Chapter 213 (1/2)

Chapter 213

Chapter 213: Enemy Territory III

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CIRCE MILVIEW

Alacryan

I ran It seeh this cursed forest Low-hanging branches scraped h s

I sprinted in the direction uided ht, I doubted its pale rays would be able to penetrate the dense canopy and fog above

Every so often, I would see flashes of light fro eerie shadows on the forest ground

Maeve Cole Pleasestride

I continued to run, h and step withoff with the ball of my feet This was the best way to run in the uneven terrain filled with broken branches and knotted roots

Running until the ical flashes of battle were barely visible, I skidded to a stop and crouched beside a thick shrub The thorns and prickly leaves pressing against asped for breath, afraid that I’d be heard

Paranoia had long since set in, fillingback sobs, I tried to calreat I wiped away at the strea

I have to survive For my brother For Seth I recited this over and over It was

After finally catching nited my crest Immediately, I could sense the location of the closest three-point array I had formed Unfortunately, it was farther away than I hoped

Unable to even curse aloud, I grit my teeth in frustration With thisa sround with my hand, I bit down on my thumb until blood was drawn Carefully, I letthe mana from my crest

It was by pure luck that I had found out that using my blood as a medium forout why ht even one day evolve my crest into an emblem

After my mana-infused blood had seeped into the small hole I had made, I covered it up andout the san carving a small hole underneath a low branch

I was about to put ainst the hole when a sharp snap madeit toward the source of the sound as I activateda twenty-yard radius, only to sense that it was just a small forest critter I lowered , ainst the tree, with tears in my eyes

All I wanted was to curl up and cry, but unfortunately, I didn’t have such luxury Not if I wanted to live

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I knew that the noise had been caused by an ani time, but for some odd reason, I really didn’t want someone to kill me from behind It was odd to think, but I’d rather look at my killer as I died

After several h and turned back to my task

If someone was here, they would’ve killedthought, but it was true

I was a sentry Widely respected and valuable but severely defenseless compared to strikers like Fane, casters like Maeve, and even shi+elds like Cole

After the second point had been finished, I moved to the final tree to finish the three-point array I knew that using blood as a medium for the array would take its toll, but I was still surprised by hoeak I felt after the final point had been finished Despite the brisk winter air that see andout

Got toto mask my mana trail, I moved on to the next point

Fortunately, with the three-point array imprint that I had just finished, I wouldn’t have to use ain I just needed to make sure I didn’t set the next i while panting I didn’t think it was possible, but the forest seeed atthe me precious time

I stumbled more times than I could count on the roots and tree li more in numbers, but I finally made it

This location should be okay

Falling forward on an tricklingcrashed into me from the side

Without even the chance to be surprised, I was suddenly looking at Fane, as on top ofat me, but out in the distance—his face contorted into a fearsome scowl It was dark but even then I could make out how bloody he was

“Can you run?” he asked, pullingour surroundings, searching for soaze shi+fting down at a gliht where I used to be

Fane ignited his eusts of wind surrounded hith about twice ales around us “Then run I’ll hold thereet my teammate, I turned and ran I didn’t knoho the ‘hi to was but fronited his eood

It wasn’t long before I could hear the echoes of battle behind round shook and the trees seeht in the fight More than once I was alales but even then, I resisted the temptation to look behind me I could only pray to Vritra that Fane would be okay

Again, I ran I continued to run in this forsaken forest until s felt like lead Every step see in a pool of tar

No , round, narled root

I toppled forward and I soon tasted the dirt and foliage of the forest in my mouth

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Fane’s silver chestplate kept etting back up, I rolled to one, I kneas safer to strengthen the array with blood

The wound on my thumb had already scabbed over, but as I wiped my mouth of the dirt, I was able to make out a streak of red

What my sleep-deprived and crazed brain conceived as ‘fortunate’ was the fact that the fall to my face had torn open a wound on my lip

Perhaps the most unladylike action I had perforround and dipped ers in it to iht as well create oneMaybe this will be close enough for them Maybe they’ll still save Seth

The crest onht I was prepared to die

“Idiot! Didn’t I tell you to keep running?” I never thought Fane’s rough voice would sound so pleasant, but I rong