The assassins on the other end were smirking, Noah could tell. But she had no intention of going with them. If she ran away, or got Muell to teleport her away, they would just chase after her at the new location.
And then, an idea flashed across her mind, one that almost made her gasp out loud. She clamped her hands over her mouth and turned to Muell, who was staring off into the void. His eyes were glossed over, indicating that he was in conversation with Perri, who had found Kyle.
“Muell, take the eye and go to Kyle. Perri has been in touch with you, hasn’t she?” She whispered, not wanting to alert her assailants to her plan.
“Yes, but I’m not leaving you, Noah!” Muell protested, clinging onto the hem of her trousers. His eyes were watering as Noah gently shushed him.
“I’ll be alright. It’s to lure them to them Kyle. Just actually at Kyle. He’ll know what to do!” Noah smiled at Muell and picked up the eye, ready to sever the connection.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” The leader of the assassins shouted at her. “Don’t try and run. We’ll find you, no matter where you run off to!”
“I said I would turn myself in. I never said I would do it quietly.” Noah laughed as she severed the connection and placed the eye into Muell’s pocket. “Tell Kyle to be careful. And you, as well. Take care of each other. Now go!”
The runes spread beneath Muell’s feet. Noah shielded her eyes from the bright lights, and when she opened them again Muell had vanished.
“There’s never a peaceful day…” Noah sighed before sprinting away from the lake, trying to stay out of sight as the invisibility spell began to wear off. She hid behind a large tree, and within seconds the assassins had reached where she had been. They thrashed about, likely seeing if she was pulling a double bluff.
“Come on, Muell…” She muttered under her breath as she grew more agitated. With them still lurking around, and more to arrive, she would be caught again. Her admittedly rash plan would all be naught. The only hope she would have would be that Kyle connected to the other eye and found where she was before it was too late.
“She’s given us the slip! She’s back in the city!” An assassin cried out as they held up the eye. “It’s been reconnected! Everyone, move out!”
Noah breathed a shakily sigh of relief as they all teleported away. She was safe, and Kyle would know how to handle them. With one problem tackled, at least for now, there was still the problem of what was going on within this town.
And how the assassins were able to call for backup so quickly. Surely, it would have taken time for the extra help to arrive. After all, Noah was in some backwater town off the beaten path. The first group took an hour to track down her location.
There was, of course, the likelihood that because her location had been revealed to all, they would know instantly where to travel without having to manually search everywhere. However, Noah could not shake off the feeling that there was something else going beneath the surface. Had the assassins been camping out, as if they knew where she had run off to? And why did Muell choose to teleport her to town, when there was the whole of Taurent he could have chosen? Unless, he didn’t have a choice where he travelled and was pulled here by some outward force Noah didn’t understand.
Noah pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. She had been wrapped up in something bigger than she imagined. The lake that had unnaturally high levels of pollution, despite not a single factory being in sight. Yulem’s assassins, and what exactly they want from her. And now the town of Harrell. Everything was connected, and she had to find out how. And what part she played in it all.
Leaving the lake behind, Noah set off back towards the town. She prayed that Kyle and Muell were alright. She felt guilty for dumping her assassin problem on them, and she would apologise to them both when she next met up with them.
If she ever met up with them…
“No, don’t be stupid Noah!” Noah slapped herself hard across the face. “Don’t think like that. They will be fine. All you need to do is focus on this town and not getting into even more trouble than you already are.” She let out a nervous laugh, the realization of what she was doing now fully sinking in.
TN: Hello! Would you like to read advanced chapters of this novel?