Peles, Jezar, and Ovun made it back to where Neclord waited. Jezar and Peles reached into their packs, each taking out a vial of healing potion. They drank quickly, wincing as the liquid worked its way through their systems, closing wounds and dulling the aches left by the battle with Amukelo and Padrin. Neclord watched them with narrowed eyes, his gaze shifting from the empty vials to the three bloodied and horse-less men before him.
Finally, he spoke, his voice carrying a cold edge. "So… how does the situation look?" His tone dropped. "And where, might I ask, are your horses?"
Peles, still wiping the blood from his mouth, looked up with a mix of frustration and urgency. "They escaped us," he said, each word coming out strained. "But they killed our horses before doing so."
Neclord's eyebrow arched, and his mouth pulled into a slight sneer, as though about to berate them. But Peles didn't let him get a word in, raising a hand to show this wasn't the worst of their report.
"There's a bigger issue, though," Peles continued, his voice carrying an air of concern that caught Neclord's full attention.
Neclord's face shifted, and his eyes narrowed. "Go on," he said quietly, his anger momentarily contained.
Peles held up his dagger, the artifact glinting faintly in the evening light. "I suspect that he has the same tracking artifact you're marked with," he said slowly. "I saw it embedded in his dagger during the fight. It's identical to this one. I don't know how he got it, but if he has it, that means he's tracking you just as we're tracking him."
Neclord went silent, his mind racing. The implications settled over him heavily. *How would Amukelo have one of those?* But then, in a flash, a conversation he'd overheard between his father and Ivish came rushing back. His eyes darkened, and he muttered through gritted teeth, "That bitch…"
Jezar, catching the shift in Neclord's expression, glanced at Peles, but neither dared to speak. Neclord clenched his fist, letting out a slow, seething breath. "So he does have one," he muttered. "We'll be leaving, immediately."
"Where to?" Ovun asked, standing at attention.
"Norton," Neclord replied with a hint of urgency. "If Amukelo has that artifact, then he may have other surprises in store for us. We don't know what else he's hiding, but we're not risking this out here in the open." He turned to his gathered soldiers, his expression severe and unwavering. "Prepare to leave. Now."
One of the younger soldiers hesitated, looking toward the darkening sky. "My lord, it's getting dark… Shouldn't we set up camp before we—"
Neclord's eyes snapped to the soldier, who immediately fell silent under his scowl. "Are you *dumb?*" Neclord snapped. "This would be the perfect time for them to strike. We go back immediately!"
The soldier stiffened, nodding rapidly, and went about his preparations in silence. Neclord, still bristling with irritation, set a brisk pace, his cloak billowing behind him as he led his group forward.
As they moved, he signaled one of the mages to his side. "You," he said, his tone measured but urgent. "Deliver a message. Tell my father what Ivish has done—that she sold the tracking artifact, and to *whom.* Request immediate reinforcements."
The mage nodded, summoning a small scroll of parchment and hastily scrawling the message. In one practiced motion, he summoned an eagle, the sharp-beaked bird appearing with a flicker of light. The mage secured the message to the bird's leg and released it into the night sky, watching it soar back toward their stronghold. Once it disappeared, they continued, picking up their pace even further as the sky grew darker.
---
Meanwhile, some distance behind, Amukelo and Padrin urged their horse onward. The chase had been long, but after escaping, they'd managed to put considerable distance between themselves and the confrontation site. Now, though, the race was back on, and they had ground to make up.
Amukelo's eyes kept flicking down to the dagger in his hand, his fingers brushing the artifact embedded within it. The faint pulse in the stone reassured him, but the thought of Neclord escaping, slipping out of his grasp again, set his blood to boiling.
"I don't like it," he muttered, his voice carrying over the steady gallop of the horse. "They're going back to Norton. We need to catch them before they reach the town."
And then, after a long time, just barely visible against the horizon, Amukelo spotted them. Neclord's party, moving quickly but visible now. He clenched his jaw, his pulse pounding with a renewed urgency. They were close to the gate already.
"There," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, though Padrin heard it clearly. "They're in sight."
Padrin's eyes narrowed, taking in the figures moving toward Norton. "We're close, but they're close to the town too. If they reach those walls, it's not gonna be good." He tightened his grip on the reins, glancing at Amukelo.
Amukelo nodded, understanding the stakes. "This ends now," he murmured, his eyes never leaving Neclord's figure in the distance. They pushed the horse harder, hoping to close the final stretch before Neclord and his soldiers slipped into the safety of Norton's walls.
As they drew close, Jezar turned his head, his sharp eyes catching sight of their approach. His expression hardened, and he raised his voice, his tone steady but urgent.
"They're here already!" he shouted to Neclord, who immediately cast a wary look over his shoulder. Without hesitation, Jezar barked orders, his hand pointing toward the town. "Go, Neclord. Peles, protect him. I'll hold them off with Ovun and the rest of the soldiers."
Peles nodded, moving to Neclord's side, keeping his dagger ready as they turned toward Norton. Ovun took up his position alongside Jezar, and with a few quick gestures, they directed the soldiers into a defensive formation, creating a line of armed bodies and gleaming weapons, blocking the path forward.
Amukelo's gaze flicked over the blockade. He could see Neclord slipping away toward Norton, a mere minute or two from the gates. Fury spiked through him as he realized how close they were to losing him once again. With a sharp breath, he gripped the reins tighter and turned to Padrin, a plan forming in his mind.
"Hold on!" he shouted, and without another word, he led the horse straight at the blockade, pushing it to full speed. Padrin's eyes widened as he realized Amukelo's intention, but he trusted his friend's instincts, bracing himself.
Ovun's eyes narrowed, watching them approach with a growing sneer. "Don't think you can just jump over us!" he bellowed, raising his axe, positioning himself to intercept. As the horse gathered itself, leaping over the line of soldiers, Ovun swung his massive weapon, his aim deadly accurate. The axe sliced through the horse's chest mid-air, splitting it apart with brutal finality. The creature let out a final, pained cry as it fell, crashing down amidst the soldiers with a bloody thud.
But Amukelo had anticipated this. The instant the horse reached its peak in the air, both he and Padrin acted. Padrin pushed off, jumping down directly into the fray, his sword meeting Ovun's axe in mid-air with a loud, resonant clang.
Padrin twisted his blade against Ovun's axe steadying himself with a quick glance at Amukelo. "Go! Don't let him escape!" he shouted.
Amukelo pushed off from the remains of the horse, sailing over the defense line, his body twisting as he prepared to land. But his trajectory wasn't perfect. He landed with a heavy thud just behind the line, but not quite far enough to escape their reach. Jezar's placed himself in Amukelo's path and he swung his sword, aiming to strike down Amukelo before he could get his footing.
With no time to hesitate, Amukelo reached into his belt and withdrew the vial given to him by Bao and Pao's parents. Without a second thought, he brought it to his lips, drinking the potion in one swift gulp. The taste was sharp and bitter, but almost immediately, he felt a surge of power coursing through his veins, his muscles tightening and his senses sharpening.
Jezar, noticing the strange vial, sneered as he raised his sword. "I don't know what that thing is, but it's not going to help—"
But as Jezar's blade came down, Amukelo moved—so fast that Jezar's strike met only empty air. Jezar stumbled slightly, thrown off balance by the unexpected speed, his eyes widening in surprise as he missed his mark entirely. Amukelo, just as startled by his newfound agility, wasted no time in using the advantage. His sword flashed through the air, a clean, powerful swing aimed directly at Jezar.
Jezar, recovering quickly, managed to block the strike, but the force of it sent him staggering back several steps. His arms shook, struggling against the unexpected power behind Amukelo's blow. Jezar's hands were trembling from the impact. He gritted his teeth, trying to steady himself.
Before Jezar could react, Amukelo turned, eyes locking onto Neclord's retreating figure. The urgency and fury within him ignited by the realization that Neclord was mere seconds from slipping away. He took off, his movements now quicker, his strides longer as the potion's effects heightened his speed.
"Ovun!" Jezar shouted, his voice laced with urgency. "Leave that one alone! The kid drank something strange—he's going for Neclord. We have to stop him!"
Ovun's head snapped toward Amukelo, his eyes narrowing at the sight of him tearing across the field, moving faster than he should have been able to. Abandoning his fight, Ovun charged after him.
The town walls of Norton were nearly within reach, the guards stationed on the ramparts watching the approaching figures with a mixture of confusion and concern. Neclord's breathing grew ragged as he ran, his legs burning with exertion, the weight of his past victories and pride feeling like chains now as he scrambled to escape.