The Brave

Chapter Five Pt. 2

There is no time to argue with her as we escape through the back tent flap. The tent flap opens up to an alleyway between the backs of the shop tents. It's not much cover for people who are running for their lives. Meanwhile, I can hear the soldiers behind us disrupting everything as they search for the kid; the kid that is apparently me.

Lyric knows the alleyways like the back of her hand and soon we are on the outskirts of the Town and into the Black Forrest that surrounds it on the north side. This forest is known for its dark, eerily quiet grounds. In Bar Tents you frequently hear stories of darkness and treachery that has supposedly taken place in the forest. But as I run through it, I can't help but feel peaceful and closer to the Creator I've just given my life too. Nothing about the forest seems dark or forbidding like the folktale suggests.

"Lyric, stop," I command, breathing hard with sweat dripping off my brow.

She lessens her run to a walk, and turns to face me, hands on her hips. Her face is red, and she's panting from the long run. That Cape outfit must be really hot to wear. For the record, she looks pretty good in it.

"Lyric, what just happened?" I say more sternly than quizzically. "And what on Earth were you doing in the Bar Tent?!"

She sighs, picking up a stone from the ground, suddenly becoming interested in it. She's still dancing from foot to foot because of the left over adrenaline from running. She flips the hood off her head, letting her black-as-night hair fall over her shoulders as she says, "I can't answer either question, Archer."

I stare at her blankly. She's kidding right? She expects me to take that pathetic excuse of an answer? The NCP Army just tried to find and arrest me...why?! Did the Pack report me? No, they'd never go near the Army. Suddenly, a playback of my conversation with Daven, the leader of the Pack, goes through my mind.

"Any day we would murder this kid, but he's the guy they want."

My stomach churns. Could "they" be the NCP Army? Maybe even the Northern Confederation Of Power's government? And if so, why?! Because of my parents? Too many questions are running through my head, and Lyric is my only hope of any chance that I can get some answers.

"Lyric, I am not taking that as an answer," I say, tightening my jaw.

"Look, relax okay?" she replies, throwing the stone on the ground. Our eyes meet and I see the exasperation in her face. "I really do wish I could give you the answers, but I can't. End of discussion. All I know is that you need to lay low for awhile. We've discovered someone's after you. So, just stick close to the Healer's Tent, stay low."

My ears perk up when she says "we".

"You said we...who's we?!" I exclaim, eyes jumping with excitement.

"My Grandpa and I," she responds a little too quickly, but her eyes don't give me any hint that she is lying. Something in the back of my head hopes by "we" she means The Brave.

Hoping to reveal her secret, I say, "You're a part of The Brave aren't you?"

Her facial expression turns to one of amusement, and she laughs. "That's ridiculous. Why would The Brave want me? And why would I want to be in The Brave? I take care of my grandfather. I don't have time to be in a rebellion, more descriptively, a lost rebellion."

I clench my fist at her words. My parents died for this rebellion, for hope of a better and greater future for their children and the rest of the world. Lyric's words strike fire inside me.

"When there is hope to move forward and a vision of the people, nothing is ever lost," I hiss.

The beautiful Healer's granddaughter stares at me coldly. "Whatever."

Even through her tough exterior, I see her cold stare falter for a sliver of a second. Something is not right. Everything she is saying to me makes me think she'd never want anything to do with The Brave, but why is she dressed like she is, calling herself Cape and packing weapons. If she's not with The Brave, then who is she with?

Even as I try to process Lyric's involvement in all this, a painful, searing thought hits me between the eyes. If the NCP Army is after me, what if they're after my siblings in Red Rocks?

I take off running back towards the Town. I have to get to my brothers and sisters to warn them. What if I'm too late?!

"Hey!" Lyric shouts. "Archer, no! Stop!"

I don't listen. My siblings are in danger. I need to get back to them. Why did I ever leave them?! Even though they are with Stark, they all won't be safe. Stark can't fight the Army alone.

A yell erupts throughout the forest and I'm tackled from behind. Taken by surprise, I'm slammed down to the ground. I quickly struggle to turn around so that my back is to the ground instead of my face being on the ground. If my assailant takes back mount, I will have an even harder fight on my hands. It's tougher turning around than I would've thought. I've been attacked by a 240 pound slab of pure mahogany colored muscle. His oily head and scar-graced cheek catch my attention first as I finally attain my goal of turning to my back. Muscle man throws his forearm forcefully onto my throat, keeping my head firmly pressed against the forest floor. With a deep, thundery voice he yells for Lyric. I struggle against his arm, trying to create space but his iron arm holds tight to my throat and soon he's pressing down so hard I stop moving so that I don't lose anymore air. Soon, I see Lyric's shadow over me and the beast and her switch places with her hand on my throat as he takes a backpack off his back and pulls a case from it. Opening it, he takes out a syringe filled with light blue liquid.

"What were you thinking? You can't go back there right now! They'll capture you!" she hisses, expression dark. "Archer, you're a days journey from Red Rocks and you've got your own bounty on your head. If you got captured on your way to Red Rocks, do you think you'd be any help to your siblings, rotting in a cell? Or being tortured somewhere?" She loosens her grip on my throat but I'm already seeing black spots as my brain has been cut off from oxygen for too long. Her hair is so long that it's brushing the sides of my face as her stern expression is turned towards mine.

I try to move but she hooks my leg with her own and reapplies pressure to my throat again, keeping me firmly down on the ground. I just stare at her with anger flashing in my light blue eyes. Mahogany muscle man, decked out in full military uniform and a black bulletproof vest and black combat boots motions for Lyric to move.

"You weren't lying when you said he was a brash one," Mahogany Muscle Man thunders softly. He raises the syringe and I start to panic, not trusting Lyric, and not trusting this military clad man at all. I use my strength I have left to try to squirm out of the Lyric's tight grip, but she presses down harder on my throat and I can feel myself passing out. Simultaneously, I feel the prick of the syringe and rush of liquid in my veins.

"We weren't planning to do this so soon, but you've left us no choice," I hear the man rumble as I float out of consciousness.

"See you when you wake up," Lyric whispers softly. The last thing I remember is Lyric's fingers brushing the side of my face.