Lucinda leaned forward, placing her elbows on the small table in the center of the room as she folded her hands together. She leaned forward, moving them under her chin. Then the sound of something heavy being placed on the table caused her to jump. Sonya had her hands over Lucinda's swords on the table. Lucinda's eyes moved to her as she asked, "Damn... What did he do this time?"
"He is not in his room or on the balcony," Sonya explained as she moved away from Lucinda, tying her hair up to keep it from getting in her face. "Climbed down with some rope. Don't know why he didn't just jump, but..."
Lucinda stood up, tying her weapons around her waist hastily before grabbing her black leather breastplate. She then placed it over her long shirt, tying the laces around the back as tight as she could. Then she turned back to Sonya, who was grabbing her gear. Lucinda grabbed a short cord from the table and tied her hair near the end, keeping her hair long but out of the way.
"Where is Alexis?" asked Lucinda, not seeing her in the room.
Sonya shrugged as she moved toward the door beside Kota's open door and looked inside. "She is not in here," she announced. "I am not sure she has even come back yet from talking with Barthe."
"What do you mean, she is notâ?" asked Lucinda, stopping mid-sentence as they heard a creak of wood outside the door.
Lucinda unsheathed her sword on her lower back, holding it along the outside of her arm as she moved closer to the side of the door. The two stood still as they watched the door move slightly before it opened. Lucinda waited for the door to open wider, but then she saw Sonya's stance lighten, and Alexis walked into the room before closing the door behind her. Lucinda noticed Alexis was still in her armor and gear.
Alexis asked, "Damn... Where is he now?"
Lucinda shook her head before sheathing her blade. "He is not here. He must have left from the balcony."
"Well, let me grab my spear, and we will go find him. I swear that brother of mineâ¦" Alexis walked toward her room as she moved the braid of her hair off her right shoulder.
Lucinda reached for the door handle before pulling, but it didn't move. She tried again as the sound of broken glass and shattered wood filled the air, and different people came from the roof and the windows. Speedily, before allowing anyone to react, Lucinda pulled out her long sword from her back and lunged toward a figure. Blocking her attack, the hooded figure pushed against her. She swiftly maneuvered herself off the bearskin rug and pulled it out from under his feet. The two men on the rug fell to their backs, and Sonya flipped her ax around, smacking one of them on the side of the head.
As Lucinda walked over to the other man, a spear protruded through Alexis's door, and blood dripped from the tip of the spear before it quickly retreated from the door. Lucinda took no time while she knelt next to the man, and she held her sword to the man's throat as Alexis opened the door.
"Are you here for Kota?" Lucinda demanded.
"No. Akar sent us to capture Alexis. The other group is after Kota," said the man, scooting away from the blade.
Sonya walked up behind him, stopping him in his tracks with her leg. As the man turned his head toward her, she swung her ax into the floor next to him. As the ax stuck out of the floor, she leaned on the handle and smiled. "Where did your friends track him to?"
"It looked like a warehouse down on the south side of the city," answered the man, pointing out the window a man had broken through. "They sent us this way because we tracked you to the inn earlier and needed to keep you busy until reinforcements arrived."
Standing, Lucinda quickly raised her knee into the side of his head, knocking him out cold.
Alexis walked up to her. "Go on ahead and find Kota," she directed. "We will gather our supplies, make sure Barthe is all right, and follow your trail."
Lucinda nodded before heading toward the balcony doors, throwing them open in a swift motion to give chase to Kota. She moved to the rail and quickly jumped down to the street below, rolling as she hit the ground. Heading to the side of the inn that the man had pointed toward, she looked up to see the broken window behind her and followed the path away from that window.
Making her way through the streets, she stayed as quiet as possible to avoid any further detection. When she heard swords clashing, she froze in her tracks, figuring out where the noise was coming from. She looked to her right, as the sounds were heavier down that pathway.
She sprinted in the sound's direction. When she turned the corner of the building, she stopped and dodged behind a small fence on the side of a house, as she saw three men with their weapons at the ready. She took a deep breath, thinking about what her plan would be, but then she froze as she heard a low growl coming from the shadows behind her.
Kota smiled as he moved an arm's length away to view his friend in the warehouse. "Everyone thought you were dead. Wait, why haven't you been helping Alexis and Lucinda? Or at least let them know you were alive? They looked for you as well."
"I have been using my talents elsewhere," said Lukas, turning his attention to Rose. "I have been trying to track down that mysterious woman and her associates."
Rose smiled, rolling her eyes. "So, William knew you were alive and said nothing to the banished Princess or that mender. Some family you have, Kota."
Lukas pointed his finger at Rose as he stated, "He thought it would be better to spread our efforts, as Alexis and Lucinda were looking for Kota. We trusted them to find him, and unfortunately, that woman does not make much of herself to be noticed anywhere she goes. What exactly have you been doing to help?"
Rose moved closer to Lukas, pointing back at him. "Her name is Cordelia, and if it weren't for me, the royal family would be dead andâ"
"Stop arguing," Kota yelled, stepping between the two of them and pushing their hands down. "There are bigger things to focus on now. Those were not the only men who are here tonight, right?"
Rose nodded. "There are most likely men at the pub you rested at as we speak, but Kota, there is somewhere you need to be after tonight."
"Where is that?" asked Kota, noticing the look in her eyes.
Rose moved closer to Kota, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Down south from here, there is an old merchant town. There is an older man named Echo who has been part of a resistance against Mara. Get him on your side, and he will be a great ally for what is coming next."
"What is going to happen next?" questioned Lukas, drawing near the two of them.
Rose turned away before looking up toward the moonlight coming from a small opening in the ceiling. "A war is coming, Kota. I will do my best to stall it with your family's help, but she has put all the pieces in place. There is no time to waste."
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"Then I cannot be standing here talking," said Kota, striding toward the door he had entered through. He called back to Lukas. "We can catch up later, Lukas. Right now, we have to see if Lucinda and the others are all right."
Lukas followed suit and stood by Kota, turning toward Rose. "What will you do tonight, then?"
She looked down at the newly gained weapon at her side, placing her left arm on the hilt. "I will do some hunting tonight. I will keep as many of Akar's trackers away from you as possible."
"Stay safe, Rose. I know we will meet again soon."
Kota pushed the door open as Lukas helped. Then they ran out of the door and closed it behind them. Kota, taking a second to look around, remembered which way he had come from.
"Do you think she was telling the truth?" Lukas asked him.
"She knew William sent us here, and she hasn't tried to kill me the few times I have run into her before," answered Kota, pointing to move forward to his right before continuing. "I think anyone who knows who I am and doesn't kill me right away is someone to at least consider a friend."
Following Kota, Lukas shook his head before telling his friend, "You have not changed. Always willing to trust and see the silver lining."
Kota stopped and took a second to remember the path he had taken from the inn, and went left down an alleyway. "Well, in case you did not know, the last year or so has been less than a few weeks for me. Cordelia, the woman who captured me, kept me asleep somehow for that entire time. Not much time for self-improvement."
"Seriously? How did she do that?" asked Lukas, as he stayed on Kota's heels.
Kota shrugged before stopping as he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He saw Lucinda crouching behind a small fence, and he sprinted over to her, waving at Lukas to follow. Kota kept quiet as Lucinda turned herself around to face him. He reached out and hugged her as Lukas moved behind her.
Kota, between every breath, told her, "We are being hunted andâ"
The group suddenly covered their ears as the howl of a wolf echoed through the streets. The three turned toward the shadows and saw a quick purple flame engulf what appeared to be a wolf. Then the area went pitch-black. A deep, menacing growl made Lukas step forward, holding out his shield. Kota pushed Lucinda out of the way as a monstrous wolf jumped out of the shadows, lunging at Lukas and knocking him out of the way. The wolf then rammed into Kota, and the two crashed through the fence, rolling toward three men with weapons drawn. Jumping quickly to his feet, Kota stood in front of the three men, watching as the wolf regained its balance and stared down at the group.
"What the hell is that?" asked a man, moving away from Kota.
Kota unsheathed his sword and aimed the blade at the wolf, keeping a tight grip on the hilt. Glancing back at the three men behind him for a split second, he asked, "You guys still here to capture me? I feel like we might have bigger problems than that."
The three men looked at Kota as he kept his eyes forward, and they turned and ran as the wolf effortlessly leaped at Kota. He quickly shuffled to his right, dodging the attempt from the animal, and it slammed into another man, knocking him onto his stomach. With a sickening crunch, the wolf quickly wrenched the man's neck sideways between its jaws, killing him in an instant. Kota spun the blade in his hand and held it at the ready as the wolf swung his head toward him. It crouched down and prepared to lunge at Kota again.
The wolf moved to the right slightly before approaching, and Kota reared his arm back, ready to strike, but then Lukas ran from his left side and slammed into the wolf's side and knocked it over.
Lucinda moved to stand next to Kota. She unsheathed the sword on her back with her right hand and drew a smaller sword on her hip with her left. "Have you ever seen a wolf this big before?"
"No, but I have never seen a woman regrow her right arm and tear someone apart with it before, so tonight is full of firsts."
Lucinda quickly asked, "What?"
He pulled Lucinda forward and helped Lukas as the wolf got to its feet again. Its eyes gleamed a dark purple before it crouched down, ready to leap. Then a loud whistling sound filled the air, and the wolf's ears perked up. Turning to its left, the wolf gave another loud howl as the group covered their ears. Then the creature sprinted away, crashing through another wooden fence and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
The three of them stood there in disbelief.
Kota sheathed his blade before Lukas said, "We need to hurry and find Alexis before whatever the hell that thing is finds her."
"Oh, Lucinda, this is Lukas, my friend, who we all thought was dead for the last year," Kota explained, moving his hand awkwardly at Lukas.
The sudden events took aback Lucinda as she looked between Lukas and Kota. She held out her hand to shake his and smiled. "This is Lukas? Well, I am glad to see you alive, but did you also say someone grew an arm before tearing a person apart?"
Lukas nodded, and Kota saw his head movement before saying, "Good. So it was not just me, then."
"Why would it have been just you? That actually happened," asserted Lukas, placing his shield strap over his shoulder and turning to Kota.
Kota looked at the two as he shook his head. "We should focus on what we are going to do next, as people are trying to kill us, and I do not want to be a prisoner again."
Lucinda, still confused as she looked between the two of them. Then she pointed her finger in the direction she had come from. "Yes, let's go make sure Alexis and Sonya are safe and made it out of Barthe's place alive."
Lucinda led the way as Kota and Lukas followed behind. As they moved through the streets, heading back to the inn, Lucinda turned back to Lukas. "If you have been alive all this time, then why didn't you reveal yourself to Alexis? We could have used the help to find Kota."
"Well, an unknown individual rescued and healed me. When I had fully recovered, the stranger was gone. It still took a month before I could travel." Placing a hand on the corner of a building, Lukas looked around, seeing open space and no mercenaries before proceeding. "William was the first person I contacted. We planned that I would focus on the woman, and you guys on Kota."
The group moved slowly through the open plaza, and the balcony of the pub was in sight. As they walked closer to the balcony, they heard nothing from the streets around them or from the second level of the pub itself. They walked underneath the balcony as Lucinda tapped on Lukas's shoulder. "Give me a boost. You two go around the front and see if Sonya and Alexis went that way."
Lukas took out his shield as she stepped back from him. He held it in front of him, and she ran toward him before leaping onto the shield. He thrust her upward, lifting her into the air. Lucinda placed her hand on the railing as she landed quietly on the wooden structure, bringing out her blade from behind her back. She listened as the two others headed around the front. Then she crouched and moved toward the open door from the balcony.
Lucinda reached out her hand to pull the door open further, and she stepped into Kota's room. The area was dark as she moved to the door leading to the other rooms. As she opened it, she heard Sonya's voice.
"You two all right in there?" said Lucinda as she stood.
She opened the door to see the two of them standing with Barthe in the middle of the room. Alexis nodded as she spoke to Barthe. "I am sorry we brought this trouble down on you tonight. We did not want to get you involved in this."
Barthe shook his head. "No worries. I will handle everything else here. Just get Kota⦠Where is Kota?"
Alexis turned toward Lucinda, seeing it was only her, and she threw her hands out. "What happened to finding Kota? Did you find him?"
Lucinda nodded as the door from the inside of the pub flew open, revealing Lukas and Kota with their weapons drawn. They froze in their tracks, seeing the three of them with weapons drawn themselves.
"Oh, you guys are all right. That's good to see," said Kota, sheathing his sword as Barthe shook his head. "Sorry about the damage, Barthe." Kota glanced back at the door and around the room.
He sighed as he rubbed his forehead, and Alexis pushed past him as she walked up to Lukas. Reaching out, she cupped his chin in her hands. "Is that really you, Lukas? I thought you were dead."
He smiled, nodding his head, and before he could speak, Alexis smacked him across the face. "You could at least have told us you were alive, you stupidâ"
"Whoa, all right, you two. We can deal with this later," said Kota as he pushed his way between the two of them. "Right now, we have to get out of here."
Alexis's actions took Lukas aback, but he shook them off as he spoke. "We have to head down to Ruwan. If we are still being hunted, then I know of some ruins we should head toward for cover. No one goes there. After we get to Ruwan, we will find the man Rose called Echo, who canâ"
Sonya raised her hand in front of the group, interrupting. "Wait. I thought we were here to find this Wanderer. And who is Rose?"
Kota and Lukas caught the group up as they moved to the front door of the pub. They stood in the dim lighting of the downstairs bar. Alexis grabbed a few coins from the pouch she carried before Barthe placed his hand on hers, covering the coins. "You will need it more than I will," he said. "Keep the little hunter safe."
She nodded as the group said their farewells to Barthe and headed out the front door of the pub.
As they hurried across the city square, Lucinda turned toward Lukas and asked him, "How far are these ruins from here?"
"If we hurry, we may make it there before nightfall tomorrow and rest there before we head to Ruwan," said Lukas, as the group stayed quiet.
They moved as fast as they could to the edge of the city, heading south. Leaving the city behind in the dark of night.