He slowed when the hum of helicopter blades in motion became apparent, as well as other familiar mechanical sounds of Alliance vehicles. He knew he had to be close. Waikor was just beyond the trees. He skirted the area, trying to get as close as possible so that he could plan his attack. He avoided the fields, not wishing to be in the open for too long, and found his way to the thickest area of trees, shrubs and vines. Among them, he was able to hide the white of the Daijuarn garments, and he sat waiting, peering from a small gully behind a mess of tangled vine leaves and its host tree’s limbs.
As he had expected, there were soldiers wearing Alliance uniforms roaming everywhere, the helicopters now on his right and tanks and other vehicles lined to his left. But there was no sign of the city of Waikor. All he could see was a giant wall of gray. He searched further, trying to get a glimpse of something that would reveal his true location, but beyond the wall, even the great mountain of Waikor would have been invisible. His first glimpse came when he saw a part of the city through a damaged section of the wall. It was far from him, but an entire section had been broken down, giving the aggressors access to the inner rings and confirming that the city was in fact under Alliance control. There was no sound of gunfire or any form of resistance. The Alliance had captured Waikor as they had Callibra.
The Waikorian people would either be rounded up in its centre or dead. He had to find out which answer was true. He had to get in there himself. But he would not find a way of climbing over the wall this time, nor would he attempt to sneak in. He was powerful now, and he knew it was time to show the Alliance just what they had created in him by taking what he loved.
The endobraces ignited and he stood to run out from the vines and onto the field, but as he got up, a strong force gripped him and pulled him backward, dragging him down to the ground where he was held. Jaden struggled, fighting his attacker, but quieted as the attacker’s arm pointed just ahead of them, past the leaves. There Jaden saw the same black device and dim red light as he had outside the fort in Callibra; it was from the same type of landmine that had exploded when the guard fell onto it.
He hadn’t seen it. He hadn’t even thought to look.
His attacker had saved his life.
Soldiers came to investigate the rustle in the leaves, and a black cape was thrown over him, the one who saved his life now hiding them from the soldiers.
‘What was it?’ asked one of the soldiers.
After a long pause and a further rustling of the leaves, the other responded. ‘Just a rat.’
The two soldiers walked away, and then Jaden’s saviour spoke.
‘Don’t move.’
The voice was masculine and the accent was somehow familiar. Both of them remained completely still for some time before the man lifted the cape and told Jaden to get up.
‘Walk back the way you came, then go north.’
‘I have to get into the city,’ said Jaden.
‘You need to go north first,’ responded the man.
Jaden complied. The man had saved his life. He deserved to be listened to for now. Jaden would argue with him later.
Both made their way from the vines with Jaden leading the way. Each time Jaden attempted to turn, the man shoved him in the back, telling him to keep walking, but Jaden needed to know the man’s identity before he went any further.
‘No,’ he said, skipping two steps forward and turning to face him. Jaden was momentarily stunned as the face became clear, framed by long dark hair. ‘You!’ he shouted.
The man gave no reply as the two soldiers burst through the vines nearby.
‘Sentinel!’ they shouted.
‘Run!’ yelled the man with black hair.
Realising the danger, Jaden quickly sprinted the way the man had shoved him, falling back two steps behind him so that he was able to protect both of them from the bullets being fired. He wasn’t sure if the energy he used would actually stop the bullets, but he used enough to ensure they would at least be deflected. He began to wonder if he should have tested the energy first, before thinking he could walk straight into a fortified city. It was a lesson many had tried to teach him, but his temper usually got the better of the judgment. There was no time to ponder now though as they ran as fast as they could from the soldiers, hearing the shouts of twenty or more now in their pursuit. The man that had both attacked and saved Jaden led them on a winding trail, around ledges and dense growths of trees, doing his best to lose the following Alliance soldiers. Jaden tried to gauge how far they were from them by turning his head and had almost collided with the man in front of him, who had stopped suddenly.
Jaden now saw that there was a beast from the palace in their way, and the man had no means of defence or escape. Jaden rushed forward, using the energy shown to him by Raquel to levitate the beast and slowly push it away. It screamed as it fought to break free, but without leverage, its superior muscles were of no use. Jaden threw the beast away from them with a final burst of energy, and he called for the man to follow him. But the man’s face had turned white. Five more of the beasts had surrounded them.