Sorceress of the Void

Chapter Two - Escape the Castle

Chapter Two

Escape the Castle

The response was instantaneous, as if she had just set loose a dozen crazed wasps. All of them hustled around, and Eira questioned if it was an aimless panic that she had just induced, but nonetheless pulled Mindarie and Collan to their feet.

It occurred to her that she could either take them to the king and queen, who were most likely already escaping or in a protected room of the castle, or she could focus on getting the children out of the line of fire until the attack stopped. She realized that she could be fired or even severely punished for not taking them to the safe rooms built to last a besiegement like this, but an extremely dark and foreboding feeling threw that option aside. They would get out of the castle, no matter what.

“What’s happening?” Mindarie was wide eyed and terrified. 

“I-I don’t know, but we’re all going to get out safely.” Her hands steadied them through another shockwave, then encouraged them to run through the grand doors and back out through hallways and down countless staircases.

They ran past multiple hysteric people, but muttered to the twins that they were only overreacting and should pay them no mind. She was sure that her own voice was many times more stable than she actually felt. 

Finally, they reached an ancient wooden doorway at the bottom of a staircase. Eira took hold of the old handle and tug at it with all her might. Collan and Mindarie comprehended the task and joined in to wrench the door open. Servants and royals alike began to crowd behind them, all anxious to flee the situation at quickly as possible. 

The old door creaked loudly, and a rush of the castle’s inhabitants forced their way into the darkened tunnels beyond. Eira practically shoved a few men away from the twins when their frantic pushes to get out became aggressive, carefully keeping a hold on them as they followed the throngs of people down into the cool passages winding beneath the castle. Heavy breathing and nervous clacking of running feet only added to her anxiety. What in the world was happening? Who was attacking?

The very idea that invaders could have managed to get past the ridiculously powerful wards of protection that surrounded the city walls and even imbedded into the very foundation of the castle itself was a frightening thought.

“Where are we going?” Collan huffed, trying to catch his breath as they continued down into the depths under the earth. 

“There is a door at the end here,” Eira answered, momentarily pushing aside her thoughts, “It leads beyond the outer walls and into the woods.” 

Collan nodded and gained a determined momentum in his steps. If it hadn’t been such a dire situation, Eira would have paused to appreciate that Collan had taken on the role of protecting Mindarie from any harm, regardless of the fact that they were the same age. 

The tunnels became colder as they walked deeper into them. Several passages crossed through the main path, and a few daring souls took those paths in hopes of finding their own way out. Eira tried to call them back, but the few went forward anyway. She quietly wished them luck that they wouldn’t get hopelessly lost and would indeed find their way out. They reached a thick iron gate, and a multitude of desperate hands reached forward to find that the metal had been rusted shut.

"It's locked!" shouted a woman, bringing attention to the heavy lock that seemed unbreakable. 

Something imperceptible to anyone who didn't know the twins passed between them in a short look that held all the meaning in the world. The people that had belatedly realized that the royal heirs were in the tunnels as well stepped backwards to give them a respectful amount of space.