They slipped out under cover of night. The hour was not very late and the moon had not yet risen over the buildings. Damian was uncertain about leaving before the town had settled for the night, but after a nerve-wracking day at the inn, wondering if the mages were going to find her and Garrick, she was glad to be on the move.
"Just act natural," the knight had stated. "Don't give them anything to be suspicious about." Damian frowned as she glanced about her and thought she could hardly look more conspicuous. In this dirty town saturated with browns and greys, her deep red dress and royal purple cloak stood out like a sore thumb atop Hope, let alone Garrick riding Brenadier in his pristine armour. She pulled the hood of her cloak higher over her head, trying to mask her face in shadows.
To her relief, people still took little notice of them. Most of the people remaining in the streets had either had a few drinks or were looking for some and regarded Damian and Garrick as nothing but obstacles to overcome between them and inebriation. She only hoped that such luck would hold out until they left the town.
They rode west in silence, traveling deeper into the city before they would cross Destin River and leave the town behind them. Garrick had told her that he knew mages in the town of Alegro, just south of Misengard, that could likely help them. It was a long journey. All that concerned her at the moment was getting out of Dresdin undetected by the mages' guild.
The gibbous moon had just risen clear of the buildings when a bridge over Destin River appeared ahead. Damian gazed anxiously at the ribbon of silver snaking through the town, suppressing the desire to urge her horse into a gallop. Past the river, only a few blocks of the town remained. They were nearly free. She dared to hope that they would escape the town safely.
A movement from Garrick attracted her attention. Turning her head, she found him staring hard at an alley they had just passed. After a moment, he glanced behind them, scanning the streets. Damian followed his eyes, but found nothing out of the ordinary. When she returned her eyes to his, he was gazing at her, his expression grave. Her breath caught in her throat.
He nodded forward, motioning her on. With a sharp yank on Brenadier's reins, the horse spun in place. By the time the chestnut destrier was still, Garrick's spear was drawn and his head was accented with horns and fins. Damian pulled Hope to a stop and gazed at him fearfully.
"Go!" the knight yelled out as a brilliant blast streaked down the street past them. Chaos erupted. Damian's yelp mingled with her mare's excited whicker and she struggled to stay in the saddle with the horse's dancing hooves. In the same moment, Garrick kicked Brenadier into a gallop and charged the mages that had now emerged from behind buildings.
"Garrick!" Damian cried out. Before she could do anything else, three brown-robed mages riding dark horses galloped toward her from a block away. Gasping, she put her heels to her horse's flanks and fled, reluctantly leaving Garrick behind. She glanced helplessly over her shoulder while Hope thundered down the muddy road. Half a dozen mages had come to hunt her down. Inexperienced krolmins were one thing, but she knew she didn't stand a chance against so many trained mages. A dark weight settled in her stomach as she pictured the knight's battle against the guild mages.
Soon, she reached the bridge over Destin River, Garrick and his adversaries lost to the night. The three mages on horseback followed only a few seconds behind her. Her mind raced as fast as her horse, fear filling her and wondering how she could lose her pursuers.
When she was halfway across the bridge, two more horses came into view before her and stopped, blocking all escape from the bridge. She recognized Correy and Falsin, the lesser mages from the guild, sitting atop the horses. Terrified, she slowed her mount, racking her mind for a solution. No sooner had her horse stopped than the pounding of the hooves behind her rang across her ears. If she stayed still, there would be no escape for certain. Desperately, she kicked her horse into a gallop again. The mages before her steeled themselves, knowing that Damian's mare would not attempt to barge through their horses. As she approached, step by step, she saw the mages' hands begin to glow.
For a few seconds that seemed to stretch on for hours, Hope charged forward and Damian tried to think of a way out of the situation. Turning around and attempting to go back the way she came had even less likelihood of success than continuing forward. Even if she attacked Correy and Falsin, she wouldn't be able to move either of them out of the way quickly enough for her to pass. There was simply not enough room to maneuver around them. She tried to come up with another idea, but her mind was too clouded by fear to think clearly.
Not realizing she had closed her eyes, she thrust them open to find the mages only a few paces away, brilliant light shining out from their hands. In a panic, she yanked the reins to the side, pulling Hope in a sharp turn just as the missiles roared past her. She tried to turn the horse further, swinging it back around, but her hands fumbled and the mare leaped over the stone railing of the bridge where it rejoined the street. Damian's heart leapt up into her throat as they soared through the air. Behind her, yelps and thuds from two of the mages that had been following her accompanied flashes of light from the spells she had narrowly avoided.
The noise hardly registered in her mind. It felt as if all the breath had been drained from her body while she fell through the air. Only a second had passed when the horse's hooves hit the earth of the riverbed, slamming her into the saddle harshly. She cried out in pain, but the mare only continued, climbing awkwardly up the slope of the riverbed toward the street. Damian tried to stand in the stirrups, holding her battered tailbone above the saddle, but dared not slow the horse. She could hear the mages shout to follow her.
Before long, she had returned to the road and urged Hope into a full gallop. She quickly turned a corner and continued west, hoping to gain distance on the mages that still trailed her. When she passed another side street, she glanced over her shoulder. Only Correy and Falsin chased her now, and at a greater distance than the first mages had.
A pull of the reins turned Hope south again. Blasts of magic erupted around her, but Damian kept the horse moving erratically and frequently changed direction, going ever west, to avoid being hit. At one point, she looked back and found only dark-haired Falsin still following, though his horse kept a strong pace behind her.
After many minutes of galloping through the town, the streets disappeared and buildings became replaced with open grasses past a line of trees near the edge of the beach. Waves lapping the sand could be heard over the horses' thumping gaits, muffled by the grass they ran across. Sweat glistened on Hope's neck in the moonlight. Damian's own body ached from the hard riding, but with Falsin trailing close behind, she didn't expect relief any time soon. It would come down to a test of stamina, she knew, and she wasn't certain that either she or the mare could win. The mage's bay horse seemed to be gaining on them.
Still she rode on, even as the tree line closed in on the shore and she was forced onto the beach. The tide was high and there was little hard, wet sand to run on. Salt spray from Hope's hooves flicked lightly against Damian's face.
Many minutes ticked away while she raced down the beach. Falsin stopped casting spells at her, confident in his ability to eventually catch up to her, and rightly so. Each time Damian glanced over her shoulder at him, he was closer. For a while, she considered calling to him, pleading for him to leave and swearing that she would not cast magic again. She wanted to convince him that she was going to find a sanctioned mage in Alegro to help resolve the problem with the spirit residing within her. No matter what argument she came up with, however, she knew it was useless. At this rate, Falsin was going to catch her, and what incentive did he have not to?
It was a while before she realized that her horse was slowing its gait. The mare was foaming and visibly tired from the long run. Damian wanted nothing more than to give it the rest it so desperately needed. It was with tears in her eyes that she kicked the horse into a gallop again.
The town drew further and further away until it could no longer be seen on the horizon. Damian had long since stopped looking back out of exhaustion, continuing to run simply for the sake of running.
So it was that the black-haired mage seemed to appear suddenly beside her. Letting out a yelp, she tried to turn her horse away, but before she could, he grabbed the reins, pulling Hope closer to his horse. Both horses slowed as Falsin gained control of the mare.
"Let go!" Damian cried and tried to push his hand away. The mage released the reins only to grab her wrist. Screaming, she tried to pull her arm back, but he kept a tight grip on her.
"Come on," Falsin ordered. He yanked on her wrist hard, trying to pull her onto his horse. With the distance between them and Damian fighting him, he couldn't draw her off her horse, but she couldn't free herself from his grasp. Feebly, she kicked at him, her efforts only agitating his horse. She thought about trying to pry his fingers off with her other hand, but that would only leave her free arm open for him to grab, and then there would be no way for her to get away from him. Helpless tears formed in her eyes with the knowledge that she simply wasn't strong enough to fight him off.
"Please, stop," she pleaded as she was slowly pulled toward his horse.
"You're coming back to the guild," he answered commandingly. In that moment, Damian felt small and weak. She had tried to stand up for herself and failed, and that hurt worse than the thought of being held prisoner in the mages' guild. Despite what Garrick had so frequently told her, she wasn't in control of her fate, and without the knight or anyone else to help her, she was lost.
Fire burned in her heart. All it would take was a thought and the mage could be blasted a dozen feet away, but after a long day of pondering the archmage's haunting divination, she was too afraid to cast any spell. Even as desperate as she was, she refused to resort to it and considered the thought forbidden. And that meant that she had no hope.
Still trying to pull her arm away from the mage, she glanced over her shoulder, hoping with all of her heart that she would find Garrick approaching. For half a heartbeat, excitement filled her as she caught a glimpse of a horse galloping down the beach toward them. Then, she realized that the horse that approached was not Brenadier, but Correy's black mount. Another yank from Falsin turned her attention back to him.
"Don't make me use my magic," he threatened as he continued pulling her toward him. From his angle, it was all he could do. It was enough to keep her there until his comrade arrived, however. His grip was too strong and nothing Damian could do would get him to let go. She bowed her head hopelessly and contemplated giving in to the mage. Suddenly, something against her side glinted in the moonlight. Curiously, she gazed it. When she recognized what had caught her attention, her eyes widened.
The marble-hilted dagger Caleb Brown had given her hung around her waist.
Her breath sped as she stared at the weapon. She had never used a dagger outside of eating in her life and had never considered using it against another person. Yet it was a weapon, sharp, shining, and inviting.
Damian raised her eyes to the mage, still scowling at her, then let her gaze fall back to the dagger. Steeling herself, she closed her eyes and reached for the hilt.
She drew the blade from its scabbard and swung it in one motion, keeping her eyes shut tightly. A pained yelp followed up the attack and the hand around her wrist released her instantly.
Hesitating not a moment, she reached over and shoved the mage hard. In the glimpse she had before he lost his balance and fell off the horse, she saw darkness staining his other hand, clutching tightly the arm he had so recently grabbed Damian with. A surge of adrenaline ripped through her body and she kicked Hope into a gallop with renewed vigor.
The dagger remained in her hand as she grasped the reins and leaned over the horse. It felt like a beacon of strength in her fingers, its cool marble hilt quickly growing warm and radiating heat back against her. Even the mare seemed to run faster now than it had only a minute earlier.
Glancing over her shoulder, she found Correy's horse drawing near. Instead of fearing his approach, however, she grew determined. She had a means of defense now and no qualms about using it. She wasn't going to let herself be bullied by the guild mages any longer.
The fair-haired mage rode up higher on the beach, on Damian's right side. It was just what she wanted. She allowed Correy to come nearer, slowing Hope's gait just slightly. When he came close enough to reach out to her, she swung fiercely. The blade missed, but the mage drew back. Keeping an eye on the boulders and debris that littered the sand, she watched Correy swing around behind her and come up on her other side.
She waited and watched until his horse's head came up to her mount's neck. In a sudden movement, she turned Hope hard into his horse, pushing it abruptly to the left. The black horse let out an agitated whinny. Stumbling to keep its footing, it splashed out into the water, ending shoulder-deep in the high tide before it could stop and turn back toward the beach. By that time, Damian's horse had jumped a fallen log and continued galloping onward. She was far away when the mage's horse pulled itself back onto the sand, and to her relief, she found the mage gave up the pursuit.
Damian continued fleeing, softly encouraging the mare to continue as long as it could. Correy and Falsin disappeared from view before long, but she wanted to get as far away from Dresdin and its mages' guild as possible.
The thumps of her horse's hooves filled the quiet air. The night grew cool, salt spray from the waves beside her adding to the chill breeze that blew along the shore. Damian wrapped her cloak around her as well as she could. She was grateful for its warmth with the memory of her last flight atop the mare, her escape from Aether, still fresh in her mind. Her fingers tightened about the hilt of her dagger, pushing away memories of the attack.
The horse set its own pace as it fled. Damian didn't contend it. The mare was exhausted and she was content to give it rest. Hope had served her well that night.
They continued trotting, then walking on for a long while. The moon climbed high in the sky and then began to sink toward the horizon. Damian's body was sore, especially her backside which still ached from the landing of the jump off the bridge in Dresdin. Eventually, she dismounted and walked beside the faithful mare. Though her boots became wet from the waves that lapped at her feet, she remained slightly in the water, using the tide to wash away their tracks. Still the dagger remained in her hand.
As much as she wished she could continue traveling all night and all the next day, she became increasingly aware of how tired she had become. The night was over halfway past and the escape had taken much out of her.
Finally, she turned the horse off the beach. Following a game trail, they entered what had once been a vast forest, now logged down to a half-mile strip of wilderness that bordered one of the farms filling the vast central duchy of Alden. She moved slowly through the forest, carefully testing the hilly ground before leading Hope on through it. The cover was not too thick, but out in the wild, she knew she would be difficult to find.
The beach was barely visible through the trees when she stopped. Removing Hope's bridle, she allowed the mare to graze and sat down beside it. She carefully positioned herself so as not to put weight on her bruised hipbones. Once comfortable, she wrapped her arms around her knees and simply gazed forward. As tired as she was, she didn't want to sleep yet. It was too dangerous to let her guard down. So she sat, keeping her eyes fixed on the path they had taken to this spot and listening intently for any sign of approach.
For a long time she remained there, contemplating the events that had transpired that night. She no longer felt afraid. The way she had attacked Falsin had instilled her with a sense of power, greater than anything she had felt before. Though she had always enjoyed practicing magic growing up, she had always been too timid to use it. Even after Garrick had told her that her ability wasn't wrong as she had been raised to believe, she still felt uncomfortable using it, and it offered her no safety. Now, however, she knew how to defend herself, and it made her feel strong.
Not even being left alone could discourage her. She had lost her father and Domino before Sir Magni, it surprised her little that she had lost the knight as well. She realized then that she didn't need him. She could travel to Alegro by herself, she could find the way and take care of herself and her horse, and then she would seek out the mages' guild there and mention Garrick's name. If those mages were as kind as the knight had assured her, they would help her. She could do that alone and then decide what to do after that. She needed no one. As much as she missed her father, she no longer had to worry about him. He was already dead. The only thing she could do for him was to continue living for herself.
A surprising thought ran across her mind in that moment. Her father had fought the krolmins in their house to keep her safe. He had given his life so that she might live on. His dying wish had been to protect his only child.
The thought filled her with determination. To give in was to fail him. More than ever, she knew she had to continue. To protect and defend herself, to learn the truth of the krolmins and the spirit inside her, and to live. The best thing she could do for her father was to live on in his legacy, and she planned to do just that. Nothing would stand in her way. She felt powerful, and almost wished someone would challenge her, simply so she could put her newfound drive and courage to use.
Soon, her wish was granted.
She spotted the intruder well in advance. He entered the forest where she had. He dismounted and kneeled to examine the trail. Seeking her tracks, she knew. She sat still and waited, flexing her fingers around the dagger she had been holding for hours. Slowly, he continued, leading his horse along. Every muscle in Damian's body strained to charge the man and attack, but she forced herself to stay put. The element of surprise was the most important advantage she had.
As the intruder approached, she examined the dark slope of the forest floor before her, calculating the best places to move to reach him unexpectedly. She pulled her arms away and set her feet before her. He moved over the nearest rise, drawing ever closer. Moving quietly, she prepared to launch forward and attack.
The man reached the bottom of the shallow slope where she waited. Carefully, she moved onto her feet, keeping low and trying not to alert his attention. Gathering all her focus into her hands and feet, she skipped down the slope.
The shuffling of leaves under her boots alerted him immediately of her approach, but she was already upon him. She thrust her dagger forward, aiming for the stomach of his shadowy form. Just before her blade reached him, however, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her arm up, safely out of harm's way. The momentum of her charge caused her to lose her footing and slip. The man's grasp on her wrist, held over his head, twisted her to face the sky as she fell with a yelp. His free arm spun around and held her up under the waist, as if he was dipping her in a dance. She gasped when his shadowed eyes met hers. Strands of long hair tickled her face from where he bent over her and she could barely make out a grin in the deep night. Fear returned to her.
"Little on edge tonight?" a familiar voice asked. Calming, Damian let out a relieved sigh.
"Garrick," she uttered. With that, the knight pulled her upright. She breathed hard as she rested her hands on his breastplate, her gaze focused on them. Garrick gently pulled the hand away that held the dagger, examining it.
"You don't trust me?" he commented.
"No! That's not it," she began, but he only laughed.
"I'm just teasing you, Damian," he remarked. "I'm glad you're okay. I was worried about you." Damian only nodded. She didn't feel much like talking.
"Come on," Garrick continued. "You look like you could use some sleep." She nodded wearily and walked beside him as he lead Brenadier up to where she had left Hope. Only a brief moment of defeat bothered her. She was up against some powerful adversaries. While she could still take care of herself for the most part, there was no shame in admitting she needed help.
Still, she was glad it was only Garrick who had humbled her.