𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒

Madre

The doors finally came visible. They were tall and grey with intricate patterns metal. But there was no door handle at all. Regan frowned, knowing she had to find another way.

She looked around again, her pace almost a run. On the other side of the fortress, she saw a group of other lion-men guardians. Her breath hitched and she knew she wasn't going to fight with them now.

She turned back and noticed a cracky wall of the fortress. The bricks were worn out and crumbling. Perhaps that was the weak spot. Regan dashed the sword on the crack and then used it as a lever, slowly widening the opening. It was not easy work, and she had to put all her strength into it. After a few minutes, a gap big enough for her to squeeze through was formed.

"Thank God," Regan murmured to herself as she squeezed through the crack in the wall. Inside, the fortress was dark and eerily quiet. The air smelled of gunpowder and mold. There were a few dimly bulbs on the ceiling. She expected torches, but whatever.

She crept through the hallways, sword ready for attacking someone who was going to stand in the way. The hallways were blank and empty, with no doors or windows. They seemed to stretch on forever. Then, as she rounded a corner, she almost bumped to a guardian. Without another second, she hit him with a burst of flames, making him fall to the ground. The fortress seemed to come to life as more growls echoed through the corridors. She knew there were more of them.

She turned to run on the empty hallway, hearing their footsteps. She saw some of them coming from a side of another hallway and hit them with fire, trapping their way in without allowing them to pass. The walls seemed to narrow as she kept going. Finally, a pair of stairs appeared and they led the way up. Without wasting time, Regan lunged at the stairs, hoping her mother was up there.

As she climbed up the stairs, she felt a strange sensation. She felt a tug at her chest, the same feeling she had felt when feeling Sirius's presence. Shivers ran down her spine, fearing he might be there. "No-no, that's not," she murmured to herself. After all, he couldn't just have stalked her without showing himself once. And she didn't think he'd even let some beasts stand in her way. She didn't think he cared about her, but...

The stairs ended in a hallway. It was similar to the one before. The only difference, there was a tall, metallic entrance in the end. The entrance was blank. No handles or anything. Just a separating line in the middle. The feeling grew heavier on her chest. She tried to shake it off, focusing on the door. She had to find a way in.

She walked to the door, carefully examining it. Placing her hand on the cold surface of the metal, she wasn't sure about trying to burn it.

First, she started banging on the door, loudly. Nothing happened. Summoning her strength, she brought the ancient sword and slammed it on the door sides, again and again. The door started to shake, and then creak. Finally, it slid open with a loud clang.

The room was cold, a prison. It was dimly lit, with a small arched window above the bad quality bed. The bed was just a mess of straw, and there was a small table beside it. A candle flickered on top of it, giving off a feeble light. The walls were made of rough stone, the air oppressive. The floor was dirty and dusty, made of cold stone.

But before noticing all that, Regan first saw the woman sitting on that bed, her long red hair hanging over her shoulders. Her wrinkled blue eyes were wide with fear, and she looked pale. She was so similar to Regan, except for the robes she was wearing. They were dirty and torn but they once had been regal, her floral dress in colors of red and green.

"Mom?" Regan blurted out, tears beginning to wet her cheeks. She could see she was her mother. And she was alive. Scared and hurt, but alive. "It's me, Mom. I'm here to rescue you." She took a step forward, her hands trembling on the sword.