THE HIDDEN KEY

A Door to the Past

Gilford slowly gazed around the large lavishing chamber. A group of soldiers dressed in slate-grey sleeves surcoats were huddled together around a large square table in front of a large, hooded fireplace playing a game of cards; chatting about something their leader had uncovered inside the ruins of an ancient temple beneath the hills of the Dalewhite. What could they have discovered inside the ruins?

His eyes fell upon the deck of cards as he went across the room towards the table where the men were sitting and stopped beside one of the soldiers. He glanced over his shoulder at the cards in his hand.

Braiden walked up beside him. "They can't hear or see us."

"Why did you take me back in time?" Gilford turned to him.

"To show you what happened to them." Braiden stared at him, eyeing up the dagger again. "It also has something to do with that dagger you carry with you."

Gilford turned away and stared at the soldiers. "What about the dagger?"

"You'll see what I mean," Braiden turned and took off towards the door.

Gilford turned and followed him outside and slowly gazed around the courtyard. His eyes fell upon the towering curtain walls with a postern gate in the middle and as he followed Braiden through it, he froze, gazing upon the other grassy hilltops before he began his descent down the narrow shaley pathway into a wide open courtyard below that enclosed by an imposing curtain wall that followed the natural shape of the hilltops with a massive flanking tower in each corner, and at the end of the courtyard was a large rectangular tower.

"How big was the fort?" Gilford turned to Braiden.

"Fort Braidwild was one of the largest forts in the kingdom." Braiden turned to him. "It was used as an outpost.

Gilford crossed his arms while he glanced around the courtyard. A group of soldiers wearing charcoal-black surcoats went by hauling a large black metal chest as they headed for the tower at the end of the courtyard. Did they find that in the ruins?

"Follow me." Braiden walked off.

Gilford stared at Braiden while he followed him across the courtyard towards the tower. His eyes fell upon a shallow ditch as he went across a small wooden bridge. Why is there a ditch in front of the tower?

He stopped halfway and gazed up at the enormous tower. Its sturdy stone walls were lined with three lancet windows with a wide sculptured doorway in the middle. The triangular battlements that crowned the top of the tower were pierced with several narrow slits and rising above the battlement was a square corbelled turret. Could they have built the tower before the rest of the fort?

Braiden glanced back at him. "Hurry up."

"Which tower was built first?" Gilford stared at Braiden as he went across the bridge.

"This tower was built first and was protected by a ditch and palisade wall until the rest of the fort was completed." Braiden turned away and went towards a set of large heavy wooden doors and pushed them open.

Gilford rushed up beside Braiden and followed him inside the tower as the soldier placed the chest on the floor and started to open it. His heart pounded as he peeked inside the chest...there lying inside the chest was a crude sword inside a decorative black scabbard. It can't be...

He turned towards Braiden. "What did you mean when you said it had something to do with the dagger?"

"Look." Braiden pointed at the sword as one of the soldiers unsheathed.