Storms of the Sky

thrones - XCVIII

TW: fear, panic 

--Bastet--

I peer inside.

It smells musty. The forgotten door leads to the forgotten hall. Convenient.

It's darker than the sky inside. When I step in, around Avery, I let my stars go. They light the empty hall. I exhale, relieved.

Quarry steps inside behind me. He grabs my shoulders to keep himself steady. Behind me, I hear Avery close the door slowly. She hops up next to Quarry. I take her arm and wrap it around my neck so she can stand properly.

"Okay straight and then left," Avery whispers. I nod and start down the hall.

With each echo of my footstep I feel my heart leap into the throat. It stays musty and dark in the halls.

"Up," Avery whispers.

"What?" I whisper back. Avery's face, illuminated by my stars, contorts. She points up.

"Up." I look ahead of me. Stairs.

"This is real," I hear Quarry mutter behind me. "Okay, this is happening."

I take a step on the stairs slowly. They're stone as well. I start to climb them, helping Avery up on her way. As we climb the stairs I see a soft glow. I make my stars hug me again.

I climb the stairs in a spiral, all the way up to a room.

The room is dark except for two windows letting in moonlight and strangely enough, a torch. Hotels can have landlines but palaces can't have electricity.

"Through the door," Avery whispers. I look to the right. There stands a wooden door. Damn if this place isn't high fantasy enough.

I walk through the door, creaking it open slowly. Avery looks in first. She whips towards me so fast I think she makes a zipping sound. Avery takes the door handle and closes it fast enough that it looks closed, but the lock didn't click.

"What's that for?" Quarry whispers. Avery gives him a death look. She contorts her face, sucking in a breath. Maybe it's just the nerves.

Guard, She mouths. I gasp shakily, covering my mouth with my hand. Avery closes her eyes and breathes. Quarry stares at the ground, his own hands covering his mouth.

Avery stands there in silence. She looks at me and Quarry, a terrified look in her eyes. She opens the door just enough for a sliver of light to poke through. She sighs and opens the door.

"They're gone," She sighs. Me and Quarry sigh in relief. Avery trips into the room. I gawk.

Two thrones stand at the end of the red-carpeted room. The high ceilings have a sunny day painted on it with sparkling gold trim. A giant chandelier hangs in the center, all the candles lit with a small flame. It is just enough to light the room with an eerily warm glow.

"Oh my god," I murmur. The thrones sit still. One twice the size of the other. It stands gold trim with a dark blue backing. The larger one has silver trim and a crimson backing.

"The thrones," I hear Quarry say with awe. He sounds far away.

"Keep moving," Avery mutters. I turn my gaze at her. She focuses on the ground. "Let's go."

I readjust her arm before we continue. Avery winces. I look at her confused.

"No you didn't," I hear Quarry whisper. I look down at Avery's leg. Her tight black pant leg is soaked through with blood. Her stitches ripped.

"I'm fine," She says through clenched teeth. I shake my head. Quarry comes up and takes her other arm.

"We have to go back," He says. Avery growls.

"If we want help, we go forward," She says with so much authority I mistake her for the thrones in the room for a second.

Quarry looks at her, his face slack. He nods, looking forward.

"Okay."

We head forward. Avery points to the opposite wall. Quarry traces his hand on the bone-white walls until he stops. He pushes his hand into the wall. A door pops out. A staff door. It must lead to the other side tunnels we travelled through.

"Down this hall. Then there are stairs. We are going all the way down." We follow Avery's directions.

The tunnel stays dark, so I let my stars loose.

Musty. It smells musty. Like an empty cave.

Fast footsteps turn heartbeats as we go down the spiral stairs. The walls turn stone again.

We all turn unsteady as we make the final step down.

I don't dare focus on my friends. I know we are all ghostly. Heavy-breathing, pale, shaky. We follow Avery's single point down the hall.

We drag ourselves. Each step is heavier than the last. Avery slams down her feet at a door. Behind it is a glow.

The door is large. The lock is rusted and dark. The door is splintery with wood. If I touch it I think it might break.

If I move I think I might break. My stars frantically dim and lighten. I blink sweat out of my eyes. Or was that tears?

Avery grips my shoulder as she kicks the edge of the door.