Lumina

9 ~ Recovery

Alexis

Screams flooded the night, shrieks of terror and cries for help that belonged to servants the boy had long called family. There was no mercy for them, the blood trailing from each broken body was evident of that. The boy ran as fast as his small legs would allow, clutching a hand even smaller than his own.

"Run!!" Their father yelled. A gash on his temple leaked dark red. "Find your mother!"

He turned and clashed swords with an attacking soldier.

A voice cried out and Alexis's head whipped around the chaos just in time to see the soldier's body drop beside his father. Where one fell, three more emerged. Outnumbered, battered, exhausted, the boy knew even then his father was tiring. Hide- they needed to hide!

Alexis turned down the dirt road, pulling his sister with him. "Faster, Lizzy!"

Their manor would be cinders by morning, the soldiers had lit fire to anything that could burn. Except for the woods. The land may have been owned by their father, but the soldiers knew better than to start a woodland fire. Alexis tucked his sister behind a bush and broke off low-lying branches to cover her with.

"Stay quiet and don't move," he told her.

"I'm scared," Elizabeth quivered, her voice as small as the mud-stained nightgown she wore.

"Dad and I will be back once we find mom," his trembling voice answered, and then Alexis was running, running, back to where the screaming continued.

Sounds blended incoherently and the boy's world twisted until Alexis was running through a long corridor.

No longer the size of a child, his feet pound down the stone pathway to a large door where weapons are heard clashing from the other side. A feminine grunt sounds from the other room. She cries out and Alexis instantly recognizes the voice as-

"Elizabeth!"

The world was slow to arrive as Alexis's senses came creeping back to reality. His body was a heavy mass of sweat encased in a bed that threatened to swallow him whole. Air hesitantly heaved through his lungs until the heaviness in his body cleared to a solid pain in his torso. He pushed weak arms up, grunting at the surprising effort it took just to sit.

Then he heard a thump followed by his sister's pained voice.

Alexis was up and moving through the bright room, the pristine floors and white furniture serving only to blind him further whenever the sun's rays reflected off the shiny surfaces.

Stumbling through the empty halls, he realized he hadn't grabbed a weapon- hadn't even thought to look for one- just heard his sister's voice and acted on instinct. A pulse of energy and sparks fuzzed at the tips of his fingers. It wasn't much, but he had some magic, at least.

Immaculate vases and paintings lined the hallway; it was no question that whoever had captured them was a lord or lady to the queen.

Reinforcements would arrive soon, if they hadn't already. Except. . . there wasn't one guard posted outside of the room Alexis had been in. Either his captors hadn't expected him to wake up so soon, or that he would be weak enough that a guard wasn't necessary. A stupid mistake; nobles had a habit of underestimating their enemies and relying too heavily on their money. At least they had stitched up the wound- kept him alive.

Which meant someone wanted something from him.

Alexis bristled at the thought.

Torn muscles from his wound burned with every step closer to the sounds of scuffling he heard. He only hoped he wouldn't be too late; could already feel the weight of his body growing.