Shadowstruck

Chapter 4 Part 5

"April!" April!" There was muffled yelling in the streets. She could hear someone running. She didn't recognize the voice, though.

Chrysie looked up. "What's going on?"

April let go and pulled them behind her. "I don't know."

There was more yelling. More footsteps. They were getting closer. Closer.

April narrowed her eyes, grabbing the scepter off her back and gripping it tightly with both hands, scanning the area.

The footsteps fell away. They were getting farther. They were going towards -

Towards Noah.

"Shit."

"What?"

She turned. "I think they're going after Noah."

Chrysie's eyes widened. "Shit indeed." They fiddled with a bracelet around their arm before grabbing April's wrist. "This'll be quicker."

Air rushed by them and they landed with a small thud on the roof. Chrysie turned. "Go. I'll stay here."

A roar shot through the air, the earth quaking. April and Chrysie grabbed onto each other, trying not to fall.

April paled, looking towards the castle. "Something's wrong."

Chrysie followed her gaze and gasped. It had turned from the shiny, elegant structure made from stone and metal to blood red and cloudy. It seemed to have thin, smoky, dark tendrils writhing around the towers. "You better get to Noah."

April turned and reached into her pocket, pulling out a key on a brown, worn leather cord. She looked at it sitting in her palm, letting the sun reflect off of it.

"I want you to have this."

"What is it?"

"it's a Key of Thieves," April whispered, placing it around Chrysie's neck. "It can lock or unlock anything in the world. You have to wait 24 hours after every time you use it, though." She stepped back. "Keep it safe, and keep it secret. There's only two. If anyone finds out you have it, they will steal it."

"Alright." Chrysie turned to go.

"Chrysie?" They stopped. "I love you." April hugged them quickly, planting a kiss on their forehead, before smiling sadly and turning away, sprinting across the rooftops towards where she had left the others.

Chrysie stood there, watching the retreating form and gripping the key. "I love you too, April." They jumped off the roof, kicking up a small cloud of dust when they hit the ground, before running through the alleys towards the castle. They weren't going to let April get hurt again.

She swung over the side of a building and grabbed at the ladder, hissing at the brief pain before climbing down quietly and edging her way through the crowd, head down.

She shifted and looked over her shoulder to where everyone had been sitting. No one was there. Oh, shit. She weaved her way through the people, most of which were shouting and running at the castle. Then she was yanked sideways into an alley. "SH-" A hand was slapped over her mouth and she felt herself being pulled along by Noah, with Cooper, Sean, Koko, and another person April had never seen before. A seventh person was leading the way.

April wrestled her arm out of Noah's grip and ran, looking around and seeing a mixture or worry and anger on everyone's faces. "What the fuck is happening?" Noah shook his head, eyes narrowed. "I don't know. You left, then Carlos showed up." He nodded towards the man in the front. "He just told us to find you."