Unveiled - part 2

Rainy day, in my warmest clothes with a mug of steaming hot chocolate - the best time to write! :) Then I must find my cat, who is probably hibernating in the warmest part of the house, hiding from the cold. Coward.

My mind whirls, trying to figure the best way out of this. I could easily use magic to blast Tom, Sarah and Alex away from us, but that could lead to more trouble than it's worth. Most people appreciate having a sorceress in their town - I have helped all of them at some point - but others are suspicious, tending to blame any little accident on me. The last time I used magic, there was almost very serious trouble. Cole just managed to talk them out of banishing me, but if I do it again, he'll have a much harder time.
"Sorry," I say, trying for an embarrassed smile. Maybe we can talk our way out of this. "We didn't mean anything by it," I say.
"Yeah, don't worry about us," Cole says, catching on. "We'll just go, now."
"Why were you spying on us?" Tom demands.
I glance at Cole, but his face is as blank as mine. Admitting our real motivation is unlikely to help us much.
Alex sneers at us. "Finish it, Tom."
I realise what Tom is about to do a split second before he does it. The knife has barely broken the skin of Cole's neck when the three of them are thrown violently away from us. Then land a couple of yards away, looking dazed.
"Lexie, let's go," Cole says, grabbing my hand. I let him pull me along, glancing behind me to see the three stirring feebly on the ground. Cole and I run through the forest, stopping only once we are in a thick glade of trees which nobody has any hope of seeing through. I can feel him shaking through my grip on his hand.
"We have to leave," he says.
The thought was hardly far from my mind, but I try to reason it out aloud, as though that will change the facts. "If we just tried to explain ourselves..."
"Lex, you know what will happen," Cole says. "We think those three have a bad reputation, but that's nothing compared to ours. We know that theirs is deserved and our isn't, but nobody else does. Remember, Sarah's father is on the council, and you know how easily the art of persuasion comes to him. Sarah will run straight to him, telling him how you attacked her. Even if those who think we are ok protest, it's only a matter of time before they are beaten down. Forget banishment, this time you'll be lucky to escape execution."
I don't say anything, for I know he is right. "So we run," I say softly.
"We run."
There is nothing more to be said. Cole and I turn east, away from our village, and set into a steady jog. I try to let my mind dwell on the exertion rather than the monumental decision we have just made. That we had no choice hardly makes it easier. Neither of us has ever left our home town. True, with my ability as a sorceress, our lives have hardly been peaceful, but everyone and everything we love is now being left behind.
We don't have time to get supplies, and I worry about what will happen at night. Cole and I know the basics of collecting and killing food, but with no weapons, not so much as a knife, it will be difficult, to say the least.
Finally, I can't jog any more, and slow to a walk. Cole, looking relieved, imitates me. Glancing back, I quickly use magic to erase our tracks. That will slow them, if not stop them.
"There's something we haven't thought of," I say as soon as I have my breath back. "You were right. We're out of range now, but Sarah, Tom and Alex have plenty more victims back home. They will surely go for them."
Neither of us speaks for a moment, but I am sure we are thinking the same thing. We both have parents. Cole has a sister. We have friends back home. What if Tom, Sarah and Alex retaliate by targeting them?
"We'll have to stay close, hidden," Cole says, thinking aloud. "It'll be more dangerous, but we can at least keep an eye on everyone and try to warn them if it looks like they are in danger."
We walk for a bit more, listening carefully to the sounds of the forest. "Why, though?" I wonder eventually. "Why would they do that? What is it we have unveiled? It's some kind of plot, to be sure, but I don't understand what they would have to gain from it."
"Well, we can be sure of one thing: now that we have found it, they will move more quickly," Cole says grimly. "We'll need to move fast, too, if we are to protect the people we love. First, though, we must protect ourselves. They'll have gotten back to the village by now. People will be looking soon. We need to hide."
As night begins to fall, Cole and I search in vain for some kind of natural shelter: a cave, a convenient overhang, but there is nothing. I don't know if I'm imagining the sound of voices in the distance, but the urge to hide becomes stronger every second.
"There," I murmur, pointing. The tree is large with thick bundles of leaves and low branches. It's far from the perfect hiding place, but it's all we've got. Cole nods, and I reach for the lowest branches, pulling myself up. The tree isn't hard to climb, and soon, we are situated as comfortably as we are likely to get in a fork between branches, thoroughly hidden from anyone looking up from below.
"We'll take turns staying up, taking watch," Cole says.
I agree, but neither of us seems near to sleep. We half sit, half lie in the tree, waiting, for surely they will come. Cole's hand gently brushes my face. My hair flutters slightly in the wind, and I lean into him.
"We'll be ok," he says softly.
"I know we will." As I say it, I realise it is true. We may have been thrust into a nightmare, but Cole and I are together, at least. So long as we have each other, I am sure we can face anything.
Cole stiffens behind me, and I immediately know the reason. This time, I am not imagining the voices. Through the trees, I think I can see torchlight and hear angry shouts.
Now, we will see if our hiding place is good enough. They are coming.


To be continued