Tommy's hideout P2

Natalia yanked her blade free, her chest heaving as the man crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap. She could feel the sweat shining on her skin as she wiped her forehead clean- she couldn't stop the grimace of disgust before she paid it no mind- she'd shower later if she could get out of this hellhole alive. The searing pain in her arms from her back to the present made her hiss ‘shit’ she huffed, basted.

Azure scanned her surroundings, her sharp eyes darting over the camp's flickering lights. Edmund's voice was back in her mind, urgent and biting. "You, okay? You're taking hits. Tell me you're still with me, Nat!" "I’m fine," she huffed lying through gritted teeth, tightening her grip on her sword. "Just keep those bowstrings ready. I need your eyes in the centre." "Copy that. But hurry. They're moving the kids again. I can't get a clear shot with them bunched up like this."

Azure cursed under her breath as she surged forward, her steps swift and silent her boots had made no noise as her body moved like a shadow under the moonlight. Her thoughts flickered to the children—terrified, broken, barely clinging to hope. 'just like I was and I'd be dammed if I didn't save them' - Her blade felt heavier with each step as she got closer to the middle trying to ignore the ragging war inside her head as memory reacted inside- every nick and granny it was identical even after all this time apart.

Everything down to the smell of grim and filth with the painful reminder of blood making her grimace turning her nose up as her stomach twisted painfully, she struggled to hold in the gag. The layout was just like she remembered- a living nightmare. As she approached the heart of the camp, she spotted Tommy men. Azura's breath hitched, and her eyes locked onto the scene ahead. The children, pale and terrified, were being dragged and shoved toward a wooden wagon the same one that belonged to an old travelling circus the same one where she was once snuffed inside of- she could see what it looked like making her skin crawl; the paint was cracked and peeling, leaving behind splintered wood darkened by grime. Iron bars covered the tiny windows, and the thick, rusted chains looped through its doors making her stomach ache.

She watched, her fists tightening around her blade, as one child stumbled, only to be yanked to their feet by a rough hand. Their small cries were drowned out by the men’s crude drunken laughter, a sound that made Natalia’s jaw clench so tightly it ached.

Her heart pounded, every muscle in her body screaming to charge forward, to cut them all down and get those kids to safety. But she forced herself to stay rooted, her sharp gaze scanning the camp. Not yet. One wrong move and I’ll put not just those children in danger but the rest.

Hearing a wave of laughter sent a wave of anger through her heart making her magic fizz around her heart and making her jaw clench looking past the cage she now realised why the rotten smell made her gag with acholic bottles litter around them the fire pit as those who weren't dealing with the children was blackout drunk on chairs. One of them seems of appointed himself in charge and seems to be very friendly to a very nice-looking midnight black axe standing 9 feet much larger than the guy himself – the man himself was shouting to those who seemed to listen as he barked orders but his speech alit slurred from the amount of acholic he as consumed as his movement were sluggish. Azura's gaze snapped to the tunnel's entrance as she felt her anger reach a new point as one of the filths went back inside one of the tunnels she needed a way to get inside those tunnels; deep inside were the cells keeping any sort of sunlight or an ounce of time inside only leaving you with a little ounce of sanity left to work.

"Edmund," she hissed through their mental link, her eyes flicking back to the children near the fire. "I need a distraction. I need to get to that cage. There are more of Tommy’s men in the tunnels. I can’t risk going in while the kids are exposed."

"Got it," Edmund’s voice came returned, calm but firm.

"Give me a second."

Azura exhaled slowly, steadying herself as she watched the drunken men. Her magic hummed faintly at her core, a reminder of her power and her control. She’d need both if she was going to save the children without losing herself to the rage boiling inside. Hold on, just a little longer. I’ll get you out of here.

Before even a second had passed a sound of an arrow arched through the dark sky, silent as a bird, before any of the drunken bodies knew what was happening the arrow embedded itself into the top of the barrel of alcohol. That was on the opposite side of the circle for a split second, Azura thought nothing would happen -then the flames licked the alcohol-soaked wood, and the barrel exploded with a deafening BOOM.

"Hell YES!! I knew it would work." the boy cheered in her mind, his voice shouting amazement at seeing his experiment work for the first time. Flames danced around the explosion. Screams erupted from the small children as they tried to shuffle inside the cage, making the shackles on their bodies shake, but they were drowned out by shouts from the drunks as they battled away from the flames, their laughter turning to chaos.

Those who were passed out from their haze had awoken in feet of the panic around them and those inside the tunnels had raced to the commotion with rustic-looking swords eyes wide with sheer destress at the mess around them.

Edmund took advantage of the confusion, losing another arrow to shatter a nearby lantern, sending shards of glass and flaming oil scattering across the ground. The camp lit up with panicked yells as the fire spread, casting long, wild shadows against the walls.

"Nat, you’re clear," he muttered through their link, his voice low but urgent. "they’re too busy trying not to set themselves on fire."

From his vantage point, he saw Natalia slip through the chaos like a shadow, her figure barely visible in the flickering light. Her first diction was the children in the middle of all the chaos thank God- A grin flickered across his face, but he didn’t let himself relax. He pulled another arrow from his quiver, his eyes scanning for his next target.

Breath in Edmund's mind worked 100 miles an hour as his mind came up with plans out of plans, he kept an eye out for Nat the best he could with the madness down below- he knew she could disappear within a second and if it wasn't for the fire or the glow from the full moon she would be gone.

'Breath out...'

'Distraction’s working, but it won’t last long.'

Azura moved with precise allowing the mayhem around her to push closer to the children inside the fear shaking eyes stared at her when she finally made it closer there were five children covered in dirt and grime- slashes of blood covered them from head to toe pale after seeing no sun for days/weeks on end with what little amount of fabric that barely classed as clothes hung on body that was just skin on bones- looking at a shake of a skeleton- their eyes, were lost of any light or any hope within them just hollow.

“Hey-” “Please don't be scared.” the children flinched back, clutching onto each other in fright their hollow eyes shifting around them as they tried to get as far away from there as inhumanly possible their small bodies began to shake with fear of the stranger who to them could just be another person who would hurt them. “Please... I won't hurt you” Natalia whispered, softly showing her hand in what she had shown she wasn't going to hurt them in any way “I'm just here to help you.” Their shaking got stronger if that is even possible ‘Natalia!! Watch out!’ Edmund's voice yells through her mind before she has time to react and an arrow shoots from behind her making her stumble back one of the men must have come running at her before she even realises.

“Shit.”

The piercing wail of an alarm tore through the night, a sound so deafening it made Azura flinch, her eyes squeezing shut as the sharp pain shot through her mind. The shrill noise bounced through the camp, a relentless assault that seemed to burrow into her brain. Behind her, she could hear over the sound of the alarm as the children cried out, their small voices breaking with terror after so long not in use as they clung to one another, overwhelmed by the sheer volume.

"What the fuck is that?!" Edmund’s voice roared in her mind, raw and panicked, the telepathic link trembling with his frustration as he grasped his ears trying to block out the should in the camp he might be up high on a cliff but even there he could hear the defining sound.

Azura staggered, pressing her hands over her ears as if it would somehow dull the sound. It didn’t. The shrieking alarm hammered on, relentless. She swore under her breath, the words tumbling in a frantic loop inside her head: "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

"It’s a signal," she finally managed, her voice tight and strained as she pushed herself upright. "A call for reinforcements."

"What kind of reinforcements? There no other Tommy camp around...." Edmund’s tone was frantic, but it shifted to dread as realization struck. "Wait… No. Don’t tell me..."

"The knights," Azura confirmed, her jaw clenched so tightly it hurt.

"The knights," he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper, heavy with disbelief.

"That's how Tommy kept magic away from her... it would have to be something with the knights being able to be involved with outside the walls..." she concludes... "Yeah, that’s just great, Nat," Edmund’s voice cut through her spiralling thoughts, dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe save the theories for later. You know, like after we don’t DIE?!"

Azura’s grip on her sword tightened until her knuckles turned white. She spun around to face the children, their tear-streaked faces reflecting her fear. “We need to move. Now.”

The alarm wasn’t just a warning; it was a death sentence if they didn’t act fast. The knights weren’t reinforcements for the camp—they were executioners, and anyone left behind wouldn’t stand a chance.