Chapter 136: Run If You Can

Chapter 136: Run If You Can
Bernice felt her knees grind against the scorching sand.

She had been shoved to her knees while the sorceress ordered two of her men to go after Sabine.

The place on her neck where the knife had pricked stung, one good thing about her newfound amortality was that the cut would heal without a scar. She hoped with all her heart that Sabine was able to leave.

It was sad that she had been caught, but better one of them, than both of them.

"What is taking you so long? You can't even handle a girl?" Zipporah snapped from her position on the ground, where she stood gazing up at the house.

One of the men said from within the house "The halfling is gone."

"What?" Zipporah's face creased in a frown.

"I don't know, one minute she was here and the next she wasn't," the man replied.

"I think she escaped through a portal that I saw her create, when I was up there with them," the man that was holding her down on her knees, told Zipporah.

At his words, Zipporah slapped him hard, across the face.

"Incompetent fool," She glowered at him in anger "You had the easy job and you let her slip away."

The ring on her finger had scrapped his left cheek, producing a bruise.

A muscle jumped in his jaw, he glared at the sorceress as his fingers reached up to touch the bruise on his face "Don't ever do that again," he warned.

"You work for me and I will do it again if you fail at your job. Do you think gold grows on trees?" She said brusquely.

"We lost one of our men, that was not the agreement. It was supposed to be a simple and easy operation," the man retorted.

"How is that my fault? Who knew the halfling had some tricks up her sleeve?" She hissed through her teeth.

"You will compensate us for the life of our man," the man notified her.

"You demand compensation when you did not even deliver on your job. The halfling escaped!" She spat at him furiously.

"We did not charge you enough for the level of difficulty, we battled against five freaking giant beetles," the man countered.

Ignoring him, Zipporah walked over to the wooden steps of the house and started to ascend up the ladder.

"Where are you going? The house is not safe, it could collapse any minute," he called after her.

"I don't care, I am going to look for her myself," she threw over her shoulder.

"All the years I have patiently waited for this opportunity, and you good for nothing hirelings ruin it for me," Zipporah murmured as she climbed up to the house.

Bernice watched her disappear into the house.

Today had taken a bad turn. She and Sabine were just having a good time…scrap the part where she had been crying her eyes out about Rojan. But it was a good day regardless, and this evil witch just had to come to jam up their style.

Urgh.

She had developed a soft spot for magic because of Sabine, now she was rethinking her admiration for it because of this evil sorceress.

From this distance, she heard her kick something inside the house "You all had one job, yet let her get away."

She kicked another. "She is just a halfling, a weak halfling. You all bragged that you could get this done in your sleep."

She stomped on something else and yelled, "Ouch, my foot!"

The man that kept guard beside her chuckled, "Serves you right, bitch. I hope you break a leg."

Bernice had been silent all through, racking her brain on what to do. She needed to get away from these people. She could not let them take her.

Moreover, she did not know if they would take her alive or kill her on the spot. Judging from the sorceress's ire, she knew that she would want to pour all that frustration on someone.

And that person would be her.

So she needed to find the right moment to make a run for it. Create a distraction or disarm her guard.

Her mind kicked into overdrive as her eyes darted, she was considering her options. Turning over different possibilities in her head.

An idea came to her and her face lit up with a smile.

"Hey wolfman," she said to the man looming above her.

He looked down at her, his face stern and hard.

"My knees hurt so much on this sand, can I stand up?" She politely asked.

"No," the man refused.

"Sit down?"

"No."

"Lie down?"

"No, remain how you are, don't move, and stop talking to me," he said with exasperation.

"But my knees hurt," she mumbled "I only just became amortal recently, my body is still very weak."

He smirked "Weak? I felt your strength in the power of your frying pan."

"That was adrenaline, the strength that comes when you're frightened."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Do not lecture me," he mouthed back.

While she was conversing with him, she slowly leaned to her right side and scooped up a handful of sand.

"If you won't let me stand, sit, or lie down, then at least help me scratch my back. A terrible itch makes me restless," she pouted her lips.

He was hesitant for a minute, then reluctantly asked "Where does it itch?"

"Between my winged scapula," she wriggled her shoulders, feigning discomfort.

Sighing deeply, he drew closer and bent his head down to reach behind her. At that moment, she struck.

She threw the sand in his eyes and elbowed him in his chest. The same spot where Sabine had previously stabbed. He fell to the ground in pain, clutching at his chest.

She sprang to her feet and started to run with all her might, without waiting a second.

Behind her, she heard the man scream "My eyes! Not again. Get her quick, she is running away!"