Chapter 6 - Ambush

Chapter 6 - Ambush

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Alexius

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I messed up.

I never considered the fact that Melanie could’ve been an orphan. Ugh, I was such an idiot. No wonder she was always so calm and collected. I bet she had to grow up without anyone to lean on, and here I was, reopening old wounds by blabbing about her mother.

After that, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything else. The rest of the walk was suffocatingly quiet, giving me plenty of time to reflect on my mistake. Every time I tried to open my mouth, my lips would snap shut. I probably dug up a mountain of pain with that one careless joke, and now she’d never forgive me.

She didn’t seem to notice my silence, and she walked ahead as if I wasn’t even there. Meanwhile, I kept replaying my words over and over, each time wincing at my stupidity.

When Mudrun finally came into view, Melanie walked into the apothecary. I stopped short at the door. Should I follow her in? No…I had already said enough stupid things today, so I would just stand outside, in case that bandit came back. Plus, it was not like she needed me next to her while she finished her errand.

So I leaned against the wall, arms crossed at my chest. I was totally not waiting for her. Nope… I was just keeping an eye out. That’s all.

After roughly five minutes, she came back out of the store. Her emerald eyes widened slightly as they fell on me.

“I thought you had left already,” she said, a hint of surprise, and maybe even a little happiness, in her voice.

“No, I thought that I should give you some space.”

Melanie began to walk away again, but this time, I wanted to do what was right. I chased after her and tapped her shoulder.

She spun around instantly, and her emerald eyes, flashing with suspicion, narrowed as they scanned me with precision. One of her hands subtly shifted, revealing the faint glint of what seemed like…ice? What was she holding?

“What do you want?” She asked, her tone sharp and intimidating.

For a moment, my mind blanked as her piercing gaze penetrated me. Then, mustering every ounce of courage I could gather, I opened my mouth.

“I…I want to apologize,” I stammered, my voice barely louder than a murmur.

“Pardon me,” she replied.

“Sorry! I… I didn’t realize you were an orphan,” I shouted this time, my words coming out in a rush.

“What I said earlier was a terrible joke, and I never meant to bring up old wounds!”

I finished my apology, my chest heaving from the effort. For a moment, silence filled the air. Then… applause.

I spun around, only to be greeted by a small cluster of villagers clapping their hands as they stared with wide eyes.

Heat rushed to my face and ears, and my eyes darted away. Hmm, since when had my shoes become so fascinating to look at?

Melanie tilted her head slightly,

“Huh…that was unexpected. Don’t sweat it, I don’t really mind,” she said, her tone light and easy.

As I lifted my head to look at her, I caught a faint smile on her lips as she turned around and walked away.

I burned that faint smile into my mind as we pressed on. The forest, which had seemed so welcoming just moments ago, now pressed all around us with an eerie silence.

Our earlier chatter was now replaced by the soft crunch of our boots on the damp earth. Shadows stretched long and thin as the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in a fading violet.

I strained my eyes, scanning the treeline as we walked. The forest felt oppressive. The air was heavy and hard to breathe, and every snap of a twig made me flinch.

Ahead, the trees grew denser, their branches stretching out in an attempt to capture what little light remained. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched. Every rustle made my heart thump louder.

Suddenly, Melanie held out her arm and stopped me.

“Ambush ahead,” she whispered, her voice calm but serious.

I froze, my brain still registering the information. “How…how did you know?” I asked.

She pointed at the ground, and I saw footprints, fresh footprints that weren’t ours. Then, she motioned toward a tree. A small squirrel was perched on a tree branch, its eyes locked on the bushes ahead. Melanie’s gaze followed it, and I realized that she was observing every tiny detail the forest could offer.

“Hey Alexius,” she whispered.

“Yes?”

“Alexius, I need you to walk ahead.”

“Huh wha…But didn’t you say there was an ambush?” I asked, dumbfounded.

Melanie only nodded, calm as ever, “So? What about it?”

I stared at her. Was she serious?

“What do you mean by ‘what about it”? I don’t even know how many of them there are! There could be like…over thirty bandits or something, and we would be walking into a slaughter.”

She let out a long, tired sigh, as if I were a child who had refused to eat my vegetables.

But I wasn’t done complaining, “No way! There’s no way I’m stupid enough to step out like a clueless bait. Do you think I am—”

Suddenly, Melanie spun around and began bolting away.

“Wait—what?!” I stared at her, completely thrown off as she vanished between the branches.

“HEY! You!”

The shout came from behind, and my blood ran cold.

I spun around just as five men emerged from the bushes. They twirled their daggers as they emerged, one of them, a tough-looking bandit, even carried a sword.

One of them pointed his dagger at me, his eyes blazing,

“You! You’re the one who killed the boss! We’ll have our revenge!”

My stomach dropped. I recognized him; he was the bandit who had fled earlier.

The men charged forward. Only then did my panicking body finally decide to move. I started running, running straight after Melanie.

I tore through the branches as they clawed at my clothing, my eyes fixed in the direction that Melanie had run.

Then, I stopped. A glistening, jagged ice wall loomed before me, easily four or five meters. I wasn’t sure of its exact height, but the one thing I knew was that it had definitely cut off my escape route.

I didn’t know what to do. I could only stare at the wall as my hands trembled in fear.

“What the…? When did this!?”

The bandits caught up, and their initial surprise quickly faded into vicious grins.

“He’s trapped! Get him!”

I stumbled back, my hands shaking as I pulled out my dagger. My chest tightened, and a sense of cold dread filled me as the realization hit.

Melanie had abandoned me.

~ End of chapter ~