Garthia: The Forgotten King

Chapter Sixteen

~Chapter Sixteen

On the way to another entrance, not the one we came through yesterday, Fera explains why we're going to the mortal world.

"When I first heard of this kid," she jabs her thumb backwards at Cam. "I knew his name sounded familiar. And with all this talk about the Forgotten King, or whatever, who better to ask than an old geyser who lived through all of it?" Cam is about to protest, probably defending Sawyer, but I silence him. "So I did a background check on gramps, and I found out that he has a pretty sketchy past that involves him betraying the king. So I had a thought. What is him betraying King Salem is somehow connected to this Rotten King or whatever they're calling it. It's just a hunch, but we have to go with what we have."

I see where she's going with this, but I'm still not so sure. We don't even know what the Forgotten King is. For all we know it might not even be a king at all. But she's also right about another thing. We have to go with what we have.

We're on a busy street with bustling shops. Basically just a normal street in this city. But Fera walks into the abandoned, dilapidated one that no one is going in. Dust flies everywhere when she shoulders open the door. It kind of reminds me of the place where we're going: Arlington Antiques.

But this place isn't filled with old treasures. It's just an empty room, the only light source being a sky light set into the ceiling.

Fera walks up to the spot where the light shines directly onto the floor. She then rips up the floorboards. They come away in a neat square, revealing what looks like a slide underneath.

"This isn't going to hurt like the last one. Is it?" Cam inquires nervously.

"Oh no," Fera says. "This one's much more fun." She drops down onto the slide and slides down it, screaming "Weee!" as she goes.

Eve follows bravely after, as if she's done this a thousand times. I go next reluctantly. The ride down is dark, and sometimes I feel like I'm floating just like last time. Maybe that's what happens when you travel between Garthia and the mortal world. You float in darkness, not entirely sure which way you're going.

I finally end up dropping onto another mattress, but this one is much softer than the last one. I feel a little dizzy when I sit up, but I have no time to sit around. Before I can blink a void, almost like a portal, opens up above me, and Cam falls out, crashing right into me.

My back slams against the mattress, knocking the breath out of me. (I guess the softness of the mattress isn't doesn't help much.)

I moan and try to sit up again, but something is pinning me down. No, not something. Someone. Cam, to be exact. He pulls back just enough so that I can wiggle out from underneath him, but something stops me. I don't know what it is. Is it his stark black hair that curls barely at the tips? Is it the tiny, white scar on his jaw that, for some reason, I find extremely attractive? Or is it his odd purple eyes that would make anyone do a double take? Whatever it is, it makes me involuntarily stop and stare. I've never realized it before, but his looks could make any girl swoon. Even a girl like me...

"Yoo hoo?" Fera calls, "In case you two love birds have forgotten, we have a job to do. So if you don't mind..."

"Oh right." Cam says, jumping of his feet and offering me a hand.

I didn't realize what that probably looked like: us both lost in each other's eyes. Not to mention him pining me to the ground. I guess anyone would get the wrong idea. Obviously it wasn't anything like that. Was it?

We walk out of that room and into a kitchen that reeks of Chinese food. An Asian man is yelling at the chefs and barking orders.

"Hello, Mr. Wu!" Fera greets. He waves at us as we walk out.

"Wait. You know him?" I ask.

"Of course I do. He makes the best Chinese food in this state." The kitchen leads out into the main seating area that's packed with customers. Some wave at Fera as we walk past. "Before you ask, Hannah-"

"It's Hayden."

"Who cares. Anyway, we're currently in Wu's Chinese restaurant in downtown Charleston. Don't ask why there's Chinese restaurant in Charleston. There just is. It's a mingling place for mortals and wizards alike, and, as you know, it also serves as a gateway to Garthia. And about how the people here know me, I come through here a lot. They make an excellent egg roll." She pushes open the door then turns back towards us. "Air Head, I assuming you know how to get there?"

"Please don't call me that, and yes, I do know how to get there. I have lived there most of my life."

>>>

Can leads the way from then on. He actually got us lost once. We had to retrace our steps almost all the way back to the Chinese restaurant. But finally, we got to Arlington Antiques.

"See. I told you I knew the way." Can says proudly. Fera pushes past him and into the store. She doesn't make it that far though. In fact, she stops dead in the doorway.

"Oh my gosh." she whispers, standing stiffly.

"What is it?" Cam asks. He tries to walk in, but he puts her arm up to block his path. "On second thought, I think my hunch was wrong."

"Oh really. And how do you know?" This is the first time I've seen Fera nervous.

"Well, uh, I just, um, got another hunch, yeah that's it. And that hunch told me that my first hunch was wrong. And you know what they say: the second hunch is always right." She attempts a smile, but it doesn't fit right. It looks more like a crack in a rock: it changes the look of the whole surface.

"No one says that." Cam shoots back.

"Yeah they do. In, uh, Ireland?" It sounded more like a question than a statement.

Cam ducks under her arm. She tries to grab him and pull him back out, but it's already too late.

He screams in pure agony and drops to his knees. I push past Fera and nearly throw up when I see the scene in front of me.

Lying on the floor, blood pooling around him, is Sawyer Arlington's dead body.