Magic Within Official

Chapter 1

"Run!" Ajani yelled, sprinting through the bushes. He could hear Shira running a few feet behind him, shoving the low hanging branches out of the way.

"I don't remember the forest being so dense!" she yelled, and Ajani heard more branches snap.

"There were people cutting through it before!" he said, almost tripping on a tree root.

"How far to the beach?"

"Not too far." Ajani grimaced. "But far enough that they could catch us before we get there."

"I thought you said these were the best odds!"

"They are." he said. "That doesn't mean they're GOOD odds."

They ran through the forest, Ajani's long white hair streaming out behind him. While he was running, one of his boots got stuck in the muddy ground. Biting back a curse, he slipped his foot out of the boot and continued running. The trees gradually began to thin out, and the two of them arrived at the beach.

"Which boat do we take?" Shira asked, scanning the few boats that lined the beach.

"The one that's least likely to sink." Ajani said.

"And which one is that?"

The trees rumbled in the distance. Ajani heard faint "This way!" echoing through the forest.

"Whichever one is closest!" he said. "Go!"

They ran to the nearest boat, a canoe-like vessel. It would take them where they needed to go.

Ajani and Shira worked together to push the boat off the beach and into the water. Shira's blue eyes matched the ocean, her black hair drifting across her face in the wind. The alarms sounding in the distance gave them an easy pace to row at. They sailed the canoe out on to the deep blue waves. They arrived at a spot 80 metres away from the beach.

90 metres.

100 metres.

Ajani felt a power ripple through his body. He could see that Shira felt it too. He clenched his hands a few times, getting used to the magic that used to be a normal part of his being. Turning around to look back at the beach, Ajani saw three people dressed in guard armour. For a reason he didn't know, they didn't board any of the remaining boats on the beach and give chase.

"Let's get out of here."

"Thought you'd never ask." Shira dipped her hands on either side of the canoe. The water came to life around her hands, and the boat skimmed off away from the island. It got smaller and smaller until it disappeared beyond the horizon.

Ajani looked up at Shira. "At this speed, we should reach the mainland in fifteen minutes."

"That gives you fifteen minutes to rest." Shira said, focused on her task.

"What?"

"You heard me. Sleep. I've got this." Shira said, smiling at Ajani.

Ajani knew that he wouldn't win this argument. He curled up into a ball at the back of the canoe and fell asleep.

Neri POV

I woke up to the sounds of alarms blaring. Surely it was too early for my alarm! I reached out and hit my clock. The noises kept screaming. I opened one of my eyes, maybe I wasn't hitting it hard enough? Red lights flashed through my cabin. I shot out of bed, quickly donning my armour. Running to the door, I just managed to grab my helmet before shooting out into the hallway. The whole corridor flashed red, sirens continuing to blare. Everyone was running around like headless chickens.