A Journey To The Clouds, Escape From Cloud Castle - Book Two - ✓

Chapter Four

Lily! We haven't had a letter from her yet.

"Read it." Ally says abruptly. I obey.

Ally and Connor,

I know you will be trapped in this castle when you come across this but I couldn't help myself if I stayed quiet. I need to warn you about what the Crew of Doom is trying to do. They are in the real world in a place no one goes. No one has ever been near there since 1992 when Father Mike, the priest, got killed in a flash mob of angry rioters who wanted him to stop preaching about Jesus. It is the mansion. The run-down old mansion. They are planning to first, manipulate the city of New York, as an army to help them take over the rest of the living world (which I doubt is possible) this is all I can tell you. You need to figure the rest out. I need to go before they catch me. Good luck to you both.

-Lily

"Wow." Ally says, speechless. Once she takes a few breaths she continues. " So now we know where they are. That's good. I guess." I can only nod for the twentieth time today.

"Come on. Let's see if we can find anything else before we die in an explosion." I joke. Ally looks at me with a severe look.

"Just trying to lighten the mood!" I claim innocently, putting my hands in the air. Ally's face softens.

"At least I have you to cheer me up." she says softly. I know what she's thinking about. Her mom. I'm thinking of my mom too and wonder how she's surviving.

"I'm sure if you didn't have me, you would still do fine." I reassure her. A piece of hair whisks over her face. I reach out my hand and I put it behind her ear.

"Not as good as you'd think." She replies.

Night begins to fall and we still haven't found a place to sleep yet. The now cold and damp castle made me shiver as we continue to walk around, making sure not to get in the way of any guards or other cyclops and giants.

"Hey Connor! I think I found something to sleep on." Ally calls from a room opposite the one I was looking in.

"Coming!" I shout back. I sprint over and sure enough, there were straw mattresses.

"Why would there be a bed here if no one ever uses it?" I ask.

"Let alone fresh." Ally mutters. I take a whiff and almost gag. I wonder what makes her think that.

"Well, we've got two choices. Choice A is sleeping outside the rooms with the guards or Choice B is sleeping in here with this horrid smell numbing our noses. What's it gonna be?" I ask Ally in a sports announcer voice. She laughs and lightly punches my arm.

"To be honest, I think i'd rather sleep in here. After seeing what they did to our mom's in that last vision I had, I don't think I can stand another second with those guards!" Ally says.

"And I thank you, for that smart mind of yours in not making us sleep by the guards!" I exclaim, plopping on the straw mattress with a thud. Ally grins as she flops next to me. She sighs and closes her eyes at once. I lay awake and eventually get to sleep.

"Coco!" Asher shouts, his hands clenched in fists of rage. She squawks nervously as she flies up in front of him.

"Yes Lord Asher?"

"What happened to the mothers?" He asks urgently.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"I mean, they have been extremely well fed. I was planning on feeding them a few pieces of bread and some water before I started questioning them, but it looks as though they're also... bathed!"

"I swear, Lord Asher! I didn't do it!" Coco wailed innocently.

"I shall believe you. This once." Asher puts emphasis on the 'once'. Coco nods and flies off. Asher sighs.

"Bones! Come here." he shouts as the Cyclops, who is so big he nearly crashed right through the door that he was noticeably eavesdropping behind. If Asher noticed, he didn't say anything.

"Bones. I would like to send my scout out. Have you found one yet?" Asher asks with his eyes closed.

"Yes sir. I have the scout right here." Bones replies, blinking his enormous eye. He gestures to the animal beside him.

"A kitten?"

"Y-yes sir."

"I expected better."

"She was the only one of her kind brave enough to do it."

Asher pauses before responding.

"I guess she will have to do. What is her name?"

"Hera."

"Like the goddess?"

"Yes." Bones says confidently.

"Very well. You are dismissed. Leave Hera here." Bones nods, bows low, and hurries out of the room. Asher eyes the kitten as it licks its paws.

"So... Hera." The kitten looks innocently up at him.

"Do you have powers? Can you fly? Are you listening?" Asher gets steadily louder. The cat purrs as it takes sight of its tail. It's eyes light up and she starts chasing it. Asher throws a palm on his forehead.

"Useless little-" Asher starts but stops as his eyes get bigger. "Follow Bones." he orders . Hera immediately stops and perks up as Asher continues speaking.

"Follow him." Hera nods and slinks out of the room. He sits back in the chair behind him and starts to chuckle. It gradually gets louder and louder, until it's echo fades away through the long halls of the mansion.

I wake up with a start just as Ally is pulling the cloth curtains away from the barred windows. She turns around when she hears me gasping out of shock in what just happened.

"What was it about?" she asks urgently. I don't know how she knew. I swear girls know everything. Under her unusually stern glare, I tell her. Her eyes get wide as I tell of the scout they are sending after us.

"S- so they're sending a scout out after us?" she asks. I nod and she sighs. I stand up and walk towards the door of the room. I'm about to open it when Ally interrupts me.

"Wait."

"What?"

"I dont think it's safe to open the door just yet. It feels... not right. Like we shouldn't."

"Well, what doesn't seem right?"

"There's this... vibe that I have." She says. "But I might be wrong." She adds.

"So is it safe or not?"

"Just... open it. I want to see if i'm right." I turn the knob while looking over my shoulder. Ally takes a sharp breath and I look in front of me.

"About time for you young'uns to leave, or die!" a gruff female voice above me shouts.