LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 8: chapter 8: retaliation
Shun reacted first, his hand flying up. Thunk… Thunk… More red blossoms on his clothes. Fira reacted next, rushing to Shun's side. Then Orion, who produced a book the size of his torso. Theo just stood there for a moment, then something clicked. The throbbing in his head subsided. He quickly assessed the scene. Shun slumped against the mall wall, three arrows protruding from him – one in his throat, one in his chest, and one through his right hand. A gold exclamation point flashed in Theo's vision, on the left edge. He turned and…caught an arrow mid-air. Someone whistled. He didn't know who. Three more arrows flew. Four figures emerged from behind the trees, fired, then ducked back into cover. Exclamation points marked them in his vision. He ran before his brain could catch up, manipulating the arrows' gravity, slowing them just enough to scoop them up. He kept running. Fira was crafty; she knew how to heal, even if she had to use wild magic.
"Theo!" Orion called from behind. An exclamation point attached to a line pointed to Orion's location. Theo knew what he was thinking. He jumped, landing on a floating asteroid. Theo and Orion worked well together. Orion had a book that allowed him to channel the powers of his ancestors, who could create energy constructs of asteroids, shooting stars, and other cosmic phenomena. He could summon weapons that represented mythical creatures, astrological signs, even animals of the Chinese zodiac or figures from mythology. Once, he'd passed out summoning Fenrir. The wolf had only lasted a second. Theo would have smiled at the memory if Shun weren't hurt. He didn't particularly like Shun, but he didn't want to see anyone die. Theo rode the asteroid until it was near the trees where the archers were hiding. He jumped, two arrows whizzing beneath him. Two archers had crossbows; one had a longbow. The tree fell, pinning the longbow archer. He seemed to be okay. The archers wore grey and white leather armor with chainmail. Theo threw two arrows at each of the remaining two. One tripped them, and the other shot through their quiver, pulling it away. Theo landed on one, knocking the air out of him. He looked older than Theo, maybe fifteen to seventeen. Theo quickly searched him. No other weapons. He'd expected at least a small blade. The crossbow was poorly made. Duh, he thought. The camp isn't just handing out weapons. The kids made these themselves. Theo increased the gravity on the third archer just enough to keep him down. He kept the second pinned with a knee on his back.
"So, what the hell was that?!" Theo didn't know whether to be mad at the archers or pity them. They were using weapons that would break if you dropped them, but they had hurt Shun. The pinned archer gasped for air. Theo eased up on the pressure. He probably should give him some room to breathe. Theo ripped a leather necklace off the archer and tied his hands behind his back. It wasn't the best restraint, but it made Theo feel like he was more subdued. "Speak now. You could have killed him. Who sent you, and why?!" Theo punched the ground next to the archer, using gravity to make it seem more impactful. Dust flew up, leaving a small crater.
"I-" The archer coughed.
"Theo, get off him! I am his superior. I can answer!" a vaguely familiar voice called. It was the first archer. He was getting the tree off him. It wasn't that big up close. "We are the Knights of the North. Your friend, he is a Southerner. One in violation of nineteen of the Emperor's codes. A bounty was placed on his head. Dead or alive-" Theo punched him across the face, just as he was getting to his knees. This archer had familiar metal armor. The arcade had a GameStop rip-off. The armor was from the display window. It was real metal, and it hurt to hit, but it was cheap.
"The…the Emperor will hear of this, Theo!" the archer spat.
"How the hell do you know my name?" Theo demanded.
"An archer of the North never reveals his identity!" The archer got up and ran, dragging the other two with him.
"I didn't ask for your-" Theo sighed. It was someone from camp who knew him. The archers gone, Theo went back to the others. Fira was helping Shun up. He looked like he was going to be sick. Three bloody arrows lay on the ground. Where there used to be wounds. Shun had patched himself up with his silk. Orion supported him on one side, Fira on the other.