On the Run!

The group moved through the thick underbrush, avoiding the well-worn roads. The Holy Order would be hunting them. Even if no one had identified them yet, they had slipped out of a locked-down town. That was enough for suspicion.

The sun had long since dipped behind the hills, casting long shadows as they pressed forward. Every crack of a branch or rustle in the distance made them tense, hands hovering over weapons.

Beren was the first to break the silence.

"We can't keep wandering like this. We need a plan."

Mira exhaled sharply. "We already have one—keep moving. Put distance between us and the Order."

Beren frowned. "That's not a plan. That's running." He glanced at Arlan. "We're not even sure they're actually after us."

Tomas grunted. "They will be. Running makes us look guilty." His grip tightened on his sword. "If we keep acting like fugitives, we'll be treated like them."

Leila adjusted her cloak, eyeing the darkened path ahead. "So what, we waltz into the next town and hope they don't notice us? Hope they aren't checking everyone coming through?"

Mira pinched the bridge of her nose. "We just need to find somewhere safe to lay low. Somewhere small, not a major city."

Beren shook his head. "We're low on supplies. We don't have food for much longer."

A thought nagged at the back of Arlan's mind, but he said nothing.

He knew the truth.

He was the reason they were running.

If he wasn't with them, they wouldn't be in danger. If the Holy Order caught up to them, they would assume it was him. Because it would be.

Should he leave?

Would it be safer for them?

A cold whisper curled at the edge of his thoughts.

An Abandoned Watchtower

After hours of travel, they stumbled upon the ruins of an old watchtower, half-collapsed and overgrown with ivy.

Leila scouted ahead, then waved them over. "Looks abandoned. No footprints. Could be a good place to rest."

Tomas nodded. "We should take shifts. Just in case."

They climbed into what was left of the structure, finding just enough shelter to keep warm. No one built a fire. The last thing they needed was a beacon for any patrols in the area.

As they settled in, the exhaustion finally caught up to them. No one spoke. The weight of what they had seen in town—the burning execution—hung over them.

Arlan sat apart from the others, leaning against the cold stone wall, staring at the night sky through a gap in the tower's roof.

He could still hear the screams.

Mira & Arlan – A Confrontation

A figure stepped into his vision.

Mira.

She folded her arms, staring down at him. "Alright. Enough of this."

Arlan blinked, pulling himself out of his thoughts. "Enough of what?"

Mira huffed. "You. Being like this." She knelt down in front of him, her face barely illuminated by the moonlight. "I'm not stupid, Arlan. I know you're hiding something. I know what I have seen during our time together. And I know damn well that whatever you're doing—it's not just summoning spirits."

His stomach twisted.

Here it was. Again.

Arlan didn't answer, but Mira wasn't backing down. "You made a deal with something, didn't you?"

He swallowed. "It's not like that."

She narrowed her eyes. "Then what is it?"

Silence stretched between them.

Then, finally, Arlan exhaled, looking away. "I didn't want to lose you."

Mira blinked, caught off guard by the sudden honesty.

Arlan clenched his fists. "If I told you the truth from the start… if I told any of you… would you have stayed?"

Mira hesitated.

And that was answer enough.

Arlan forced a smirk. "See? That's why I didn't tell you."

Mira's expression darkened. "That's not fair, Arlan."

Arlan shrugged, trying to seem indifferent. "It's the truth."

Mira's frustration bubbled over. "You don't get to decide things like that for us!" She ran a hand through her hair, visibly upset. "I—We—we all chose to travel with you. Not because of your magic, or what you can do, but because you're one of us. But you keep acting like you're alone. Like you're already expecting us to turn on you."

"Im a necromancer Mira.."

Mira exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "You're an idiot, Arlan."

Before she could say anything else, Tomas and Leila suddenly ran back into the tower.

Their faces were pale.

"We have a problem," Tomas said, out of breath.

Beren stood up immediately. "What kind of problem?"

Leila wiped sweat from her brow. "The road south. It's blocked."

Arlan's stomach dropped. "Blocked how?"

Tomas looked grim. "The Order. Soldiers. They're searching everyone trying to leave."

Silence.

Mira tensed. "Then we're trapped."

Arlan cursed under his breath.

They weren't free yet. Not even close.