Chapter Thirty Seven
The sun was already beginning to rise in the sky, its first rays of light shining from below the mountains that surrounded us. Fourth day, four hours into surgery, I thought with dismay. I have to wake up in six days . . .
We all walked swiftly under the protection of the dim sky; however, we made sure that our footsteps weren’t loud enough for someone, like the Empress, to hear.
We all moved towards the chapel directly across from the tower we had recently been kept prisoner, and we all pressed our bodies up against the stone wall. Through the dark mosaic windows, I could tell that the candles inside were extinguished. Nobody was in there to hear our escape.
Including Ellie and myself, there was eight of us altogether. As you can probably imagine, it was a difficult task to make sure that everyone remained silent.
I looked at Ellie. After glancing around to make sure nobody could hear me, I whispered, “We should make a run for it.” I nodded to the room in which we had first teleported to, twice the height of the chapel beside it.
Ellie nodded.
We moved as one like grim reapers coming to claim the dead. We approached the building, its tan stone a dull gray under the moonlight. However, to my dismay, all four double doors were sealed shut.
I tried pushing on one of them with my entire body, but it wouldn’t budge. I glanced over at the other seven in the group and signaled that I wanted them to come and help.
Although Deothoy gave me a reluctant face, they all came over and helped me push on the door.
We all whispered in unison, “One . . . two . . . three!”
We pushed with whatever energy we had after fighting that massive Service Bot, only to sprint across an entire courtyard. Sweat was rolling down my forehead in beads.
“One . . . two . . . three!”
We pushed again. Unfortunately, the door was reluctant to open.
Eventually, we gave up. Some of the kids sat down against the wooden door, breathing heavily out of fatigue. Ellie put her hand on my shoulder and caught her breath. “How are we supposed to get in?”
I glanced around, searching for some sort of opening into the building. How are we supposed to get in?
A light squeaking noise sounded throughout the courtyard. Everyone froze, holding their breath, staring at the direction in which the sound came from. Ellie was about to say something, but I put my finger on my mouth and shook my head, signaling for her to be quiet.
The squeaking continued. Gradually but distinct, it grew louder and louder with every passing second.
It was obvious that whatever this noise belonged to was headed straight for us. Ellie grabbed my hand, her body trembling in fear.
I was almost positive that it was going to be one of those massive Service Bots. But, once the contraption rounded the corner of the chapel, now crossing the courtyard, I could see that it was one of those normal service bots, nearly half my size.
I could hear the group let out a sigh of relief, their shoulders relaxing.
The Service Bot came up to us and said in its monotone voice, “What are you doing here?”
I looked at Ellie, wondering if it was safe to tell. Last time I recalled, I had been able to destroy one of those contraptions. Worst case scenario, if that particular Service Bot would think it would be a good idea to tell the Empress that we were escaping, I could just destroy it.
Before I could say anything, the service bot said, “My data banks suggest that you’re Darrel, the Lucid. You destroyed a service bot during the Tascaque, I presume. Did the Empress need you guys for something?”
It was obvious that this bot had no clue that the Empress was keeping us hostage in the dungeons. I nodded hastily and said, “Yeah, she wanted me to escort these Anti’s to the Tärkein and their acquaintances back to the city. But these doors are unlocked for some reason.”
The service bot gave off a clanking noise. “I would be more than happy to open them for you.”
“Thanks.” I looked at Ellie and smiled. “The Empress would be proud to have a Service Bot like you.”
The Service Bot rolled up to the door that we had previously been trying to open and pulled out a golden card, the same one those massive Service Bots had used to lock us in our cell. A shiver ran down my spine – that was the last thing I wanted to be thinking about.
The Service Bot swiped the card up a crevice in the wood. Almost instantly, the crevice began to glow, a faint ringing piercing my ears. The double doors opened with a moan; I flinched, wondering if the Empress would be able to hear it from her headquarters.
But that was the last thing I needed to be worrying about; we just needed to get the hell away from the Empress and Efaque City altogether.
The door opened up to the familiar room, mysterious brass machines hanging from above. The group ran in and made their way to the Teleporter.
“The Teleporter can barely fit three people at a time,” I explained. “We’ll have to leave in groups.”
“You and Ellie should go first,” Deothoy explained. “You of all people should leave safely.”
The others in the group nodded in agreement.
I, however, shook my head in protest. “No,” I said. “I want to make sure you guys all leave safely.”
“No,” Enthania said. She stepped forward and caressed my cheek. I felt myself blush, wondering what Ellie must have been thinking. “You need to go to the center of your dream, Darrel. You can’t die. You go first.”
The Service Bot wheeled up to us. “Wait, are you guys supposed to be here?”
As if noticing it for the first time, everybody fell silent. I looked at the bot, knowing that it would eventually tell the Empress that I had been caught leaving the palace. I couldn’t let that happen, no matter how guilty I would feel for what I knew had to be done. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
I closed my eyes and heard the robot explode, its dismembered parts spewing in every direction.
