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part six.
IP: 2.27.240.21
Posted on June 3, 2014 at 10:00:17 PM by georgia

PART SIX The Castle Torram’s ear was pressed against the keyhole when the hand fell on his shoulder, and he’d been concentrating so hard on trying to hear that he started instantly. “I was just…” He began to mumble, but faltered as he looked around and saw who it was. Alethea’s face was flushed slightly in an exceptionally pretty manner, and she pulled her hand back a little guiltily when Torram jumped. There was a small, nervous smile on her face, which Torram returned in kind, as she crouched down next to him by the big oak door. Torram’s heart was pounding in his throat. He shouldn’t be here, he knew he shouldn’t be here… was he going to get into trouble? Alethea didn’t seem like the type to get him into trouble, but… He was saved from his internal panic by her words. “Looks like you had the same idea as me,” her smile settled a little, somewhat freed of its nerves, and Torram relaxed a bit too. Together, they pressed their ears to the door. “...another attack?” A voice which was definitely the king’s enquired. He didn’t receive a yes or no answer, so the young eavesdroppers had to assume that someone had nodded or shaken their head. “All of them would have come through with the creature,” a male voice growled. “They had no reason to wait outside once the doors were wide open.” “But the doors are open and other monsters can get through,” a clipped female voice responded. Alethea didn’t know who it was, but her intellect told her it had to be Allianah: Morgana was the only other woman who had entered the room, and this didn’t sound at all like her. “Rhaegar is right - there is unlikely to be another attack like there was before the dome broke - but Shaman is no longer protected as it once was.” “And all of the magic is gone?” A milder male voice asked with a note of uncertainty. It took Alethea a moment to place Mordred. “There is no divinity?” A quiet followed, apart from a soft growl which sent a shiver up the young people’s spines. A few gentle thuds indicated goblets or perhaps a jug being placed on a wooden table, but no one spoke. Torram recalled royal dynamics and diplomacy with a little grimace, while Alethea considered the personalities present in the room which would decide the future of their planet. She had seen King Arthur, Prince Tristan, Lady Morgana and Lord Mordred enter, and assumed that two of the three deities from the battle - Rhaegar and Allianah - were also there. She'd heard mention from one of the guards that Xephyr had collapsed on the battlefield and had to be taken to the pantheon, but nobody seemed to know why, since it had happened before the fighting started. Ordinarily, neither Torram nor Alethea were the type to crouch at doors and try to peep through keyholes. Eavesdropping was unladylike, and not becoming of a young gentleman. In both teens, however, a subtle but distinct streak of rebellion set them apart from the other, conventional courtiers of their age, along with a burning drive for knowledge and a desire to help. There had been enough secrecy and mystery surrounding this ancient creature, and now that the planet’s magic had been stolen everything was even more uncertain. Neither Alethea nor Torram had ever had great magic of their own, and both were used to finding their way without it in this world - if there was anything they could do, anything... There was a muffled rap like knuckles on wood, followed by a scraping sound as several chairs were pulled out from under the table. Footsteps, then a creeeeak as another door swung open. The eavesdroppers missed the quick, indistinct exchange which followed, and neither of them recognised the voice which spoke above the others, but they guessed who it was from the distinctive dialect. “You-all can stop your fussing, we’re fine,” a voice which could only be Charlton’s declared. Another male voice mumbled something, then there were receding footsteps and the door swung shut again. More footsteps crossed the room, and there were several scraping sounds as chairs were pulled out again, presumably so that the room’s occupants could be seated once more. “Darn it, we did the best we could,” the American deity’s voice had a definite note of weariness to it. “We got ’em all back - Lorraine, Tsi, Mallos - but they’re comatose. There wasn’t enough time to finish the spell and heal them fully on the inside, so we have no way of knowing what state of mind they’re in.” A sharp silence followed that statement, and Charlton hastily added, “I’m sure they’ll be fine! Zed’s taking them to the pantheon. Sure hope you don’t mind, Your Majesty, but I asked some of those fine men who work here to go and help.” “Thank you,” Arthur’s tone was grave. “I will request that the guards bring Mallos back here.” Nobody argued. Someone sighed and set their glass down with a heavy thunk. “What about Xephyr?” they heard Rhaegar ask gravely, a noticeable strain entering his voice “is he...?” “There’s no way to tell,” Charlton replied at last, and even he sounded grimmer than before, “Zed and I tried, but we couldn’t get any response; without magic, I’m not sure what can be done for him.” “We can look after him,” Aliannah interjected forcefully, and her determined declaration was followed by what sounded like a fist hitting against a table top, “we can keep him safe.” “He’s one of us,” agreed Rhaegar with a grunt of approval, “we’re not going to lose him to that thing.” The Dane’s proclamation was met with murmurs of agreement, and then the room lapsed into a tense stillness which dragged on uncomfortably. Torram had begun to wonder whether they had resumed their conversation in whispers too low to be heard through the wood of the door and was just about to frown at Alethea in frustration when someone within the chamber piped up again. “So, fellas, what’s the plan?” Charlton asked. Alethea and Torram both caught their breath, but the question was met with nothing but silence. No one knew. No one had a clue what to do. “I confess, this is not a problem I have previously encountered,” the king admitted in a mild tone. “Perhaps any information about the creature might be enlightening?” “Allianah and Rhaegar met the ancient creature in the centre of the Earth,” Charlton suggested hopefully, but he was interrupted by the female deity. “We didn’t meet it,” she corrected. “And we don’t know anything about it, not really. Ancient creatures are a mystery to us, too. This one… it has a power over words, we know that much. But, how to fight it… I wouldn’t know where to begin. Mallos and Lorraine were the ambassadors who dealt with ancient creatures, but they’re both incapacitated… Gwythr and Aura dealt with them too, as former Chairs, but Gwythr is off-planet and Aura is dead.” There was a shuffling sound and some incoherent muttering, followed by Charlton saying encouragingly, “go on, Khase!” Alethea and Torram had to strain to hear Khasekhemwy’s voice, which was quiet and shaking with anxiety. “Aura met this creature before - thousands of years ago. She might have known…” “Aura’s dead, Khase,” Allianah repeated crossly, but someone - probably Charlton - shushed her. Khasekhemwy took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. “If today’s events have proven anything, it’s that Aura left a lot behind,” he mumbled. “Hey, you’re right!” Charlton exclaimed. “If we can go to the place where Aura lived, maybe find something there…” “The Shrine was destroyed,” Morgana volunteered. “But Aura lived on Apeliotes Island during the war. I’ll go. I know the way.” There was a scraaape as someone pushed their chair back. “I’ll go too,” Allianah spoke firmly. “An original fairy will know what to look for.” A long pause followed, broken only when Arthur said, “very well.” Alethea pulled her ear away from the door as the room’s occupants stood up, pushing their chairs back, and she grabbed Torram’s hand. The last thing they wanted was to be caught crouching at the door when everyone came out of it. Together, the two young people fled down the corridor and around the corner, where they ducked behind a stairwell. The sound of footsteps behind them echoed off the stone walls. Torram shuffled nervously, acutely aware of how close they were in the confined space, but Alethea was too captivated by what they had just heard to notice. A small frown creased her pretty brow. “If they’re looking for help from the other deities...” she whispered slowly, the idea taking firm hold in her mind, “...then why aren’t they searching Gwythr’s old palace too?” The teenagers locked eyes, and came to a silent agreement. Cautiously, they crept out from under the stairwell and back down the corridor, with Alethea leading the way.

Written by Georgia and Merlin

Replies:

• part seven. - By georgia June 3, 2014 at 10:00:08 PM
• part eight. - By georgia June 3, 2014 at 10:00:02 PM
• part nine. - By georgia June 3, 2014 at 09:59:55 PM
• part ten. - By georgia June 3, 2014 at 09:59:47 PM
• epilogue. - By georgia June 3, 2014 at 09:59:27 PM

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