SCEPTRE: I

Ripple.

I went towards the door but Kad mi-el called me back."No. Not that way Keros."

"So what way are we going." I asked, although I already knew. I looked at the window, hoping that the drop wasn't too bad.

"We don't have too much time." Kad mi-el said "Go jump down. trust me."

I climbed unto the edge of the window and closed my eyes, letting go and dropping downwards. I imagined the impact, wondering what Kad mi-el’s plan was, until I realised that I was no longer falling.

I opened my eyes and saw that I was floating just above the ground. Kad mi-el dropped without any noise and I noticed that he floated for a few seconds. Kad mi-el then held my hand and pulled me up.

"Let's go" He said.

We ran towards the western exit .I kept thinking of all the people I had to leave behind; Ater, Asena, Is'sa,  Plette.  Plette; I just wanted to turn back and try save  her, even if I didn't save everyone else. I was already coming out of the corner when Kad mi-el held me back.  "Stop"

"Why?" I whispered

He put his finger to his mouth and pulled out his short knife. He aimed his knife towards absolutely no one.

"There's no one there." I told him. He ignored me and threw the knife. The knife sailed through the air and hit the warrior who just climbed over the fence.

"Woah. How did you know that that guy was going to be there."

"Instinct." Kad mi-el replied

We came out of the corner and after a few seconds Kad mi-el said "Get down."

We both bent over. A few Id'ean guards ran past us.

"So we are hiding from our guards too?" I asked.

"Yes. This plan depends on us not being discovered by all sides."

"I don't get it." I replied

"I wish I could explain it all."Kad mi-el said "But time is not on our side."

We ran into the stables. Kad mi-el for on my father's horse and I got on mine and we both rode. As we passed the monuments in the city, I saw the Id'ean warriors caught up in combat with the invading forces. They fought graciously but we're obviously outnumbered.  I bent and dodged arrows, riding behind Kad mi-el the entire journey. As we passed the western gate, I saw that the invading force was just beginning to approach the western gate.

"How did you know that the invaders would not attack the western entrance first?" I shouted,  my voice almost lost in the wind.

"Instinct!!"  Kad mi-el yelled. I heard hooves digging into the sand behind us and turned back. Some warriors were in pursuit. "Get the prince." the leading warrior yelled in Id'ean.

After a few more minutes of fast riding, we got to the dunes, we stopped and we unmounted. Just then I noticed that the warriors thatwere riding towards the dunes were gaining on us.

"Grab my hand." Kad mi-el said

I grabbed Kad mi-el’s hand and I saw that the guards warriors already tried to  hit Kad mi-el with  his sword and suddenly  we were no longer there.

I felt like all the components of my body were being ripped apart and rearranged.  It was not a necessarily painful feeling but still very disorienting at that point in time.

I tried to open my eyes and I realised that we were falling. No, scratch that. Everything else was falling,  we just stayed in a place, if you could call where we were a place. I couldn't pick out anything in particular. It was a void and without shape.