Radiance - The Alight Archives Book #1

72. Kliff's Flames

The heavy, dark clouds hung thick in the air, casting a pall over his surroundings. Despite the blur in his eyes and the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, Kliff strained to see through the haze. Standing unsteadily on legs that threatened to buckle, he squinted through the swirling black mist, dotted with floating specks of orange embers, and managed to make out faint movements among the shifting shadows.

The prominent figure swatted a hand before him amidst his heavy-footed yet cautious advance. Had his sight been a little stronger, why, Kliff would have imagined the oaf might have attempted another attack on him. As it stood otherwise, he was but a blind giant aimlessly lumbering for its prey, no different from a headless serpent floundering by in the grass, waiting for death to overwhelm it.

Temperate winds that sang between the trees of encompassing forest rolled into the clearing from the west, carrying with them the dense smoke clouds that carried not the scent of burning flesh. With his face screwed into a scowl, Kliff spun around on his feet and made as quick as he could for the forest clearing, his head bowing into his chest as he desperately tried ignoring the pain radiating from his wound.

Kliff trusted that the smog's thickness would not only serve as a suitable diversion but also provide cover amidst his escape. Sunder his father for all his faults, but the man hadn't raised an idiot. In spite of the pride and desire for utter perfection he'd inherited from him, Kliff could recognize a losing battle. Even if he somehow claimed a victory against that sulmo in a fair duel, what was he to do against the other rogue sorcerers? With his survival at risk, this was his only option.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Kliff heard Garam bellow behind him, yet he kept running nonetheless, ducking under a low-hanging branch as he entered the dense foliage, pushing his way past dangling vines and waist-high bushes.

"Excellent work, you idiot! You let him get away!" Vang's angry shouts echoed after him. "This is your mess, Garam! The least you can do now is clean it up! Recover that kid at once and rendezvous with us back at the circle. If you're late by even a second, we're leaving without you!"

"It's comforting to know I have such a compassionate and understanding leader!" Garam laughed back, seemingly unphased by Vang's ruthless threat. "Don't you worry, boss! He won't get far, not with that injury! So dial down the rage and let me do my job! My blood's pumping over here!"

"You'd better pray to Aeris that's the case. Otherwise, you'll quickly find out what happens when..."

Kliff didn't hear much of what Vang had said after that, as he'd already put too much distance between them and himself. The dense forest swallowed him up as he pushed deeper into the undergrowth, but with every hasty step, the ground began to slope beneath him, and soon Kliff found himself careening down a steep hill. The thick bushed and foilage gave way to more open space, with the tall galbora trees standing farther apart amid his reckless descent.

Although the open terrain allowed him to navigate more freely, it also meant that there was little protection for him to hide if he needed to evade his pursuers. Hot, searing pain exploded across his chest and surged into his shoulder, causing him to emit an involuntary groan. Frustrated, Kliff noticed that he was struggling to move as quickly as he had before, each step progressively slower.

Another anguished moan drove the boy to ram himself against the trunk of a gablora tree, panting like an injured dog as leaking blood drained down his arm and dripped off his fingers. The world around him had grown so blurry it was as if his eyes had been smothered in oil. The dizziness spiraling in his head nearly drove him to trip and fall several times. However, the weight of overpowering fatigue crushed him.

Sinking to his bottom, slamming his back against the coarse exterior of the galbora tree, Kliff sat with half-opened eyes as warm breaths jetted out of his throat. Even with my healing...I'll be fending off the Shadowborn...if I don't do something soon...