“Ya. Let’s call it a chase.”
“Deal.”
I stared at Aria as she began to scurry away. I squeezed her shoulder just a little bit harder and shook my head. They would hear us, especially if a branch got caught.
“Fifteen minutes is way too long!” Aria whispered as softly as she could as I looked at them, before putting a soft hand on her lips. They had our food and their camp was likely only a short walk away. I pressed a hand behind my ears, signaling for Aria to listen. At first her eyes were a frantic scattering of white, but on my signal she calmed, nodding. She was a clever girl, I’d give her that.
“You know, Clair’s found their tracks. At the rate they’re going, we’re going to catch them tonight.” The thin one snickered. “Then it’s game over. They might’ve gotten away at Oakhenge, but they won’t get away again.”
I saw Aria’s face as her expression matched mine. That was why everything was so quiet. I thought that the blizzard had covered our escape earlier. Now we faced a much more terrifying alternative.
“Have they barricaded down the next town?”
“I think they sent another regiment over to Arlond, but that place is pretty big. If all else fails, they’re blowing up the bridge.”
Arlond would starve.
My heart let out a sympathetic pang as I saw the large man place a hand on the bridge of his winter cap, shaking. Without the bridge, there would be no way to Mithil once the snow closed in.
“That’s not a village. That’s one of the major towns. Thousands!” he shouted as the thin one shrugged with the same uncaring attitude given to a dead goldfish.
“The church has demanded, and we serve.”
This time it was my turn to stare at Aria in terror. They were going to box us in! Even if we somehow escaped from here, they’d box us in Arlond, and then torch the town for good measure.
“They’re going to pin us down,” I frantically whispered, panicked.
“I didn’t know that they would do this! We need to get out of here first.” Her gaze hardened, as she began to crawl out of her hiding spot. Too late. Her silver eyes flickered as dreaded words hit my ears.
“Hey, did you hear something?”
No time for talking. I acted on pure instinct as I popped out of cover, my legs still numb. I bit down as I aimed a shot at the thin one’s legs. Aria was already running to reposition, plumes of mist lifting behind her as she ran.
“Aaah!” The scream echoed across the thick snowbank and I winced. Hopefully we weren’t alerting an entire camp of inquisitors. From the corner of my eye I saw the large brute ready his crossbow, taking aim at the only enemy he could see. Snowshoes were not the greatest for nimble action, but in that moment, I managed it. Adrenaline and the fear of death were stronger than numb legs. I tumbled forward. My heart was racing as a bolt whizzed by my side, striking the tree with a spray of bark.
“Get the Pact user!” the thin one screamed, still clenching his impaled leg as I took a quick glance over at Aria. She was already covered in protective mist, planning the next step of attack.
I notched another arrow as I heard cranking of a crossbow. I knew I was faster, but my hands were shaking from the adrenaline. I had to steady them if I was going to land my shots. I was trying my best to ignore the roars of desperate men.
“How? That archer has got us pinned and the Pact user’s gone as well.” The large man’s voice rang across the white mist as I saw him from the corner of my eye. Perfect.
“By the Trinity, figure it out!”
I couldn’t help but laugh on the inside. They were the elite fighters of the church, yet they were getting dropped by us. I had even managed to smile a little as my heart pounded faster than ever before.
Nope! I saw the glint of metal and ducked back. The large man had been waiting for me to pop out. I felt the slam of the crossbow bolt into the side of the tree, mere inches from where I stood. My heart pounded a mile a minute as my moment of hubris was quashed. Still elite guards. Then more screaming.
When I popped out again, I realized the source. Aria had dunked the one who wasn’t skewered with an arrow with freezing cold water. The poor inquisitor’s clothes were soaked from head to toe, and he looked like he was about to freeze to death. No mist wall anymore, but she had taken to hiding behind a tree. My eyes met with hers, but only for a moment. That fierce, uncaring stare was back. The shimmering and glitter were gone, replaced by solid colors.
“Got her!” A click of the crossbow as the lithe man grinned, firing his round at her.
“Aria!” I screamed, for the first time fearing for her safety. She didn’t need me though. It was as if she was the water herself as she effortlessly bobbed in the other direction. She didn’t even flinch as the bolt flew by, inches from her face. An orb of water was already forming in her hands for a counterattack.
“Aaah!” The other man charged with his poleaxe. Absolutely not. I let another arrow fly, grinning as it found its mark, lodging itself in his leg. He crumpled and fell into the snow, with a scream of pain.
“Is this all worth it? Just for me?” Aria emerged from her hiding spot, a blob of water trailing behind her as she stared at the two defeated inquisitors. Her fists were clenched as she looked down at the two of them, standing as tall as she could. I notched an arrow in case one of them got any dumb ideas.
“Hah…never thought you’d out yourself like that…” the lithe man chuckled as the large man got up with a roar. Aria didn’t bat an eye as that glob of water flew onto his head, just like before. Anger and rage were replaced with terror and confusion as he collapsed onto the ground, drowning on solid land. I made sure to not look at him this time as Aria continued as if nothing had happened.
“Answer my question or your friends die!” Her face shimmered with rage as the man let out a gurgled gasp, air bubbles floating to the top of the orb.
“What makes you think I’m worth starving thousands of people to death for? Who in the bloody church thought that I was worth all that! And you have the gall to agree!” She was a spirit of vengeance, screaming at men who didn’t know better. Yet the lithe man kept his smile.
“There are good things in the world…and there are evil things. You are the greatest of evil. We will receive redemption in…” he began as I readied an arrow to shut him up. Yet when I aimed at his face, I found my will lacking. Despite all the bandit attacks, despite the words, there was something hard about shooting with the intent to kill. My hands refused, shaking.
Aria didn’t have such hesitation. With a run she smashed her fist into the man’s face. With nothing more than the hardwood behind him, I could hear the crack of bones breaking. Blood coated her hands, as the man let out a weak scream. His nose had been crushed and his jaw had broken.
And that sweet child had left. Another fist, then another as the man’s face quickly stopped resembling a face. Arms were raised to protect his face, but her fist just smashed his hands apart instead. Blood ran down onto the snow in trickles and seeped into her sleeves. I lowered my bow in shock as I watch her brutally murder this man in cold blood, her eyes not displaying a single hint of doubt. Finally, she picked up his head with both of her hands, then smashed it against the tree. The crack of broken bone ran across the battlefield, alongside the soft dripping of blood. The drowning man beside her had gone quiet.
I dropped my bow and raised both of my hands. She was panting, taking heavy breaths as the orb of water dissipated.
“Aria. You’re okay now.”
There was a silence as she relaxed too, her shoulders dropping as her glance softened again. Was that…Cestra? Or was that her? Blood was still dripping from her hands, but she seemed closer to that girl I knew. I slowly picked up my bow to sling it across my back.
“We need to head back to camp. Then we can figure out what to do.” Her voice was a sad acknowledgement of the task ahead.
I gave her a worried gaze, then nodded as I started to make my way back. Aria picked up some snow, letting the melted water wash away the blood from her hands. She looked like she didn’t want to talk at all.
