A Princess Named Harry: Book 2

Chapter 62

Varian didn't think he'd be able to track them down so easily, but much to his surprise, it had only taken him ten minutes to read the map one of the knights had crafted and be able to accurately pinpoint their location. He didn't care if they took the chest; he only wanted one thing out of it anyway.

•••

"Here, take it," he said, tossing it down at them. "You can keep everything, but I want the key it has inside."

"We don't care about a key," Isaiah sneered as he quickly fished the key out and threw it at Varian. They didn't even blink when he caught it with such ease.

The five of them began to dig around in the chest. Excitement quickly led to disappointment.

"This is all useless," Isaiah moaned as he put the golden coins back and plopped down on his butt. "This currency will get us nowhere."

"But the gold and jewels will," replied Zarah as she took out a bunch.

"Yes, but for how long? That supply is pretty scarce."

"We can make do with it for a while."

"And we might even have jobs by then," Miko chimed in.

"You're looking for temporary stability?" Varian inquired.

The group turned to look at him as if he were a demon.

"So?"

Their words and tone came out sharp and cruel.

"What's it to you?"

Varian shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing, it means absolutely nothing to me, but what if instead of temporary-instead of constantly worrying about what you're going to do next, how about you all aim for something more permanent?"

"Permanent?" sneered Isaiah. "Listen, buddy, if we could have that, then we wouldn't be sitting here in this situation now." Isaiah suddenly paused. "Wait! Are you saying that you're going to help us out or something?" They all fell silent, having realized the meaning behind Varian's words.

"Perhaps," Varian coldly replied. "That decision is up to you five."

Nobody said anything. Varian twirled the small golden key around on his finger.

"The decision is yours, but before you tell me what it is, I have something I need to do first; I'll return to get your answer later."

The five sat in bewildered silence as they watched the mysterious boy walk away. He seemed more mysterious than they had tried to be. After a moment of gut-wrenching silence, Isaiah spoke up first. "It appears we have some thinking to do." For the first time, he had spoken in a tone other than sarcastic and cheeky.

•••

Varian entered the ruined palace once again. He slowly headed towards the locked room now that he finally had the means to unlock it. He wanted to wait and see what was inside at a later time, but after he had made the trip to see his pursuers, his burning curiosity had gotten the better of him.

As he walked to the room, he kept getting strong flashbacks of his memories. It was as if he was marching towards his death.

When he finally made it to the door and began to unlock it, it felt like every move he made from putting the key in the keyhole to turning it to unlock it, brought his heart closer to jumping out of his chest. It pained him, his heart, what he might find behind those doors, but he pressed on. With a satisfying click, the door opened. Despite everything his body was telling him, despite whatever he was feeling, he pressed on.

He began to walk inside, leaving the key behind in the door. He had no reason to take it out just yet. As he walked in, the room was dark, but luckily for him, he had brought another light.