Chapitre 71: A Desperate Escape
---Aaron---
Everyone was frantic. In a few minutes, the campsite was cleared and everything packed away. We split off into pairs again, with Katherine riding with Ashley and Indigo riding with me. Lucian and Rachel shared a steed, and Jason rode alone. Indigo was not feverish anymore, though she still looked pale and sickly. She was very quiet throughout the entire process, barely speaking to anyone and staying off to the side.
As soon as Rachel pinpointed which direction we should head towards, we took off through the forest, trying to balance stealth and speed. The forest still had an eerie glow to it, with random blue orbs floating around. No one dared to go near one again. The horse hooves made soft clip-clops on the wet grass, while the morning dew—or was it last night's rain?—clung to the vegetation. Everything looked peaceful—the birds still chirped, the flowers still bloomed, and the forest was not pitch black like it was before. At first glance, there didn't seem to be any threats.
Even so we were still on high alert. We didn't know where the Evils were coming from, so we had to keep our eyes open in all directions. Any noise in the undergrowth and any movement in the trees sent us into battle mode. My heart was beating so fast I feared it would soon wear out. The stress was unbearable.
"I see blue orbs! Everyone be careful." Rachel called. Around us, the wispy tendrils of the infamous blue orbs were visible as they slowly rose out of the bushes. Instead of coming towards us, however, they just hovered there, as if considering whether or not we were worth going after.
Ashley had her spells ready. I saw her wand clutched tightly in her hand, her shoulders tense. If anything made a move, she would take them down.
We made our way deeper into the forest, going in the direction Rachel had pointed out for us. Soon, she promised, we would be out of this demented place and into sunlight. It was unfortunate we could no longer go back the way we came, which was the shorter path, since the Evils were on our trails. We had to go through a dense part of the Desederium Forest in order to exit the other side.
The trees around us thickened and the trail narrowed. Soon we were forced to go in a single-file line, which made us vulnerable on both sides. When the path finally widened again into a clearing, I breathed a sigh of relief. Just as I opened my mouth to say something to Lucian, who rode with Rachel in front of me, his horse halted suddenly.
"Guys…" Rachel breathed uneasily. I looked around and sucked in a breath.
Blue orbs were slowly rising from the bushes all around us, lighting the area up in a soft blue color. However, as the glow intensified, the surroundings darkened, until the only light came from these menacing blue orbs. We huddled into a circle in the middle of the clearing, trapped and unsure of our next step.
"What's going on?" Ashley whispered, her voice shaking. "Why are they getting closer?"
Indeed, the blue orbs were slowly advancing, floating through the air towards us. I adverted my gaze and looked around wildly for an escape route. We will not die in here. We will not die in here…
"There! An opening!" Lucian pointed in between two orbs. There was a gap between them that was wide enough for one horse at a time. Beyond that was a break in between the trees, with the last bit of trail we needed to cover before we emerge into the outside world again.
"Go, go, go!" Rachel ushered as the blue orbs glided closer. With a neigh, Lucian's horse raised itself on its hind hooves and charged through, scattering the nearest orbs. Jason followed after. Flashes of light appeared as the orbs turned into the distracting visions. Keeping my eyes low and fixed on the small opening, I charged after Jason.
Branches scratched at us, tearing open fabric and flesh as Indigo and I rode along the narrow trail. It was as if the trees were trying to tug us back. I saw Lucian and Rachel not far ahead, and raced to keep up.
"Aaron!" Ashley's shrill cry sounded behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw dark shapes leaping out of the shadows. The Evils had found us.
"Ashley, hold on!" I turned my horse around. But before I could go to Ashley's rescue, an Evil jumped out of a nearby tree and pounced on us from above. Indigo screamed. Instinctively, I put up my hands to defend us. A gust of wind came with the gesture, blowing the Evil away from us and slamming it onto the floor. It seemed stunned for a moment, but then growled and got back on its feet. Pulling out my sword, I muttered the incantation to activate the rosewood at the tip and attacked.
The monster jumped up again and extended its claws to swipe me off my horse. I plunged the sword into its heart and twisted. With one last roar, the Evil dissipated into a pile of black dust. Before I had a chance to take a breath, more Evils appeared and surrounded us. In the eerie blue light, they looked half-wolf, half-bear, with sharp fangs that glinted dangerously. I felt Indigo huddle close behind me, her arms tightening around my waist. Not only did I have to defend myself, I also had to protect Indigo, who was too weak to fight for herself.
The Evils charged. One extended its claws towards the neck of my horse. I got rid of that one with a slash of my sword. Several attacked us from the sides, and I used my wind powers to sweep them away. Another latched onto the rear of my horse, making it whinny in pain and fear. I twisted around in the saddle and brought my sword down on the Evil's head, hard, as its claws reached out for Indigo.
"Aaron, go! Before they surround us again!" Indigo said breathlessly, pointing at the trail behind us. "Hurry!"
"But—" There was a reason why I turned back. "Ashley. Ashley needed help!"
I scanned the woods for Ashley and caught sight of a purple blast that sent a group of Evils flying backwards into the trees. She was pointing her wand this way and that, uttering incantations that repelled the Evils. Behind her, I could make out Katherine's form, her hands reaching for her own sword.
"Watch out!" Someone shouted as a dark figure came flying towards me from the right. Pressing myself low to my horse's mane, I felt the whoosh of wind as the shrieking monster flew by above me and slammed into a tree trunk. Jason came out of the trees, his forehead beaded with sweat.
"I tried to blow them out of the trees," he explained. "Not sure how well that worked though."
"Well, we're going to need your elemental powers, because here comes more company!" Indigo said, peering around me. Sure enough, a dark mass of Evils came pouring out of the forest, flooding into the clearing and cutting us off from each other. Their roars were deafening. The bloodlust in their nonhuman eyes chilled me to the bone. One of them spoke in a raspy voice.
"Surrender, and we shall not hurt you," it said, its eyes glowing red. "That is Lord Victor's promise to you."
"I highly doubt that he will keep his promise," I snorted. "The last time he said that we were almost killed."
"Give us one of the Destined Three, and we will let the rest go," another one said. "Lord Victor only wants one."
"The Destined Three?" I shared a puzzled look with Indigo. "You mean the last three who makes it? We don't know who are the Destined Three yet."
"Do not try to lie to us. The Destined Three have already been decided upon."
"I'm not lying to you. We really don't know." I answered.
"Oh really? Or is it that you rather not hand over a comrade?" The first Evil looked at us suspiciously before shrugging and grinning wide, showing us a row of his gleaming fangs. "Then we shall take the one of our choosing!" With that, it howled to the sky, and all the Evils followed suit, sending a tsunami of bone-chilling howls through the forest. Then it trained its red eyes on us and pounced.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
SkyEmpress
SkyEmpress I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! Please let me know what you think in the comments! :3
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone