I felt anger bubbling up inside me as I faced the slavers, threatening to consume me entirely. But I forced it down—this wasn't the time to be blinded by hate. I needed clarity, focus. I needed to figure out how to get us out of this impossible situation.
Think. Think. Think, damn it!
As I dodged another slash and rolled away from my attacker, realization struck. Rowan. With his wind propulsion ability, he could escape if given the right opportunity. They'd never be able to catch him. He could even take someone with him... all he needed was an opening.
A desperate plan began to form in my mind as I parried another attack.
"MAYA!" I shouted across the chaos of battle. "WHEN I SAY SO, CREATE THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION YOU CAN!"
I blocked an incoming sword and pushed myself backward, hearing Maya's voice echo through the clearing.
"WHAT? WHY?" she called back, confusion evident in her strained voice.
I understood her hesitation. At her current level of power, she could only make explosions so big, and the larger they were, the less refined and damaging the flames became. It wouldn't seriously injure the slavers, much less kill any, but it would create a distraction. An opening.
Ignoring her question, I directed my attention to Rowan.
"ROWAN! WHEN THAT EXPLOSION GOES OFF, YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS!"
I caught him glancing over, momentarily distracted from his battle with the earth mage.
"WHAT?" he began, before comprehension dawned on his face. Rowan was frighteningly intelligent for his age—I knew he'd understand what I was asking.
"NO! NO WAY, KAI!" he shouted back, horror etched into his features.
I found a brief opening in my own fight to respond. "DAMN IT, ROWAN! THERE'S NO OTHER WAY! PLEASE!"
His face contorted with anguish as he dodged a chunk of earth hurled by the mage. I knew he wouldn't like my plan, but I also knew that once the explosion went off, he would do what needed to be done.
"WHATEVER YOU'RE PLANNING, IT WON'T WORK, KIDDOS!" the old man called from outside the battle, his grin visible even from a distance. "YOU'RE OUTMATCHED!"
I smirked as I sidestepped another attack.
"WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING, KAI?" Maya yelled, desperation in her voice.
"...DO YOU TRUST ME, MAYA?"
A moment of silence passed between us, filled only by the sounds of combat.
"...YES," she finally answered.
I sighed as my sword clashed against a slaver's blade.
"THEN DO IT NOW!"
What followed happened so quickly, it was almost a blur. The world suddenly grew hot, darkness tinted orange as a massive explosion began to devour the battlefield. Everyone was too shocked to do anything except try to defend themselves. Once engulfed in flames, unable to see or move for those crucial seconds, there wasn't much else they could do.
But not Rowan. After countless hours of sparring with Maya, he had grown accustomed to using his wind magic as a counter to her flames. I knew this. I knew he'd be fine. He would create some sort of wind vortex around himself, shielding against both the flames and the shockwave. For a few precious seconds, Rowan would be the only one still moving freely—and a few seconds was all he needed.
Like the others, I was flung backward by the explosion, shielding myself as best I could on the ground. When the shockwave dissipated and the flames receded—now confined to patches of burning grass and trees—I could move again, which meant so could everyone else.
I was covered in burns, but nothing life-threatening. This was the least of my concerns. When I heard the angry, worried scream of a young girl, I let out a sigh of relief. Turning, I saw Rowan already far down the road heading back toward the city, carrying Maya over his shoulder.
Her distant cry carried across the long dirt path: "KAI!"
I smiled as I watched them get farther and farther away. Now that they had broken free of the battle, I was confident the slavers wouldn't catch them. They were safe.
Then I turned my attention back to the matters at hand, because I, on the other hand, was in grave danger.
I rose to my feet as everyone else was also regaining their composure. Another yell carried overhead, this time from the old man.
"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!" he screamed, his previous veil of calm confidence wavering under his outrage.
I saw the water and earth mages dash after my friends. Quickly gripping the handle of my sword—wincing as the burns lacing my hands protested—I moved to intercept them.
I dashed forward only to hear someone coming from my right.
"Oh no you don't, brat," growled a voice, followed by a heavy sword crashing down on me.
I barely blocked it with my own blade, and in that moment of delay, the two mages swiftly made it past me in pursuit of my friends.
Damn it... they're fast. But they aren't as fast as Rowan.
I hoped. No—there was no time for doubt. They would escape; I was sure of it.
I cleared my mind of these worries and focused on the man in front of me. I had my own problems to handle.
"Where'd your friends go?" the slaver sneered, pressing his weight against our locked blades. "Too bad they abandoned you."
"They didn't abandon me," I replied through gritted teeth, pushing back against him. "I sent them away."
His eyes widened slightly. "Noble, but stupid," he said, disengaging to swing at my left side.
I parried the blow and countered, but my movements were slower now, hampered by fatigue and burns.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the old man organizing the remaining slavers. There were still at least ten of them, and only one of me. The odds were worse than before, but I felt strangely calm. Maya and Rowan had a chance now—that was what mattered.
"You've cost me two valuable pieces of merchandise," the old man said, approaching with deliberate steps. "I'm afraid I'll have to deduct that from your worth."
He nodded to someone behind me. Before I could turn, something heavy struck the back of my head. My vision blurred, my knees buckled, and the world tilted sideways.
The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was the dirt road stretching into the distance—the road my friends had taken to freedom.
Run. Run and don't look back.