Four

...and chapter four.

            The alarms were sounding. Alukas leapt over the stone wall and pulled his hood further over his head, kneeling at the top and glancing back at the castle, where he was raised and taught for twelve years. He remembered the first charm that the queen had taught him, the first time he had successfully completed a mission, and the first hug that she had given him. His heart seemed as if it had stopped beating for a split second as Gerad’s magic grabbed hold of his waist and pulled him to the other side of the wall. He landed with a thud on the grass beside Gerad, who had his face covered with a mask and a pack on his shoulder. His companion held out his hand and Alukas took it, standing up quickly and following behind him.

            There is no time to focus on the past, said Gerad. Only to seek freedom for the future.

            Alukas gave a look of sorrow towards his friend and grabbed his wrist, running behind him as they headed for the outskirts of the City. His feet were sore and his heart was racing, for it had been a difficult escape from the castle itself, much less through the many soldiers posted at all exits of the castle town. They were at last outside of the complicated area, but now they had to escape the borders without being caught. If they were caught, there would be no second chances. There would be no mercy. Alukas had taken all that he had once stood for and thrown it away. The queen would tear his magic out of him piece by piece if she could ever get her hands on him again. She had put her full trust in him and his abilities, and he had betrayed her. Alukas felt a tang of pain in his heart when he thought of his queen’s face. He dove into the void of his mind and focused only on putting one foot in front of the other as he ran.

 

            Sweet, cool water tunneled down Alukas’s throat as he drank the last contents of his canteen. His mind was nothing but a blurred mosh pit, filled with only dulled memories and no sense of the present. It felt as if every second was being stretched into the next without its own content. Everything that he had loved was being destroyed right in front of his eyes. He felt like a small child watching his own house burn, along with everything that he had ever known. Alukas was about to venture off into the world to seek his importance, as such he had dreamt about for the years of his childhood. If it hadn’t been for Gerad, he would have been driven to insanity and an eternity of mindless servitude to…that woman.

            That woman, Alukas thought, desperately seeking some kind of memory of warm love from her. He once could recall that feeling, but now he could only recall the pain that she had driven upon him. The torture and unfeeling punishment. She did love me…and I loved her. Did I, really? I did, but was it true? No, I couldn’t have loved someone who put me through such torture… Then what was that feeling? A false affection? Did it really have truth inside? Maybe it was a lie. I couldn’t have felt something so vivid if it wasn’t real…

            Alukas, came Gerad’s voice. Be at ease, child. Rest your mind and sleep.

            Alukas looked at his companion wearily and felt the soreness of his body. His mind was as exhausted as his body was in this time. He nodded and laid back on his rucksack, feeling the warmth of the campfire and the feeling of stale food in his stomach from earlier. Would he ever feel the satisfaction of the divine meals he was once served? Would he ever feel the comfort of his mattress again? Thoughts dulled from his noisy mind as he fell into a dreamless sleep.

 

            A day of walking came after his rest. Alukas’s feet were callused and his eyes blurry. Not much passed through his thoughts besides the occasional desire for a warm meal or the dulled pain of his scarring lash wounds. Endless trees were all that appeared in his vision. A bird’s call came from far ahead, one of the Mourning Dove. Alukas suddenly stopped in his tracks, Gerad looking back at him, concern in his gray eyes. Alukas looked up at the cloudy sky, feeling the early morning drops of rain land on his skin and dribble down. He closed his eyes as the rain fell faster onto him. Gerad walked closer to the boy, but didn’t lay a hand on his shoulder. Alukas looked down at the ground and couldn’t hold in his blind sorrow any longer. He began to cry.

 

            “Here, take this,” said Gerad, holding out a canteen to Alukas.

            “What is it?” Alukas asked. He took the canteen from his friend and looked inside, seeing a dark, thick green liquid. “It doesn’t look very appetizing.”

            “It’s an energy serum,” explained Gerad. “Drink it.”

            Alukas hesitated, but put the nozzle to his lips and poured it back. A syrupy, mushy liquid slithered down his throat. He felt as if he would be sick from the vile, herby taste that was left in his mouth. A bout of coughing overcame his lungs and he barely kept himself from retching the drink back up.

            “I know that it tastes horrible, but it will cure some of your fatigue,” Gerad said, taking back the canteen. “Here, take some of this, too.”

            He handed the boy a slice of bread and a lump of cheese. Alukas took it from him and hungrily tore into the food, pleased with the flavor of the cheese. He knew that this would help him get through the day, which would be spent doing nothing but walking. Although they had spent two full days doing nothing but wandering, they had to quicken their pace if they hoped to cross the border out of the country before the City guards finally caught up with them. Alukas finished off his food, took a swig of water (which was turning filthy from sitting in the canteen) and stood up, swinging his rucksack over his shoulder.

            “We should hurry,” said Alukas, looking north down the path they had been taking. He could barely see the faint outline of a valley and knew that they were nearly there, maybe only another day’s walking distance. Gerad stood beside him and waved his hand over the area where they had camped, setting a charm over the place to erase all trace of them being there. They began walking again, but not a mere minute into it, Alukas glanced at his friend and hesitantly opened his mouth to speak.

            “Gerad,” he said quietly. His companion looked at him and he continued. “I want to thank you.”

            “For what, young Master?” asked Gerad.

            “For everything, really. You’ve always stood by me strong and taken care of me when I was beaten and weak. Even at my most vulnerable state, you have never fallen short of my needs.”

            “You need not thank me, but I must warn you,” Gerad said. “It will not be as it has been from here on out. I will not be able to suit every one of your needs. This is your journey into manhood, my friend. You will learn what it means to be a servant of good, and you will learn it on your own.”

            “Are you saying that you will no longer take this journey with me?” asked Alukas, fear in his voice. “I cannot-”

            “No, I will continue to be by your side,” Gerad assured him, “but this is where you begin your life. Once we cross the border, you will no longer be a child. You will begin your quest for purpose.”

            Alukas was silent as he looked on the pathway, still walking beside his old friend. He nodded slowly and closed his eyes.

            “One more thing, Gerad,” he whispered.

            “What is it?”

            Alukas looked at his companion with warmth.

            “I never want to hear you call me ‘young Master’ again.”

Reviews

[Keevan]

I don't know why, but Alukas reminds me of Ciel. They're completely different, so it's weird. Anywho, I'm lovin' it so far.

[Alexis]

I liked the last quote. Nice chapter. I still envy your writing skills and endless creativity.
I look forward to the next chapter.