Special

Chapter 12

Ella read through the list again and double checked that she had enough coins for all of it. She grabbed the pouch of coins and two large sacks to carry everything. Connor was going to carry one sack, then Lilith and Ella would split it up, because Lilith had to fly up and scout the land ahead of them, and Ella was slightly malnourished and couldn't carry too much. Also, Connor said he didn't want it to be too much weight for them, and Ella didn't complain because she knew that they would be walking for about a week. Ella made her way out of the wall, hoping that they made it back OK, and that she would be able to meet with them today.

When she reached the bazaar, she tried to figure out the fastest way to get everything on the list. She decided to go on one side of town, have enough to fill one sack, then go back for the other. This way, she wouldn't be hauling around 100 kg by the end of it.

Ella headed stall to stall, most people looked at her in a confused way. They knew that she had been there for years and years, and all she had ever bought was food, ribbons, or cheap clothing. They'd never seen her buy so much stuff, and were confused as why she had it. They mostly didn't care, but there was a part of them that thought that something was wrong. The townsfolk stayed away from Ella more than usual that day.

While she was buying cheap fabric for bandages, coats, and blankets, she saw Connor and Lilith with the rest of the gang. Their eyes locked, and Ella ran to the nearest building, where they couldn't see her. She watched carefully as Lilith and Connor wandered off to a stand that sold bear traps, as Aeron and Ethan kept walking. After a couple minutes, Ella walked over to them.

"Have you gotten everything yet?" Connor said, inspecting the trap.

"No, but I'm almost done with half of it."

"I can't wait to get away from them. They're extremely rude to us, even Connor."

"Why don't you just fly away then?"

"Because I can't leave you. Besides, it's more fun if we get to travel through the woods and go to different kingdoms."

"Me and Lilith have to go now, before they come back."

"Okay, I'll get everything by midnight. We'll meet again then."

They both hurried off as Ella wandered off to buy whale oil and lanterns.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ella had finally finished getting all of the supplies. It was already dark, and she was tired and exhausted. She was waiting for Lilith and Connor so that they could prepare.

Suddenly, they both burst through the walls, out of breath.

"We have to go NOW!" Lilith seemed to yell, extremely panicked.

"Ella, grab the canteens and fill them at the well, we'll double check everything we have and meet you there." Connor said, shoving the canteens towards her, then grabbing a sack and looking through it, motioning for Lilith to do the same.

Ella ran to the well, and hurried to get the water out. It was cold and snowing, the clouds were covering the moon and stars, so she could barely see a thing. All she could hear was the swishing of the water in the bucket, the wind in her hair, and her heavy breathing.

She had finished filling the canteens with water when Lilith and Connor came and grabbed some to put in their sacks. They were about to run off again when Ella looked back and saw Aeron and Ethan running towards them, sharp daggers in hand. Ella screamed, and the three of them ran off in the direction of the town gates, but knew they would be closed now that it was nighttime. They were cornered, and they knew their only way out would be to go up and over the wall. Lilith and Ella grabbed Connor, and flew up to the nearest roof, then ran across it too the wall, and into the forest.

They were sprinting between the trees, stomping through the thick twigs of the bushes, and the snow covered ground. It was snowing, and their tracks would soon be covered. So they ran and ran and ran, through the frozen forest, as far as their legs could take them.

Ella could feel sharp branches beneath the snow, and her feet were wet and cold. She could barely keep up with the rest of them, but she tried her best. She put one foot in front of the other even though she couldn't feel her legs. She could barely see, barely breathe, barely run. The wind was getting worse, it was a blizzard. Cold snow was smashing against her cheeks, as she pushed through the woods.

Out of nowhere, a branch hit her in a forehead. She fell backwards, and was now laying face-up in the snow unconscious, with a huge gash in her head.