The Lost Runner

Chapter 10: Silvyr. Is. Gone.

'What!?' I yelped and punched thin air, like a reflex. Arocraes dodged at the last second, as his shoulder happened to be near my fist.

'He's gone. Look. He must've been taken away, he wouldn't desert us like this.' Arocraes hissed.

I stumbled as I straightened up to look around. He was right. No Silvyr. But that means a monster knows our location, and if it took Silvyr, then why not us? I gasped and looked my friend straight in the eye.

'Which way Zanelor?' I said, angry I hadn't been paying attention to Silvyr. I was too busy staring at that stupid tile painting.

'I think left Silas.' He spoke in the same tone. His expression said to run, it was all his faut, just go. But I didn't. I wanted to protect my friends if it was the last thing I did.

I patted his shoulder and shook my head.

'No. I will not leave you, so come on.' I said, trying to keep my voice steady. Arocraes glared at me, but slipped his bow off his shoulder and followed me into a tunnel.

He shimmied infront of me and we pushed our way through multiple passageways, and hunching over so we didn't hit our heads. It made my back ache but I put up with it. It was worth it to save our friend.

'Do you actually know where we're going?' I asked.

'Of course! The path the ghost sent me was the correct path, so I'm heading in the opposite direction. The monsters would obviously drag him farther away from the goal, rather than to it because where is the fun in that?' He explained.

'Um .... okay.' I answered, still processing what he just said. 'So that's the path there, so we go that way basically?'

'Yeah'

'Okay' I inhaled sharply, gripped my sword and carried on down the darkened path.