This choice: Something strange happens to Micaiah! • Go Back...Chapter #6Height is the price of healing by: Arnsley   Though he knew the people were on his side, Sothe decided not to linger. There was no guarantee that the soldiers wouldn't find him. If they did, they would certainly punish any citizens harboring the pair. He knew Micaiah would hate that. So he decided to get out of the city, as far away as possible, before finding the others.
Sothe tried to keep his path as straight as possible, but spied soldiers in the street ahead. He was forced to make a turn, heading into a dark alleyway. The sound of boots filled the air, coming from every direction. He was near surrounded. But Sothe had faith in his abilities. Having grown up in these streets, he knew them like the back of his hand. Fast on his feet, he had confidence in his ability to evade his pursuers.
He was about to make a move, when he felt cloth brushing against his arms.
"Micaiah!" He looked down, thinking she was moving, only to see that she still slept. She was lying in is arms, completely still save for the rising and lowering of her chest. But it was odd. He could still feel her clothes brushing against his arm...
"This is why I told you not to use Sacrifice..." He muttered under his breath, worried that she had yet to wake.
Hearing a shout, Sothe snapped back into reality. He had to move. The soldiers likely hadn't searched the street to the side yet, so he took the opportunity to cross it. Reaching the other side, he slipped round a building, into another dark alleyway. One of his favorite escape routes, this alley forked in three directions. To the West, he should get closer to the outskirts. Moving again, he tightened his grip on Micaiah, worried she might be slipping from his arms. He glanced down at her again. Still sleeping. He could only hope the surprisingly small woman would wake soon. He often found himself thinking she was small lately, ever since they had reunited. Perhaps he shouldn't be surprised; he had grown a lot in the time the two of them had been apart.
With quick thinking and by slipping through the streets, Sothe had put a decent distance between himself and his pursuers. He hoped Nolan, Leonardo and Edward had been able to get away. It seemed likely that they did, considering they had run ahead when Micaiah went back after her vision. He didn't fault his comrades for looking out for themselves, however. Survival was his own responsibility, though he also had Micaiah's life in his hands. He ducked down, hidden at the back of a building, and checked on his close companion.
It took Sothe a few moments to realize what he was seeing. Micaiah was still sleeping, the poor girl worn out from her earlier use of magic. But there was something very off about her, something difficult to see. She mostly seemed the same, just like the Micaiah he knew. But...
She was so small! The distance between his arms near covered the length of her body. He had been subconsciously moving his arms closer together as she had shrunk smaller, preventing her from falling, but this had prevented him from seeing the change in her earlier.
"Micaiah!" Sothe gasped. She couldn't be more than half her normal size!
What could have done this? He wondered. Something the Begnion army had done? Or was it her own magic? Studying her sleeping form closely, he noticed the top of her head moving ever so slightly.
She's still shrinking! What do I do?! Sothe knew nothing of magic. He would have to find someone to help, but who?
In the distance, he heard boots. Sothe couldn't linger here any longer. Nobody in Nevassa would be able to help them now. He ran, his path to the edge of the city clear in his mind. Yet he couldn't help but worry for the ever-smaller Micaiah in his arms. Would her shrinking stop? Would she ever recover? Would she shrink to nothing? Countless worries filled his thoughts. But right now, he had to get away. If he was caught, there would be no future for either of them, nor Daein. Micaiah's state would have to wait.
Within an hour, Sothe reached the forest outside Nevassa. He finally allowed himself to slow down. He had come far enough, and there was no longer any sign of the Begnion military. But Micaiah had yet to wake, and had shrunk even smaller. He could hold her in only his two hands, her body not much more than a foot tall. Her shrinking had made her easier to carry, and his escape faster, but it was too steep of a price to pay. Most of Micaiah seemed to be missing, yet she was still in perfect proportion. The clothes she was wearing had scaled down with her somehow. Was it because of the magic? Or was there another cause for her shrinking? Either way, it would have to wait. First Sothe needed to meet up with the others. Hopefully he could find them at the meeting place, where they had agreed to meet up should they ever have to flee Nevassa...  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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