Dragon Princess

Chapter 16: A Bloody Victory

Aralia

I lead Grea, after sending our dragons off, to the rear of the three walls where the hidden passageway started. The passage ran underneath the three walls and into the castles throne room though there were different openings between the different sections.

I couldn't quite remember exactly where it was for I did not go outside of the outer wall very often as a child, but I knew it was around here somewhere. I ran my hands against the large, rough stone until I felt my fingers latch onto a small hold.

I squeezed and pulled down. The hallow and loose stone tips a couple degrees downwards and the ground a foot to our left collapses inward revealing a small opening to a dark tunnel.

I jump in knowing that there was only a short drop and slope taking me to the edge of where the passageway began. My butt hit the dirt floor with a thump and soon after that Grea landed beside me.

I looked behind me and up watching the trapdoor slowly close and shutting out the light. I made a small ball of light and stood up brushing myself off.

I grazed my hand against a hollow and loose stone much like the one that opened the trap door and said, "Push this stone in a bit and the door will open, there are small crevasses carved into the stone to help you climb out if need be."

All she did was nod as I drew my sword as we began walking down the narrow passage. She walked closely behind me and it would make me feel uneasy if I couldn't see her in my peripheral vision. It would probably only take 10 minutes to get into the castle, but the silence made it feel like time was at a standstill.

I cleared my throat just to break the silence as we walked through the damp passage. The noise echoed softly into the distance.

"Why do you trust me to take you to the castle and not somewhere where I could just kill you?" I said.

"I don't," she replied. "Sometimes you just need to take chances."

I looked at the blade of my sword, "Everyone seems to be taking chances with me lately."

She chuckled a little, "Why wouldn't they? Your the brightest hope people have seen in years, hope is what keeps us going in this world."

I shook my head and sarcastically laughed, "That's the thing, I don't get what's so special about me. Everyone keeps saying I'm special, but the most significant thing I've done is get out of the Racton's kingdom, I couldn't have done it without Shade though."

"That's not the only thing Aralia, but if you don't know what it is then it's not your time to know yet, you will have to discover that for yourself."

I let out a sigh expecting no less then this. "Fine, then let's just get into the castle."

***

Nothing more was said as we walked, but I could tell Grea was struggling with something that was inside her mind. She would intake a breath as if she were to start a conversation, then she would just let it out and we would walk on.

The tunnel was growing narrower and soon I was forced bend a little bit so I could keep walking. Reaching what would seem like a dead end to the naked eye was a relief because I new just behind this wall was the throne room and where Cronus would be.

This door was controlled by a push pad in the wall so when I applied pressure to the stone at the top and directly to the left of me the stone door slowly began to swing open and we stepped through it the hell that was once the throne room.

Shade

No matter how many men and woman of the kings force that I killed there was always another to take their place. Bodies were now having to be piled by what I called runners who pile up the corpses of the dead to make room for the living who continue to fight.