Hi y’all! Here is part two of the prompted short story from last week as promised. I hope you enjoy! Tell me what you think in the comments!

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I flew in circles, ignoring the pulling of the ropes that caused my wrists to bleed. As I flew, there was a sudden shift in the prisoners demeanor. They turned their eyes from me to their captures. They were preparing to fight. Would they be enough?

I studied the steel gate. By turning a large wooden wheel, we could open the gate. Then it was a matter of outrunning the soldiers. I knew elves were good fighters, the half-giant would come in handy and the dwarf is skill full enough to make it. But what about Alvina? She was weak, not to mention limping. I would have to stay close to her. 

I came to a stop above Alvina, my wings keeping me in the sky. She too had shifted her eyes on the guard holding her, who was now staring up at me. I looked at the other prisoners. One of the Elf’s hands twitched towards a dagger hanging from the belt of a nearby guard. He nodded. I nodded back, my wings flapping at my sides. 

The Elf’s movements were so quick, no one noticed until the blade cut the ropes binding my wrists. The rope slipped from my hands and with a powerful beat of my wings, a gust of wind blew the crowd off their feet. People screamed. I landed next to a guard and took his knife, giving him a swift punch to the head. Alvina was at my side, holding out her hands. I swiftly cut the ropes and shoved the knife into her hand. 

“Stay close to me.” 

She nodded, getting a firm grasp on the dagger.

A guard ran at me, his sword raised. I dodged the blade, sending my fist into his gut. My wing hit him, and he fell to the ground. I took his sword, the metal cool in my hands. I started towards the gate, Alvina at my side. She was faster than I expected her to be. 

The half-giant was already at the gate, turning the wheel to get the doors open. The Elves were protecting him. I could not see the dwarf. Where is he? 

I swung the sword at an oncoming guard. He met my blade with his, scowling as he tried to overpower me. My wing swept around, pushing the man off his feet. I started running again. My only thought was getting to the gate in one piece. I didn’t notice the archers until they had already fired. A stabbing pain erupted in my side. An arrow had grazed my side. I cried out, my wings spreading wide. A dagger flew. The archers fell with a cry. I looked at Alvina, her hand still extended from the throw. 

“Come on.” She grabbed my hand and started running again.

The half-giant had the gate open. An arrow had pierced his shoulder, but he seemed to take no notice of it. The Elves held off the guards. How the two were able to do it, I did not know. They moved swiftly, almost as one, striking down attacker after attacker. My wings folded together, and I swung the sword, cutting down a guard. Adrenaline pushed the pain aside. My blade flew through the air, striking down the guards who came after me. The guards tried to fight back, but they had underestimated our strength. Their mistake. 

The half-giant joined the fight, swinging his mighty arm and sending a few soldiers across the courtyard. 

“Come on!” He shouted running out the gate. 

I looked at Alvina. “Go! Towards the river.”

She ran out the gate. An Elf followed her. 

“Where is the dwarf?” I asked the other one. 

He merely shook his head and started after his companion. 

I sent more guards to the ground with a gust of wind from my wings. The half-giant was trying to push the doors closed. I went to his aid, pushing the other door closed, my wings flapping hard. The doors shut with a loud bang. Shouts came from inside the fortress. 

“Get this open!” Someone called. 

The half-giant smiled, said a quick thank you and ran off, heading west. I flew to the river where Alvina and the two Elves were waiting, hidden amongst trees. 

“This is where we part, my friend.” One of the Elves bowed his head, his fist across his chest. 

I returned the gesture. The two disappeared into the trees. 

I turned to Alvina. “Do you have any family I can take you too?” 

She shook her head, her eyes sad. “No.” 

“Then would you like to come with me to the Sanctuary?” 

Her eyes widened. “I thought that place was a myth.” 

I smiled. “It’s as real as you and me,” I held out my hand. “Let’s get away from here.” 

Hesitantly, she reached out and took my hand. I pulled her towards me, my arms wrapping firmly around her waist.

Her hand pressed against the gash on my side. “I should look at this.”

I shook my head. “No time. We’ll deal with that later.” My wings started to spread to their full length. 

We were in the air with a single beat of my wings. Alvina gasped, her arms wrapping tightly around my neck. She looked over my shoulder at the sky that seemed to stretch on for miles. I held her against me, flying higher above the trees, wishing I could see her expression.

The Sanctuary was further north so I followed the river. I flew until the sun was starting to set in the west. Until the pain in my side was getting too fierce to ignore. I landed at the edge of the forest, close to the river. Alvina let go of me and stepped back to look at my wound. Blood soaked my shirt. She reached out and touched the gash, trying to determine how deep it was. I winced, putting my hand on top of hers. 

She froze and pulled her hand away. “You may need stitches.” 

I smiled. “Most likely. Why don’t you fetch some water while I start a fire.” 

She nodded and walked towards the river. I walked a few feet into the trees, gathering wood as I searched for a good spot to camp. I did my best to ignore the pain that was bursting through my body. It was getting intense.

By the time Alvina returned with a piece of bark filled with water, I had a fire blazing. 

Alvina sat next to me, lifting my shirt to better examine the wound. She then started poking around in the bushes, searching for something. A few minutes later, she returned with a handful of leaves. 

“This should help with the pain.” She explained.

She took some more bark and did her best to crush the herbs. Then she spread it along the gash, her fingers light against my skin. I winced then sighed as the pain slowly vanished. Next, she spread it along the cuts on my wrists, and I did the same for her. 

The sun had set, and darkness spread throughout the forest. The fire cast shadows on the ground around us. I studied the trees at the edge of the firelight, my muscles tensing. I did not want anyone sneaking up on us. 

Alvina handed me a different kind of leaf. “Eat this.”

As I chewed on the herbs, I watched her. Her hollow cheeks and slim frame had me worried. I wondered how weak she was. How much would this journey take from her? I was glad to see the lack of sadness on her face. Only pure joy. She was free. Of course she would be happy.

She caught me staring and blushed. I looked away, turning back to the fire. We sat in silence. 

“So,” Alvina shifted a little. “what is the Sanctuary like?” 

“It is a rather large city hidden within the forest and mountains. Not many know how to get to it. From the top of a cliff, you can see the whole city and some of the forest beyond. The people there have built the city beautifully. The cultures of different people melded together,” I closed my eyes, remembering. “It is a magical place.” 

Alvina smiled. “It sounds wonderful. I’ve heard so many stories.” 

“I’m sure you’ll love it.” 

Alvina smiled. A gust of wind blew by, and she shivered. She folded her arms over her chest. 

I moved closer to her, my wing stretching to shield her from the wind. She gave me a small smile. 

“Why don’t you try to sleep. You can lean against me if you like.” 

Again, she smiled at me. Such a beautiful smile. She leaned against my shoulder, her eyes closing. 

“Thank you, Dian. For saving me.” She said, her voice a whisper. 

I smiled. “You are welcome, Alvina. You’re safe now.” 

Soon, Alvina fell asleep, a small smile touching her lips. I looked back at the fire, watching the flames flicker in the breeze. We should reach the Sanctuary late tomorrow. We would be safe there. Safe and free.

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I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Be sure to tell me what you think about it in the comments!