Chapter 26: Escape

Charon moved towards the doorway, pausing just outside the frame so he could peek around the corner. The hall looked identical to earlier, except for a few pews having been moved to make seats around a much larger fire. Red, the girl on watch, was sitting in one of the pews, but was looking up at the stained glass at the front of the church rather than the exit. Long scarlet hair fell down lithe shoulders, and Charon could just barely see that she was wearing a light blue tunic. ’A stroke of luck! Some watchman she is!’ He momentarily reconsidered the option of attacking her while she wasn’t looking, but decided it was too risky, especially when they had an opening. Leaning back, he informed Emerius of the situation, explaining that it should be easy if they didn’t make too much noise. His companion nodded along with it all, offering Charon a bit of advice. "Once we leave, do not look back. We will creep to the front door, and then make a run for it. Anything else will slow us down." Charon listened intently, trusting that everything was based on some kind of tutoring or instruction. ’At this rate, there isn’t a field Emerius hasn’t been taught yet. Having a rich and powerful family makes all the difference.’ Taking a deep breath, he exhaled and then took the first step, half his body now revealed to the entire hall. ’Don’t think about it, Charon, just keep moving.’ He gave Red one last glance, happily noting that she was still distracted. His next step came quicker, and the one after that even quicker, as he gradually assumed a creeping jog across the hall. He passed the back few pews quickly, absent-mindedly sniffing the air. The smell of the prior evening’s dinner filled his nose, a nice roasted and spiced meat. It was delectable and made Charon’s mouth water. ’So even people surviving in the realm of the undead eat better than the orphanage did. Go figure.’ Emerius moved behind him, hot on his heels. It wasn’t long before the duo had almost made it to the doorway, freedom so close they could reach out and touch it. And then Charon heard a voice. Not in his ears, but in his head. "The path you seek is not ahead, nor behind, and in many ways all around." He froze, unable to figure out where the voice had come from. His head craned around to look back in the hall, the red-haired girl staring directly at him, a strange smile on her lips. It took him less than a second to notice that the other three strangers were not anywhere to be seen. "It’s a trap! Run!" Charon took off out of the doorway, Emerius snapping out of his surprise and following him closely, but they were too late. Two forms appeared in the tunnels’ torchlight, their steel blades shimmering. Both were tall, well over six feet, but their bodies were very different. One looked like a brute, his chest bare to expose rippling muscles. A colossal waraxe was held in his hands, somehow matching the sadistic grin on his bald face. The other was more like a knight, strong but composed. He had handsome black hair and brilliant green eyes that matched Charon’s, as well as the forest green leather armor he wore. In his hand was a pure white shortsword that glowed, illuminating the tunnel and making it clear they had no escape. They were also both teenagers, maybe nineteen at the eldest. The moment the handsome man spoke, Charon recognized his voice as Darius. "When Red informed me we had visitors, I had expected a fight. Then, when she said your goal was to flee, I was expecting a chase. I was not expecting, however, to catch you so easily." Darius glanced over to the hulking man next to him, the one they had called Liam. "I trust you are smart enough to listen to me as I say return to the hall, or else I will let my friend here have his wish." Charon gulped, acknowledging he had no chance against Liam, or even Darius, by the looks of it. ’My dagger won’t do anything. Even if I managed to block his sword, that waraxe will cleave me in two the second I turn my back.’ Emerius, comparatively, didn’t look ready to back down. He drew his second blade with a ring, holding one low and the other high as his body shifted sideways. His voice cut out quietly, just loud enough for Charon to hear. "I can strike the big one. If I kill him quickly, you can run while I keep the swordsman at bay." The plan was hastily built, but it could work if Emerius was skilled enough. ’I know he is skilled, the real question is if the other two are. That waraxe can’t move all that fast, which could give us a chance.’ Just as he thought that, they heard another blade being drawn from behind them. Whirling around, Charon saw the last member of the group, Annie. Long blonde hair framed a beautiful face with blue eyes and freckled cheeks. She wore armor the color of ivory, sleek and refined but still protective. What drew his attention the most, other than her sparkling eyes, was the sword in her hand. If Darius’ blade glowed, this sword shined, bathing the entire area in radiance. It was almost to the point of blinding, Charon having to squint to see through it. Emerius noticed as well, grumbling under his breath. "Damn it, change of plans. We surrender until we see the first sign of trouble, then we do whatever we must to escape." With controlled rage, Emerius threw his swords to the ground and raised his hands. Charon, seeing this, figured there was nothing he could do on his own, and chucked his own dagger down. Darius smirked at this. "The sword has that effect on people. I am glad you decided to see reason. Now please, the hall." Annie, seeing their surrender, flicked her wrist and the glowing blade vanished. The darkness of the tunnel rushed back in, seeming all the more intimidating with its absence, like a dam had been broken. The two reluctantly followed Annie back into the hall. Red was still in the same pew, staring up at the stained glass. ’How can she even see it? Doesn’t she know it’s too dark to make out?’ To his horror, she turned to face him, smiling softly. "What is sight but understanding? Regardless of what I see, I still understand." Many things made sense just then. ’She can read thoughts! That’s how they knew we were here, and how to capture us!’ It also revealed that she can speak in other people’s minds, which must’ve been the voice Charon heard. ’That’s how she was able to coordinate her friends. Gods damn it all!’ The group pushed the two of them to the furthest wall from the exit. Annie, Darius, and Liam all stood in a half circle in front of them, blocking any attempts to escape. Charon’s gaze flicked to Liam’s wide grin, yellow teeth bared. The giant was slowly caressing the flat end of his axe’s blade, an action that came across as almost loving. Darius, meanwhile, was in a staring competition with Emerius, neither of them backing down. It was as if sparks were shooting out of their eyes, fighting in a battle for supremacy. Not wanting to look at Liam, nor the feud between the two swordsmen, he instead looked at Annie, who was scanning the two of them up and down. Her hair was somehow neatly combed, even in the jungle. It fell down her shoulders with grace, stopping halfway down her back. Her full lips were pursed, as if she were deep in thought. Even without the ethereal blade, he thought she looked beautiful, the epitome of a royal princess. ’She looks to be about my age, too!’ Snapping out of his daze, he realized she was looking at him with understanding. The corner of her mouth turned down in mild disgust, making him blush in embarrassment. ’Great first impression, Charon, you’re officially a creep!’ His next thought was how that shouldn’t matter; she was technically his captor now, but being sixteen didn’t make these kinds of situations any easier! ’Because that’s exactly what we need right now, a healthy dose of Stockholm syndrome.’ Seemingly finishing his staring competition, Darius spoke up, his tone firm but not unkind. "We had heard rumors that the other groups were planning to push onto the shore, but we were not expecting them to do it so soon." Liam chortled, the sound unpleasant to hear. "Yeah, especially not a couple of weaklings like you two shits. I had been hoping for at least a short scrap, bloody my axe a little!" Darius ignored the crude comments and leveled his blade, pointing it straight at Emerius. "Why don’t you save us all a lot of time and tell me which colony you serve?"