Chapter 6: Fugitives

~Winrol, Kingdom of Vasilosse~

Hunter wandered around the Kareese family’s house, getting lost within its interconnecting rooms and hallways. Never before had he seen a house so pointlessly big. There were enough rooms to house a good portion of New Wind Town’s population, yet only three people lived in it.

He ended up in front of a sliding door, which he opened to reveal gardens straight out of a dream. Winding stone paths lost themselves within the greenery engulfing the backyard, of which Hunter could not even see the end. Ponds fed by artificial waterfalls connected to each other via a peaceful stream running along bushes of flowers. The gardens were a completely different world from the city streets, almost like Hunter had been transported back home, where he could hear water running, birds chirping, leaves rustling in the wind.

As he closed his eyes to bask in the familiarity of the sounds, another one, more captivating, caught his ear. Somewhere in the gardens, a girl hummed a lullaby. Her voice was angelic, soothing, transporting Hunter’s soul to a different plane of consciousness.

He followed the voice, which seemed to null out any other sound. All he could hear in the air was the beautiful singing of the mystery girl. He followed it until, across a pond, sitting on a stone, eyes closed, hands clasped together softly, he found her.

It was Elesia, swaying her body to the tune of her gentle lullaby. Despite having her eyes closed, she felt Hunter’s presence near her and stopped singing. She opened her eyes and fell off her makeshift seat as she realised she had been eavesdropped on.

“I should have known it was you,” said Hunter, almost disappointed to learn the voice belonged to her. “It is your backyard after all.”

“How long have you been standing there!” shouted Elesia, her face reddening at a rapid pace.

“I just got here. But I have been listening for a while.”

“H-how dare you!”

“Seriously? I could hear you from the house.”

“Why are you even still here? Weren’t you supposed to leave this morning? It’s getting late.”

“We were never told to leave, with all the fights happening.”

“Yeah, you know most of that is your fault, right?”

“I don’t need your expert outlook on my life, thanks.”

“You’re rude and mean. Your cousin and your friend are trying so hard to accommodate your tantrums, but you’re never pleased. In the end, it’s all about you. You don’t stop to consider their feelings the second they don’t say or act how you’d want them to. Your selfishness will be your undoing.”

Hunter’s eyes had widened during Elesia’s speech. It was so unexpected and articulate that he wondered if it truly was her, the same girl whose head seemed filled with nothing but empty thoughts most of the time.

“I’m not as stupid as I look, you know,” she pouted, almost as if she had read his mind.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you. I’ll go.”

Hunter started to head back. Confused, Elesia called out to him. “Wait! Are you okay? You’re acting so weird.”

“Not rude and mean enough?”

“Stop it, you’ll make me feel bad…”

“I just heard your singing from afar. I wanted to listen more, so I came closer.”

Elesia blushed so hard the blood nearly erupted from every opening on her face. “Y-y-y-you like my singing?” she murmured shyly.

“It reminds me of my mother. She would often sing me to sleep when I was a child.”

“Where is she now? Your mother.”

“Dead.”

“Oh…” The bluntness of Hunter’s answer knocked the curiosity out of her.

“Killed by the Royal Army.”

Elesia felt crushed under the weight of Hunter’s silent anger. She could feel it seeping through his pores. She glanced over in his direction, but he appeared completely calm.

Hunter noticed her growing discomfort. “It’s fine. I’ve gotten mad enough today already. I’ve bothered you long enough. You can keep on singing.”

As Hunter was about to leave, Elesia called out to him. “I don’t mind you listening,” she shyly said. “Singing brings me peace. It calms me down. Maybe it can help you, too.”

“I take it you needed to calm down?”

“Well, I…”

“It’s because of that man, isn’t it? Commander Iron Fists, or something stupid like that.”

Elesia made herself small and did not answer, her eyes drifting somewhere else.

“I may not look like it, but I’m good at reading people,” said Hunter. “That man, he did terrible things to you.”

“… Whenever I see his face, my mind goes blank. It’s like I lose the ability to think or act normally. To calm myself, I sing my sister’s song.”

“Alexis sings you that song?”

Elesia shook her head. “No, my other sister, Catherine. She left when I was still young. I have few memories of her, but her song always helps me when I feel sad, or distressed, or angry. I hum and I sing, and I feel like I’ve been transported back in time, back in her arms.”

“Where did she go?”

Elesia tossed her shoulders. “Away. Away from the king, away from the army, away from our curse.”

“So, she abandoned you.”

“Don’t say stuff like that!” Her scream broke the remedying silence of the gardens. “Don’t talk about my big sis that way. I know she left, but I understand why she did it. I would do the same if I had the strength to do it. It doesn’t matter how far she is, or how long ago she left, I still love her.”

“Right. I’ll leave you alone, now.”

Hunter gave Elesia a short bow out of respect, before turning around and following the stone path back to the house. Elesia stayed near the pond, memories of her sister flowing back to her mind. She shed tears of nostalgia, of envy of the past.

Meanwhile, Taina was passing the time by simple gazing thoughtlessly out of the window of the bedroom on the second floor. Breaking her mindless focus, Jim came running into the room.

Taina turned around and greeted him with a smile. “Oh, hello. I haven’t seen you in a little while.”

“I read your book!” he exclaimed through gasps for air.

“You finished it already? You sure are a quick reader.”

“The Asakiwara people are so mysterious! Did they really exist?”

“Well, no one knows for sure. All that’s left of them is legends and stories, so it’s hard to tell.”

“I think they existed!”

“Do you, now?”

“Their primordial gods, every god and deity we know today come from them! The sky, the land, the sea, order, and chaos. Everything stems from those five.”

“You may be right, but there is no way to verify the age of my book. For all we know, it could date only a few decades.”

“That doesn’t mean the stories within its pages are young. I truly believe there’s something great to learn from this. I said I’d borrow it for the night only, and I already went past that limit, so I’ll give it back, now. It took longer than expected because I took some notes.” Jim flaunted a pile of paper with writing and drawings scribbled all over them.

“You took all those notes? You are the most studious person I’ve ever met,” laughed Taina. “I’m glad you found the book this interesting.”

“I sure did! And I’ll make sure to study my notes thoroughly in case I come across something new.”

“Alright, then. I’ll be awaiting your discoveries with great enthusiasm, Jim.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Alexis’ voice echoed from downstairs. “Dinner’s ready!”

“Food! Let’s go!” excitedly said Jim as he bolted out of the room.

Taina, Jim, Hunter and Elesia all arrived within seconds of each other, but Luck was already there, and presumably had been for a while. He wore an apron and fluffy oven mittens and was helping Alexis serve food on the table.

“It’s this late already?” thought Taina aloud.

Alexis finished passing out the plates and sat at her place. “Yes, with everything that went on today, I felt maybe I’d be imposing too much of a burden on you by forcing you to leave in the morning like I had originally said. So, you can stay for tonight as well.”

“Aren’t we gonna be in danger if we do that?” asked Hunter.

“You will be no matter what. I’ve been thinking, actually. If ever you’re in need of asylum, you could reach out to my brother Bradley in Fort Kingsley. He’ll give you shelter and keep you safe.”

“Isn’t that a military base? You said there was a general stationed there. I don’t think he’ll be too kind with us.”

“She,” she corrected him. “And don’t worry about her. General Ophelia Freyne is not one of the king’s blind worshippers. She does her duty as general in the fort, but beyond that, she is kind and understanding. You needn’t worry about her denouncing you, especially not with Bradley there.”

Hunter frowned but abstained from any further remarks. He dug his fork in a chunk of potato and stuffed it in his cheek.

“I just want to say,” began to say Taina, dropping her fork aside, “thank you infinitely for everything you’ve done for us, miss Alexis.”

Alexis clenched her hand, nearly bending her fork. “What did I tell you about referring to me like I’m an old lady!”

The laughter at the table was interrupted by a distant knock at the door. As if a switch had been flipped in her head, Alexis got up, her eyes wary and focused. Without saying a word, she went to the vestibule, gesturing for the others to stay behind and stay quiet.

Alexis opened the door cautiously, leaving only enough space to peep through. On the other side stood two soldiers waiting solemnly.

“What is it?” asked Alexis bluntly. “I’m in the middle of dinner.”

“Pardon the poor timing, Captain Kareese, but we’re here to deliver a message.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

“You’ve been summoned by His Majesty the King, Bartholomew Soffle, divine ruler of the Vasilosse Kingdom. He awaits you immediately.”

A bead of sweat rolled down the young woman’s face. “I’ve been summoned?” she murmured.

“Please make haste, Captain Kareese. We shall escort you to the council chamber where the king waits.”

Alexis turned her head to look behind her. Her two younger siblings peered from the kitchen down the hallway, distraught looks plastered on their faces. They had been listening to everything.

“I’ll be back,” Alexis reassured them. “Sit tight until then and be careful.”

Alexis slipped into her boots and joined the soldiers outside, closing the door behind her.

Jim and Elesia dragged themselves back to the dining room, unable to regain their composure. Every possible worst-case scenario invaded their every thought, paralyzing them from the inside. Why would the king want an audience with their sister, a meager captain in the army, nothing more than an insect on the ground to him?

Luck and Hunter approached the siblings and sat them down.

“We heard everything,” said Luck. “Have faith in your sister. Whatever the king wants with her, you don’t have to worry. She’ll be back like she said.”

Elesia gulped and nodded. “Yes…”

***

It was a long ride through the high town’s three levels, and an equally long walk through the citadel’s grand corridors and the tower’s gargantuan staircases that led Alexis to the council room. Upon entering, she was met with a set of aging but sharp eyes, like those of a wolf, peering at her from across the room.

She stood still in the doorway, awaiting permission to move forward.

It was General Roche who broke the tense silence. “Apologies for disturbing you at such an inconvenient hour of the evening on your day off, Captain Kareese, but there are important matters we would like to discuss.”

“You may come closer,” said the king.

Behind the formality of his words hid a much more somber nature, one which Alexis could only feel as pure malice. Nevertheless, she did as she was instructed.

“Captain Kareese. I am going to tell you everything I have heard about a certain situation, which you will either corroborate or deny. Weigh your words wisely, however, for I am in no mood to beat around the bush. This is a very serious matter, and I wish to get to its bottom as quickly as possible.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

“There have been troubling rumours that you may have heard of. We have received word that a group of three young individuals have caused turmoil in Coalot, the town in which you are stationed. Furthermore, it has come to my attention that you may currently be harbouring these very people in your own home.”

Alexis tried to hide the sudden wave of shock that came over her, but her body trembled on its own. How quickly the king had found out, even if only through rumours, was downright frightening.

“Is something the matter?” asked the king, sensing a disturbance in Alexis’ demeanour. “You seem unwell.”

“Apologies, Your Highness. I simply have trouble finding the right words to answer. It is not every day one gets to speak one-on-one with the ruler of the kingdom.”

“Yes, well make it hasty. As I have already said, my patience is thin at the moment.”

“I know of which people you speak. It is true that a group of three teenagers disrupted the smooth sailing of the mining operation in Coalot. I should have ensured their capture myself, but I made the mistake of entrusting it to my subordinates. When I went to see them in the jail building later, they were gone. Apparently, whomever had thrown them in there had forgotten to lock the door, as pathetic as it may sound.”

“Unacceptable!” exclaimed Jean-Pierre. “I will see that these soldiers are punished accordingly for their unthinkable blunder!”

“I find that story very hard to believe,” said the king with distrust.

“As do I,” agreed Alexis. “But the rampant stupidity of many soldiers never ceases to amaze me, so in a way, I’m not entirely surprised.”

“Even if you speak the truth, what do you make of the accusation against you?”

“Nothing but hearsay, Your Highness. If I had to take a guess, I would assume somebody mistook the fugitives for my little brother’s friends, which he brought home last night.”

“Your little brother, you say. Do you know who this group of fugitives is said to contain?”

“No, Your Highness.”

“Travis Reas’ son, as well as Silvers Reas’ son. We currently detain Silvers in hope to lure his brother out of hiding. At first, I thought nothing of the boys, seeing as they have never been of much interest to Travis, and therefore, to us. Now, things have changed. I cannot let them run around the city doing as they please. It is highly possible they seek to free Silvers, in which case they would be disrupting peace and order, like they did in Coalot.”

“With all due respect, Your Grace, how do we know their identities?”

“We do not, yet. But that is beside the point. This is not a situation in which we can afford to be careless. If there is the slightest chance it is them, we must act, don’t you agree?”

“I understand. What would you have me do?”

“You denied harbouring them in your home. As is stands, there is no way to confirm or disprove your innocence. As a precautionary measure, I believe it would be in the kingdom’s best interest to search your home. Right now. General Roche will accompany you.”

Alexis’ heart dropped to her stomach, and her eyes grew bigger.

“Again, with that pale face,” remarked the king. “May I remind you, you are in no position to lie, Kareese.”

Alexis regained her composure almost instantly. “Apologies, Your Highness. You may search my home as thoroughly as you’d like.”

“Good. It is important you know your place.”

Alexis wanted to run across the room and cave in the king’s face, to rip out his vocal chords so he never again would open his mouth to speak, but understanding her situation, she remained in place and bowed.

“Let us go, then,” said General Roche.

***

Everyone waited impatiently in the dining room for Alexis’ return. Jim and Elesia had not finished their meal, the nervousness churning their stomachs.

Then, breaking the silence, a resounding knock at the door caught everyone’s attention. Excited to be reunited with her sister after what felt like a lifetime despite only being a few hours, Elesia ran to the entrance and threw the door open.

She froze, as if her brain had stopped working. Her body went stiff, her eyes unblinking, her hand still stuck on the doorhandle. She was paralyzed with fear.

Across the threshold stood Commander Desmond Blacke. He bent forward, bringing his face uncomfortably close to Elesia’s and put his hand on her shoulder.

Elesia remained frozen in place; only her eyes drifted fearfully toward the commander’s cracked fingers groping her shoulder.

Desmond smiled crassly. “How nice of you to open the door for me, dear Elesia. I’ve come to notice your precious older sister isn’t here presently. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to let me take a look inside. There are things I must verify, you understand. After I’m done, if you’ve been cooperative, I’ll reward you.”

No matter what words came out of his mouth, Elesia could not physically muster the strength to move. With each passing second, it felt like her body would remain stuck in the vestibule for all eternity.

“Now, let me pass, dear Elesia,” said Desmond.

As he was about to move her out of the way, a shout from behind him forced him to stop his advance. “Hey, bastard!”

The commander turned his head and met with a young man’s gaze. It was the thief Luck had previously tried to stop. He was around Luck’s age, but his muscular yet scrawny build, as well as the dirt covering his skin and ragged clothes, aged him up by a couple of years. He wore his black hair in a dry ponytail, and his eyes were dark as the night sky. He held a sword forward in an offensive stance, its shining, lustrous blade reflecting the moon’s distorted image. It was clear he took much better care of his sword than himself.

“What is this?” asked Desmond, unimpressed by the young man’s provocation.

“Fight me, you cock-sucking asshole.”

“Watch your mouth, boy. I would not stoop to the level of filth such as yourself by humouring your idiotic request. I don’t even know who you are.”

“My name is Ken Taro, you killed my cat, prepare to die.”

Desmond’s thick eyebrow shot up in confusion. “Do you mean that worthless vermin I caught stealing a fish from a market? Justice does not discriminate between species. Besides, it was so weak, I did it a favour by ending its miserable life.”

“His name was Sir Mew. You killed him, prepare to die.”

“Enough with your nonsense.”

Commander Blacke pulled out his pistol and took aim at Ken. Ignoring the deadly weapon being pointed at him, Ken bent forward and rushed the commander, pointing his sword straight in front of him. Desmond fired a shot, which Ken somehow managed to deflect with the side of his blade. Before Desmond could pull the trigger a second time, Ken was right below him. He thrust his sword forward, aiming for the commander’s heart.

The blow landed as intended, but the tip of the sword failed to pierce the chainmail Commander Blacke wore under his uniform.

Before Ken could pull away and chain into another attack, Desmond grabbed a hold of the sword being pushed into his armour, with his bare hand. He wrestled it out of Ken’s grasp, the blade cutting deeply into his hand. Despite the severity of the cut, barely any blood trickled out. Ken jumped backward, startled by the larger man’s fearlessness.

The nickname Commander Iron Fists had been given to Desmond Blacke because of the unnatural thickness of the callouses on his hands, extending well beyond his fingers. His hands were thick and hard, protected by their extra skin.

Desmond threw Ken’s sword aside. “I do not wish to sully our fine city’s ground with your filthy blood, but you leave me no choice. For attacking and threatening the life of a Royal Army commander, I hereby sentence you, by the will of His Majesty the King, Bartholomew Soffle, divine ruler of the Vasilosse Kingdom, to -”

Before the commander could finish his sentence, Luck came running out of the door, boiling pot of stew in hand. “Watch out, I’m coming through!”

Desmond turned around upon hearing Luck’s voice but had no more time to react to the steaming pot being hurled in his direction. Boiling hot stew spilled all over his head, shoulders and torso, burning his skin well beyond reparability. He instinctively fell to the ground, writhing in agony, his screams echoing through the upper town’s streets.

“Come on, what are you waiting for!” shouted Luck at a dumbfounded Ken. “Hurry up, we have to go!”

Without much thinking, Ken leapt over Desmond’s squirming body and followed Luck inside.

Luck stopped next to Elesia, whose body was still partly frozen, though now mostly due to shock. “Are you okay? Can you move?”

Elesia shook herself out of her trance and nodded.

“Good, then let’s go.”

At the end of the house, Hunter, Taina and Jim waited next to the gardens, distraught looks on their terrified faces.

“Luck, what have you done!” stuttered Hunter out of dread.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t just stand by and watch someone die!” responded his cousin.

“You’ll be put to death! You attacked a commander!”

“Yeah, well, too late to take it back now. We have to leave.”

“Where!”

“To Fort Kingsley, where we were told to go.”

“They’ll never accept us after what you’ve done!”

Jim grabbed Hunter’s arm. “Elesia and I will be with you, there’s nothing to worry about. No matter the circumstances, Bradley won’t sell any of our friends out.”

“How can we be sure!”

“We don’t have the luxury of certainty, right now,” said Taina. “All we can do is hope for the best.”

Hunter grit his teeth. “Hope…”

As they argued near the gardens, more voices came into earshot in front of the house. One of them, they recognized; it was Alexis’, confused and afraid. Along with her were multiple men.

Ken took the lead. “Follow me, I know where to go. The city’s water drainage system can lead us east of the city, toward Fort Kingsley.”

The group was running out of time fast, so without questioning the legitimacy of his claim, they all followed him as they ran outside in the gardens. They hopped the fence at the end of the property and lost themselves within the streets, until they found a manhole in a quiet alley. Ken, Luck and Hunter pulled on it with all their might, barely managing to open their path to escape. One by one, they disappeared inside the storm drains.

Back at the Kareese’s household, General Roche and Alexis stood in front of a scene neither of them had expected. Commander Blacke was on the ground, slowly regaining his posture, burns covering the exposed parts of his upper half, his skin red and bubbling. The door to the house was open, a sword lay on the ground, and a pot of stew was spilled all over the stairs and ground.

“What happened here?” asked Jean-Pierre, crouching to help his subordinate back on his feet.

Desmond stared daggers at Alexis. “It was her… She was housing the fugitives from Coalot. One of them attacked me, injured me…”

Jean-Pierre turned to face his captain. “I would ask if what Commander Blacke speaks is the truth, Captain Kareese, but judging from the evidence around us, I cannot in good conscience come to another conclusion.”

Alexis approached her superiors, her eyes trembling. “Where are they! My brother and sister! What have you done to them, you filthy animal!”

“I have done nothing!” Desmond yelled back at her. “I was attacked by a boy I’d never laid eyes on. As he was about to suffer defeat, one of the criminals you were hiding attacked me!”

Alexis started running toward her house, her siblings’ safety being her only concern, but was stopped by General Roche’s firm grasp on her arm. He prevented her from advancing any further and immobilized her on the ground.

“Captain Alexis Kareese, you are under arrest for harbouring criminals and lying to His Majesty the King. Words will be futile until due trial, so do keep them for the appropriate moment. Please do not resist.”

Alexis’ eyes were still fixated on her house, her thoughts focused solely on her family. “Go. Go see your brother, now!”