Chapter 18
I don’t think I have ever been more scared in my life; I darted past trees and heard the same trees get crashed into and some trees got crushed, it wouldn’t surprise me that the terrifying toe-curling roar from the several brutish minotaurs chasing me was they screaming TIMBER!. Why did I run into the forest? Yes, I tried to save Nate, but there were Guild members and teachers there.
THUD! A large arm slammed a tree over my head, I jumped over a stump and hunched over as much as I could to avoid the minotaur arm and tree stump, I slid down a small hill and saw in the corner of my eye 3 minotaur’s slide and fall over each, good hurt each other with your stupid horns, I got back to my feet and ran again as more arms slammed the ground behind me, I didn’t dare look back. I did my best to weave in and out of trees to avoid any contact at all. But my legs are getting tired, and I don’t know how long I can keep running.
WHACK! Something hit me! I was sent hurtling and spinning on the ground, but I climbed back to my feet as fast as I could ran again, and WHACK! This time my back hit a tree, I slumped to the floor, I was surrounded, by trees and a minotaur, I’m so tired.
“STAND UP BOY” I heard someone yell, I looked around but all I could see were minotaurs and suddenly insanely fast spells peppering the minotaurs, at that moment I crawled under the legs and ran to where the lights spell was coming from, all I could see was a figure of a man from behind the light and between two trees. I got closer, it was Nate’s dad, “come on, to the school, let’s go!” he said. we ran, well he did, and I followed I wasn’t sure where I was going. Heavy footsteps came thundering behind us.
“Charles!” I heard Dad’s voice. “Charles!”
“Faster boy!” Nate’s dad demanded. “Go on ahead!” Nate’s dad stopped and turned around and then Dad and Marvin ran past me like a blur. Ripples of powerful spells echoed behind me, and a roar of minotaur’s. I stopped and turned around to see what was going on, that was a mistake, A minotaur broke Free from the pack and ran at me, I managed to dodge it, and it slammed into a tree horn first. It roared in again, I wanted to run but I couldn’t a Minotaur fell on top of Nate’s dad, for the second time today my legs acted on their own accord, I ran at max speed, and made my first full of dark magic, I went to punch the minotaur, but I saw an open cut on its neck, so I jammed my hand into it.
“Scatter!” magic beamed out of my hand like a disco ball, I yanked my hand out and blood splattered into my eyes, this is gross, I quickly wiped it off, Dad was running towards me with his hand stretched and pained look on my face. If he was saying something I hadn’t a clue what it was, everything suddenly went in slow motion and what felt like a knife, slashed a deep cut on my left temple, just next to my cheek upwards. In the corner of my eye, I saw a bloody horn and then felt the weight of a mountain slam into me, I hit the floor with a smack and rolled like a kicked football, I stopped and everything around me resumed to their normal speed, dirty hooves slammed next to my head, so I rolled again, I’d stop and only have a second to look up and see the night sky, branches of the trees and murderess monster trying to do me.
“INFERNO!” a beautiful spiral of flames slammed into the minotaur. “MUM! I’VE FOUND THEM!” Lincoln jumped over me and punched the minotaur, not going to do much or so I thought, his fists had embers flickering over them with every contact he made, the minotaur swung with a backhand, thankfully Lincoln ducked, only Lincoln’s devil horns were caught,
“Not my brother,” I said, I raced to my feet gathered all my magic in both hands and punched its ribs on its left side as hard as I could, it tried to hit me with its right arm but Lincoln had already punched the other side of its ribs, the minotaur’s slammed both of its hands together like a deathly clap, Lincoln had pushed my head down and we rolled to a side each and nodded to each other, I knew what to. We both began to fire blastballs at it, it didn’t know what to do.
Mum had appeared from the darkness and leapt into the air and with two ocean-blue daggers in hand, she rammed them both into the skull of the minotaur that Lincoln and I were fighting. Tommy and Jackson appeared Jackson was the size of a bear, and he chomped down on the head of one of the minotaurs that had been circling Dad and began to ragdoll it, Tracy, and Aunty Alex, had killed one each, an ice pick to the throat for one and Tracy’s foot was firmly planet inside of ones head. Needles made of blood floated up into the air and then suddenly everyone stopped moving, including all of the minotaurs, like it was a game first person to move died, my mother was once the most powerful and famous mage in the world, and I didn’t know her then because that was before I was born, this look she has in her eye now, I don’t know it, I have never seen it. There is nothing behind it. The loving and warm aura my mum normally has come off her is gone, the beautiful, friendly, and approachable face is gone. All I see now is death. Rage of a monster far greater than any here tonight, even all of them combined here wouldn’t touch the sides. It’s funny because despite being in the middle of an absolute crap storm, in the middle of a forest and halfway through a school’s Halloween event that was ruined because of me, I’m sure I will get stuck by the other students, all I can think about is something my mum told me last year, we were watching a movie, my mum, myself and my siblings, dad was away on a mission, the movie was about a family and someone tried to kidnap a kid, and Madison asked.
“Mum what would you do if that was one of us”.
And I have never forgotten my mum’s response, she paused the movie.
“I will rain down hell on anyone who ever lays a hand on my children” She turned to each of us individually and looked us in the eye, “All three of you are my greatest treasures, and there are no lengths, no limit, nothing, absolutely nothing I wouldn’t do to make sure that the three of live happy and safe lives” I used to think rain down hell was a little over the top, but as I see bloody death needles, she might be right, I wish I could see what is about to happen next but I’m about to pass...
“He is asleep” I heard a voice say I didn’t recognise it, and I thought I was travelling on the back of Jackson nothing that big and soft was around to carry me so it must be him and I was not asleep I didn’t have the energy to open my eyes, my arms and legs are either side of Jackson’s body and a fell a strap around me holding me still.
“I know he is” I know that voice it’s Nate’s dad, “I was there when he passed out, where is Nathaniel?”
“He is at the school, with your wife and other sons”.
“Good, I’ll see them soon” Nate’s dad sounded lighter upon hearing the news,
“Why are you bringing the boy back?” the voice said, “should have just left him there!”
“Excuse me?” he no longer sounds lighter,
“He is a dark mage, they are scum, rebellious trash that causes nothing but trouble, look at today all this was caused because of him” I heard Jackson growl and stop, and then I became aware there was more than just the two people talking, more footsteps came to a halt too.
“This Dark mage” Nate’s dad sounded sinister now, ” is a child, a child how when I first saw him was helping my son find his father, this child pushed my son out of the way and took an attack from a fully grown minotaur head on for my son. This child then got to his feet and defended my son with his life! he told Nathaniel to run to safety while he held off a monster whom he couldn’t defeat! But guess what he did! This child! Quickly realised what was going on, broke a spell that was put on him and announced his presence and what looked like he had every intention of dying in that forest to protect cowards like you, This child saved my life, and this child after all the time running and fighting managed to hold out until the second we won, he has done nothing to deserve disrespect from you and while you’re in my presence you will always put respect on the boy that my save life, you will put respect on the name Charles King.