Whoosh! The two men vanished, and the eerie tension slowly faded, finally broken by the snorting of the three horses. Then, frightened out of their wits, they galloped off into the distant darkness.
Only the three of them remained, along with two black warhorses that stood utterly still.
"Miss, are you all right?" Kanni beat Zeng Mu to her side, crouching in front of her and reaching out to untie the ropes binding her hands.
"Don't touch me!" she shouted, her tearful voice fiercely resolute.
Kanni stopped, stood up, and hurriedly took two steps back. Only after several deep, releasing breaths did the woman begin to calm down. She also realized that these two compatriots had saved her.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that..." Her voice was soft as she collected herself.
Zeng Mu stepped forward, untying her as he said, "It's all right, miss. You're safe now. Completely safe."
The instant her wrists were freed, the woman hurriedly brought both hands to her chest and lowered her head to straighten her disheveled clothing. The two men looked away, turning back only once the rustling beneath her fingers had stopped.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Her voice finally regained a little of its normal tone.
Zeng Mu slowly helped her up, but feeling how weak her body was, he had to keep supporting her arm and back. "What's your name, and where are you from? Why were Yan State soldiers chasing you?"
At those words, the tears that had been gathering in the corners of her eyes finally spilled over.
She glanced at the deep black pit a few meters away, then turned toward Zeng Mu and asked, "Sir, are you an Elementalist?"
"As you can see."
"Wonderful. There's hope for my sister." A smile appeared through her