Pandora's Box: Land of Strife: Pandora's Box Series, Book 1

by S. Y. Lee

  “Stand back, Sarah. Help me here, Themba,” Leo motioned to both of them as he stuck the pointed end of the spear between two bars of the cell holding the blonde songstress. Sarah retreated to the safety of the wall as she watched Leo adjust the spear until he found an angle that was suitable.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, both curious and hopeful.

  Themba was now standing behind Leo with his hands on the other end of the spear and Leo prepared to push. “This spear is made of the same metal and long enough that it should provide enough leverage to bend the bars,” Leo said as he started to push in the opposite direction the spear was wedged in. Themba mustered all the strength he could to help. He was becoming increasingly impressed with Leo’s resourcefulness and application of physics in this world that didn’t even know electricity or proper sewage systems.

  The bars creaked and Sarah clapped in delight, quietly cheering them on. Like Themba, she was a rather petite individual and they just needed to create a little bit of a gap to allow her to shimmy through. Leo and Themba kept pushing on the makeshift lever until it wouldn’t budge anymore.

  “Okay, let’s do it in the other direction,” Leo said but Sarah was already pushing the spear back towards him.

  “I think I can squeeze through this,” she said and stuck her head and both arms forward. Leo let go of the spear to pull her out, causing Themba to almost drop the heavy weapon. He barely hung to it enough to let it fall to the floor with a thud. Luckily, it wasn’t loud enough to raise any alarms.

  Sarah was indeed able to push herself through the gap in the bars with the help of Leo, and she collapsed into his arms when she was finally free.

  “Thank you! What now?” she panted. Her eyes were inches away from Leo’s and she could see what he was thinking. He had no idea.

  Chapter 37

  She woke up with a start at the sound of hoofs pounding the dirt road and nearly fell out of the tree. After walking so long until it was too dark to even make out the road in front of her, Caitlin had found a sturdy tree off the path and climbed up onto its middle where the thick branches met. There was just enough space to perch herself awkwardly in a semi-lying down, semi-sitting position. It wasn’t ideal but she needed to get some rest and she was nervous about sleeping on the ground. She was worried about wolves devouring her while she slept, not that she had seen any.

  Earlier, when she had discovered Keela and Edan gone and the fruit stall smashed, Caitlin tried searching for them. There was no sign of them except for the destruction and mess left behind by whomever had taken them, and after studying the tracks in the dirt and matching them with the imprints on a melon, Caitlin decided to follow the road to the west, chasing the sun on the horizon.

  Without Keela and Edan, there was no reason to stay at the cabin anymore, although about an hour into the long trek, Caitlin had started to regret her rash choice. All she had were the clothes on her back with no food or water. She considered going back to grab the axe or knife for protection, but it was getting dark. Doing so would have set her back and the chances finding her supposed sister and nephew would be exponentially lower.

  The rider that had woken her rode off in the same direction Caitlin was heading. She had slept longer than she intended and in the broad daylight, she realized the tree she was in was a lot closer to the road than she had wanted. In the dark, it had seemed much farther way from the road.

  Her entire body was sore from sleeping against the tough bark of the tree and Caitlin gingerly lowered herself to the ground, hanging off one of the branches and dropping down the last five feet. She stumbled forward a few steps until she regained her footing. Looking in both directions, there was nobody in sight. The rider was long gone and the horse’s hoofmarks were starting to fade as the wind combed over them with fine sand and dust.

  For the first time in her life, Caitlin felt utterly hopeless. She was marooned in a vast and unfamiliar land, chasing after two family members who were strangers. She stared down at the dirt road under her feet and the two directions it went. She could go back to the cabin where she could grow old and live out the rest of her life in solitude. There was no way of knowing what was in the other direction. After a long pause, Caitlin turned towards the west and put one foot forward. It was going to be a long walk.

  Chapter 38

  So far, after passing through the door to the prison cells and down a long windowless corridor, they hadn’t encountered any more guards. They left the unconscious guard in the hallway undisturbed, not knowing how long he would be out.

  Moving as quickly as possible, they held their breaths with each step, worried that even the slightest sound of an exhale could draw unwanted attention. Leo and Themba were still wearing their cloth shoes which made little to no sound against the dark marble floor. Sarah, on the other hand, had on her leather boots and she had to pay extra care to each step forward. She thought about taking them off, but Leo wouldn’t pause even for a few seconds. There was no knowing how long this window of opportunity for escape would last, if it even was a window at all.

  The corridor took a sharp left turn, then right in a few feet. A short distance after that, they came to what looked like a dead end, until they realized that the corridor split into two directions. Leo had almost missed it and walked straight into the wall. Fortunately, the skylights provided just enough light. They wouldn’t have made it this far at night. Neither way was distinct from the other and Leo decided to follow his gut and go right. His fellow jail breakers went along without objections.

  At the end of the corridor, they came to an opening and Leo put a hand up behind him to tell Sarah and Themba to wait while he did some reconnaissance. Slowly, he peered out into the room until he saw the marble throne. It was the big hall where they had been captured.

  The throne was unoccupied. Rylance was nowhere to be seen. Relieved, Leo stepped into the hall with his two companions right behind him. They knew the way out from here. They were almost free. Suddenly, someone coughed.

  The three escapees froze in their steps but it was too late. Leo hadn’t seen Rance sitting motionless in the same seat where they had first saw him yesterday. The only part of Rance’s body that would have been visible from Leo’s vantage point at the corridor was the top of his head sticking out of the back of the marble seat. Even then, his raven hair melded into the surroundings and served as the perfect camouflage. There was no way Leo could have spotted Rance.

  Rance turned his head to look at them as he slowly got up. The ends of his thin and pale lips curved up slightly in an eerie smile. Leo drew his sword and ran past Rance, keeping it in front of him as pointed at the sinister man as Sarah and Themba went towards the entrance.

  Rance didn’t speak or call out for the guards. He just stared at them as they passed in front of him.

  “Leo! Let’s go!” Sarah called out to him. They were so close to the exit that she saw no reason to stay quiet. This was the dash to the finish line. She couldn’t wait to get out of this dark and depressing building. She didn’t even think about what they would do once they were outside.

  Leo started towards his friends and glanced back at Rance as he exited the throne room. He couldn’t figure out what the strange man was thinking or why he wasn’t raising the alarm, but there was no time for further deliberation. He chased after Sarah and Themba as they sprinted through the building towards the entrance of the Marble Keep. It didn’t take long for them to find their way to the front door. Themba was the first to it and he pulled on the metal rung that served as a handle. The door flew open and light flooded in from outside, momentarily blinding them. As their eyes adjusted to the brightness, Themba held the door open while Sarah went through first, with Leo steps behind.

  However, two intercrossed spears appeared in front of Sarah and she had to shield her face to prevent them from hitting her. She stumbled back as two guards came into view. They had forgotten about the two guards stationed outside. Now Leo knew what their purpose was. The
y weren’t there to keep people out. They kept people from leaving.

  Chapter 39

  Her eyes were closed as she concentrated on visualizing a flame in the middle of her palm. Nearby, the gushing water of the river had a soothing effect and helped her to enter a state of mind where she gradually blocked out all of her senses. Elin’s lessons were vague and not quite the specific instructions that Eva had hoped. According to the wizard, magic was unique to everyone who could harness it. There were no magical incantations or spells that worked universally for all, which sort of disappointed Eva. Nor did wizards use wands or lamps or rings.

  No, it was all dependent on the individual, and Elin could only serve as Eva’s guide, just as whoever had taught Elin had done so for her. She described it as finding her way through a dense fog, with someone holding a lamp in the distance. Eva would need to use the faint light as a beacon and eventually, when the lamp was gone or couldn’t be seen, find her own way to illuminate her path.

  “Now,” Elin said.

  Eva opened her eyes and instantly a large column of blue fire shot upwards from her palm. Startled by her own magic, Eva panicked and clenched her fist, extinguishing the flame just as quickly as it had appeared. The two horses tied to a tree behind them neighed loudly and their hooves stomped on the ground in alarm. As she collected herself, Eva slowly opened her hand. The flame was gone. She rubbed her hands together and they didn’t feel any warmer than they normally did.

  “Well done,” Elin said. She was standing off to the side by the river bank. After parting ways with the others at the tree, they had ridden nonstop for a few hours until they reached the water. It was too deep and flowing too fast for the horses to transverse, and they continued west along the river, stopping frequently to let the horses rest. It was a long way to the libraries in Thelmont and Elin was cautious of overworking their steeds.

  Each time they stopped, the wizard took the opportunity to teach Eva meditation techniques to hone and focus her magic. After five attempts, this had been the first time Eva was successful in conjuring up a fire. Elin made it look effortless with a flick of the wrist, just like she had back inside the giant tree. She had yet to reveal what other feats of wonder she was capable of, or the extent of her powers.

  “Why was it blue?” Eva asked. She felt drained, like she had just finished swimming twenty laps in the pool.

  “Blue flames are hotter and burn longer. It usually takes years of training to achieve.” Elin snapped her fingers and ignited a tiny blue flame at the tip of her index finger to punctuate her statement.

  “Your potential is higher than any I’ve seen in many years. You must be mindful of that. If you cannot control it, best not to use it at all.” Elin waved the flame away. She walked over to the horses and whispered something into their ears which calmed them down.

  “Come, we must ride again.”

  Chapter 40

  Leo rushed to get in front of Sarah with his sword raised. The guards blocked the only exit with their spears and stood there imposingly. The setting sun cast a long shadow in front of them and they looked like indomitable statues. Behind the three would-be escapees, many running footsteps could be heard. Soon, they would be recaptured if they were unable to get past these two guards expeditiously.

  Sarah and Themba looked at Leo and the sword in his hand. They were counting on him to find a way out of this situation but he was out of ideas. He wasn’t sure if he could take on two armed men at the same time before the rest of the guards got here. Leo pretended to swing his sword at one of the guards to see if he would flinch and get out of the way. He didn’t even blink.

  Leo cursed out loud.

  “There they are!” someone shouted from behind them. In a matter of moments, they would be back in captivity like caged animals in a zoo.

  As the guards behind them closed in, Themba's instinct to evade capture kicked in again, just as it had right before they were first captured. He dove to the side of the guard on the right in an attempt to squeeze by him. There was enough of a gap between the guard and the adjacent wall that he had to shift his body to prevent the skinny Themba from slipping through to the outside.

  Seizing the opportunity, Leo raised his sword above his head and swung down hard at that same guard, who had to bring his spear up to block the strike. That gave Themba the chance to squeeze pass the guard and get out.

  “Sarah! Go!” Leo urged as he withdrew his sword and swung again, this time from right to left. Again, the guard had to maneuver his spear to block Leo’s attack and the force of the strike pushed him towards his partner. Leo felt Sarah’s shoulder brush against his as she ran ahead. She reached back with an outstretched hand to pull him with her, but the guard had recovered to knock her hand away.

  Reeling from the pain, Sarah cried out in agony. “Leo! Hurry!” she shouted.

  Themba was already pulling her in the other direction, urging her to flee with him. The other entrance guard turned to pursue them and Leo immediately spun around to strike at him with his sword.

  Sparrow made contact with the guard’s armor. It wasn’t enough to injure him or even penetrate the armor, but it got his attention. Faced with the choice of chasing after two unarmed individuals or turning his back to Leo’s sword, he had chosen the latter. The two guards took a step back in tandem and leveled their spears almost at the same time, aiming the sharp, pointed tips at Leo. The element of surprise was gone and they now had the advantage of having longer weapons and better positioning. The doorway was also too narrow for Leo to outflank either of them.

  “Go!” Leo bellowed, though he could barely see past the guards anymore. All he saw was the heel of one of Sarah’s boots as his friends fled without him. He wasn’t sure if they would be able to make it far, but at least they weren’t sandwiched between guards on both sides. He recalled the lax security when they entered the city. Perhaps Themba and Sarah stood a chance.

  A sense of doom overwhelmed Leo as he looked over his shoulder. The guards behind him were lined up in a similar fashion to the ones in front of him, with their spears pointed at him. They took small and measured steps towards him, boxing him in on both sides like a trash compactor. If he kept fighting, there was no guarantee that he would survive. The longer he held out, the more likely he would be skewered by a spear, or worse, spears. It looked like his only option was to surrender and be thrown back into a cell. This time, he would be by himself with no chance of escape.

  “Come on guys, why are you doing this? We’ve done nothing wrong,” Leo said to the two men blocking his escape, trying to buy some time to figure another way past them. The only response he received was the stoic looks on their faces. He stepped towards the guard on the right to test his reaction. The guard retreated one step while his partner on the left leaned his spear over, ready to stab at Leo if he got any closer. From the looks of it, it was a well-coordinated move that they had probably executed many times before. There was no way for Leo to advance and he was close to giving up and dropping his weapon. He hoped they would take him alive.

  Just as he was about to concede defeat, one of the guards in front of him let out a cry in pain and crumbled to the ground. In quick succession, the other guard reacted similarly and his legs buckled too as he fell forward. Standing behind them was Karine with her blades in hand. She had cut them behind the joints of their knees where their armor was presumably weakest.

  “Learned that from you,” the elf smirked. She beckoned Leo to come out and he quickly jumped over the two guards, stepping on their shoulders. One of them made a half-hearted attempted to grab his leg, but Leo was able to kick it away. He imagined being cut in the back of the leg must be an excruciating pain. After all, he had defeated the giant with that move at the Quilen festival.

  Themba and Sarah were long gone and nowhere to be seen, but there was hardly any time to worry about them. Leo sprinted down the gentle slopes of the small hill with Karine right behind him.

  Chapter 41

 
Themba led the way, not letting go of Sarah’s hand as they ran through the streets of Thermine. People stared, but none tried to stop them. He didn’t dare to look back, fearful that the guards would already be on their heels. He made it a point to take as many turns as possible, down different footpaths and alleys as the sun was starting to disappear for the day. He had a vague outline of the city in his head from their journey in to the Marble Keep and it was easy for him to picture where they needed to go. The entrance to the city was directly south of the building they had just escaped and it hadn’t been guarded when they arrived yesterday.

  They kept running until they could see the opening in the wall that encompassed Thermine. They were so close. People still came and left the city. But that changed when bells suddenly started ringing. At first, it was so faint and soft that Themba thought he had imagined it. Then, it got louder and louder, and almost as if more bells were being rung. It was like a wave of bells had swept through the city and Themba felt the ringing move past them to the entrance, where several guards emerged from a building nearby and started walking towards the entryway to secure it. It was clear what the bells signaled.

  Themba hadn’t thought to stop running until he felt Sarah’s hand jerk him back violently.

  “Themba! We need to stop,” Sarah said in a harsh whisper. She looked around and pointed to an alley off to their left. “There. Come on, we need to hide first.” She tugged at Themba’s hand but he wouldn’t budge.

  “No. We need to run. We can make it. We have to,” Themba replied breathlessly. “If we wait, they’ll lock down the city and sweep it. They’ll catch us. Let’s go.” He let go of Sarah’s hand and ran, assuming she would follow.

  She didn’t. Sarah bit her lip and watched Themba’s figure get smaller in the distance as he ran. The guards were already within a few feet of the exit and he was too far away to make it even if he was twice as fast, which still wasn’t a lot. She gasped when she saw him screech to a halt. Perhaps reason had finally kicked in, but it was too late. Two of the guards had spotted him and they were shouting and pointing at Themba. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was clear they had identified the escapee. He was caught in the middle of no man’s land, out in the open with nowhere to hide, and he started running to his right, until Sarah lost sight of him behind some buildings.