By now the rain was easing up, it's damage at dampening moods already done as silence prevailed at the central border.
Liam's heavy breathing diminished back to a steady, stable intake of the fresh air.
No one could think straight, some consumed by anger and rage at The Shadows hypocrisy to spare their blood, others, a change of heart seemed a stretch, but a small mercy to halt the killing seemed viable.
Either way, time was running out. They had pressing matters to attend to.
Mulling over the audacity for an assassin to ask such a request angered the knight, his weapon hanging by his hip becoming a tempting offer.
She was a vigilante, a criminal to the Kingdoms; killing was her life and she requests this?
The king wanted her alive, but she was too dangerous to be left alive.
His blood boiled where he stood, too enraged to even move.
"Soldiers!" He yelled, venom coating his voice as a few jolted where they stood, snapping to attention.
Aloysia felt pessimistic at their situation... they had been given a choice... yet they choose to cower in fear and listen to people who hold a higher power? Even if it's wrong? Shameful.
She could feel the conflict in them, all except him.
Her eyes narrowed in annoyance.. his defiance to co-operate was ticking her off, ticking the stone off.
Why? Why did he hold no morals? What was the reason? Aloysia growled internally, wishing to know... if only she could read his mind... if only she knew how.
The tension was apparent in all of them, yet his stood out like a sore thumb... no regret, no conflict; mind clouded by the weight revenge.
She did know how- the stone did.
So Aloysia became overcome by the curiosity, reading his forward thoughts. It... was so easy? The stone was doing it for her.
So this is why he hated her so much. Her eyes flared at the strain...
She delved further into his mind, excited by this gift she had wished for, brushing past the surface, willing him to open himself, expose his memories to her.
Unknowingly, Aloysia's eyes awoke in the process, burning a bright light in her concentration as the knight suddenly grunted, clasping his hands over his head.
A stinging sensation trailed his spine into his head, a harmless tickle evolving into a painful throbbing of the skull.
Aloysia has never looked into someone's memory so deeply before, only ever sticking to the base, the foundation... the surface of ones mind. That was easy, but to manoeuvre so carefully through this-this maze became harder the further in- almost like the brain was retaliating.
But the images, the past, the information the stone craved edged her to step closer; strengthen the connection.
What was she doing? Liam was beyond confused as leading with her head, Aloysia crept closer to the knight who seemed to be quivering, shaking as his eyes produced crinkles at the pressure.
Eyes darting between the two, he knew she was doing something to him, but what was it? And why the change of heart?
Memories... so many memories...
His brother... the knights brother was.. a criminal??
Sitting ever-greedily in the street, illuminated by the firelight outlining them...
Chatter, laughter... arrow-
Straight through his heart; panic, eruption, anger, pain tormentbloodlustspite-
A hand pulled her back, dug into her shoulders as Liam pulled her away.
Reality was un-cuffed from its leash as she blinked the light away.
Wh-what did she just do? What did she just see? Everything felt so surreal; as if she were living, breathing in his body.
"Aloysia! What are you doing?" He whispered, pulling a stunned assassin back to the cart, still feeling trapped in their situation.
Still peering over his shoulder.
The knight arose; no longer crouching and sheltering his throbbing head, he snarled.
"YOU INVADED MY THOUGHTS BITCH!"
He shot for his weapon, alerting the others to do the same.
Aloysia sucked in a breath...
"What?" Liam breathed, facing Aloysia in disbelief.
He gripped her shoulder, looking for an answer.
She couldn't- wouldn't, that wasn't possible, she told him herself! Lies.. he must be telling lies..
Aloysia shook her head softly at him, confirming the knights accusation to be true.
"Explain" Liam demanded.
"I didn't mean too, it just happened, something pulled me in and I was useless against it!"
She grabbed his arms, face sincere as her lip trembled, "I couldn't control it"
He looked away.
"Please believe me"
"Uh guys!" Zillah squeaked as an arrow fired straight for her head; only able to detect it moments before it plunged into the side of the cart... where her decapitated mind would have been.
"It looks like your little 'peace proposition' didn't work! We got incoming!"
Disregarding everything Aloysia said, the perimeter guards ran for them; leading them, the furious knight.
Run.
"RUN!" Aloysia screamed as she dragged Liam behind her, bolting for the border; eyes dancing a red flame to provide the extra strength.
15 to the left, 14 to the right... archers up top, at least 7...
There were so many... they'll never make it.
Aloysia groaned as her feet sunk into the muck beneath softened by the rain, she couldn't fight them all off with Liam in the crossfire.
The trees rattled around her as she threw caution to the wind. Screw it.
No mercy.
Being a soldier and dying for your beliefs were it's occupational hazard. It was normal.
Pulling Liam with all the strength she had, Aloysia shoved him straight ahead of herself, sending him flying toward the border... close to the twins.
"Go, get him across!" Aloysia screamed from behind, watching as Zillah and Zelek fought off two soldiers while trying to reach Liam; a nod of affirmation that it would be done from Zelek-
"I've got you now!!"
A rouge guard came sprinting at full force toward her, sword at the ready- Aloysia gasped, catching it just in time as he swung; dodging back and elbowing him directly in his spine- crashing him into the mud.
Another two charged.
"Get her!!!"
Stance ready, Aloysia snapped her head to the closest target and grabbing her daggers lugged one straight into the guards shoulder with ease, using the initial shock over his body to dive at him- sliding on the mud beneath his legs and slicing his tendons as he collapsed to the ground howling in pain.
The scream echoed in her mind, piercing her ears- yet she had no time to waste; looking up and clashing the broadsword of her opponent as he aimed for her neck; locking it with her own dagger in place and swung her leg powerfully into his side- denting his armour and denying breathing rights.
The man coughed harshly, loosening his grip on the sword to which she darted for, twisting his wrist as she harshly kicked his legs to the floor; rising in the process and impaling him with his own blade. His face grew pale, cold, and his eyes left empty.
She twisted it for good measure.
Blood splattered their cloaks as did the ground, the squelching mud merging with the bodies of the fallen.
She had stains on her face, her hair, her entire body yet nothing held her back, eyes in a focused state that she felt the first guard crawling away in agony before she saw it; not yet unconscious or dead.
She became preoccupied instantly however, bow aimed and ready at firing archers creating endless waves of arrows.
She pulled back on the strings, releasing her arrow straight into their heart; the second arrow, used to stab an approaching soldier as she ran for cover around the wagon, nocking and aiming all while jumping over a guards back; firing to hit the other archer overlooking them from the north and knocking the guard to the floor.
More charged, more died, it was an endless blood bath.
With each death her eyes spotted Liam, until he was no longer in her field of view, having crossed the border.
Good.
No one of priority was in the blast zone.
Grinning to herself yet shaking internally, Aloysia manaeourvered her way through 6 guards swiftly, all slicing them with her twin daggers before they even had the chance to retaliate.
Finally reaching the wagon, and using her strength she hoisted herself onto it.
What if this backfired?
No.
Silencing her worry, Aloysia channeled all the power mustered over the few days that had been eating away at her, needing to be used.
She felt it coursing throughout her body, her mind panicking at the thought of the damage this would do.
It was the only way.
It's raw power poured from her fingertips to merge together into a ball of red, dangerous strength.
It fused together, hissing with the mist syncing perfectly as she compressed her palms closer together.
And when she couldn't hold it any longer, screaming, she plunged the raw combined power into the ground sending gigantic ripples of wind intertwined with red mist to engulf anything around it; devouring the guards- reduced to ash as it eviscerated surrounding trees.
The ground visibly shook as the sky ruptured.
She almost collapsed at its magnitude, wincing as her body regained its strength.
Aloysia couldn't hear anything but an eerie ringing. Not even screams were fast enough... that's when she looked up.
Her heart stopped.
Aloysia's hand vibrated fiercely in shock as she lifted it shakily over her quivering mouth- eyes dimming to witness the extent of the damage.
Compete decimation.
The wild grass had been reduced to nothing, the guards... were now mere ash, the trees... no longer existed.
All in a perfect circle around her...
Aloysia couldn't believe her eyes. Murder, that was normal, but this... this wasn't right.
No one should have this much power... yet she did.
Flushing down the welling tears, Aloysia turned, closing her eyes as she ran; unable to allow herself to look.
Biting her lip, Aloysia crossed the border, officially stepping into western territory.
But she wasn't free, now crossing as an assassin who had new blood in her ledger.
She refused to gaze back, it would only loom over her, the nightmares she had escaped from...
And she had enough of feeling pain...