The Fifth Academy - Fantasy Direction / #Wattys2018

Chapter eleven. The hacking

By Jason, flashback

The dark narrow passage ended with two high golden gates engraved with lots of letters and hieroglyphics, which I was utterly sure even our Amadeus Dragonwood himself couldn't read. Two stony golems were standing still on each side, mighty magic creatures that usually served as guards for the sorcerers. Fortunately, they were sleeping tight like the white bat that I had foolishly disturbed earlier. I was smart enough and decided not to poke my finger into ferocious stony creatures. Let them sleep until their masters awake them. Hopefully, he was far away at the moment.

The heavy doors were opened ajar inviting us to enter, a mystic greenish light was pouring out from inside, it was quite bright and made us to screw up our eyes. However, even I wasn't foolish enough to enter the room. We simultaneously rubbed our glowing swords with the red cloaks and they went out. We hide ourselves behind one door and carefully stuck out the blades of our swords. The shinning metal mirrored to us the room's environment.

"Look at all that trash!" I whispered, examining all of the old and dusty items, which lay everywhere on shelves and bookcases, in piles and heaps, beautiful dresses and colorful cloaks, all sorts of weapons, jewelry, books, and thousands of boxes with who knows what inside. The room was perfectly round with a high ceiling supported by twelve thick golden columns. There was a silver torch burning with a bright green flame on each of them. Nevertheless, all this looked very insignificant compared to the two huge circles, which were placed in front of each other on the shining black marble floor. The borders of both circles burned with real fire, bright, yellow, and hot but without any visible smoke.

"That's your Rosa!" I whispered, pointing with my blade to the lonely motionless figure, which stood in the middle of the nearest circle, she wore an emerald green cloak with a hood of the same color, it had been put on so it was impossible to tell the color of the girl's hair which was probably as golden as always. "Let's get her quickly and be done with it."

"Have you noticed the gargoyles and trolls? And other creatures?" Max asked sarcastically. "Do you wish to clash your sword with golems? Or maybe with the Great Paladin himself?"

"Oh relax, lad. These are harmless statues! What's Paladin? That decrepit skeleton on the right side? Very scary! This mummy hasn't lifted his sword more than a thousand years! How is he holding it still? His collection of dust must be very impressive!" I argued nodding at the numerous stone figures of the various magic creatures that were standing everywhere in the room, their eyes were closed tight. Beside the right wall stood a big figure of a knight in shinning white armor, decorated with intricate golden patterns, his face hid under the massive helmet with the lowered visor. "They are all sleeping, aren't they?" Suddenly I felt a rush of confidence and decided to teach a very important lesson to my little friend.

"Common, soldier!" I urged and sheathed my sword." The girl is alone and perfectly ready for stealing. Don't make her wait!" I smiled and rushed forward leaving a horrorstricken Max behind.

"Do not touch anything!" came his muffled voice from behind. "Or you will awake them all!" I quickly crossed the hall, trying to make as little noise as possible. The girl was still standing motionless in the center of the second circle. I came to her from behind and put one of my arms around her slender waist and another, around her slim neck. She flinched in surprise so greatly that her head nearly knocked my teeth out.

"Take it easy, beauty," I whispered into her ear, our cheeks touched each other, her was surprisingly hot and soft, mine, cold and hard. Something was wrong. Although I hadn't hugged Rosaline yet, I was sure that the daughter of the main sorcerer would be softer, round and not so tall. I felt like I was holding a slender, muscular boy and not a fragile, gentle girl. Anyway, who could it be besides Rosa? Maybe, a very frightened and annoyed Rosaline? She was silent and I decided to go on. "What is such a brilliant young lady doing here alone among..." I looked around trying to find something really nice and romantic, but failed, "among such trash! No, don't turn; I don't want to became blind because of your beauty! Looks, like the Gods have sent their prettiest angel to the Earth!" This stuff, which I had learned by heart a long time ago now came easily to my lips, as if I'd, asked the time. Rosaline had been listening to me silently and didn't interrupt me even once. But instead of melting from the fire of my words, like other girls usually did, she became tenser; her muscles grew hard and jaw, steady. I decided to move to the "sorry, I have remembered, that I was dating the Princess Elisabeth" part and a "Max is the best boy in Luxard" part and I desperately needed somehow to add the "you have a namesake in the Castle, it is Drago's skravin, he goes by Rosaline too."