Part 03 - Runaways

 After a rather long hiatus, I am finally back with Part 3 of Mareth's story. I have included links to Part 01 and Part 02 for a refresher of the story.

Part 01 -  Part 02

Jamal had been against descending into the dark unknown hole in the ground but Ydros had insisted they rest within its hidden depths. It was a good place to hide, abandoned and forgotten, reclaimed by the wild forest. If they were lucky, they could elude the Red Cabal, at least for a short time. Jamal had begrudgingly agreed and they had prepared to settle in for the night when the intruder alerted them to her presence.

Startled by the unexpected visitor, Ydros had been caught off guard, using his ability by instinct and unable to control its force as it slammed into the young girl that appeared as if by magic at the bottom of the steps.

They had spent the past hour anxiously watching her still form for any signs of life. When she finally awoke, they surrounded her. Peering at her clothing and the bag strapped to her waist, Jamal guessed her to be some sort of scholar or mage. If it was the latter, Ydros had already begun to prepare a counter spell.

"Who - who are you?" she asked nervously. Her eyes flicked between them.

"First tell us who you are and why you are here?" Jamal held the ball of light she had been carrying in his hand.

"I'm Ma-" the girl cleared her throat.

"Don't even think about lying. My friend here has the ability to sense a lie." Jamal indicated Ydros who stood nearby trying his best to look intimidating, hard for a boy with a gentle face. 

The girl licked her lips and seemed to make up her mind. "I'm Mareth, from The Academy. I'm looking for scrolls, old history from long ago."

"A scholar then. Why would a scholar be wandering around alone out here?"

"I had little choice in that." Mareth replied and held out her hand. " My ball if you please?"

Jamal examined the object in his hand and glanced across to Ydros. The other boy shrugged and tilted his head towards the girl. The object was safe then. He handed it over to Mareth. 

"Not a magic ball then?" he grinned.

She took the ball gently. "An invention actually from the Guild of Artifices." she brought the ball to her lips and whispered a word that neither boys could hear. The ball went dark and she slid it into her bag.

"I've answered your question, you have yet to answer mine." she said evenly.

 

"The name's Jamal, that over there is Ydros. He's the one that almost killed you."

"I wasn't trying to kill you, the magic just got away from me a little bit." Ydros replied bashfully. "Are you all right?"

Mareth inspected herself carefully. " A bruise I suspect but otherwise I yet live."

"Oh I like her." Ydros grinned.

"Since we didn't accidentally kill you, and you discovered our hideout,  you'll have to come with us. We can't take the chance that the Red Cabal will find you and force you to tell them about us." Jamal crossed his arms, staring hard at her.

"I'm a hostage?" the girl looked at them with a hint of disbelief. 

"I prefer to think of it as a partnership of sorts."

"An unbalanced one." she muttered. What choice did she have. She couldn't fight a mage alone and unarmed and she doubted her chances with the taller boy, Jamal. 

"It'll be fun. The three of us on an adventure." Ydros smiled brightly.

... to be continued ...

 BONUS MATERIAL - Prologue to the introduction of the two boys...

Two hours before Mareth found the door...


The two boys raced headlong through the dense forest, mindful to avoid branches that could snag and rip their clothing. They did not want to make themselves easy to find. Overhead, the sun was already dipping towards the horizon. They pushed themselves on, exhaustion already beginning to claw at them, threatening to stop them completely in their tracks.

"Wait. Ydros. I need to catch a breath." Jamal wheezed, breathing hard. Their flight slowed to a standstill, each of the boys hunched over, drawing in deep breaths.

"I think we lost them." Jamal managed to say.
"You don't know the Red Cabal like I do." Ydros stared off into the distance.
"So much for the theory that they wouldn't follow us across the border to Embra."
"The treaty wouldn't stop them. Not even Embra's Queen can."
Jamal leaned heavily against the tree. "If Embra's Queen learns of their presence in her Kingdom, it might mean war."
Ydros shrugged. "It was already war the moment we crossed over." he looked down at the ground, face forlorn. "It's all my fault."
"Hey." Jamal placed a gentle hand on his companion's shoulder. "We both made the decision to cross. It wasn't just you. We had no choice. If they catch you, you won't be able to escape again. They'll lock you up like they did with Serilda."

Her name sent a wave of regret through Ydros. He had wanted to take her with them but there had been too many guards, too many Red Cabal around the base of her tower. Their journey would have ended before it had a chance to start.

"Look, I didn't want to leave her either. The thought of her there, alone ..." Jamal turned his face away. Serilda had been a friend to them both. Despite what had happened to her, despite what had been done to her family, the Empire hadn't been able to snuff out the light that shined so brightly inside of her.

"She'll be okay. She's stronger than we give her credit for." he continued. He shook his head and looked around them. "We need to find a place to hide, to lie low for a while."

Ydros turned in a circle, his eyes closed, his hand outstretched. "There." he pointed to the north, a short distance away. "Maybe something there ..." his eyes opened and he signalled for Jamal to follow him.

"What if someone follows us?"

Ydros looked forward, resolute. "We fight."