by Mike Simmons
“You okay, miss?”
Victoria stared at him in fear. “It’s okay,” he said with a sympathetic gesture of his head. “I am not going to hurt you." His smile reminded her of her father, kind and gentle. He had soft wrinkles around his eyes and on his forehead, and nicely combed thin, grey hair. His eyes rose to the courtyard behind her where the guards moved like angry ants.
“You best take my hand, dear, for it seems you have attracted some unwanted attention." He reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her up to her feet. Eagerness pushed his actions. “Hurry, get down,” he said as he moved her towards one of the stalls. A massive mare stood tethered inside, looking at them both with caution. “This is Sugar. Don’t worry, she’s as tender as they come,” he said as he pushed her head down behind the wall. He took a quick step outwards and took posture as though nothing happened.
Two guards ran into the entryway.
“Did you see a woman running this way?” the guard demanded. “The woman! Where is she?”
Victoria pushed her head up as close as possible to the wall. She nervously watched the stable master from her hiding spot.
“Girl? I haven't seen a girl."
The guards looked at him with disbelief. “We saw a woman running this way from the central courtyard. A man has been killed and we need to speak to her. She was seen fleeing the courtyard and headed this way.”
“I am sorry, there is no girl here. Just me and Sugar, and she isn’t the kind to be killing anyone,” he said, mocking the guards.
The guard gave him a frustrated glare, and exited the stable door to continue his search. The stable master stood there for a second before turning towards Victoria, holding his hand out to her. After a slight pause of hesitation, she took his hand and got to her feet.
“Now look, I don’t know why those men are searching for you, and to be frank, I really don’t care. I consider myself a good judge of character and you don’t look like someone who would be mixing herself up in the darkness of the world. Whatever you are here for, or whatever you are doing, please don't get yourself killed." He ran his finger along her cheekbone. The softest of smiles adorned his lips. “You look like my daughter. Please, take care of yourself. You can leave here through the back door.”
His simple act of kindness and compassion amazed her. She risked it all for her son, and his benevolence aided her quest. The small tears that filled the lids of her eyes showed him her appreciation. He smiled at her with genuine understanding as she ran for the back door.
She peeked outside the back of the stables. As she scanned the area, she saw the door to the kitchens. Heaps of broken crates surrounded the back door, and a mangy dog slept on an old rug off to the side. The sounds of clanging utensils and pots and pans came from within. Like an eagle, she watched the scattered guards.
Now! Go now! Her legs would not move. This is for Samuel! GO NOW! Renewed energy exploded within her legs. She shot out of the doorway as if her shoes were on fire.
She had tunnel vision on the doorway, running as if her legs were powered by something unworldly. The ground past beneath her in a streaming blur. A few more strides and she would be inside the castle, out of view of the guards along the wall. Before she reached the kitchens, a large armored soldier stepped in the doorway from within and peered outward, his eyes caught by the woman running at him. Victoria’s feet skid in the dirt as her arms stretched outward for balance, halting her sprint to a full stop. They looked at each other in surprise. That fraction of a second seemed like ages. A million thoughts raced throughout her head. Oh no . . . am I busted? Is he going to capture me? I have been found! My son! No!
As the guard focused on Victoria, he took a deep breath and his lips opened, ready to yell. I’m sorry, but you can’t stop me, not now! The burly guard’s eyes rolled into his head as he crumpled into a limp pile. Immediately, she darted over him into the kitchen area, where numerous people were preparing and cooking food. Two women by the cauldron stirred and dropped vegetables inside from a wooden cutting board. A handful of heavy set women rolled and kneaded bread dough, as others moved and scurried mixing and moving materials from one table to another. Steaming pots and smoking pans covered the tabletops, giving the room a smell of spices and cooking meat.
All five women at the table in front of her stared at her with surprise and uncertainty. She did not have time to deal with them. She could see two sets of doors leading out of here; to the right a single door; old, splintered, and covered with years of dirty hand marks, and along the far wall a set of double doors, each with a small window in its center making it possible to see into the room beyond. That has to lead to the dining chambers. That door has to be the servant’s doorway. Victoria broke into a full run past the servants and smashed through the single door on the right side of the room.
She did not know where she headed, but she figured her best chance of finding it would be in the vaults, rumored to be underneath the castle. She looked for a way to head down. She ran down the hallway where an open doorway on the left lead into a well-lit room. Seven large washing basins sat in a circle in the middle. Five women sat and pulled sheets and clothes out of large baskets and pushed them into the water. Not there.
Down from the washroom, another door opened to her right. Victoria peeked through the square hole cut into the door at eye level. Large sacks sat stacked against the walls and along the floor. Supply room. C’mon! There has to be some way to get downstairs! As Victoria turned to keep running, she stopped and looked eye to eye with woman holding a basket of linens. The woman looked at her oddly.
“I am looking for a way downstairs, how do I get downstairs?” Victoria asked. The woman continued to look at her.
“I don’t think you are supposed to be here . . .,” she said.
With a growl of frustration, Victoria shook her head and ran past the woman who swiftly moved out of the way. She ran another twenty feet and came to a stone stairway that spiraled downward out of sight. Yes! The stairway cut right into the solid mountain rock. Burning torches hung along the right wall. As Victoria sped down the stairs, she skipped every other stair as she brushed her fingers down both walls for balance. She heard trouble coming from up behind her. Guards! There are on to me! Run! You cannot stop now! She could hear women’s voices, presumably telling the guards what they saw.
The long stairway led down into the catacombs of Castle Belkin. As she continued traversing the stairs, the air became moist and cool. It smelled like freshly moved earth. She moved as fast as she could, but well before she reached the bottom she heard the footsteps of armored boots meeting the stairs above her. They were coming.
It felt like hours before she reached the bottom of the stairs. She hit the bottom running and she saw the solid rock hallway open up and continue straight forward. An open doorway ahead opened to her left and another was set off to the right a hundred paces down the hall. This did not look good. She bolted forward and shot into the left door down a small hallway, and at the end, a square room cut out of solid rock. Two torches hung against the back wall, and suits of armor sat along the floor in wooden crates. Large shelves held layers upon layers of chain mail. Crates labeled “gauntlets” were stacked on top of each other in the corner. Victoria panicked; she could not escape if she stayed in here. As she turned from the doorway to backtrack, she heard the armored footsteps close in on the bottom of the stairs. Oh no! I can’t go back in that hallway or they will see me! What am I going to do? In nervous dismay, she whipped her back up to the doorways edge, pressed hard up against the wall, her hands open and flattened behind her. Out in the hallway she heard the yells of the guards.
“Check the armor room, we’ll continue on towards the vaults!”
The vaults! So I am close! She lost all thought when she heard two sets of footsteps approaching her room. The sounds of the other guards faded as they ran deeper down the hall. The hallway to her room spanned fifteen feet, and they approached quickly. The sound of steel rang out
as the guards withdrew their swords.
Anxiety swept over her. She had made it this far. The guards chased her and she trapped herself in a room with one exit, and not one, but two guards now occupied her only escape.
Victoria had mastered her ability. Although she could not explain how it worked, she could eliminate the life force out of things, even plants and animals, by concentrating her emotions within her and expelling the power outward to a target. When she did that, her target would simply die; no hesitation, no pain, or feelings. When she first learned to control her gift, she practiced on small plants and rodents, and it took tremendous concentration and focus. Over time, she learned to summon and dismiss her ability more quickly. She knew how to do it; she had done it countless times before, but she had only ever focused her ability on a single target. It took everything within her to complete the task, and after a successful elimination, Victoria needed rest, and never had she focused her attention on more than one target.
Victoria turned into the doorway, coming face to face with the two oncoming soldiers. The two guards remained calm, even though they stopped and raised their swords in defense.
“We just need to talk to you. You are not in any sort of danger.”
“I am not in any sort of danger? Who are you kidding? If I wasn’t in any danger, then why are you standing here with your swords? I need to get into the vaults. I know you will not let me. That makes this situation a little dangerous.”
The two guards never took their eyes off Victoria. Slowly, they each stepped towards her.
“A man has been killed at the merchant’s gate. We were told that you might have been there when he died, and fled the scene. If you are innocent, you have nothing to worry about; we just need to ask you a few questions. As far as the vault is concerned, few people get to see the vaults. Maybe you can arrange something with Lord Reinhold after we sort this situation out.”
Victoria’s head dropped in disappointment. “You don’t understand. If I can’t get in the vaults then my baby boy will die. I didn’t want any of this to happen this way. I didn’t want to hurt anyone,” she paused, “but his life is more important to me than yours." Victoria’s eyes rose to meet the guards. She reached deep within herself and stirred the power that brewed within her. She thrust all of her energy at the two of them. She felt herself drain as her focused strength surrounded both guards. She strained to pull more power. She could feel her power weaken as it split over the two targets.
The men grunted in agony as an unseen pain struck them. They simultaneously dropped to their knees and clutched their middles. In agonizing distress, one of the guards yelled at her, “What are you doing? Stop!”
She could not stop now; she would be in bigger trouble if she let them go. Attempted murder and breaking into the castle? I am in too far to dig myself out now . . . God save me. She pulled at every fiber of the power within her. She wrenched her eyes closed and pulled her fists up to her face trying to draw out more energy. The two armored men yelled out in muffled anguish as another bolt of pain arched between them. I . . . have . . . to . . . pull more! More! Victoria gave it everything as she pulled from places she never thought she could, stretching her power beyond her limits. She screamed with finality as her power extinguished. Blood trickled from her nose as she fell to one knee. She forced her head upward; she could see the two guards. They were limp and unmoving on the floor in front of her.
She sat there for a minute, trying to catch her breath. She hoped she still had enough energy to make it into the vault; she had to keep moving. She pulled herself to her feet and stumbled out towards the main hall. As she neared the edge, she peeked out to look for other guards. All seemed clear. Taking a deep breath, Victoria started deeper into the catacombs. The main hallway went a hundred yards forward, sloping slightly downward to a “T” intersection at the end. She still had not made it to the second doorway in this hall. She approached the doorway and peered down; it also branched at the end into a “T” intersection.
“Hrmm . . .” she whispered to herself as she pinched her lower lip between her thumb and forefinger. Her eyes darted down both halls trying to decide which way she needed to go. After a quick breath, she decided to continue heading down the main hallway.
She walked towards the end, hoping she would not have to use her power again this soon. She felt it regaining strength, but never had she drained it completely before. As she approached the end, she noticed a wooden sign hanging on the wall.
ATTENTION: HALT!
NO UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS ARE
PERMITTED PAST THIS POINT.
ANY ATTEMPTING TO PASS WILL BE
KILLED WITHOUT QUESTION.
TURN AROUND IMMEDIATELY.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Ordered, Lord Cedric Reinhold
This gets better and better. She knew she had to go on, but that sign did not make her feel any better. Victoria peeked down to the left and right hallways, trying to decide which way she would go. The right hallway ended in another room a hundred paces down. She could see a large table centered in the room, sitting on a hefty bearskin rug. Another armored guard sat at the table facing her, cutting off slices of apple with his knife and putting them in his mouth, savoring every bite, as he nodded to himself in satisfaction.
The left hallway turned to the right. A large mirror hung on the wall at the end, giving reflection to the entire hall. Which way do I go? Which way? She did not have a lot of time. Guards still looked for her, and she doubted they would give up their search because she eluded them this far. She looked at the sign. With that running through her head, she turned and ran down the left hallway. Her feet hitting the rock floor sounded terribly loud to her. It seemed as if the whole castle could hear her.
She ran like the wind. The hallway seemed so long. C’mon! As she prepared to turn the corner, a “WHOOSH” zipped by her ear, flipping her hair into her face. A thick arrow stuck right into the rock wall where the mirror hung, showering her in exploding glass. Victoria screamed out in fright. She whisked her head back behind her and stared right at the guard that ate the apple. He stood and held his heavy war bow in front of him. He reached behind him and pulled out another arrow.
“STOP!" he thundered. Victoria turned down the hallway and ran for her life. This hallway stretched forty feet long and opened up into another large square room, although larger than the others she had seen. As she burst into this room, she saw guards lining the walls to both her left and right, four guards on each side. They stood at attention, at least, until she ran in. As soon as their attention focused on her, they readied for war. Seven of the eight guards advanced her with weapons aimed to kill. The last guard stood in the corner, pulling his closed fist out in front of his chest. Blue flame lit around his entire hand as he reared back ready to throw. A Gifted! My power! I must . . .
Victoria stopped in her tracks and focused all of her energy at the elementalist. Soft coolness flowed within her, not anywhere near full potential. Her eyes opened as she stared at the man whose hand held the fire. She pulled at the seed of her power and released it. The fire elementalist wailed in pain as he collapsed. The guards halted their attack. Victoria’s power disappeared, again. She did not have anything left to use, except her wits.
“Move any closer and I will kill him,” she said trying to sound confident, even though her body shook from her nerves. She looked over the seven guards. “I will kill him. I have killed others to get here and I am not afraid to do it again. Back off, and lower your weapons." The elementalist reeled in pain on the floor as if he had been stabbed, clutching at his chest. He moaned from the pain. “If I have to ask one more time, I’ll destroy him. Back!” she yelled.
The guards looked at each other as if asking each other what to do. “It’s all right,” one of the guards said as the men backed off. “Back off and lower your weapons. There is nothing in there worth the life of one of ours. You do not have to do this. Besides, the vault has been emptied of the rare arti
facts.“ She looked at him in silence. Oh no, please, please let this be the vault I am looking for.
On the opposite side of where she entered, a massive metal door stood pressed into the rock wall. Two steel crossbars clung parallel to each other on its face, appearing to go into each side of the rock. Victoria knew the reason for the light protection in the castle; Lord Reinhold marched the majority of his army and most of his Gifted into Cloudkeep Kingdom for a major attack. Most of the artifacts were taken from the vault to be used in their war. She hoped that what she wanted would still be inside. She did not think Reinhold would take items he could afford to give to Aurora, because if he failed and Aurora took possession of them, she would be unstoppable. That is why she wants it.
“Open the vault. Now. Do as I say and your Gifted will live to fight another day,” she said straight to the guard who seemed in command. He gave a nod, and four other guards moved out of Victoria’s way towards the vault door. As they moved, they revealed a different colored gem connected to a necklace around their necks; blue, white, yellow, and green. As they pulled them out, the stones glowed. They walked towards each other, touching the gems together. A powerful knock shook within the wall. The steel crossbars on the vault door pulled inward! They pulled themselves free of the rock face. Two of the men went to the edge of the door and gave it a hefty pull. A pop gave way as a burst of dusty air blew out into the room from the vault. They pulled the door open enough for her to walk inside.
“Stay back,” she said as she walked over to the elementalist. He still lived, but could not summon his magic against her. Victoria reached her hand underneath his arm and helped him up. “You are coming with me. When I get out of here safe, I will let you go." She walked with him into the vault. The vault lit up as she walked in. Victoria could not see any torches or braziers inside.
Two long, steel-topped tables ran parallel to each other and filled the center of the room. Shelving lined the entire outside of the room. Everything seemed organized. Items of all shapes and sizes lined the shelves and two tabletops. She saw a statue of an elephant made of ivory, except the two gold tusks that pointed outward from its trunk. Three spears, each capped with a different tip, hung vertically next to each other on the wall. A wooden shield with a silver orb in its center hung below them. A suit of leather armor hung from a wooden torso on the right side of the room. It seemed normal, except the dull red glow that surrounded it. A wicked bone handled dagger stood on a small stand, surrounded in a glass box on one of the tables, and an odd-looking spotting scope sat next to that. On the other table, amongst all the other strange and unusual things, Victoria saw a small, black wooden box. It had plain bronze hinges and a small bronze faceplate. That has to be it.