Within the Pages

Chapter 42

Chapter 42

I wake up slowly watching the ceiling wobble above me. It doesn't take me long to realize that I'm being carried by my dad. He's hurrying down the hallway of the dungeon corridor. It's almost like I am weightless as he is able to keep going down the corridor at the same pace as the others. The guards are taking the lead, assumably so they can motion us back and they won't be under too much suspicion if they are caught.

We round corner after corner, working our way up stairs and across vast hallways following the soldiers out of the dungeon. We find a official looking staircase and start heading up. At the very top of the stairs we jolt to a stop as the soldiers wave us back down the stairs.

"Where are you heading soldiers." A voice calls out from an unseen male.

"Just making the rounds sir." One of our guards says.

"Very well carry on." The man says and he walks into view, thankfully not looking down the stairs at us and instead continuing down the hall.

The guards wave us forward and we walk down the hall quickly and quietly, wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible but not wanting to get caught in the process. Halfway down the hallway my dad notices I'm awake and puts me down to walk on my own two legs.

At the end of the hallway is a gigantic castle door leading out of the castle and down the the Emerald city's upper part then down to the lower part and out of the castle. I wish I had the strength in my to teleport us all out of here but that might kill me in the process. We exit the door cautiously checking for guards outside the door. Surprisingly there are none. Hopefully just the witches getting cocky now that they think they have captured the Wizard of Oz.

A few more steps down the courtyard and I hear something in the distance. The slight scraping of wood together. Before I can react I realize it's the sound of a crossbow being loaded. Turning around I see the bolt shooting through the air, too fast for me to stop it. It grazes my shoulder slightly. I see my arm drip from a bit of poison. Carefully I image the poison being drained from me.

I then look at the crossbowman and with a kind of force wave, push him over the side of the keep to see him falling to the ground below. More soldiers come and I conjure a wall between us.

"Hurry let's go while the wall is still up". I blurt out as I turn back to keep going. That's when I see that the arrow didn't quite miss after all. My father is lying on the ground, eyes motionless, dead.