For the briefest of moments, time seemed to stand still. It was one of those moments where all sound seemed to end, the sense of smell muted, and the color of the scene appeared oversaturated. The first thing Will noticed, wasn't Cedric holding the handle of the ceremonial sword, the look of horror or surprise on her husband's face, the shout of a woman somewhere in the background, or the sensation of her heart skipping several beats; The first thing she noticed was the crimson pool of blood forming around the blade piercing her husband's chest. Like a flashbulb going off behind her mental eye, Will was back at the gazebo where she found him dying. However, this lay in the past and this was now, they were married, they were at a party, they were going to be parents soon; what had changed?
As though her body was taken over by another woman, without thinking, without planning, and without registering her surroundings or the danger that Cedric posed, Will rushed over to her husband. Before she even managed to get halfway to his side, Cedric pulled the blade from Phobos's chest and turned his fury, along with his sword, gleaming red with his friend's blood, towards Will. Before he could swing his sword down on the woman who didn't seem to notice him, his swing was interrupted by Pagan's cane, which was made of sturdy silver and inlaid with white crystals, giving the cane a sword-like gleam and stopping Cedric's blade like a shield with a sharp clang. Pagan, unlike the rest of his family and guests, was able to react immediately since he was well trained in combat and had fought in several conflicts. The sound of the sword striking the cane rang through the festive hall like a bell signaling the end of peace and tranquility.
With Cedric facing away from him and the sword no longer in his chest, Phobos fell to the ground, unable to hold himself on his own legs; his legs feeling as weak as air. He never felt any pain outside of a slight stinging sensation in his chest. Back when he was attacked at the gazebo, he could feel every cut of the blade and could feel his heartbeat ringing through his chest and pounding in his ears; all that was missing this time. All he could feel was the stinging sensation, the weakness in his limbs, and the warm sensation of blood pouring from his chest. Everything happened so fast, that he wasn't even able to register that he had been stabbed or notice that a fight had broken out; he didn't even notice that he had fallen to the ground and lay bleeding out while his wife was rushing to his side. However, what he had noticed was that the edges of his vision began to blur and grow dark.
After what felt like an eternity, Will reached her husband and automatically pressed her hand against his chest in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding, but the crimson liquid simply poured out between her fingers like they were cracks in a dam.
"No." was all she managed to choke out barely above a whisper, her mind still refusing to accept what had just transpired. Her husband, the love of her life, and father to her unborn child took another breath or two, tried to open his mouth, and then grew cold without another word. Will knelt beside him, her hands still pressed to his chest; still not registering the chaos breaking out around her. She gasped, choked, and tried to speak to him as her world crumbled around her. Everything had been fine a few seconds ago; her husband was alive a few seconds ago, they had made love just the previous night, everything was perfect. She was just about to reach out and touch his face, the lips that had kissed her dozens of times when someone tore her away from her love and forced her to run.
It was Myra. Myra, a little like her father, quickly reanimated herself from her frozen shock and rushed to Will's aid. The servants had begun to draw out hidden weapons from their robes. Isabella was taking their mother and ran, so it was up to her to save the other expecting mother while her father dealt with the main antagonist, Cedric, and her brother-in-law fought the attacking servants. Little Elizabeth was in her mother's arms and Korinthia was somewhere with Elyon, the only one needing saving was Will. With a great burst of energy and speed that could only come at a time like this, fed by pure desperation and adrenaline, Myra moved as fast and as quick as water in a stream, scooped up Will, and rushed to the doors of the great hall. Outside, drunken guards were rushing to gather their weapons; stumbling over each other and their own feet, all the while traitorous servants ran at them with daggers and mowed them down in their path. Dragging her friend more than leading, Myra followed her mother and sister just a few feet behind them. Seras had taken charge and was leading them down one hallway after another, closing and locking the doors behind them as they went. By now, some of the servants had caught on to the women's escape and had started to pursue them.
"We need to get Elyon, Orube, and Korinthia and then leave immediately." Seras gasped as she tipped a heavy display case containing an old crystal collection that had been accumulated over the years. The case itself wasn't heavy, but the door didn't contain a lock and her unborn child was kicking her in the ribs.
"There is an old escape tunnel in the central corridor. It leads out of here via the old aqueduct; it isn't far from Korinthia's room, so we should be able to gather the girls and escape." Replied Myra and began to lead them through another door that would lead them through a series of rooms, running parallel to the main hallway where they could hear their guards being slaughtered.
"What about father and Victor?" Isabella gasped as she lightly rocked her daughter, who was screaming and crying so hard that her little face had turned a beet red color. "We can't just leave them."
"We can't help them now, we barely escaped ourselves." Replied Myra as she grabbed her sister and ushered bother her and Will through the door; a task just as difficult as navigating their escape since Will was still numb with shock, Isabella had to carry a fussing infant, and her mother could barely keep up.
"The stables," Seras gasped and turned to Myra, "is there a way to get to the stables from the aqueduct? We could use the stallions to escape faster and retrieve help for them."
"It might be too late by then." Argued Isabella, but Myra only shook her head.
"No band of bandits just invade a kingdom and kill their leaders. This has to be a hostage attempt. Even Morovia wouldn't dare attack us in such a way and I only trust Orlan as far as I can throw him. Besides, he has a contract with Armana, so he'd never risk her being endangered." She then turned to her mother, "There is a way, it is an off branch deep within the tunnel that leads to a hatch just beside the stable well, from there, it is only a few meters to the stables. However, we have to take into account that they might try to shoot us out of the sky." Myra knew this was only a theory, but it was all she had to hold on to; the only other option was to fall into despair and admit that someone was out to kill them.
"It is worth a try." Replied Seras and together, the small family kept rushing from one room to the next; either locking or barricading the doors as they went. This, both hindered their pursuers and aided them as this action slowed the women down terribly. Finally, they came to a room that was sparse in furniture and the previous door's lock was weak. The only other exit was a window with a small balcony that would drop down to another one. At this point, the women weren't thinking of anything other than getting the rest of their family and getting to the escape tunnel; the smaller details simply went under in the chaos of the situation. As their pursuers were closing in and the lock of their last safe haven was about to break, Isabella didn't think; she acted. As quick as a cat, she thrust her screaming daughter into her sister's arms, turned to the door, held out her hand, and shot a blast of ice at the door, quickly forming a thick glacier layer on the door. However, the moment she released her magic, the ice began to melt and crack as the bandits kept fighting the door, the only barrier between them.
With Will numb and not responding to anything she was told, she was the only one able to use magic amongst them. She was the only one who could guarantee their escape. With desperation in her eyes, Isabella turned to her sister and took another look at her baby; between grided teeth, she hissed. "Get out of here and get help."
Myra only nodded and rushed to the balcony. As expected, Seras fought to be with her daughter; she was a mother through and through and would rather die than leave any of her children behind. However, Myra wasn't a mother, she was a sister and a scholar; of everyone left at the party, she was the only one who knew what to do. As much as it pained her, she knew she had to leave her sister behind to save the rest of them. With bitter tears biting the corners of her eyes, she lifted her mother over the railing of the balcony and dropped her to the one below. Seras hit the balcony below with a hard thud and landed more on her butt than her feet, knocking the wind out of her. Still, she had to keep moving, even if one of her babies was fighting for their escape and another was kicking her in the ribs. Gasping for air, the retired queen got to her feet and worked to unlock the doors while Myra tossed Will over the railing, who fell the same way as Seras with the exception that she fell on her knees. Myra, as the last one left, threw one last fleeting look back at her sister, who was fighting to keep the glacier barrier up, before throwing herself over the railing and onto the balcony below; clutching her baby niece tightly to her chest.
They might have lost Isabella, but they were one step closer to Korinthia, Elyon, Orube, and the escape path.
XXXXX
In Korinthia's room, Elyon was in the middle of trying on a new dress that Korinthia was about to borrow her; a form-fitting green one with silver tassels on the sleeves and silver trimmings when the girls noticed the commotion above them. Orube, who had also changed into a more fancy dress, a red one with a center faded to yellow and gold trimming, sensed that something was amiss and glanced at Korinthia, who was half-dressed in something new, something purple with white lace. "Something is wrong."
"What?" asked Korinthia, not understanding as this had come out of nowhere. Just then, a rumbling and a crash could be heard from above them, followed by screams and shouts.
"Sounds like a fight." Gasped Elyon and clutched Orube's hand tight.
"Probably just a drunken fight." Muttered Korinthia in response. "Father can get pretty rowdy when he has had too much to drink." However, that theory quickly died inside the young princess when the commotion became louder and a metallic clanging echoed through to them from Korinthia's wooden ceiling.
"That is more than a drunken fight." Said Orube as her own grip on Elyon tightened. Without much thought, she grabbed Korinthia and ran from the room. The young princess tried to protest, she was half-dressed and didn't want any of the guards, whom she was certain was drunk, thinking poorly of her. Her protests died just as quickly as her theory about the drunken fight above when she saw the commotion going on outside. Everywhere she looked, the guards were stumbling and rushing past them without giving the half-naked Princess, dressed only in her cotton undergarments, a second glance.
"We have to get out of here." Gasped Orube as she took in the chaos around her. "Korinthia, do you know of a way out of here?"
"Myra knows of all the escape tunnels."
"Do you know of another way back to the throne room? I am supposed to protect Queen Wilhelmina at all costs." Though she tried to remain calm, the panic was clearly tugging at the edge of Orube's voice.
"If she is with Myra, then she is probably in the escape tunnels as we speak." Korinthia's eyes darted from one spot in the hallway to another, frantically trying to remember what Myra had told her on how to spot the hidden doors.
"Don't you know how to find the tunnels?" Elyon tried to contain her voice, but it still came out as a shriek. She feared for her life and that of her family and friends. Though she knew her brother was a skilled fighter and so was Cedric and probably Victor and Pagan; Will was a great fighter as well, but the primal fear of losing her loved ones still rang through her body.
"Myra told me once, but I can't remember." Korinthia's heart was racing like a scared rabbit, her breaths were quick and shallow, her limbs trembled, and her mind raced through every memory of conversations she had with Myra. "I can't remember when I panic."
"Then we have to get out the way we came in," replied Orube as she glanced out the nearest window. "It is too high to jump from here."
She then grabbed both girls and ran through the chaos like a mother cat racing with her kittens from a forest fire. As they ran from hallway to hallway, passing guards in a greater and greater degree of distress and injury, Orube cursed herself for not paying more attention to the layout of the castle. One hallway mimicked the last and the stairs were clogged with guards rushing up towards the great hall; blocking their main escape routes.
"Why aren't they helping us?" shrieked Korinthia, blind with panic.
"Don't panic Korinthia." Shrieked Elyon and lightly shook Korinthia's shoulder. Korinthia, however, shouldn't listen.
"What is going on? Why aren't they letting us escape? Where is mother and father?" her mind became disjointed and nonsensical as adrenaline flooded her veins and her fast, shallow breaths robbed her brain of oxygen. "When is lunch? Why am I not dressed? WHERE is my maid? WHERE IS MY MOTHER? WHY ARE YOU HOLDING MY WRIST? FATHER!"
Just then Orube slapped Korinthia across the face and then shook her violently. "Get back to your senses Korinthia. We are not in a position to lose our heads." She then opened a door that she had hoped would lead them to a servant staircase they could use. Instead, the door led to a room where a servant was in the middle of slitting the throat of a guard. The bright arterial blood spraying from the improvised opening and speckling Korinthia's white undergarments and face. Before the girls could shut the door, the servant glanced up and let the guard drop to the ground, gurgling as he died, she sneered at them.
"ROYALS! GET THEM!" he barked, pointing the bloody knife at them. This seemed to snap Korinthia out of her panic. In one swift motion, she shut the door, grabbed hold of her companions, and dashed down the hallway. She finally remembered an entrance to the secret escape tunnels and to their luck it was only a few yards away. Before the villainous servant managed to open the door and chase them, Korinthia had reached the slight indent in the wall, pressed the door open, and slipped in before they were spotted.
As the door swung shut behind them, the hallway before them was dark, cool, and smelled of dust and cobwebs. Unlike the servant's corridors, these escape tunnels were ancient, lacked windows, and lacked the warm wood paneling that kept the chill from the Ero air out. The only source of light came from tiny shards of luminescent crystals that had been placed between the bricks during the construction of the tunnel, which are prevalent in Ero, but don't shine brightly enough to be of much use; this gave the tunnel an eerie and deathly blue glow. In this tomb-like corridor, their panic sweat clung to their skin and made their hair and clothes cling to their bodies like glue. Their breaths echoed in the dusty air that tasted of age and the stone it was made of. The shouts and screams of the commotion outside muffled to a dull rumble because of the oak panel acting as the door.
"I remember the hidden way to the stables." Korinthia's breath was airy and she could taste the blood of the guard that had sprayed into her mouth. Her eyes were fixated on a distant point in the darkness, her fingers and toes were cold, and her skin so pale that the blood glistened against it like rubies. The young Princess had never seen anyone or anything die before and seeing the guard die in such a way, with the look of agony, horror, and defeat on his face and the blood bubbling from his cut throat shook her to her very core.
Elyon, shaken herself, gazed about and trembled with a chill that came from within instead of the cold corridor. As her eyes scanned the unfamiliar surrounding, they fell upon the blood on Korinthia and Orube. "Orube…Korinthia…there is blood-"
"It isn't our blood." Came Korinthia's weak voice, weak as though she were suffering from a fever. With her eyes still fixated on a place only she could see, she whispered in a light voice as not to disturb the gloom of the tunnels. "These tunnels lead to two places, a place where the aqueduct gets its' water from and another that leads to the stables."
"Considering Myra is with Will and has the same information, we can assume that they are on their way to the stables as well. If we get there, we can use the wind-stallions to return to Meridian within hours and from there use the portal that leads to Earth. We can get the rest of the guardians the put this conflict to rest." Orube concluded in the hope that her Queen had the same idea. After all, Will was the keeper of the Heart and without it, the rest of the guardians wouldn't be able to transform and use their full potential powers. Then again, this was just a vain hope and there was no guarantee that her queen and Princess Myra had the same idea. Still, with all the responsibilities she was currently burdened with, all she had left was hope; not to mention the wine she had that, though she felt sober, was dampening her abilities like a cellar's dampness would hinder a match's ability to light.
"How can we be certain that they're heading there?" asked Elyon, her voice a hushed whisper. She felt intimidated in this corridor the same way she did when she entered a church; that and she wasn't sure how soundproof the walls were. She couldn't hear the commotion of the outside anymore the further she followed the stunned Korinthia, but that didn't mean they couldn't be heard.
"The only other place these tunnels end is outside of the kingdom crater walls." Muttered Korinthia and Orube continued this thought.
"So the fastest way out of here and to Meridian is if we get to the stables, Now, I haven't known Queen Wilhelmina for long, but long enough to know she'll find the fastest way back to her fellow guardians."
"Okay, that makes sense." Replied Elyon, before falling silent again. Shivering from stress, adrenaline, and the chill of the tunnels. As they walked, Elyon sensed a slight decline in their elevation and a curve in their path. Elyon could only deduce that they were walking between the inside and the outside of the major curved entrance hall. Part of her wanted to run faster, but the stunned Korinthia walked as though she were a sleepwalker and neither she nor Orube knew the way, so all she could do was follow the zombie ahead of her.