The Fallen Throne

Chapter 15 ✦ When Night Falls

"Never seen you people around before," comments the man who was behind the door when he asked for the password, eyeing them all in slight suspicion. Despite the already open door, he stands in the opening, as if refusing to let them in.

The suit of armour he wears makes him look bigger than his actual size; his figure towers them all. It is rather obvious he is in a conflict of whether or not to let them in. They do know the accurate password, yet they are indeed faces he's never seen before.

It hasn't even been more than a minute, but Kai can't stand it anymore, his patience running thinner than it already is. He shifts to the front of the group. Waiting has never been his thing.

"All right, enough of these puzzle games," he says irritably, "let us in; we got the password right." He tries to push past the man, poking his head inside, but the man forces him out.

The man hardly uses any force, but Kai stumbles out of balance – either because he really weighs little as compared to the man or that he is taken suddenly by surprise. Either way, he seems even angrier than before: he shuffles few feet away from the man, almost yelling, "don't touch me!" before turning away furiously.

Not wanting the situation to be more tense than it already is, Lancaster quickly steps forward, taking Kai's previous place. "Sorry – kid with a temper," he explains, stretching out a hand. The man looks reluctant, but eventually shakes it anyway, thinking Lancaster appears to be a much more mature man.

At Lancaster's words, Kai glues his eyes to his feet in embarrassment. He'd turned to snap at Lancaster, but was stopped by Alaina; he now fights the urge to yell at Alaina and Rose who, behind him, let out occasional snickers. Although he feels his blood boiling at a drastic rate, with heat rising up from his body all the way to his ears and his cheeks, he tries his best to contain it. But it's not only because he knows they are in a desperate situation of gaining the man's trust in order to enter whatever lies beyond the door, but also because he doesn't want them to label him as a hot-head more frequently than they already have.

"What are you doing here?" The man remains stern, "how did you come to know about this place?"

"Caelus' Rebellion," Lloyd replies when he finds Lancaster hesitant, casting a glance over at him; Lancaster isn't too sure if he should mention Clyde. Clyde is the one who has been hinting him about this place and the password all along even without Lancaster questioning him about the rebellion, yet Lancaster is still unsure of the reason behind it – why did Clyde think of letting them know in the first place, and how did he even figure their very intentions in Caelus, for that matter?

And whether Clyde himself is involved in this rebellion, is yet another mystery. If he isn't, Lancaster fears giving his name away, for his position in the royal palace might be threatened if word gets out.

The man doesn't seem very satisfied with their answer, and is hoping for more. He raises an eyebrow, crossing his arm.

"We are from the Kingdom of Theia. Heard about the rising rebellion in Caelus, and here we are," Lancaster finally says.

"That sounds even less plausible now. How did you people all the way from Theia find out about our secret base?"

"I'm from Caelus," Kai says, emerging from his corner. "Does that mean I can go in now?"

"Will you start being a little more serious?" Alaina shoots him a glare.

"I am serious," he replies, his stern glare not directed towards Alaina but the man standing by the door. "We got the password right; the password is not easily cracked – please, it's an entire sentence. So, what's keeping us from getting in?" He points to the man, his eyes narrowing into a death glare. "You're in the way."

"I can't allow people who are a possible threat to my dear people through this door," the man says as he pulls out a sword. "Leave, or I will be forced to remove you."

"Remove me?" Kai nearly laughs, but his expression returns to his serious one in just a second. "Just try." He mocks the man by crossing his arms too.

Alaina senses danger, and so do the others. In the instant the man hesitates, Rose manages to grow several vines between the man and Kai, stopping their contact. Yet the surprising thing Alaina finds is how slow time passes during that instant where all the events suddenly happen at the same time; she even has time to pull Kai back by his shirt just as Rose's vines grow and watch Lloyd shouting Lancaster's name for him to do something.

But the moment is over as quickly as the blink of an eye; the next thing Alaina realises, the man is blocked from view by the giant green vines and Kai is right beside her, Lancaster gripping the hilt of his sword and standing together with Lloyd in front of them.

"Look at what you've done – you've angered our chance of getting in!" Lloyd exclaims.

Kai clenches his fists. "That guy needs some beating to get some sense into him. Lancaster, use your sword."

Lancaster turns around to glare at Kai. "I shall use this sword on you if you do not stop talking."

"Lancaster?" says a voice. The man slices the vines apart and emerges back before them. "You're Lancaster?"

"Do I know you?" Lancaster asks, frowning.

"Clyde told me about you." The stern expression the man was wearing shifts slowly into a grin as he tucks his sword away. "I truly apologise for this misunderstanding; we've been expecting you."

Finally, he steps aside for them to enter. Kai and Rose are the first to enter immediately, Alaina and Lloyd follow, not wanting to stir up any more trouble. But Lancaster stays back, confused. "Is Clyde a part of this?"

"Yes, he certainly is. He's told me about you – we meet at last." The man shakes Lancaster's hand again, this time with full confidence and pure warmth. "I am Trajan. Used to be a General for the kingdom."

"I have heard stories about you, too," Lancaster replies as he enters, finding the underground room larger and much more spacious than he's imagined it to be.

The room is a centralised one, with narrow, crooked corridors or deserted hallways leading further within, all over the place. Several people are present, walking in and out of the largest room they have just stepped into. The entire place is huge and rather fascinating, yet old and looking collapsible – it used to be a military base after all. But since the Great War long ago was put to an end, it was buried underground and never used again, for it may spark unnecessary conflict.

"This is our secret base."

"Impressive."

Trajan shrugs, his armour clanking. "It'll do for now."

"So, you say Clyde is a part of this? I have so many questions. How many people are involved, and what kind of people are they? Who started this; who is leading it? Why, or how –"

Trajan stops Lancaster with a steady palm. "You'll have your answers tomorrow. Right now..." His eyes drift to Alaina and the others, who all look weary and worn out. "You and the others should get some rest."