Chapter IV: Knights of Guardia

"Sire! Sire, do not lose control – now, tell me again just what happened."

The knight captain sat at the head of his official table. Usually the table was surrounded by knights of courage and valor. But tonight it was empty but for the captain and his King, who sat both composed and undone a few seats down. The low lighting gave death to the sinister night, and the two lowered their voices – and their heads.

"Leene is missing – " the king began.

"Are you sure? I remember we found her a few days ago. Now you're telling me she is gone again?" The captain stood and moved to the king.

"Yes. But no."

That stopped the knight captain short. "I don't understand, sire – " his eyes flashed. "Is it the strange boy? He took her, didn't he…"

"No!" the king raised a hand. "If there is one thing I believe, the boy is innocent. He must be someone from her past." He was staring into the dark empty space.

"Sire?"

"Captain Roland – The woman we found was not the Queen."

"She was an impostor?"

"That is a possibility. But I think the truth is we found some poor, stray girl who happened to look like Leene. The boy, Chrono – he must have been her true husband - yes, and he came to the castle to rescue her."

"No – she was an impostor. A mystic in disguise." Captain Roland now stood and gripped the back of his chair. "It's the perfect plan – Magus kidnaps Queen Leene. He sends a fake into the castle. We stop our search for the real Leene, and he is free to do anything to her that he wishes."

"Then, who was the boy?"

"The boy does not matter. He is gone, and the mystic is as well. But so is your wife. Now think very carefully where she was last."

The king stared ahead, watching scenes from his past. "She never truly said where she was going. But she habitually goes to the Cathedral out west to pray once a week. When she left, I assumed she went there – but she never returned."

"So, you think she is in the Cathedral?"

"No."

Roland gazed through the king's eyes. He gritted his teeth and planted his palms in the table. "I'll round up the available knights," he sighed. "We'll go to the Cathedral again."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was several hours before Chrono and Lucca found the Cathedral, and once they did, they couldn't understand how they missed it. From far away, it looked large. From a closer distance, it looked colossal. The bell tower seemed to pierce the night sky, threatening to overcome the moon. Each door and window was designed to fit someone easily twice as large as Chrono – in all three dimensions. Yet, the architecture appeared just right for any normal human. The two rescuers froze underneath the great entry, unsure of whether the door might swallow them up if they opened it.

After a moment of standing in shock, they realized that one of them would have to go first to open the door, and hoped the other would take the first step. When neither one moved, they looked at each other, as if to say all right, we'll do it together. In a rehearsed motion, the two strode to the door. It opened quite easily and noiselessly, and both of them began to wonder what had been so intimidating. However, their reception convinced them they had walked into a trap.

As soon as Chrono and Lucca took their first synchronized step into the building, all eyes turned on them. Four pairs of eyes – from the most freakish women they had ever seen. By all appearances, they were the nuns, or at least they dressed such. On any normal occasion, there would be nothing frightening about the nuns besides their haggard faces. But it seemed to the rescuers the nuns had waited for their arrival, and were morbidly excited to see them.

At once the four ghostly figures began to make themselves as hospitable as possible in their nightmarish outfits. Like an army, they marched towards their visitors. "Travelers!" one of them half-cooed, half-growled. Chrono and Lucca jumped back at the noise. "Anyone is welcome here."

"We can give you a place to… stay," a second crowed.

"You must be weary from a long journey," a third joined in.

Lucca grimaced. "Actually, yes, we are quite tired, but we – "

"Good, then!" the first rejoined. "Let me show you to your room…"

"No!" Lucca gasped, shaking her head. "We're looking for – "

"A place to stay, yes?" the four ethereal figures moved to surround the girl, taking their eyes off Chrono, who backed away and made his way around the far side of the room.

"No… listen! Queen Leene!"

All four nuns jumped at the name but regained composure. "Queen?"

"Yes! Have you seen her?"

"Of course…"

"She's here – "

"No, dear… she hasn't been here for a long time…"

The four figures closed around Lucca and each stretched an arm toward her. Lucca braced herself, but nothing happened before they were interrupted by Chrono. "Lucca!" he cried, diverting attention long enough for his friend to escape between the women's robes.

Chrono came to meet Lucca halfway. "Look what I found." He held out a crystal hairpin.

"So?" Lucca's face held a look of vexation.

"Look what's on this hairpin – right here."

"That's Guardia's crest – " Lucca's eyes suddenly lit up. "The Queen's! She must be here!" She turned back to the nuns in excitement.

Her face instantly fell. For the four women were gone – and in their place were four monsters. These new creatures appeared humanoid, until she saw their lower halves. From the waist down, these creatures morphed into gigantic snakes, which glowed a strange pinkish hue. Their hair glowed the same pinkish color, as well as their fingernails, which were longer than Lucca's own fingers.

"Chrono…" she shook her friend's arm.

"What?" he glanced up from his find long enough to spy the transformed women. He dropped the hairpin. "Oh, my..." In a flash, he pulled out his sword and yanked Lucca behind him.

"Hey!"

A moment passed as Chrono stared down the four creatures, though it seemed hours to him. He wouldn't move until one of them barreled down on him. A smart way to fight four-on-one, as he had learned, and an effective way to hide the fact he couldn't bring himself to make the first move.

While Chrono prepared himself, Lucca took action. With a primal scream, she jumped from behind her friend and fired her pistol. (Chrono involuntarily ducked for cover at the scream.) Whack! – one of the creatures stared at her belly, from which now protruded the butt end of a potent tranquilizer. The creature growled, tore the dart from her stomach, and slithered rapidly to the two travelers, the other three right behind. Chrono extended his sword to meet her, but before any contact was made, the first creature fell over on her face.

Both Chrono and Lucca stared at the fallen creature as if they hadn't expected the gun to actually work. The surprise lasted a moment, though, for immediately, the other three were upon them. But before they could lift their weapons, they were hit by some invisible hand. Suddenly, the creatures were moving at mad speed, and the rescuers' own movements seemed slow and lethargic.

Chrono tried to raise his sword, but the creature's claws came too fast and clubbed him on the side of his head. As he fell over, he saw another creature grab his friend and throw her to the side, against a row of pews. He hit the floor, and winced, awaiting the next blow.

It never came – instead of hearing his own death blow, Chrono heard a high-pitched shriek. Slashes, cracks, and more screams followed. Chrono tried to raise his head, but it felt made of lead. The room swirled and tumbled around him, the walls closed in. He closed his eyes, but the room continued to move.

Then, just as suddenly as he had been struck, his head cleared, and time began to move at its usual pace. He opened his eyes and found another face inches from his own – the face of a frog!

"Ah!" He leapt to his feet and drew his sword. The frog remained cool, its own broad and gleaming sword gripped at its side. Unlike the usual frog, this one could, and did, stand on its hind legs. It also dressed itself in an off-white tunic and pants covered by a black cloak.

The frog stared the boy in the eye with a look Chrono could only interpret as that of modest superiority. "Lower thine guard," it croaked, "and thou art allowing the enemy in." It lifted its chin. "The spell of slow. Thou art unwise to combat an enemy thou knowest not."

"It talks!" Chrono heard from the pews. Lucca – evidently she had come to, and was just as surprised as her friend. "An anthropomorphic frog… imagine!"

The frog did not even acknowledge the girl. "Thou art here to save the Queen?" he asked. "So, the King hath become sensible – enough to send someone to aid me. Where goes the army?"

Chrono and Lucca just stared at the frog.

"Thou hast been sent – nay, thou only be poor travelers."

"Er…" Lucca hesitated. "We're here for Queen Leene."

"Then – you are fools."

"And you're not? You're here by yourself…"

"True. I have lived here two days, in the secret underworld of the Cathedral. The beast lies there with the Queen! – but alas! – I cannot find them."

"Beast?"

"Yakra. Beast even to a Mystic. The two-faced creature who walks the palace with the sun, and the dungeons with the moon."

"You're not making any sense."

"If thou art here for the Queen, then we shall search together. Come – " with that, the frog leapt away, toward the organ at the far end of the room. He placed his hands above the keys, lost in thought, eyes closed.

Chrono stared at the frog. "What are you…" Suddenly the frog snapped his eyes open and began playing a tune. The two travelers watched his long, crooked fingers dance on the keys.

The frog stopped, just in time for all to hear a low rumbling sound. The wall before them opened up, revealing a crude elevator.

"Where does it lead?" Lucca asked after a pause.

"Where do you think?" Chrono shot back.

"The underworld of the Cathedral," the frog gave Lucca an impatient glare. "Now, get thee going!"

"No!" Lucca stood rigid. "I'm not going anywhere until I know what is going on!"

Chrono rolled his eyes. "Lucca, please…"

"Come on, Chrono! We don't know who this guy – frog – hybrid – is, and we're letting him just lead us around some dark dungeon. That doesn't make any sense!"

"This girl – she doesn't understand? Madam, but for thine voice, I would mistake thee for a street urchin. Know your place."

"Come on, Lucca. Do you think he saved us from the creatures to kill us later?"

Lucca wouldn't budge. "Let's start with an easy one. Who are you?" she demanded.

"My name is of no importance," uttered the frog staunchly.

"Then I'll call you Froggy."

"Lucca!" Chrono interjected. "Be polite." He raised his right hand to the frog. "I'm Chrono. And that is Lucca."

The frog did not take his hand. "Greetings, Chrono. Lucca. Now the formalities being dispensed with, we may continue?"

Lucca stood, lips pursed, for a long moment. "Yeah, I guess."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Once under the Cathedral, the frog leapt ahead of the other two. "Follow, Chrono and Lucca." He began bounding through the dark torch lit halls, ducking around corners and in crevasses when he heard other footsteps.

Presently they came to a fork in the cavern. "Which way now?" Lucca asked.

"I think it does not matter," the frog replied. "But never did I see a creature take the left road."

"In that case, we should go right? There might be a trap on the left."

The frog just glared at Lucca. "This I know already." He bounded into the right path.

No sooner had they taken a step when a figure appeared out of the blackness. A human figure – that of a knight. One of the knights of Guardia! The knight did not even acknowledge the three strangers but kept walking.

"Hey!" Lucca called. "Another human! Are you here for the Queen, too?"

"Hush!" the frog cried. "That is no human." Seemingly on cue, the so-called knight drew his sword and slashed it at the girl. Lucca jumped out of the way just in time to avoid a rather painful blow. The knight raised the sword to swing again, but was stopped by the frog's own weapon, thrust through his chest. As the knight fell to the ground, it shed its skin to reveal another of the pink creatures. "A Mystic in disguise. If we keep to ourselves, we shall appear Mystics as well. Take care not to upset them."

With that, their journey continued – the frog leading the way through hoops and tunnels, Chrono and Lucca following as best they could. Soon the two children began to doubt their leader knew where he was going. In fact, the leader was beginning to doubt himself. It was as if the tunnels were changing and switching right before his eyes.

Finally they came before a wooden door carved into the rock. "Ah!" the frog sighed. "This is the door. I have been here before, but I was forced to flee. Be on your guard inside – there are more than Mystics to beware."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Let's go, men!" Captain Roland commanded, standing before the gates of the Cathedral. He bashed the door open and stormed inside, twenty eager young soldiers on his heels.

Immediately they stopped. For before them were three dead bodies of creatures they had not seen in a long time. "The Naga-ette," Roland whispered. Wordlessly he motioned to his troops. Secure this area! There may be more. Now if they could find the hiding place of Queen Leene.

"All right, Yakra. I'm coming for you. Where are you?"