Kingdom Fall (Ethereal #1)

- Chapter 36 -

Sir Cedric

Naajim

For a moment, no one moved as inch as everyone stared at the hole in the middle of the wall. It took a while for the guards to regain his senses after the shock. The workers were even more baffled. It seemed that no one actually expected their work to be done at all.

'What are you waiting for,' the guard roared, 'Keep digging!'

Curious onto what lies on the other side, Akyuliya and Prince Tyler began to dig again. Archie pushed the earth around the wall where it seemed to be loose and began to use the pick axe again. It took merely half an hour before a good sized hole was made. Since there is no need to keep on continuing the tunnel, the rest of the workers simply sat down, allowing the newcomers to work.

At least, this made Naajim glad that they were able to at least finish their work, at least the last part of it. The guards didn't seem to mind. Even they seemed fed up of watching people work underground. Slowly, the slaves were taken out of the tunnel where they were allowed to rest on the floor under the portion of the dome which had not fallen. Some younger ones leaned on the pile of earth at the corner of the cavern. A few guards went into the tunnel carrying extra lanterns while others hurried back up to the surface. 

'What will happen to them?' asked Akyuliya.

'More importantly,' said Prince Tyler, 'What will happen to us?'

Hedi and Rahim did not dare speak to them in a familiar tone so as not to arouse suspicion. They waited for about an hour before all the soldiers stood at attention. Even though the fortress had a near Shokrean flag on top of it, the guards and soldiers were all Oblivion. If there was a Shokrean in the fortress, Naajim guessed that it might be the golden haired man he had seen under the tent. He wondered whom it might be that caused all of the guards to stiffen up in fear. As he suspected, the blonde man briskly walked into the cavern. 

Besides him, Sapphire took a sharp intake of breath.

The man took a lantern from the hands of a Oblivion guard and walked inside. Behind him, two Shokrean soldiers followed. The tense atmosphere of the cavern was finally lifted once the mysterious man disappeared into the tunnel. 

'Who is that?' Prince Tyler demanded from Sapphire. Sapphire had to blink a few moments before she regained her senses. The girl wrapped her bony arms around feet, tucking them under her chin and muttered.

 'Sir Cedric Sword.'

 'Cedric Sword?' said the prince, 'You mean the Kingdom's Secondary, the the so called master of prime evil, that Sir Cedric?'

Sapphire nodded.

'Wow. I expected him to be... scarier.'

'His presence is suffocating,' Archie said. 

Prince Tyler took a moment to study Sapphire's behavior. 'Uh... Did he do... something to you?'

'Huh?'

'I mean, you look like as if you've seen a ghost.'

But Sapphire shook her head, 'No.'

'Then?'

Archie gave Prince Tyler a sharp look and the prince backed away. 

'He's my mentor,' Sapphire finally said. 

'Your mentor?'

'He thought me how to use the sword.'

Now this piece of information shocked the prince more than seeing the villain of Artaria's Tales of Nightmares that the prince almost gagged, 'He taught you what?'