The Rules of Blood-Volume Two ; Chapter 74 (290) - Sera, Almost Free
They moved in silence around the mansion, the way out already planned.
Luckily, it was as Ida said, most of the army, as well as most of the guards, were out. Most of those that remained were most likely sent to protect the members of Blood Seraph.
Even now, they looked down on her, knowing she wasn’t brave enough to try to escape or too useless in their eyes to care to stop her.
But if these things had made her weep before, now she could only be grateful, since with a loud clank, Ida was now able to unlock one of the doors to the outside with a pair of keys she managed to borrow. The fools were too ignorant.
“That should have drawn some attention,” Ida whispered as they got out through the door, closing it behind them. “We need to rush now. Follow me.”
With a sharp nod from Sera, they began running behind statues of past members of Blood Seraph that were scattered throughout the entire estate. They ran quickly, under the cover of the night, making sure that even if no guards were nearby, they would not draw attention to themselves for no reason.
Near the iron bars that surrounded the estate, behind a statue of one of the first Patriarchs of Blood Seraph, stood a small iron gate, already unlocked.
“How is it unlocked?” Sera asked, frowning.
“I was sent to the river nearby to wash clothes, and this is a gate we, the maids, use as a shortcut,” Ida explained, pushing the gate open and passing through quickly, “We always leave it unlocked.”
After she straightened her back, Ida held the iron gate open for Sera to pass.
Although weird, she did not have time to question everything now, so with that in mind, she went through the gate. It was worth celebrating that they managed to get to this point, finally back into the free world.
But there was no time.
“Let’s start moving,” Sera said once Ida closed the iron gate as silently as she could.
So, with Sera now taking the lead, they took the two capes Sera prepared, put them on, and began running.
They kept to the main roads, desperate to put as much distance as possible between themselves and Blood Seraph, especially now, with night draped over the land, making it easier to move unseen.
Hour by hour, they pressed on through the darkness, guided only by the scattered torches set along the road, each one a faint, flickering beacon toward their freedom.
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Plans for what to do once they escaped the Domain existed, but they were meaningless until the first step was complete. And that step would take time. Too much time. But until then, all they could do was put a foot in front of the other and hope all would go well.
By the early hours of the morning, when the surroundings became more visible, with a good fifteen miles between themselves and the estate of Blood Seraph, they decided they needed to take a quick rest.
It was pointless to expend all their energy in one go, regardless of the rush they were in. So, moving further away from the main road, behind a small hill, they sat down, both exhaling heavily.
“Here… have some water,” Sera offered Ida one of the waterskins she prepared, “And keep it on you.”
Ida nodded, accepting it gratefully, “Thank you, My Lady.”
“Until we escape this Domain, just call me Sera.”
“Are you certain?” Ida asked, uncomfortable with the order.
“It would be safer to act as commoners, and no commoner calls another My Lady, right?” Sera giggled, covering her mouth at the same time.
Ida couldn’t help but agree to her request after hearing her reasoning, “Very well, uh, Sera.”
“Much better,” Sera smiled kindly, before she took a sip of her own water.
Ida looked up the hill towards the road ahead of them, thinking on something.
“What’s wrong?” Sera asked, turning to look at her.
“I don’t like the idea of walking near the road during the day,” Ida began explaining, “I was thinking about how best to approach this.”
“Wouldn’t it be best if we were to act like normal village girls and cover as much land as possible?” Sera sighed, “It’s what we agreed on yesterday. What changed?”
“Yes, we did, but I’ve been thinking,” Ida countered, “Too much movement happened over the last month, and I cannot help but wonder what is happening?”
The second weird thing Sera noticed. Still, she didn’t voice it.
“What do you think could be happening?” Sera asked, curious.
“I don’t know,” Ida sighed, “Be it preparations or war itself, it smells like problems to me.”
Sera was lost in thought for a good moment. “What do you suggest then?”
"That," Ida said, pointing toward a treeline about a mile ahead, just a few hundred feet off the main road to the right.
“That, my friend, is considered a forest, Wilderness protected by Blood Seraph.” Sera shook her head, “It is dangerous and most likely defended.”
“They barely protected their estate,” Ida countered, “I doubt they would protect a patch of forest.”
“You’ve got a point, but still,” Sera continued, “It is dangerous. Noble Bloods not only use the Wilderness for themselves but also keep the people safe from what stands inside it. It’s for a reason it’s illegal. Besides, we do not know how far we can travel in that forest.”
“I still think it would be wiser to travel by the forest, if not inside,” Ida replied, “Humans are ugly beings, especially at heart.”
Sera shook her head, throwing the suspicion growing in her mind at the person she considered her friend. She had to trust, at least now, that things would go right.
“So be it,” she nodded.
After a few more minutes of rest, they started walking again.
Straight into the plans of others.
By the Vita Herself… how heartbreaking life was for some. And how heartbreaking it was to watch Sera’s face when that truth came crashing down upon her mind.
How she looked to Ida, only to see her close her eyes and turn away.
How devastatingly fast the trust she had placed in others, and the hope she had placed in herself, vanished like dust in the wind as soldiers burst from behind the tree line, surrounding them.
And when she heard him... she knew. Out of instinct, she reached for the knife hidden at her side.
“Ah, my dear fiancée.”
Aidan stepped out from behind his soldiers, a satisfied smile spreading across his horned face.
.
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Volume Two ; Chapter 74 (290) - Sera, Almost Free
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