Alcingeria

Chapter Fifty Seven: The Coming War

Chapter Fifty Seven The Coming War:

Thursday July 8th 1690

I had a nightmare. I saw an army, the biggest I've ever seen. Everyone in it was dressed in Vulrock's red and black military uniform. The army was attacking a city, already through the gates. Each soldier was armed with a machine gun. There were numerous witches and warlocks alike among the ranks. I was forced to watch, unable to move or even shut my eyes as innocent civilians were mercilessly gunned down in the street, houses were set on fire, and explosions rang out periodically. In mere hours the majority of the city was engulfed in flames, corpses were strewn all over, blood painted the cobblestones a bright crimson. The sound of machine gunfire was constant, and screams of agony filled the air. Men dressed in the green and silver Delron military uniform struggled to defend the streets, losing ground significantly without gain. Armed with muskets and other conventional weapons, they stood no chance against the superiority of the machine guns. At the head of Queen Yuka's army was Alice, using her dark magic relentlessly, killing men and women at every turn. Burning buildings began crumbling, some even crushed people beneath.

I snapped awake and gasped, sitting bolt upright. My mind was reeling from the horrific images I had just seen.

"Just a dream..." I muttered to myself as I sat up.

I looked out my window to see that it was still dark out. An orange streak was visible on the horizon, signaling daybreak. I looked around my dark room to see Lawrence wasn't there yet. Not that I expected him to be. I didn't want to go back to sleep, the nightmare was still fresh in my mind. I didn't want to relive it ever again. Not in my mind, and certainly not in reality. I quietly got up and walked over to my door, creaking it open slowly and peeking outside. No one was there. I decided to walk around a little. Maybe some fresh air in the garden would clear my head? The nightmare was obviously brought on by fear, stress or worry. Maybe all of the above.

I silently walked out of my room so as not to disturb anyone else and shut the door quietly behind me. The hallway was dark, The candles that normally lined the walls had burned out, and small plumes of smoke wafted up from them. I walked down the hall, descended the staircase and walked out the main entryway. I saw the guards at the front gates ahead of me, but they had their backs to me. I didn't want to attract attention, so I just tip-toed past them. I figured it would be best that I didn't arouse any suspicion, for even the smallest thing could blow the plan. Seeing someone walking around at this hour wasn't exactly unusual, but still. Luckily they weren't concentrated on someone coming from inside the castle.

I walked through the garden, now past the guards. The smell of roses hung heavily on the air, they was almost suffocating me in their sweet aroma. I walked through the garden, taking in the tender, strong scent of roses. The early morning air was chilly, but not cold. I was perfectly comfortable in my clothes. I walked about halfway around the garden, and I guessed that I was on the direct opposite side of the garden that the front gate was. I walked a little more, my footsteps not making any noise across the well-kept grass. After a few more steps, I heard something. I stopped short, because I saw something that caught me totally off guard.

Lying amid the rose bushes were Don and Tabatha. Tabatha's hands were at Don's back, pulling him close. Don's hands were at her waist, their lips were entwined. I stood in shock as I began to back away slowly. I didn't need the walk anyway, I'd just go back to bed and-

And that's when I stepped on a twig I'd missed earlier. Don and Tabatha both snapped towards me, looking completely embarrassed. In the dark I could see them both blushing lightly.

"Redmond!" Tabatha quietly exclaimed.

"What are you doing out at this hour?" Don hissed, clearly more embarrassed than annoyed.