Chương 17: The Runaways
Chapter: 16
Two days later
Today was the day—after all the years of planning and hiding, Abeni and I were finally leaving the plantation. For good. But despite everything, I couldn't shake the feeling that something about it was bittersweet.
I sat by my mother's bedside, watching her sleep, gently running my fingers through her dark hair. Her face looked peaceful, and a small, proud smile crossed her face even in her sleep. My fingers paused, and I let out a sigh, pulling a folded letter from my pocket. Both Abeni and I had left letters, hoping our words might ease the goodbye just a little.
Carefully, I slipped the letter into her hand, whispering, "Goodbye, Mother. I hope we'll meet again, someday. I'll miss you." I placed a kiss on her forehead and slowly pulled away.
As I reached the door, I glanced back one last time, only to find her brown eyes open and watching me, a soft smile on her lips. She didn't say anything, just nodded gently. The words weren't needed; I knew what she meant.
With a final nod, I stepped outside, took a breath, and activated my Lightning Cloak, vanishing through the shadows. When I reached the training spot, I found Abeni waiting, already changed and ready to go. She'd been quick, as usual.
She glanced my way with a grin. "Took you long enough. Hurry up and change; we've got a lot of ground to cover."
"I know, I know," I muttered, catching the bag she tossed over.
I ducked behind the oak tree, slipping out of the slave clothes, and grabbed a bar of soap. After quickly washing off and drying myself, I pulled on the fresh clothes: a simple white shirt with black accents at the sleeves, a brown pair of pants, and some stolen black boots. Finally, I pulled my dreads back in a ponytail, grabbing the musket and ammo pouch from the bag.
I stepped out to meet Abeni, who was leaning against the tree, her arms crossed, looking impatient.
She raised an eyebrow at me. "Well, aren't you all cleaned up."
"Laugh it up," I replied, adjusting the musket on my shoulder. "You ready?"
"Been ready," she said, sparking her own Lightning Cloak. "So… where to?"
"Straight north until we hit the port. We find a boat, and we're gone." I sparked my cloak, and with a final nod, we took off, leaving a streak of lightning in our wake as we slipped through the forest, dodging around trees and leaping over fallen logs.
As we moved through the dense forest, I noticed faint lights swirling beside us, moving in the shadows.
Abeni pointed, her brow furrowing. "Hey, Kael, what are these lights?"
"Wisps," I replied simply.
"Huh?"
"Spirits, Abeni."
She glanced at the lights with a wary look. "Spirits? Are they dangerous?"
"Most wisps are harmless," I assured her. "They're just attracted to Mana. It's the other spirits—the higher types—that you'd need to worry about."
"Oh… good to know," she muttered, looking around at the flickering lights. "Why haven't we seen any at the plantation?"
"Wisps aren't too common around settlements, and they don't like places with heavy negative energy. They prefer forests, rivers, untouched places," I explained, jumping over a fallen tree.
"Good to know… good to know," she muttered, though she still eyed them with suspicion. Then her eyes widened slightly as she ducked beneath a low branch. "So you've known all this time?"
"Did a lot of scouting these past few years," I replied with a grin. "You pick up things."
She was about to ask another question when my senses spiked, feeling something fast and sharp flying toward her. "Abeni, duck!"
Abeni dropped to her knees as an arrow sailed over her head, embedding itself in a nearby tree. We stopped, lightning crackling as we both searched the shadows around us. I scanned the area, narrowing my eyes as I focused. I pulsed my Mana, revealing a handful of signatures in the trees ahead—about ten, all giving off a faint Mana presence.
"Abeni, we're not alone," I warned.
She gripped her spear, getting into a stance. "So it's a fight, then?"
I raised my voice, calling out to the shadows. "Show yourselves! We know you're there!"
There was a rustling in the branches, and a group of men stepped out, each one wearing tattered clothing, their bodies showing signs of hard travel and hunger. Some of them were holding bows, their arrows trained on us, while others gripped swords that looked like they hadn't seen sharpening in years. One of them, a tall, thin man with a manic gleam in his eyes, stepped forward, his mouth twisting into a sneer as he eyed us up and down.
"Well, well. Look at this—two little monkeys playing with fire," he spat, his voice carrying an edge of contempt. "This is the sort of blasphemy we're sent to cleanse."
Abeni shot him a look of disgust. "Why does he look at us like that?"
"He's a fanatic," I muttered, holding my stance. "Think of him as a churchman who's lost his mind."
The man raised his sword, his voice rising as he called out to his men. "Do you see this?! The corruption of our very lands—filth pretending they have the right to magic!"
"Corruption?" I scoffed, keeping my eyes on the group. "All we see is a bunch of cowards hiding in the shadows."
The fanatic ignored me, his eyes practically glowing with a fervor that bordered on madness. "By the might of God, we'll cleanse these lands of your filth!" His voice rang out, and two archers immediately released arrows in our direction.
I raised my hand, forming a translucent blue barrier, blocking the arrows easily. The fanatic's face twisted with rage as he saw the arrows bounce harmlessly off.
"We're killing them, right?" Abeni asked, her voice cold.
"We're killing them," I agreed.
Without another word, Abeni dashed forward, her spear igniting with a fierce, burning flame as she launched herself at the group. I followed close behind, lightning crackling around me as I gripped my sword.
The first archer tried to aim another arrow, but Abeni was faster, a burst of wind sending her into his face before he could react. Her spear cut through the air, and the archer fell, his bow clattering to the ground. Another man swung at her with a rusted blade, but she ducked, spinning low as her wind magic propelled her spear upward, flames erupting along the blade as it sliced through his chest.
I charged at the fanatic, who sneered and raised his sword to meet me. His strikes were fast, but untrained, wild swings that betrayed his desperation. I sidestepped, dodging his blows, waiting for the right moment. He lunged at me, and I parried, releasing a pulse of lightning through the blade that sent him stumbling back.
The fanatic's eyes widened, realizing too late that he was outmatched. His lips moved as he muttered something under his breath, a frantic prayer. "God… save us…"
I stepped forward, leveling my sword at him. "Seems your god's not listening."
He tried to raise his sword, but before he could, Abeni's voice rang out behind him. "Catch."
A spear of flame flew past me, embedding itself in his back. He gasped, his eyes widening in shock as the flames consumed him from within. The last thing I saw was the look of sheer horror on his face as he crumbled into ash, his weapon clattering to the ground.
I turned back to Abeni, who was already stepping over the bodies of the other men, wiping the blood from her spear with a look of disgust.
"Well, that was underwhelming," she muttered, glancing down at the ashes that had once been our would-be attacker. "Didn't even put up a fight."
"Fanatics rarely do," I replied, sheathing my sword as I looked around, making sure none of the others were left. "Let's get out of here. There's no telling if more of them are lurking around."
Abeni nodded, and we activated our Lightning Cloaks once more, vanishing into the trees. The wisps followed us for a few miles before they eventually drifted back, disappearing into the night as we continued north, our goal closer than ever.
After all these years, our time was finally here.
Chapter 16: End
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