The freezing night wind lashed against Ares' face as his horse galloped with all its strength. The hooves struck the ground in a frantic rhythm: CLOP! CLOP! CLOP! The relentless rain made the path treacherous, with mud and puddles splashing at every step.
Behind him, the sound of his pursuers grew louder. The guards had passed through the open gate and were now closing in.
"Fire!" shouted the captain.
An arrow hissed through the air, heading straight for Ares' back. Acting on instinct, he turned and raised his knife, deflecting the arrow with a sharp metallic clang. "Damn it," he thought, breathing heavily. "They're not giving up."
The guards' shouts followed him. "Stop right now! You have nowhere to run!"
Ares ignored them, focusing on his horse. "Come on, my friend, just a little more," he whispered, patting its neck. He had to think fast. The terrain was open, with no obstacles and no visible escape routes.
More arrows whistled through the air, like invisible hunters. Ares guided his horse in a zigzag pattern, hoping to make it harder for the archers to aim. The tactic worked, at least for a while.
"Aim for the horse!" ordered the captain.
An arrow struck the horse's back leg. NEEEIGH! The animal let out a cry of pain and began to slow down. Ares urged it forward, but he soon saw two more arrows buried in its side. "Damn it!" he hissed, feeling the ground grow slicker under the horse's hooves.
As the distance between him and the guards closed, Ares turned to assess the situation. Around twenty men were chasing him, some armed with bows, others with swords. Every second counted, but his horse couldn't go on much longer.
Suddenly, the horse skidded to a halt. Its hooves scraped against the ground with a loud SKRRRT!, kicking up gravel and mud. Caught off guard, Ares almost fell from the saddle. He looked ahead and felt his blood run cold.
A steep cliff loomed before him—a black void stretching into the night's darkness.
Behind him, the sound of the guards pulling up reached his ears. "It's over!" the captain shouted with a sneer. "You have nowhere to run. Get off the horse and surrender, stranger. Or this is where it ends."
Ares stared at the void before him. His heart pounded in his chest, and the pain in his injured shoulder distracted him, but surrender wasn't an option.
The captain stepped forward, his figure illuminated by the flickering light of torches. "Listen, whoever you are, I don't know what drove you to this. But we can't let you go. If you give yourself up now, I promise you won't suffer needlessly."
Ares didn't reply. The rain continued to pour over him, mixing with the blood dripping from his wounded shoulder into the mud. He knew his options were limited.
"This is your last chance," the captain said, raising a hand to signal his men to prepare. "Surrender, or you'll die here."
Ares clenched his jaw, his gaze fixed on the cliff. Surrender? That was never an option. Taking a deep breath, he whispered to his horse, "Thank you, old friend. It's been a good ride."
With a sudden leap, Ares jumped off the horse and sprinted toward the edge of the cliff. His movements were so quick that the guards froze in surprise for a moment.
"Stop him!" the captain yelled.
But it was too late. Ares threw himself into the void, disappearing into the darkness.
The guards rushed to the edge, shining their torches down into the abyss. "There's no way he survived," one of them said, his voice trembling.
The captain clenched his fist, his eyes fixed on the darkness below. "No body, no proof. I want this entire area searched. Leave nothing unchecked."
Meanwhile, hidden among the rocks and cloaked in shadows, Ares lay injured but alive. The jump had been dangerous, but the slope below the cliff had softened his fall. Clutching his knife tightly in one hand and stifling a groan of pain, he promised himself that tonight would not be his last.