Alone in the Dark

On the Run

They had been fleeing all night through the forest, jumping at shadows and trees while they pushed their horses as much as they dared. It was as Dawn broke through the end of the night, when Keana's scouts returned to the group that was finishing its second rest. People were exhausted and horses had barely cooled down, but no one was relaxing. The forest and the darkness that still clung despite the lightening sky had them all on edge, waiting for pursuers that never materialized.

Keana turned from where he had been patting down Nerini's horse to accept the scout's report. They had found no trace of pursuit in their foray back the way they had come, though their expressions showed relief at being once more within the safety of the group and not out in the dark on their own.

The fear that gripped them all at first sight of the monsters was dissipating. Being able to fight and injure the creatures had helped ease the primal terror, but it still remained. Keana nodded an acknowledgement and allowed them time to eat before he ordered everyone to mount. He paused and watched Lord Kannein climb wearily into the saddle with a frown. The man was now wearing clothing, and a cloak provided by his men, though he looked distant and haunted. Keana half suspected the man was barely aware of the world around him.
"How is he doing?" Keana nodded to the guard closest to him. He met Thaner's eyes and saw more in them than could ever be communicated in words.

There was fear there, and Keana suspected that Thaner knew the damage torture and captivity could cause. It may look like the Lord of Lansend, but no one knew what damage had been done by the monsters, and what the man beneath was thinking.

Thaner shrugged after hesitating. Speaking low as he looked back towards Nerini's brother. "He's not talking to us, he's hurt bad, but he's eating and drinking what we can give him. I've never seen him like this, it's like he doesn't even exist, like his soul is gone."
"Keep an eye on him." Keana offered softly, forcing his mind to remain logical to avoid the well of emotions Thaner was wrestling with. "His mind might not be with him. I know you owe him your loyalty, but he might not be acting in his best interest right now. I've seen men act counter to their morals after long captivity and torture."

"Aye, so have I." Thaner inclined his head, meeting his gaze once more before turning back to what he had been doing, adjusting his saddle and shifting his packs before getting on his own horse.

They mounted and continued a ground eating pace towards the coast through the thick woods, using the side roads to bypass any small settlements or villages. It was a slower pace, with the stops they needed to make for the injured and horses, but it was the quickest and most direct that he dared maintain.

Keana didn't want to enter into the villages and draw any potential attack onto the unknowing people in them. He presumed that if they were being followed, the creatures would track them with a brutal efficiency. If they did not put helpless humans in the crossfire, then the monsters would have no reason to hunt them out.

But the further he got, and the longer it went with no enemy to fight, Keana struggled with what he was doing. With every report of an empty road ahead and behind, he had to battle the urge to turn around and return to the castle to look for Nerini. It was hard to justify running when there didn't seem to be anything chasing them. A night and a day of running made him a little less inclined to stick with the plan they had agreed upon.

Luckily, Nerini's own soldiers didn't voice similar reservations and thoughts. Keana wasn't sure how his control would last if anyone pushed the issue.

So they continued to flee.

It was late into the afternoon, with the smell of the salt sea hinting in the air, when one of his riders from behind came sprinting up from the rear in a near panic, yelling. Even though the scout was still a fair distance down the road from them, Keana could see the panic in the man's face. In that moment, his gut sank, knowing that their luck had begun to run out, even before he could make out the words.

They were nearly at the sea, with no relief in sight, and the enemy had caught up to them as the sun dipped on the horizon. He wondered if Nerini's friends had even bothered showing up yet, or if he was leading these people to be pinned against the water by an onslaught of monsters.

"Move!" Keana snapped at the company as he wheeled his horse around to meet the young man gaining on them.

"Sir! Sir! We're being followed, it's a fair distance back, but I heard it screaming and crashing through the woods." The boy panted desperately, his horse heaving and sweating hard. "It's coming at us fast."

"Let's not wait around for it then." Keana growled.

His words prompted both of them to press their mounts into a run to catch up to the group as he found his mind processing the implications ahead and behind him. If the creatures were looking for Nerini but still chasing them, did that mean they had found her, or did they think she was with the group?

If the creatures had not found her, was she dead?

The two of them caught up to the group quickly, and he sent more scouts forward ahead of them, to see how much further the coast may be, and where they could hold up to wait for the fabled Sellexun ships to come in.

"Thaner, look for a good defensive!" Keana yelled, sending the guard forward as well. "These mythical Sellexun soldiers better hurry their prim little asses if they want to have someone left to save!"

Tomei rode beside him, offering a grin that belied the tension in her eyes. "We already beat six of them, if it's only one, why don't we turn and fight?"

"If there's one, there may be more, and I want to fight on a field of my choosing." Keana grumbled. "Don't be too quick to open battle, unless you hold all the trump cards."

His censure had Tomei's grin wavering, though he saw a steel look of fierceness replace the bravado.

"Yes, sir. I just don't like running, s'all." The young woman murmured stubbornly, her horse falling into step with his, her cloak snapping out behind her as they rode.

Keana didn't blame her.

He didn't like running either.