Age of Darkness

Chapter 5: Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Off To Certain Death We Go

I didn't sleep well that night, obviously. My mind was racing. My thoughts were all over the place. I was basically a wreck when I woke in the morning. I couldn't believe what I had heard. My grandfather was involved in all this? I was involved in all this?! Elizabeth looked to be about the same. The only person who appeared to have slept was my grandfather, of all people.

''How'd you sleep?'' He asked.

''What do you think?'' Both me and Elizabeth spoke at the same time. I was not in a happy, joking mood. It was, like, six in the morning, which would have sucked had I slept anyway.

''We've got to pack up and leave as soon as possible.''

''Pack up?'' I said. ''What have we got to pack up?'' Elizabeth stifled a laugh. Grandfather seemed to think about it for a second.

''True.'' So we just ate the last of our food and left. We walked for some time, without much conversation.

''Sooo, where are we going, again?'' I asked finally.

''To the Tower of Ages.''

''Oh yeah... joyous fun!'' I couldn't see no tower till around lunchtime. There was no lunch, but we took a break near a clearing. There was a rock. I stood up on it and looked over the horizon. There it was! The tower looked amazing, not in ruin at all. The only problem was the large black cloud overtop and the lightning.

''Oh my goddess... that's... kinda scary...''

''Yep! That's our destination!'' Piped in my grandfather.

''Well... let's get this over with...'' We continued on, and within an hour we stood at the entrance. It was an easy journey. Well, not really. It was hard to manage avoiding the many skeletons in the area, but somehow we managed. Yes, there were more of them. By the time we got there it was as black as night. Lightning crashed, thunder rumbled, and the black hole cloud thing extinguished all light. It was... depressing.

''So this is it?...'' Said Elizabeth, who seemed as scared as I was.

''Indeed. It's worse than I feared.''

''Well, here we go...'' I said, not so cheeringly.

We pushed open the heavy wooden doors. The inside was empty. It had stone walls and no windows. My grandfather created a ball of light that followed us.

''Why is there nobody coming to stop us? I mean, shouldn't we have been discovered by now?'' I asked.

''James knows we're here. He wants us to come to him so that he can trap us.''

''So we're basically walking into a trap?'' Asked Elizabeth.

''Yeah pretty much.''

Now I was just a little upset.

''Absolutely brilliant! So we're walking into a trap in which we will probably be killed by the Lord of Darkness!''

''Yes, I guess so.''

''Are you suicidal? Are you just crazy? You keep on walking us into traps and things that'll probably kill us!''

''Have you died yet?'' He had a point there.

''Well no, not yet!''

''Quiet!'' Whispered my grandfather in an urgent tone. We walked up a spiral staircase until we came to another room. This room was different. It was a large room with mosaic glass walls and a circular stage in the middle. Light flooded through in rainbows, and it was hard to remember that this place was evil. It was absolutely beautiful. There was still a dark presence, though. At the end of the room was a doorway, with what looked like stairs winding around the outside of the tower. We walked to the door.

''That was easier than I thought!'' I said.

''Yeah. We just have to go up these stairs,'' said my grandfather.

''Let's go!'' Said Elizabeth.

''I'm sorry, but I cannot let you do that.'' We all turned to see the source of the cold voice.

Things are getting spooky. Now we begin to enter the plot. Who do you think the voice is? What do you think will happen? Will our friends be able to stop the rebirth of Zirkon? Will they be able to stop the source of the voice? Will they even be able to survive?! Or will evil prevail? Why do I sound like the narrator from Batman? Find out in... THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!