The Fallen Throne

Chapter 24.1 ✦ Brink Of Tomorrow

KAI

"We have to leave immediately," Lloyd says. "It's so much more than a simple rebellion – it wasn't one to begin with. General Trajan, Trevor... I am not even sure of how many more. But one thing's certain, and that it's a trap." He seeks out the grand gates among the haze of blur not too far away from where they are, and points it out. "There. That's our escape. Perhaps we can get out of here safe and sound without anyone realising we're not among the crowd. We can still make it. Once we're out, it's nothing but the wild beyond. Even if they do send reinforcements – I have a feeling Trevor is about to reunite with Trajan soon enough – they will be unable to catch up."

"But what about Alaina?" Rose asks, worried about her friend.

"I'll go look for her, then," Lloyd says. "You can go on ahead first –"

"No!" she protests. "If you're going to do it, we all are."

Her eyes start to water, and Kai can see that Lloyd is struggling internally to find some way to comfort her. But he sees that Lloyd himself, too, is conflicted and much too uncertain now to reach out to someone else. How can one who is unable to bear the weight of the world himself shoulder someone else's? Kai understands this, he understands Lloyd completely. He's shaking, he's confused; he only wants to be at his best, to quickly devise a plan for them all to be safe despite his world breaking down. Lloyd is struggling to stay strong. They all are.

Rose starts to sob. Kai pulls Lloyd's hand and puts it on her shoulder as an act of reassuring them both.

"What Alaina said, remember?" Rose's voice cracks. The words that come out of her mouth are muffled with her own sobs. "What she said before..."

"If we fall, we fall together," Kai offers. "That's what she said."

"Yes," Lancaster agrees, speaking for the first time. "You cannot, and should not do this alone, Lloyd."

Kai notices Lancaster's eyes are distant, seeming to search for something. He gets his answer before he can even voice out his question.

"I need to look for Clyde, too, other than her highness. If what Trevor said is true, then Trajan is an enemy. And Clyde went looking for him. He might be in danger."

"What shall we do?" Lloyd asks, which surprises Kai, because he is usually the one with the most ideas and strategies. "If you know where he is, Lancaster, you should go. I think I should stand by here, to keep our escape route safe and clear for us to leave. If you find Clyde, I think you might find her highness as well. She should be nearby, she can't have gotten far."

"No," Kai intercepts. His eyes fixes on the centre of the kingdom, where the podium is. Where the red banner with the flying Pegasus should be, before it disintegrated into ashes after falling and burning down. He points over. "Is that where the giant red banner once was?"

"Yes," Lancaster says. "But why –"

"That's where she is. Alaina."

"Are you certain?" Lloyd asks, still comforting Rose, but he seems to be much more confident now.

"She told me about something like that in her dreams," Kai replies, certain. "I am sure. I'll go."

"And I shall go with you to look for Clyde," Lancaster adds without complains, questions or a hint of doubt.

Kai realises he seems to trust him more and more recently, although gradually, especially when it's concerning Alaina. But it's the same for him, too, he realises. When he's around this strange but fun group of friends he's made and come to trust eventually after going through thick and thin, he's much more relaxed. He's more of himself lately, able to let his guard down. Kai has never felt so in years.