I ran. I don't think I had ever run so fast in my life, but considering my situation it was not exactly surprising. I knew they were on my tail, and they were definitely catching up. The only things I had were the clothes I wore, and a small satchel with some rations. I hadn't been given enough time to prepare for a flight like this, all I remember being told was, "Leave… before he finds you." I knew why he wanted me, and I wouldn't let that sort of hellish life come to be.
So I kept running, my heart pounding in my chest, the little hope I had slowly begun slipping away. I don't know how long I had been at it. My legs screamed for relief, but I knew if I stopped they would be on me in that instant. Hunters were not to be underestimated in any way. Especially those from my home. The only reason I wasn't already in their possession, was because I was "valuable". They wanted me to tire myself out and they'd take me back without any more trouble. I wouldn't allow it, not while I still had a breath in my lungs.
But I slipped up. Literally. I had been weaving my way through the forest so well, and a little bit of overconfidence had begun to grow within me. I didn't see it coming, but a stray branch on a fallen log had caught hold of my pants leg. A deep sense of dread rushed over me as the sound of a loud rip filled my ears. It was over.
My momentum shattered, and my flight came to a bumpy halt, my body skidding across the brush and dirt. I was covered with dozens of little cuts, and to make things worse, my ankle had been twisted. I couldn't run anymore, so I had to hide. Hiding from hunters is near impossible, but I didn't care, it was my last option. On impact, I held my ankle with my hand, clenching my teeth and resisting the urge to yell out from the pain. Looking around in fear, I saw a small burrow leading under a tree, and on instinct, I rolled over to it, hoping that there was a vacancy for someone my size. Thankfully, no one was home, so I curled myself up and began to rub my ankle to numb some of the pain.
Tears began to roll down my dirt covered face. Why was I crying? Was it because this was a futile attempt at hiding? The ankle? Honestly, it was useless to think about what it was, but I was panicking. They'd be on me at any moment now, even the darkness of night couldn't hide my trail. I prayed silently to any deity who was merciful enough to keep me hidden, because divine intervention was now the only thing I thought could save me.
Time passed. I don't know how much passed, but I could feel the end of my escape was near. The initial pain in my ankle had faded, but I still wouldn't be able to make another run for it without a considerable limp holding me back. I wiped the tears off my face, but I hadn't stopped crying, even my nose was getting a bit runny. No one was around for miles, except for my pursuers, no doubt somewhere nearby.
"Kirania, we know you're in there. Please come out." A soft, low voice spoke out.
I snapped out of my panicked trance, I hadn't heard anything beforehand. No footsteps, snapped twigs, nothing at all. It was over. I'd failed, and that horrid future was the only thing to look forward to.
"Lady Kirania, we're not going to hurt you," said the ranger, who I knew as Anru.
I didn't respond. Maybe if I didn't make a sound, he would think he had made a mistake. Wishful thinking at best. Unfortunately, being quiet is never enough to evade detection.
"I can hear you breathing, I know you're frightened but this is for the greater good-"
Those two words. That was it.
"Greater good?! What does that even mean?!" I snapped. Now I had done it, and I had never felt more stupid in my life. The silence that followed did little to improve that atmosphere.
Anru sighed, "We've been over this you're an asset-"
"Well you're an ass! I don't want any part of this!" I was panting now and my tears were more intense, "Please let me go…"
The sound of several other sets of feet approaching filled in the silences. He wasn't alone. As if my hopelessness couldn't get any worse. I felt my prayer was misheard and instead of hearing a cry for help they heard, "I want to be captured."
"You know we can't do that, you have to think of others, Kirania, you're own people, and if not them... imagine what could happen if someone else took you." I hated the sound of his voice, having learned to never listen to him for too long.
"No," I mumbled holding back my tears, "you… Tagnoir… you're wrong."
Anru sighed, I was sounding incredibly desperate. At the time, just about anything would have been a better option than going back. I saw it as escaping hell, long before it became hell. My frustration only grew, and I was about to break down at any moment. All in that little burrow under a tree.
"Kirania, it's over. Come out." The way he kept repeating himself infuriated me.
I didn't know if he was aware of what was really awaiting me when I returned, but whether he did or not would not affect the outcome. I'd seen what I'd seen. The only way to change it was to be far away from Tagnoir for the rest of my life. My plan was thwarted now, that was the only thing repeating in my head. I think it was my hope rising up and being pushed back down by the grief and despair.
At that moment, I finally broke down. Tears poured from my eyes as I hunched over in agony. My cries were filled with so much despair, I might as well have already been dead and stranded in eternal darkness. Once again, the flow of time seemed to change. I don't know how long I lied there, bawling my eyes out, losing my voice with each scream. It's possible I was there for hours, even days. But eventually, I tired myself out.
Anru said nothing, nor did any of his group, whom I had assumed had now all arrived. I was done. I began to accept that I couldn't run from my fate anymore, so I pulled myself out of the burrow. As my head popped out, I saw six of them, one of them holding a lantern on a staff. The silence continued as I stood up, my ankle still felt weak, so I tried my best to wince through the pain.
"You made the right decision, Kirania," Anru nodded to me as he stepped closer, "Always remember that the cause is just."
I scowled at him, "Shut up…" I was too weak to have another outburst, and it seemed that one of the other hunters found it almost funny.
"I guess you have your opinion, but you have few choices in this case," said another ranger, clearly impatient.
"We should get going Anru, you know how the council gets when we keep them waiting."
Anru nodded in agreement, raising his hand to sign a 'return to base' motion. I would be back home by morning... If it weren't for his unexpected appearance.
"Hold on a moment friends," a voice called from behind.
We all turned in surprise, the ranger with the lamp shone in the direction where the voice came from. It revealed a man, holding a small glowing rock in his hand. He was dressed in a brown leather jacket, a lute strapped around his back, and a sword hanging from his hip. From his appearance, I couldn't tell if he was hostile or not.
Anru stepped toward the stranger, his hand held up to halt him, "Stay where you are sir, who are you? What business do you have here?"
The man took a step back with his hands up defensively, "Whoa there friend, I'm only a traveller, lifting the spirits of the weary with song." He gave us a smile, which felt so mystically calming.
Anru didn't seem fazed by it, his own face turning more stern. He was about to speak, but was interrupted by the traveller.
"Now, I heard the weeping of a young child, and felt the need to come and dry those tears." He looked towards me, crouching down to meet my eyes with his.
"What's your name?" He asked.
I looked up at Anru, who only glared at me. "My name is Kirania Fándant."
He chuckled, "Pretty name for a pretty girl," he looked at Anru, "That her name?"
Anru responded, "Sir, why exactly are-"
Once again, he was interrupted, "How old are you, Kirania?"
I cocked an eyebrow, "Thirteen, sir."
Anru scowled, "If you're done wasting our time, we need to escort this young one home."
"She looks hurt, and a bit grimy… why is that?" he asked.
It might have been desperation, but I decided to put my trust in this stranger, so I let it all out, "I was running away, I tripped and hid inside a burrow."
Now Anru's face became more stern than I'd ever seen, and he was about to protest my honesty. But yet again, he was interrupted. Which I was starting to get a kick out of.
"Is what she said true?" his friendly demeanor turned to a more serious mood.
Anru scoffed, a fake smile trying to convince the man otherwise, "Sir, it's late at night and I'm sure you understand how children can be."
And the traveller only stood up and smiled, "Well, a little. I don't have any kids of my own you see. But I find your story much harder to believe than hers."
Anru took a step back when the man placed his hand on the hilt of his blade, taking a defensive stance. The other hunters did the same, one of them even holding the tip of her blade to his back.
The stranger held up his hands, still smiling even after being clearly outnumbered, "Whoa hey now, no need to get fussy. Can't I ask the kid why she ran away?"
It was now or never, "They're going to lock me away, I don't want to go back to that place! They're going to- mmph!"
Anru had placed his hand on my mouth, pulling me back. The hunter who held the sword to the strangers back immediately thrusted inward, forcing me to shut my eyes. My muffled scream was all that filled the quiet air, tears flowing out as another life was lost because of me. I fought and struggled the best I could to break free but to no avail. But then Anru stopped, my eyes opening to the man still standing tall.
The sword was pressed through his back, but he kept that smile on and walked forward. The hunter dropped her sword in surprise, backing away.
"He's a Shade!" she yelled.
The other rangers reacted accordingly, rushing to attack him from all sides. But it was all in vain, his body turning pitch black as he melted into the ground. Anru looked around as all the lights they brought were snuffed out.
"Damn it! Find him! I want him de-AGH!" Anru's voice got cut off as I felt us pulled apart.
I was swept off my feet, any remnant of light completely vanished. Instead, all I saw was a deep void of darkness, and the sound of a howling wind filled my ears. I would have been caught by surprise, that is, if a sudden light-headedness didn't overtake me beforehand. I still felt myself being carried, but saw only an outline. I slipped into unconsciousness, the howling sounds fading away. Had I just been rescued? My mind became foggy as the seconds passed. The last thing I heard was, "Don't worry… I got you."