A Journey To The Clouds, History Of Heros - Book Three -

Chapter Ten

At any moment, we should be reaching Lily's cottage!" Ally exclaims excitedly. I have been waiting to meet Lily for a long time. Sure enough, around five minutes of tense anticipation later, we arrive at a humble cottage that sits on a hill overlooking the treetops.

Specifically speaking, I have never seen a cottage, partly because I've always lived in the 'Big Apple'. But this, this is beautiful. 

I spot Lily of the Valleys all along the edge of the cottage. Vines cover most of the white brick that holds the cottage upright. Ally limps towards the chipped wooden door and knocks in a brisk pattern.

"State your name and your purpose!" A wavery voice calls out softly.

"It's Allison Green along with Connor Bailey, Melinda Rose, and Kylie Winston would like to visit the one and only Hazel and Lily." Ally calls out. A gasp comes from the inside and the door flies open.

"Ally! Connor! You came!" Lily exclaims.

"Of course they did!" I heard Hazel's voice from inside the cottage. Lily invites us in with a visibly fake smile on her face.

If the outside of the cottage was pretty, then the interior is beautifully decorated. Potions, plants, and bottles lined the walls and a small fireplace tucked into the middle of the shelves. The vibe of the place is comfy and cozy, and the tight rooms helped with the cozy atmosphere.

"Kylie, Melinda, this is Hazel." she points to another young woman sitting at a round, wooden table in the middle of the cottage. She waves to us and I give a feeble wave back.

"Now Lily, brave of you to assume I don't know who they are. I was one of those who decided on their destinies as well!" Hazel exclaims.

I briefly glanced at Lily and I noticed something. Was it a warning glance from her to Hazel? I shook my head.

"Well, I think we should probably show you around the place before anything. There are a few rules for you to remember when you're one of my residents." Lily acknowledged with a smile.

"Number one," she began, "Do not touch any of the potions or plants you see. Some may be poison, and I don't want to find myself trying to resuscitate you after you played with a deadly potion." She waves her pointer finger at us.

"Rule two is you do not go in the basement. The only reason I have this, as a rule, is because my most dangerous weapons and potions and whatnot are stored in there. I do not want you accidentally pricking your finger on one of my poison-tipped swords, and get paralyzed or possibly die."

"Rule number three," she states, shaking her ring finger at us. Lily held a grim look on her face.

"You do not, do not go into our secret room if you ever find the entrance to it. There are again, some very dangerous potions and weapons in there that are very, very dangerous."

Secret room?

"You got all of that?" I heard Hazel ask us sternly. Ally, Connor, and Melinda look as shocked as I feel.

"R-right, yes. Sure." I confirmed. My mind was buzzing like a bee-hive. Lily just admitted that there is a secret room somewhere in this cottage. This cottage is a little smaller than I thought it would be, but to hide a secret room in here? How?

"Okay guys, your room is this way." Lily leads us up to ten steps (I counted) and into a more spacious room, I thought a cottage would have. It has a very different effect than the main room did. Lily notices my confusion.

"This is a special type of magic. It looks big on the inside but small on the outside," she explains.

"So we'll be sleeping-"

Suddenly, my legs buckle beneath my feet. What's going on? I panic, but it only gets stronger as I see Ally, Connor, and Melinda all in the same situation as me. I try to figure out what's happening before I collapse into darkness.

"The spy is doing well I assume? May you also tell me why I haven't heard about what and how she is doing by any chance and if she has met up somewhere somehow with them?"

A giant sits in a chair in the middle of a room, his back to me. I turn around to find Connor, Ally, and Melinda struggling back on their feet. Understanding shows in Ally and Connor's eyes, yet Melinda's show confusion.

I think I can predict it's because whatever is happening right now has never happened before to me or Melinda. I'm equally confused.

"What is-" I get cut off by a frantic Ally as she listens to the giant's conversation. I understand immediately and become quiet.

"I would hope so, though I don't think we should let our guard down considering-"

"Don't recite what I know you're going to say. I don't want to be reminded how we failed to a bunch of stupid, barbarian minors."

"R-right. Yes, sire."

"Going back to what I asked before. Have you even checked up on our, ah, spy yet?"

"The young woman is doing very well, Sire."

"Good. How is that trapdoor of hers holding up?"

Trapdoor? What trapdoor?

"Holding off great. As far as we know, she's doing a good job in keeping them away."

Them? Wait, do they mean us?

Oh no. 

This can't be good if it means us.

"I'm sure we'll hopefully get them in our grasp this time 'round."

"Like you've said the last-"

"I know what I've said! Now go before something else happens that you won't want me to hear about."

Soon enough my vision blurs until I can't make out their figures anymore. I fall beneath the floor, turning my worry into an urgent panic.

What does this mean?

What even happened?

None of my questions get answers as the world turns into unrevealing darkness.