The first thing Ferdinand did was to get a change of clothes after his current one was stained by blood. He went to the armory and grabbed a bow along with a quiver of arrows to complement his arsenal before gathering some food and replenishing his water bottle.

After making every preparation, he went down to the stables where Miranda had been waiting. The stables too was destroyed. The doors were nothing but splinters, probably due to cannon fire. All the horses were either killed or ran off into the wilderness, save for one chestnut which Miranda had saddled.

"You ready?" she asked, offering him a hand. Ferdinand took it and pulled himself up the saddle.

They galloped through the snow making a short stop at Norland where they booked an inn, yet Ferdinand hardly got any sleep - before dawn, Miranda forced him to wake up and resume the journey while he was still feeling sleepy.

They galloped far down to the city of Arkley. As the walls came into sight, trouble came knocking.

At the front gates were a few hulking, black masses of metal similar to a train engine with treads instead of wheels. They saw some men, women, not to mention children being escorted, if not dragged into them by a some angels.

"What's going on?" Ferdinand asked, feeling as if his gut was squeezed by a clenching fist.

"Looks like they're arresting rebels," Miranda speculated.

They waited until the last prisoner was taken inside and the vehicle started moving before they made their way towards the city.

"Where are we going?" Ferdinand asked once they were inside the city walls.

"To get a fresher horse," Miranda replied.

"Can't we rest for a bit?" Ferdinand whined. "We've been riding day and night and we barely got any sleep in Norland."

"Ferdinand, we need to gather reinforcements if we're to relieve the upcoming siege in Lathrion," Miranda reasoned. "We'll go to Havencrest, maybe even Mirefield."

"I'm tired, Miranda. Can't we just stay in for the night before making that journey?" Ferdinand was starting to vex her.

"We have no time to waste." Miranda's mind was made up and she planned on sticking to it.

"Perhaps, we can have a better journey after getting a decent rest." Ferdinand was still trying to reason with her. She eventually decided they it would be best to go their separate ways. She would allow Ferdinand to rest for the night while she continued her journey. He could catch up to her later on.

Upon arriving at the stable, Miranda traded the horse for a fresher one. At first the breeder refused to let her trade it, but with a little bribe, they came to terms. Miranda immediately set off leaving Ferdinand behind telling him that if she's not in Havencrest, then she's already gone off to Lathrion.

Ferdinand wandered the city in search of an inn when he came by a crowd by the city square.

"WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO WITNESS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE CONSEQUENCE IF YOU DARE OPPOSE OUR RULE...."

Ferdinand could've see what attraction spawn the crowd. Sure he wasn't that short, but all he could see were other people's heads. He climbed up a building to get a bird's eye view on what was happening.

"THIS WOMAN HERE IS PART OF THE RESISTANCE...."

What he saw was a blindfolded woman and a seraphim holding a rifle right behind her. A few steps away from them was the announcer shouting at the top of his lungs.

"THAT WRETCHED ORGANIZATION OF REBELS WHO DARE CHALLENGE OUR AUTHORITY...."

Were they about to execute her? Ferdinand's heart was beating faster. He donned the hood of his cloak.

"TO THOSE WHO OPPOSE US, I SAY THIS: BEND YOUR KNEES AND SUBMIT, OR YOU WILL END UP LIKE HER...."

Ferdinand didn't know what came over him. He nocked an arrow to his bowstring and drew it to its full extent.

"AS FOR YOU PEOPLE, SHALL YOU JOIN, OR BE DISCOVERED TO BE IN LEAGUE WITH THIS WRETCHED ORGANIZATION, WE WILL NOT HESITATE TO KILL YOU!"

The executioner pointed the rifle towards the woman. But something out of the blue happened. Before the executioner could pull the trigger, an arrow was released and it landed in the executioner's forehead.

The crowd gasped in sync like a choir.  Their eyes flew up to see a hooded Ferdinand with a bow in his hand.

"GET HIM!" The announcer shouted.

Seraphim forces began to fly up to the rooftops as Ferdinand made his run jumping from roof to roof while evading the bullets fired at him. He needed to get out of there, but how? He kept going, jumping on whatever he could lay his foot on. In the distance, he saw the city walls and the southern gate. He used magic to boost his last jump over the city wall before proceeding to the forest.

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If I can promise you one thing is that Ferdinand won't be alone in the forest. Who or what will he meet? Find out next time. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave comments and hit that star button!

I dedicate this chapter to KaePlus who's read the entire first book. Hope you're enjoying the next part of the journey!

-Zyrofern