Elemental Thief Part I : Child of Calamity

Cornered

Treasa didn't stand a chance. 

She knew she didn't. 

Logically, but still she ran, despite fate, life, and her flagging body.

If the girls could hear people coming, they were close enough to find her, if they weren't distracted by the two injured, lost looking girls who had nearly died. She could hope that they would let her go after finding the other two, but if they had chased her this far, if they were even those who were chasing her, they would track her easily now that they had her trail.

Treasa couldn't jump. She was sure it would kill her to try to. She was exhausted, drained so completely that she wasn't sure how she was still on her feet. She had never used so much of her power before, nor had she ever run for hours, fought a monster, and then continued running after using even more of her power to heal two seriously injured people.

Each step was a monumental achievement she didn't think she could replicate, though she kept doing it, hoping to hit safety before nightfall, before her energy completely left her. She would need to sleep, though she didn't dare stop now, whether or not she was still being hunted. The only safety she would find was the Wild, and even that wasn't a guarantee.

Treasa let out a curse as the trees tapered off again, opening up to a raging river that flowed across her path and promptly tumbled out of sight off the edge of whatever cliff she was on. In front of her was a cliff face on the other side of the river, and below was the Wild.

She could tell what it was. It looked like the Wild. It felt like the Wild in ways that the trees she was in did not. She had to get down there, though climbing would be dangerous, especially with the sun beginning to drop, lengthening shadows. Treasa could climb buildings, walls, and fences, but mountains were another thing all together.

And the fall was long and ended with some vicious-looking rocks and more rapids, if she hit the water. She was looking down at the tumbling, frothing water, wondering if she could use her power just one more time, to travel that distance, having now seen where she wanted to go when she heard a voice behind her in Oldspeak.

"A fall like that would kill you."

Treasa was startled, her body jerking around to see two Rulin standing only several feet away from her, her feet slipping on the semi-damp rocks that were slimy from being sprayed by the raging river for what was probably weeks. Her arms pinwheeled to gain her balance as she took in the two men, twins, it would seem.

They looked identical, though one had a different uniform on and a helmet.

The other one was Prince Eikos, and it was he who had spoken. Both of them were tense, watching her as if she were unhinged and threatening to jump. Their wings flared slightly to prepare for needing to fly.

"I was kind of thinking of taking a bath, to be honest. This stuff stinks."

"I'm sure there are safer places to bathe than here." The other one said, his voice gentler than Eikos' as well as slightly more charming. "You don't have any further to go."

"Don't tempt me." She hissed, shaking her head and shifting a couple half steps backwards, needing distance to allow her brain time to think.

But when she moved, so did Eikos, snaking forward to grab her as if thinking she was about to go over the edge.

Reflexively, she brought her hand up, heel first, into his face and hit the ground, rolling out of the way as he stumbled to the side. She scrambled under the other man, kicking out one of his ankles before she flipped to her feet and took off running back the way she had come. She made it several steps before there was suddenly another form, a smaller one who clothes lined her and put hard to the ground.