The Case of the Vanishing Brat part 3

The last thing I was worried about was Loid dropping me. Seriously. If I had to be honest, the real thing that had me biting my nails was Adrien. If Loid made even the tiniest mistake, I swear Adrien would jump straight at his neck like a wild beast.

And for what? I don't know! That guy is a walking riddle. I've known him for years, and I still don't understand what goes on in that brain of his.

As I pulled myself up the final slope, the crisp night air hit my face. A soft silver glow filtered in through the in front of the cave exit, which is covered by vines, and the sound of rustling leaves welcomed us out. I squinted ahead and saw it, an opening. Just a few more steps and...

We were outside.

The night wrapped around us like a thick blanket. Tall, dark trees towered on either side, their branches swaying gently in the breeze. Bushes rustled. And above it all, the moon hung low and wide like a sleepy eye.

The Sevan Forest.

Yup. No mistaking it. That wild, overgrown mess of a jungle. I turned around, expecting to see the cave I had just gotten out but,

Wait a second.

No… no way.

Is this…?

My eyes narrowed.

Oh, come on.

This is the backside of my hideout cave. The hidden side. The one I never even knew existed because it was completely covered with bushes. There's a whole second exit that leads out this far? And worse, it connects to the town?

No. Just no.

If Loid ever wanders into the other side… if he finds the royal seal I've hidden inside…

Yeah, I don't want to think about it. At all.

Loid and Adrien stepped out behind me, two guards following quietly. Their boots crunched over fallen leaves and sticks.

Adrien looked stunned, not in a 'woah, cool' way, but in an 'oh no, this is a problem' kind of way. He knew. Just like I did. This wasn't a place you wanted people stumbling into.

I dropped to one knee, inspecting the ground. Dirt, leaves, crushed grass. I brushed a few aside, checking for footsteps or any sign someone had come this way.

"Young master, are you sure the kidnappers took this path?" Adrien asked, his voice lower than usual, like the night had him on edge too.

"Most likely. Let's just give it a shot."

Then I looked at him again. "Adrien, can you search for him?"

He's got a Terra affinity. If there was anyone who could feel someone through the ground, even in the dark, it was him.

"I can try," he said.

Not yes. Not no.

Just Adrien being Adrien.

Adrien stepped forward, his boots pressing into the soft, mossy ground with barely a sound. The forest quieted around him as if even the crickets and owls wanted to see what he'd do.

He rolled up one of his sleeves.

"Stand back," he murmured, kneeling and placing his palms flat on the cold soil.

Then he closed his eyes and spoke softly.

"O slumbering roots and ancient stone,

Whisper truths from the marrow of bone.

Through soil and seed, through time run deep,

Awaken now from earthen sleep."

The moment the last word left his lips, the ground hummed. A low, vibrating note that wasn't exactly a sound; it was something you felt in your chest, like the earth was stretching after a long nap.

Tiny glowing cracks snaked out from beneath Adrien's hand, not like fire, but soft golden veins of magic threading across the moss and leaves. They pulsed, once, twice, before spreading into a wide, silent ripple, passing under roots, through stone, deeper than we could see.

I felt a chill.

Not the scary kind. The cool kind. Like watching a wolf stalk through mist. Adrien didn't move. His face was perfectly calm, but you could tell he was listening to the land itself.

"…He's tracing the vibrations," I whispered to Loid, who looked like he had no idea what was happening but nodded anyway.

Suddenly, Adrien's eyes snapped open.

"There's movement." His voice was calm but sharp. "Not far. Five people. South-east. One of them is struggling."

"Struggling?" I echoed.

He stood, brushing dirt off his hands like nothing had happened. "Kidnappers are carrying someone. It might be the kid. One of them has heavy steps, probably armored."

Loid's eyes widened. "Can we catch up?"

"If we move now, we'll reach them before they cross the river…" Adrien tilted his head, then shrugged. 

He turned to Loid. "You lead the way. I'll say the directions."

"Me?" Loid blinked. "Shouldn't you lead the way, Mr. Adrien?"

Well, Loid was not wrong. 

Adrien smirked slightly. "Because if something jumps out, I'd rather it bites you first."

Wow, Heartwarming. Adrien is just Adrien, after all.

The guards chuckled under their breath.

"Just get moving!" I snapped. I mean, is this really the time to joke?

Loid didn't argue. He turned and started running, boots thudding lightly against the forest ground. The guards followed close behind, weapons in hand, eyes scanning the dark trees.

Adrien knelt next to me, lowered his back, and without saying anything, I climbed on. His arms hooked under my knees, and just like that, I was off the ground, riding piggyback.

"You could've at least said 'please,'" I mumbled. I mean, I am his master, after all.

"You're five," he said flatly. "You don't get voting rights."

Rude.

The forest flew past us in shadows and movement. Branches creaked overhead. Leaves rustled, soft and wet. Somewhere to the right, an owl hooted, then took off with a flap of wings. It felt like everything around us was holding its breath.

"Turn right. Down the slope. They're five hundred paces ahead now. Moving slower." Adrien said.

We all slipped and skidded as we followed the directions. Leaves slapped my face, branches tried to grab my hair, and one of the guards actually tripped over a rabbit. A rabbit! It squeaked, cursed him (probably), and vanished into the dark.

Loid veered off the narrow path without question, slicing through hanging vines and low branches. One of the guards tripped on a root and barely caught himself.

"How close?" I asked.

Adrien didn't answer right away. His focus was somewhere beneath us; his ears might've been listening to the sound of running, but his magic was still tracing vibrations underground.

"They're running faster now."

We jumped over a fallen log. Adrien barely flinched. I had to wrap my arms tighter around his neck to keep from bouncing off.

"This is a bad idea," I muttered into his ear.

"It's the only idea," he replied. "Also, you're heavy."

"I'm five."

"You eat like you're fifteen."

I kicked him in the ribs. He didn't even blink.

Loid's pace slowed for just a second when the trees thinned ahead. The sound of water hit us, rushing, cold, wild.

The river.

Suddenly, Loid threw up a hand. "Wait!"

We all froze. Then we heard it too.

Branches cracking. Muffled curses. Someone tripping.

"They're close," Adrien muttered. "Just ahead."

Without waiting, Loid charged forward again.

"Loid-!" I started, but too late. That idiot already bolted.

We scrambled after him, feet slamming through mud and roots. Adrien ducked under a low branch, only to get a mouthful of spiderweb in my mouth. Gross. 

Then we saw them.

Torchlights. Just a tiny flicker through the trees, but enough. The kidnappers were close to the river.

Four hooded figures were carrying a smaller person, Julian, it had to be.

They hadn't seen us yet.

Loid raised a hand and signaled the guards to go to the left. Adrien set me down behind a thick tree.

"Stay here," he said.

I opened my mouth to protest, but he was already pulling his gloves tighter. His eyes were hard and sharp. The joking was gone.

"If something happens, run. You know the signal."

I gave a small nod.

Then Adrien turned and ran.

He crossed the clearing like a shadow, quiet and smooth, following Loid and the guards. They were all closing in now.

The torchlights wobbled.

Then,

The kidnappers saw us.

And instead of panicking, they just smiled.

It really is strange.

That's when I knew something was wrong.

The tallest one, wrapped in a faded traveler's cloak, raised his arm. His fingers glowed, something cracked and dark. Like the edges of burned paper. The ground hissed as his power touched it, and then,

CRACK.

The earth split like it was breathing. Vines twisted up from the soil, green and dry, like they'd been waiting underground for centuries. Two guards were caught mid-sprint. They didn't even scream, just fell, tangled, the vines wrapping tight around their limbs like snakes.

"They're using tree sub-element," Adrien said.

Loid cursed under his breath. "Damn Variant Arcanists…"

They didn't even notice guards were caught. Those two idiots!

The two remaining kidnappers dropped their prisoner, Julian, and drew blades.

Loid didn't hesitate.

He slashed his sword across the air. "Gale Line!"

A whip of wind blasted out, sharp and fast. One of the kidnappers deflected it with a flick of his hand, like swatting away a fly. Loid didn't stop, he was already lunging forward, lightning crackling up his blade like a live wire.

I gripped the kitchen knife I stole from the house, the cold steel biting into my hand as I hacked at the thick vines choking the guards. Each swing felt like a battle in itself, those damn vines weren't letting go easily.

Finally, the last vine snapped free, and the guards gasped for breath, eyes wide with panic. I barely spared them a glance. My eyes were on Julian, lying just a few feet away near the river, discarded like a ragdoll. I ran toward him.

The kidnappers had their attention on Loid and Adrien, too distracted by the chaos to notice me.

Julian was barely conscious, his body a mess of torn fabric and bruises, as though he'd fought tooth and nail against his captors. I couldn't carry him, not with this tiny body of mine. But he could walk, or at least, stumble along with me.

As I dragged him toward the cover of the forest, a sudden, sharp noise split the air.

SWISH!

A sword slashed toward my neck, too fast. My heart dropped. I couldn't move, not with Julian in tow.

But then, a clash of metal rang out, and the force of the blow sent wind whistling around us.

I knew he would be here.

"I told you to stay hidden! What the hell are you doing?!" Adrien's voice was a mix of panic and fury, and I barely registered the words before I saw him, his sword shimmering with a dull blue glow, veins of soft brown lighting up with power.

The air pulsed as Adrien pushed the kidnapper back with a blast of force.

"Get away!" Adrien shouted, eyes wide with urgency. I didn't hesitate. With a quick glance, I bolted toward the forest, where the guards were still trying to get their bearings.

"Get up! We need to go!" I shouted at them.

The guards were clearly out of their league. If I'd known these kidnappers were this strong, I would've had Mikael with me. Hell, I'd have brought the whole damn squad.

Meanwhile, Loid was in the thick of it, clashing swords with the first kidnapper. Sparks flew with every strike, and lightning snapped through the air like a swarm of angry insects. Loid's wind spells pushed him forward with terrifying speed, but the kidnapper was no slouch; his strikes were controlled, precise, and unnervingly calm. Like he'd done this a thousand times before.

Adrien wasn't any better off. A blast of black fire streaked toward him, twisted, and smelled like rust and decay. He ducked just in time, sliding across the dirt with his sword held low, slamming it into the ground.

"Mudslide!" Adrien's voice cut through the chaos.

The earth rumbled beneath the kidnapper's feet. The ground turned into muddy from solid, swallowing the man's balance in a split second. He stumbled, just enough for Adrien to land a brutal kick to his chest, sending him slamming into a tree.

But then, the fourth kidnapper stepped forward, completely unfazed. No weapon in hand. His skin peeled back. I could see something metallic beneath, sparking blue like lightning trapped in his veins.

Loid's voice was strained. "That one's strange!"

"You think?!" Adrien snarled, already moving again.

I ducked behind a tree, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn't see that magic clearly, but it felt wrong, like something pulled from a forgotten ruin, something cursed. Something no one should be messing with.

"You okay?" I whispered to Julian, my voice low, even though I wasn't sure if he could even hear me. He barely nodded, but it was enough for me to know he was still with me, still alive.

I handed him over to one of the guards, who carried him up with a grunt. The other guard shoved me up, even though I didn't want to leave Loid and Adrien behind. But these guards knew we were outmatched.

We ran toward the way we came from, fast, as fast as we could.

Just when-