The Apprentice's Journey

Leaving the Castle

The rest of the time that day was spent preparing although let it be known that I spent every minute trying to persuade him not to go. But now we stood at the gate of the castle and I realised I had failed. The wind rushed past the castle, obscuring my vision. I had gained time and that was all. it had been a couple of months since he had told me that we would have to leave and I had been able to postpone it for a while though not any longer.

A week ago the flux had spread to my face. According to Duncan, I had started going into trances where I would just fade out and become distant from the rest of the world but it was....just so pretty.

Duncan said something behind me but I couldn't hear him, I was staring into the everlasting beauty of the node. Was that shouting, who was shouting.

"I'll be fine Duncan, you can go now."

I feel something and quickly was pulled over.

"Now."

What had just happened? I couldn't remember. What was he saying?

"Now, what?"

"We're leaving now. You're getting worse Kim."

He pulls me out of the grounds of the castle before I can argue with him. We rush across the long stretch of grass ahead of us.

"Don't look back Kim." He says

So I don't. I just trust him. And we keep running for hours.

***
That night, we camp inside the Jaffa Factory. It isn't really used anymore or at least that what Duncan says. After he's gone to bed I take a bit of time to explore. It was amazing. The quartz spirals up high into the sky, looming over the building opposite, Sips Co. I really hate that place.

I walk inside. It is gloomy and dark inside. I strike up a torch so I can properly look around. In the middle of the room there is a throne like seat. Yet the area around it is a mess. Paper lay strewn across the floor, pieces of debris and broken weapons, plans of the area and plans of attack.

I walk over the the chair and stick my hand down the back. Sure enough there are some items stuffed down the into the space between the wall and the throne. The first item is a stick, a normal stick yet it is stained in blood. This is...strange.

"Why was it down there." I say to myself. I now look to the second thing I found behind the sofa. It is a picture of Duncan. He looked so young, so different. Yet he wasn't in the picture alone. There was two other people in the picture. I didn't know who they were. One was quite short. He had a long ginger beard that fell down his face. He was completely dressed in metal, apart from his bare chest. His helmet was made out of iron and the horns basked in the sunlight. The other wore a blue striped t-shirt and a red jacket that was covered in gold embellishments. His brown hair was perfect with not one hair out of place. Written in pen on the bottom of the picture was "First day of Jaffa Factory planning."

Yet the picture was not perfect. Like the stick, it was stained in blood and the side with Duncan on was ripped off slightly.

"What kind of life did you lead before I met you Duncan?" I mutter under my breath.

All of a sudden, I hear footsteps. I quickly rip off the end of the photograph and stuff it in my pocket. I run and hide round the corner.

"Kim, are you in here."

I come out from my hiding place behind the wall."Yeah Duncan I'm in here, I couldn't sleep."

"Alright that's okay, you haven't been in the main hall have you."

My heart sank into my chest but I put on a smile. "No, why, what's in there?"

"Nothing Kim, we should go to sleep now."

I felt this pain in my chest that I hadn't felt before. I thought he trusted me. What was he trying to hide?