9

A New Beginning

As Kelwarin continued to follow Tallulah throughout the maze, he felt as though something was seriously wrong. Despite their seemingly calm conversation earlier, he was certain that the atmosphere had drastically changed. The air around him seemed heavy and ominous, and not even she was willing to break the silence.

His thoughts began racing through his mind once again, causing his anxiety to build up once again. Every possible scenario that could possibly happen flashed across his mind within seconds. He didn't even bother to try to control his imagination; he simply allowed his body to react on autopilot, knowing full well that his instincts were correct. The only thing he could rely on was that he trusted them to lead him safely. He wasn't about to question them.

Unfortunately, despite his precautions, nothing prepared him for what he saw on the other side of the metal wall.

Tallulah froze as soon as she spotted the Imperial guards lying motionless on the ground.

A chill traveled down Kelwarin's spine as he stared at the scene, his heart hammering wildly against his chest. He could feel his blood run cold, leaving him feeling numb. "No…" His voice faltered.

Tallulah looked at him in confusion.

"No! What do I do?!" Kelwarin frantically questioned himself.

A low growl escaped his throat as he turned and glared up at Tallulah. He hated her. Everything about her annoyed him to no end.

"They're dead, Kel."

He blinked. "Yes… But… That means-"

"It means that I need you to keep moving."

She pointed at the metal gate ahead of them. It was covered by the bodies of three Imperial guards.

Kelwarin slowly moved forwards, reaching out a shaky hand as he tried desperately to remain calm.

"There is no going back now," Tallulah added, following after Kelwarin. Her boots crunched on the rubble as she walked alongside him. "Now please, walk faster."

Kelwarin ignored her words and walked towards the gates of Tael. As he drew closer and closer towards it, his mouth went dry, causing his tongue to feel glued to the roof of his mouth. A wave of nausea washed over him, making him nearly stumble over his feet. His stomach lurched, forcing a large amount of bile to rush upwards through his throat and into his mouth. When he finished retching he leaned heavily against one of the steel poles that stood beside the metal wall separating them from the rest of the group, waiting for the worst part to pass.

"Here," Tallulah mumbled, handing Kelwarin a drink from her pouch. "You look pale and I think you've probably had enough for today."

Once his stomach had calmed down a little, Kelwarin accepted the cup of water gratefully. "Thanks…" he whispered.

Tallulah nodded silently, watching anxiously as Kelwarin drank the water hungrily. Finally, he was able to stop drinking.

"Are you feeling better?"

Kelwarin glanced sideways at Tallulah, giving her a small smile to try to mask his embarrassment. "Yeah, much better now."

"Okay," she replied, giving him a reassuring nod.

The two of them waited in silence for a moment, unsure of where they should go next. They knew that they couldn't just leave Tael, as the Imperial soldiers were bound to come back at some point to finish what they had begun. It was obvious that they wanted to kill the entire group, not just Kelwarin and Tallulah.

"Let's find another way out," Kelwarin finally suggested, "but I guess we will have to make some quick decisions because I'm sure whoever set those traps will be on our trail in no time at all."

Tallulah nodded. "We don't really know how long the trap has been laid in place yet. We need to wait for some time before proceeding with our rescue. We can always just walk away if they catch us. For now, we need to decide on the best plan to escape this place."

Kelwarin nodded in agreement. "Right…"

They stayed there, standing silently in the middle of the road for some more minutes until Kelwarin was beginning to wonder if they would have to spend a night hiding there instead of finding somewhere safe to sleep for the night.

"How about we find a shelter? This area seems empty since everyone knows not to enter here unless absolutely necessary," Tallulah suggested after a few moments of thinking.

"Sounds good," Kelwarin answered as he gave her a brief nod. "Lead the way."

Tallulah turned around and followed behind Kelwarin in silent footsteps. The boy couldn't help but notice how tall and sturdy she was compared to him.

She might have been strong physically, but she wasn't as physically capable as him.

It doesn't matter why she's so strong, he told himself as he watched her walk away from him. She's still a person with human emotions.

"So," she said softly as she stopped in her tracks. "I suppose we should figure out which way to go now."

Kelwarin hummed in acknowledgment.