Crumph! Crumph! Crumph!
Three more explosions, spaced fifty feet apart, erupt under the leading edge of the advancing force. Men scream as their bodies are flung up into the air only to fall back, slamming into the ground with bone shattering force. Many fail to move again while others weakly call out for help. Several trees in the explosion area begin to topple, men cry out as they run to avoid them. Some are crushed by the falling trees while trying to rescue their companions who’d been injured in the explosions.
“That should slow them down some,” James says as he rejoins the others. Setting a quick pace, they race through the trees to put as much distance between themselves and the soldiers.
As they continue on, the sound of pursuit becomes more distant. Jiron continues to lead them northward, though he soon loses exactly which way north is. Not being a woodsman, he’s now using the sound coming from their pursuers to determine their course. His main goal is simply to just stay ahead of them.
Suddenly, the trees open up and the river appears before them. Without hesitation, he immediately turns to follow it upstream. “Won’t they think to follow it?” James asks him.
“Most likely,” he says, “but that mural indicated this river comes from a lake nestled in among some mountains. I think we’d be better able to lose them in the mountains than in here.”
“Good thinking,” James replies approvingly.
When the sound of pursuit all but disappears, they slow their progress, giving everyone a break from the relentless pace. They pause near the river for only a few moments to allow everyone to have a quick drink and to catch their breath before continuing on.
“Let’s go,” Jiron announces as he makes ready to resume following the river to the mountains.
Miko gets to his feet with an exhausted groan. Jiron grins at Miko but then his grin disappears when he sees James beginning to limp on his wounded leg.
Coming over to James, he says, “Leg bothering you again?”
Nodding, James replies, “Yeah, a little. All this running is putting a strain on it.”
“You going to make it?” he asks.
“I have little choice,” James says, resigned. Then he indicates Jiron should proceed as he says, “Go on, I’ll be fine.”
Worried about his leg, Jiron again moves out. Following the river enables them to maintain a consistent heading that forging through the forest hadn’t allow.
The moon appears on the horizon, giving them some light with which to make their way. Though it’s merely a lightning of the shadows after it filters its way down through the canopy of leaves above them. Miko continues to jump at every sound around him, the shadows playing tricks with his eyes, making him see enemies around every tree.
For the next hour, they continue moving quickly through the forest, staying close to the river. Soon the sound of pursuit completely disappears behind them. They stop for another few minutes by the side of the river where everyone takes a moment’s rest.
Miko plops himself down on the ground, exhausted. “Don’t get too comfortable,” Jiron tells him from over by the river. “We’re not staying very long.”
“I know,” he replies, sounding very tired.
James hobbles over and sits down with his back against a tree near Miko, glad to have the opportunity to rest. His leg is starting to burn and when he looks at it, can see that blood is beginning to ooze again from the cuts. He brings his head down to lay on his arms resting on his knees just as a crossbow bolt embeds itself into the tree where his head had been but a moment ago.
“Jiron!” he yells as he rolls to his side, avoiding another bolt as it strikes the tree. Pain erupts in his side as he feels the barely healed wound rip open. Suddenly, the entire area is illuminated by a bright light as he creates an orb of light in the air above them. He quickly looks around and sees several soldiers coming toward them out of the trees. He lets loose with blasts of energy that lifts two of them up and slams them into the trees behind them.
Miko is getting up, trying to get his sword out of its scabbard when a soldier appears in front of him. Screaming, he lurches away from the attacker just as a slug strikes the soldier in the chest, propelling him backward as it blasts out of his back.
He at last gets the sword out as Jiron joins the battle, engaging two of the remaining soldiers. Taking the sword in both hands, Miko edges backward, away from the battle knowing he’d be little use against them.
The ground erupts and five soldiers are thrown into the air. Miko looks around and sees a soldier coming up behind James who looks to be lost in concentration, oblivious to the approaching danger.
Miko breaks into a run to engage the man before he can get to James. The soldier hears him approaching and turns, a smile on his face when he sees Miko.
Coming closer, Miko cries out as he swings the sword with all his might. The soldier easily deflects his inept attack and returns with a slash. Before it has a chance to connect, the soldier is struck with a slug and thrown off balance. Miko is sprayed with gore from the exiting slug as the man falls to the ground dead.
Miko turns to see James looking toward him another slug in his hand. He gives him a brief nod of thanks as he wipes some of the man’s blood off his face, then brings his attention to the remaining soldiers battling Jiron. Knowing he’d be worse than useless there, he goes over to James and stands with sword ready as he watches his back.
Jiron deflects one soldier’s blade while at the same time elbowing the other in the side of the head, causing him to stagger dazed for just a few seconds. He sidesteps away from the dazed man as he engages the remaining soldier.
The man holds him at bay with his shield while striking out with his sword. Jiron deflects the soldier’s sword rather than taking the brunt of the attack by blocking, and returns with a slice from his other knife, opening up a long wound down the man’s forearm. He severs several tendons which causes the soldier’s hand to release the sword. Without his sword, Jiron is able to knock aside the shield and get inside his defenses. A quick strike with his knife and he connects with a mortal wound to the man’s neck.
Blood spraying forth as the jugular is severed, he sees the soldier fall and then turns his attention back to the man who’d been staggering dazed and kicks out with his foot. Connecting with the man’s knee, he hears a satisfying ‘snap’ as the soldier cries out and falls to the ground.
Moving away from the fallen man, he quickly glances around the area and realizes there’re no more soldiers to deal with. “Come on!” he cries as they resume their flight through the forest. He notices that this time, Miko has acquired a crossbow as well as a brace of bolts which is slung across his back. The sword is back in its scabbard hanging at his hip.
As they hurry along, James asks, “How’d they catch up to us so fast?”
“Moving silently,” Jiron replies. “They’re trained for that, whereas we plow through the brush announcing our position with every move we make.”
“No time to rest then,” James announces.
“I wouldn’t advise it,” Jiron says and then hears a groan from Miko. Glancing back to him, he asks, “Tired?”
He just gets a nod from Miko as he tries to keep up with them. The added equipment he’s acquired burdens him more than he’s willing to admit.
After another hour, the sky begins to lighten and they can see that they’re finally approaching the foothills of the northern range of mountains where that lake is suppose to be. When the sun begins to crest the horizon, they locate a somewhat hidden spot and stop for a rest break. Miko immediately collapses to the ground, James hits the ground not too far behind as well. “You guys rest,” Jiron tells them, “and I’ll have a look around.”
Getting a nod in reply, he moves out and soon disappears in the trees. “Think we lost them?” Miko asks James.
Shaking his head no, he says, “I doubt it. I’m sure they have trackers and we’re probably leaving a trail a blind person could follow. It’s just a matter of time until they find us.”
“What are we to do then?” he asks worriedly.
“Keep going, try to stay ahead of them,” he tells him. “That’s about all we can do.” He leans back against the bole of a tree and closes his eyes. The pain in his leg throbbing and he knows he really needs to get off it for a while so it can have a chance to heal. His side has stopped burning from where he’d agitated it earlier. He’d looked at it after the sun came up and found some blood had begun oozing again.
