by J Gaines
“They were on Kaden’s side once, weren’t they?” Thomas looked from Amias to Sophia for the answer, and Amias saw that Sophia was also watching him intently, unsure of what answer she should give. “How can we trust them?”
“I’ve killed for Kaden.” Max pointed at Jasmine. “So has she. I’m sure I’ve hurt friends of yours, people you loved, maybe. It’s too late to apologise now, and I’m sure there’s a time I’ll be judged for it. You don’t want my help, that’s fine. I’ll travel with you as far as the woods take us, and then when night comes I’ll be gone.” He turned to Jasmine. “I can’t speak for her.”
Amias raised his voice. “Jasmine is free to make her own decision on what she does next. You too, Max.” He looked around at the others. “If I were you, I’d let these two tag along for as long as possible. You’ll need them.”
“You talk as if you’re not coming with us,” replied Thomas.
He glanced at Jasmine. “My path is a different one to all of yours. I’m not running any longer.”
Sophia shook her head. “This isn’t what John would want you to do, you know that. Why can’t you just do the right thing for once?” She stopped as if she were suddenly shocked at her own words. But Amias smiled at her sadly.
“I’m no longer sure what the right thing to do is. So, I’ve decided to do the one thing that can possibly stop all of this. I’m going to find Kaden.”
“Alone?” shouted Sophia. “Great idea, you’re going to try and find Kaden. And then what will you do if you manage to find him? I suppose you’ll fight… and then you’ll kill him?”
Amias nodded, the smile no longer on his face, and Sophia threw her hands up in frustration. “I was being sarcastic. That’s insane, and although I know you’re pigheaded enough to actually try and carry out that plan, you don’t care enough about the greater good to bother considering what a waste of your life it is. I know you’ve had enough of people telling you that you may be the one to defeat Kaden, or that you can’t do it alone – well, I’m going to tell you something different. You can’t do it with or without our help. You couldn’t do it if you marched up to his door with an army twice his size. And do you know why that is? It’s because he doesn’t think like you, Amias. You’re honourable and, unfortunately, predictable. He’ll be ready for whatever you have to throw at him, and he may even sacrifice others to ensure you don’t get near him. As much as you believe he’d face you alone, he won’t. He’ll come at you with every dirty trick in the book, and then he’ll push his sword through your heart, the same way he did to Blaise and your mother.” She stopped again suddenly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
Amias nodded his head. “It’s okay. I appreciate your honesty, and I actually think you’re right. I may never get to face him, or it may be that when I do, I’ll fail at the final task. But what I can be sure of if I go alone is that nobody else will be dying alongside me. I won’t be responsible for any more deaths. I have to face him now or die trying. I can’t avoid what I need to do anymore, and I definitely won’t run from him again.” He turned to the others. “I have to leave you and face him alone. I’m honoured to have fought with and had the chance to call some of you my friends. Find John and help him end this if you can.”
There was a long silence before Max laughed. “If you’re going, then I’m coming with you.” Amias opened his mouth, but Max interrupted him. “And you’ll need me to find him.”
“You know where we can find him?”
“Yep, why do you think he wants me dead so badly? So, like it or not, you’re stuck with me.” He sighed and placed his knife in his belt. “I’m not running anymore either. And if you two are going to finally get it on, I want a front-row seat.” Amias closed his mouth and looked at him carefully for a few moments. Then, to his surprise, Thomas also stepped forward, and inside he felt the burden he’d been trying hard to ignore.
“If that’s what you’re going to do, Amias, then I’m with you too.”
“I’ve told you that you can’t help me,” replied Amias. “The more of us who go, the more chance we have of being detected.”
Thomas shook his head defiantly. “You can’t tell me you stand more chance alone. One person against hundreds, or thousands?”
Sophia placed her hand on Amias’s shoulder. “Thomas is right. You told us that you were honoured to fight with us. If that’s true, then let us fight for you.” She paused. “That’s all we’ve ever wanted. I know you, right now you’ll be telling yourself that you can’t be responsible for our deaths. Well, you won’t be; if that’s our fate then we’ll be responsible for it, and we’ll be in control of our own destinies, and die fighting for something.”
Amias looked at her sadly. “I thought we have no chance?”
“We don’t. But Max is right, I’d rather face what’s coming for me, than let it find me.”
Amias looked around at the others and saw determination in their faces he’d not seen before, and suddenly he realised he’d never bothered to look for it. He nodded. “Then our fates lie together. We can travel together through the woods. Then, when it comes to the time we need to find transport, I’ll not judge you if you change your minds. Let’s go.”
*
The morning didn’t bring a change in the weather. And as they trudged through the woods, trying their best to stay away from any sign of a path, Amias looked through breaks in the trees at the grey skies. They’d already made good progress, and as he led them, he allowed himself to feel happy with their pace, and that the woods were giving them the cover they needed. He wondered how long the woods went on for as Sophia moved to his side.
“We’re lucky. Without these woods, we’d be sitting ducks.”
He nodded. “Yes. But we can’t think we’ve avoided any chance of Kaden’s soldiers finding us. I’m sure he won’t want to let us escape.”
“Maybe he thinks we’re dead?” replied Sophia.
“I think he’d want to see my body.” He paused. “I would.” He ignored the look he received from Sophia and forced himself through a dense thicket, ignoring the thorns that scratched his arms and making a hole big enough for the others. Sophia fell back and waited before hopping through the gap and quickly catching up with him again.
“Should we talk about Kaden being your brother?” Amias looked at her coldly, and Sophia swallowed as she changed the subject. “Jasmine still doesn’t say much. I tried to talk to her, but I think she’s more happy walking alone.” Amias turned to see Jasmine walking at the back of their group. Sophia lowered her voice. “I know I stuck up for them back there, but can we really trust them?” She looked at him worriedly. “I’ll follow you wherever you go. But I want to be sure we’re not running the others into a trap.”
Amias didn’t slow his pace, concentrating on the bushes and trees ahead of him. “It’s possible this is part of Kaden’s plan, and either Jasmine or Max, or both, are part of it. But all I can tell you is that my instincts are telling me they’re not.”
As she reached him, Amias held his hand up, and pulled her down by her jacket so that they were crouching. He turned to the others and motioned for them to take cover, before pulling Sophia under the closest bush. He looked up and waited as Sophia looked at him questioningly. It was a few moments before he was sure of what he’d heard, and then it became unmistakable. A helicopter was approaching. Sophia, now also hearing the beating of the rotor, peered up through the branches. She glanced at him worriedly as the noise became louder and the helicopter passed directly above them. Amias held his breath as it passed over them and sighed as it moved off across the woods in the direction they were taking. They waited for a few minutes before crawling from their hiding place, and they waited for the others to join them. He could see the concern in all of their faces except Jasmine’s.
“I know what you’re thinking, and there’s a chance it was looking for us. But
there’s also a chance it had nothing to do with us. Either way, we need to be more careful. We’ll stick to the areas of the woods that are concealed by the trees, and we need to be more vigilant of what’s behind and in front of us. It would be best for us to travel at night, but we’re still too close to the facility for my liking.”
“I agree. We need to keep going day and night until we find transport.” Max looked up at the sky, as if he expected the helicopter to return at any moment. “They’re looking for us, I’m sure of it.”
“Then let’s move.” Amias pointed to Thomas. “Sophia, take Thomas and try and find some high ground. Be careful and see if you can find out if we’re being pursued. We’ll continue on this course. There’s a stream nearby I’ve been following; we’ll continue to follow it as far it goes. We won’t slow down, so be as quick as you can.”
Sophia nodded at him. “I’ll be able to track you. Don’t wait for us.” She then turned and leapt through the woods with Thomas behind her. Amias turned in the opposite direction and led them away, pushing his way through dense foliage. He sensed the approach of Max before he saw him appear at his side.
“That was close.”
“You think it was Kaden’s men?”
“I think it was Kaden himself. Don’t you?”
Amias shook his head. “I didn’t feel him. But it’s difficult to be sure.”
“I think if there’s a time as good as any to begin trusting your instincts, it’s now. You’ll need everything you’ve got in the days to come, and I’m hoping it’s something very special. I–”
“Why are you helping us, Max?” Amias couldn’t hide the accusatory tone.
Max looked at him indignantly. “I just told you.”
“I understand you don’t want to be watching your back and wondering which day will be the one Kaden comes for you. But why not just let us face him? If we manage to kill him then you’re free of his threat, and if we don’t, you’re in the same position you are now.”
“Do I really need to say it, Amias? You don’t have a chance without me. If I hadn’t stepped up first and volunteered, it’s likely you’d be going on your own. And then the one hope I have of seeing Kaden dead wouldn’t be a hope at all. Right or wrong, for good or bad, this is where it ends or begins for me and you… and maybe your friends as well.” He turned and looked at the group following them at a distance. “I just hope there’ll be someone alive to tell the story if we fail. Whatever Sophia says about Kaden, he’s over-confident; he won’t expect an attack so soon after what he just did to your base.”
Amias nodded slowly. “We’ll follow you. But I’ll be watching you. And if you do betray us, and I manage to live through it, nothing will stop me coming for you. Nothing.”
Max was silent for a few moments before he turned to Amias with a smile. “Good team talk, Captain. There’s nothing like a motivational speech in your time of need.”
Amias smiled back. “I’ve given you motivation to stay alive.”
“Have you said this to Jasmine as well? There’s just as much chance she’ll betray us. I don’t think she knows whether she’s coming or going. It wouldn’t surprise me if we all go to sleep one night, and none of us wake up. She’s definitely two–”
He stopped as Amias reached out and grabbed his coat, pulling him roughly to a stop. “I’m vouching for her.”
Max smiled again as they started walking. “She’s your weakness. If she’s not following Kaden’s orders, when he finds out she’s alive, he’ll use her against you, you know that, right?”
Amias didn’t reply.
“You need to free yourself of anything you care about, Amias. Strip yourself bare so that when you stand in front of him, you’ll have your mind, your body and your sword. If you bring anything else, you may as well take that sword and end it yourself. We can help get you there, but no matter what happens, if it’s a choice between saving any of them, or killing Kaden… well, you be sure and make the right choice.”
Amias increased his pace and Max allowed him to continue alone. He resisted the urge to turn and look back, still feeling the sting from the truth in Max’s words. He knew he was right, the day he lost Virgil, Blaise and Jasmine. Kaden had taken everything from him, and it had given him the advantage he’d needed. He tried to turn his thoughts away from the pain of losing Jasmine, but the fear of losing her again brought him back to the night Kaden had killed her. That night he’d thought she was gone forever. Before he even realised it, he’d turned, and his eyes fell on Jasmine. Even at a distance he could see her eyes were fixed on his. He quickly turned and pushed on through the woods.
Chapter 25
It was dusk when Sophia and Thomas returned. Amias watched and awaited their approach as they made their way silently through the ancient, gnarled yew trees. He was pleased with their progress. He wasn’t sure how far they’d travelled, but he was sure that if there were someone following on foot, they’d find it difficult to match their pace, and for most of the journey they’d managed to stick to the woods. Although he’d prioritised speed over stealth, he was still impressed with Sophia’s ability to track the group. He watched as the two of them walked under the tree he was sitting in, and he waited until they’d passed him before slipping from the trunk and dropping noiselessly to the woodland floor. He’d only managed a few steps when Sophia swung around and aimed her rifle at him.
“Amias! What the hell are you doing?”
He held up his hands. “Don’t shoot.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t. Why are you hiding in the woods?”
He looked back in the direction the two had approached from. “I had a feeling someone was coming this way.”
Sophia and Thomas exchanged surprised looks. “How did you know that?”
Amias clenched his jaw. “It isn’t just you, is it?”
Sophia shook her head. “No. Two groups. Kaden’s people. They’re about five miles behind us now but moving quickly. We need to keep moving.”
“Did you see who was with them?”
Sophia shook her head again. “It was difficult to tell. But we’re both sure Kaden wasn’t. Andre was, though.” She paused. “He knew we were there. We were watching them from a distance, it was at least a mile, and then he disappeared suddenly. By the time we realised one of them was missing, he’d covered the ground between us.” She looked at Thomas. “We barely escaped.”
Thomas put his hand on Sophia’s shoulder. “Luckily for me, Sophia’s a match for him when it comes to a hunt. We managed to lose him, and we’re sure we covered our tracks. But we don’t have long. Where are the others?”
“I’ve told them to keep moving.”
Thomas looked at him in surprise. “You’ve left them alone with Jasmine and Max?”
“They’ll be okay. Until they give me a reason not to trust them, I’ll trust them as much as I trust you. Now let’s move.” Amias sprinted through the trees in the direction the group had taken and was relieved to hear two sets of footsteps running quickly behind him.
*
It was dark by the time they reached the others, and Amias couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved to see that the full complement of the group was still there. After a quick briefing, they pressed on without rest; the woods were no longer safe now they were being hunted by Andre. Amias led them in the darkness, turning away from the chalk stream which he’d followed, and moving towards where he hoped the woods would end. It had become a race, and it worried him that they wouldn’t find transport before they were overtaken. He remembered Andre’s necklace, and the cold look of death in his eyes.
Thomas and Sophia led, followed by the others, whilst he took up a position at the rear. They’d increased their speed as much as they could in the darkness of the woods, and Amias watched as the others blindly trailed behind Sophia. He looked around him at the trees that seemed so beautiful in
the daytime but now threatened to hide the attack of Andre and his soldiers. Every woodland sound now took on a sinister meaning, and he was glad when he noticed Jasmine slowing her pace to join him.
“They’re close. I can feel it.”
Amias nodded. “Me too. But we still have some space between us.”
“We need to find transport tonight, or your friends won’t see tomorrow.”
He sensed the certainty in her voice; it was almost matter-of-fact. “I won’t let that happen.”
“And what if you can’t stop it? If this Andre knows we’re in front of him, which he surely does now, then your brother Kaden may be in front of us already.”
“I know. But if he is, I’ve not sensed him. Maybe Andre isn’t sure I’m one of you? And he won’t call for Kaden until he is.”
“He’ll know soon.”
“Do you still want to come with us?”
There was silence, and Amias was about to repeat the question when Jasmine nodded. “Something’s wrong. I don’t know what it is, but with every step I take, I feel like I’m leaving something behind. I considered turning back, but I don’t think it’s behind, or in front of me. It’s something my body’s screaming at me to remember, and if I don’t, I feel like it will tear me apart.”
Amias wasn’t sure how to respond. He looked at her in the darkness of the woods as they pursued the others. “I wish I could help.”
“For some reason, being close to you has made me feel different. It’s not better, and even with the feeling of loss, it’s not worse. I feel like there’s something different happening, and it has something to do with you but it’s not all about you. There’s something else I can’t find and can’t explain. For now, though, I have a purpose, and feeling like this is better than feeling nothing at all.”
