Father Sword

Magnum Sivam

"Ribus, I had no idea you would betray me," Magnum snickered. His mustache twitched.

I said, "Magnum, I'm trying to save your neck."

He lifted his dagger and spinned it on his fingertip, "Bellum demolishing my city? People dying at the hand of the enemy? Teaming up with a gruesome country to 'save me'? I totally believe you."

"Trust me, Magnum. Acri's-"

"Acri, Acri, Acri. I hate her. If you have done anything right, it wouldn't be Acri."

"No, she's trying to capture you. I'm trying to get you to escape."

His face got real, not trickster, "Well, Ribus. Great idea. But where do we go? The werewolves have gotten loose. We're stuck in here. No matter what you think."

I looked around. Just the single door was behind me. That was the one I entered in, but there was the massive window. Maybe I could-

"Magnum, we need to jump out the window."

"You're crazy."

"I know I am."

The king shrugged, "Look, we could camp out here for the night. It's not like Bellum's troops could make it past ten werewolves throughout the castle."

I looked him in the eye, "You're the crazy one! I've seen Bellum. They have the most powerful military in the world. Two troops could take out the werewolves! And there's 25 per troop! We have to figure out a way out of here!"

He sat down on his throne, "I'm sorry, Ribus. Just jumping out the window is more risky than sitting it out. Besides, where would you land?"

I looked around. Mostly just buildings. Some burning, some not. Then I noticed that roughly every eight feet there was a window with a large ledge. Maybe-

"Magnum, I have a new idea."

"What?" He almost acted like I wasn't there. Completely tuned out.

I said, "We take our time down by jumping on the window ledges."

"Ha! That'll never work."

"Well I'm trying."

"Wait! No-"

I grabbed a chair and chucked it at the window with all my might. The glass shattered and the furniture flew into the open air as glass revolted against the room.

My legs leaped back from a shard of glass flying towards me at a hundred miles an hour. Magnum ducked for cover behind the table.

Another jabbed me in the hand, and I fell down to the ground in pain. I crawled over the broken glass to Magnum, who stared at me with clenched fists.

"You could've killed us!"

"I didn't-"

But there was no time for arguing. A knock on the door pounded. It would have echoed from the sound, but the window's absence prevented it.

Magnum and I looked at each other. Both of us knew it. The werewolves were coming. Or Bellum. Or both.

"Ribus," Magnum said, getting my attention, "Climb the ledges."

We darted over to the window and I looked down at the hundreds of feet below us. We would be fine, I told myself. We would.

I sat down and got ready to slide to the next ledge. The pounding from the door got louder, and I was afraid it would bust open.

Magnum already made it to the first ledge. It was only eight feet. I just had to survive the three foot drop.

Then, I slipped.