Alliances

Suddenly ther monsterous rider burst out, explosively, and just as terrifying as he was before, maybe even more so. He was attend horseback on each side. Men in shimmering, multicoloured, silken suits and top hats. Women in large, voluminous, silken dresses of variou shades trimmed with lace-like material. They looked human but Leonard could tell that they werern't. He suddenly knew that these were his attendants, his cronies. And they were about to capture him for crossing the "sacred" line of slavery, for changing who was and wasn't allowed to be free. 

Everyone should be free from Leo's previous torment, no questions asked. 

Leonard and the young teen started running, as fast as they could. Away, far from those guys, towards freedom and safety. They kept running, on foot, exhausted and full of energy at the same time. 

The crowd chasing them was rambunctious and rowdy, yelling insults at Leonard for being a slave, shouting profanities and threats at him for running away, chiding the girl for being so rebellious and not listening to them. They chittered about how superior they were and how superior they were and great they were. The girl was running hard to get away from the noise, from the ones bent on making her the perfect complacent daughter. The boy was running for his freedom. 

The riders, the ring of screeching flame, always carried a deafening loudness which was silent with it, as the lone Roaring King also did. This loudness though was filled with haughtiness and judgement and contempt. Rage and superiority at Leonard for being an escaped slave. Contempt towards him because of his perceived inferiority. Superiority and control over the girl for being so rebellious, for thinking differently, for being so contrary. 

Their force and the tangible power of their rage tried to reach the youths and writhingly wrap around them and hold them. They wanted the two youths back. They wanted them in their proper place. They wanted to entangle them and keep them down and keep them in their place forever. Their deafening silent loudness was viscous and clawing. 

Leonard could feel it, feel their ferocity and their aggression as they tried to get him. He felt the sting of their words, the sting of the emotions they conveyed to him. He felt their scrutiny breaking him down, tearing at his sense of self-respect, making him feel like a little bug under their gaze. This was not as bad as how he felt as a slave, because the human masters while not as blatant as these attendants in their hate, made their feelings more than clear. But he could tell that if they ever caught up to him, if he ever fell into the heavy, bitter air that was around them, it would be unimaginably horrible. 

He felt a soft fire within him though, that was keeping that heavy air at bay as long as her ran. He could feel an energy from the girl too, strong and fresh like river currents keeping him safe. But the closer the riders got, the more his defence faltered. 

The girl was getting weaker, and was increasingly stumbling and tripping as she ran. 

He reached a fence, a fence with a hole in it. On the other side of the fence was a blue lake, deep blue with waves that reflected the sunlight. Det couldn't swim. He looked around and couldn't see the girl. 

He faced the riders. Their horses were whinnying like feral wolves. The air around them was bussing with aggression and pride and corruption. And they. Looked. Terrifying. Leonard knew that drowning would be better than this so he slipped out of the sugar field he was in and into the water, through the hole of the fence.