Call of the North

Ch.7

"Hurry Cregan, walk faster!" Maliya whispered while peeking around a corner trying not to be seen.

"I don't want to be caught making too much noise." He rebutted.

"Well if you continue to walk at this pace we'll be caught anyways, now pick up the pace!"

Shadow and Nova followed swiftly behind their owners as they tried to sneak out of the castle. It was large and the hallways were filled with darkness.

Guards were patrolling the halls at this time and it was becoming more impossible for the two to sneak away. However, Maliya was on guard and used her skills to sneak around anyone that came near.

Fortunately Maliya remembered a secret door which led to the armory that they could escape from.

She and Aemond once used this exit to sneak into the woods together when they were younger. They were often caught by guards and ended up in a great amount of trouble with the king and queen but it was worth it for the few times they managed to escape.

As Maliya walked the halls with Cregan she was transported to her younger years. She felt like a child again, happy and excited to make mistakes with her best friend. However now Aemond was no longer by her side leading the way.

"Just a few more steps we're almost there. We just have to find the painting of a red dragon with a crown on its head."

"Maliya it's so dark I can barely see you and you're only a few centimeters forward." He said, trying to understand what she meant.

"Just trust me. When you see it you'll understand why we needed to find it."

Maliya was close and she could sense it. Everything felt too familiar. The crack in the floor causing her to trip and the shortened hallway with a small railing on the wall were all things she had memorized.

As they continued to walk forward she saw it. The bright gold encrusted crown glistened in the moonlight that lit up a small portion of the hallway. It was sitting atop a red fire breathing dragon to represent the ruler of the seven kingdoms.

They could clearly see the floor in front of them now and they no longer tripped each other up as they walked,

"I can't believe you never showed me this before Maliya. Once we get out of here we will be having words."

"It was a secret." Maliya whispered and put her finger atop her lips while shushing him.

"Just a few more steps." She whispered to herself as she continued to walk down the familiar corridor.

Suddenly they heard a pair of footsteps that continued to get closer. They looked at each other with a face of panic and stood still for a moment.

The footsteps didn't stop so Maliya took action and grabbed Cregan's arm pulling him down the hallway.

They ran as fast as they could and their wolves tried to keep up while not knowing where they were going.

"It's through here!" Maliya whispered while pointing to a small opening in the wall they had to squeeze through.

At this point they were hidden and stood still waiting to see who was passing through the halls at this hour.

The footsteps grew closer and closer until finally they saw an outline of someone from the opening in the wall.

They were tall and slender but wore a hood so as to not be recognized by anyone in the castle. The person looked around suspiciously before continuing down the hallway.

Cregan and Maliya kept their mouths shut until they heard the person walk down the descending steps at the end of the hallway.

"We could have been caught! Who was that?" Cregan whispered.