Verdant adj. 1a: green in tint or color, b: green with growing plants, 2: unripe in experience or judgment: green
Lux pressed herself to the wall, trying not to shake. Footsteps echoed through the narrow hallway, the cold stone catching and amplifying the sharp clack clack clack.
A shadow appeared around the corner. Lux's eyes widened and her heart beat in her ears so loudly she was sure the soldier now rounding the corner could hear.
He wouldn't see her; that, at least, she knew. The torch lit hall was dark enough he may have missed her anyway, even without her bending the light to disguise her form. She'd practiced extensively back in home. Demacian military training was thorough. So thorough that she was here now, in a guard tower miles past the border of Noxius stealing dispatches from Noxian High Command.
She could feel the footsteps now, could smell some strange oil from his armor that made her nose itch. Lux's palms sweated into her gloves, her grip on her wand going from tight to painfully so.
Just keep going. Please, keep going, she thought desperately as he came even with her.
He stopped.
Her breathing stopped too, even as her limbs begged her to flee.
Heat radiated off him, inches apart as they were. She hoped he could not feel her heat, or feel her trembling carried through the air.
She needed air. As quietly as she could Lux inhaled slowly through her nose. The pungent scent of the oil caught in the back of her nose.
She sneezed.
Quick as the light she used, she was in motion tearing down the hallway. The illusion shredded around her, revealing her retreating form in streaks.
Thank the gods she'd left everything connecting her to Demacia on the other side of the border. But that also meant they would have no reason to keep her alive if they caught her.
His surprised shouts overtook her even as she could hear him start after her. Desperately spinning her wand Lux tried to arc the light around her to obscure herself again, but the spell fled her mind and her wand caught only air.
Lux slid around the corner, pushing herself off the wall and half ran, half fell down the staircase. Another guard braced himself at the bottom of the stair. Feinting left, she charged to the right. She had to knock into him to get past him in the tight space, almost knocking herself off balance in the process.
She ran as fast as she could, her lungs and thighs burning. The shouting came from all around now, grabbing at her from every doorway and side corridor she flew by.
Finally she saw daylight. Unfortunately, between her and it stood half a dozen Noxian soldiers. She caught a few cocky grins from underneath their helmets.
Still hurtling forward, she called on her magic again. Her hand strangled her wand, trying to squeeze any magic she could from it.
Finally, when she was almost upon them, her wand caught the light. She threw it with all her might.
The flash staggered the soldiers, but not Lux. She dodged through them, their hands grasping at her half a second too late. She broke free into the sunlight, wrapping it around herself deftly and vanishing from sight once more.
Back across the border, Lux reached into her bag and pulled out the spellbook. Yes, she'd only been supposed to get the dispatches, and yes, maybe it had almost gotten her caught, but the commander's quarters had been right next door and she'd felt it calling to her through the wood and stone.
She flipped it open, scanned it quickly, and giggled. Oh yes, she could use this.
Humming to herself and replacing the book in her pouch, she started the long trek back to the rally point.