#seiries

She shook her head and got herself to focus, had to be careful yet quick if she wanted to make it out of this. She stealthily slipped over towards the column and leaned her staff against the cold cement wall. Her tiny fingers wiggled in anticipation as she slowly reached both her hands out to grab the mystical object. Right as her fingers were about to graze the orb the doors in the room slammed open, bouncing off the walls.

“Stop right there!” A loud voice commanded. Cassidy’s head snapped to the side to find three guards armed and ready to fight. She let out a frustrated breath of air through her nose as her lips scowled at them. She straightened up and dropped her hands back to her side, waiting for them to make the first move. One guard charged right at her but Cassidy was much lighter on her feet and better trained. She hopped over the man that lunged at her and used his momentum to throw him into the wall head first.

Leaving the man in a daze, Cass turned back towards the other two guard elves. Raising her hand up slowly, she beckoned the other two to come at her. Their eyes narrowed in slight distain as the two charged her at once. Cassidy dodged a punch at her head then quickly jumped up as the other elf swept under her feet. In midair she quickly kicked out and managed to get one of them in the gut. He stumped back but the other guard locked Cassidy’s arms behind her back at a sharp angle causing a grunt to fall from her clenched teeth. The other guard came back and round house kicked her across the face for good measures. Cassidy’s head was whipped to the side and her eyes focused on the dusty floor. Moving her jaw around she spit her blood onto the guard’s shoe. She stared up into his eyes and looked at his passive face. If there was anything elves were good at, it was managing to not show emotions.

The third guard who had first attacked Cass made his way over and the three of them started leading her out of the room. Unbeknownst to them Cassidy’s eyes started to turn a bright violet-purple, and the markings littering her body started to light up as the magic inside her started to buzz. With a sharp cry, Cassidy sent out of wave of magic and freed herself them the guards, sending them all flying backwards. This time when their heads hit the wall they stayed down.

Cass stood tall and admired her handiwork until one of the guards let out a soft groan which snapped her back to the mission. Her eyes were still lit with the vibrant colors as they focused in on the orb. Just like before, she slowly approached it. This time, however, she was able to grasp it in her hands. After a beat of silence, a gas started filling the room. In a panic, Cassidy grabbed her staff and placed the orb on top of it. The wood grew in tendrils and wound itself around the orb, effectively trapping it in place.

Cass placed the front of her robes over her nose and mouth and ran out of the room. Not caring for stealth at the moment, she sprinted down the halls. She passed by many other patrons who stopped and shouted after her. The now glowing ball in her staff drawing everyone’s attention. Not many elves have seen it in real life but they have heard stories about the orb. Knowing Cassidy, let alone any elf, was forbidden to have it they attempted to stop her.

Cassidy was able to plow through most non magical elves and her slim figure was able to duck under streams of magic aimed at her. Looking over her shoulder she saw the makings of a mob behind her, all crying out and begging her to stop. Her eyes softened as she was their clear distress and desperation, but it only lasted for a split second. This is what Cassidy is doing, there’s no going back now.

Just as she neared the edge of their village, a figure appeared from behind the trees. A male elf held bags of herbs and wood on his back, his long blonde hair was tied back with a few pieces escaping and falling around his face. He blew a long stand of hair away from his eye before looking up to see Cassidy running towards him. He smiled towards her but then immediately frowned when he heard a raging crowd behind her. Looking over her shoulder he saw most of the village now running after her. Her brows drew in confusion as he turned back to his favorite cousin, but when his eyes were drawn to her staff he understood. The reality of the situation hit him like a bolt of lightning straight to his chest. His favorite little pip squeak of a cousin was a thief.

As Cass got closer to her cousin she slowed down. Her eyes darted between his, unsure what he would do. Her cousin Simon followed the rules to a ‘T’, but he always loved Cassidy the most out of their family. He was the one who told Cassidy to always be herself and to fight for what she believed in. He was probably trying to make her believe in the cause for the war, but instead he inspired this very criminal act. Her cousin stared straight into her eyes that were still glowing with her magic. He looked over her skin that was lit up with beautiful designs and he sighed.

“You’re going to have to knock me out.” He told her sadly and Cassidy started shaking her head. As much as she had to do this, she couldn’t hurt him. “Cass it’s the only way, they have to think I tried to stop you.” He explained and her eyes went wide, he was helping her. Her cousin, the one she joked with about having a stick up his ass when it came to the rules, was letting her, a thief, go. The magic in her eyes dimmed down so that he could look into her hazel eyes that were misting over.

“I love you.” Cassidy whispered. The crowd was growing louder and she could feel the ground shaking slightly from their stampede. They commanded Simon to stop her, to catch her and secure the orb. Instead he gave her a slight nod and her violet eyes came back. He made to lunge at her but Cassidy swung her staff out and a wave of magic burst out and slammed her cousin into a nearby tree.

Cassidy paused to look over him, hoping that she didn’t cause him too much damage. But the crowd grew closer and Cassidy had to go. She made to take off but paused and looked back at her cousin once again. Quickly, she ran over and snatched one of the bags with herbs in it for her new life on the run. She darted back into the trees just as the crowd was getting too close for comfort. Hands reached out to grab at her and magic was being thrown around, but Cassidy used the trees to her advantage. Dodging the hands, she hid behind trees as magic flung at her, twisting and turning so they could never make a straight lunge at her.

But Cassidy was growing tired. She needed to find a way to lose them or else she’d be running forever. Her eyes darted around the ginormous trees that surrounded her. Looking quickly over her shoulder once again she ran straight into the trunk of a tree causing her to fall down. She heard approaching footsteps and scrambled her way around the base of the tree, pressing her back into the wood in hopes it would help hide her figure.

“Where did she go?”

“She must have gone that way!”

“No I saw her go this way!”

“No she doubled back that way!” Chaos was erupting as elves started arguing which way Cassidy went. The fighting grew quieter and quieter since they all started pulling each other in different directions.

Cass let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and slid now the tree till her butt plopped down on the dusty ground. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose to try and relieve her slight headache that was forming. ‘That could have gone better.’ She thought to herself.