Chapter 68: Back to Back.

“Twenty-eight…”

Footsteps burst into motion.

Twelve men scrambled at once, boots grinding against stone as they rushed downhill. Guy clutched the flag tightly against his side, jaw set, already barking orders as they moved.

“Twenty-seven.”

Ezra only watched.

His expression remained neutral, though four defeated teams still lingered nearby, staring at them with something between disbelief and fear. A few looked at Aurien as if he had lost his mind.

Maybe he had.

Maybe they both had.

“Twenty-six…”

’My heart is beating fast,’ Ezra realized, pressing a hand lightly against his chest.

It had been a long time since he felt this.

Not controlled anticipation.

Not calculated readiness.

Excitement.

Real excitement.

His pulse was steady but quick. His blood felt warmer. Sharper.

He was looking forward to this.

“Twenty-five… twenty-four…”

’I cannot believe he thought of this,’ Ezra thought, glancing sideways at Aurien. ’Who knew he would be as twisted as I am once he found his spine?’

The corner of his mouth almost lifted.

“Twenty-three… twenty-two… twenty-one…”

The sound of retreating boots faded further down the incline.

“…nineteen.”

And then the counting stopped.

Silence.

“Captain Ezra.”

Aurien’s voice cut through cleanly.

Ezra turned his head.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

Aurien looked at him, not amused this time. Not teasing.

Focused.

“I know it has been a while,” he said calmly, “and you may not need me to tell you this, but…”

A slow smirk formed.

“Give it your all. Do not hold back.”

Ezra’s eyes widened just slightly.

For a second, he simply stared at him.

The confidence in Aurien’s expression. The challenge in it.

It sparked something immediate inside him.

Ezra felt his own lips curve in response.

“Only if you can keep up, Your Highness.”

Aurien laughed, genuine and bright.

“Oh, Captain Ezra,” he replied, lifting a single finger into the air. “Of course I can.”

He lowered it.

“One.”

That was all.

Ezra moved.

Not a step.

Not a shift.

He vanished from where he stood, boots striking stone as he launched forward down the incline, the thrill of the chase finally unleashed.

Ezra hit the incline at full speed.

Loose gravel shifted beneath his boots as he descended from the stone platform. The slope was steeper going down, uneven, forcing him to adjust his footing with precision despite the pace. One wrong step and he would lose momentum.

Behind him—

No.

Beside him.

Aurien.

Ezra could hear him clearly now. Not struggling. Not falling behind.

Matching him.

Stride for stride.

’He really can keep up,’ Ezra admitted inwardly, irritation and reluctant admiration mixing together. ’Why am I even surprised?’

Maybe some part of him was still in denial.

Still clinging to the image of the boy who hesitated with a sword in his hand.

The wind rushed past his ears, cool against heated skin. His lungs pulled in air harder than he liked.

’Damn it.’

That was when he felt it.

The heaviness.

Not sharp.

Not painful.

But present.

His thighs burned faintly. His calves were tighter than they should have been.

His steps were no longer effortless.

’…I am tired.’

The realization irritated him more than the fatigue itself.

They had run uphill earlier. Multiple times. Fast. Controlled.

At the time, he had barely felt it.

Then came the tension. The observation. The excitement.

Now his body was collecting the cost.

It had been five years since he had done sustained movement like this. True conditioning. True endurance.

Yesterday’s fight with Guy had been intense, yes, but it was contained. Focused. Short.

This was different.

Sustained.

Relentless.

’So this is what neglecting cardio does,’ he thought dryly, a hint of self-disgust creeping in. ’Pathetic.’

He had been a knight longer than he had been anything else.

His body had once been trained to endure hours without complaint.

How had he let himself slip?

How had he allowed comfort to dull him?

His breathing was still controlled, but he could feel the strain building underneath it. A quiet reminder that he was not invincible.

He pushed the thought aside.

Complaining would not fix it.

Stopping was not an option.

He kept moving.

Aurien glanced at him briefly while maintaining pace.

“Together?” Aurien asked, voice steady despite the descent. “Or split?”

For a moment, Ezra did not register the question.

’What is he asking?’

His thoughts felt a fraction slower, dulled by exertion.

“Split how?” he asked, keeping his gaze forward.

“I take Team A,” Aurien replied calmly. “You take Team F. Or the other way around.”

Ezra inhaled sharply through his nose, considering.

’If they stayed divided, that would be easy,’ Ezra calculated, lungs steadying with effort. ’But they are not fools.’

A faint scoff escaped him.

“Or maybe they are,” he amended aloud. “Whether they choose pride or logic depends on them… so…”

Aurien’s brow lifted slightly, watching him from the corner of his eye.

Ezra continued, breath controlled despite the burn in his chest. “If they are still competing, they will stay separated. They will try to outshine each other.”

He adjusted his footing as the incline began to soften.

“If they learned anything…”

He let the rest hang.

“They will work together,” Aurien finished.

Ezra gave a short nod.

“Twelve skilled men coordinating is more dangerous than twelve competing,” he said quietly. “So we will see which kind of men they are.”

’And whether this exercise actually taught them something,’ he added inwardly.

Aurien hummed in agreement.

They did not have to wonder for long.

The slope gave way to flatter ground. The trees ahead grew thicker, their trunks scattered in uneven clusters. The light dimmed slightly beneath the canopy. The wind did not reach here the same way.

It was quieter.

Too quiet.

Ezra slowed half a step without meaning to.

’A little too quiet.’

No crashing footsteps.

No panicked breathing.

No argument.

His instincts sharpened instantly.

Then he saw them.

Between the trees.

Ten figures.

Not running.

Not hiding poorly.

Standing.

Waiting.

Team A.

Team F.

Together.

Not loosely gathered either.

Formed.

A few knights held the center, their formation eerily close to the standard structure used against the Dark Ones. The taller members of Team A and Team F positioned themselves slightly forward and to the sides, angled just enough to keep both Ezra and Aurien within their line of sight at all times.

The rest fanned out behind and around them with careful spacing, close enough to reinforce, far enough to avoid colliding.

Not scattered.

Not chaotic.

Measured.

Their swords were already drawn.

Not raised recklessly.

Not trembling.

Directed.

At Aurien and Ezra.

Ezra felt the fatigue in his legs fade beneath something colder.

Focus.

’Good,’ he thought, something almost pleased settling in his chest. ’They chose logic.’

The forest air felt heavier now.

“But oh…”

Ezra’s eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the formation again.

Something was wrong.

He turned his head just enough to look at Aurien.

Aurien was already looking at him.

Smiling.

Not amused.

Not careless.

Aware.

“I noticed as well,” Aurien said quietly.

The ten men in front of them held their ground. Blades steady. Shoulders squared. Their spacing was disciplined, not rushed.

But—

’They are missing two shadows,’ Ezra thought.

“Where is Guy Man?” Ezra asked calmly, gaze shifting from one knight to another. “Where is Perrin Highflame?”

The question landed heavily.

The ten men did not break formation.

But their eyes betrayed them.

A flicker.

A glance.

Left.

Right.

Brief.

Then stillness.

’There,’ Ezra noted. ’Hesitation.’

Fear lingered in some of their expressions. Determination in others. A few tightened their grips as if preparing to absorb the next impact.

None answered.

Aurien stepped half a pace forward, casual, almost conversational.

“I am assuming,” he said mildly, “that these ten brave men are sacrificing themselves.”

The word brave was deliberate.

“To allow their strongest members to handle the flag.”

Ezra nodded once.

“I agree.”

His pulse steadied.

His fatigue dulled further beneath clarity.

’They split after all,’ he thought. ’But not out of pride.’

This was calculated.

A diversion.

“Which means only one thing, Your Highness,” Ezra said, eyes never leaving the ten men blocking their path.

Aurien’s smile deepened slightly.

“Yes.”

It meant Guy and Perrin were moving.

Fast.

Using this delay to gain distance.

It also meant—

These ten had chosen to stand knowing they would likely lose.

Not for glory.

For strategy.

Ezra felt something sharp flicker in his chest.

Respect.

’Good,’ he thought. ’They are not foolish.’

The forest seemed quieter now. The air is tighter.

One of the knights swallowed.

Another adjusted his stance.

They knew what was coming.

Aurien’s hand rested more firmly on the hilt of his sword.

Ezra mirrored him.

“It seems,” Aurien said lightly, though his eyes were focused, “we have been divided as well.”

Ezra exhaled slowly.

“It seems so.”

A beat passed.

Then he shifted his weight forward.

“It is time.”

Aurien glanced at him once.

Together.

No further words were needed.

They moved.

’Now it’s actually time to have some real fun.’

They moved at the same time.

No signal.

No countdown.

Just instinct.

Steel flashed as the ten men surged forward, boots tearing into the forest floor. Leaves scattered. Branches snapped under the sudden force of movement.

“You won’t get past us!” one of the knights shouted, stepping into Aurien’s path. His voice shook, but his stance did not. “We will not let you reach them!”

Another raised his blade beside him. “We will win. No matter what.”

Ezra felt something sharp and electric spark in his chest.

’Good,’ he thought. ’Say it louder.’

Determination was always good in knights.

Aurien laughed.

Not mockingly.

Genuinely.

It rang clean through the trees.

“I would be disappointed if you did anything less,” he replied.

The knight lunged.

Aurien did not draw his sword fully. The steel barely cleared the sheath before he pivoted, deflecting the strike with a sharp twist of his wrist. The impact rang through the air.

A step in.

A shift of weight.

The hilt drove into the man’s sternum with precise force.

The knight’s breath left him in a broken gasp before he collapsed to his knees.

Aurien caught him before he hit the ground fully and shoved him aside.

Efficient.

Controlled.

Ezra felt his pulse spike.

’Beautiful.’

A shadow moved behind Aurien.

Ezra saw it before Aurien did.

Or maybe Aurien knew and simply trusted him.

The second knight aimed low, blade slicing toward Aurien’s unguarded side.

Ezra stepped in.

He did not think.

His sword met the incoming strike with a sharp crack. The force reverberated up his arm, but he welcomed it.

He twisted, using the man’s momentum against him, sweeping his leg behind the knight’s ankle and driving him down with the flat of his blade.

The man hit the forest floor hard.

Ezra’s breath came quicker now.

Not from fatigue.

From exhilaration.

’Yes,’ he thought. ’Yes.’

Another came from the left. Ezra intercepted. Another from the right. Aurien stepped into the space before Ezra could.

They moved without speaking.

Without hesitation.

A knight tried to push past Ezra toward the open path behind them.

Aurien cut him off.

Two more attempted to flank.

Ezra shifted to block the angle before Aurien had to turn.

Steel rang again.

Closer now.

Faster.

Leaves crushed beneath boots. The scent of earth rose sharply with every step.

“You are not getting through!” one of the remaining knights yelled, charging forward with both hands on his blade.

Ezra met him head-on this time.

No redirection.

No deflection.

He drove forward.

Their blades locked for a split second, faces inches apart.

The knight’s jaw trembled.

Ezra’s lips curved faintly.

“You are doing well,” he said quietly.

Then he shoved.

The knight stumbled back, balance broken, and Aurien struck cleanly from the side, knocking the weapon from his grip.

Three down.

Four.

Five.

The forest floor was no longer quiet.

It was alive with motion.

Ezra felt the earlier heaviness in his legs dissolve beneath adrenaline.

’I could do this for hours,’ he realized.

Another blade grazed his shoulder. He twisted away before it could bite deeper, stepping back—

And felt it.

Warmth.

Solid.

Aurien’s back.

They had shifted without noticing.

Without planning.

Back to back.

Ezra’s breath was steady now. Controlled again.

Aurien’s shoulder pressed lightly against his own.

“Hey there.” Aurien greets him, jokingly.

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