Alaster does not remember much of the next three days.
Mike's family took him in, and the entire village helped to take care of him. The Alderman send an urgent report to the City Lord while the Guards desperately searched for any clues or trace of anything.
They were more than angry. Not only had someone snuck into the village and murdered two of their people and kidnapping a child, but it had been one of their own. They had failed their duty and to make it even worse, they had no idea about who they were, why they did it, or where they went. Many of the Guards threw themselves into training to vent their anger.
Alaster remembered Mike asking Tom how he knew what was happening before the rest of them, and the boy said he could smell the blood and something was screaming at him, 'Danger!'. Mike was fascinated by that answer, but he shelved his endless curiosity to instead focus on Alaster. He never allowed Alaster to be alone.
Tom spent every moment he could with Alaster as well, but despite the tragedy, the life of the village had to go on. And Tom was the only son of the village Blacksmith. Tools still needed to be repaired, nailed made, and carts maintained.
Mike was only able to spend so much time with Alaster because the planting of the fields had already been done and the weeding and caring for the seeds was simple enough for his father to do himself, at least at this point in the season.
Alaster did not sleep. Every time he tried, the scene just played again in his dreams. After the second night, he had woken up screaming and in a cold sweat because he had dreamed of it again, but this time, the mutilated corpse of his father looked up at him with a silent scream.
Ramon, the Village Guard's chief, made it a point to look after the boy. He still remembered the day he had been born and the day his father first brought him to the small barracks. He had personally trained his father.
Olivia tried to console Alaster, but she was too awkward and shy, and her words fell on deaf ears. As did everyone else's. She watched him from a distance, caring too much about him to just leave him, but not sure how she could help.
On the fourth day, a return message had arrived by bird from the city. The Alderman quickly read it before ordering his assistant to find Ramon urgently. Soon the Chief Guard arrived and read the message as well. He immediately burned it.
"No one else knows of this?" He asked.
"No. No one here, at least."
"Then it stays that way. I'll find him, and give him some supplies. He left the village upon seeing the message bird, and we aren't able to locate him. Understood?"
Normally, the Alderman was the one in charge, but he dared not contradict Ramon, even if he wanted to.
Ramon left to find Alaster and soon brought him to the Alderman's house, avoiding as many eyes as they could. Alaster stood in the Alderman's house and blankly stared at the wall behind the Alderman and Ramon. The boy had not been allowed back into the house since he burned off the Alderman's eyebrows, but it seemed like it barely registered to Alaster where he was.
"Alaster, I need you to pay attention." The Alderman tried to call the boy's attention but received nothing.
Nodding to Ramon, the Chief Guard grabbed the shoulders of the boy and shook him. That got them the boy's attention, but barely.
"Alaster, this is important! The city had branded your family as heretics! They are sending a Knight Patrol to do their own investigation and to capture you."
"So what?" The boy mumbled.
"So your family weren't heretics! And the timing of your sister's special constitution and the attack are too close to be coincidental. They will not investigate, they will cover it up and threaten anyone who even mentions your family. They will not capture you for ties to heretics, but to execute you and make sure your body is never found."
More light returned to Alaster's eyes, "So someone intentionally murdered my parents and took my sister?"
"Yes! And someone very influential. Too powerful for our small village to stand against. You need to run. You need to hide. Ramon will get you supplies, but then you have to leave immediately."
The light fully returned, blazing with fury, "You want me to run away!"
"Yes! Just the few knights they are sending could wipe out our village, and the Guards would only be able to delay them for a few moments."
"So I'm just supposed to let them get away with this? They could be torturing my sister!" The boy's fingernails dug into his palms.
"Then go out and get stronger!" Ramon yelled, "You have always wanted to see the world, so go out and see it! Go and train yourself until you are strong enough to rescue your litter sister!" He knelt in front of the boy, "Alaster, you are too weak. I am too weak. If we fight right now, we will die and so will any hope of saving your sister. So for now, we will hide, and we will train. While the Guards and I are here striving to strengthen ourselves, you must leave and grow stronger somewhere they can't find you."
Alaster looked down as salt stung his eyes and the floor boards beneath him turned damp. For the first time in four days, the little boy cried. Ramon drew him into a tight hug as his own throat tightened. He held his God Son as the boy let everything out.
"Ramon, he has to go. The message said they are already on their way."
Ramon nodded and pulled away from Alaster, grabbing a bag from behind the desk, he handed it to Alaster.
"Here, this is some food and camping supplies. It should be enough for a couple of days, if you are careful. Your father taught you how to make traps. Your mother taught you how to clean yourself and make shelters. Use everything you know and everything you can."
Alaster wiped the tears and snot from his face and took the bag, putting it on, "Where am I supposed to go?"
The Alderman spoke up, "Head East. The city of Vrens is only a two day journey, but don't go inside, skirt the forest around it and continue East. You'll leave the Kingdom's borders after another two days of travel, but after another day, you'll come across an Independent City named Onigas. As long as you keep your head down, they will never find you there. We'll tell the Knights that the last time anyone saw you was heading West."
"East. Got it. What about Mike and Tom?"
Ramon answered, "We'll tell them the truth after the Knights leave. Now you need to go, quickly. Henry, your tunnel?"
"Right." The Alderman nodded, opening a wardrobe, pushing the clothes out of the way, and taking out the false bottom.
Alaster peered down, at a ladder that traveled into the dark.
"Don't worry, there are Glow Stones further down the path, just keep your hand to the wall and you'll be fine. The exit is somewhere in the forest, head East. Avoid the roads and don't use a fire until you pass Vrens. Stay dry, and conceal yourself at night." Henry advised.
Ramon knelt down next to Alaster, "Now there is a warm and thick cloak in the bag, wear it with the hood up. There is a utility knife in there, but also a dagger," He hesitated, "Avoid any confrontation, but if you need to, do not hesitate to use it. Your father taught you, and you grew up watching the Guards practice."
Alaster nodded and got on the ladder, but didn't go down. Looking up at the Elders of the Village, he asked a question that broke their hearts, "When can I come back?"
"Not until you are strong enough. At the very least, not until the snows come and melt again." Henry fought to say.
"Now go. We'll do our best to mislead them. Be safe." Ramon lightly pushed Alaster down the ladder and replaced the false bottom.
Henry quickly reset the wardrobe and closed it. Afterward, he collapsed in his chair and rest his forehead in his hand. He never imagined that he would see the day when children would be branded as criminals and hunted down, or that he would help someone avoid the Knights of the Kingdom.
"What has happened to this kingdom?" He asked himself.
"Do you think he'll make it?" Henry asked Ramon.
Ramon leaned against the desk and folded his arms, "Out of all the kids, he would be the one to survive. He is smart, and when he puts his mind to it, he can be outright ruthless. I just hope that when he does survive, there is still some of the child in him. He has gone through more heartache in a single day than most lifetimes, and now his own kingdom is hunting him. He will have to grow up fast."
A loud and urgent knock pounded on the door. Henry cautiously went to open the door, but waited until Ramon was next to it, his hand on his sword. Ready, the Alderman opened the door, but on the other side was just one of the Guardsmen, a very panicked one.
"Alderman! There are a patrol of Knights approaching the Village!" The Guard reported.
"How close?"
"At their current pace, an hour."
"Return to duties, but find me Alaster."
Henry wanted the Guards to be unable to find him, giving the impression that he was gone, which would allow Ramon to report that he last saw him entering the West Forest to the Knights.
The Guard nodded and ran off.
Closing the door, Henry's face was grim, "So close already?"
"Keep it together, Henry. So what if they came sooner than expected. Alaster is on his way, and he is quicker than most through the forest. All we have to do is mislead them in the opposite direction.
An hour passed almost in the blink of an eye, but at the same time at a snail's pace. Eventually, Henry did meet the Knights at the edge of the Village. He reported that he had received the message only recently and was still searching for the boy. The Guards vocally reported that they were unable to find him. Just on time, Ramon came running around a couple of buildings and reported that he saw the boy entering the west forest.
The Knights immediately dispatched their fastest, while the rest stayed and gathered everything they could. The Villagers did not hide anything, they did not need to. They told the Knights that Alaster was very quick and knew how to hide his tracks, and that his family had been great, upstanding people.
As Henry and Ramon had expected, the Knights quickly searched their house, what they did not expect was for the Knights to set it ablaze, claiming that it was infested with dark magic. Most of the Knights left then, to catch up to their earlier comrades. However, a few stayed, both to ensure the destruction of the house any of the family's belongings, and to monitor the village.
By the time the sun set, the Knights had scouted out nearly fifty miles of the west forest and were still moving west. Meanwhile, Alaster was twenty miles east and camped out in a tall tree.