A BLOOD Oath

The Fire Returns

The front door of the house flipped open.

Wood cracked loudly on the floor as soldiers forced their way inside.

One of the soldiers shouted "Move".

Kael reacted first like he always does.

He grabbed Arielles wrist. Pushed her toward the back hallway just as a sword flashed near the doorway.

He said "Go".

Eamon was already up. He was surprisingly fast for his age.

He grabbed a lantern. Kicked a chair into the path behind them to clock the guards.

The small house was suddenly really loud.

There were boots, shouting and wood cracking.

Arielles heart was beating fast as Kael pushed her down the narrow hallway.

She asked "How many soldiers are there?"

Kael said "Too many".

That was not comforting all.

Behind them the soldiers were going through the room.

Someone shouted "There they are".

A sword hit the wall inches from Arielle as they turned into another corridor.

Kael cursed under his breath.

He said "This way".

The back of the house had a storage room filled with sacks and old shelves covered in dust.

Arielle looked around quickly.

"There's no way out" she said.

Kael said "There is".

Eamon pushed aside one of the shelves to reveal a hidden door behind it.

Arielle looked at the door.

She said "Does everyone in the kingdom have passages?"

Eamon grunted and said "No only people with enemies".

That made sense given the situations they've been in lately.

Another crash echoed from the room and it sounded closer now.

Kael drew his sword. Positioned himself near the doorway.

"Go". He said.

"What about you?"

"I'll hold them".

Arielle said, "You're injured and this isn't the time to be difficult".

Kaels eyes flicked toward her.

"You think this is me being difficult?"

Then a soldier shouted "They're in the back".

Eamon grabbed Arielles arm.

"He's buying us time lets move".

"I'm not leaving him". Arielle said.

The words just came out. She wasn't sure why she said them.

Maybe it was because despite everything the thought of leaving Kael felt wrong.

Kael looked at her for a second then said "Stay behind me".

A soldier burst into the hallway. Kael immediately moved.

The sound of swords clashing was really loud in the room.

The soldier barely had time to react before Kael disarmed him and slammed him against the wall.

More soldiers ran in. The room became chaotic.

Arielle backed away toward the hidden door as Kael fought in front of them.

He was fighting differently now. Controlled and more brutal.

Because he was tired and hurt. They were running out of time too.

One soldier managed to drive a sword across Kaels arm and Arielle felt pain through the oath.

Kael killed the soldier a second later. Striking him on his chest.

Eamon looked at them with concern. Said "The connection is getting stronger too fast".

Arielles eyes stayed fixed on Kael. She saw the blood on his sleeve.

He continued fighting. He didn't step back.

Another soldier rushed forward. Kael shoved him backward and they crashed into the wall.

A shelf fell on them. Glass shattered.

Then there was a fire.

A fallen lantern rolled across the floor. Flames spread instantly.

The dry wooden walls caught fire fast and smoke went upward.

Eamon muttered "Oh wonderful".

The heat changed everything. The soldiers hesitated.

Kael grabbed Arielle. "Now we move".

This time she didn't argue.

Eamon shoved open the hidden passage. They disappeared inside just as flames swallowed part of the storage room behind them.

The hidden tunnel was narrow and dark. Arielle coughed hard as smoke followed them in.

The soldiers were behind them and the fire was spreading.

Kael stayed behind Arielle and Eamon led ahead with the lantern.

Kaels breathing sounded worse. Uneven.

Arielle hated how easily she noticed it.

She said "We need to stop the bleeding".

Kael almost sounded amused.

"I'll schedule it for tomorrow".

"This is why people find you irritating".

"That's fair".

Arielle laughed accidentally not because anything was funny. Maybe it was out of exhaustion.

The tunnel opened into an abandoned cellar beneath another building.

Eamon opened the trapdoor carefully. Climbed out first.

There was silence. Then he said "We're clear".

Arielle climbed out next. The room above looked abandoned.

Dust coated furniture and broken windows cast a moonlit shadow across the floorboards.

Kael came up last and the moment he straightened up he stumbled.

Arielle reacted before thinking. Her hands caught his arm immediately.

Kael looked down at her hands on him.

Arielle quickly let go.

You're losing blood".

"I'm fine". He said

Eamon shut the trapdoor behind them with a sigh.

"He needs stitches before he collapses".

Kael said "I'm not collapsing".

Eamon ignored him. Arielle folded her arms tightly.

She said "For someone feared across the kingdom you're incredibly stubborn".

Kael looked at her calmly.

"You've mentioned that before".

"Yes because it keeps being true".

Something flickered in Kaels eyes. Something like amusement.

The moment disappeared as voices echoed faintly outside the abandoned building.

The city was awake now. They were being hunted.

Eamon moved toward the window carefully and peeked outside.

He said "There are soldiers everywhere already".

Arielles stomach tightened.

"How?"

Eamon admitted "No idea. Someone is feeding them information fast".

Kael went still. Arielle noticed immediately.

She said "You think there's a spy".

Kael said slowly "I think someone knew where we were going".

Silence settled heavily after that because there weren't much possibilities.

Either Eamon had been snitched or someone close to Kael was talking.

Arielle watched his face carefully.

"You already suspect someone".

Kael didn't answer, which meant yes.

Before she could press further another pulse hit through the oath.

Not pain this time. Emotion, strong enough to nearly throw her off balance.

Fear, not hers. Kaels.

Arielle looked at him sharply. The feeling vanished almost instantly.

Kael saw the realization on her face immediately. For the first time he looked uncomfortable.

Arielle said "You were afraid".

"No".

"You were".

Kael denied it again. Arielle knew what she felt.

She stepped slightly and said "Then what was it?"

Kael held her gaze for a moment and the room felt smaller and quieter.

The oath pulsed faintly between them and for one second Arielle thought Kael might actually answer honestly.

Then Eamon spoke from the window

"They found the house".

Kael looked away.

Outside distant orange light burned against the night sky, the fire.

Eamon's house was ablaze. Arielle walked toward the broken window beside him.

She saw smoke rising above the city rooftops. It made her chest ache.

Because suddenly she remembered another fire, another home burning, another night that changed everything.

Without warning the memory hit enough to steal her breath. Screaming, smoke, her younger brother reaching for her hand.

Arielle flinched sharply. The oath reacted immediately.

Kael turned toward her fast.

"Arielle?"

She stepped backward instinctively. Memories were coming at once, too much noise inside her head.

Then for the briefest moment she felt something through the oath that made her blood run cold guilt.

That was not something she had imagined. It was not something she had guessed. It belonged to him. This feeling was real. It was heavy enough to nearly crush her. Arielle stared at Kael... Then all of a sudden.

She realized that Kael remembered that night too.