Chivalry is Dead | On Hold

Chapter Four: A Close Call

The sound of her heartbeat rang through her ears, her heart thudding painfully. Her grip on the vine like iron as she held her breath, her entire body frozen, knowing a single movement could easily give her away. The two beneath her were trained knights, and they'd be able to overpower her in an instant. Mercy would then have no choice but to reveal the brand on her back and hand her over to the Vices. Arden didn't want that – nobody would – but it was preferable to being Mercy's plaything.

Voices stirred her out of her thoughts, pulling her focus onto the immediate threat below.

"Who do you think the Stars will call to replace him?"

"No clue." Mercy shrugged, staring sideways at his companion, the small smirk barely visible.

But Arden saw it.

Her hands clenched, pain crossing her face in the next second as her knuckles twinged. She'd make him pay. That was the silent oath she made, blind fury written across her face as they passed her below, her eyes widening when the vine she was holding on finally snapped. Her fingers shot out, curling around the nearest sturdy vine, a whimper of pain escaping through her clamped lips as her broken knuckles shifted around. The other hand had caught the broken vine, her heart thudding in her chest as the other Virtue turned, gazing curiously behind him. If he had looked up, he'd have seen her, frantically holding onto the vines for dear life, but he didn't. It was strange, Arden mused, how people never seemed to bother looking up. Not that she was complaining. In fact, she was rather grateful for that. It had saved her hide.

Deciding the small noise was nothing important, the man continued walking, turning his attention back to Mercy, continuing their conversation in voices too quiet for Arden to hear as she hung from the side of the building. Her loose grip was slowly slipping, blood leaking through the bandages she'd wrapped around her fist. The movement had obviously been too much for them, her hand throbbing in pure agony as she kept it there until the two men were a safe distance away.

"You OK?" The hoarse voice of her companion rang out, worry flashing across her face as she saw the other girl's expression. "It looks like it's clear." She said, having checked either way from her vantage point.

"Let's go, then." Arden said, dropping the broken vine, slowly climbing down, sighing in relief when she reached the ground. "Be careful which vine you use... some of them are really weak..." She trailed off, watching as the girl slid down the vines like a pro. "Or just do that..." She muttered, feeling a slight twinge of jealousy at her apparent skills. That feeling soon evaporated though, once she realised what it meant – she had a powerful ally... or at least one that was stronger than her, but that wasn't saying much. She'd never had any sort of formal training, and the only exercise she'd ever gotten was by running around the grounds with Chivalry.

"What's next, boss?"

Arden stared at her incredulously. "Boss?"

"Well, I did promise to follow your lead, didn't I?" She smiled, brushing her hair out of the way of her eye, peering curiously across the field from behind the large bush they were hiding in. "I'm guessing we're going into the forest, right?"

"That's correct." She said, staring at the hundred metres of open space between them and the treeline. "We just have to run and pray no one spots us..."

"Got it."

"Let's go, then." Arden mumbled, sprinting out from the bushes they'd landed in, quickly glancing from side to side to check whether they'd been spotted.

They hadn't.

Whether it was by luck or whether the Stars were smiling on them, Arden had no clue. All she knew was that they'd made it safely into the shaded forest without being seen. Her eyes fell on the pale brickwork, gleaming in the midday sun, feeling a small pang in her chest as she stared back at the place she'd called home. Not anymore, though. Mercy had taken that away from her, just like he'd taken Chivalry... and he'd pay.

Her companion touched her shoulder, pulling her out of her reminiscing, pointing deeper into the forest. The trees were tall, towering above the pair, birds chirping as they hurried through the dense wood.

"Arden."

The voice made her skid to a stop, her head turning so fast she was surprised she didn't get whiplash. She'd thought they'd been discovered.

"What's up?" Her partner stared at her, confused by their sudden pause.

There was no one there.

"Nothing... just my ears playing tricks on me..." She mumbled, freezing as she heard more voices coming from the path in front of them.

"Well, we probably-"

Her reaction was instantaneous, grabbing the taller girl by the arm, pulling her behind the nearest tree, placing a hand over her mouth as her eyes caught a flash of red and blue. Cloaks fluttered in the slight breeze, the three figures trailing along the path making Arden stiffen as she stared at them. She recognised them. If not by their faces, then by the robes they wore.

They were Virtues.

Not just any old ones though. No. These were some of the strongest, leading up the majority of the decisions the Virtues made amongst themselves. They were older, and far more powerful than Mercy.

Arden could only be thankful that the leader of the Virtues wasn't there himself. He'd know something was wrong in a heartbeat. He was scarily perceptive in that sense, but then so was the brunette walking along the path in his indigo-coloured robes. His matching cloak flaring out behind him as he walked carried his name, underneath the large insignia of the Virtues.

Perception.

So, the indigo-coloured eyes that flittered over to where the two of the stood came as no surprise to her.

They'd been spotted.

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