The Fall Of Imbria (The Fendara Series. Book One)

Chapter Twenty-One: Simon

To be lonely, sad, and broken is a sorrow I know all too well. But it is different to be sad when you're the only thing left in life to lean on. I never knew that I could feel worse than what I felt so long ago, a pain that drifts to me in my memories and when I am deep into sleep, drowning me in my own nightmares, suffocating me in my darkest fears.

Today, I realized I was wrong before. Today I realized that the fear of losing her squanders even the happiest and hopeful of thoughts from my mind. Today I realized the moment I knew I may possibly never hold her in my arms again, that in this moment true horror strikes my frozen corpse of a soul.

"We must go now. I wrote to my contact in Imbria, who told me Victorias best attempt to escape will be tonight." Reed tells me as our group approaches his.

He eyeballs Max when he notices him. "Who's this?" He asks.

I pat Max's back and he trips a step forward. "Introduce yourself." I tell him.

My little brother just glares back at me, before turning to face Reed. "Maximus Grimlock. You can call me Max." He holds out his hand, but the grumpy man just ignores it as he scowls at me.

"We dont have time for this. We need to be at the catacombs in an hour when the sun sets behind the mountains." Reed declares.

"Catacombs?" Cassius questions. "Wait, Grimlock?" He stares at me, as the realization strikes him, and my eyes wander to anywhere else but him.

"Yes. My contacts will help your sister to the entrance, once we get through the tunnels they will be on the other side."

"Then lets go." Max says like hes been here this whole journey.

We all just stare at him for a moment. "You don't even know who we are going to save." I tell him.

He just shrugs. "Must be someone worth saving if you're willing to risk your life for her."

Reed exhales a grunt in frustration. "Lets go ladies. You can gossip on the way." He yells back at us as he starts our trek forward through the woods that will lead us to the underground catacombs.

                                  *

A short walk later, we all arrive at a small dwindling wooden shack, randomly placed in the small patch of forest between Kimona and Imbria.

"A Shack?" I ask, scrunching my brows.

Reed ignores my question and walks to the broken door, already falling off its hinges, and lifts it up. After pulling it open, he steps inside.

We all follow him in, stepping over broken furniture and old farming equipment. The grumpy Therian lifts up a dusty rug as we all gather around the center of the room, pools of dirt coat the air, making everyone cough and wave their hands at the particles trying to squeeze their way into our nostrils and lungs.

Blue eyes of a familiar blonde peek through the dust clouds.

She nods her head as a way of greeting.

I nod mine in return, all while noting myself a fool for not realizing she came with the Therians as directed previously.

Reed grabs an old metal shovel and digs it into a weak piece of floorboard, but when he prys it up, five boards adjacent to it, move all at the same time, leaving a square dirt hold beneath it.

Torben quirks his head at the sight. Fear lingering in his eyes as he hesitantly asks. "We're going down there?'

Reed begins to grow agitated. "Cassius. I'm trying to be of assistance to you, but your group of misfits is making it hard for me to tolerate them."