Chapter 48: Chapter 48

Leo and Heidi

Somewhere in Germany 

Seb, unable to react in time, stared at what looked like the end of the boy mage.  Then he was surprised by a wave of raw magic that exploded out of Leo. In a blink of an eye, black and white lightning annihilated the bishop's sword, throwing the white-robbed man back. The wave was so strong that the bishop flew more than a hundred meters and hit a large tree, slumping. 

“The hell was that?” Evan said as Leo fell to his knees, passing out. 

“That was…?” Heidi began. 

“Chaos magic,” Seb finished and scooped Leo up, throwing him over his other shoulder. “No time to talk. Get the bag. We need to run,” Seb declared and ran in front of Heidi. 

They were away from the scene in a few seconds, Heidi casting an obscuring spell on them as they moved through the thick forest. In the distance, they could hear tens of voices yelling and running out in all directions, casting a bright light behind them. The priests that arrived found the Bishop and set out to catch the offenders. 

When the haste spell wore off, Seb put Evan down, and he continued to run on his own. They did not stop and ran for what felt like a few hours, luckily undiscovered by the priests who arrived. All the while, no one spoke a word and concentrated on putting distance between them and the priests. 

After two hours of constant running, made possible by the continued application of haste spells, they stopped. Evan fell on his back, panting, as Heidi and Seb sat down on a nearby fallen tree to catch their breath. Meanwhile, Leo was still out cold.

 By some miracle, Seb guided them through the forest to the only place that made sense to him - a farm. 

“Where the hell are we?” Evan asked, still panting. 

“A farm. I found a local friendly by the name Hans,” Seb explained. “He will hide us while we think about what to do.”

“Alright, then let’s go,” Evan said, getting up and walking out of the woods. The farm was a small one. It consisted of only two buildings and had no vehicles outside that could be visible. As they walked closer, Evan saw several chickens running around and heard a dog bark around the corner. 

“Hans!” Seb called out. “Are you here?” The three of them waited for a response for a moment. Then an old voice called out of the shack, “Ya! Sebastian, that you?”

“Yes, old man. I brought guests,” Sebastian answered and moved closer to the house. Walking around the corner, they were met by a man in his sixties, dressed in a simple shirt and trousers made out of jeans. He had a kind face, blue eyes, and gray hair. 

“Seb! How are you?” he asked enthusiastically and moved closer for a handshake. “What brought you here?”

Sebastian shook his hand and said, “Trouble, Hans. Nothing for you to worry about, but we could use a place to lay low for a while. Will you have us?”

“Sure. And who are your companions? That one passed out?” Hans pointed to the sleeping Leo, who hung over Evan’s shoulder. 

“Ah, sorry, where are my manners? Hans, please meet Heidi, my niece.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said.

 “And these two boys are Evan and Leo.”

“Hello,” Evan said and nodded. 

“Nice to meet you as well. Alright, let’s go inside. There you can tell me what is going on,” Hans said, inviting them inside the house. Walking inside, Evan could see that the house was a simple one. The floors and the walls were made from wood, and simple decorations hung around the walls. The fireplace was lit, and cozy warmth invited them as they sat around on the few chairs available.

Hans put on the kettle and asked, “So, what brings you here? The last time we met was two years ago. Did you find the cabin you were searching for?”

“Yes, time flies, does it not? As for the cabin, I found it just recently. Thank you for guiding me on a proper trail,” Seb said, nodding. 

“But that is not why we are here. Sorry for barging in like that. I hope you do not mind?”

“Sure, sure. Feel free to stay as long as you want. I do not have plenty of room, but I am sure you will make due.”

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“Thank you! Do you still not have a phone or anything? Or a car?” Seb asked.

“Yea, nothing. I still walk those ten kilometers every other Sunday to catch the bus.”

“Alright, that is good. Sorry for being so blunt, but when is the next bus? We do not want to impose on your hospitality.”

“Ah, the next one is tomorrow morning. Are you thinking about leaving already?

“Yea, Hans. We cannot stay for long. There are some people after us. The less you know, the better you will sleep,” Seb said and nodded toward him as if implying something. Hans looked at him for a second and nodded back, catching the message. 

“Alright. I get it. Then I will leave you to it. You are free to use this and the room there. I will bring you some blankets and sacks to sleep on,” Hans said and pointed to his left. “Dinner will be done in around an hour? Alright?” 

“Sure. Thank you for having us,” Seb said as Hans walked out, leaving them alone. 

“Well, that was awkward,” Evan said, eyeing the door through which the old man left. 

“You do not need to know the details,” Seb said and moved to check the rooms available to them for the night. “We will stay here for the night and catch the bus Hans mentioned.”

“Sure, but what next? I do not trust the clan safehouses, uncle,” Heidi said.

”Nor do I. Not since Leonard saw me. They will alert all of the clans and the Church with their sleepers. Nowhere will be safe. Boy, you have the bag, right?”

“This one?” Evan asked, raising the spatial bag. “Yep. Safe and sound with all the goodies we had in the basement. Shame that we could not get something to eat. Ah, I also managed to salvage my stuff, so we have plenty of cash.”

“Good. That is good,” Seb said, finally exhaling and calming down. 

“So what is the plan, uncle?” Heidi asked, eyeing the room around them, seeing that it did not offer much of the comfort she got used to over the last few days in the cabin.

“Not a plan, really, but a general direction. There is only one feasible course of action. We have to quietly leave Germany and head for Zurich.”

“Switzerland? The hell? You know what kind of presence the Church has there, right?” Heidi asked in disbelief. 

“Yes, I know. That is the last place they will be searching for us. We will catch the bus tomorrow, leave for the closest town and buy an old car to get us there. With a simple charm, it should be possible to fool the cameras for long enough in the city.”

“And then?” Evan asked, eyeing the sleeping Leo. “You think he will wake up in time? I would rather avoid hauling him around in a bag or something.”

“He should be fine by tomorrow,” Seb said, unsure. “I have some contacts in Zurich who will be willing to help us. Provided that we can give something in turn. That should not be a problem with all the stash you boys managed to salvage.”

“Since when do you know someone there, uncle?” Heidi asked, raising an eyebrow. She knew that her uncle had gone for years doing god knows what, but visiting Switzerland was unlikely. 

“I had my travels, dear niece. Or what? You thought that I limited my search to Germany?” he laughed and heard the kettle whistling in the kitchen and Hans cursing. “You will get to meet your first shifter family, boy.”

Evan blinked and asked, “Shifters? Do you mean like werewolves? Seriously? Are they real?”

“Right, you were not around when we educated Leo regarding this. Yes, they are real and not welcoming to mages. Though, this one will be, once I present to him our boy mage over there,” Seb said smiling. “They have a thing about the Church taking over their lands over the last hundred years. And hence they should be willing to support us.”

“You are thinking about staying with the shifters, uncle? That is madness. They can easily take us out in our sleep!” Heidi exclaimed, clearly not loving the idea. 

“That will not happen. Old Peter is too old-fashioned to act so harshly. Especially after we will explain to him that someone who can oppose the Pope has appeared,” Sebastian explained, looking at Leo and smiling.

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