CHAPTER 12:
Common Prey
The ticking pulse of the barbaric energy turned him into a living lighthouse. Ebnus was clear as day in the vague and confusing cave. Geoffren hounded his energy as he attempted to make it work, running into dead ends and having to turn back and find a new way to him. Each dead end only raised his urgency, making him move faster around each corner. Thoughts of his other men occasionally breached his mind, though Ebnus was forever his priority. The others would be found eventually but not until Ebnus was safely acquired. All of Geoffren’s movements were devoted to Ebnus, everything he did in this moment was for him.
“Hold on. I’m almost there”.
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Each breath of air rattled as they traveled up and down his windpipe. His shuttering frail body matched his state of mind, panicked and illogical thinking influenced both as he ran through the cave to hide. The traversion was a gamble, complete darkness plagued him, guesses and hope dictated his choices of where to shelter. The ones he hid from would have no trouble seeing him as both were equipped with a form of sight in this damned black hole. The boy may not be able to see in the cave, though he could sense the energies his hunters’ carried. One was extremely kind and inviting with a curious flick to it, while the other was almost the complete opposite. It was quiet, not wanting to be noticed, and lacked that curious flick the other proudly brandished. Knowing his enemy’s location with no vision of his surroundings did not seem like it would be enough to get him out of this alive. The boy sensed their close proximity to one another. The quiet one was quickly and closely followed by the kind one, almost as if being chased. They did not seem to be focused on him - but rather - each other. The two of them unknowingly moved a little closer to the boy’s location in their supposed conflict. Light began to appear at the end of the tunnel along with helpless panting and voices.
“Kelnick! Stop!” One shouted. The boy stayed low, hoping to go unnoticed.
“Shirking piece of shit. Throw off my shot again and I’ll turn it on you!” He said, grabbing his collar. “I don’t take those faux highroads.” Kelnick said as he threw him to the ground. With a shot as true as Kelnick’s, any taken without interference was a sure hit, the boy only lived because Evanglow allowed for it. The boy wasn’t taking any chances though, and did his best to evade both as he quietly crawled, trying to create distance. The sound of muffled arguing and their sporadic energies moving was all he could focus on. Being forced to use his ability to track the group nonstop for days was really taking a toll on him. Coupled with the ferocious energy he was sensing for days, it made it more difficult to pin such smaller and discrete ones. These things culminated into exhaust, the boy beginning to struggle. Their
energies flickered in and out of his radar. The quiet one being more of a struggle to detect. They faded from his sight, the boy now completely blind till he himself had enough energy to sense them again.
“Shit…” He thought. The distant footsteps would become his new radar. The two had distinct noises, one was swifter and lighter, while the others were heavy and less coordinated. The footsteps then began to struggle, the echoing argument silenced and became sounds of fighting.
“You son of a bitch!” A voice shouted as the precise footsteps began to sprint towards the boy’s location. They moved too fast, giving the boy no chance to make a break for it. He hid down onto the cave floor, hoping not to be seen. In the complete darkness, nothing but a pair of glowing green eyes showed, analyzing the area. The light of the eyes slightly revealed the face they were residing in. It was the straight, pale and slim face of a man ready to kill. The man’s neck began to rapidly contort, like that of an owl’s, thoroughly examining the area. The boy’s heart palpated every time he looked in his general direction, stricken with fear. He was strict with his breath and movements, each becoming unforgiving. The boy closed his eyes out of fear, he couldn’t bear to watch. The man had been continuing to make noise in search, the boy making this assumption with no sight of him. Running low on air, the boy decided to take a small and silent breath. He assumed such a minute move would go unnoticed.
The miniature expansion of his chest with the breath should have been overlooked. It was for less than a second, but felt like a day. At the end of it, the sounds of the man ceased. The boy opened his and looked up, greeted with the haunting green staring back at him. Kelnick’s face looked focused, as if he were hypnotized. Their eye contact was nothing short of frightening. The tension was ready to be cut, Kelnick volunteered to do the cutting and quickly aimed his rifle down at the boy. He gasped and stood up to run. Kelnick pulled his trigger, the usual kick and roar did not follow, an emasculating “clack” appeared with each squeeze. Kelnick reached in his cloak to reload, but found nothing, all of his ammo was gone. The sudden realization clicked in his mind and filled him with rage.
“That piece of shit swindled my ammo in our struggle!” He shouted. He pulled out his hunting knife and began to chase the boy down. The boy was running blind, grazing across stalagmites and cave walls, scratching himself up while Kelnick moved through cleanly. Tears flew past Kelnick from the boy's face, the feeling of hopelessness finally setting in.
“Oh Lord! I pray to you, begging for some sort of miracle! Please…please save me.”He cried. Kelnick grew annoyed, sending his knife through the air towards the boy’s head. Just before contact was made, the boy tripped and fell down a decline in the cave, rolling across the scratchy terrain. Kelnick watched him roll down the hill, trying to safely make his way down. The boy finally stopped rolling and picked up a rock, he threw it at Kelnick, landing it right between his eyes and knocking him down. The boy took the opportunity and ran, finding a new hiding spot. Once the adrenaline wore off, he vomited, feeling all of the pain. Trying to be silent but vomiting is no easy task, but he managed to come close. He laid back and caught his breath as he tried to come up with another plan to evade Kelnick and Evanglow. Nothing popped into
his head, he was very limited in this cave, they all were. As he laid back, he began to doze off, his eyes taking long blinks. He wanted to get up but could not, his body was beaten up and tired, he wouldn’t be able to run from anything if he tried.
“Thank you Lord, but I beg of you, another miracle.” He prayed. In the corner of his eye, the boy saw a harmonious and soft light. Its warmth slowly approached him, calming him. The boy stared into it, beginning to feel fully at ease. Just before he faded away, a man’s face poked through. The boy was scared awake jumping up and attempting to move. Evanglow grabbed him, bear hugging him and shushing him.
“Don’t worry, I am helping you.” Evanglow said before the boy bit him. He stood up and ran away with ease, completely confused. The aching pain and scratches that decorated his body were gone, he was completely fine. He turned back to Evanglow who was holding his finger in pain. The boy curiously walked over to him.
“What did you do?” He asked.
“Helped you, like I had said.” Evanglow responded, tightly gripping his finger. The boy’s face showed his lack of understanding.
“But…You’re from the north, I led them here to you, I hurt you.”
“Did you already forget? You’re just a boy, your hand in this war is guided by those who fail to see what’s right. Your eyesight worsens as you age, the older and traditional leaders of your ‘country’ are too blind to see their wrongs.” Evanglow said as he stood up. He turned and motioned for the boy to follow him, the boy still hesitant.
“You’re going to want to follow me, the one hunting you is already on the move.” He said. The boy reluctantly followed Evanglow through the cave, hoping to find some way out. Evanglow walked fastly as the boy did the same, though keeping his distance. In typical Evanglow fashion, he sought to break the silence.
“So what’s your name?” He asked. The boy was afraid to answer, he gripped his shirt and wringed it in nervousness.
“Rewin.” He answered. Evanglow smiled, his mood lightening.
“Pleasure, I’m Evanglow.” He said. Rewin smiled back, his walls finally lowering a little bit. The two were guided by Evanglow’s light through the cave, talking and getting to know each other.
“Do you have any family? In the south?” Evanglow asked.
“I do, my mother, and my cat, Milver.” He answered with a smile. “Milver? That’s an interesting name.” Evanglow responded.
“I have a question now.”
“Yes?”
“If that green-eyed man finds us…will you kill him to protect me?” The boy asked. Evanglow’s light dimmed a bit. His once lively pep withered away till death. It was something they knew he would have to approach at some point.
“Rewin, I want to be honest with you. Even if I had the ability to kill him, I would not. My plan was to get you out of here before he found you. That way we can avoid that.” He said. The two let it marinate for a bit, both afraid.
“Just know Rewin, I will not condemn you for defending yourself either. You seem to be a decently ranked soldier, what is your manipulation?”
“I’m not sure. I could never tell what it was. But I am very good at sensing energy.”
“That’s odd, manipulators just kind of ‘know’ what their manipulation is once it manifests. Almost like God tells them directly. Some even choose their manipulation. You never had an experience like that?”
“No sir, never. I do not know of any outward ability I possess, though the South keeps me around for my energy sensing prowess. That’s how we found all of you.” Rewin said. Evanglow’s eyes twitched, the revelation enrapturing him.
“You’re that good at sensing energy? You can just find people miles away?” He asked.
“Yes I can, but that one in your group is especially easy to track.”
“Oh…” Evanglow said, losing all enthralment in his mannerisms.
“Well, now for your allies, are there any more coming for us if your team doesn’t finish the job?” Evanglow asked. Rewin frowned, the thought never crossed his mind. A feeling of disposability was funneled from his mind and throughout his body.
“I don’t know, they never brought that up.” Rewin said, upsettingly. Evanglow grabbed his shoulder, attempting to comfort him.
“It’s ok, with me you’re more, you’re hum–LOOK OUT!” Evanglow shouted as he threw Rewin out of the way. A jagged stalagmite flew past the both of them as if it were a javelin, stabbing into the cave wall. They looked to see two green eyes piercing sharper than the stalagmite. Kelnick walked forward with a bruised forehead and a frustrated look. He slowly approached with more stalagmites in hand, Evanglow jumped in front of Rewin to protect him.
“Fuck up my shot one more time, I dare you.” Kelnick said in a low voice.
“Kelnick. Stop!” Evanglow said.
“Can you? I’m tired of this bullshit. Teenager or not he’s a confederate. Obviously they see him as a danger to us, they sent him in a group of 3! You don’t know what he’s capable of!” Kelnick said. Evanglow looked back at Rewin cowering behind him.
“Rewin, are you lying to me? Do you know your ability?” Evanglow asked. Rewin peered up at him, his face showing betrayal.
“No! I’m not, I really don't know!” He screamed.
“Pots and pans. He knows. I overheard what he said about his sensing prowess too, do you fail to realize how dangerous that can be for our team? Keeping him alive can be a detriment to us, Evanglow! We have no knowledge of his abilities, he knows all about us, and he can report back to his allies. I am just trying to keep the team safe, I’m putting us first!” Kelnick said as he aimed the stalagmite at them.
“But Rewin’s life matters too! He is a child in a situation he cannot control!” Evanglow said emotionally, moving with the stalagmite to cover Rewin. “We all are! This is war! You think I fancy killing kids?! For someone who peacocks around and is so high and mighty, maturity escapes at every chance you can catch it! I told you this! Your emotions run amuck in this mess!” Kelnick angrily shouted back. He slowly inched towards them as they themselves inched away. Each one of Kelnick’s advancements was matched with one of their own.
“Though I told you! We have more control than you think, we can control how we feel! We can be humans…not just eggs…” Evanglow said, his words put a sour look on Kelnick’s face. “Your virtue of callousness is the pinnacle of any barbarity this war has displayed to me. A yearning to murder a child, of all, would slowly rot anyone to cynicism. It’s by the will of God I will protect him and my spirit from you.” He continued with saddened eyes. Kelnick sighed and silenced for a moment in a spell of disappointment.
“I just wish you could grow up, and see things how any ripened man would.” Kelnick softly retorted. Evanglow stared at Rewin’s scared, childish face as he shivered behind him. He looked back at the mature and bloodlusted Kelnick, comparing it to a wolf and a baby deer. Voluntarily stepping out of the way would forever alter all of their lives. Stepping aside meant giving up the control he gained with maturity. Rewin's youth deprived of such, two adults deciding if his life will continue or not. It made Evanglow remember his past. Everyday, people put their lives in Evanglow’s hands, and he saves them, by his own choice. The fact it’s a war and it’s his job does not come to his mind, they’re people before anything.
“I can stop it this time, I promised myself I would not fail anyone I deemed fit. You think we are at the complete mercy of those above us, Kelnick. But I can control this situation, Rewin’s life is in my hands. I will not fail him.” Evanglow said, staying put.
“Control? You can’t even control your emotions. You’re going to regret this either way, if you save him and he betrays you, or if you fail to protect him…” Kelnick said as he slowly advanced on them. He circled around them trying to get past Evanglow and face Rewin. His hand gripped the stalagmite hard enough to nearly break it. His green eyes and dead stare made him beast-like. Kelnick stuttered at them with the stalagmite, trying to scare them into moving, but Evanglow didn’t budge. Kelnick grabbed Evanglow by his hair and threw him to the ground. Evanglow retaliates at his leg, making him fall. Rewin slowly backed away in fear as he watched the two fight. Kelnick began to best Evanglow and made his way to his feet. Rewin dropped to his knees and prayed.
“God! Save me please!” He shouted aloud. As the prayer finished the stalagmite dropped from Kelnick’s hand. He himself remained completely still as he stood above them both. Blood began to drip from the back of Kelnick’s head, his body following shortly after both.
“IM SORRY IM SORRY IM SORRY IM SORRY IM SORRY!!” Evanglow said as he ran to his body.
“What did you do?” Rewin asked. “I threw a rock at the back of his head! Was it that bad?!” Evanglow said, wiping the blood from his head with a handkerchief. Rewin stayed on his knees and thanked God again for sending another miracle his way.
“I will heal him soon, you just need to go!” Evanglow said.
“Will you be ok when he wakes up? What if he kills you or something?”
“It’s better if you aren’t around to find out. Go.” Evanglow said. Rewin gave a grateful nod and began running through the cave to search for an exit.
“Oh God, please protect Evanglow. This is my last want.” Rewin prayed as he ran away. Evanglow’s last minute rehearsals for Kelnick’s awakening seemed pointless. No excuse could waver his actions, the gravity of the situation was too great. Evanglow hesitated to wave his light over Kelnick’s head. The fear of the next few moments held his body in a pause he did not think he was brave enough to muster. Sudden thoughts of abandoning him entered but were quickly dismissed. After some time - and a deep breath - he healed him. The golden light caressed Kelnick’s face, waking him. Kelnick made lost looks with long pauses in movement till finding Evanglow’s gaze. Evanglow waited for a ballistic face to manifest in their staring, though it didn’t seem to be on it’s way. Before it did arrive, Evanglow yearned to apologize, hoping to soften his punishment.
“I’m sorry, Kelnick. I just had to.” He said. Kelnick looked at him, completely unable to understand what he was even talking about.
"Sorry for what?” He asked. Bewilderment riddled Evanglow’s face, what were the odds? “Wait, what do you remember last?” He asked.
“We found that kid, where'd he go?” Kelnick asked. The almost impenetrable feeling to be responsibly honest struck Evanglow’s soul. His need to tell the truth at all times flared.. He didn't have much time to answer before Kelnick would grow suspicious, so he said the first thing that came to mind.
“He knocked you unconscious with a rock and overpowered me, he just ran off afterwards…” He said. Kelnick looked at him wanting to know more. He had the best eyes Evanglow had ever seen, but was just incredibly perceptive overall. His assessments were cut throat and accurate. Evanglow’s stomach turned during the quick assessment that felt like it went on for hours.
“You let a kid overpower you? At your size?” Kelnick said.
“He had a powerful manipulation, I couldn’t fight back.”
“How the hell did he overpower me?”
“That was his ability! He threw it at you with his use of gravity!...” Evanglow said as his voice broke. Kelnick looked him up and down one last time. The faint glow from his green eyes piercing him. After his second assessment he took a deep sigh and made his way to his feet, starting to walk away. Evanglow got up and followed him, trying to find a good time to ask what he thought. Kelnick held his usually mundane look, not really caring to talk as well.
“So? What now?” Evanglow asked. Kelnick took a minute but he answered in his same old tone.
“We need to find the others.”
“You don’t want to look for the boy?”
“I just want to get out of this damn cave already, you can look for him if you’d like, but I’m starving.” Kelnick said. The guilt wasn’t enough to stop Evanglow from smiling. The knowledge he saved Rewin made him grin from ear to ear, even if it was through foul play.
CHAPTER 12: End