Leaving the Horse

Chapter 44

The impact of everyone's eyes on me made me feel like I would throw up. Who was I to be the leader of this triumphant group? Never in my life had I been the leader.

Skaits, Latvia, Sasha and everyone else looked at me expectantly anyway, and it dawned on me instantly that every gaze bloomed confidence in my abilities. Everyone was sure that I would get them out alive.

I couldn't hesitate. Somehow I knew that it was our key to survival to have a confident leader.

Raising my head and slightly sticking out my chin, I met everyone's gaze in turn.

There were at least fifty scrawny and filthy people of various ages standing around- many I didn't want to know how long they haven't seen daylight.

Taking a deep breath, I made my plan.

"There is too many of us to successfully escape undetected." My voice boomed confidently over the crowd, surprising myself at my ability to lead. "Everyone needs a weapon. A metal pole, a torch, the guards' swords and knives, whatever you can use to defend yourself against someone else."

I paused, looking around at the people who nodded briefly before looking around for a weapon.

A hand lightly pushed my arm from behind.

I turned to see Skaits, a look of peer determination outlining his features. He looked strikingly handsome.

The sudden thought made me stutter, caught off guard by the attraction I had toward him.

"Here's a sword. You can use your magic on it in combat." He smiled, "just be careful not to destroy it."

I recovered briskly from my stupor, smiling in return as I took the sword out of his grasp. He picked up another sword, righting the hilt comfortably into his right hand as I adjusted mine as well.

"Let's do this," Skaits shouted, impenitently having the effect of excitement and battle radiating through the air.

His enthusiasm spread through the crowd like a disease. I had to raise my voice a notch higher to be heard. "The young, elderly and inexperienced in the middle. The able, on the outsides!"

I pushed through the crowd to the front, nearest to the door. It was time to go. Now or never.

My hands began to shake as I led the crowd toward the door. I realized I had no idea what I would fine. What I would experience.

A strong, warm hand slid into my own. I gazed to my left to see Skaits looking at me through bright green eyes. His dark hair (or so it looked by the dim lighting), fell in clumped streaks past his eyes. His nearly shoulder length hair seemed to be just short enough to have difficulty to keep behind his ears.

"We can do this. You can do this," Skaits murmured before releasing my hand.

His confidence brought a sense of comfort to me. How someone I hardly knew could do that was a wonder to me.

I nodded solemnly before taking quick deliberate steps toward the door.

As we neared the entrance, I slowed down, scooting near to wall cautiously.

It was too difficult to hear anything over the sound of the people's breathes behind me.

Rigidly, I stepped forward, holding back to crowd with a single hand as I inched my face through the door. The hallway was empty. There were various torches scattered over the walls on either side and a long stairway leading up as far as the eye could see. Nobody wanted to fall down these stairs.

I went forward Skaits by my side, and mutually we each grabbed a torch off of either side of the wall.

It felt good to have someone next to me. I vowed to myself that never again would I allow myself to be alone.