Keep Walking...

Chapter 1

"Down there?"

Cardia points a long pale finger at the stairs. They appear to be leading to nothing but darkness.

"I said you don't have to come with me, it's going to be a dangerous tread."

I mutter into the cold air, coal dust discoloring my olive colored skin. The light of the lamp allows me enough area to see the scattered freckles of my companions face. Her hair the color of oak, shining beneath her crown of leaves. She must have walked through the garden to get here.

I stare down at the stone entrance. I walked a long way to come to this palace. The palace was built under the ground, it's hardly abandoned. Many come here to make sacrifices or to preform acts of initiation.

The only reason I'm not lost is because the stone pathway guided me. I came through mine shafts with hidden treasures nobody dares to seek and the home of shadows, many people see it as a forest, but anyone who has reached out knows better.

"I'm not afraid of a little smoke Aaron." Cardia stares disapprovingly at my round amber eyes, I give her a toothy grin.

"It's not the smoke I'm worried about." I tilt my head, "I hope you don't mind the blood."

"Blood?" She stares at me, her empty blue eyes telling me nothing, "You do know who your talking with, don't you?" She returns my crooked smile.

I roll my eyes. Without hesitation, I rise to my feet, and gesture for Cardia to follow. Obeying the silent command, she walks behind, in the darkness.

I glance down the long winding corridor, laughing and the sound of music can be heard in the distance. Following the sound, we come to what may have been a throne room. On the chair sits a tall boy. He has broad shoulders, and looks fairly strong. Jet black hair curls around his angular face. Bright emerald eyes search a crowd of teens, looking at them with a playful smile. In one hand he has a goblet of glass, brimming with a bright purple fluid. Scanning the room, I see that the teens have built the fire strong enough that it licks the roof, making it black. Smoke vents through thin holes cut in the stone. It could be seen outside, like the finger of dread reaching up to find stars in the lonely sky.

"Looks like we came in time, they haven't started anything dangerous yet." Placing a hand on my hip, I stare through long strands of silver hair. I came here looking like I was going to rave. My black pants are stained with neon paint, and my hips are wrapped with chains. My shirt is purple, but almost appears black with filth. My hair is fairly long. It just passes my jaw, and my bangs are parted out of my face, showing my thin facial structure.

Cardia steps into the light, giving me a visual of her coppery brown eyes, her small, thin body, and her clothing hanging on her loose figure. A simple shirt with the saying "Life is a party" rests past her hips and her black legging that cover down to her ankles. She joins the crowd and finds eyes staring her way.

The young man rises from his seat upon seeing my lovely friend. He looks at her in a way that most men do.

When the teen finally snaps back to reality, he speaks in a voice that is proud and strong.

"My friends, glad to see you all here. You all know well why you were chosen to come here. Some of you have come from a long way, and I thank you for coming." He gazes in my direction, I am standing away from the crowds, leaning in the doorway. "You are the few that were selected to run the initiation. Only a few of you will make it into the actual team, but this is the way we members root out who will be best for the team. So without further ado, lets get started."