"What do you mean by 'you're leaving?'" one of the mages asked when he was informed of our plans. Harold had said he'd be putting him in charge while he was gone, but his reaction indicated he didn't want it.
"We have to help as many people as possible. I want to cover enough ground before things get out of hand," Harold replied.
"Fine, but if I can't control things, I'm summoning you," he said.
"Sure, sure," Harold said, turning to leave.
"I'm serious."
"Of course," he replied as we left.
"Are we leaving now?" I asked.
"It's best to leave while it's dark to avoid attracting attention," he said, and I nodded, seeing reason in his words.
We grabbed our things and set out. The party of four was formed with Harold, Bean, Maiden, and me.
We rode quietly through the forest paths, the only sounds being the chirps of crickets and the thuds of the horses' hooves against the ground.
A loud shout caught our attention and made us stop. I looked at Harold, and he nodded. We moved quickly toward the voice.
Four undead creatures were attacking someone who was lying on the ground helplessly. I drew my sword, but before I could attack, they were blown away.
I couldn't help the frown that grew on my face when I saw who it was. If I kill him now, I can just blame the undead for it, right?
"Your Highness, what are you doing here?" I asked, holding back the urge to kick him in the face.
"I…" he panted. I really wanted to punch him.
"Let's go," I said to Harold.
"You can't leave the prince here," he said, and I tsked.
"We'll send him back and get on our way," I replied, dismounting from Bean.
"Take me with you," he insisted.
"Look…"
"I don't care where you're going; I'm coming along," he said.
"I'm still trying to be respectful here, Your Highness. I have no intention of taking on any more burdens," I said, sheathing my sword.
"I won't be a burden… please," he pleaded.
"Why do you…"
"You can come with us," Harold interrupted.
"You're responsible for him," I said.
"Of course," he smiled.
"If he gets in my way, I'll leave him behind," I added.
"I won't get in your way," Alvin said.
I shook my head and got back on Bean. I knew this party was already over; adding Alvin to the group would definitely be the death of us.
...
We walked around for a few days, killing all the undead in our path while trying to keep Alvin alive. We were headed to Elton's district, which was a long way from the Magic Association. We'd have to travel for a week to reach the town where the district was located.
"Times like this make me wish I had accepted his offer to follow him," I mumbled.
"What?" Harold asked.
"Nothing," I sighed, lying on Bean.
"Hold on," Harold said, and I sat up to look at him.
"Wh—" I was going to speak, but he shushed me. "What?" I whispered.
"We're being watched," he said.
"So?"
"Don't you want to find out who it is?" he asked.
"You mean who they are?" I replied loudly. "Don't tell me you're scared."
"No, but if they need help, then…" He didn't finish his statement before an arrow was shot at him.
"You were saying?" I asked mockingly.
"They're probably scared," he said, breaking the arrow before tossing it aside.
Some people charged out of the bushes with planks, shovels, and whatever they could use as weapons. I dismounted from Bean and drew my sword.
"Wait, let's hear them out," Harold said.
"I'm sure if they wanted to talk, they would have done that by now," I replied.
"Cady," he called, but I tuned him out and charged at the people approaching us.
I struck everyone with precise and swift moves, using the back of my sword. They were unskilled civilians; it would be low to attack them for no reason.
"Why did you attack us?" I asked the person in front of me.
"You damned knights! We have nothing to say to you," he retorted.
"I'm not a knight," Harold said.
"Mages are the worst," the man said.
"How did you know I am a mage?" Harold asked, amused.
"The brooch, stupid," I said, and he looked down.
"Oh."
"Was your town attacked?" I inquired.
"Everywhere was; it's your fault," he said.
"How?" I pressed, and he fell silent. "I hate people like you, always looking for someone to blame. Did I make those people start attacking others? Did I attack your town?"
"Where were the knights and mages when we were…" I couldn't hold myself back. I hit him across the face. My pent-up frustration from Alvin's uselessness had to go somewhere.
I grabbed him by the collar and moved closer.
"If you keep expecting people to protect you, you'll die. And I hope I'm there to watch," I said, shoving him to the ground. "Use the energy you wanted to use to attack us to take your city back," I said, turning away. I climbed back onto Bean and was about to leave when an arrow flew past my head, barely missing me.
"Cady," Harold warned.
"I'm not the type to get angry easily, Harold. You should know that. But…" I said, glaring at the boy who shot the arrow. "People don't listen," I muttered and left.
"Let's clear the town," Alvin suggested, and I almost laughed.
"Let's?" I asked.
"We can drive them out," he insisted, and I shook my head.
"Harold, we'll rest here tonight and continue in the morning," I said.
"So we have to clear it? I don't want to; I'm tired," Harold said, but I didn't respond.
'Just think of your happy place, Cady,' I thought.
We went into the city that was crowded with undead. They approached us with their unsteady pace.
"I think we should lead them out of the city and kill them all at once," Harold suggested.
"How?" I asked, drawing my sword.
"Noise," he said, and I turned to look at him. "I'll use those villagers to draw them to one place," he explained, turning to leave.
"Hey," I shouted, but he was already long gone. "Go," I said, following him.
"Huh?" someone shouted at Harold.
"Like I said, just make enough noise, and I'll create a barrier to lock them in and kill them," he said, as if it was an easy task.
"You're trying to use us to escape, aren't you?" the boy from earlier accused.
"Our horses attracted them; they're already headed this way. You can either lead us to an open area or die here," Harold threatened.
"We'll do it," an old man said, stepping forward. "We're as good as dead here anyway," he said.
"If you say so," the boy said, looking away.
Have you ever felt the urge to punch someone? Not just a punch, but a really hard one that would distort their face? The urge is very strong right now, and this boy just became the third person I want to punch constantly; he outranked Adger and Harold.