A Spark Against the Shadows (Book Two) Fully Released

Chapter XXIII - A Not so Chance Encounter

Sonya held her left hand forward as the flame lit the pathway in front of them. She gripped her axe tight within her right hand while looking back, seeing the three of them following her through the damp corridor. "Do all Castles have a secret tunnel way for the royal's escaping?" asked Sonya as she kept the flame aimed at the dark, moss-covered walls around them.

"Yes and no," Alexis answered quickly as she glanced back at Kota, who stayed a step behind her. "Our family castle has a secret underground tunnel system in case of an attack. It does not lead outside the castle, but just from one area to the next."

Kota shook his head in agreement as he kept his eyes forward before Lucinda chimed in. "Why did we not use one of them while we were leaving Grace's party?"

"We were trying to escape the Castle, not hide deeper into it," Sonya said as her foot slipped into a small puddle of water. "We were needed elsewhere that night."

She raised her foot from the darkened water and shook her boot slightly before passing various open doors that lead into small chambers. The rooms appeared to be in rare use or little need of use because of the lack of any necessities within them. Sonya investigated one room, examining the broken bed and wood splintered across the floor. "There has not been war against the two kingdoms in quite some time, correct?"

Alexis moved to see the room within the light of Sonya's calling. She crossed her arms as nodded her head. "The last time the kingdoms have seen any kind of war was around forty years ago. Our grandfather and Aria's grandmother never saw eye to eye when the previous king of Mara died of some illness. It was not until our father stepped into the throne when he was younger than Kota's age that peace grew between our kingdoms," said Alexis as Sonya watched her eyes focused on the wooden splinters across the floor. "Our father tried to reach out during a hard winter and Mara refused his help. Ever since then, the King of Mara's pride has kept his people under his whip, instead of into peace."

Sonya tapped on Alexis's elbow as she refocused on the path in front of them before the two turned towards the hallway that stretched forward in the darkness. Kota moved beside Alexis and said, "We can stop this war before it begins if we can get to the King and negotiate at least a temporary accord."

"You are naïve, brother," said Alexis as she kept her eyes straight ahead. "Why do you think we are assaulting the castle in the dead of night with the help of an army? If he does not surrender the throne and put a stop to this war, we will have to take his life. The good of the many begets the good of the few in this situation."

There laid a silence in the group as Sonya stopped as the pathway in front of her split in two ways before looking back at Kota who raised his hand to his face and moved it over his mouth before rubbing his chin. Sonya took a step forward and pointed down each direction. "Which way did Phe say lead us into the heart of the Castle?"

"She said it was to the right," said Lucinda as she walked forward next to Kota, placing her hand on his right shoulder.

Kota turned his head slightly to see her hand on his shoulder before looking at her brown eyes under the red of her hair that settled in a loose ponytail on her back. She smiled at him before walking past Sonya and grabbed a torch off the wall. Reaching the torch as it collided with the fire of Sonya's calling, Lucinda created a second source of light.

Lucinda walked a few steps forward and saw the shadow of the tunnel collapsed in front of her. "Damn, looks like this approach will not be an option. Even if we could move all these rocks, it will take too much time."

Sonya held her hand up, casting a bright light down the passage on the left as it appeared to bend to the right further down. She walked down the path a little before turning around. "This way appears to still be in decent shape. Looks like we are headed down this path instead."