by Ian Haywood
Zephal responded in a tone that was calm, but at the same time holding back anger.
“And if you remained in Lucius’s care, you would be facing certain death this very moment! The man that I killed in the car park wasn’t exactly innocent himself! There are lots you still need to learn, Alana. The man who paraded around as a holy man deserved to die too! Even the nurse who looked after you was just as evil as the rest of them. They all came across as being helpful towards you, but they meant you just as much harm as Lucius!”
I didn’t fully believe Zephal at first, but then I suddenly remembered how creepy the vicar had acted when he grabbed hold of my wrist as we hid inside the church.
Zephal continued as I remained silent.
“Those people were all members of a cult that has survived unnoticed for centuries within the mortal world ever since they closed the portals between our two worlds.”
Now there is talk of a mysterious secret cult and even of portals.
The only thing that I could do right now after listening to the craziness that was coming from Zephal’s mouth right now was to laugh out loud.
Zephal was not impressed at all by my reaction and stopped my laughing by speaking sharply.
“This is no laughing matter, Naomi! The Disciples of Draig are not to be trifled with!”
“Is that what they call themselves?” I asked, sarcastically.
“Yes, they do.” Zephal answered, “And they could have torn you apart if they wanted to. They are bred from demon stock and they can be your worst nightmare!”
“Worse than you?” I returned.
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds and I could sense that I was starting to get on Zephal’s nerves.
But I knew I had pushed my luck too far when Zephal stood and spoke loudly.
“Maybe I should have left you in Lucius and Alana’s care. You obviously have no idea what danger you are in! You seem to treat all of this as if it’s some kind of a joke. I have risked my life for you on more than enough occasions and there is nothing more I would like right now than to be rid of you, but unfortunately, I cannot walk away as I promised Gereziac that I would return you safely to him. Once I get you there, you will be protected much more than you could ever imagine.”
Gereziac.
That’s the man who everyone seems to think is my father and Zephal knows him.
The same man that Alana and her army seem to hate with a vengeance for whatever reason.
And one thing I must agree with Zephal on is the fact that if I did remain with Alana and Lucius, then my life would indeed be in danger and as strange as it may sound, it may be safer for me to stay with Zephal at the moment to see what may happen next.
Some kind of protection would be much better than none at all.
But how honest would Zephal’s words be?
Before I could even contemplate what my next move would be, a sudden loud noise came from my left which sounded like a heavy metal latch being lifted.
I guessed the noise correctly as a strong beam of light suddenly illuminated the room as someone opened a door.
Zephal did not waste a second in leaping forward to attack whoever it was that had entered and I once again witnessed Zephal partaking in another fight.
I could instantly tell that the man Zephal was fighting with in front of me was one of Alana’s guards as he was wearing the same clothes as the two guards who had grabbed me earlier and chained me to the chair.
But Zephal had caught the guard completely by surprise when he opened the door and the man didn’t have any time whatsoever in order to defend himself against the sudden attack.
And the fight became so one-sided in Zephal’s favour that it did not last for very long indeed.
Zephal stood over the dead guard and the light that was coming inside the room revealed that we were actually in a small square room with no windows at all.
I also noticed that there were chains attached to one of the walls indicating that it was a cell of some kind.
Zephal did not waste any more time involved with the dead guard and turned his attention to the door, checking to make sure that nobody else was lurking about outside ready to attack at any notice.
I struggled to my feet as quickly as I could after realizing how filthy the room was and I certainly wasn’t going to remain on the floor for a second more.
I looked at the puddle that I had accidentally put my hand in earlier and still couldn’t work out what the hell it was.
Zephal turned to me and whispered quietly.
“We will have to leave now before we are spotted.”
“What do you mean by we?” I asked.
Zephal certainly didn’t appreciate my answer and he whispered to me again.
“Then, you will be dead by the time I reach Gereziac.”
And without saying another word, he just left the room.
I didn’t know what to do – I was now alone somewhere I had never been before and the target of everyone around me.
I froze in shock of being left to fend for myself with no idea what I was about to do next and then I felt someone grab my arm and pull me out of the door.
CHAPTER NINE
I nearly jumped out of my skin as I suddenly felt someone grab me and even before I could even get to scream, a large hand was placed over my mouth to stop me from doing so.
As soon as the person who held me whispered in my ear to remain quiet, I suddenly recognized him.
It was Zephal and he had obviously not taken my reply for a final answer and it looks like he is going to take me with him after all, whether I like it or not.
I thought Lucius was strong, but the grip Zephal had on me was incredible and if Zephal truly wanted me to accompany him unharmed, then he should loosen his grip on me as soon as possible in order for me to continue breathing normally.
But before he released his grip on me, he spoke quietly into my ear.
“When I remove my hand from your mouth Naomi, promise me that you will not scream because if you do I can guarantee that a large number of soldiers will suddenly appear out of nowhere and you and I could be history.”
I nodded my head and waited for him to move his hand and as he did so, he began to loosen the grip he had on me as he realized that I had stuck to my word.
I turned to face him and instantly noticed how intensely he was watching our surroundings, making sure that if someone was close, then we would be well aware and have enough time to move on to a safer spot.
Then, suddenly without any kind of warning whatsoever, Zephal suddenly grabbed hold of my left hand and started to pull me forwards.
Of course, the shock in him doing so grounded me to the spot, which brought Zephal to a sudden halt.
He looked back at me with a look that instantly revealed that he was unimpressed by what I had just suddenly done to him and I waited for some kind of reprimand.
But instead of him losing his temper, all that he did was speak to me in a calm manner.
“Like I have said before, Naomi, if you wish to survive, then I strongly suggest you stick with me or continue being Alana’s prisoner until she is ready to kill you when she is done with you!”
I have seen both sides kill someone in front of me and it seems that my life has now suddenly turned into making a decision as to which one is the lesser of two evils and whichever side I choose, would I still face death anyway?
Once again, Zephal tried to guide me down the corridor and I once again held back, but this time he wasn’t going to let us stay idle a moment longer as we both heard footsteps coming from around the corner, causing us both to pick up our pace.
I was suddenly pushed into a little alcove by Zephal and he instantly stood in front of me, almost hiding me from view.
But whereas I was safely hidden, Zephal on the other hand was completely open leaving himself in a precarious position where he could be spotted quite easily?
I watched him flick the hood that was on his cloak up o
ver his head and stand perfectly still as the soldiers who had been searching the hallways passed by us without giving us a second glance.
I noticed that the back of Zephal’s cloak was damp as it brushed across my face and when I wiped whatever liquid it was off the side of my face, I realized that it was in fact blood.
And then it hit me why the soldiers passed us so easily – Zephal was wearing the same cloak that Alana’s Generals wear.
And this particular cloak was from none other than General Azaac, the same man that I had witnessed Alana kill when he stepped out of line earlier.
Hopefully it will bring Zephal better luck!
Zephal stepped forward when he knew that the coast was clear and grabbed my hand in order to get me to follow him as he continued to try and get us out without being spotted.
He let go of my hand as I did what he wanted and he noticed the blood on his hand that had been transferred from mine and I watched as he licked it off just like a child would after having some kind of tasty treat.
But just as it felt that we were making some kind of progress in our escape, a voice suddenly echoed through the corridors.
A voice that sent chills up my spine as I heard it.
Lucius.
I spun round, expecting to see him behind me, but luckily he was nowhere to be seen.
Zephal had obviously heard him as well and he knew that we had to find somewhere a lot better to hide if Lucius was going to make an appearance at any moment.
After all, he was the Head General in Alana’s army and knew each of the Generals personally, so he would be able to instantly recognize that Zephal was an imposter and undoubtedly all hell would break loose if those two ever met again.
The sound of Lucius’s voice was now replaced by what sounded like a large number of people running and it was getting louder and louder by the second.
I was petrified as I realized that they were heading straight towards us and as I looked back at Zephal, I could see that he was struggling to find us some kind of a temporary hiding place.
And in all the chaos, I had remained rooted to the spot in blind panic while Zephal continued his search.
I turned around momentarily to see where Zephal was heading, but I couldn’t see hide nor hair of him – he had completely disappeared from view.
He had left me to face Lucius and his soldiers all by myself.
The footsteps were getting incredibly louder now and I knew that they were only seconds away from making an appearance in the same hallway as where I am standing right now.
And nothing could prepare me in any way to defend myself when they did.
But just as it looked like there was no kind of hope for me, I heard a voice from behind calling my name.
Zephal had not left me.
“Quick, Naomi!” he called loud enough for me to hear, but also quiet enough not to be heard by anyone else, “Follow me! I’ve found a way out!”
And without a second’s hesitation, I let Zephal lead me through a gap in the stone wall which when stepped through, revealed a secret passage which had a beam of daylight at the other end.
CHAPTER TEN
I was so pleased to see some kind of daylight in front of me because the amount of time I had spent in the well-hidden secret hideout was making me feel quite claustrophobic and at times difficult to breathe due to its lack of fresh air running through it.
But there was no time to enjoy the light breeze on my face as we had to still make our way out of the tunnel without being caught by Lucius and his men.
They hadn’t noticed us disappearing through the secret gap that Zephal had found, but I’m sure that it wouldn’t be long before they eventually discovered our escape route.
And as we were reaching the end of the tunnel, I suddenly heard another recognizable voice coming from behind.
Alana.
But even though I could hear her, she was nowhere to be seen – and that was a stroke of luck because it gave us a little more time to make our exit without being noticed.
The sudden blast of daylight as we left the tunnel blinded me for a few seconds and I instantly shielded my eyes in order to make sense of where I was standing right now.
But I didn’t need my eyesight to know that I was standing on sand and the butterflies in my stomach went crazy as I realized that I was once again on the beach where I had last laid eyes on Zephal.
But this time we had come out at a more secluded part of the beach and as the sound of voices started filling the tunnel behind us, I saw Zephal look towards a massive pile of rocks to our left which led to who knows where.
I instinctively knew that Zephal was just about to advise me that the pile of rocks would be our only choice to hide from the ever-nearing Lucius and Alana and I gritted my teeth as I followed Zephal onto them.
I found great difficulty in making my way up them and I could see the unimpressed look on Zephal’s face as he realized that he would have to help me if we were going to make any kind of progress.
His physical ability of jumping from one rock to another without any sign of difficulty whatsoever was mesmerizing and he managed to pull me up with great ease before moving onto the other one.
I was incredibly thankful for him doing so because it was clear to see that if I continued at the rate I was going at, I would have most certainly be in great trouble right now because I would have been in full view.
But we had made great progress and I was amazed to see how far up we actually were and as I looked towards the entrance of the tunnel, I caught sight of Lucius and a handful of soldiers suddenly appear from within it.
I couldn’t see Alana with them, but I didn’t have the chance to keep watch thanks to Zephal suddenly pushing my head down so we couldn’t be spotted.
We were both well hidden from view and I could no longer see the beach below us.
All that I could see was a cliff opposite and it took me a few moments to realize that it was the same one that had crumbled earlier on, sending Lucius and Zephal plunging onto the beach below.
The thought crossed my mind that if I found myself in any more trouble all alone, then maybe that cliff could be my only escape route out of wherever I was right now.
At least I would be somewhere that I knew well rather than being dragged further into unfamiliarity.
Then suddenly out of nowhere, a figure began to appear on the edge of the cliff and just as I was about to warn Zephal that someone may be able to see us, I noticed that the person opposite was the mysterious woman who had appeared to me outside the church.
I soon discovered that I was not the only person who had spotted her.
Alana must have made her way to the beach below as I clearly heard her voice echoing around.
“There she is! Lucius – get that woman now!”
Lucius and his soldiers looked up at where Alana was pointing, but none of them made a move.
I looked back across the cliff and noticed that the woman was gone and I struggled to find any trace of where she was hiding right now, but I know that she couldn’t have disappeared from sight that quickly.
But Alana discovered her long before I did and I could hear her dulcet tones filling the air once again.
“There she is! She’s at the water’s edge! Get her!”
I looked down and to my amazement, I could see the same woman now standing exactly where Alana had said.
But Lucius failed to respond once again as Alana had expected him to and she started shouting directly at him.
“Why aren’t you moving? Can’t you see her?”
Lucius shook his head and it was now obvious that for whatever reason, Lucius couldn’t see what Alana and I could.
So, to confirm that my thoughts were correct, I turned to Zephal and was about to ask him if he was able to see the woman on the water’s edge.
But as I turned my head, I immediately caught sight of something moving slowly behind us and as I spun round to see what it was, I was met with the sigh
t of four male figures making their way towards us.
Fearing that they were Alana’s men, I shouted a warning to Zephal and as he looked back, one of the men pulled out a sword and brought it down towards Zephal’s head.
Zephal was way too quick for his attacker and had managed to get out of the way from the sword’s path and he had also sprung to his feet ready to defend himself against whatever attack was about to come his way.
Two of the men had now turned their attention on me, but neither of them pulled out any weapons.
Instead, they restrained me while the other two began a physical assault on Zephal and as the three men fought on the rocks, I found myself being dragged further and further up the rocks until we were close to the top.