Prompt#7: Head or tails?

Word Count: 997 of 1000 MAX
DAY 7 Prompt: Heads or Tails

         Kalifax pushed himself to the limit. His hooves beat a steady rhythm against the ground, his powerful legs churning the earth as he sped through the forest. Behind him almost beyond hearing were the sounds of his pursuers. He’d thrown caution to the wind about a mile back when he’d realized he was being tracked. The wizard must be with them.

         His mind raced trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Everything had gone as planned. Miranda had infiltrated the castle as a servant and spent the next several weeks learning the layout and passageways both known and hidden. After she’d memorized it all, she smuggled in another three spies. Once they were in place the intel flowed non stop. In less than a fortnight Kalifax had more than enough information to report back to his queen. The coup came when Miranda discovered the hidden crawlspace that led to the war room. The information gathered from there was enough to convince him the invasion could succeed. He spread the word that it was time to end their mission and head home.

         That was last night. When the sun came up Kalifax was waiting outside the stables but no one arrived. After thirty minutes he began to worry. He took notice of foot soldiers patrolling in larger numbers and more frequently. The merchants and city dwellers also noticed, their mutterings reaching his sensitive ears. The scent of the city changed and he smelled fear and confusion.

         A sound much like a thunderclap exploded above him in the sky. No, not the sky but from one of the tall towers of the castle. His eyes caught the subtle change in the air as something moved from the tower. It was like a ripple in water, it grew and spread outwards; an ever expanding circle. He suddenly realized that it wasn’t just above him, it was all around. He watched as a shimmering wall of air swept towards then through him before passing on. It penetrated stone, wood and flesh alike. The world got quiet and he felt a thousand eyes upon him and he was afraid. Looking down he discovered his glamour spell was no longer working. People were no longer seeing a horse but his true form, a centaur. Someone very powerful had cast some form of reality spell with the sole purpose of exposing him. It could only mean one thing. The others had been captured.

         A man’s shout snapped him from his stupor. He saw a group of soldiers running towards him. This was no time to fight. He was clearly outnumbered and who knew how many had already been alerted. He took off at a sprint, the soldiers falling fast behind. An arrow shattered against the wall to his left with others quickly following. He weaved back and forth, stopping suddenly before darting ahead faster than before. Soldiers gave chase on foot but soon enough he could hear the pounding of hooves as the war horses approached.

         He spent the next fifteen minutes sending them on a wild chase. He’d also spent the last several weeks scouting his surroundings. He knew the area better than most of these humans. He’d also made an escape passage for just this type of emergency. He spotted the faint markings on the outer wall and pulled up. Laying his hands between the symbols he spoke softly and the stone shimmered and grew translucent. Without looking back he stepped through to the other side. The wall solidified behind him. He was outside the city, close to the trees.

         As much as he wanted to gallop, he knew better. So he took his time moving through the forest, doing what he could to not disturb the undergrowth. His kind were adept at hiding their tracks but a skilled human could, if he got lucky, find evidence of his passing. But if they had a wizard involved, then all bets were off. Unfortunately they did indeed have a wizard.

         His lungs hurt and his legs ached but he didn’t dare slow down. The humans weren’t catching up and he only had a short distance to the gate and then safety. He broke through the dense trees into a clearing. In its center stood several stones of various heights. They were cast in a ring formation. Moss grew thick over their surfaces and several were cracked with age. The gate. He just needed to get into the circle and then he’d be safe in the Twilight Lands.

         A musical note reached his ears from somewhere behind him. A hunter’s horn or the such. He glanced over his shoulder but he needn’t feared. His enemies were still far behind, too far to stop him. The distraction cost him everything. He didn’t see the rope rise before him, pulled taut across the clearing’s span, knee height. He ran hard into it, tripped and stumbled. His left leg front leg twisted unnaturally and he heard the snap before feeling the sharp pain spasm through him. He fell forward flailing his arms uselessly. His weight sent him end over end and his right collarbone broke. He came to stop less than ten feet from salvation. He tried to push up, to stand but nothing happened. He couldn’t understand why. There was blood on his arms and chest. Something stuck out from his shoulder. How did an arrow get in there. Then another one punched into his chest and a world of pain washed over him.

         “Be quick about it captain”, snapped the wizard, “I won’t be able to glean anything from its mind if he’s been dead too long.”

         Captain Fahlor examined the broken centaur. He reached down and tugged on its tail. It was good quality hair and would make a fine adornment atop his helmet. He drew his sword and crouched down to stare into the eyes of his foe.

         “You heard the wizard. So what’s it going to be first? Heads…or tails?”