Escape

Charyic’s arms ached from the unexpected jerk of catching herself on the staff, that her hands hadn’t slipped was a small mercy. It had felt almost like the staff had been trying to hold onto her as much as she had been trying to hold onto it. That it had fallen was a shame. A staff like that would have been something to keep.

She heard the man with the black opal eyes giving more orders, and she didn’t have to speak his language to know what they were. Climbing straight down would be the same as walking meekly back into her cage. She would have just climbed down inside the stonework if she were willing to do that. Charyic leaned out from the stonework she was clinging to, looking for another way.

If she could move sideways there was a place where the stonework neared the outer temple wall. Risky, but better than what waited for her straight below, she was certain. She moved as quickly as she could, her hands and fingers began to ache from gripping the stonework. If she wasn’t fast enough it wouldn’t matter where she came down.

Once she reached the closest point she tried to curse. It had looked closer to the wall than it actually was. Song spilled out of her mouth of death and glory. She coiled herself, turning as best she could and putting every ounce of her strength and fear into the leap.

Her sore, raw fingers barely grasped the edge of the wall and the song continued to pour from her. Cursing was much less satisfying than it used to be. She let the song come to a halt and gritted her teeth as she struggled to hoist herself up. Her arms screamed with pain as she managed it, just barely. She hardly glanced at the bloody marks on the wall where she had gripped it. She had to move.

Keeping low as she ran along the edge of the wall, Charyic grinned at the market below. Perfect. One wooden stall just close enough and she could escape into the crowd. She leapt over the wall and landed a little too heavily on the corner edge of a wooden stall, nearly making it collapse. The merchant inside shrieked, drawing attention.

She tried to look nonchalant and mix with the milling crowd, moving to the back and following the flow of people through the street. A horse. And a cloak. Charyic wanted to leave this place fast, and not to have her face seen doing it. The easiest target would be the traveler’s stables. If you looked as though you belonged you could walk right in, and even get a horse saddled with a bit of luck before someone came to ask for proof of payment for the boarding.

Charyic stepped into the shade of the stable, glancing around and seeing no one at all. Very odd considering how restive the horses seemed, it put her on edge. She moved to the tack room, saddle first, then a fast looking horse.

In the tack room, she encountered the reason for the horses’ restiveness. A Light Bringer. People carefully avoided them as best they could and animals, who could sense the danger, tried to flee. Her mouth opened to curse before she could stop herself. The Light Bringer that had stood staring with surprised annoyance, her tack in her hands, now tossed it to the ground and came toward her as the song of hollowed and swallowed light fell from her lips.

The Light Bringer’s mirrored eyes were wide and she leaned close reaching out to take hold of Charyic’s arms. Charyic lunged, head-butting the woman and shoving her back, following it with an uppercut as the Light Bringer’s hands released her and went for her weapon. Charyic was shaking as she looked down at the temporarily incapacitated woman.

She grabbed a thick handled whip and clubbed the woman across the temple mercilessly. Looking around the room she realized, no one was here to see. And no one was fool enough to approach a Light Bringer or demand they lift their hoods. Charyic started to strip the woman keeping the whip close.

Dressed in the Light Bringer’s garb, black with brilliant silver stars inlaid in the light armor, armor that fit surprisingly well considering the woman had been taller. Charyic tied her up and covered her with a horse blanket. She’d have left her own clothes but some of these Light Bringers were like hounds, they could track you from the energy you left on your clothing or jewelry if you left it behind. Charyic didn’t want to be tracked.

She picked up the woman’s discarded tack and moved quickly to the horses. It wouldn’t be hard to find the right one, whichever horse didn’t shy away would be the one to take. Inside the Light Bringer’s gloves, her hands were raw and sore, the fine movements needed were agony, but she did not allow the pain to slow her. Charyic had the horse saddled faster than she had ever managed the task before. She was on the horse in an instant and pulled up the hood before she put her heels to the animal’s side and headed out of the stable at speed.

No one challenged her at the gate and she rode the Light Bringer’s horse as if the legions of damned were behind her once she was past them. Once into the forest nearly four miles out of the city, she turned down the fork in the road that led toward the northeastern mountains. The Minasmer Mountains weren’t close, but they were the best place for a hunted man, or woman, to find a place to hide. She dreaded having to take the Oryr Road but she would do whatever was necessary to stay out of Anykrocath.

Reviews

[arandommaria]

I like this story up to this point. In this chapter there are just small things I thought would be worth pointing out - what does it mean that people give light bringers a "wide berth"? Especially since after this you say that the animals sense danger and try to flee, I wasn't sure. Is this because people give them a lot of importance or such? It's my best idea based on the definition - maybe this is a good place to reword, but it's the author's call ;). The one thing is that since the animals are afraid of danger and try to flee, I think the word to use would be "restlessness" instead of "restiveness" (I know you can add notes instead of mentioning it here but I have no idea how, new memeber, sorry!).

Besides that, this story really grabbed my attention. Intriguing and interesting, I just have to read on now. I also like the originality in the names of both people and places. Nice work so far :)

[Isemay]

"A wide berth" is idiomatic, to avoid or to steer clear of something or someone. I can go back and fix that! It didn't occur to me it would be unclear. Thank you for bringing it to my attention!

And "restiveness" was specific word choice. I've always heard that people are restless, horses are restive.

I didn't know adding notes was an option! If you figure it out let me know!

And thank you I hope you continue to enjoy it, and please keep pointing things out where I can improve or clarify! I greatly appreciate it!

(I don't have time to edit right now, but I will come back to it!)