The Witch's Relay

Chapter 55: The Calm Before

After Prince Cedric's "speech" and the guard captain's orders, everyone starts to move again, and our party finally gets reunited.

"Were you two here when that sound could be heard?" Linda asks me and Vanessa.

"Yes." I answer shortly and thereafter turn to see how Vanessa is doing. She broke down before, but now she seems to have regained her composure.

Noticing me looking at her, she guesses my thoughts and puts her finger against her lip, gesturing to me not to mention anything. I nod back at her assuringly.

"Prince Cedric said it was a cyclops, is that likely to be true?" The moment the question leaves my lips I realize that this is probably not something I should be asking Heather with people around, although she does answer without missing a beat.

"I wouldn't know, I've never encountered one. Do you know?" Heather deflects the question to Linda.

"I haven't either, to my knowledge, no-one has seen one of those for several decades. But if Cedric says it is one, then it probably is. He and his party are rated to be the most powerful monster hunters in the entire kingdom. If anyone has encountered one it would be them."

Vanessa shudders beside me. I notice her gripping her bow until her knuckles are completely white. For some reason she was the first one to hear the drumming, and thus also was affected by it longer than I was.

...

Some time later and everyone is successfully positioned in their posts.

The formation laid out is two half-circles around the massive port, the first half-circle directly exposed to the door and responsible for dealing with the potential attack when the doors first open, and the second line is several paces back, and responsible for assisting the first line of defense, as well as containing the threat.

Everyone is also deployed together with their respective parties.

Behind both lines are several parties of lower lever who are meant to be the emergency backup.

Each party also has different orders for once the initial onslaught is fought off.

Linda, Vanessa, Heather and I are positioned on the second line on the left flank, and our particular job is to rush into the dungeon just behind the initial vanguard- which happens to be Prince Cedric's party, and in the case that the dungeon forks off into several tunnels, we are to deviate from the main group and take the spearhead into the left corridor.

Just as everyone is in place, the door lights up with a blinding light as another rune gets burned into the door.

"It can't be long now. Either the next rune or the one after will open the door." Linda points out surprisingly calm.

Glancing from Linda to Heather, I can't help but wonder what their secret discussion was about. We now know that Linda knows everything, so why has the relationship not gotten hostile? If anything, Heather and Linda are acting even more peaceably towards one another, before Heather acted way more weary around Linda.

Did they come to an agreement about something? They must have, but what that could be I can't guess.

I remove my blade from its wrapping and my back, and grip it hard in order to stop my shaking hands. It is not like I am a coward, and once the action starts I at least believe that my nerves will calm, but the silence before the storm is always the worst.

Standing on my tip-toes, I try peering over at the other parties. Most of the adventurers and guards present stood in silence, simply staring at the door as if they'd swing open at any moment. Several parties however, no doubt the more experienced ones, are chatting loudly, although seriously.

Prince Cedric and his party are also taking the whole situation rather calmly, as to be expected. They are not strictly in their formation, but near enough so that they can take their posts at just a moment's notice.

Their attention seems to be mostly on the Prince who appears to be saying something, although I can't be sure as his back is turned towards me. Also beside him is a girl, who also has her back towards me, although judging by her stature, she is a young girl, but since she is wearing the same cloak as the rest of them, she must be a little bit older than I am imagining.

I vaguely remember Heather mentioning a female member of the Prince's party, but this is my first time seeing her. Her long, blonde and curly hair instantly gives me the impression of nobility, and somehow she blends in perfectly next to Prince Cedric.

She can't be a fighter though as I don't see any noticeable weaponry either on her back or around her waist like the rest of them, and instead she has to be a non-combatant member of the party. I've heard that noble parties often have members who do tasks other than fighting or adventuring, and instead focus on more menial tasks, such as cooking or setting up camp. I won't be surprised if that is what she is.

My suspicion seems confirmed when she suddenly gives Prince Cedric a hug before rushing off towards the camp.

I suddenly freeze as her way of running and the bounce of the girl's hair triggers a memory of mine.

No.. It couldn't be..

By coincidence this girl looks almost exactly like my sister from behind. Grace used to always rush around with an energy that would exhaust me by just observing, and this girl has the exact same run.

I chuckle to myself and relax my shoulders. If it were Grace, she would turn around in a few steps to give one final glance and a wave back. She could never leave someplace without being completely sure that her farewell was complete.

But she does. The girl stops and turns around, allowing her cloak to catch air underneath her.

She raises her left hand to wave, and during the short time she is turned, I see her face.

The same face from my memories.

The same smile.

The same flick of the hair.

The same eyes.

The same cheeks.

The same girl.

It's Grace.

She is my sister.

But right then, before I even have time to react from the shock, an enormous blast of light stemming from the dungeon lights up the area.

Grace turns back around, and runs off to camp.

And that is when chaos breaks out.

I can hear several shouts from the formation, but I don't understand any of them. Everything just gets muddled in my ears.

My eyes are fixed upon the spot where she slipped away, but all around in the corners of my vision I can see adventurers drawing their blades, preparing to fight something. But my eyes are fixed.

My gaze is ripped away from camp and I jump to find myself face to face with Heather.

"Wake up Kade! Now isn't the time to daydream!"

I turn towards the source of everyone else's attention, and I see the massive hinges beginning to move as the door starts to slide open.

The expedition has begun.

But I couldn't care less.