3 Three - Escape

"How in the name of Ithreal is this possible?" Leo asked.

"If you're here as a prisoner, then you would understand the fact that I do not know," replied Alistair.

Leo knew full well that this point couldn't be argued. He ran to his best friend and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I thought you had died," he whispered into Alistair's shoulder. He looked his friend in the eye. "You were here for much longer than me. Did he torture you as well?"

Alistair was a very lean person, with a much more reserved personality than Leo. He had short, neat hair, which had grown out during his imprisonment. Under the blonde locks lay a pale, good looking face, with a brown scar covering his left eye. A childhood accident, where he had wondered into the fireplace, not knowing its destructive capabilities. He had a petite, yet angular nose. His entire face had a feminine appearance, and with his hair the length it is now, Leo could have mistaken Alistair for a woman.

"Torture? Oh, Leo what did they do to you?"

"Don't worry about it, I have only been a prisoner for a few months. I am glad to hear that you weren't hurt. Come, let's go."

"I would have been gone already, if not for these confines," said Alistair, gesturing at his shackles.

Leo looked at them, finding it almost laughable that it would take mere seconds to free his friend.

"Do not fear what you are about to witness. I need you to trust me," said Leo. Alistair nodded his understanding and braced himself. Leo summoned the shadows, forcing Alistair to make a visible effort not to scream. He had expected Leo to draw a battleaxe, not this witchcraft.

The shadows ignited, causing Alistair to lose what little control he had over his emotions. He started to scream, but bit his tongue, causing a small yelp instead. Leo grinned as he melted the shackles.

"Are you able to stand?" he asked, concern creeping into his voice.

"The way they treated me was not so terrible. I might even be the Alston of these dungeons!" he laughed. Leo was not convinced, but gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"Then let us get going."

He helped Alistair up, and they ran to the staircase that might just be their only escape. The top of the staircase found the two fugitives in a barracks, where multiple guards were sleeping in single beds. Never let it be said that these guards were slackers, for they slept fully armed. Leo made a series of hand gestures to Alistair, who just shrugged.

"Why don't we sneak around them?" asked Alistair.

"That's what I was saying!" said Leo in a hushed shout.

He crouched and started walking in an awkward manner that resembled a combination of running and crawling. Alistair, took no chances and went prone, snailing across the room. The barracks quarters were much like the dungeons, but with three single beds, on both the left and right sides of the room. Leo, who was sneaking through the right side, heard the sound of the guard in the middle bed stirring. In an effort to avoid detection, he crouched next to the guard and attempted to perform a neck snap. As he reached up, he knocked over a plate which awoke the other guards. He quickly wrenched his arms, killing his victim. Leo then drew the guard's sword and threw it to Alistair, who fumbled it, causing Leo to fear that Alistair would cut of his own finger. He stood up and received a kick in his gut from the nearest guard. He looked over to Alistair, who was his main priority and gasped. The guards had already overpowered him, with one of them holding a sword to his neck.

Leo did not release Alistair to see him executed, so the sight of him in danger caused him to fly into a rage. Without trying to do so, he seized control of every ounce of darkness within the guards. He balled his hand into a fist, causing the shadows to tense. The guards began to feel the discomfort, and started backing off. Leo raised his fist to his face, and splayed his hand. The moment he did so, the shadows expanded, causing every guard in the room to burst in a gory shower of blood and organs. The only solid remains of them were some bones that survived the strain exerted by the shadows. Alistair stood in shock, not knowing how to react.

"Come on," Leo said. "Let's get out of here."

They ran out of the barracks, and found themselves near a castle entrance. The castle was a truly magnificent one, almost good enough to rival the kingdoms of Ithreal. To top it off, it was adorned by the night sky, cloudless and full of stars. About fifty metres away, was a stable. There were two well fed horses in it. One was black as night, and the other white enough to have been sent from heaven. They were truly majestic beasts. Leo ran to the black one, feeling that it was the one for him. After what he just did, he had to have a horse with a pelt darker than his own shadows.

Alistair ran towards the white one, and mounted it. Leo mounted his own horse. They were incredibly well tamed. Who could know the violence these men used to achieve that. Leo could tell that they were abused, as they observed him and Alistair with great wariness. Leo lay down on his horse's back and whispered in its ear, "I name thee, Shado."

Alistair was getting his horse to trot out of the stables already. He stood outside and waited for Leo. Leo rode Shado out of the stable. Upon his exit of the stables, he looked at Alistair.

"Got a name for such a fine beast?" he asked.

Alistair looked thoughtful. "Gabriel," he said. "After the Angel, for no horse could look so pure."

"Mighty poetic, my friend," said Leo. He gestured to his own horse. "This fine creature shall henceforth be known as Shado."

Alistair nodded his agreement. "A fine name for such a fine animal," he remarked. His expression darkened. "Where are we?"

Leo shook his head. "As far as I can tell from the stars, we're a good distance from any kingdom, let alone Therston."

They began trotting away from the castle, and soon found themselves on a dirt road. The night was brightly lit by the moon, eliminating any need of torches. After about two hours, they saw a trading caravan just on the horizon. They must have been headed to one of the kingdoms. Leo looked at Alistair, a grin covering most of his face.

"I'll race you there!" he challenged.