"get the fuck out of the way" a familiar man boy face said, now knowing him as Typhis the three of us in the carriage all exchanged looks of annoyance with Braxton literally rolling his eyes. As Braxton opened the door and stepped down he said loud enough to be heard by Typhis, "You know, after being humbled by my young friend Jayce here, I wonder how auspicious you must be to go looking for trouble again so soon" the General scratching his hair knocking loose dirt and dust from traveling, showing he only spent the last few hours inside the carriage.
Zarlessa still in her own mental world was spacing out looking at the floor of the carriage. I exited the carriage and stepped into a puddle on the street with my used boots. Meeting our carriage was a group of soldiers standing Infront of a metal chain linked gate, connecting to two tall guard towers rising to just above the opening to the sink hole almost twenty meters above where this stoned gatehouse stood. Looking through the openings of the gate the stone changed from uneven rocks mortared together to flat perfect stone cut blocks that looked perfect to the exact measurement. Citizens were out and about openly talking and laughing wearing fine dresses and shining leathers. We still hadn't entered into the ceilinged underground section with this gate being the secondary check point to the clearly wealthier section of the city. Soldiers wearing silk black masks covering their entire face except their eyes were dressed in chainmail hooded armor wearing thigh length black robes with the sleeves cut off over the top of the armor stood in the way of our entourage.
"The Rose Shade wants a word with your leader" in a raspy voice the hooded man said. Typhis began to get down from his horse when the hooded man said quickly, "No, child of my liege, the army leader, respectfully of course" with a bow. Feeling ego inflated Typhis whipped his horses head around and bellowed, "GENERALLLL". Already halfway to the advanced guard of our caravan Braxton had a look of murder in his eyes, with me following closely behind him. Once in view of the public people started to point at Braxton with small cheers and "thank you for always protecting us" escaping the lips of many citizens on the poorer side of the gate house.
"What is the meaning of this York?" Braxton asked with a surprised face showing he had not expected this new interruption. The man he spoke to wore the same uniform as the others but instead of a black silk facemask he instead wore a dark green one.
"Bring your Drukon and come with me to the night matron. Now" the hooded figure called York in a voice reminding me of someone with a sore throat, with a stone of a face not displaying emotion of any kind. Well his eyes at least didn't portray any kind of feelings. Having only known Braxton a short while I began to wonder if those stories were just bravado and unearned confidence. Braxton went wide eyed for only a moment before turning to me and motioning for me to follow.
"what about zare-" Braxton smacked me on the back of the head before I could finish. In little louder then a whisper he said, "I have already made arrangements for the two of you, but this wasn't in the plans. Now kindly, shut. the. fuck. up." York watching this exchange with a curious glance as if he learned information to stow it away for later. The procession of soldiers continued into the depths of the city and as the carriage road past Zarlessa looked out the window to see us still standing there and looked confused which quickly turned into fear.
"Your ditching me? REEEALLY?! You are the worst! EVERRRrrr..." as she beat on the locked door and walls of the carriage, her voice trailing away as she went past the gate with the soldiers laughing and exchanging jokes about having a girl in every port, and something about a woman scorned.
Following York into a door built into the wall just before the gate house revealed another door in the center of the room just standing upright with nothing around it. "Is this the part where we believe hard enough and it turns into a magical portal? oh! oh! I know it's a riddle thing, isn't it? How about if we all make a blood pact and-" I started joking. "The blood sacrifice is ready" Braxton said as he pushed me into the center of the room. Stumbling forward my senses started to get on edge when I turned around and saw York still emotionless and Braxton holding in a laugh.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
"Oh fuck you" I said as he tilted his head back to laugh. York waved his hand and the door turned invisible, underneath it a black void that had a wooden staircase descending down with a slight fog being released into the room coming from its entrance. "As if this is any better than a blood sacrifice, I mean really? It's like they weren't even trying to hide..." Distracted by the obvious evil at work I hadn't noticed they were already gone. "Wait... Braxton you son of a" running down the staircase to be by my only safety net and catching up to them, Lucky I did too as the torches that lined the wall would flicker on and die out only when York was in their vicinity.
"So what does she want from me?" Braxton asked like a prisoner about to meet their judgement.
Showing the first signs of emotion York answered, "It is neither of our stations to ask questions about the intentions of the queen of hexes"
Silently walking down, the steps for what must have been thirty minutes the stairs leveled out to an underground swamp.
The real weird part was the lighting of this place was a full moon held high into the sky along with stars, but the constellations were different and just wrong. Mangrove trees were littered unnaturally throughout this place and the air smelled pure while the swamp itself reeked of death, mold and decay. A two-meter cobble stone walkway with small arches underneath, rose a meter above moss-colored dark waters. being the only man-made construction or even piece of actual land in sight. York lighting a torch revealed a true horror. Alongside the walkway were hundreds of alligators stalking us only making sloshing sounds when changing direction to follow us as we walked, most likely hoping one of us would trip or be pushed in to join them for a friendly night swim.
After walking for another thirty minutes the cobblestone bridge ended. Dirt covered the last few blocks of stone leading onto an island of mud that rose above the waters, stepping onto the landmass my boots sunk into the dirt getting harder to pull them out with each passing second, they were left in place. York sat on his knees making the mud release a squelching sound with his head bowed, followed shortly by Braxton. Knowing my chances of survival would skyrocket I also went to my knees the mud seemingly inescapable as it made my knees sink a few centimeters. "My matron, child of death itself, we three answer your summons" York spoke still looking to the ground.
"You and you alone look upon me" Whispered into my ear, looking up while still in the wet earth of the island I saw the most perfect woman I could possibly imagine hovering half a meter in the air. Blonde curled hair fell all the way to her lower back, deep green eyes looked into my soul itself, a single beauty mark between her lips and nose. Dressed in silk black skintight robes. "So you are what has my family so upset... Interesting, father was right you have the gift of destiny about you." she spoke as one abundantly pleasant voice echoed by a mix of a legion of voices. "Do you have any idea of your purpose here or that of the concept of betrayal?" She said while looking at me. "well, I feel betrayed by Braxton for putting me into this situation, and I certainly feel like he put me here on purpose" I responded in anxiety induced humor.
"Hm." she smirked, "Should you need anything at all York here will gladly assist you, ask even for his life and he will give it. As for why I am helping you, let's just saw I owe your companion a favor"
Looking to Braxton wondering what in the world he did to earn the 'I owe you' of such a creature, by the time I turned my head back she was gone. All three of us standing back up Braxton looked mortified, while York made a face of utter confusion.
"f-follow me" York said losing his machismo he displayed on the way here. Braxton silent as a shadow trudged along with York and I to the end of the island to the same door that was in the middle of the room upstairs. Opening it we walked through into a large tavern room with four round tables even spaced out a wide dining room, a blazing fireplace was the centerpiece and main lighting with no real personality to the room itself, proudly displaying banners in the rafters with tens of different emblems and colors.
"YOU. YOU FUCK. YOU MONSTER. AN HOUR." A freshly washed up Zarlessa screamed as she walked down a wooden staircase that led up to a hallway.