The Order of The Rose: Forsaken Petal (Book 1)

by Joshua Hoyt

  Chapter 6:

  “Tom, Tom, get up,” Cody whispered close to his ear. “Something’s happening outside. Can you hear it?” Tom rolled over onto his back and started to sit up. “Stop,” Cody said, “Someone might see you.” Cody knelt at the side of his bed, looking out the window. Tom rolled out of bed onto the cold floor and looked out the window. He couldn’t see or hear anything at first, but then a bright flash and a faint scream reached him. Tom’s face drained of color. They silently looked out the window as the sounds of battle came closer and closer to the dorm. Cody’s face fell. “They’re coming toward the dorm. We've gotta warn the others.” He crawled toward the closed door. Tom followed after Cody into the hallway where Cody had already opened the first door on the right. Cody disappeared into the bedroom.

  Tom started down the left side of the long hall. He opened the first door. The boys in this room were already somewhat awake. Tom quickly crawled as quietly as he could over to the first boy. “Get out of bed. Quick. We need to gather in the hall and get your roomy.”

  The boy blinked at Tom. “What’s going on?”

  Tom put his finger to his mouth. “Just do it and be quiet about it, hurry.” Tom left the room and continued down the hall waking the boys on the left as Cody did the same on the right. Leaving the last room he heard a loud boom come from outside and a faint scream, or maybe several. “It sounds like whatever or whoever is right outside the front door,” Tom whispered to Cody.

  “Yeah, I think they are. Get the boys to the bathroom. Joe and I’ll go check things out,” Cody said.

  “Ok guys let’s get to the bathroom,” Tom said as he waved for them to follow him. The boys glanced at Cody and he waved them to follow Tom and then gestured for Joe to follow him. Tom headed toward the bathroom leading the way for the rest of the boys. I can’t believe this is happening, and what are we going to do once we get to the bathroom? Tom felt the weight of being in charge. It felt surprisingly comfortable. When they were half way down the hallway, he heard the front door explode. It sounded like it had been broken into a million pieces. He stopped for half a heartbeat and then hurried the rest of the way.

  The boys had just entered the bathroom when the first sounds of battle inside the dormitory hit them. Tom closed the door to the bathroom. “Hurry, find something to block the door.” He went to the window and peeked out. The back of the building looked empty and deserted. A large tree grew close enough to the window that they could climb down it to the ground. Tom opened the window. “Hey guys, over here. There’s a way down.” Tom’s face flushed when the other boys turned to him and came closer to the window. They seemed to look to him to get them out of this mess. He climbed up out the window and onto the window sill. He reached a branch close by and climbed onto it. “Let’s get the smallest boys up here first so I can help them down.”

  The older boys started handing up the younger boys while he helped them onto the branch from there they were able to climb down to the ground. When the last boy had reached the ground a loud bang rocked the bathroom door. Tom’s heart pounded hard in his chest and sweat formed at his temples as he waited on the tree. The pounding became more forceful as he waited. What if it’s Cody and he needs to get in. The door started to open and he climbed closer to the window. His heart raced. The door opened. Tom smiled. The smile quickly turned to open mouth horror when he saw Cody’s bloodied and bruised face. A bone jutted out of his shoulder and blood ran down his leg.

  A man dressed in black held his other arm bent at an odd angle behind his back. The man pushed Cody through the door and into the bathroom. Cody landed in a heap turning the once white tiled floor red. The man roared, “Where are you, boy?”

  Tom hurried to the open window still hidden behind a branch. Cody how am I supposed to help you out of this? He looked over his shoulder. Where are you John? Feelings of helplessness and rage filled his body as he watched Cody groan as the man kick him. Tom you have to do something. You’re an Alerio and an Alerio would never let his friend suffer. Strange words formed in his mind. His hand tingled as energy ran through it. He looked at his hand as it started to glow. He could feel the heat coming from it and he forgot everything but the flame that now engulfed the palm of his hand. Only wanting to get the heat away from him he flicked his hand toward the open window. To Tom's amazement, a small globe of orange fire shot from his fingertips toward the open window. The globe flew through the window and slammed into the man in black. The man's mouth dropped open with surprise and pain as the globe burnt through his black clothing and scorched his flesh beneath.

  Tom acted on instinct and jumped through the window. Remembering his training, he grabbed the man’s dropped sword and lunged at the man. To Tom’s dismay the man’s shock passed and he dodged the lunge. Tom lost his balance. As Tom flew past the man the man’s fist and forearm slammed into Tom’s back. Tom crashed to the floor and the sword skittered out of his grasp. The man grabbed Tom’s shirt and lifted him up to take another shot. It felt like the man’s fist went all the way through Tom’s body and out his back. The pain enveloped his mind to the point that he could only hear the man laughing through the dense fog in his head. To his wonder blood spilled to the ground in front of him. Is that my blood? Am I dying? The man dropped him and Tom dropped to the ground. A second later a large body fell across him. The world blurred and he heard Cody calling out his name. I must be dead.

  “Tom, Tom, are you all right?” Cody asked in a strained voice. “Tom, wake up we have to get going.” Tom gained some consciousness and saw Cody leaning over him. Cody’s bloody face looked like it had been hit by a sledgehammer, more than once. “We need to go. Hurry! Get up,” Cody said again. He pulled on Tom’s shirt. Tom put his hands under him and his world spun as he staggered to his feet. Leaning heavily on Cody he made it to the window where Cody pushed him up toward the window. Tom grabbed the branch and with Cody pushing behind him, and Tom pulling on the branch with all his strength he pulled himself out the window. His legs shook as he stood on one of the branches and started the long climb down.

  Sounds came from outside the bathroom while Cody climbed through the window onto the tree. As they descended the tree the bathroom door slammed open and several heavy feet clomped on the tiled floor above. “They’re out the window,” a man said with a heavy accent. “Hurry, get them. You go out the front and around the back.”

  Tom reached the ground and looked up. A black clad man climbed out the window and onto the tree. Cody reached the ground with a jump. “Hurry, to the main house,” he shouted. Tom pulled one of the boys toward the house. They ran with Cody in the back and Tom in the front. Tom slowed as the back door opened. John and Kristiana surged out with a younger girl close behind them and a half dozen guards behind her. Tom’s pace quickened toward the mansion as fire shot from Kristiana’s hand toward the boy’s pursuers. The younger girl chanted and moved similar to Kristiana. Several orange globes burst from her finger tips, flying over his head, while John and the guards ran toward the dorm.

  Tom watched John charge several black garbed men who emerged from the front door of the dorm with weapons drawn. Several more globes flew past him hitting a man in the chest while John and the men behind him discharged their weapons. Black smoke filled the air. Several of the men dropped to the ground screaming and wailing in agony. John reached the mass first and in one fluid motion, side stepped the first and brought his dagger up into the stomach of another. Leaving the dagger in the man’s gut, John spun which put him to the side of the next man. His long sword slashed the man’s unarmored neck and the man dropped to his knees instantly. John pulled his pistol out of his holster aimed and fired.

  The guards slammed into the fray with swords and axes smashing into the bodies of the black clad men. The black clad men were soon overrun. As they fled, Tom saw dark red dragons imprinted on their cloaks. The guards pursued after the fleeing men while John stopped and surveyed the grounds. Tom’s strength failed him. His legs grew
weak, and he fell. Cody caught him with his one good arm and together they hit the ground.