As Aushen approached the bandit camp for what he hoped would be the last time, his heart sank. Some of the bandits were shouting, and frantically running back and forth. The guard in front of Valleus, who had been dozing off, stirred with a start due to the commotion.
He stood firmly, yelling questions to the other bandits who passed. It seemed as though someone had noticed that Aushen and Rohdri were gone. The prince bit his lip. With so many passing eyes, it wouldn't be wise to knock out the guard. Studying the man before him, Aushen saw the glimmer of a key in his pants pocket. The top of the key stuck out. Aushen assumed (and hoped) it was the key to Valleus' chains.
The man was too out in the open for Aushen to feel comfortable grabbing it out of his pocket. Scanning his surroundings, the prince's eyes fell upon a long, thin stick. 'It's not like I have other options.' He extended the stick, careful to stay behind the cover of the plants. He was able to hook the top of the key on the stick, but he didn't have enough leverage to pull it out.
'Now what?! Well... wait...' He still wasn't adept at using his magic, but it had already come in handy once, and Aushen was willing to give it another shot. Keeping the buzzing feeling as contained and small as he could, he allowed it to travel through the stick, controlling it carefully. Finally, it reached the key. Aushen remembered making the talisman float, and willed the key to do the same.
The key did what he wanted, loosing itself from the man's pocket and sliding quietly down the stick. Aushen pulled the stick back, watching his surroundings nervously. 'I did it! Okay... now to get rid of the guard.' He considered throwing a rock across the clearing, but it wouldn't cause as big a diversion as he needed. Aushen picked up a pebble, rolling it in his hand while he thought.
Having drawn on his magic twice already, he wondered if he could use it for this as well. He thought back to the experiments he'd conducted on the way to Fiilzia. He remembered pouring a lot of energy into the talisman while forcing it to keep still. When he'd put it on the table after, it had bounced up so hard it lodged itself in the carriage wall.
'It's worth a shot.' Clutching the pebble in his closed fist, Aushen poured magic into it. He felt it shake in resistance to the sheer amount, but he forced it in, then 'shutting it off'. He took a deep breath, balancing the pebble on his finger as he prepared to flick it. The motion brought back memories of Valleus teaching him how to play marbles as a child.
Confidently, he flicked the pebble and watched it fly much, much farther than it would've without magic. It sailed across and struck a tree at the far end of the clearing, making a loud "thunk" and cracking the tree. The guard immediately turned to the sound, and some of the passing bandits approached the tree, pointing out the spot the pebble had hit in confusion.
'Yeah, this'll work.' Aushen picked up two more pebbles and quickly repeated the process, flicking them over. The speed and velocity at which the pebbles traveled made it sound like the bandit's camp was under attack. One of the pebbles struck a bandit in the shoulder and was lodged inside. The bandit fell with a screech, and the other bandits were growing increasingly anxious, shouting and fussing, losing the little coordination they had.
Aushen grinned as he charged three more pebbles in his hand. When he flicked another, it knocked into one of the bandits' crates. At that, Valleus' guard ran to investigate, leaving Valleus unattended. Aushen went to free Valleus, keeping an eye on the guard.
The prince pulled out the knife he'd taken and cut through the tie holding the drugged cloth to Valleus' mouth. Then, he started working on the chains. As he fiddled with the lock, he saw Valleus' eyes flutter open. "Vall, I'm gonna get you out of here, just give me a second," Aushen whispered. Looking up, he saw the guard seem to give up on the crate, so he flicked another pebble in his direction. It struck one of the torches, knocking it to the ground and lighting some of the brush aflame.
YOU ARE READING
Heart Of
Fantasy*New chapter every Friday* {omegaverse fantasy BL} //Aushen swallowed hard, holding his knees in front of him. "If... if I were an omega..." He raised his eyes to meet Valleus'. Valleus, too, was beginning to look flushed. "What would you do?" Vall...
