn’t be able to get lost, but it was still too soon to celebrate. Ellie had been gripping my shirt tightly the entire time, terrified of looking up. I wanted nothing more than to soothe her, but that had to wait.
Even though we were moving quickly thanks to Zephyr, our attention was drawn in by the sound of a heavy gallop trailing us. Looking back, my eyes went wide as four horsemen followed with a massive dust cloud behind them. I was confident I didn’t see them before which meant that they planned in case we managed to escape.
“They’re using magic!” Penelope warned us as we kept riding on.
“Keep going!” Eliot yelled out, focusing on maintaining the spell.
Regardless of how fast we went, they managed to keep pace, making it a contest of endurance where mana mattered more than stamina.
With no turns ahead, there wasn’t much we could do. They trailed far behind, but enough to never lose us out of sight. Slowing down wasn’t even in question since we didn’t know if we could beat them in a fight nor if they had reinforcements on the way. If their leader joined in, even if there were fifty of us, it wouldn’t matter.
As the rain poured onto my face, I looked toward my palm. The blue flower my mother drew reassured me of what I had to do. . . I’m sure Eliot thought the same, but if he did it then we’d all get caught regardless. Besides, I wasn’t the heir to the Kallis family and thus it only made sense for it to be me.
“Ellie. . . I need you to be brave now, okay? Please look at me.” I said, lowering my voice. She held onto me for dear life, too afraid to do anything. “Elena, remember our promise. . . Trust in me to protect you so that one day you could do the same.” There wasn’t much time. “It’s okay. . .”
She took a deep breath and for the first time dared look up. Her tearful eyes were helplessly looking at me, almost making me burst into tears.
“Good girl. . .” I mumbled, speeding up closer to Eliot. “I want you to reach for Eliot’s hand when I tell you and get on his horse. He’s a better rider than me so we’ll be able to move faster and get to safety. Can you do that for me?” Ellie looked to the side, noticing how fast we were already going, making her grip my shirt fearfully. “Don’t worry! Eliot is super strong. You’ll be safe. . . Okay? If you don’t listen then we might end up hurt.”
Ellie loosened her grip and gave me a nod. Considering how afraid I was, I couldn’t even imagine what went through her head.
“Alex, what are you?-” Penelope yelled out but quickly came to the same conclusion which made her go silent.
“Eliot!” I called out to him. “Grab hold of Ellie!”
“No!” he protested. “I can do this. . .”
Why did he have to say that? I could see the frustration in his eyes as he looked tired. It was hard to imagine the burden of maintaining Zephyr on two horses at the same time. That’s why I concluded that one of us had to sacrifice themselves for the rest to escape. It had to be me though. . .
Penelope and Eliot were the casters, meaning that they could take care of themselves. I was the dead weight. . . My only job was keeping Ellie safe, but Eliot could do that on his own if he got hold of her. If I turned around and charged at them, I could delay them enough to hopefully buy some time. Even if I didn’t buy them a second, the fact that Eliot could focus on only one horse was already a massive relief. Whitestone was too far away for this to drag out.
It was a tough decision to make as it meant that I’d get killed. Compared to the other three, I held no political value and I was just a cursed kid that was destined to fail in life. It was unimaginably painful knowing that I’d never get to see them again. Especially because I couldn’t even properly say goodbye otherwise Ellie would never let go of me. The last words she’d hear from me were a lie that everything was going to be okay and that thought haunted me. Hopefully, she’d forgive me one day.
“Eliot. . .” I repeated, getting even closer. “Ellie, grab onto his hand!”
She reached out for him without Eliot even looking, trusting me innocently. He was forced to go along with my plan, knowing that anything else would most likely fail. Grabbing hold of her hand, he pulled her over to his horse. We were lucky that she was light as a feather and with my assistance we could move her without issues.
“Take care of them. . .” I said, lowering my voice before looking at Penelope. “Hey sis. . .” It was my first time calling her that. Knowing I’ll die, there wasn’t a reason to hold back. “I know my gift sucked, but could you do me a favor?”
Riding closer to her, I extended my palm with the blue flower symbol on it. She knew at first glance what I was asking her to do. It was the first time I saw her shed tears over me. Though even now I couldn’t tell how close we were. Isn’t that silly? The thought of it made me laugh, as I had already accepted my fate.
She reached out to me before blazing mana traced along her arm.
“Atra Elis Valasa. . .” she mumbled before slapping my hand.
Unlike the cold I felt before, immense heat now passed through me. It was as if I were standing in the sun during its peak.
“Thank you. . .” I sighed, looking at her struggling to utter a single word. “Eliot! Do it. . .” As soon as I said so, I heard Penelope gasping for air. She was choking on her tears, meanwhile, Eliot struggled to break the spell, knowing he was essentially sending me off to my death. “We don’t have time. . . Do it!”
The reason I didn’t just stop the horse suddenly or turned around while the spell was active was that I was afraid it would make me fall over. I needed him to reduce its speed since I had no way of protecting myself.
If I was in his shoes, I don’t know if I could do what he had to. Regardless of our little scuffles, nobody wanted each other harmed for real. I needed him to do it quickly though, as regret soon started building up. To think I’d never see my mom again or even my stepfather who had been nothing but loving toward me. I’d miss Ellie growing up, and even Penelope’s coming of age. . . Not to mention that there were so many books I had yet to read.
“You’re a fucking coward! Just do it already. If you wanted to act so tough, you should’ve saved us back at the carriage and not risked their lives cuz you’re stubborn. Guess you’re a bigger idiot than I thought. You just can’t get your head out of your ass. I’m glad to know that the last duel we had was you fucking losing to me. I hope that burns into your soul. . .”
I feared it wasn’t enough, but the spell finally broke. . .
“Huh? Alex!” Ellie screamed while the two didn’t look back.
“That scream is gonna haunt me in the afterlife. . .” I mumbled to myself, halting my horse before dismounting. “Ride on. . . No need for you to die.”
I slapped the horse’s ass, sending it on its way to freedom.
There was a smile on my face that I couldn’t explain. I hated everything I said to Eliot in the end, even though he knew it was all bullshit.
Why did I smile?
Well. . . There was just something so poetic about a powerless little me drawing his sword while waiting for the enemy to reach me. Time seemed to flow slower as I began remembering my life. Was this what they called life flashing before your eyes, or does that come as you’re bleeding out? Guess I was going to find out soon enough.
As they got closer I realized that it was a good thing I stayed behind. Because of the dust, we were unable to see that there were far more than four of them tailing us. I hoped I had enough in me to at least delay them for three seconds. Maybe even four if I got lucky.
Not gonna lie. . . Having blazing hot mana pass through my left arm felt epic. My last moments would be spent casting a spell even though I was cursed, absurd really. The guy who was about to get burned must’ve been unluckier than me.
“What was it again?” I asked myself out loud, extending my hand as the enemy was getting within range. “Atra Burna Vista!”
Focusing on the heat within, a red transmutation circle appeared in front of me as flames came bursting out of it. It engulfed the horsemen that came charging at me, halting the frightened horses. That alone was worth more than the four seconds I wanted to buy them.
What I hadn’t realized was how painful using a fire spell would be when I don’t possess mana. My left arm was covered in burns from the elbow down. Still, the pain was nothing compared to my drive to hold them back. With a sword in my right arm, I charged courageously.
Was I afraid? Of course. . . Was I going to stop? No way.
The men riding behind suddenly stopped as they saw their front line burned to death. Their screams for some reason brought me joy even though I had just taken a life. Pretty sure I was going insane.
With that, there was no longer any hope of them catching up to my siblings. My job was done and I could die in peace.
“To think you’d sacrifice yourself. . .” Coming out of the crowd was their leader, completely covered in blood that probably wasn’t his. “You’re not even a real Kallis.”
“Fuck you,” I smiled showing him a burn-covered middle finger.
“Cute. . . Get him.”
There were around ten of them. The rest probably couldn’t follow us. My odds of victory were nonexistent, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try and fight back.
Two of them approached me with their swords out. Had they attacked me together, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. However, their overconfidence resulted in me deflecting the first guy’s strike, spinning under his swing before thrusting my sword through his chest. He had no armor on so it sliced through him like butter.
I pulled the sword out by spinning around, swinging toward the next guy. Now that he was alert, he had an easy time dodging, but what he underestimated was the swiftness of my footwork as I sliced downward to his shin, managing to maim him. He fell to his knee before I stepped in, slashing away at his throat. Blood coated my blade as I had yet again taken a life.
Their leader maniacally laughed while clapping his hands. There was no logic behind his actions. It seemed as if he didn’t value anyone’s life. Well, if they were going to fight me one by one, I thought maybe I could take at least one more down depending on who it was.
“I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to be the unpredictable variable in my calculations. I was sure you’d all stick together till the bitter end. Eliot isn’t the type to leave his sisters behind and he’d never allow Penelope to do so either. Her gift proved useful. . . I bet she’d sell for quite a lot had we caught her.”
Sell? I couldn’t stop thinking about who that man was. He seemed to know an awful lot about us, including me which was surprising.
“So, who wants to die next?” I taunted, knowing that there was no point in dragging things out. The pain in my left arm was going to cause me to pass out at any moment.
“Zacio.”
He vanished again before reappearing before me. Remembering how his spell worked, I surprised him by predicting where he’d appear, but my attack was way too slow. He kicked me to the ground with little to no effort. His heavy boot now ruthlessly pressed against my chest as I dropped my sword. Funnily enough, the rain stopped upon my defeat.
I thought a lot about the afterlife and what it would be like. The idea of reincarnating as a vengeful warrior sounded like a wonderful and unique novel idea.
His pale eyes finally met mine as I lost all will to fight, but the smirk on my face knowing I foiled their plan could even piss off a god. Too bad the devil himself stood above me as he smiled back.
“Vajspa,” he chanted, snapping his fingers before everything went dark.
Chapter End.
Thank you for reading.
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