Oceanum Collis

•Chapter 21• The Attack

The small group made their way through the forest. Orlando was walking in front of the group, staying close to the trees. The two elves were walking a few feet behind him, keeping their distance and making sure they could see every angle. The two werewolves were a little closer to Orlando. Misty was sighing and complaining a lot. And Asher was just trying to ignore it. "So this was your magnificent plan that would lead all of us to safety?" Misty questioned. "It was the best I could come up with!" Orlando defended himself. "We're literally on the surface. We're in plain sight." Misty complained. Hayes glared at her from a distance. "Yeah, and they're going to notice we're here if you don't stop talking right now," Hayes tells her sternly. The young werewolf rolled her eyes. "We're going to get noticed one way or another. We're literally walking around in plain sight with humans all around us." Misty replied, "That sure seems like a clever idea." She added. "Stop complaining and keep walking," Orlando replied. As they were walking, the elves kept their eyes focused on their surroundings. Serena had given her sword to Orlando so he could protect himself. Meanwhile, Asher and Misty used their ears to hear if there were any humans nearby. "We're wasting our time," Misty said quietly. Asher turned his head to hear. "Can you stop complaining for one second?" he asked her. A few feet away, Serena suddenly stopped walking. A king's guard holding the blade of his sword pressed against her neck. "Pretty girl," He started, "Move and I slice your head off." He added. Hayes was standing a few feet away from her, so he didn't notice her being threatened with her life. The she-elf remained rather calm. "Take me to the boy," He tells her. "I don't know what you're talking about," Serena replied. The blade was pressed harder against her skin. "Don't try to play any games with us, child. You're helping him." the man spoke.

Serena let out a quiet chuckle. "You have no idea who you're dealing with." She replied. Her voice was a slightly lower, giving the armored man the feeling she was the villain in this situation. He gulped and stepped closer to her, holding a tight grip on his weapon. "No, you don't know who you're dealing with." The man said, trying to seem tough. The elven princess smirked slightly. She whispered some elvish words making plants come out of the ground. The plants wrapped themselves around the man's wrists, forcing him to pull his weapon away from the elf's neck.  Serena aimed her arrow at the man in front of her. "I would've cut off your head, pretty girl," The man spoke. "It appears that the rumors are true then. Men are indeed idiots. Less intelligent." Serena replied. "I don't know what you are. I don't want to know. But whatever it is, you're an evil little witch. But you and your kind are no match for the mighty emperor. And it doesn't matter how hard you fight, or how good you try to hide him. The emperor will find him." The man said. "You underestimate your leader. And your power." She replied. The man chuckled at her. "You think so, huh?" He taunted her. He suddenly managed to free himself from the plant's grip. The man swung his sword at her bow, slicing it into two. Serena quickly grabs the two daggers from her holsters. The man swings his sword at the she-elf. Serena tried to fight him off, but she was knocked to the floor. Serena looked up as the man towered over her. He raised his sword above her chest. "So long, little witch." He said. Serena just smirked. "As I said. Idiots." She said. An arrow was then shot right through his head. The tip stuck out of his eye. The man dropped to his knees and fell forward. Serena moved out of the way before the worrier could fall on top of her. She looked at her brother. "I had it under control." She said. Hayes chuckled at his sister. He pulled her up by her arm. "You did not have that under control." He replied. More guards started to pop up around them. "They found us!" Hayes called out. A king's man ran up to Orlando. The young man defended himself with Serena's sword. "I told you so!" Misty complained.

Orlando kicked against the man's kneecaps harshly. "You little brat!" The man yelled at him. Orlando swung the sword at the man, hitting him at an exposed spot in his arm. The man groaned in pain loudly. The king's man swung his sword at the young man's leg. Orlando bends down to put his hand over his wound. The man then kicked the young man, making him fall back onto the dirt. He raised his sword, just like the man from before, to stab him to death. "It doesn't matter if you're dead or alive." He said. Suddenly, he was pushed away by a large wolf. The wolf pulled the armor off the man's body. It then attacked the man, literally ripping him to shreds. Serena ran over to Orlando. She knelt next to him. "You seriously need to get better at defending yourself." She tells him. He smiled at her weakly as she wrapped a piece of cloth around his wound. "I thought I had you for that." He tells her. Serena playfully rolls her eyes at him. "Come on, we have to get out of here." She replied. As she helped Orlando to stand up straight again, Misty walked over to them with the man's foot in her mouth. The wolf dropped it on the ground in front of them. "That is disgusting," Serena whispered. "Thank you," Orlando said. The wolf turned away from them again, running and jumping at another one of Erix's guards. Meanwhile, Hayes and Asher were also fighting for their lives. "Come on," Serena tells him. They started to limp further into the forest. "We should help them," Orlando replied. "They can take care of themselves. You can't right now." She said. Blood was still pouring from the wound. The fabric of Orlando's pants was slowly starting to get soaked with the blood of the wound. "We have to get back to the ocean," Orlando tells her. Serena shook her head. "No, we can't. They'll kill Valeria. We have to get back to our borders. The magic will protect us there and we can heal you." She explained to him. "They already got past those borders once, they can do it again." Orlando reminded her. Serena opened her mouth to speak again when she got hit in the head from behind. Orlando turned around, grasping his sword again. His, and the guard, swords stopped one another. Orlando was looking straight into the man's eyes. The same man who was hunting him back in Andillar. The head guard.

Orlando was the only one left on the streets. The guards slowed their pace. They aimed their weapons at him. "Always looking out for others, aren't you?" one guard asked, "But no one there to look out for you." He added. Orlando shrugged. "What did I do this time?" Orlando asked them. "You stole food from the market again this morning." The guard spoke up. Orlando shrugged. "Gotta eat right?" He chuckled. "Oh don't worry. The place where you're going, you won't be needing much food." The guard threatened. Orlando let out another chuckle. "That's not gonna happen." He said before running off. The guards followed him through the small streets. The young man jumped on and off things, making his way towards the watchtower. "Get back here, little rat!" The guard called after him. Orlando finally reached the watchtower. He started to climb up the tower. Eventually, he made it inside the tower. He landed on the hard, cold, wooden floor. "Wherever you are, we will get you, rat!" The guard yelled from the ground below. The head guard smirked at the young man. "I got you." He said. Orlando held onto his weapon tightly. "You have nowhere to run now." The man tells him. "How did you find me?" Orlando asked him. "The scent of your fear left its trail." The head guard answered in a threatening tone. "I'm not afraid of you. Or Erix." Orlando replied confidently. "Are you sure about that, boy?" He questioned. The two started to fight with each other. Their swords clashing against each other. At one point the two were standing really close to one another. Orlando pushed him away again by kicking against the man's gut. But the man came back quickly and made Orlando stumble backward. The young man was back on the ground, watching as the head guard towered over him.  "I've been waiting for this day a long time." The guard said.