The Unwelcome Ones – Chapter Two

An Excerpt of Original Science Fiction

By Joseph Peters

 

 

 

Guards were always positioned at the walls in case someone were to arrive or if there was danger amok, so we had to be incredibly careful not to get spotted. It wasn’t that hard to figure out that two people who were out in the early morn weren’t exactly standard element wielders.

If we were to get caught, we would have to outrun them, and if they managed to catch up, well, to simply put it, we would be screwed.

My already light breathing practically came to a halt as we came up on the wall and leaned against the icy-to-the-touch stone. I pressed my cheek against it, making me shiver as the cold warped its way into my body; and then a burning sensation replaced it, as my body gave its all to stay properly heated.

Alixer once again took position in front of me, raising his hand in the air in a closed fist, telling me to stay back and keep an eye out for any regular element wielders coming the opposite way. We had gone through this escape routine more than once, so we were experts and knew what to do by now.

Still, caution was always a must, since we could never fully prepare ourselves for a surprise attack from behind if we didn’t actually look… well, behind.

My brother slowly made his way forward, his right arm tracing the wall and his locks of hair becoming frustrated and messy as the wind tried taking the follicles with it. He glanced back at me and nodded, removing his hand from the wall and tossing it through his fluffy mess, before disappearing around the corner onto the other side of the wall.

I cast my eyes back to where we had come from as my eyes did their best to cut through the harsh, blizzard-like weather. It seemed to be clear at first, until I thought I saw a shadow. One that clearly appeared to be a person in a thick and heavy suit walking along. And they weren’t alone.

Two other bodies followed alongside them, protected in the same gear as the first. They didn’t appear friendly, though, anybody who wasn’t classified as an Unwelcome One never did.

I crept along the wall, just like my own blood had. My legs stumbled through the snow, as my breathing picked up and was completely out of my control.

It was a rather slow and agonizing journey that was only a mere few feet forward, but eventually, after what seemed like hours and was likely only about twenty seconds or so, I arrived at the entrance that would let me pass through to the other side.

As I wrapped my arm around to the other side, I was practically blinded as the sun reached a rising point above the mountains and forced its way through the trees just to cut through and say hello to me. The sudden heat that accompanied it was sort of like I was being avalanched by a blaze of fury, as the pure, soft, white particles that sat all around quickly began to melt. The wind came to a sudden halt as the stormy weather went away like an expertly performed magic trick.

I stumbled, surprised by the sudden change, which one could never really be ready for. The rapid beating of my heart and the approaching citizens of Laperia didn’t exactly help me being ready for anything else. Though, now that it was actually visible, I could clearly see the forms of the men that were getting much closer. I couldn’t make out any features, which was more of a relief, since, if I could truly see them, they would be able to make me out.

Bright pink flowers blossomed on the empty branches of oak, as leaves accompanied moments later, setting a rather fantasy-like orangish glow upon the forest, as the sun fully broke through and shaped what a forest was actually supposed to look like.

There was no time to admire the beauty. I swiftly crossed to the other side of the wall, throwing caution out to get myself away from one dangerous situation and likely into another.

I smashed into a bulky man and fell backwards onto the patchy and soggy dirt of the ground as a growling noise accompanied my fall. Above me, stood a man in a heavy, black, metal suit, his right arm pale and the only thing visible other his green eyes.

His arm and hand were wrapped in a surrounding force of orange. I had run into a man with the fire element. And of course, he was the guard.

Missed chapter one? Read it HERE.