Chapter 237 - After Them!

Wolstan began bragging about Zenia and how she called him  grandpa  with affection, which irritated Roy but brought a calm feeling to Jorick. His connection to the Orb was becoming hazier as they went farther away.

Willard and his men had been fighting the guards at the border for quite some time.    

Rodham could not make the carriage run faster than their current speed because Willard and his men had not yet completely subdued the guards at the border. 

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Vaughn and the two men that Willard left behind continued to clash swords with the enemies. Rodham tried his best to drive the carriage in-between the fighting groups to keep his passengers safe. He knew that Willard and his men in front were trying to defeat the guards at the border, and Vaughn and Zenia were trying to stop the enemies from approaching the carriage. He should not lag behind or go ahead of Willard's group.

Slash! Slash!

Vaughn's sword would create a sharp slashing sound each time he swayed it at his enemy. Zenia did her best to keep Thunderbolt running at a steady speed to prevent Vaughn's body from swaying too much.  

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of falling bodies and galloping horses resonated around them. They already defeated the ten soldiers who caught up with them, but another batch of soldiers joined the battle.

She saw another soldier trying to board the carriage. She picked the rock bread and threw it at the enemy again. The force was a bit too much, and it sent the soldier flying. 

Wolstan was watching the scene and kept laughing while the others kept quiet. They still had no idea what would happen to them. It was still too early to say that they would be able to get out of their plight…unscathed.

Willard finally defeated the guards at the border, and Rodham was free to nudge the horses at their top speed. They were no longer in Prazia, but Azer and his men, as well as the secret soldiers, were still chasing Vaughn's party. They could not let them escape.

"After them! Don't let them run away. We will all answer miserably to Dark Magic Lord if we fail to capture them."

Azer was shouting at the top of his voice. He also used his telepathic power to convey his message to his subordinates. He was certain that someone in the escaping party possessed the pure spirit that they had been searching for. Richaem was one of the men who were trying to capture the escapees.

When Willard was certain that they had eliminated the threats in front of them, he signaled Rodham to go ahead to the port where they agreed to meet. Then, he and his men joined the others in the fight. 

More and more soldiers came, and Zenia was becoming frustrated. They couldn't shake them off. She was thinking of meeting the enemies head-on. She knew that Willard and his men belonged to the elite class of military men in Ishelon. However, engaging in a bloodbath at that moment was not a wise decision. They were vying for time and stalling could only lead them to bigger trouble.

She wanted to get another horse for Vaughn so she could also fight. But, she did not find a suitable horse among the ones that the defeated enemy had ridden. All she could do to help was to manage Thunderbolt well and threw the pieces of rock bread to the enemies to knock them off.

An enemy saw that Zenia was throwing what seemed to be a deadly weapon. He had seen something similar from one of the kingdoms that he visited. But, the weapon he saw was flat and had sharp edges. There was a need to consecutively throw three of those things to ensure success – the more the better.

He had decided that he should take out Zenia first to stop her from throwing the fatal weapon. He aimed his spear at Zenia's right shoulder while Vaughn was busy fending off his opponent.

When the spear was released, it was too late for Vaughn to chop off the sharp head of the spear with his sword. He did not have any other choice but use his hand to block the spear for Zenia.   

"Ummph!" Vaughn tried his best not to shout from pain when he used his hand to stop the arrow from reaching Zenia's shoulder.

His hand bled so much. He thrust his sword to his opponent to finish him and threw the spear back whence it came. It pierced the enemy straight through his heart.

Zenia felt that something was wrong with her husband.

"Vaughn, are you alright?" 

She asked him as she tried to avoid as many enemies as she could. She had a hunch that Vaughn was hurt somewhere.

"It's nothing. Just keep going."

Zenia bit her lip and stirred Thunderbolt to avoid the enemies.

"Junior Commander, go ahead. We can take care of things from here. Your companions are already heading to the port."

"Okay!"

Zenia turned to Vaughn and said, "Hold on."

Vaughn knew that Zenia would speed up and changed his sitting position once more. He sheathed his sword and tore a piece of cloth from his shirt to bandage his wound. He let go of the stirrup, and Zenia took it back. He hugged Zenia tightly from behind as she sped up. The blood on Vaughn's hand seeped through the bandage when he held her. Vaughn knew that it would leave an ugly stain on Zenia's dress. He began thinking of ways to make it up to her. 

Vaughn could not believe that Thunderbolt could still go even faster than before. If there was an obstruction along the way, Thunderbolt would jump over it without trouble.

Vaughn felt that he might have a heart attack. It was an exhilarating experience. It was different from when they jumped off the cliff. He wondered what kind of training Zenia gave Thunderbolt to be lightning fast. He suddenly missed Quicksilver. He had decided to ask his wife to train Quicksilver to be as fast as Thunderbolt when they get back to Tissuria.

None of them noticed that Richaem followed behind the carriage. He was certain that the carriage contained an important passenger. Otherwise, their comrades on the horses would never protect them like that. If he could get that important passenger, the Dark Magic Lord would surely commend him. He might even set free from Azer's command.

Jorick's heart suddenly beat faster than usual. He was puzzled why it would go like that. He looked out the window and saw someone chasing after them at fast speed. Wolstan saw it too and prepared to draw his sword. He had been itching for a fight, but his great-grandson and granddaughter-in-law wouldn't allow anyone to come near them.

Jorick kept looking at the approaching horse. Wolstan unsheathed his sword and prepared for a fight. When the horse got near them, they saw that the rider was a very young man. He looked like he was only between twelve and fourteen years old. Jorick was shocked when he saw Richaem's face. The young man on the horse had the same shocked expression on his face when he saw Jorick.

Everything seemed to stop around them. The only sound that they could hear was the beating of their hearts. Jorick did not notice the tears that rolled down from the corner of his eyes. The young man was puzzled at Jorick's reaction. 

Richaem stopped his horse, and Jorick unconsciously used his magic to stop the carriage. Everyone was surprised when the carriage suddenly stopped without causing injury to anyone aboard. Rodham was perplexed at the sudden turn of events.

Duke Gordon held Jorick by his arm when he tried to stop Jorick from getting off the carriage. Jorick just shook his head and gently removed the Young Duke's hand from his arm.

Richaem got off his horse too and walked toward Jorick. They looked at each other and a feeling of familiarity enveloped them.

"I think I've seen you somewhere. Do I know you?" Richaem asked Jorick.

He did not feel any ill-intent from Jorick, and it made him less cautious around Jorick.

"Yes, Richaem… I am your Big Brother Jorick."

"Big Brother?" 

Richaem refused to believe that he had finally found someone from his family. After so many years, someone told him a name that was familiar to him. He kept wishing, when he was still a little child, that someone from his family would come and fetch him. He waited and waited by the pier, but nobody came. He was just a young child, why would his family abandon him?

He looked at the stranger, who claimed that he was his Big Brother, in the eyes and saw the familiar red star in each of them. Richaem felt that he had been released from an illusion spell and hugged his Big Brother.

"I know you will come for me. I've always known that you will come for me, Big Brother. What took you so long?"

Jorick hugged his little brother whose height was only up to his chest.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I will never be late again," Jorick promised with all sincerity.

Richaem cried his loneliness and weariness out. He had always thought that his family left him for good. It was a good thing that his Big Brother had finally come for him.

Jorick's shirt was soaked with Richaem's tears and snot, but he did not mind it at all. He finally found his little brother and hoped that they would be reunited with their mother and father soon. Jorick wished beyond wish that their parents were alive and safe somewhere.