Chapter 61: Quick Escape [Free]

"Here! I'm here!" It's Markolin. 

Nikolai and Vysela followed the voice, running towards the water. The lake was as smooth as black glass, shimmering under the moonlight with no tree branches hovering over the air. You would no longer need torches to light the way as the reflection in the water was enough to see what's around. Nikolai proceeded to the shoreline, screaming for his brother's name but he couldn't see anyone on the surface. The water was like the night; calm, silent and bleak.

Vysela whirled around, her bow firm in her hand. He wasn't drowning also. If he was, he couldn't speak clearly anymore so they roamed around the area, hoping they could find some clue as to where Markolin was.

"Brother? Are you there?" Nikolai went to a closed zone obscured in dense shrubs, using his sword to cut down the brushwood. "Markolin!"

"Nikolai!" Markolin waved his hands in front of him. As soon as he saw this, he ran towards his brother, Vysela trailing him. Nikolai reached out for him but immediately stopped when Markolin raised his hand to stop him, "Don't come near me, it's dangerous."

Nikolai stepped backwards. He couldn't understand what he was talking about. He observed the spot where he stood and realized Markolin was stuck in a quicksand, half of his body sunk underneath. The thick brown paste was not cold enough to freeze, yet clung to his feet sapping what little heat he had. The night was dead and cold and being fixed in it wasn't helping at all. It was impossible to walk through it as the sand kept clinging into his body. 

"Okay… okay," Nikolai calmed himself down, glancing at Vysela whom he could barely read her expression. "This is what we'll do. Uh..." he scanned the surroundings, looking for anything to hold onto, "There," he pointed the thick vine hanging an arm's length to Markolin, "Try to reach for the vine."

Markolin extended his hand, trying to grab the tip of the creeping plant. He groaned when he couldn't reach it and tried for the second time but it was impossible. "I can't. I can't do it."

Nikolai clenched his teeth in defeat. "Okay, I'll think of another way," he said. Checking for anything he can use to get Markolin out, "Wait there. Don't move."

Vysela was stuck, her eyes locked on her brother. There was no way to describe what she was feeling. Frightened? Concerned? Angry? How could Markolin reach this part of the forest when the road they used earlier was nowhere near here? Or did he just like to wander for a moment and be free to do what he liked? Whatever that was, she was furious at him for not being careful. Allyria was already missing, not certain if she was still alive and there's Markolin who just disappeared into thin air.

Fortunately, Vysela had an idea. She always liked learning survival hacks together with her sister. Aside from being a fashion icon, she was also a girl scout herself. "Markolin," she said out of the blue that took his attention from Nikolai, "Try to move your left foot in a circular motion until it finally reaches the surface."

"What?"

"Just wiggle your foot. It will create a space underneath so you can immediately pull the weight on your body."

Markolin hesitated for a second. Was Vysela kidding? 

"I'm not joking. Do it now," she said as if she could hear his thoughts.

When he couldn't see a tinge of playfulness on her face, he started doing what Vysela instructed. Nikolai halted to examine his brother. "Can you feel it working?"

Vysela answered it for him, "Of course it would work." Nikolai raised a brow in question. "Duh? Survival class? Remember AP 203?"

"Oh." Nikolai couldn't even remember any of it. Though he was also a scout himself, a ranger in training fact, his weakness has always been classroom-based learning. For him, sleeping was a fundamental part of life. If you don't like what you're doing, ride the tide and drown yourself in deep slumber.

"I can feel my feet now," Markolin wore a self-satisfied smile. "Wait, a little bit..." he wiggled his left foot for a few more seconds and finally pulled it from the quicksand, "What should I do next?"

"Okay… So… What you need to do is use your left foot and kneel on the surface," Vysela said.

"Kneel? I'll be sinking before I get to lift my feet off the sand."

"You won't. Trust me. The quicksand will help you float," she paused. "When you're finally on the surface, try to do the same to your other foot. We'll find some stick to pull you once you're already out," she explained better than any of their Professors in the castle do, Nikolai thought. He never expected Vysela had this side of her. Maybe because they never gave her a chance to prove herself since she was a child, they never realized how capable she was of such things.

"That's impossible," Markolin scoffed. His left leg was already on the seemingly shallow sand. He tried to bring it higher, making his leg float above like doing a half squat.

"Do you want to get out or no?"

"Of course I want to!"

"Then start moving," she said.

"Okay, okay. There's no need to get mad," he raised his palms as a sign of surrender and shook off his foot from the bottom even if he didn't trust her plan much. If this will work, he'd no longer fight with Vysela if she wanted to make her own rules in training. He'll punch her, kick her, pierce her with his wooden sword if she liked. That was his promise. 

Vysela waited for Markolin to get done while Nikolai grabbed a stick on the side which his brother could pull once he's already out. In point of fact, it was possible to walk on the quicksand. Anyone could do it as long as you keep moving to make sure you don't break the surface but Vysela was frightened he might actually sink back if there wasn't any escort.

"I think I'm getting the hang of it. Prepare the stick," Markolin informed. It took him a couple of seconds before he was able to tug his feet up.

Vysela shrieked when Markolin almost lost his balance, "Careful!" Her forehead creased. The tension was creeping in on her. One misstep and his whole body might drop on the sand. It would no longer be possible to get him out unless they call for professional backup.

"Quick! I can already feel my body submerging," Markolin alarmed.

"Here, grab this," Nikolai dropped his sword and bag for the meantime and handed the stick over to him, "Try to stand and sprint towards here. Just give me the signal when you're ready."

Markolin bobbed his head, taking the other end of the branch, "Here comes nothing." He stepped on the surface with both of his feet and before the quicksand could wiggle their way to his legs, he grabbed the stick and used it as guide to run towards the surface.

The quicksand blobbed with each step as he tried to escape the deadly clay. "Finally!" he exhaled and collapsed on the floor the moment he dropped the stick. His pants were brown and grimy. The half of his tunic was now covered in mud. He realized he has to buy another since he only brought a few with him and it would be difficult to wash it away.

"My brain is on five percent battery, so if you don't mind, I'm going to take some time to rest and soak in the calm peace of nature," he said in a breathy explosion of words, chuckling.

Vysela didn't wait for another word to come out from his mouth and plopped in front of him, "I hate you!" She hit his shoulders repeatedly, "I hate you! I hate you!"

Markolin raised his arms and shielded his body from Vysela's strikes. The slap was as loud as a clap. Vysela continued to do it until Markolin caught her hands, "I almost died and now you want to kill me?"

"I will kill you if you keep being complacent, you fool!"

"Woah, it's okay," he chuckled and sat, "I'm fine. I'm fine."

This time, a tear involuntarily slid down Vysela's cheek, each word pitched higher than the last in an effort to squeak out the words that were bottled up inside her. She couldn't take it anymore. The sound of her sobs filled the air. Her shoulders rose up and down from the weeping. There was no way to stop her tears from falling. Indecisively, Markolin grabbed her body and went for a tight embrace, "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me anymore."

"I don't want to lose another sibling so stop being an arse. We were so worried about you!"

Markolin rubbed her back, a smile escaped from his lips. "You won't."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Written and edited by ephemery.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Allyria will hunt you down to the ends of Arde Terra and cast you out together with the Undying in the Islands of the Cursed. You've been warned.

[][][][][][][][]

Join our discord server: https://discord.gg/VJQzyek