CHAPTER 2: ONE STEP AHEAD

Chapter 2

"Little one, the carriage is close enough. When do we attack?" Ryles had to ask, noticing Raven spacing out. Frustration and anger brewed inside him. 'This isn't the place to be spacing out, get your shit together!' he thought, wondering why their Master ever bothered with the little one.

Ryles' question jolted Raven from his thoughts. Cold sweat dotted his forehead.

'Did he just have a vision?' Confusion and disbelief etched on his face. He couldn't believe he saw something that would happen in a few minutes. Just to be sure, he peeked from behind the bushes to see the exact carriage from his vision, with oddly few soldiers, just as he had seen.

"Everyone remain hidden. Do not attack," he informed the rest, who stared at him like he was crazy.

"Are you out of your mind? The carriages are right where we want them. We can't lose our chance," Sard, another member, huffed, irked at the sudden change of plans.

Raven didn't know how to explain it to them, so he just stared at Ryles for help, who sighed reluctantly.

"Everyone, just do as he says," Ryles commanded, teeth clenched in controlled anger. After all, he couldn't go against his master.

Everyone resigned back to their hidden positions while Raven thought of a plan.

"Ryles, it's a trap. The carriage has been split into two," Raven whispered, knowing his senior was listening. Ryles' head snapped to look at him, wondering how Raven figured it out. Of course, the boy knew this from his visions. The merchant wasn't even in the carriage, which clearly meant it had been split into two. Smart move, it almost had them.

"Then what's the plan now?" Ryles wanted to see what the boy had. He was now more curious as to why their master had chosen him tonight.

"We fake an attack, but nobody leaves their spot," Raven commanded with firmness, his eyes swirling with untold power and danger even he was unaware of, as he looked everyone in the eye. Tonight, Raven looked a little different to them as he went on to explain the new plan quickly. Everyone nodded in unison, and just like that, they were now one step ahead.

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Radolph, one of the soldiers taking the first four carriages, was the head of their squad and couldn't let his guard down. Everyone in the carriage was alert, on the lookout, ensuring nothing slipped past them. He looked out the window and saw a shadow swiftly moving amidst the trees like a phantom. It was even a bit faster than the carriage. Radolph couldn't tell if it was a wild animal or a human being, as he hadn't ever encountered Leo's men; he had only heard of them. He signaled to his men to aim at the moving shadow, and immediately they all began firing arrows, not knowing it was just a distraction.

Another shadow came running with a big ball of burning hay, and the soldiers were a second late to react as the burning hay flew towards their path. It was too late to stop, and everything quickly spiraled out of control with the panicked horses misbehaving. The carriages crashed into each other, and the one at the front caught fire, having halted too close to the burning hay.

"FIRE! FIRE!" some of the soldiers began shouting, scrambling out of the damaged carriages despite serious injuries, as the fire spread quickly. Radolph immediately scanned the surroundings for any sign of the shadows, but they were gone without a trace, except for the burning hay that had now lit some of the carriages on fire, which the squad tried to put out.

"Everyone stay in position now and fire your arrows," Radolph commanded his squad, realizing the attackers were still around. He had heard enough stories to understand they were under attack by Leo's men.

They began firing arrows in every direction, knowing their enemies could be hiding anywhere around. At the same time, knives came flying out of the forest, striking down some of the soldiers precisely to paralyze them. With immediate effect, the soldiers began dropping like flies as the knives were coated in effective drugs.

They were already fighting a losing battle, unable to see their opponents and impulsively firing arrows to deter or kill them. Unfortunately for them, Leo's men were one step ahead. Radolph looked around, seeing his men drop one after another. Frustrated, he took cover behind a huge tree, reaching for his pouch and bringing out the jade bomb, a dangerously effective magical explosive. Radolph patiently waited behind the tree for them to come out of hiding, which they did. He had to admit they were extremely good at hiding.

Jumping out of the forest and landing swiftly like a cat, Leo's men took out the remaining standing soldiers, knocking them out for a few hours. Radolph took the opportunity to launch the glowing ball at them, but immediately felt a cold metal pressed against his neck.

"Your life or the ball, Captain?" Raven whispered from behind him, his voice dangerously low and compelling. Radolph's blood ran cold. Slowly, he raised his hands in surrender, handing over the ball. Raven grabbed it before knocking him out.

"There's only six bags of gold, little one," Ryles scoffed, glancing at Raven, who was dragging a soldier by the leg.

"I told you, it was a trap," Raven's eyes darted towards his senior, his green eyes glowing in the dark.

Everyone exchanged glances, wondering how Raven had known it was a trap. It had been hard to believe at first, but now they were convinced.

"Round up the soldiers and go back into hiding," Raven instructed. "Nobody touch the gold yet." They all did as told and laid low.

"What now?" Ryles glanced at him.

"We wait," came Raven's crisp response.

"Are you sure they are coming?" Ryles asked once more, even though Raven had already explained. The little one just nodded, his expression confident.