Posted by Leif G.S. in Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Those Who Are Dead But Cannot Die Series | 0 Comments
Fantasy Flash Fiction: Those Who Are Dead But Cannot Die (Escape)
He shook his head and watched in awe as the large pale man dressed in black swung a giant two-handed sword with one hand. The blade caught the fading light and caused to the glimmer a pale blue before returning to normal. Hrandikar could spot the prominent features from this distance, from the large forehead to the solid jutting chin. He smiled and continued down the mountain until he reached the first building.
He poked his head around the corner to see the guards milling about with no purpose. Most were enraptured by the speech they couldn’t hear, but a few stayed at their posts and waited. Hrandikar cursed his luck as he noticed the guards that stood next to Grundishal with hands on their weapons and their eyes constantly scanning the grounds. He pulled his head back and thought for a moment. “Damned guards aren’t supposed to be there. I wonder why they are waiting at the hall.”
He heard steps to his right and tumbled away from the hands swiping at him with inches to spare. He rolled to one knee and balled his left hand into a fist. He spotted Wulfred standing over him with a demented look dancing in his eye. The boy pushed himself to his feet and leapt away as the guard captain attempted another swipe at him. As he scrambled past the extended arm, Hrandikar swung with all his might and landed bare knuckles against a poorly covered joint, feeling the flesh give way. He heard something pop; though he wasn’t sure it was his knuckles or the joint he attacked. Wulfred fell to his right knee as he cradled his arms against his chest. Steam erupted from his mouth as his voice echoed off the stone structures around him. “Guards, the traitor is over here! He is a lawbreaker and needs to be brought to justice.”
Hrandikar brought back his knee and slammed it against the captain’s temple hard enough to hear a sickening crack. The man’s body went slack for a heartbeat before he mumbled something under his breath. He hit the ground in a heap, but otherwise remained motionless. The boy muttered oaths under his breath as he scrambled down an alleyway. He turned the corner to notice that the way was blocked by large barrels frozen together due to the harsh weather conditions.
He took a step back and heard the guards running toward him. He scanned the area and noticed a small porch hanging over his head. He scrambled up the wall and dove into the porch as the guards approached their captain. He pressed his body against the cold wooden slats and bit his lip hard enough to taste blood as the frozen liquid started to seep through his clothes.
“Are you all right, sir? Do you need medical attention?” One guard asked.
“Idiots, I am fine. The boy might have some spunk, but he is just a child. Did you see where he went?”
“No sir; when we came around the corner, we saw your body on the ground. No one left the area; we would have seen them.” The second guard replied.
“Tell the men to spread out and find the boy. The man who brings him to me gets a reward and free passage to Goldenfork.”
“I don’t know if they’ll understand. Hraddy is just a boy, we all like him. He’s trouble, a little thief to some, but he isn’t a scourge. Some feel that he will be a fine man when he grows older, be something special.” The first guard said.
“You fools; that’s the point. If he is who my lord thinks he is, he will be more powerful than anyone in the Palatinate. We have to stop the Sawteeth from unifying under one banner like they did when the King of Winter sat on the throne.”
“These are my people you are talking about, sir. Are you saying the Palatinate is going to wipe us out of existence?” The second guard asked.
Hrandikar stifled the yelp that formed on his lips as he watched Wulfred slip a blade through the breastbone on the second guard. The man jerked and twitched as his steaming essence puddle on the ground. The guard captain pushed the dead weight off him, sliding the blade out from the wound. He wiped his hand and the blade free from the gore as he nodded at the first guard. “You tell the guards to stop the boy, and then gather your things. We are leaving.”
The remaining guard bowed stiffly at the waist. “As you command, Lord Wuflred.”
The guard disappeared around the corner and whistled at his companions. Hrandikar felt the shivers wrack his body, but he kept his misery quiet as he watched Wulfred slide the blade into the scabbard on his waist. He felt the terror well up in his body as he saw the captain look up at the porch. He stroked his chin. Hrandikar could feel his heart beating. He swore he heard the boards shifting and groaning under his weight. He fought the bile building in his mouth.
Wulfred turned on his heel and walked away from the corpse, yelling at the men to look for a murder suspect. Hrandikar rose to his knees and rubbed warmth back into his arms as he heard the accusations echo across the town square. He needed to get to Grundishal and warn his lord about what he heard. That is, if he wasn’t going to be handed over to the guard for breaking into the hall in the first place.
