Garthia: The Forgotten King

Chapter Six

~Chapter Six

Cameron is annoying the heck out of me.

We left the antique store about five minutes ago, and he just won't shut up. He keeps going on and on about how excited he is. He keeps telling us about what he imagined Garthia would be like and how awesome it would be to live there. We'll be there in about five more minutes, and I'm seriously about to punch him in the face.

"You know I've never used my powers before." Cameron continues, "I've never had to. I don't know any wizard besides my grandpa. And you guys of course. Even though I just met you. I think it would be cool. Just to meet someone that-"

Eve walks around to stand in front of him, placing her hands on her hips. "Cam-can I call you Cam?-do you mind shutting your mouth for just a few minutes? I'd really appreciate it"

He just shrugs, still wearing the same smile that he's kept since we left the store. "Sure. Whatever."

Eve seems surprised that he took it so well, but she just walks back to stand next to me, and we continue down the sidewalk. "That was easy." she whispers.

"Yeah." We both watch Cameron from behind. He's walking down the street with a skip in his step, greeting the passerbys. I've never seen someone this happy. Heck, I didn't think someone could be this happy. I express this to Eve, and she agrees.

"I know. It's weird, right?" I'm about to agree when Cam stops abruptly. He turns to us, still smiling. I didn't think happiness could annoy me this much.

"We're here!" On the left is a small alley way that looks just like Sawyer described it to us. I glance around to see if anyone is watching, but there's no one around. I can see why.

The street we're on is deserted. Fog shrouds the street and gives it an eerie look. The shops that line the streets are closed up tight with wooden planks covering the doors and windows. Rats scurry from their homes and rummage through the trash, looking for food. The funny thing is, I don't even remember reaching this part of town.

While I was looking around, Eve and Cameron started walking down the alley. I follow them, jogging to catch up.

They're searching for the entrance. Sawyer told us that the entrance is invisible to mortals. To us it's just a door, but Sawyer didn't really specify where it is.

"Found it!" Eve says, and Cam and I rush over to her. She's standing next to the massive dumpster that reeks of rotten food and stinky shoes.

In front of us is a regular wooden door with dim yellow light coming out from under it. "Well what are we waiting for?" I question. Then I lead the way through the door.

The inside of the bar is lit by lanterns hanging from the ceiling. To my right is the bar, and to my left there are tables set up. At the back of the room is a door and a set of stairs. The bar is packed with people and is practically buzzing with magic energy. Some wizards are showing off their abilities and others are laughing and drinking.

"Alright." Eve says, "We're supposed to look for someone we know. So let's start looking."

We begin the search. Eve takes the tables on the left, I take the ones on the right, and Cam takes the bar. I scan everyone's faces and listen for recognizable voices, but I've got nothing.

After about seven minutes of searching, we all take seats at the bar and discuss what to do.

"Maybe they left." Cam suggests.

"Or they were never here at all and the old man lied to us." Eve adds glumly.

"Hey! He would never lie to us!" Cam looks around the room anxiously. "The-they have to be here!"

"Maybe she's right, Cam." I admit, "They probably-"

"Hayden?" says a familiar voice coming from my left. I turn to see Aiden, hair messy, a half-drunk bottle of beer in his hand, and a crooked grin on his face. "What's up?" he slurs. He's obviously drunk more than one bottle. His falsified accent is gone and I can smell the beer on his breath. "So I see that the Awakening worked. Your aura's even stronger than I could've imagined." He takes a swig from his bottle.

"So it was you. Did you give them to all the kids or was it just me?"

He laughs banging his hand on the table. I didn't think it was that funny. I guess that's drunks for you. "Nope. Just you. You're that special." He takes another swig. "So. I'm guessing you're going into 'you know where'?"

"You mean Garthia?" The bar goes quiet. Everyone turns and glares at me. Aiden leans closer.

"Listen, kid," he whispers in my ear. "I know you're new, but no one says that name. Especially not here."

"So I guess that means that we're in the wrong place." I whisper back.

"Wrong." He leans back. "Because I'm the gatekeeper!" he says a little too loudly. Everyone is glaring at him now. He apologizes, then he turns back to me. He gestures at me to follow him, then walks over to the door at the back of the room. Eve, Cam, and I walk over and stand behind him.

He turns around to us and grins as he opens the door. He steps into the room and we follow after him. The room is dark except for a tiny light in the center of the back wall.

"Welcome to the gate." Aiden announces.

"I don't see a gate." Cam observes, looking around the small room.

"It's right there." He points to the glowing circle. "Watch." He walks over to the light and reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a golden key and places it inside the orb and turns it.

The light branches out in the wall forming the outline of a door. The door is open, but it just seems to lead into darkness. Aiden steps back so that we can go through it. Cam goes first and then Eve. I almost make it through after them, but Aiden grabs my arm, keeping me in place.

"Tell His Majesty that I said hello." he says before releasing me. After a moment's hesitation, I venture forward into the darkness.