The Forgotten Prophecy

Chapter 47

Matthew tailed Ines inside the castle. It wasn't an easy task at all. She moved like a snake, perfectly silent and impressively fast, her catlike instincts always rendering her invisible to the guards. Her undeniable skills never ceased to impress him.

It seemed she remembered the way up to the king's quarters from when they were younger. All the soldiers trained by the army were familiar with the castle's architecture for emergency purposes. Should the need arise, they would be able to protect the people inside without fear of getting lost.

However, that didn't mean that applied for that case when there was no emergency and that they were normally permitted to enter the premises. Only the Lions, the king's guards, were allowed to, so if they were caught violating that regulation, they would be in great trouble.

They passed through corridors and massive sets of stairs, hiding every time a guard appeared in the distance. Even though they were in a hurry to reach the upper floors where the king's rooms were located, they couldn't help but admire the beauty of the structure.

Huge windows permitted the morning sunlight to enter in abundance, illuminating the interior, and the walls were adorned with bright paintings and portraits of kings and queens of the past. Whenever they walked past open doors, they marveled at the lavish furnishings inside.

'But my king! We cannot take up their offer!' someone was suddenly heard saying from the inside of a room. 'It is a reckless decision we should avoid at all costs.'

Matthew and Peter immediately froze in place. That could be the person they were looking for. Matthew glanced around them. Knowing they couldn't just stand there and risk being seen by soldiers, he signaled her to enter the room right next to the closed doors. They rushed in and opened the balcony doors that stood at the far end of the small library.

The moment they stepped outside the cold wind greeted them. Matthew payed no mind to his freezing hands and jumped to the other balcony, the one that was connected with the room the men were in. He stood away from the glass doors to remain unseen and made some space for Peter to fit in.

'And what do you propose instead, Lorence?' they heard a booming voice say, most likely the king's.

'Buy ourselves some time until we know what we are dealing with.'

'My hands are tied. We are accepting their offer. No objections.'

'You are right, my king, as always. Your wisdom can not compare to my humble thinking. We need allies, that much is true. The people from the east might be the solution to our problems.'

'They had better be.'

Matthew had a feeling that whoever was talking with the king was more cunning than he let on. His gut told him that he knew how to persuade the king to his advantage and present it like it was his decision making, although in reality it was the adviser's scheming all along.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of shuffling feet in the room. Someone was coming towards them and if they exited the balcony doors, their position would surely be compromised. Matthew glanced at Peter, panic crossing his face, and he saw his terror reflected in her eyes.

The seconds ticked off, and the footsteps were getting closer and closer. Matthew's heart was thumping in his chest and fear had paralysed his body. His mind was futilely searching for a safe escape route, but there was no way they could avoid being seen. His hand instinctively touched his sword as he waited for their exposure to happen.

'There is another matter I need to discuss with you, my lord.'

Matthew heard the footsteps come to a halt just centimetres off the doors and walk away afterwards. He let out a sigh of relief.