Footsteps echoed through the tunnel walls–light, controlled, deliberate. Three figures moved as one, each carrying a child on their backs.
Then–
A shadow cut through the darkness–A crow, descending on a woman's forehead.
They stopped.
She closed her eyes, envisioning a forest bathed in moonlight from the above. She saw what the crow had seen. Branches snapped. The trail stretched north.
When she opened her eyes, she was back in the cave. The crow had vanished. She turned to the man on her left. "They're headed for the north gates."
He nodded, acknowledging that the enemy hadn't discovered them. And then he moved down the tunnel. The others following.
They ran for what felt like minutes. They stopped—sweats running down their faces, the tunnel split ahead.
"Lord Isaac, what now?" the man to Isaac's right said, voice edged with confusion.
Isaac scanned each tunnel, trying to recollect the right path.
The man on the right shifted, impatient, "Come on, brother, think."
"Don't—," the woman interjected. "What do you think he's doing."
"Oh, uh, I'm sorry. I'm just on edge."
"And the rest of us, are we calm?"
"Oh."
Feeling confident—Isaac turned to the far-left tunnel, darted in, and said, "This way."
The two ended their squabble, and followed.
After another long run, Isaac turned to meet his brother's gaze. The brother's eyes drifted to the back of the tunnel, anxious. Something was wrong.
Isaac asked, "Do you sense something?"
"Back there, there's a group of people following us."
"That's impossible. My crow can't have been followed," the woman questioned his ability to sense energy, in disbelief.
"I'm afraid it was."
They stopped, turning to face back, guards up.
"I don't understand how—"
Before the woman could finish, the girl on Isaac's back shouted, "COME OUT!"
"Kyra!" snapped the woman.
"I want to help."
"No, stay back," she said, firmly.
Kyra lowered her head, marked with sadness.
Feeling guilty, the woman stepped closer, "I'm sorry. I just want to keep you safe baby. I'm sure you understand—you have you little brothers."
Kyra nodded, hesitantly. She understood but still wanted to do something.
Then—
Fully masked figures emerged from the darkness, weapons at hand.
One of them stepped forward, his mask covering only his mouth. "Surrender now. Refuse, and we won't show you mercy."
"Isaac," the woman said, turning to him. "Go ahead, find the gate. I can handle them."
Then she felt two small hands grip her shoulders firmly. It was a two-year-old boy.
"Mommy—don't go," the boy's voice trembled behind her.
"I-I can't do that. We need to stick together," Isaac said.
"Isaac! Don't you trust me?"
The question hit hard. His jaw tightened, "I do."
"Then go," she said, turning to the boy on her back.
She shifted him off her back—despite his protests—as Isaac's brother stepped in to take him. "I'll be back soon, Ty."
Isaac nodded and began running—slow and hesitant at first.
Then faster, confident that she would catch up soon, with his brother trailing behind.
"Don't let them escape!" the leader of the masked men shouted.
Footsteps followed Isaac and his brother. Then they went quiet, and a loud thud hit the wall.
The background sounds slowly faded until they were completely gone. All they could hear now were Ty's sobs, which eventually grew quieter.
Their breathing caught up with them, and Isaac and his brother stopped.
"She has been gone a while. Should we head back?"
They had reduced their pace earlier, hoping that she would catch up. So his question didn't catch Isaac off guard.
"No. I know my wife, she'll be here soon."
"I understand. I guess we'll use the time to recuperate."
They sat down, and waited.
Minutes passed.
More,
and more.
Eventually they grew tired of waiting. Isaac stood up and said, "Let's go."
Without a word his brother stood and they left.
On the way, Isaac kept shaking off his pessimistic thoughts. They became reality when he reached the point he'd last seen her.
She wasn't there.
There was no sign of a recent skirmish either.
He came to a horrifying realization as he took in the scene. Without thinking, he surged forward, a blue streak of lightning trailing behind him.
"Isaac, wait," his brother shouted, sensing the sudden surge in energy. It was hopeless—his voice couldn't reach him. Eventually Isaac disappeared into the distance.
Ahead, Isaac saw a faint light come into view. It grew bigger with each step he took. He shot a hand above his eyes the moment it swallowed him.
Daylight.
He felt shaken—last time he'd checked, it was night. After his vision adjusted, he lowered his hand.
His eyes widened.
It was all… different.
Trees stood in different places. Gaps were trees should have been. Mountains loomed in the distance, impossible.
He panicked searching frantically for anything close to home.
Nothing.
Then, as his knees gave way, Kyra slipped off his back. He felt powerless knowing that he crossed the gate without his wife.
His brother walked out of the cave afterwards, as shocked as Isaac. He came closer grasping Isaac's shoulder.
"… Brother…"
Isaac trembled, feeling the soil beneath him.
"We left her, Derek."
Derek looked to the side. His grip on Isaac's shoulder tightened, then loosened.
"WE LEFT HER!"
His screams tore through the forest, sending birds scattering in different directions.