The Echoes of Forgotten

Chapter 2: Escape into the jungle. (I)

"You--" Elara began, her voice rising with fury, but he crossed the room in long, purposeful strides.

Before she could shout, the man's rough hand clamped over her mouth.

"Quiet, you fool," he hissed, his voice low but sharp, like a blade slicing through the tension.

Struggling against his grip, Elara glared at him with burning intensity, but it wasn't enough to even make him flinch. His silver-grey hair, tousled by the howling wind outside, framed sharp and angular features that for Elara were irritatingly familiar to her. His nose, straight and refined, mirrored a shape she was used to seeing on a regular basis. Unlike the other thugs, his attire was polished- a dark tunic under a tailored black coat, paired with fitted trousers. It was a stark contrast to the chaos around him, making him look more like a gentleman caught in the wrong place than someone belonging to this group.

The commotion outside began to fade, the voices growing distant, but his gaze flickered to the door repeatedly as though expecting someone to burst in. His stoic mask betrayed no fear, yet his movements were hurried, deliberate.

"Keep your voice down, will you? You'll get us both killed." the man said, his tone as cold as his gaze.

His warning did nothing to stop Elara's struggle but only made her anger bubble over. Only when he added, "They'll be back soon, and I don't have time or patience to explain every single thing to you," did she stop, her reluctant nod granting her temporary freedom.

The man lowered his hand, relief washing over his face and without wasting a moment, he reached into his coat and pulled out a dagger. The silver blade gleamed even in the dim light, intricate carvings running along its surface.

"What are you-" Elara began, but his sharp gaze silenced her.

He knelt beside her, cutting at the ropes on her right arm, and then the ones holding her waist in place. Elara's mind raced, torn between fury and confusion. The moment he stepped back from her, leaving only the ropes on her left hand, Elara immediately freed herself from the remaining bindings and lunged at him, grabbing him by the collar.

"You-" she hissed, her voice venomous.

The man didn't react. His focus remained on the door, his posture tense.

"Are you happy now?" she demanded, her voice low but shaking with restrained rage. "Making me look like this? Making me go through all this?"

This time, his gaze shifted to hers, fierce and unyielding. "It's your foolishness that put you in this situation," he snapped, his words sharp enough to cut. "What were you even doing in that warehouse? You should had informed me before doing something reckless like that!"

"Huh! Don't act ignorant. You know really well what I was doing in that warehouse. And what did you say? Inform you? You?!" Her voice rose, though she fought to keep it from carrying. "It's been five years, Riven!" She spat his name like it was poison. "Have you ever asked what I was up to? You came barging my door twice in these five years, just to topple my world upside down-" Her voice had turned into a bare whisper now, full of emotions she couldn't tell anyone or rather, no one was interested to know. "And, wasn't it you who sent those goons after me? Now you act-"

Riven's jaw clenched, a flicker of exasperation flashing in his dead eyes. "If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't be here, risking my life to help you."

She scoffed, her grip on his collar tightening. "Help me? You're working for that man, too! You were the only one who knew I was in that warehouse. You were the only one who found me there! So, tell me, what the hell were you doing there? Even now, you only came to make sure those people won't actually see my face. You are scared they'll think we are related somehow, seeing how we look alike-"

Riven raised a hand, signaling her to stop. His attention snapped back to the door as distant voices grew louder, approaching rapidly.

"We don't have time," he said, his voice urgent. He grabbed her shoulders, his grip firm but not harsh but she still winced from the pain coming from somewhere on the back of her shoulder.. it felt distant but there. "You need to run."

She glared at him, unmoving.

"Run toward the denser jungle," he instructed, thrusting the dagger into her hand. "Hide there. I'll distract them... Listen, I can't afford to be found as a traitor, not yet. I need to learn more."

Her piercing gaze didn't waver, her mistrust evident.

"Elara, I'll explain everything, but later," he said, his voice softening for the first time. "If you don't move now, they'll find us both."

Elara hesitated her grip on the dagger tightening. The voices outside were coming closer by every second, but she wanted answers.

"I am here to find him too," he finally said, his voice though steady had a hint of something Elara was not familiar with- no, she couldn't be bothered by it- all her attention was now on his words. "I found out that it was his last mission before his supposed death, I don't know where you got the information and how much but I don't want you to be here, this place is dangerous... I'll find him for you, I promise. Trust me just this once, okay?"

Her resolve faltered, her gaze flickering with something unspoken. Finally, she relented, her voice barely above a whisper. "I can never trust you, Riven. But... I'll do leave for now."

With that, she turned and slipped out into the shadows of the jungle. Taking advantage of the dark, she limped away from the voices that were coming dangerously close, each step sending a jolt of pain through her side. Her breath came in sharp, frantic bursts as she pushed through the dense jungle, her body burning with pain and exhaustion. But she didn't dare slow down, even as the foliage clawed at her arms and legs, leaving stringing scratches on her already blooded sleeves and pants.

Every time Elara glanced over her shoulder, she saw nothing but shifting shadows, no sign of any pursuer. Riven had kept his word, but what would happen of him now? Will they take him as a traitor, or will he slither his way out of this too? "You should see him act sometime Elara, this man can slither his way out of any situation with a casual face!" The word spoke in mind like a distant memory, but she shook her mind to get them out of there.

Now that she was out of that cottage, away from those brutes and the gazes that kept scanning her body like hyenas, the memories from the past few days, the last few days kept swirling in her mind like a whirlwind. She couldn't make sense of them all, each one tangled with the next like an unraveling thread. Riven. That name twisted like a knife inside her chest, causing her to stumble over her own feet. He had been there like a shadow every time she didn't want him to be, but when she needed him there, he kept his distance. He was the one who coldly crushed her hope every time she tried anything.

Her breath hitched as she recalled that moment, the last time she actually talked to him face to face—Riven's face, cold as stone, as he spoke those words, "Kaelion- your brother is no more." No hint of emotion, not even a flicker of sympathy or sadness for her loss. Not even a glance of concern. It had been like talking about the weather. Casual. Indifferent. How could he be like that? How could he not care when Kael had been like a brother to him?