Raftin got up swiftly and watched Felmer run away. He ran to the left of the burning governor's building. He stood on the cliff and saw the six horses on the road to the Eastern District.
'Eastern district. The Kingdom of Russin and Solvo.'
A soldier ran towards him.
"You!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldier responded.
"Go to the eastern district, right now, and tell them to close the border. Don't let Felmer and his companions leave the country!"
The soldier nodded and ran off to his horse. He rode it and headed towards the eastern district.
Felmer and his companions rushed swiftly through the Cerfisian plain under the night sky. They had to leave the country as quickly as possible. Felmer's mind was clouded with countless questions.
'Lead them? What about mother and father? And Anna? And…And…Ugh!! Damnit!'
"Felmer!" Elna called him. "Felmer!"
Her voice brought him back to the world.
"Huh? Yes?"
"Need some advice?"
"On what?"
"Our escape plan."
"I would like to hear," Felmer responded.
"We should wear our cloaks and hide our faces. We will buy warm clothes, as strangers to avoid attention and then leave the country."
"Sounds good. But Raftin may easily guess where we are headed! If we are gonna go with your plan, then we have to be as fast as possible." Felmer objected.
"Fine then…" Elna responded.
"What? Another nonstop travel?" Flexin asked tiredly. He was still tired from his last journey.
Marnis and Emilia sat in the cells and looked around. They were in the underground jail of Cerfa. Marnis was somewhat relaxed, but Emilia was tense. She was worried about her children.
"How are you so relaxed?" Emilia asked Marnis.
"What can I do? Can I do anything?" He asked.
"Still…What would happen to them? They didn't have any rest, and now they have to travel again. And what about Anna? She is too young for all of this."
Marnis got close and placed his hands on her shoulders. Emilia turned, and he looked at her worried face.
"Don't worry. They survived the Morl Riders. So this is nothing for them. Moreover, they are headed to your home country. So, relax." He said in a calm voice.
Emilia nodded and looked away. She couldn't relax. Marnis was worried, but he had to act strong.
Time passed, and soon, dawn arrived at Cerfis. The squad was in the border village. The same village from where they left for the badge two weeks ago.
"Don't let anyone see your face. Elna, Melfer and Captain Irnik. You will go and buy warm clothes. We will get food." Felmer ordered. "We will meet near the border gate."
'Not the right time to say. But it feels amazing to give orders.' Felmer chuckled in his mind.
"How do we bypass the border guards?" Melfer asked.
"We will hide our crests and make up something fake."
They nodded in response and went their separate ways. Felmer, Flexin, and Benny moved through the crowd of travellers and caravans, concealing their faces with their cloaks. They went to a fruit stall and bought fruit. Then they headed to a bakery and bought bread and some jam.
Felmer handed the things to his two brothers and guided them through the crowd. They were halfway through the village and near the gates. They were waiting for Elna, Irnik, and Melfer.
'Where the heck are they?' He thought.
"Brother, it's heavy," Benny complained.
"Shut up! And stand still!" Felmer ordered.
They stood for some time longer and waited for their companions.
'What's taking them so long?'
They saw some soldiers running to the other side of the village.
'I hope it is not what I am thinking,'
Felmer felt sweat run down his face. He lowered his mask and wiped his face. In that moment, a civilian saw his face and said his name aloud.
"Master Felmer!"
"Shut up! Dumbass!"
A soldier heard it and shouted.
"There he is! Arrest them!"
"Oh…Fuck!" Felmer said aloud.
He grabbed Benny's hand and ran towards the border. Flexin was right behind them.
"Don't let them run! Close the gates!" A soldier shouted.
Suddenly, they heard a small explosion from their left. And, soon, Elna, Irnik, and Melfer arrived with the horses.
"C'mon, get on them!" Elna shouted.
"What took you so long?" Felmer was angry.
"Sorry!"
Felmer grabbed the things from Benny and placed them in the saddlebag. He swiftly rode his horse and led his companions. As they pressed towards the gate. The soldiers closed the gate. The Qareistiskian soldiers moved away from the gate and took arms. They were unaware of what was happening.
Elna took out her bow, aimed at the gate, imbued the arrow with explosive magic, and fired it. The arrow swerved through the air and hit the gate. The checkpost exploded, and through the black smoke and the falling debris emerged the squad. They didn't slow down.
The Cerfisian and Qaeristiskian soldiers looked at the six horse riders running towards the northeast, towards the Alcoz Mountains.
"Dang it!" Said the captain of the Cerfisian military as he watched the six horse riders run away.
The squad rushed away from the border and into the Kingdom of Qaeristisk, towards the Kingdom of Russin and Solvo.