What Lurks Behind The Trees

Burn

          

          

"Hey, where is Gregor?" Alan asked

"He was just eating beside me," Aden said

"They got him!"

"Let's go before they do something to him,"

"They probably pulled him into the bushes that were behind him, let's go that way," and with that, they all ran through the green trees as fast as they could, but it was already too late.

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Gregor's nose twitched,

What is this smell? Fire?!

His eyes snapped open, and he was met with red angry flames. He screamed in pain as the fire engulfed him. What is this? Am I going to die? His breathing quickened as he looked around trying to find anything, anything that would help him escape from the grasp of death.

He stood up quickly, the fire had started to eat his breeches away, and peal the skin off his legs. He clawed at the walls of the pit, trying to climb up and away from the burning pain, but it was useless. He looked up and saw the imps peaking in and sniggering as he struggled to escape.

Think, think, think! There was only one way he thought, and with that, he summoned his slayer arm with difficulty. He used his large claws to cover the bottom of the pit and extinguish the fire. He screamed at the pain, his slayer arm engulfing all the heat and trapping it under the large palm of his monstrous arm. But it did not work; the oxygen was still seeping in through the gaps between his fingers. He was starting to lose energy; he couldn't stay like this when the fire was burning him bit by bit.

He stood at the edge of the pit and dug his claws in the walls of the pit, he used it to anchor him up, he lifted his feet up and bent his knees so that only the tip of the flames were touching him.

The imps glared at him and started throwing stones and rocks at him, trying to make him fall into the flames again. He dug his claws further into the soil and tried to steady himself. But with each hit that he received, his claws slipped out slowly.

After that an imp came tumbling into the pit, Gregor looked at him, an arrow was deep in his heart. He could hear the sound of the imps choking from arrows and falling one by one in the fire. Then a familiar face peaked from the top and outstretched his hand, "Gregor, grab my hand!" Barton said. Gregor lifted his human hand and tried to grab on to it but it was way too high.

"I can't reach!"

"I'll be back, just hold on a bit longer," Barton said before he disappeared.

After a few seconds, all the men stood around the pit, and lowered a rope, "Climb the rope! Its tied around a tree don't worry!" Alan said.

He grabbed the rope and started climbing, his feet stinging from the burns. Once he reached the top, they pulled him up. Gregor collapsed on the ground, coughing and wheezing as he tried to empty his lungs from the smoke. His face was covered in black soot and his breeches burnt in patches where his skin was also burnt.

"Hey, give me turquoise water!" Aden yelled, he made Gregor drink it. He gulped it down, bits of it dripping down his face. The burns started to harden, but the pain was still there, snapping at him with every movement he made.

They carried Gregor to the lake and rubbed the cold water all over his body while he hissed in pain, "Stop fussing you big baby," Aden said.

"When I stand up, I'm going to kill you, Aden," Gregor spat.

Aden laughed at that, easing the water on his wounds. After that, they wrapped his legs in cloths and sat him up.

"Can you walk?" Alan said

"I think so, the turquoise water healed me quite a bit," Gregor stood up with difficulty, the burns stinging him painfully.

"We need to leave quickly, I feel like we're being watched,"

Gregor nodded, Aden and Rowan helped him walk and they carried on their way.

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"Mother, we've been riding for days, where are we even going?" Celia huffed.

"We're going to the city of Thronna,"

"But mother, people are searching for us, we're bound to get caught in a large city like Thronna,"

"Your uncle knows someone there, we should be able to get shelter and food," Ada said

"What if they find us there?"

"Then we'd have to run again, that's just how things are going to be from now on," Ada smiled.

Celia pouted, she didn't want to keep running her whole life, she wanted to live and grow and make friends, "Mother, can't we leave Osledel?"

"Celia, we can never cross the forest or the sea, it's impossible. One day your father will come back and we will settle somewhere nice," Ada smiled sadly at her daughter, knowing that her promise was most likely a lie.

"We're here!" Sam said "This time really keep your heads down and hide,"

They pulled their hoods up and unmounted their horses. Found in the Southeast of the kingdom of Osledel, The city of Thronna was lead by its master, Hayden Ross, a powerful and righteous leader, who put his people first before anything else. The city itself looked magnificent. With its shingle rooftops, sandstone walls and calming hills that decorated its background, Thronna had a fascinating atmosphere. The main attraction was the town hall, which was built by the city's founder hundreds of years ago, a truly outstanding building.

They walked through the crowded streets, making a turn to an alleyway until they reached a door at the end of a dark alleyway. Sam knocked, once, twice before the door creaked open.

"Come in," a woman's voice, an old woman to be precise.

They walked in and before them stood a woman, with grey hair and tired eyes, her clothes tattered and her home dark and cluttered.

"My! How much you've grown Sam!"

"Yes mother, this is Ada,"

Ada gasped, her eyes widened as she looked at her brother, waiting for an explanation.

"Oh yes, Ada! My girl, you are a woman now," the old woman pulled Ada into a hug.

"But my mother died years ago,"

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Chapter 26 done! Please vote and comment