The Sacred Blade

Chapter 6- The Great Escape

"Camellia. Camellia, wake up, quickly." A pressing voice entered my mind, penetrating the blackness of my deep slumber. My eyes slowly opened, expecting to see my bedroom ceiling, but instead, I saw the ceiling of Minora's humble house. It was nice to forget that I wasn't in some other world, possibly millions of miles away from where I'd like to be, with no known way of returning.

"Wake up, my dear. You must hurry," Minora said.

Her gray hair sticking up on end, Minora's usually calm and practiced manner had transformed into behavior that reminded me of a frightened mother. Mama never got like this. She was always tired, always stressed, and always working hard, but never frightened.

"Huh?" I said, still not quite awake yet, blearily looking at her.

Her eyes seemed to press into mine."Your life is in danger. You must leave now before they come," Minora said in a rushed, urgent tone.

"What's going on?' I asked, confused, getting myself out of the warm bed. I wanted to know who 'they' were and what I supposedly did wrong to make this all happen. I was having fun! I wasn't hurting anybody (or maybe Darius's pride just a little). How could this turn so quickly?

As if reading my mind, Minora's expression softened as she said, "No questions now. Get dressed. We only have a few minutes before they arrive."

She had a simple gray blouse and soft yet durable black leggings with a pair of sturdy, leather boots (luckily without much of a heel this time) out and ready to go; a step closer to my usual attire at home but simpler than the other beautiful clothes I had quickly grown accustomed to wearing. I changed quickly, my heart thumping so fast that it threatened to burst out of my chest. I didn't want to know what would happen if I took too long. I could hear Minora urgently bustling around in the other room. She was waiting for me outside with a buckled bag in her hands. The sky was still dark enough to see the stars, but I knew that the sun would be up soon, and though I was still confused about what was going on, I knew I would be exposed if I didn't leave immediately.

"Walk with me," Minora sighed, seeing the worried look on my face. "I will explain on the way to the edge of the woods." 

We went around the back of her small house, past her vast herb garden, filled with some familiar vines and flower bushes and a few others I couldn't recognize, and onto a dirt path through a silent grassy meadow that I presumed led to the Old Forest. The peaceful setting seemed so out of place, and all I wanted to do was crawl back into that soft, warm bed. Minora then turned and faced me, looking grave. 

"The council believes that you are a thief," she said.  She looked back down the path for a moment and then looked at me again. 

"After the feast last night, Elysium's prized possession was discovered to be missing. The Sacris Ferrum, or Sacred Blade, has been a revered artifact of this town ever since its beginning, being rumored to be a sword that Torik the Great himself held in battle. Only a true, noble-blooded Elysian can wield it and unlock its true power. It was kept in a secure hold in Theneaus's mansion, where the only access could be gained by a single key on a string tied around his neck. When he checked it late last night, after the party was over, he discovered it to be missing. A wild search ensued through the town, and everyone's cottages were ransacked. When it wasn't found, Theneaus held an emergency Council Meeting. They concluded that it was you, working as a spy with the other cities of the kingdom to disrupt our peace, pretending to be lost, and have declared war on you."

I was so shocked that the incredulous look on my face made her increase the urgency with which she spoke to get me out of there. I didn't even know there were other cities here, but of course there were.