The townspeople were not far behind. In fact, they were closing the distance. The thought of being torn to pieces to death was enough of a motivator to keep us moving. Elena wasn’t much of a runner, so I had to make sure she was keeping up, even though the whole flight had very quickly became a free-for-all scenario. I couldn’t just let her get trampled to death or worse by the townspeople. She deserved better than that, even if I hardly knew her.
We took a sharp turn in the alley, which took us into a tight space, big enough for one person to go through at a time. Genius. That way, the mob would lose its biggest strength, which was its size, but we would still be able to move at the same pace. It was a hastily-made maneuver, but again, I would have to trust in the rangers’ better judgment. For now at least.
The ranger in the back stayed behind for a second. He punched the first person to get close up to him, then planted his boot and pushed off, sending the single-file crowd back staggering for a moment. The ranger then turned back forward and continued the run of his life. I wanted to watch more, but I knew I would have been knocked out and left for dead by Valen or the other ranger if I tarried another moment longer.
We kept up the charade until we lost our advantage of tight corners, once we had emerged next the water mill. Part of the Anoli river ran through Crossroads, providing water to move the town’s water mill. When we got closer to it, I noticed there were two canoes tied up against a post. The rangers must have thought of everything before going through with this rescue operation.
“The legends about your kind must be true,” Thomas said, as if he wasn’t a believer already. I was in the same place as him up until it was decided for me to go with them. I wasn’t sure whether or not the rangers were responsible for King Theron’s death, but I was sure they were capable of pulling it off. “You’re prepared for any situation you get thrown in. The rumors must be true.”
Valen glared at Thomas for a second. I had almost made the same mistake two years ago, but luckily, Orin Daunderfell had given me some good advice. If only he were here so that I may be able to repay him. Better yet, if only he were here, so that he could set his own son straight. I always had the feeling that he was harder on me than his own, but that was just common. Most local rulers took took to the law of orphans’ duty as a really long babysitting assignment. In some near-fairy tale stories, the lord ends up adopting the orphan. That would include myself, but I hadn’t realized what it meant at the time. I knew Thomas and Caroline wouldn’t acknowledge me as their brother, adopted or not.
“You two, get in,” the ranger said to Elena and I. We didn’t hesitate to follow his command, seeing as the angry mob was still very close on our trail. They would be at the mill in seconds, making every moment not hastily fleeing for our lives, was a moment wasted. I helped Elena in, and she tried to keep the canoe steady while I got in. The ranger, however, did not get in. He was busy fighting off angry townspeople. “We still missing Carter, sir!”
Carter must have been the ranger who had gone ahead to scout. He hadn’t returned. It may have been that he was captured or killed on his time going solo. But the other ranger was not ready to leave without his comrade. It was admirable. Foolish, but admirable. I wanted to get the heck out of Crossroads, and I bet Elena and the others did too. Even Valen wasn’t happy with his kinsmen wanting to stay behind.
“There is no time, Howard!” Valen barked. He pulled out a short sword from his scabbard, slashing it around to keep the townspeople at bay. He used his cloak to swipe at some of them, keeping them on the defensive. With his freehand, he stole a lit torch and used it keep them back. When his barrage was beginning to falter, he threw the torch at the townspeople and ran back to the canoes, where Thomas and Caroline had just settled in. Howard the ranger decided to abandon his previous tactic and followed suit, hopping onto the canoe Elena and I were in. “Grab an oar and start paddling! Go, go, go!”
