Elderquest: Book 2 (2021 Rewrite)

Chapter 12 - Liberation

I looked on in disbelief as Kay gently caressed her stomach, now holding her and Scotty's unborn child. I couldn't fathom that she had made it this far, even in the very early stages of pregnancy. Now, more than ever, there was a need for us to succeed. Now there was an even higher price to our journey. As I wrangled with the flurry of thoughts in my head, Drake approached from the other room.

"Hey, we're padding down for the night. You two should get some sleep," he said.

We both stood up and made our way back to the group. Albeit rags and rubble on the ground, the makeshift beds were more comfortable than any palace mattress in that moment. The fire slowly burned down embers to keep us warm, while the sound of the pattering rain soothed our worries.

I dreamed that night. I dreamed about how our lives would change if we survived this insufferable war. The city would have to rebuild, and no doubt that some people would be left without homes or families to go back to. But one thing that worried me was Kay's child. She wouldn't have Scotty to be there for her, and her child would grow up without a father. I tried to push the thoughts out of my head, but they kept circling back around to consume what sleep I could get. I opened my eyes after a few hours and looked out over the remains of the dying fire. Through the wisps of smoke, Kitt was nestled next to her sisters under a tarp, sleeping away. And as I laid there, listening to the girls' slow breathing, I smiled and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

I have to protect them. I have to protect everyone.

I was brutally awoken to the sound of clanging metal and guttural chanting. I shot up from my bed and grabbed my sword. Phoebe grabbed my arm before I could draw it, putting a finger to her lips and pointing through a hole in the floorboards. I slowly peered down through the opening to find a marching horde of lizard soldiers moving on the street below us.

"Don't make a lot of noise. They don't know we're up here," Phoebe whispered, creeping along the wall and back towards the door. We slowly and gently shook the others awake and kept them quiet.

"We need to move. Nazshi's armies have been doing sweeps of the city. We're only slowing ourselves down if we stay here," Phoebe said.

We gradually crept out the back of the building. Moving through the shadows of the alleys, we came to an opening where the soldiers passed through. We checked our gear and kept weaving through the tightly packed streets.

"It's getting colder," Kitt said. She let out a sigh, her breath turning into a white, steamy cloud around her.

Setting our packs down, we pulled on some warmer layers and kept walking. As we did, I caught a glimpse of something in the distance. When I approached it, I saw that it was a tall iron gate. The distressed metal creaked and groaned against the harsh, icy wind.

"What is this?" Drake said. The towering gate had no identifying features save for the number 20 scratched into the surface. As we drew closer, we could hear noises coming form behind the metal. From the sounds of it, it seemed like there was a whole army sitting behind it, just waiting to burst out and overwhelm us.