LRAB Chapter 120 Caught in the act
Chapter 120 Caught in the act
Ethan moved before his mind had fully processed it. His instincts screamed at him, urging him to act, to protect himself, to protect Lia and Luna, to eliminate the threat before it could escalate.
And he knew that he could do it. He had already done it. He had lifted bigger things with his mind before. He might have practised on dust specks, but he knew he could do it.
He had to. There was no other way. Anything else he did would simply draw too much attention to them. They were in the middle of a fucking city. If he attacked openly, he might as well shout at the top of his lungs that they were the ones everyone was looking for.
That knife on that table was their only salvation.
Come on. Move. Damn it. This had to work. His minions could be traced back to him. This was the only way. His gut feeling told him that this was a moment that was going to change his life.
Ethan gnashed his teeth and mentally willed the knife to move. Mental images flashed in his mind about the worst-case scenarios, and panic and anger filled his mind. The next second, the knife simply shot forward.
The guard barely had time to react. His eyes widened, his hand still halfway to his belt when the knife embedded itself in his throat with a sickening thunk.
He let out a strangled gasp, gurgling blood, stumbling back into his chair, the force of the impact sending the tankard of ale tumbling to the ground. The wooden chair screeched against the cobblestone, and for a moment, everything was still.
Then, the silence shattered.
Someone screamed.
Chairs scraped against the stone as patrons pushed back from their tables, some jumping to their feet, others scrambling away. The tavern owner cursed loudly, his voice barely registering in Ethan's ringing ears.
Ethan swallowed hard, forcing himself to keep his breathing steady. The old hag's gaze felt like it was drilling straight through him, peeling back every layer of his hurried justifications. He opened his mouth to explain, to make excuses, but she raised a hand, stopping him.
"Not here," she said sharply, her voice low. "Come."
She turned on her heel and walked away, her cane tapping against the cobblestone. Ethan hesitated only a second before gripping Luna's hand tightly and following. The little girl was still silent, still shaken, her fingers gripping his sleeve like a lifeline.
They wound through narrow back streets, ducking through alleyways, cutting corners Ethan had never even noticed before. Agnes moved like a ghost, her steps sure and quick despite her hunched frame. Within minutes, they arrived back at her house, and she shoved open the door before stepping inside.
Ethan barely had time to pull Luna in before Agnes slammed the door shut behind them. She turned on him instantly, her eyes flashing.
"Tell me exactly what happened. Now."
Ethan exhaled sharply, his mind racing as he pieced together the past few minutes. "I didn't do anything. You have to believe me. We were just returning from the fields, and there was a disturbance, so we ran back here. She is a small child. I did not want her to see anything horrible."
Agnes narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp enough to cut through steel. "Lies," she said flatly. "I was not born yesterday. You reek of guilt, brat."
Ethan clenched his jaw, but before he could argue, Agnes stepped forward and jabbed her cane against his chest—not hard, but enough to make her point. "I don't need to hear excuses. I need the truth."
He exhaled sharply, his heart still racing from the adrenaline. "Fine," he muttered.
"It was an accident. We were walking that way and I was trying to practise on this and that and I accidentally made the knife hit the guard. He was rude to me a few days back and demanded more silver coins for entry into the city. It was nothing. It was stupid. This was just a dumb accident."