novelxo Chapter 26: Echoes of Betrayal
Ariel's POV
Long shadows on the hardwood floor of the safe home were created by the early morning sun streaming through its little windows. Even with the illumination, there was a strong sensation of gloom. Alan reclined in the corner, his breathing steady but still delicate. By the kitchen table, Elijah and Marie were hunched in a low, urgent talk; their voices were quiet but strong.
The sense that we were about to experience something disastrous persisted in me. The vanished sorcerer was merely a fleeting triumph. Still a threat were his allies, those who stayed underground in the shadowy corners of the globe. I was buried in contemplation, my fingertips lightly running the margins of a book I had taken from a shelf, when an unexpected sound startled me straight forward. From outside came a loud crash, then a succession of muffled, urgent voices. I hurried to the window and peered through the flimsy curtains.
"What is it?," asks Elijah's voice, piercing with concern emerging from behind me. I turned to find Marie and him at my side, their features tightly wrinkled with anxiety.
Trying to keep my voice calm, I said, "There's something going on outside."
Elijah nodded and went to the door, pointing for us to remain behind. "Stay here." I will have a look at it.
Marie and I exchanged nervous looks. The noise carried on, getting louder and more erratic. Holding my breath, I tried to discern what was happening. The noise ended then, exactly as abruptly as it had begun. The safe house fell into a quiet tension.
The door creaked open, Elijah entered with a pallid face. "We are having problems here." Someone seems to have found us.
My pulse dropped. "What are we supposed to do?
"We have to move," Elijah remarked, sounding urgent. "The basement boasts a secret passageway. It results in an antiquated escape route. We have to use it before they come upon us.
"alan??" Glancing back at his lifeless figure, I asked.
"Elijah, help me with him," Marie urged, her voice strong in spite of her own terror. "We cannot let him behind us."
Moving fast, Elijah and Marie lifted Alan onto a homemade stretcher fashioned from blankets and furniture under my direction. Though every movement was a fight, we were able to get him to the basement door. Glancing over my shoulder, I feared our attackers may catch up to us.
The basement was dark, with an old stone stairway descending into night. Elijah went first, his torch slicing across the darkness. We trailed closely, the anxiety obvious. People moving upstairs sounded far away and muted, their footsteps getting louder.
At the bottom of the steps, Elijah swung open a hefty, iron door. Beyond it was a small tunnel hardly wide enough for us to walk through.
"This way," Elijah murmured, his voice resonating in the little room.
Moving as fast as we could, the tunnel twisted and turned with damp, frigid walls. The air smelled mildly of soil and mildew. Although Alan's respiration seemed constant, his pallor frightened me. We needed him moved to safety. "Do you think they will find us?" Marie inquired, her voice taut with nervousness.
Elijah shot back, "I hope not." But we have to be ready for anything. This tunnel brings one to a little cabin in the wilderness. Though it's secluded, it should allow us enough time to get back together.
Every stride in the apparently endless tunnel felt weightier than the last. Ideas of what might be waiting for us at the finish ran through my head. Were we approaching still another trap? And if so, could we possibly flee it?
A great noise suddenly reverberated through the tunnel. My heart hammering in my chest, I froze. From the other end, it sounded like someone or something was approaching us.
"Stay quiet," Elijah said, murmuring quickly. We should conceal.
Pushing ourselves against the moist walls, we staggered to the side of the tunnel. The noise got louder, and I could see torchlight flickering just ahead. Shadows dancing on the walls drew my breath into my throat, approaching ever closer. The torchlight passed us, and I could see figures slink slowly over the tunnel. They were looking for-or someone. Though my imagination ran with ideas of escape routes, the tunnel seemed to have no simple path out. The torchlight vanished and the figures moved on what felt like an eternity. We waited silently, the only sound the far-off echo of feet. Elijah waived for us to carry on when we knew they had left.
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Like the cabin we had left behind, we emerged from the tunnel into a small, run-down house. Though the area was dusty and empty, for now at least it was safe. Elijah quickly locked the door and built a crude barrier. Alan was laid gently on an old, dusty bed, and Marie started using the tools we had brought to tend to him. I stood close by, tired and worried about my heart hurting.
Elijah came up, his expression solemn. Our next action has to be decided upon. The friends of the sorcerer will be tenacious. We cannot hang around here very long. My voice shaking, I responded, "I know." But what if they also show up here?
"We have to be ready," Elijah said. "But right now, we have to concentrate on getting Alan back to full vigor. Losing him would be unacceptable for us.
I watched Marie labor nonstop, her motions deliberate and focused as the hours passed. Every one of us is immersed in our thoughts and worries, clearly tense in the room.
Then, just as I started to believe we could be at peace, a huge bang from the door followed by strong voices and footfall. My blood became cold, and I stared terrified at Elijah and Marie.
Elijah replied, his voice tinged with urgency: "They found us." "Prepare."
The thunderous sound of the door being wrenched open let me hear the yells of the intruders getting louder. My heart flew as I reached for a chair close by, being ready to guard the cabin should I need it.
The door blasted wide, and a gathering of darkly lit individuals exploded within. Their cruel, determined look matched those of the sorcerer's minions, and I knew they were such.
"Looking for us?" One of them sneered, staring at the room. "You didn't think you could hide forever, did you?
Elijah moved forward, his face painted in a rebellious attitude. "You will have to pass via us first."
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There was a great struggle, the cabin turning into a whirl of activity and anarchy. Driven to guard Alan and ourselves, I battled alongside Marie and Elijah. Though the minions were unrelenting, we battled with all we possessed. Amid the conflict, I spotted a familiar face among the invaders. Marie's old friend Lila had betrayed her and her eyes showed suffering. Her eyes locked with Marie's, she hesitated momentarily.
"Lila, why?," asked Marie yelled, her voice choking with suffering. "Why are you pursuing this?"
Lila's face relaxed momentarily, then her attitude became rigid. "I apologies, Marie." I found myself driven into this. No other approach exists.
I spotted a chance as the battle went on and grabbed Lila and dragged her aside quickly. "There must be another path. You are not obliged to do this.
There were tears in Lila's eyes. "I'm trying to keep my family safe. They have threatened me should I fail to assist.
Though I was sympathetic, there was no time to talk about it more. The fight waged on, and our survival had to take the front stage.
We drove the minions back with a last, desperate push, so compelling them to flee. The cabin went still, and we were left panting and battered but alive.
We inhaled, the surge still coursed through our bodies. Alan stayed unconscious, but Marie's treatment had temporarily stabilized him. Elijah evaluated the damage with a grimace.
His voice steady, he added, "This isn't over." "We have to be ready; they will be back."
I nodded, the weight of what was to come weighing me heartwise. We were surrounded with echoes of peril and treachery, and the path to safety appeared to be longer than it had ever been.
Knowing that our battle was far from finished, I glanced one more at the cabin as we were ready to relocate once more. Our fight was for something far more valuable than survival-our desire for a future free from the shadow of our past. And with that, we started once more, resolved to together meet whatever came our way.