Riders yelled in alarm, and several rode out toward where Aldwin had disappeared.
Something struck Kar from behind, and he went down hard in the dirt. He rolled over, spitting out clods of soil. One of the guards sneered at Kar, then dragged him to his feet. He was shoved forward along with the rest of the line of captives, who were all being jostled ahead.
Kiya galloped back by; hat missing, eyes wild and hair whipping in the wind.
Another womping boom cracked the air and a man and his horse went flying overhead, both screaming in terror.
Then Aldwin was there. He raised both hands towards Kiya and unleashed something. Just before that invisible wall struck, Kiya leapt from her mount and tucked into a ball. Her horse was blasted from its feet violently, while she landed and rolled upright unharmed, swirling flames springing up all around her. She whipped her arms towards Aldwin—screaming profanities—while lances of flame speared toward him.
Aldwin twisted, and the flames spun away. But Kiya was unrelenting. She continued to fling fire towards him while screaming, lighting the surrounding grass ablaze.
Kar strained his neck to keep watching as he was dragged away by the chain.
The last he saw of the two was Aldwin bursting into the air to escape the blaze and Kiya taking to the skies after him, torrents of flame jetting from her feet and hands.
Up ahead, a pair of carts waited for Kar and the others, he wasn't sure if these were the same as the ones from earlier or not. Why had they been unloaded and chained up in the first place?
The captives were quickly unchained but kept shackled while being herded towards the carts. Kar saw that he was being directed towards one and Isa and Derek towards another. He would rather not be separated from them any longer so he decided to take a chance and shouldered his way through the press to join their group. In the rush, none of the guards seemed to notice.
He tripped as he stepped up onto the end of the cart. Derek caught and pulled him upright with a toothy grin, "Watch your step there." Kar grinned back, not sure if he was going to laugh or cry. Isa plowed into him and buried her head in his chest, sobbing, "Was that Aldwin?"
"I think so." Kar told her.
The cart door slammed shut and was latched behind them, then lurched forward roughly. They bounced along the terrain at speed while the captives fell over or slid down to a seated position to endure it. Kar sat with his back to the side of the cart and tried desperately to catch any glimpse of Aldwin he could. The glare of the afternoon sun made that all but impossible. The distant echo of booms, however, could still be heard faintly for a while.
Kar's thoughts raced. He leaned back against the cart wall and closed his eyes, Isa still pressed up against him tightly. He feared for Aldwin, but the way the man had blasted his way through to get to them had been incredible. Aldwin seemed more than capable of holding his own. Kar found it difficult to come to terms with the idea that the man he knew now possessed such remarkable powers. How?
The cart raced along until the horses wore down. They slowed somewhat but maintained a brisk pace. Of Aldwin or Kiya there was no more sign. The guards, however, continued to scan the skies nervously.
The ruins of the city took up more and more of Kar's view as they rumbled along. They weren't approaching it head-on any longer but had turned to skirt its outermost edge. It was challenging to tell where the ruins began and ended. Grass grew all the way up to and in between buildings; those still standing and the rubble of long collapsed structures.
They startled large herds of antelope and other creatures in their passing, and birds circled above in massive flocks. He'd never seen so much wildlife all in one place before. What stood out to him most though was that the grass was so green here. Vibrant and wet with moisture, whereas it had been a sickly and wane yellow back home and throughout most of their journey here from Riftwater.
"We're too close to the city!" One of the guards shouted at the driver, "Take us further out!"
They veered away then, back out to where the grass was thicker. A moment later, the cart struck something—Kar assumed a rock or large divot in the ground—that made it jolt violently. The sound of splintering and cracking wood followed. The driver hauled back on the reigns, and they slid to a stop, the cart listing precariously to the side.
The other cart and its escorts sped along, abandoning them.
Only four guards remained, their horses danced around while the men argued among themselves. The cart driver meanwhile stood up and started cursing at them hoarsely.
A low, deep roar echoed from the nearby ruins, and they all fell silent.
Isa jerked upright and turned to look where the sound had come from, "What was that?"
Kar didn't answer. But the roar repeated, closer. Bird calls rang out in alarm and their winged figures burst from the cover of grass to take flight. A herd of antelope grazing nearby also bounded away from the ruins in fright.
Something large shifted into view from behind a partially collapsed building. It clearly saw them, for it gave out another, even louder roar and galloped out of the city towards them.
"Is that… one of those Cryst-beasts Aldwin was telling us about?" Derek croaked.
Aldwin had described various kinds of cryst-beasts to them along their journey here to Iridess, usually by firelight while they had camped along the roadside at night. This didn't match anything that Kar had imagined from those conversations, apart from its skin, which wasn't natural flesh but glinted and sparkled in the afternoon sun like crystal. From what Aldwin had told them it would be nearly as hard as crystal too. This cryst-beast stood taller than a hut back in Riftwater, had four legs, a massive trunk of a neck, a broad face, and a thick, long twisting tail that trailed in the air behind it as it charged ahead.
The three guards on horseback kicked their mounts and raced away, leaving the driver and the other guard alone at the cart with their captives. The driver jumped down and unhooked the horses who had been pulling the cart, then pulled himself atop one of them as it dashed away. The remaining guard tried to do the same with the last horse, but it bucked free and galloped off into the grass and away from danger—whinnying as it went—leaving the guard sprawling in the dirt. He scrambled to his feet shouting and took off after it.
"We've got to go!" Kar yelled. Derek stood and leapt over the side of the cart and offered a hand to help Isa down after him. Kar followed. The other prisoners all jumped free too, hands shackled, but legs free to run. Kar didn't really know any of them that well. There were around ten besides he, Isa, and Derek. None of them had been from Riftwater or the surrounding area but looked to have been taken from among the various groups of travelers who had joined with Aldwin's caravan for safety. Much good that had done.
No one said anything, they all just dashed away in slightly different directions, away from the ruins and whatever creature it was that had emerged from them. It looked like they would all be taking their own chances.
Kar and Isa took off after Derek, who headed straight toward the thickest band of nearby grass.
Kar glanced back at the beast as they ran. It reached the cart and lowered, then plowed its thick head through it. The cart exploded into fragments of wood and splinters. Kar cursed and picked up his pace, lifting knees high to power through the thickets in their way. Isa struggled to keep pace and Kar pulled frantically at her arm.
The creature steadily gained on them; trailed them as if it could see nothing else. Isa screamed in terror and Kar watched in horror as Derek turned back and planted himself directly in front of the charging monster, waving his arms and hollering.
Oh no, what was he doing?
Kar dragged Isa away at an angle, running for all he was worth. He glanced back—fearing for his friend's life—and saw the beast had entirely ignored Derek and swerved to go after he and his sister instead.
Desperate, Kar acted on a hunch and shoved Isa away from him, then turned and ran in the opposite direction from where she fell. To his relief and as he had hoped, the creature turned to follow him, ignoring Isa just as it had Derek. He didn't know why, but he felt certain the beast was interested in him in particular. Maybe it had something to do with his shard?
He ran as hard as he could, adrenaline and fear driving him. He came out of the thick grass into an area that looked like it had been cleared or grazed recently. His legs ached, and the ground thudded and shook beneath him with every galloping step the cryst-beast took behind him.
Suddenly, Kar tripped, skidding along his belly. He came to a rest and rolled over—the wind knocked out of him—and waited for the inevitable as the massive beast reared up above him.