Nophos: Memories of Cadleigh

Chapter 4 - Mel - A War That Ceased to End

She was awake long before they were brought before the grand chair. The people called it a 'throne' and from the direction of their voices, someone with a deep and commanding voice sat on that throne.

Her wrists and ankles were bound by thick and rough ropes and she felt something soft around her eyes. The soft thing was tied tightly around her head, making Mel guess that she was blindfolded.

Mel didn't dare show that she had stirred as she knew that they were at someplace where the heavy-clothed people had the advantage. She figured that since they knew what the bombs were, they'd have some kind of countermeasure for it. And from the scent in the air that was dry and unattractive, along with all the footsteps and shuffling of armor, this was a highly secured area.

That was where the figure's lesson played in Mel's mind about keeping her mind in check. An attack can come from anywhere, and the last thing they need is a small slipup that can get all of them killed.

Speaking of a small slip-up...

"Who are you?!" Cold demanded as Mel mentally sighed. Even Kristen knew to keep her mouth shut. A loud slap rang through the air, knowing that it was to keep Cold silent. Judging from that reaction, either the rules here are incredibly strict or the person they are facing is incredibly powerful and a force to be reckoned with.

"Search them."

Mel bit her tongue when she felt a pair of hands rummage through her suit and pull out something from some pocket. She'd taken note of her small pockets, yet she didn't notice that there was something there.

"Cadleighan Warriors?" the voice on the throne asked, "You know what to do with them."

"Right away, sire," said another voice before Mel felt the small thing slip back in her pocket and she was picked up.

Mel took note of her previous assumption to be true once again. This man was a person of power, someone who had command over everything going on in this building.

Speaking of the building, whilst they were taken somewhere, Mel tried her best to map out the place to the best of her abilities. Using a feather she managed to slip onto the person carrying her, she could see a great many things happening.

Dozens of people in heavy clothing walked around carrying some kind of load. Many of them talked to one another, but from the looks in their eyes and their body language, Mel figured that they weren't chatting about anything light-hearted. Many objects lined the walls, banners, swords, torches. Some had racks of weapons, but most of those racks were empty. And on top of all that, Mel realized that there were no windows anywhere. It'll be quite hard to tell the time.

In a matter of minutes, Mel noticed that the person carrying her had gone underground. The walls looked poorly maintained as cracks and dust piled up, accompanied by crawling critters quickly making homes at each corner.

This floor was also filled with heavy-clothed people. But there was something more to it. Everyone had their weapons ready as though a fight could break out at any given moment. There was one wooden door at the right wall near the stairs. After that, the walls seemed to back away as some kind of thin, silver columns lined up on either side.

Mel tried to get a better look at what was beyond those silver columns, but before she could, she felt the person throw her.

Biting the inside of her lip, Mel waited until the person left. She then created another feather and slipped it ever so slightly in front of her to assess the situation. When she saw that there was no one in front of her, Mel willed some wind to push the feather behind her, covered by some strands of her hair.