Meep.

Implied yaoi a little later in this chapter. Don't like it, you shouldn't really be here.

Disclaimer's still not here yet. Next chapter.

Oh gods, not again…

Tomas swerved to the right as the horse charged forward. This is what always happened every time he had to go to the stables. Once the gates opened and the horses ran out, he immediately ran for cover anywhere he can. Ever since a horse reared up and almost landed on him four years earlier, he was utterly terrified of them unless at least one of his brothers was near.

And the slavers certainly took advantage of his fear. They sent him to stables often; every time he fled was used as an excuse to whip him. Unfortunately for them, he was recently always sent with Sedgar, never giving them the opportunity to properly enjoy themselves with his suffering.

"Can we leave yet?" Tomas whined, still hiding behind his brother.

"No," Sedgar said bluntly. He took the younger boy by the hand and, despite his whimpering and pleading, half-led half-dragged him over to a group of four horses by the edge of the property still held in the stables. As they approached, Sedgar drew his brother close and whispered in his ear, "Besides, you know we still have to make sure everything's still set up properly."

That made Tomas straighten up and give a tentative nod. Though he still didn't enjoy the company of the beasts, he knew that they were the key to getting out the hellhole they lived in. He didn't know what "everything" was that needed setting up, however, and so he let out a startled gasp upon seeing Sedgar move to a haystack and, making sure they were the only two around, uncovered two bows and sheaths full of arrows from underneath. "Where did you get THOSE from?" he asked in a harsh whisper, going up to sit down next to his brother.

"Oh, trust me, it wasn't easy getting them here. But how they got here isn't the point. The point is: these," Sedgar gestured to the bows and the horses, "are our ticket to freedom."

Tomas nodded slowly, the seriousness returning to his face. Other than the addition of the bows, he knew the extent of the plan: at nightfall, they would sneak out to the stables and make their way to the royal palace from there. Sure, it's not necessarily fool-proof, but what else could a group of kids and teenagers come up with?

The younger boy scanned his eyes over the horses in front of him. Each one of them, save for himself and Roshea, chose a mount and moved them here to a stall previously unused when they had to work at the stables. Each horse was one that was both accustomed to working with them and reliable enough to ride. Tomas knew each one of them well enough to know their names on sight. Kent, Macie, Hagan...the last one caused him to raise his eyebrows in surprise. "Grania?" She was a six-year-old cinnamon-colored mare who was extremely loyal and attached to Wolf. But even so, she was used for breeding and never had any official training as a war horse, making her not the best choice for escaping from a noble's manor.

"I know what you're thinking. But you know how close she and Wolf are; he's not about to leave here without her." Kent was his choice,- a two-year-old chestnut stallion with a wild temper and rebellious streak- perfect for him as he was the only one who could properly control the beast.

"But will she really be able to keep up with the rest of them?" Kent was one of the fastest horses there, and Macie and Hagan were nowhere near slow either. They were twin one-year-olds, both a shade of golden brown, and favorites of Will and Vyland, respectively. Though neither horse had as much training as some of the older veterans, they learned fast and could eventually outclass the rest easily. However, this wasn't much of a good sign for Grania, which worried the younger brother further. No matter how useful that person could be, if a slave was caught during an escape attempt, they would be dragged back and killed. Wolf was taking a huge gamble on his life like this. But then again, they all were, just him more than the rest.

Grania whinnied and shook her head, staring at Tomas. Sedgar smiled and chuckled, then told his brother, "She says you shouldn't be doubting her so much; she learns a lot faster than you think." He and Wolf had a very special connection to horses: they could everything that they said. It would explain why he was the only one who could keep Kent sane, and it was just another reason why Tomas stuck to him when it came time to go to the stables.

But the younger boy wasn't convinced at all. "But aren't you worried?" he finally blurted out, sounding a bit harsher than originally intended.

"About who? Grania? They'll just think she was forcibly used and take her back here, no harm done."

"You know I'm not talking about her," he said through clenched teeth, staring his brother in the eye. He knows what will happen if Wolf gets caught. How can he be so...CASUAL about it?!

Noticing the sudden change in the boy's temperament, Sedgar's smile disappeared, and he moved his gaze back down to the bows, a sorrowful look on his face. "Of course I'm worried. How could I not be? But it's Wolf's final decision, not mine. I can't force him to do anything, nor do I want to." It was unknown to the rest of the spirit brothers that he had very...un-familial feelings towards the elder of the purple-haired boys, and he didn't want to make it so painfully obvious by showing just how much his worry was gnawing away at him on the inside. He dearly hoped that his outburst wouldn't cause his brother to start linking things together in his head. For the sake of my sanity, PLEASE don't figure anything out, he thought, suppressing a sigh.

Fortunately for him, Tomas didn't speak on the subject. "What about Roshea, then?" he asked instead, sounding calmer than before. "Who's he riding with?"

Sedgar released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "That's already been taken care of. He'll be with me, while you'll have to choose one of the other two."

That made something snap. "What?! Why?!"

The elder boy clamped a hand over his brother's mouth. "Quiet!' he hissed through his teeth. The latter quickly grew still and quiet. Sedgar removed his hand and heaved a sigh. "You have to be careful about that. If we get caught doing this, we're dead, no doubt about it. Back on topic..." he quickly looked around "we'll be the ones with the bows here, so obviously we can't be on the same horse unless we want to be in each other's way. That's why I need you to pick. Now, who-"

"Will," Tomas said instantly, cutting his brother off. "I don't trust Vyland in the least bit with riding,-" he moved closer to his brother and whispered in his ear, "-and Hagan kinda scares me more than the rest of them do."

"Don't worry, I understand," Sedgar told him, his smile returning. He covered the bows back up, stood up, and started moving towards the stable gate. "Let's go before anyone really starts getting suspicious."

The younger boy, returning to his usual self, ran out right after his brother opened the gate, the horses following soon after. On the walk to the watering hole, he couldn't help but ask, "...Are you sure we're going to be able to pull this off?"

"Only time will tell. Let's just hope that everything works out."

"Right." It has to work out. Tomas mentally shuddered as the memory of Vyland's whipping resurfaced. For all our sakes.