"Move faster!" Kellen barreled forward between two pines and the others followed with Viktor and Fjalda picking up the rear, holding Marialena up between them as they went. The more ground they gained on what once was the inn, the narrower the spaces between the trees became until there was almost no moonlight with which to see. "Vik, I don't like this. How long until we get to Foxmoor?" Fjalda's voice trembled. She's never been like that. Not even when we ran into that bear on the outskirts of the Lake. "It shouldn't be long at all," he raised his voice, "Foxmoor almost touches Silverwood, as if they're not two, but one town." A hand tightened on his shoulder. "Then we'll make it," Marialena said, and as he looked at her, though he almost couldn't make out her face, he knew she was gritting her teeth. She never tires.
The more they moved forward, the more they began to feel fear and the night weighing down on them like a pound of bricks. Light shone through the trees and Viktor's heart lifted before a voice from behind them abruptly cut its ascent. Stepping out of the trees completely and into a thin path behind several buildings cut from mottled mountain stone, they turned as one to face three black-armored figures, one of which was the blood-eyed man, Silas Barrad. Fjalda slid one of her arms from Marialena's shoulders and gripped Viktor's hand tightly and both the Silverwood-natives and the Azarians stood there in silence for a time until Marialena stumbled forward. "Why have you come here? We've done nothing to anyone. Why destroy our inn, kill our.." she choked off a sob, though Viktor could see her eyes were still aflame.306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NzgAf5kQt
"Why? Who are we to you?" This time Marialena shouted, the sheer force of it ripping through the silence like oil fueling a flame. Only a chuckle from Barrad answered her. Fjalda stepped forward to catch Marialena as she swayed and nearly fell into the pine needles surrounding their feet. "We don't do magic. We may have these," Fjalda held up her free-arm, baring it to the wrist and exposing her tattoos once again. "but I don't see why it matters to you."306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtP3dJrawmI
This time, the albino elf rolled his eyes. "That is exactly the point. You're some of the only ones we're missing. And now that we have you," he licked his lips, "the circle is complete and..."306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Gsda141XS
"Be quiet Malras," Silas whispered but the power of it was like a sword being forcefully drawn forth from its sheath and the elf's mouth snapped shut, though his skeletal hand closest to his sword wavered back-and-forth. 306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GQLwtQJkO
"You're all the keys," Barrad's voice was a mixture between an ax meeting a grinding stone and the hiss of a snake. "I need to study you. Until I understand how you work." Viktor shuddered and saw Eliza step behind Kellen, peering around him at the Azarians. 306Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVbeXuig0Q
"We don't want to come with you," The words left Viktor’s mouth, but to him, it was as if someone far braver was speaking for him. Placing a hand on his sword, he drew it free from its sheath and strode forward, finding himself level with Fjalda and Marialena, directly in front of Barrad. Several more rasping sounds pointed to his friends doing the same, all except for Eliza, who had an arrow strung and aimed at the pale elf next to Silas. "Fools," the scarred woman to Silas' other side barked, and in an instant, everyone began to move at once, with Enialis and Kellen stepping up to stand with their friends and Eliza loosening an arrow that appeared ready to strike the woman in front of her in the chest. At the last moment, instead of striking true, it veered off to the right, landing in a tree.
Enialis met the Azarian elf and they began to dance back-and-forth, each loosening flurry after flurry of strikes, none of which hit home.
"Enough!" Barrad's roar cut through the rising din. "You will sleep," he lowered his voice and began to shake with laughter as his eyes lit up and Viktor felt as if he were slowly falling forward into them. "Vik, don't let him take us." Fjalda crumpled to the ground, her eyes closing as if someone had forced them to do so in an instant. Marialena snarled, swinging her sword upward in an arc at Barrad who was now close enough for her to strike him, but he leaned backward, his form wobbling in the air, then reappearing even further back as she fell into a spiky bed of pine needles, motionless. Jamming his teeth together, Viktor swung at Barrad, smiling despite everything as his sword sliced a thin line across the man's cheek. "Lucky," Barrad clicked his tongue and in an instant, Viktor felt his legs turn to lead and fell to his knees. As his vision swam and threatened to take him into the abyss, he saw Barrad standing over his blood-red eyes shining as he smiled ear-to-ear, before the emptiness took him.
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