The Knights of Aragon

Chapter 8

"This place is great!"

Draxum runs circles around me, excited to see the ground. He and I have been exploring this pocket realm for the last hour. I've shown him all of the rooms on the second floor, except one. We've explored the kitchen, the living room, and the medical bay. Rhydian was right. The medicines here are extraordinary. I added an ointment to my horrific wounds with their horrific stitches and about five minutes later, the whole area went numb. I make a mental note to ask about it later. Then we explored the training arenas and the armory in the basement. There were all kinds of weapons and each time Draxum reached for one, I would slap his prying hands away.

Outside of the mansion, there are two large training fields with straw dummies planted on the ground. These areas are all lazily constructed with wood and mud. It looks like hell. But, beyond the house and the training sectors are these weird tall-standing rocks that surrounds the place. There about 14 of these stones, set up in pairs. Those must be the gates that Rhydian talked about.

After finding this out, Draxum and I went back to the kitchen to eat lunch. Or dinner? It's getting confusing. "This place is pretty amazing," I say between chewing, "However, one could argue that staying in a pocket realm like this could be dangerous." He stuffs his face with bread and cheese. "That's true," he says with his mouth full. "Don't talk with your mouth full," I scold him.

He rolls his eyes. "Yes, mum." I freeze at his words. Mum? He called me 'Mum'. We both fall into an awkward silence. I finish my cheese and bread quietly. "I-I meant," he fidgets with his fingers, "'yes mum' as in 'yeah sure' not 'yes mum' as in 'yes mum', you know?" I stare at him blankly, not quite sure what to say. I think he takes my silence for confusion because he continues his rambling.

"I mean, you know you're more like my sister than my mother," he wrings his wrist, "Not you haven't taken care of me like a mother should, but you're only a few years older than me. So, mum? Pfshh, that's just.." His ears turn crimson, and I smile. "I know what you meant, Draxum," I laugh and ruffle his curly locks. "You didn't have to explain, I understand." Draxum lets out a nervous laugh, but his ears are still red from embarrassment.

We leave the kitchen after eating and head back to the dining room. Draxum and I changed into our new clothes before wandering the premises. Draxum has his green tunic and dirt-stained trousers on. He looks like a whole new person. I, on the other hand, feel like I'm playing dress up. My own get-up is a bit different. None of the trousers that I found for us fit me correctly. And, to my disdain, I couldn't find the items I needed to fix them.

So, I put on a white tunic, that is way too big on me, and made a make-shift belt with a piece of my torn shirt around my hips. I meant to tied it around my waist but my wounds are still a tad tender. I had tied my hair up as best as I could but there are a few stubborn strands sticking out in certain places. "What will we do now?" Draxum asks me. I sit next to the fireplace, right next to where Draxum left Inferno. "I don't know," I respond honestly, "I guess find a way out of here and keep following the map."

"And find Inferno's true master," he adds.

I nod. "And find Inferno's true master," I repeat. A sudden realization hit me. "We don't even know how far we've strayed from our path," I grab Inferno and take it out, "We should check our location and begin making a new plan." I stick the hilt into the fire, like last time, and its magic begins to surround us once again. The red gems casts its light as far as it can reach, swirling in air like a strong wind during a storm's rampage. After the light show settles in the room, the map appears in front of us in all its glory.

I immediately notice something's changed so I squint at the map, trying to figure it out. Before, it had a path that it wanted us to follow-which we did to the best of our ability-but now, the map has shifted. Stormhold is no longer visible, and our start has been erased completely. "That can't be right," I whisper. The dot on Axinite shimmers and moves, unlike before. "It's moving as if.." I trail off. The map shifts and changes before our very eyes. It begins to move forwards into the lands.