Chapter 29: Escape
The floorboard broke with a loud crack of dry wood, leaving a two-palms long piece in Cael's hands. It had enough splinters to turn his fingers into pincushion, but it also had a jagged, pointy end at one side.
Cael ignored the splinters and held tight on the piece of wood, like it was a dagger.
"Hm? What was that?" a sentry spoke outside. Cael heard the latch unlocking, and the door slightly opened. The guard's lantern shone in the crack, making Cael squint. "Are you trying to break something?"
Cael huddled with his back to the guard, hiding his unbound wrists and his new weapon. With the door unlocked, this was his best chance! If only he could take the guard unawares…
"No," he said, throwing a glance at the guard over his shoulder. "Nothing at all. Nothing happening here."
"Oh, really?" The door opened fully, and the soldier walked inside. His eyes fell on the floor. "Wait, what's that? A rope?"
*Curses!* Cael completely forgot about it, but he already could see the first glint of anger and alarm on the guard's face.
Before the man could react, Cael sprang to action. He jumped on the guard like a coiled snake, the deadly wooden fang aiming straight for the man's throat, unprotected by his cuirass.
"Fuck!" The guard wasn't slow, either. A reflexive blow of his lantern-holding hand pushed Cael away, even as his other hand reached for the sword on his hip.
Cael reached for it at the same moment, and their fingers met on the sword's hilt. They wrestled for it, each trying to get to the weapon first.
"What's going on?" the other guard asked from the far side of the wagon. "Fabio, I'm coming!"
"You bastard," the guard growled, pushing Cael's improvised wooden stake away from his neck. "Cunning son-of-a-bitch…"
Cael grit his teeth, pushing all his muscles for this task. The soldier was muscular and strong, clad in armor and taller than Cael, too.
*But…*
Cael suddenly let go of both the guard's arms, leaving him off-balance.
*You…*
He stepped past the guard and kicked his knee, forcing him to stumble just a moment more.
*Are…*
Cael's hand went up, and then down with all his might. The piece of wood, dull compared to an actual dagger, tore into flesh, sinking all the way through the back of the soldier's throat.
*In my way!*
The blood splashed on Cael's face, stained his lips, filled his nose with a familiar metallic scent. With one last flail of hands, the guard fell down.
The lantern fell down with him, the oil spilling all over the floor. The flame eagerly jumped off the lantern's wick, curious to explore the new grounds.
This was just when the second guard had to appear. This one already had his weapon brandished. The soldier's eyes fell on the dead body.
"Bruno!" He lifted his eyes to Cael. "Fucking Oliveira, you'll pay!"
Cael stretched his lips in a wide, adrenaline-fueled smile. A snarl, in fact. A primal instinct to bare his teeth at the enemy to intimidate. He didn't even feel the pain in his split lip.
"Catch me first."
With that, Cael kneeled near the dead soldier, pulled the sword out of his sheath, stood up and slashed upwards at the wagon's walls—all in two swift movements.
The sound of tearing canvas was drowned out by the battlecry of the charging soldier. Cael kicked the lamp at his feet, making him stumble. More oil was spilled around, further hastening the spread of fire.
The smell of blood was being drowned by the smell of smoke. Cael had to get out, now.
*I hope this will be a fine distraction.*
He jumped into the fresh hole in the walls, leaving both the guard and the fire behind. From there, he ran. Ran as fast as he could without magic, straight towards the forest, where he knew he could hide.
On the other side of which, Cael knew, his father was waiting.
Cael heard shouts from behind, then the thumping of horses' hooves on the packed dirt. He glanced back to see a group of riders chasing him, about as far as fifty meters away.
Cael turned to look forward. Only forward, where only a couple dozen meters away, the saving forest stood. The horses won't be as quick to follow him in through the trees… especially at night.
Cael himself had troubles with seeing head. The night was cloudless and full of stars, but only a sliver of the moon. It played tricks on his eyes.
He stumbled on a shadowed pothole and fell down, almost losing his sword. His palms and knees scraped on the ground, but Cael pushed himself up and ran again through the sting of pain.
Cael was only a few meters away from the forest, with the chase still a good twenty meters away, when his leg caught on a tree root. He fell again, and this time, heard something in his right leg crunching.
When he stood up again, each step shot through him like a bolt of burning ice.
*I'm so close… I have to get there! To safety.*
Step after step, Cael half-ran towards the first trees, and then past them. Behind, he saw his pursuers stopping their horses and continuing the chase on foot.
Safety was still far away. But the forest was even darker than the surrounding plains. Soon, Cael had to orient himself almost by feeling alone.
In that darkness, the torches and lanterns of his pursuers were beacons that shouted to stay away. So Cael found a hole, likely formerly belonging to some animal, crawled in, and stayed. Away.
Safe, for now.
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