Boarder Blade- Higher Than the Sky Draft 0

Chapter 9: Across the Village

        Yume and Jasmine were making a mad dash towards Jasmine's cottage. Once there, Yume would change into some of Jasmine's spare clothes. From there they would set out towards a river where Jasmine had left a boat and supplies the day before.

        They managed to sneak out of the circus, High Noon, fairly easy thanks to the drunken bonfire on the other side of the tent. Soon they would face the village watch. They would not care that Yume's left The High Noon but children out in the middle of the night would catch their interest.

        Jasmine slowed down and signaled for Yume to get behind her. There was a light moving along in the distance.

        "If only your dress weren't white," said Jasmine with unease, "its gonna make this part harder than it could've been."

        "Technically it's not a dress," remarked Yume, "but I agree with that the white being a burden."

        "If it has a skirt isn't a dress?" Jasmine said rolling her eyes as she did.

        "Well sorry but I don't think its that simple either way we're making noi..."

        Yume clapped her hands against her mouth as a light started to move towards them. Jasmine turned on Yume mouthed the words "I'm sorry" and proceeded to push her into a small pile of rags.

        "Hey, who's there!" called out the light.

        "Its only me," replied Jasmine giving up concealing herself when the light came close enough to reveal an older boy.

        "Oh no, not again," groaned the boy, "Why can't you simply fall asleep?"

        "My mother used to say I must have been a raccoon in a past life," she stated as she began to imitate a raccoon's movements and sounds. 

        "Please," pleaded the boy," I'm serious just go to bed and stop messing with the animal pelts. Everyone worked hard for this years offering which includes yourself so just get going already." The boy  made sure to sound as authoritative as possible. It would have been quite comical to Yume under normal conditions, but she was currently fighting an urge to jump out from underneath the pelts.

        All the fur that surrounded her was not only tickling her in uncomfortable ways, but it was also growing extremely hot which was making it hard to breathe what little air was left under there. Thankfully a small hand came through and let air in.

        "I swear," came Jasmine's voice, "That guy can't enforce a rule to save himself. Well, let's get going."

        Yume quickly took in a breath of cool night air and chased after Jasmine, who was already on her way. Luck must have been with them as they didn't cross paths with any other night watchmen on their way over to Jasmine's cottage.

        Once inside, Yume found that it still had many of Jasmine's project inside it. There were still plans up on the walls with notes scribbled across them. A pile of strange items was left on the bed while the sheets were nowhere to be seen. Yume could only figure that Jasmine had kept her packing to the bare essentials. Appreciation filled Yume as she felt the faster they moved the better.

        Thinking on that Yume realized she was still standing near the doorway she may her way to the dresser and threw on the very first pair of clothes she could find. With Jasmine's help, she rolled up her hair into a bun and they were on their way once again. With a clear shot to the river a wide smile spread across Yume's face and if she wasn't running she knew she would have sighed with relief. It couldn't have worked out better beside being pushed into the pelts nothing had gone astray.

        But in cases like Yume's there was somebody who had made it their life goal to make sure they did. As their feet touched the first spread of pebbles by the river side, as they were slowing down and they were beginning to catch some of their breath. A lone firework's expulsion in the night sky behind them filled the air with an echo of a doubt. Even with any margin of error in Jasmine's calculation they had at the very least five more minutes before the alarm went off.

        "Can we catch a strong enough current before they get here?" Yume asked.

        With a look of surprise on her face Jasmine nodded slightly and answered, "It picks up not to far from here we should make it with no real problems."

        Together they pushed the boat out into the water letting the water soak their knees before jumping in and paddling. Lights in the town began to break through the darkness as the firework must have roused many of the residents. It wouldn't take long for The King to make his way to the river none of them had reason to keep him away from Yume.

        "How far from the tent are we?" Yume asked as her strength was already beginning to fail.

        "I'd say 270 or so yards," answered Jasmine, "What does that even matter?"

        "I've just decided on our last resort."

        "Out here in the open water what kind of last resort did you have in mind?"

        "I'll fly us out as fast as I can."

        "Wait that's not just a part of your act?"

        "Of course not what could make you think otherwise?"

        " Uh. Ever heard of the magic of the stage? I mean you didn't fly us to the boat now did you?"

        "That's because of the owner of the circus has a machine that stops me from flying outside the tent and I have no idea of its radius but if they catch up to us lets hope we're far enough."

        They gave up their paddling as the current was already picking up and Yume's arms couldn't take any more. There they sat looking towards the scurrying lights in the distance. Hoping that they wouldn't get any brighter. Jasmine began stuffing small items that had fallen out of a tied up sheet sitting in the middle of the boat. While Yume chose to close her eyes, ready to welcome even a minute of sleep, and maybe she got that minute but she would never be able to find out as and engine's roar broke through her mind.