Lustrous Horizon

Chapter Three

Corinne had pointed to a tree several yards away from herself and the mother-daughter duo. Two more Wind Shots were fired from the person with the Bow and Arrow. The target of the shots was unknown, but all three girls dodged regardless.

"I see someone in that tree over there!" Corinne pointed out.

"Why are they shooting at us?!" Stella asked as if she were expecting an answer.

"I don't know! Quickly! Over here!" Corinne ran behind a tree that is bigger than the one that the shooter is atop of.

Stella and Cecilia quickly follow Corinne and hide with her. Another Wind Shot is fired but only hits the ground because the girls are hiding behind such a big tree trunk. The color of the Wind Midrash particles is a shade of red.

Cecilia pokes her head out the tree trunk to take a look at the shooter. An Arrow comes flying at her which she quickly pulls herself back to avoid the attack.

"Careful, Mom!" Stella said.

"I know, dear," Cecilia said and then looked at Corinne. "Is it normal for people to be shooting at each other around here?"

Corinne shakes her head. "No! This is the first time that I have seen this."

"My daughter and I just got here, so that makes me think the shooter is after you."

"Why would anyone want to come after me?"

"I'm not blaming you," Cecilia assured her. "I just don't understand why anyone would just shoot at us for no reason."

Stella puts her hand on her mom's shoulder. "Do you think it's the Unicorn from before?"

Before Cecilia could answer, another Wind Shot was fired and hit the ground. The impact on the ground had made a crater with Wind Midrash dispersing into the air. Cecilia watches as the Midrash particles dissolve.

"No," Cecilia said. "The Midrash type from the shooter is Wind. I believe the Unicorn's was Lightning."

Stella turns to Corinne. "If the shooter isn't after my mom or me, then maybe it's you?"

Corinne sighs softly. "Fine! I'll go out and run around for a bit. If he shoots at me, then it's me. If not, then maybe it's you and your mom."

"I mean I don't want you to get hurt because of us." Stella said.

"No," Cecilia said. "I think that's a good idea. I was going to suggest that, but you volunteered yourself."

Corinne frowns at Cecilia. "Here goes!" She pokes her head out the tree trunk and runs to the closest tree.

As soon as she makes it to the next tree, an Arrow flies by and hits the ground.

"I guess that confirms it." Stella said.

"See! He shot at me!" Corinne said. "Now your turn!"

Cecilia leans towards her daughter's ear and whispers. "How does she know the shooter is a guy?"

"What do you mean?" Stella whispered back.

"She just said he shot at me and not they shot at me."

"Maybe she just assumes that the shooter is a guy?"

Before Cecilia could respond, Corinne calls out to them. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Let's go," Cecilia said. "But we need to be careful."

With that said, Stella and Cecilia run to the tree that Corinne is hiding behind. Another Wind Shot was fired but missed. The three girls keep the same pattern until they make it to the nearby buildings. Only then, did the shootings stop.

Harold and Edgar left the bar after fighting against the six customers. Harold looks around and only sees the locals going about their everyday routine.

"That bartender was hiding something." Harold said.

"How can you tell?" Edgar asked.

"When we were questioning him, he stopped when he saw something or someone at the door. The door was clearly opened by someone. And when I looked, there was no one there. I counted the number of customers and it was the same number when we entered."

"So, there were six customers when we came in and six when we fought them. The door opened and closed, but the number of customers was the same? I don't know what you're getting here, Harold."

"I mean that someone opened the door, looked at the bartender possibly to give him a signal or something, and then left the bar." Harold explained. "I tried to get out quickly to see who it was, but the bartender delayed us by having the customers fight us."

"Okay! I see that. So, why not question the bartender now?"

Harold turns around towards the door to the bar. "That's what we'll do. I was hoping we'll find someone around here, but we were too late."

The boys go back into the bar. The scene is not the same as when they had left it. The six customers? Gone! The bartender? Also gone!

"What is going on here?" Harold asked out loud.

"They're all gone?" Edgar said. "How!? And why?!"

"I knew something was up. Let's see if there's anyone in the back." Harold walks to the back door and opens it. "Empty!"

"What are you thinking?" Edgar asked his partner.

"Honesty, I don't know what to think." Harold thought to himself for a moment. "If we encountered something like this, what about the girls?"

"What about them?"

"We know we're being targeted by the Unicorn and possibly the Goblin. What if they have some plan set in motion? Let's go find them before anything happens."

With that said, Harold and Edgar make their way back to the inn.

Meanwhile, in an unknown building, the bartender is standing in front of a desk. The person sitting at the chair is Hilaire and standing next to him is Olivier.

"I did what you asked, sir!" said the bartender. "I don't understand why you placed those men there just to be defeated by those boys."

Hilaire stares into the eyes of the bartender. "You can leave now."

The bartender swallows hard and leaves the building.

"I'm curious," Olivier said. "What was the point of that?"

Hilaire smirks to himself. "Now we know that the weakest link is that Edgar guy. He was having trouble against three men who didn't have Midrash."