The Path of Time ★ [3] ✔ (EDITING)

Betrayal

⏳ --

Pebbles and sand crunched under my boots as we advanced through the corridor ahead of us. I hoped that the guy we were looking for was inside. Ironically, we were running out of time. We needed to find him and bring him back to Primavera if we were going to win this war.

Andi led the way, warily taking steps forth into the dark corridor. I followed close behind, wanting desperately to slip my hand into hers but knowing it wasn't the right time.

The room the corridor led into was incredibly dark. I couldn't see anything. My eyes were struggling to adjust to the petrifying darkness I'd stepped into. With my eyes struggling, my hearing was heightened. I heard every sand particle crunch underfoot. I heard the sound of my hands scrapping along the walls. I heard a distant and faint roar coming from behind us.

And then I heard a disturbance in front of us. It screamed danger. My hand snapped onto Andi's wrist in an attempt of protection. She didn't fight me off.

"My stance remains unchanged," a gravelly voice called from the darkness.

A golden ball of light rose above us, created by Andi, lighting up the hall. Chained to a statue in the centre of the room was an elderly man in tattered clothing and a silver scraggly beard.

"Gilliam!" Andi rushed to his side. "Are you okay?"

A weak smile spread across the old man's face. "Andromeda."

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here."

Astra, with glowing hands, yanked the chains from the statue, completely disintegrating it as she pulled the shackles off the old man's wrists. The women helped him to his feet, and I realised how malnourished he was. He was as thin as a stick with his ribs almost exposed under his tattered clothes. How long had he been locked away down here?

"We must leave," Gilliam rasped. He tugged at Andi's sleeve desperately. "We must leave now."

His eyes flashed with distress, weak hands trying to lead Andi away from this place. What was he afraid of? If he was as mighty and important as everyone claimed he was, I wasn't seeing it; he wouldn't look as frightened as he did now.