The three of them sat in silence as the bus rolled through the streets. It was a bumpy ride as the roads were made of a loose gravel and happened to be full of pot holes leading directly to the ground beneath. If she could free her hands once again, Akia could just mutter a few words and the streets would become paved.
No. She scolded herself. No magic outside of Lightport except in emergencies. Don’t blow your cover.
She almost blew her cover back in the city when she tackled the Hund Warrior. The magic was on the tip of her fingers, just itching to be used. But she had to restrain. No matter how much chaos she had caused today, bringing out her magic would’ve caused three times the chaos. It would’ve probably ruined the entire city.
So the only option she had was to tackle the guy. She had to do something to force him to leave the city. If he found the moonstar, things would’ve gotten increasingly more complicated.
He had found the moonstar though. After the man disappeared – something she was expecting; that’s the Hund warriors’ special power – Akia realized that he was after someone. For some reason she hadn’t noticed that there was someone specific from the beginning.
It was only when she heard her name from somewhere above that she noticed the moonstar. The moonstar was on the top of a building looking down at her. A boy was with her that Akia immediately noticed as Sam. Sam had grown up in Lightport with her. But he left on his thirteenth birthday to join the others protecting the moonstar in Agathi. They hadn’t seen each other since.
Where was Sam at this moment? Would he come to save her? Probably not. He had different orders than she did. His job was to protect the moonstar, not protect her. No. She was on her own.
Suddenly the bus hit a particularly large pot hole and bounced into the air. When it landed, the doors in the back snapped open because of the force. Akia tumbled to the floor, landing on her right shoulder, cursing in pain.
The sound of doors slamming came from the front of the bus. Akia guessed that the guards were getting out to evaluate the damage. Just as she was going to head out onto the road herself, a boy ran past the doors in a blur. Her heart pounded in anticipation.
She waited just a few seconds before taking the ropes off of her wrists and heading out of the bus. But as she did, there was a thud against the side of the bus and it shook. Whatever hit the bus let out a grunt of pain. It had to have been one of the guards or the boy that raced by.
“What the—” Bristan said, adding a string of cuss words after as he stumbled around the shaking bus. He fell into the wall, lost his balance and tumbled to the floor. Akia rolled her eyes and bent down to help him out.
Using the same spell that undid her ropes, she set him free. He looked at her with a gaze that was both shock and surprise. Akia didn’t have time to wait around for him. She released the ropes from Zeke’s wrists and raced outside. The scene she saw didn’t surprise her at all.
There was Sam, fighting off the two guards. And it seemed that he was winning; which was quite a feat. The guards from the Protection Force were not to be messed with. They had enough magic to overpower anyone in the town. Guards in the Force were given extra powers specifically for that reason.
Akia looked back at the bus long enough to see Bristan sprint away and Zeke hesitate. Zeke looked as if he couldn’t decide whether to stay or run. For some reason it frustrated her.
“Run,” she yelled at him. “Get outta here!”
Without another word, she turned and joined the fight. Now it was even; two for two. But the first time she launched an attack at one of the guards, he fell and didn’t get back up. She didn’t kill him, she could tell. He was only down for the count.
She heard Sam call out her name just in time for her to turn around. The other guard was pointing at her, sending a streak of blue light her way. At the last second, she conjured a shield that deflected the magic and sent it dispersing into the air around her.
Sam jumped on the man’s back as if he wanted a piggyback ride. It would’ve been funny if they weren’t in the middle of a fight.
The guard was flailing, trying to get Sam off his back. Akia took advantage. Once the guard’s chest was square with hers, she pushed against the air, sending the guard, and Sam, flying backward onto the pavement.
She rushed forward to help Sam up. Except for a few bruises on his arm and a cut on his cheek, he looked fine.
“Sorry about that,” she said, pulling him up onto his feet. “There wasn’t anything else I could do.”
“I understand,” he replied. “I would’ve done the same.” They stood in silence for a while, examining the scene. Akia pointed to the bus which was severely dented on the side.
“Was that from you?”
Sam laughed. “Yeah, I guess so. It didn't hurt as much as it looks like it would.”
Akia looked back at him and smiled. She suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace. They hadn’t seen each other for the longest time. She missed having him around.
“You holding up okay?”
“Yeah,” he said. “And you?”
“Yup.”
All was silent for a while. And then there came cries from the road behind them. It was only then that Akia realized that the guards would’ve called for backup. Of course the Protection Force would send more people. There were three criminals on the loose after all.
As if just remembering him, she turned to where Zeke last was. To her surprise, he was still standing there. There was no emotion on his face. He stood tall and still, staring at the guards making their way towards them.
“Ready for another fight?” Sam said, setting himself into a stance. He was ready to fight, but Akia really wasn’t. They needed to stop wasting time with the guards and make it back to the city. They needed to get the moonstar; they needed Falyn.
Just as the guards made it into their line of vision, they stopped dead in their tracks. Some were frozen in mid step, some with their feet and arms still raised.
Akia turned to Sam, a puzzled look on her face. But Sam didn’t share the same look. Instead, he looked alarmed; a terrified expression on his face. As Akia thought about it, she realized why he was looking that way.
“Falyn,” they said in unison, realizing what had happened.
“Something must be wrong where she is,” Akia said. “Why else would time stop? She's the only one who can.”
Sam shook his head. “I have no idea. But we need to get there. Quick. Can you—”
“Of course I can.” Akia grabbed Sam’s hand and closed her eyes. “Hold tight. Do you know where to find her?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Focus on that place.”
“Wait,” Zeke called out from behind them. “What’s going on?”
Akia turned. She looked at him in surprise. How was he still moving? Why wasn’t he frozen in time? The only possible explanation could be that he was like them. But he wasn’t; she was sure of it. Yet there he was, still moving around even though time had stopped.
“Take me with you,” he begged. “I don’t want to be here when they start coming again.” He pointed back at the pack of guards frozen in mid-attack.
Akia sighed. She knew that it would be dangerous to take Zeke with them. He wasn’t someone she knew or someone she recognized from Lightport. He really couldn’t be trusted.
But at the same time, she knew he was right. If she left him there, he would get overrun by the guards and get in more trouble than he was already in. And since he could resist the time-stop charm, he had to be like them; he had to be someone special. She couldn’t leave him behind.
She reached out her hand, palm up, inviting him along. “If there’s any funny business, I know at least twenty different ways to kill you.” Zeke nodded furiously as he took her hand.
“Right,” she said, turning to Sam. The look he gave her said he didn’t trust he decision. But she wasn’t going to go back on it now. She’d explain it to him later. “Think of where we’re going and I’ll pick up the waves.”
Sam nodded and closed his eyes. It took just a few minutes for Akia to pick up the image from him. It was of a beautiful house tucked away in a cul-de-sac. There was a brick path leading up to the front door. It was lined with beautiful purple flowers.
“Awesome,” Zeke said suddenly. “Let’s go.”
Before Akia could stop him, he squeezed her hand and they were all sucked up into the air.
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For the LMS contest. Word count: 1,558
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I loved the fighting scene because it was so easy to follow. I didn't get lost in all the individual moves and it who doesn't like an action scene? I should keep reading and see what meddle Flayln has gotten into now...
Points: 279
Reviews: 240
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