ECHOES OF BETRAYALS

Elena's POV As we hurried across the dark, silent woodland, my heart racing, I tightened my coat against the cold of the night. Rising higher, the trees' naked limbs resembled fingers against the black heavens. Every sound of a twig or rustle of leaves makes me tense and causes me to repeatedly glance over my shoulder. Though every impulse shouted at me to press on, I knew Adam's men were somewhere behind us, closing in, and I was tired. That was everyone else as well. Samantha stumbled behind me, caught on a limb and fell against a tree. Her eyes heavy, she gasped in hoarse tones. "Elena... I doubt whether I can keep this up." Looking at her, my heart turned upside down. Samantha had always been tenacious, solid, and tough. Still, tonight she seemed more exposed than ever. I knelt next to her and squeezed her shoulder. "I know, Samantha. But we are unable to quit. Not here, I said, looking at Nyla and Mason, who were just a few feet behind us, Samantha's tiredness reflected on their faces. "We practically reach the cliffs here. Once we arrive, we will have a commanding view. We will notice them arriving before they reach us. Samantha nodded weakly and pushed herself up as Nyla and Mason approached us, both looking as tired as she did. Dark eyes met me, a flutter of uncertainty across her face. "This plan better works, Lena," she said, her voice almost exacting in criticism. "We are done if we are wrong; Adam's people have the high ground." For her, I had no response. Deep down, I had my own doubts and worries chewing at my will. But I forbade them from seeing that. I had to be the consistent one they could rely on to steer them. "We have no choice, Nyla," I answered, attempting to give my voice confidence. Just trust me. The ascent was merciless. As we ascended the steep slope to the cliffs, every muscle in my legs hurt and my lungs burned from the chilly air. I shrugged Mason off, pushing forward even though he offered his assistance as I staggered. I could feel him staring at me, his eyes suspicious and then worried? This conflict between us, which had not existed previously, was odd. Mason had always been the quiet one, the one who stayed in the background, but now he had something fresh in his sights. He hadn't asked yet a query. The panorama stunned me when we at last arrived at the summit. Stars blazed coldly down at us from the heavens, which seemed to run endlessly above. The valley below looked black and threatening; for a minute, I felt peace. Up here, we were far from Adam and from the turmoil of the last few weeks. Mason shifted to my side, his gaze across the valley. "You imagine he will follow us here?" I inhaled deeply to let the frigid air calm my nerves. "He shall follow." He routinely does. Mason's eye darkened and his jaw stiffened. And what would happen should he find us? The question sat between us, laden with unspoken facts and great terror. But before I could respond, Nyla and Samantha arrived, their eyes wide in appreciation of the vista. Samantha said, a little smile breaking through her tiredness: "We did it." We really made it. She was only temporarily relieved, though. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed motion—a faint gleam in the darkness, a shadow moving over the valley below. My heart stopped. Adam's lads. They were nearer than I had guessed. "Get down!" I snarled, dragging Samantha to the floor just as a shout came from below. With tight looks, Nyla and Mason dropped next to us. We lay silently, our breath shallow as the yells got louder. Adam's troops were across the valley, their voices carried on the breeze. Closing in, they were looking for us and there was nowhere left to flee. Time crawled as we lay hidden, the silence broken only by the odd cry from below or branch crack. My pulse thumping, my mind ran through our choices. Though we had few resources and were outnumbered, we could try to fight. We might keep hiding, but finally they would find us. Beside me, Mason turned his gaze toward the folks moving down. "I can draw them off," he murmured steadily. Give you all the time needed to flee. My heart contracting at the prospect, I turned to him. No, Mason. That would be suicide. He fixed me, his eyes not flickering. "Lena, this is our best shot. Should I be able to lead them away, you and the others might have a chance. Nyla shook her head and her face hardened and her jaw closed. Nobody is giving their life up here. We hang around. But I could see the will in Mason's eyes—that which would not be influenced. For me, he was ready to put it all online for us. And it dawned on me then just how much he meant to me, how much I had come to depend on him, to trust him. "Mason...," Whispering, my voice choked with feeling. He reached out, his fingers softly touching mine, a thousand unsaid words carried in a gentle touch. "I won't do anything stupid, Lena," he added quietly. "But if it comes to it... I need you to swear me you'll keep going. You will survive, promise me. Tears stinging at the edges of my eyes, I swallowed hard. I wanted to fight, tell him we would all make it out, that we would find a way. Still, I understood he was correct. We had little choices, hence sacrifices had to be done. I said, "I promise," my voice was hardly audible. He grinned faintly, his fingers lingering on mine before he turned away, his eyes back to the valley below. Benevolent under his placid façade, I could see the resolve in his eyes—the quiet strength always there. A shout broke the quiet; closer this time. My heart pounding, I tensed as I realized Adam's soldiers were ascending the cliffs and approaching with every second. Mason said, "Go," gently pushing me toward the brink of the precipice. "I will buy you as much time as I can." Samantha reached for my arm, terror wide in her eyes. Lena said, "We cannot leave him." Knowing this would be the last time I would see Mason, so I felt guilty and my heart hurt as I gazed at him. I knew, though, he was correct as well. Should we stay, everyone would be caught. And I had to stop that. Mason said, "Go," his voice sharp. " I'll find you." My heart tearing with every step, I turned and led Samantha and Nyla down the other side of the cliff, a last, desperate glance. Knowing Mason was risking everything to give us a chance, the sound of shouting and footsteps resonated behind us and I forced myself to keep on moving. The night was shockingly quiet as we descended the cliff, the sounds of pursuit vanishing far away. My heart in my throat, I turned around hoping Mason would survive. But the gloom provided only the faint, echoing remembrance of his voice, his promise—not any answers. Samantha stroked my arm with a worried look. "Do you think he'll be okay?" Trying to hide the uncertainty chewing at me, I forced a smile. With a firm voice, I said, "He's stronger than he looks." He will figure something out. But the icy weight in my chest would not go away as we descended into the woodland. I started to feel terrified. Mason had chosen, and all I could do now was keep moving, keep surviving, exactly as I had advised him. But the anguish in my heart told me that this was not done, that Adam's reach was still closer than we knew—and that somewhere out there Mason was waging his own struggle, one I could only pray he would survive.