“This story is coming to an end,” said the baroness, as she anxiously brushed her black hair out of her eyes. “I must say I have enjoyed it so far.”
Christel popped a grape into his mouth. He had grown very comfortable since the new baroness became his captor. Eventually he saw in her jade eyes that she was in this for herself. There was a tinge of desperation in those eyes, and he knew because he had seen it in the eyes of so many people before, especially Hazel. “Well at least now I know why Devin ever created that memory toxin. To think I stole the crown of the king himself!”
The baroness smiled and tilted her head. “I admire that you did all of this out of love. You were willing to risk everything for her; most people would think that made you a fool, but I think it makes you human.”
“I have a question – and I know your policy on questions but I think I’ve earned this – why do you really want Merida’s Key?” He watched for the resignation in her features, that telling slouch of her shoulders every time he uncovered one of her secrets. “Before you arrived here I was kept by several crude people known only to me as ‘barons’ and all they ever cared for was information on Grey Skull and the secrets of Ludovic’s cage. Now it’s only you. I remember what happens, which means you must know what happens if Ludovic gets out, in fact I feel like you know more than you’ve been letting on. This is your ploy. With Ludovic out of the equation I can think of one other reason as to why you’d want the key…”
“Stop.” The baroness stood up and gestured for Christel to do the same. “Follow me.” She didn’t speak as she led Christel out of the dining hall and through a long corridor, arriving at a heavy iron door which she unlocked and passed through. On the other side of the door was a spiralling stairwell that led to nothing but darkness above. The baroness prepared a lantern. “Shall we?” She led him up higher and higher still, and Christel began to question the dimensions of the castle.
The stairs ended at a final heavy iron door and, passing through it, Christel was taken by surprise and despair. He gasped as he stood on the roof of the great castle. The baroness seemed indifferent to the horrors. The sickly green sky was choked with storm clouds and clashes of lighting shot through the murky haze of the grander prison that Christel knew he could not escape from. Below the castle was an endless desert, void of life or laughter, nothing but sand and rocks. The baroness glared over this desolate terrain without expression. “Do you know where we are?”
Christel slowly nodded. “Yes. I know because I’ve been here before, but the last time I had the key to get out.” He stumbled back and placed his trembling hands over his face. “This is the Dark Realm. We’re inside Ludovic’s Cage!”
The rest of the story leading up to that moment consisted of the conclusion of the silent death-match between Grey Skull and the world. After their capture Christel and the others were dragged through the jungle and taken to an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess Vivica. The dark stones on the outside of the temple were worn and crumbling, and part of it had been overgrown by the jungle. Once inside they were separated; Arlandra, Sam and Christel were taken to a dim chamber and tied to a large wooden stake, where they sat in silence.
Christel barely had the courage to say anything to them. He could sense their anger. He tried anyway. “For what it’s worth—”
“Shut up,” said Arlandra. A few minutes passed in silence, and then he went on. “I’m not angry at you. As far as I can tell you had the courage to do what we couldn’t. Josiah is to blame for this, so all we can do now is try and move forward.”
“What was your plan, anyway?” Sam asked Christel.
“I was going to challenge Josiah to a duel. That was part of our agreement.”
“Well you screwed up big time on this one. At least tell me you have some bobby pins or something hidden up your sleeve so we can get out of here.”
Christel rolled his eyes. “Sorry, I wasn’t planning on being handcuffed today. Arlandra, can your anomaly powers do anything about this?”
“And run the risk of blowing our arms off?” Arlandra scoffed. “I think that should be saved for plan D at best.”
“Don’t worry,” said Sam. “I sent word the captains in my company. If we can survive at least a day, then they should be able to help us…”
“A day!”
“Well they’ve kept us alive all this time for something, right?”
“Okay, well that’s plan B,” Christel suggested. “Do we have a plan C?”
Arlandra laughed. “Pray and hope for the best?”
“Huh, better than getting my hands blown off—”
Suddenly Sam hushed them. “Quiet. Can you hear that?” Somewhere on the far wall there came a dull thump! The sound came again, heavier this time, so that dust rained down from the ceiling. “What is that?” Suddenly the wall exploded in a devastating blast. A projectile rock almost killed Christel. When the dust cleared and their ears stopped ringing they thought they saw a demon standing in the rubble of the collapsed wall.
From behind the bulky figure came a smaller one, carrying a cane and wearing a top hat. “Hello friends!” said Johnathan Bernard. “Long time no see.” He patted the armoured man on the shoulder, and Christel recognised the design as one of Devin’s proto-type juggernaut suits. “Fine work on the wall, Saizo!” He hopped over the rubble and picked the locks to their cuffs. “We need to hurry. Someone might have heard that…”
“Might have?” Christel mused.
“Bernard, what are you doing here?” Arlandra demanded, as he stood up and searched for their effects, which he found on a table nearby.
“Obviously I’m saving your ass. There is a small army of mercenaries outside ready to storm the temple. We’ll keep the enemy busy while you save your friends.”
They stormed out of the chamber with haste, arriving in a dark maze of corridors. “Which way do we go?”
“I can’t sense anything,” Arlandra told them. “The power of the stones is everywhere. It’s like I’m walking through a veil of smoke.”
“Let’s just keep moving. I’m willing to be Josiah has taken Hazel to the inner sanctum.”
They turned a sharp corner and were stopped again, as Germaine Underbridge stood in their path. All three warriors drew their pistols, and Christel was prepared to shoot him on sight had he not raised his hands in submission. His eyes begged for not for mercy, nor forgiveness, however there was an air of helplessness that he had never shown before. “Please,” he begged. “I cannot bear it any longer. I followed Josiah to save my sister but if she is allowed to be corrupted by Ludovic then I fear she will no longer be the sibling I loved.”
“How can we trust you?” they demanded, cautiously.
Germaine smiled pitifully. “By all means, kill me, but I only want to end the torture that has taken my sister.” He slowly pulled a set of keys from his back pocket. “These will help you free your friends. Now go while you have time. I will direct my men away from you for as long as I can.” He let them continue on, and they hurried to save Devin and Juliet and Ashley before Bernard’s men stormed the temple. The approaching battle would be gruesome and its outcome would determine the fate of the world. As he watched them go Germaine called out again. “Should you encounter Petra I beg of you to show mercy! The world has enough suffering in it already.”
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