Words Unspoken - A Hermitcraft Story

The Attack

Every light in the castle turned off at the same time exactly when Tango said it would. Zara and his brother moved swiftly through the panicking crowd. They were in the front hall of the castle. It was a large room with marble floors and large hanging chandeliers, not that any of them were on. A giant staircase sat at either side of the room, swooping upwards to the second floor.

"There!" Xisuma shout-whispered. Indeed, two high ranking guards stood at a door in the back. Zara's breath faltered as he recognised both of them. Even though he knew he would be seeing them, it still hurt. They split up, the first one moving to the second floor and the second swiftly walking through the door.

X nodded to the guard on the floor above then pointed to himself. Zara nodded in agreement, and followed the second guard through the door. He snuck behind the guard with silent steps. After years of practice, moving undetected was a specialty of his. They walked up some stairs, through large, empty halls, and into the royal hall. The queen would be downstairs, and there was only one other reason why this guard would come up here. Grian.

He heard a door open with a click.

"-are we gonna do?" That wasn't the prince's voice. It sounded familiar, but Zara didn't know why.

"We'll figure it out, Scar. The best in the kingdom are here to protect us." That was the prince's voice.

"You flatter me, sire." It was the guard. He walked into the room and closed the door behind him. Zara sighed as it closed with a thunk. He could finally breathe. The door was sound proof, and it worked both ways. Zara smiled as he found the window he spotted earlier.

The glass refused to budge, it was fixed in place. That was not part of the plan, but was not too surprising. It was the royal chambers' hall after all. Zara slid his blade out of its sheath with a satisfying swish and hit its pommel against the glass. Small cracks exploded from where he hit, and they expanded with each strike. After three or four hits, the window shattered. After four or five more, the hole was more than large enough for Zara to fit through comfortably. He put the blade back up, making sure it was secure before pushing himself up to the window.

Zara's nails dug into the wooden window frame as he lifted himself out the window. A gasp escaped his lips as the brisk night air hit him. It was dark, especially with all of the castle's lights off. The moon's light was enough to see by, however, and Zara easily made his way over to one of the prince's windows. He stood above it, so no one inside would be able to see him.

The latches of his pack were unbuckled by Zara's shaking hands. Was it from the cold or the fear? He really couldn't tell. He found what he was looking for easily. A thin red cylinder sat in his hand, and a match in the other. With no more hesitation, he struck the match against the shingles on the roof. A tiny flame sparked to life, a beacon of light in the endless dark. Zara brought the match to the cylinder, set the tube down, and scrambled to the other side of the roof.

In his head he counted. One. Two. Three.

Boom.

Shingles flew through the air and the sound of shattering glass was carried by the wind. A scream. A shout. The scent of gunpowder and smoke filled Zara's lungs, the familiar hurt taking over his senses. He moved back over to where the window once was, and where a hole now lay. He smiled and hopped down, landing on the plush carpet of the bedroom.

The guard stood alone.

"Where is he, Wels?"

The guard didn't answer, his crystal blue eyes glinting dangerously.

"C'mon old buddy. Where is the prince?"

"Xizara, you know I can't tell you."

"I'll blow up this entire castle to find them."

"I'm sure." The knight said as he drew his long dark blade. "I don't want to fight you, Xizara. You could come with me peacefully."

"You know that's not gonna happen."

"Well. I tried." And he swung his blade. But all it met was metal. Zara's dagger and Wels' sword pushed against each other with loud scrapes.

'Zara. It's time.'

Unfortunately, Ex was right. Zara let up on his dagger, pulling it away and causing Wels to stumble forward. He rushed to the corner of the room, closed his eyes, and gave up control. 

780 Words