Brute marched onward, carrying Aiden over his shoulder, stopping every few feet at the corner of another house to look at the wall.
“We should’ve just cut our way through the monsters instead of searching here. We’re just waiting till we drop dead by being surrounded from all these monsters.”
He swung his axe against rubble, remains of an earlier fight, trying to make himself a bigger passage in the alley. As the rubble collapsed another part came crashing down, forcing him to strike again and again until all that was left were crushed pieces and a way forward.
“You know, if you continue to make so much noise we’re going to be found much earlier.” Durak said as he climbed over the rubble, his build much to small to just step over it like Brute. “And I would like it better if we all get out of here, instead of one of us dying at the gate. Seeing how the boys star mark lit up earlier something definitely would have happened.”
“And you trust in some mark of an unknown constellation?” Brute looked at Durak skeptically.
“If you take circumstances into consideration, yes, now would be the best time to. Just think of that old master. He saw something in him that nobody of us could see.”
Brute looked at another opening between two houses. Seeing nothing he turned away frowning. “So, we have an unknown constellation and an unknown master. That makes things soooo much better.” He walked further along the wall past the next house. “How long should we…”
“Shut it.” Al stopped behind them, standing there quietly.
“You know I just…” Brute started to speak again.
“Shhh.” She closed her eyes, ears twitching as she listened to something. Something the other two didn’t seem to notice. Brute opened his mouth again, as Durak’s staff flicked at him, hitting him at the knee and making him wince in pain. “The wind sounds different here.”
She turned and walked into the opening the just walked past, eyes still closed as she felt her way to the wall. Her fingers ran over the cold, uneven stone. She stopped after a moment, opening her eyes. “Found it.” Her hand pressed on the wall, eyes searching for way to open it. “Seems like the only way.” She turned around, looking at the big slab of meat that was part of their group. “Hey, Brute…”
“No.” Brute said coldly.
“You don’t even know what I…”
“I know what you want to say, and I say no.”
“Pretty please?” Al tried her best to sound as cute as possible. “Do it for me.”
“No.” Brute turned stubborn.
“You want to get out of here?”
“Ask someone else, I’m not gonna do this again.”
“How about I pay for a shot of one of your human drinks.
Brute groaned, seemingly defeated. “Make it a bottle.”
“Thanks, you’re the best.” Still trying to be cute she skipped over.
“And stop it with that act, you ain’t fooling no one.”
She stopped next to him, her fist crashed into his stomach, making him bend down. She grabbed the boy and took him of Brute, walking further to stop next to Durak.
“That makes another bottle.” He heaved, catching his breath again. He lifted his head and looked at the wall in front. “I swear I’m not gonna do this a third time. Strength of the giant!” His muscles swelled as he started to run at the wall. At the last moment he twisted his body, shoulder crashing into the wall, as stone made way for flesh, revealing a hidden passage inside the wall, only for it to be covered by dust from the breakthrough.
Durak looked at the scene before his eyes. The dust settled to reveal Brute lying on the floor after falling sometime after the crash. He looked at Al standing next to him with the boy in her arms.
“Just let me ask this. You found the way to open that door when you looked at it, didn’t you?”
“It’s just funnier this way.”
“You elves seriously are twisted.” He sighed and started to walk down the opening.
“Hey, take him of me, how am I supposed to shot?” She started to run after him.
“It’s your turn, women, we already carried him. And if this really leads outside then there shouldn’t be a need for you to fight.” When the elf reached him, he stopped, striking the end of his staff at the ground. Behind them a thin wall of earth began to rise, blocking the passage and all possible pursuers. In front of them was Brute, already on his feet and looking at the other end.
“At least there is a lever inside.” He walked to the end, grabbing a lever placed at the wall. He pulled, wanting to open the way, as a crack sounded out. He looked at his hand, the leftovers of a broken lever inside.
“Fuck, not again!”
The outside of the wall was quiet. As opposing to the chaos inside the city there wasn’t a soul, daring to disturb the stillness of the landscape. Only the wind blew, rustling the leaves of trees nearby or the blades of grass across the earth.
Inside this stillness a loud thud sounded out. Then another. With the third came the crashing of stones, followed by coughing. “I swear, the next time I will just slaughter my way out of such a situation.”
Out of the dust came Brute, axe ready to cut down anything that may possibly be attracted by the sound. He looked around, searching for any sign of an enemy waiting to claim their life.
Durak came out behind him, clapping the big man on the back. “We should be fine for the moment. Any monster should be at the gate, or inside the city by now.” He looked around. “Thinking back how long we walked down the alley we should be pretty far from the street to Halmar. We should walk north for now and pass through the wild. Better be safe than run into an ambush along the street.”
Al came out behind them, carrying the boy on her back. “Then start to walk, you’re blocking the path.”
Brute set into motion, followed by Al and Durak. As they moved away from the wall and neared the forest the grass grew sparser, making place for bushes and tree. While at first it was a clear track, easy to walk and see, the increasing density of plant life soon made them track from side to side, following the paths left behind by animals. They walked through the forest in silence, accompanied by the sounds of nocturnal animals. Wings fluttered as a bird tried to catch some small animal, skittering away through the foliage. In the distance resounded a howl of a beast, hunting his prey.
As they walked further and further through the forest, they soon lost track of time, cut of from any possible source to tell the time, as the sky was covered by the leaf canopy. Soon the attention of them waned as the life-threatening situation passed, making the fatigue of the last days catch up to them.
Brute yawned loudly, suppressing the other sounds in the darkness.
“We should rest for now.” Durak said, stopping Brute and Al in their tracks. “It will get to dangerous to continue on further. If we were to run into something, we won’t get away unscratched.”
The other two collapsed onto the ground at the proposal of rest. Durak instead went on to scratch a symbol into the soft earth. “Ghosts of earth, grant us a place of rest.” As he struck his staff at the symbol walls of earth rose, creating a small earthen tent. He staggered when the spell further exhausted his body. Brute grabbed the dwarf, holding him steady.
“You both get inside for now.” He said, tiredness visible on his face. “I’ll take the first watch.”
“Thanks.” Durak walked inside the cover, sitting down at the far end. When Al came Brute stopped her, taking the boy off her back.
“You still believe that the boy is a ghost or something?”
“No, but I think it’s easier if you get inside first and I give him to you. Could be harder with the boy on the back.”
Al looked at Brute, surprised at him. To think that he already accepted the boy. It took a week when Durak came first. “Thank you.” She went inside, crouching as the tent was sized for its dwarven creator and took the boy, laying him down gently. “Wake me next, Durak may’ve seemed fine but he should be much more exhausted than us.” She looked at the back. While he still sat there, unmoving from his first steps inside, he now had his eyes closed, chest weaving up and down, already asleep.
“Got it, now get to sleep.” Brute stepped away, gathering a few stones to make a temporary fireplace. After he placed them down near the tent he walked to a tree, hacking at the branches to cut them off. Making his makeshift fire complete he held his hand over the wood. “Burn.” With a whisper a small flame started, fighting over control against the wet wood, flickering in the night. He stared at the fire, concentrating on the small flame as it broke out, claiming its place in the stone circle. He sat down, back against the tent, and looked out into the night.
“Aiden, wake up!”
Aiden shot up, staring at his sister. Light fell through the tiny window, lighting their shack as good as it could. He looked at her, standing inside the dim room, preparing their breakfast.
“Get up, sleepyhead. You need to go to school.” She smiled at him, seeming to shine even brighter than the sunlight coming inside, before getting back to her preparations.
Tears streamed down his face as Aiden got out of the bed. He held out his hand, trembling, as he grabbed a hold of Eve. She looked at him, seeing the fear in the boy’s eyes. She turned around, enclosing the boy in an embrace.
“What’s wrong, did you have a bad dream?” Worry made its way on her face, as she looked at her brother.
The boy shook his head, feeling her warmth through the embrace. “It’s fine. It’s nothing.” He sank his head onto her chest, still crying, returning the hug as if to never let her go again.
There they stood, a weeping boy and his sister, caressing his back to calm him down.
Silence returned to the room, to be broken by a weak voice.
“Hey, Eve.”
“Yes, Aiden?”
“I will never let anything happen to you. I swear.”
“Aiden.” Sorrow clouded her voice. “It’s too late for that.”
Startled the boy raised his head, seeing his sister’s face slowly losing all color.
“Wait. Don’t leave me.”
A claw grabbed Aiden, ripping him apart from Eve and smashed him into the wall. With a pained cry he looked at his attacker. An evil grin twisted its face, accompanied by horns scratching the ceiling of the shack. Its wings pressed at the side of the room, threatening to burst the room entirely and blocking his view at Eve.
“Don’t say that you forgot me.” The demon said. “This is so saddening. I even have this scar you gave.” He traced his body, showing a tiny nick, slowly dragging his nail over it forcing it open to bleed. “See. It is crying that you forgot about it.”
“Leave Eve alone!” Aiden screamed, running at the demon.
The demon flicked its tail, once again striking him into the wall. “Now, now, who said that you are allowed to speak.” The tail flicked again, crushing his throat against the wall, holding him there. “I would be saddened if you forget me again, so let me gift you your own memory.”
The demon held out his hand, a sword appearing in it. He walked over to Aiden while tracing a finger over the blade, slowly, as if to enjoy any second of it. Aiden grasped the tail, trying to push it away from him, but it didn’t bulge. When the demon stood in front of him it put the tip on his stomach, slowly pushing it inside, almost gently if one ignored the pained scream he enticed from his victim or its face, reeling in ecstasy.
The blade cut through the boy, into the wall. As the scream died out Aiden collapsed, his weight resting on the blade. He looked at the demon, which turned itself away to look at Eve.
“Run, Eve…”
Like mist the demon faded, leaving his sight on Eve. He reached out to her, his view fading. She ran over, reaching out to grab his hand, as flames started to flicker and consume her. She collapsed, out of reach, as the fire turned her skin and bones into ashes.
“Why did you say you would give him everything?”
With her last words her figure faded, scattered like ash in the wind.
“Eve!”
The morning air in the forest, wet from dew and cold to the touch, was disturbed as a shout rang through the air, scattering birds through the sky and scaring little animals away.
