The Rules of Blood

Volume Two ; Chapter 107 (323) - No Time to Breathe

The arrows hissed through the air, only to strike empty ground as Blanc’s quick orders had already pulled his people clear.

Ahead, Sera and Velakia urged Silvia up the slope, the mare’s hooves tearing into the dirt, while Tahreni and Lendros sprinted at her flanks.

Blanc followed last, his boots pounding the earth, but at the top of the valley, he stopped, taking a glance back.

And his gut clenched.

A line of soldiers stood on the other side of the valley, four to five hundred strong, lizard mounts snarling as their claws dug into the ground.

At their head rode the young horned bastard himself, his posture proud, his smile cold.

“Aidan…” Blanc ground his teeth as their eyes locked.

The heir of Blood Seraph met his gaze with a grin as if he had been waiting for this very moment.

Blanc didn’t hesitate; he drew his bow, nocked, and loosed an arrow high into the sky.

The shaft rose high into the air before slowly arching downward, whistling toward its mark.

Aidan did not flinch.

He only raised his arms wide, his grin getting wilder.

The distance was too great for the arrow to really hit its target, and Blanc knew it.

But still, he watched. He watched as the arrow planted itself in the ground ten feet in front of Aidan.

A foolish dream to hope a single arrow would solve the situation he was in.

Aidan laughed softly, then lifted a hand, his voice carrying unnaturally clear across the still morning.

“Catch them all.”

At once, the silence was shattered.

The mounts shrieked and surged forward, claws tearing earth, dust blooming high into the sky as they entered the valley.

Blanc clicked his tongue, turned sharply, and sprinted after his companions.

There was no time to look back again.

After he caught up with the rest, none of them stopped. For hours, they ran.

There were no nearby cities they could hope to hide in or ask for help from Blood Xeladar.

But Blanc couldn’t help but wonder how an army of over five hundred could just walk into the Domain unnoticed by the ample fortresses scattered across the Domain.

What of the random people they must surely have crossed?

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The villagers, merchants, and patrolling guards?

Perhaps, they weren’t as fanatical about the Empire as Blanc hoped they would be. But if Blood Xeladar really betrayed-

No…

Blood Xeladar’s loyalty must never be doubted.

So he threw the thoughts away, focusing on how his companions fared.

Sera and Velakia were focused on the road ahead and their surroundings, using their added height on top of Silvia as a vantage point.

Tahreni and Lendros were exhausted, their bodies unable to maintain the speed for too long. But somehow, they managed to push their bodies until now, their breath ragged, sweat making their clothes stick to their skin.

They wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer; the two of them needed to rest.

“Sister, Velakia, what do you two see from there?” Blanc asked, approaching the side of the horse. “I stopped… hearing them behind us a while ago.”

“Nothing,” Sera shook her head. “It’s weird.”

“For some reason, I do not think they even followed us,” Velakia sighed, looking at Blanc. “How are you?”

“I’m fine, but Tahreni and Lendros are clearly not; they are tired,” Blanc muttered. “Let’s look for a good place to hide and rest for a bit.”

Velakia looked worried at her Protectors, who couldn’t even hide their exhaustion when they saw her looking.

“Yeah,” Velakia replied sadly. “Let’s do that.”

Ten minutes later, the road went past a sprawling cornfield, its stalks rising high and thick a few hundred feet to their right.

Out here in the rural parts of the Domain, cover like this was the best they could get.

Blanc veered toward it at once, breaking from the road without hesitation.

“This way!” he barked, his breath sharp between words.

The others followed without question.

Blanc led them along the edge, forcing the pace until they reached the far end of the half-mile stretch.

There, all of them, even Silvia, would be hidden from the view of any rider who might pass along the road.

"Here," he exhaled sharply, finally slowing down. "We rest here for a bit. Drink, eat, and catch your breath."

Tahreni and Lendros collapsed on their knees the moment they stopped, their lungs burning, hearts hammering. Velakia jumped off Silvia’s back first, rushing to the two to check on them.

Then Sera followed in getting off Silvia and walking towards Blanc, who watched the road silently.

“Blanc,” Sera muttered. “Is that man here for me?”

“Stop speaking nonsense, sister,” Blanc replied, eyes still focused on the road in the distance. “The bastard did say we would see him soon enough, but it seems that soon came way too soon.”

“Then what do we do?” Sera questioned. “Do you think we can fight them?”

“With the five of us?” Blanc frowned, turning to look at his sister. “I’m done fighting losing battles, sister. The last time we were forced to fight a battle with such a high difference in numbers, our father and brother were captured. I will not repeat that same mistake again if we can outrun them.”

“We are days away from the boat, Blanc, how do we-”

“Shhh,” Blanc raised his hand, hearing something.

And in the distance, a singular lizard rider approached.

The man stopped and dismounted, looking towards the cornfield.

“Go,” he turned toward Sera. “Tell everyone to prepare to run again.”

“Already?” Sera whispered, “Tahreni and Lendros won’t be able to keep up. Let’s wait and see if he leaves.”

The soldier pulled a small bottle from the side of his lizard and poured the black liquid inside all over the tip of his arrow.

Using a flint and the back of his knife, the man made sparks after sparks until the dry grass standing in the middle of the arrow tip caught on fire.

He nocked the arrow and loosed it in the middle of the cornfield, far away from Blanc.

But as black smoke rose slowly started to rose from the field, it became clear that the soldier did not miss.

“An incendiary arrow… The fucker wants to burn the field down,” Blanc muttered, getting to his feet.

The two of them dashed towards Tahreni, Lendros, and Velakia, who already knew what was required of them when they saw them coming.