"What is it?" Kanitha hasted, clambering up. "What's happening?"
"Something bad," Whales replied sketchily. He rushed into his office and pulled out the shelf, revealing the door again. The Strange. This time, he did not open it Instead, he ripped the golden plate off, quickly stuffed some documents scattered across the table into his jacket, and ran back out.
"Are you hurt?" He asked Kanitha, who shook her head.
"Okay," he bit the golden plate in his mouth, put his whisky bottle in his pocket, scooped Kanitha up, and jumped out of the window.
Kanitha screamed all the way down. They were actually on the fifth floor— an impossible and incredible height to jump down from.
But Whales landed gracefully and safely, sending a cloud of snow blooming up in all directions. It was winter, stars splashed across the night, but the dark midnight blue sky was glowing in burning red from whatever that is happening in the distance. Half of the stronghold had collapsed under flames and explosives, people screaming and shouting all across the fields, trying to restore what little was left of their homes.
Kanitha gaped, not believing what was happening. Scorching flame roared in her widely-open, fear-smudged eyes, shrapnel flying here and there. Whales quickly pulled her away as another bomb set off somewhere close to them.
He carried her as he panted and ran in the opposite direction of everyone else into the night, her fingers slowly grew numb, and she lost the sense in her ears and nose in the blizzard gale. She gripped Whales' collar tightly and gazed up to his cheeks, red from the cold.
"Where are we going?" She asked nervously. "What's happening?"
Whales didn't answer her, he panted and ran on.
"Whales?" Kanitha asked, tugging his shirt. "What's happening?"
He still didn't answer and turned his chin upwards so Kanitha couldn't see his face.
"M-Mr. Balleine!" Kanitha cried, calling the name she hadn't used in centuries.
He stopped dead in his tracks, panted, slowly let Kanitha down and immediately lurched down to the ground.
He coughed hard. Along with it, came blood.
Kanitha screamed but didn't know what to do. The blood seeped through the chunky snow and immediately froze down to dark red stains.
He hissed in pain, shakenly standing up, his long, slim figure trembling as he turned to peer at Kanitha.
"We have to run," he stuttered, wiping fog and blood off his glasses. "I'm sorry."
Kanitha blinked, terrified and shocked. She didn't know what was happening. Maybe this was just a normal enemy attack...
Madame Tsana will fend it off... She sure will. She comforted herself.
Except she didn't know that this was the start of the Great Raid. The largest massacre event ever in recorded history which killed 7 million people in one year.
Whales carried her up again and sprinted through the snow. Kanitha kept her mouth shut and stayed as still as possible, she knew breathing in cold air while running could do actual damage to the lungs, and she didn't want to worsen it for him.
They ran on like this for who knows how long until a roar from the far horizon alerted both of them.
Kanitha looked around and saw a large army. They rode on grey horses, they sprinted down towards them. But before they could reach them, Whales dived into a nearby shrub of leafless trees, then picked up his speed.
YOU ARE READING
Alasla: The New Age
Fantasy"What killed him isn't me. It's the world." Ralph had never asked for much. Not even his own identity. But when his best and only friend got murdered by the man he calls father, he was forced to set off on an expedition to unravel the truth of this...
