The Different Ones

Chapter 7: Fugitives

I busted the window and then cast the rope down. I probably could've flown, but risking getting spotted like that would be dangerous. It would probably be better if the first few miles were on foot. I only hoped that we could outrun the knights. 

"Climb down. I'll follow you," I ordered. 

"Can't you just fly us out? Why go to all this trouble?" 

"Just-do what I say. I'll explain to you when we aren't going to die." He nodded and started climbing. Just as I had placed my feet on the first knot Akaila burst into the room. 

"We know. Just follow us," I responded matter-of-factly. She nodded and rushed towards the window. 

My hands were red and became excruciating by the time that I reached the bottom. Colin was waiting for Akaila and I. Once I was grounded Akaila was with us in a matter of seconds. 

"You ready?" Akaila said with a mischievous smile. I looked over at her and smiled. 

"Are you?" I asked. She chuckled, the adrenaline had enthralled us both. We both took off running as fast as our feet could carry us, and it was thrilling, exhilarating even. On the other hand Colin was not nearly as enticed as Akaila and I were, he trailed behind us at a slower pace. 

We headed towards the northern villages through the forests. They were actually kind of intimidating, but a decent hiding place, nonetheless. It would take an entire squadron at least a week to cover the entirety of the forests, and that is when they're at full efficiency, which is very rare. I was betting on about ten days before they covered the entirety of it, so we probably had around five or six days before we had to leave the forests. 

It felt like we'd ran ten miles before we finally stopped at a spring in the forests. It took Colin a few minutes to catch up with us. We all sat down against a tree and took a few sips from the spring. 

"You guys are fast," Colin stated, still out of breath from the run. 

"Or maybe you're just slow. Maybe I'll call you Prince Turtle," Akaila mocked in her normal snarky tone. 

"And what what makes you think you can say that to a prince?" 

"The fact that I have a voice. Akaila," she introduced herself. 

"I wouldn't call that a voice. More of a mouth to me. I'm Colin." 

"Nice to meet you, Turtle." Colin rolled his eyes. I could tell they were going to be good friends. 

"Okay you two, calm down. If you can't get along we're all going to die. I'm betting that we have about six days time to get out of the forest. So I suggest we head north and once we hit the center we head west. From there we can go to my old village. They know me and I have friends there. When we get there we can decide where we want to go. Sound alright?" 

"Almost. What are we gonna eat?" Colin asked in a concerned tone. 

"Geesh, Turtle. Hungry already?" Akaila mocked. 

"No, but it's a valid question. Food is a requirement of life," Colin replied calmer than I'd expected. 

"Look we'll hunt and I know a few berries and mushrooms we can pick that aren't poisonous. But we have to keep moving before we worry about that," I felt like a mom who settles an argument between two toddlers. 

"Thank you. At least she can be nice to me," Colin responded. 

"You guys are gonna get us killed," I replied bitterly. 

We all gathered ourselves and kept moving. We were moving at half the speed we were going before our little break. Though we weren't as efficient we were before, our motley crew seemed more determined this time around.