Flight

"Who's in danger?" Matthias managed to choke out. With his head still spinning after the meeting with the trunk of a tree, he was still struggling to make his mind function properly and form decent sentences. "Who are coming? What are you talking about? I don't understand."

The other man seemed to take no notice of his distress and confusion. Instead he continued to stare right ahead, like his attention was focused on something else entirely. It was as if he could hear or sense something that Matthias could not, and his body was taut and alert, like a predator ready for assault.

Tired of waiting for answers he was not likely to receive, Matthias made an attempt to get back up on his feet. But he was barely able to get up in a crouch before his headache multiplied in strength and was accompanied by a wave of nausea he had to lean against the trunk of the tree in order to stay upright. "Who are coming?" he yelled in frustration as he finally managed to stand upright, still clutching on to the tree for support.

The other male finally seemed to take notice of him and Matthias found that he was frozen in position as the man gracefully stepped forward and stopped only when his face was inches away from Matthias' own and he could feel the ghost of breath on his skin.

The mysterious man seemed to be analyzing him at first, tilting his head slightly to the side and letting his gaze stray over for a moment before he stared directly at Matthias' face and gave him the most piercing stare he had ever felt in his life. The power in the young stranger's eyes was enough to make him feel naked and vulnerable and send a shiver down his spine, like the temperature had suddenly dropped several degrees in just an instant and made it freezing.

"They are here…" the soft whisper the other male had spoken in earlier, was morphed into a sharp, angry hiss. "You have to run… Now!"

Matthias was just about to question the order aimed at him, but without warning the other male rushed directly at him. But just before stranger would have impacted with Matthias and probably sent him tumbling to the ground, he disintegrated in a cloud of dark blue mist that swirled around and wrapped around the confused male instead.

Matthias spun around to find out where the mysterious person had gone, but the mist around him grew thicker and darker around him and there was no trace of the other male anywhere. The only thing visible was the threes and they were beginning to sway back and forth, blending with the fog and twisting around each other into bizarre shapes.

Soon enough Matthias started to feel as if the mist and dancing shadows were suffocating and the darkness around him only kept growing heavier, and then it started to twist around him as well and Matthias felt himself falling.

He landed on the bedroom floor with a thud and in a great tangle of blankets. It turned out that his headache was not just a figment of his imagination and only existent in his dream, but very real and in the company with severe nausea and dizziness that served as a rude reminder that he had drunk far too much ale the previous evening.

Still confused and disoriented with his head spinning, he managed to crawl over the floor to a bucket someone had conveniently placed in his room and hurled. He heaved over and over until his stomach was finally empty and there was nothing left. The vile taste of bile lingered no matter how much he coughed and spat in hope to get rid of it. It was easy to come to the conclusion that ale did not have a very great taste when mixed with stomach acid.

It took a while before the nausea to fade away, but when it lifted Matthias could still not shake the bad feeling that followed his dream and he heard the warning repeated in his head several times. It had been both confusing and disturbing.

He kept wondering why he would see a mysterious person in the market that he knew for sure was not one of the villagers on the same day when the king's soldiers decide to go berserk and rob them for everything they had, for so to dream about the ware same man the following night. Who was this man, and why on earth would his mind be so incredibly obsessed with him?

As soon as his body allowed him to get up from the floor without making his head spin and sending him to the floor again, he padded over to the window. It creaked loudly in complaint as it was pushed open and seconds later a cold breeze supplied the room with some much needed fresh air and made the bare skin on his arms break out in goose bumps when it made contact with the freezing wind.

The bedroom was located on the second floor of the tavern and the window was aimed in direction of the biggest forest around their village. So leaning against the windowsill, Matthias let his gaze roam over the woods and listened to the soft sounds of leaves rustling and the occasional howl from a wild animal somewhere out there. He was happy to be nowhere near it with the nightmare still fresh and vivid in the back of his mind.

The soft sounds of the forest were calming and the shadows from the trees were dancing gently in the pale light from a half moon somewhere behind a thin cover of clouds. Matthias was just about to believe that there was nothing to worry about, but was horrified to see a faint flicker of orange between the branches and his heartbeat immediately picked up in speed.

At first he figured it had to be his still hazed mind playing a cruel trick on him, but the flickering glow refused to disappear no matter how much he blinked and rubbed at his eyes. And then, another one appeared just next to the first one and by the way it was moving closer to the first light, it was obvious that it had to be the flame from a torch and immediately the warnings from his nightmare returned with full force, for the villagers had no reason to wander about in the forest in the middle of the night, so it could not be any of them.

So when the third light appeared just right next to the other two, there was no longer any doubt in Matthias' mind. There was someone out in the forest who was not supposed to, and he knew he had to warn the others about the impending danger. Immediately survival instincts kicked in and he scrambled towards the bed and reached under it to grab the axe he had placed it the evening before, feeling comforted by the thought of being armed and then headed for the hallways.

The fist door next to his room was opened after a few minutes of insistent knocking and Berwald stepped out. The blacksmith's apprentice looked just about as wrecked as Matthias felt. His eyes were bloodshot from a lack of sleep and the dark circles under them were visible even in the little light available. The total impression was not improved by the shirt hanging askew from having put it on in a hurry.

"What is it?" he demanded angrily.

Matthias showed aside the taller male and forced his way in to the room and over to the window where he pulled aside the curtains and pointed outside. "Look…" he demanded simply and sent an intense stare aimed at Berwald, expecting him to make a closer inspection. "There is somebody in the forest."

"Are you still drunk?" Berward yawned tiredly and rubbed sleep out of his eyes.

Matthias groaned in frustration. He stepped back to the doorway and hauled the slightly taller and at the moment very angry male over to the window, where forced him to look at the orange flickering in the forest. "I am absolutely sure this is not my imagination" Matthias insisted intensely. "I also don't think that it is any one of our people, and I doubt that their intensions are any good for us."

Berwald's face lost almost all of its color and his expression changed from tired and annoyed to dead serious in an instant as he peered out through the curtains and was witness to yet another torch flickering to life. "We have to warn the others" he said urgently and turned back to Matthias. "You run, I'll keep watch for more torches."

Within a few seconds, Matthias was out of the bedroom and was knocking franticly on all of the other doors down the hallway and yelling with a volume that should have been enough to wake dead men to life. "The enemy is upon us!" Get up!"

Soon after the first doors were being torn open and people in different stages of dress and soberness started to stick their heads out of their rooms in order to locate the source of all the noise being created. None of them were looking too happy about having being torn from their warm beds and sweet sleep.

"What are you talking about, boy?" one of them grumbled unenthusiastically. "Did the ale get to your head?" A few of the others chuckled at the remark, but their laughter died out when they realized that the usually cheerful young man showed no signs of amusement at the remark.

"I thought the yelling made it obvious" Matthias said urgently. "We are under attack, and if you value your lives then you better wake up and start moving. There is no time to lose; we have to get away from here right now!"

"He is right" Berwald cut in with a sharp voice, he stepped out of his own room, armed with the large, decorated blade he had offered to Matthias when they went through the supplies in the smithy. "There are several torches out in the forest and there are still more being lit as we speak. From the looks of it, whoever is out there appears to be getting closer. They are not that far from the forest edge nearest to the tavern.

Torleif elbowed his way through the crowd that was now blocking off the entire hallway and made his way over to Matthias and Berwald. "You heard the men!" he yelled loudly over the noise. "Everybody needs to grab as much equipment as they possibly can. Clothes, food and weapons… Anything you can carry with you. There is no time to bother with personal belongings. Run towards the other side of the village, the forest on the other side of the fields will give us cover as we escape north towards the town of Dalahurst. Hopefully we will all be able to meet up there."

"But how could it be the king's army?" one yelled out over the terrified whispering that broke out between them. "It's only been a couple of hours since we killed the other soldiers in the square and it should have been days, not hours before anybody on the outside would be able to investigate and now there is soldiers in the forest ready to attack us. I don't believe it!"

"We'll have to wonder about that later!" Torleif hissed back. "The fact is that they are here right now. If you want to find out how they did it when it should not have been possible, then you are free to stay behind and ask them when they arrive. I have no intention of staying. When I was in the king's army myself last war, I learned not to underestimate the insight of the king and his ability to send soldiers where they are needed."

That shut the man up and the others that had stood speechless and listened now scrambled back in to their rooms to pull on their clothing and grab the few items they had kept there and then make a run for their lives.

Torleif pointed out a few people. "You and you… go and grab as many weapons from the backroom as you can carry and then make a run for Dalahurst." Then he turned towards Berwald and Matthias on put one heavy arm on each of their shoulders. "I will get everyone in the tavern going. You have to warn the rest of the villagers. Tell them to grab whatever they can and warn as many others on their way."

Both of the boys nodded understandingly and Torleif sighed. "The soldiers were probably planning an ambush and wanted to use the element of surprise as an advantage. We should. They might not have noticed yet that we know they are coming and if you are quiet you might sneak around the village for a few more minutes before they realize their plan have failed and launch a full out assault."

Matthias didn't hesitate a second before he rushed off. People had starter coming back out in the hallway again in their hurry to get away and it was becoming difficult to move anywhere. So he had to push aside several people on his way as he made his way past them and Berwald followed in his trail. He took the stairs four steps at a time and barely made it down without stumbling and falling over panicked people.

Downstairs the rest of the villagers staying in the tavern had started getting up as well and they were desperately trying to figure out what was happening around them. Matthias rushed past them knowing that Torleif would make sure they got out alright and on their way to safety.

When the two young men made to the door the cold late night air hit them like a punch in the face. Matthias breathed heavily after the run and his breath danced around him in a puff of white smoke. Berwald stepped up beside him, panting as well. "We should head of in different directions so we can warn people faster" he breathed.

Matthias nodded and slapped the taller male on the back before he ran off towards the closest cluster of houses, without waiting for Berwald to say anything more. A quick glance towards the forest revealed that the torches were just visible in the very edge of the forest and whoever was behind them would soon be out in the open and have a clear view of the village. He could only pray that they could not notice anyone running through the streets of Griven just yet.

Matthias practically threw himself at the first door and tore at the handle. It turned out to be unlocked, so it gave in under his weight and sent him tumbling inside, to the obvious surprise of the inhabitants.

There was the terrified shriek from an elderly woman sitting up in bed and clutching her blankets to her chest. Her husband was already on his way out of bed, scrambling to get a hold of a weapon so he could defend his family.

Matthias did not make a very good impression, panting madly and clutching on to a great big battleaxe in one hand. He lowered his arms and held them out to the sides to seem a bit less threatening to them. Still gasping for breath he told them the situation and to spread the word.

The couple immediately got on their feet and started grabbing at the most important items they could bring along in the limited time available and stuffed into a small backpack. Matthias did not wait for them to finish and rushed back out and cast another glance towards the forest to get an overview of the enemy's progress and his heart jumped in his chest.

Their attempt at escaping had been discovered.

The men holding torches had come out in the open and were running in a large flock towards the tavern with a vicious cry, demanding blood and death. There were still several people running away from the building. Their desperate cries attracted the attention of the solders. The flickering light from the torches was barely enough to create just the tiniest of reflection in metal helmets, but it was enough to make a conclusion that it was indeed the king's men that had arrived. Robbers and common people did not have the money to carry armor.

Matthias sprinted towards the next house and started tearing at the door handle, much like he had done by the first house. This one was locked, so he hammered at it with his free hand and kicked at it with one boot, all the while screaming at the top of his lungs that they had to run. By now he had no time to worry all that much by the noise.

He cast a quick glance over his shoulder, still while hammering at the door. One of the soldiers had discovered him and changed his direction from the tavern that was now partially engulfed in bright red flames and sending up a large column of black smoke, twisting towards the sky like and angry snake.

Just as the soldier drew closer, the door behind Matthias opened and a terrified woman stepped out, grasping on to a tightly wrapped blanked that was releasing soft sniffs and a lightly dressed male appeared besides her appearing just as horrified. He realized his options were limited now. If any of them ran the soldier would be free to pick who he wanted to pursue, so he clutched harder on to the heavy axe as he stepped protectively in front of the small family.

The soldier slowed down his steps, fully aware that the villagers would not dare to run when he could follow them with ease. The light from the torch he carried revealed a malicious smile and dark gleaming eyes. "You will not let you get away" he chuckled darkly.

"If you get a chance" Matthias whispered to the couple, "then run. I will distract him." Then he stepped forward towards the soldier and lifted the axe.

The soldier's smile widened and became more of a devilish smirk as he hurled the flickering torch up on the roof, where the flames immediately started licking at the soft grass on the sod roof. The woman instinctively curled her body tighter around the precious bundle in her arms to protect it. Her husband drew her closer, desperately looking around in search of an escape for them.

The fire crackled and roared angrily above them as it spread quickly through the straw and made its way to the beams holding the roof up and the smell of smoke started to spread. The soldier lifted a sword he had been carrying in his other hand and started taking swift steps in the direction of the terrified villagers, ready to strike at them.

Matthias leapt forward and blocked the first incoming slash with his axe and there was a vicious clang as metal hit metal. With brute force he pushed the soldier back, away from the house. The crushing of gravel under hurried steps told him that family he had defended sprinted away past his back towards safety.

The soldier broke the stance with a swift step backwards and immediately slashed at him again, this time aware that the boy had more skill with a weapon than he had first believed and Matthias was barely able to escape what would have been a deadly blow had it hit its target.

With Matthias clearly on the defense, the soldier aimed out a series of more slashes that forced him backwards, so far that he could feel heat in his back from the fires that had grown in size and started eating at the walls of the house as well.

The young man was left with little room for maneuver as he was forced to hold the axe close to his chest, blocking the incoming strikes. It was a bit of a desperate move from his side, but he flipped up the butt end of the axe and with pure luck it managed to catch the soldier in the groin. His enemy was taken by surprise and cringed in the pain as he staggered backwards. Matthias didn't waste this one shot and lashed out while his opponent was still without defenses.

It hit the soldier in the side and broke through the chainmail. He screamed out in pain and stumbled to the ground, clutching his side. The blood seeped out between his fingers and ran down the uniform. A spray hit Matthias in the face; he could feel the warm droplets as they landed on his skin and could smell the slightly iron like scent it carried that made him want to hurl all over again.

Matthias stared at the man as he died before his eyes and then he was torn out of his line of thought by the sound of a raging cry. There were two soldiers storming towards him with blades lifted. They were visible from the fires that were engulfing the entire tavern in an orange blaze behind them.

Matthias's heart was beating like mad as he saw the soldiers coming towards him. There was may more of them than he had initially though, a much larger than the one they had dispatched the previous day and they were swarming the village, spreading out in all directions to make a sweep of the area.

He turned on his heel and ran for his life. The soldier behind him screamed at him that he was a coward not for facing them, but he did his best to ignore it. There were people trying to escape on all sides of him and he wished he could save them all, but there were just too many soldiers. He could hear the screaming as they were being cut down, and see the flickering of orange as more houses were being put to the torch. The soldiers obviously had no intensions of leaving anyone alive in the village.

Swishing through the narrow streets in between the houses in the densest part of the village he made he made his way to the other side of town, where the houses became fewer until they stretched out in a large area of fields. In the far distance there was a much smaller forest that was one part of the road to the village of Dalahurst where they had agreed to meet in should they get away.

There were a group of about 30 people running over the field, closely followed by the king's men. Matthias caught up with two soldiers that had just grabbed a hold of a young girl and was about to cut her throat open right before his eyes. With a roar he rushed forward and lashed out a long sweep with the axe. One of the soldiers went down immediately in a puddle of blood and guts from the powerful impact.

Just as Matthias was about to make another swing, the second soldier rushed up to him and grasped on to the axe handle as well, stopping him. Matthias attempted to pull the blade back, but the soldier held on too tight.

In a panicked glance around, he noticed that the rest of the king's men were making their way out in the fields to follow the escaping villagers. The majority of the town was lit up by flames behind them, but there were still faint screams from people being cut down in because they had not managed to get away in time.

Matthias attempted to yank back the axe again, but the other man still wouldn't let go. "You have no idea what you have began" the soldier yelled over the noise. "You have no chance of defeating the king. This rebellion is foolish and we will put a stop to it."

The soldier forced him further back and Matthias knew he had to get away now or the rest of the fighters to surround them. He kicked at the soldier who finally lost the grip and he ran.

The soldier started laughing behind him but didn't pursue. "You can run boy…" he yelled mockingly "but you can't hide. We will find all of you soon enough. You don't have any training in war and you don't have the numbers to challenge us. I have seen your face and soon the rest of the kingdom will too, on a spike in the citadel square."

Matthias kept on running. To the sounds of thundering feet of soldiers behind him, he kept going.

Their noises were muffled when he entered the forest and ran through the branches. He was breathing hard and panicked, struggling to get enough oxygen down in his lungs. He hadn't realized how exhausted he was but he could not stop running yet. Not until he was further away.