Keeper's Oath

Chapter 12: Ambush

Hope was laying on her bed in the room which she called her own for now. She was turned towards the windows. The curtains were wide open letting in the light as she watched the small snowflakes flutter down from the dark sky. The lamp near the window was illuminating the snow softly.

It all seemed so peaceful outside.

She didn't feel that tired but felt like she could use sleep. Her mind was going back to what had happened earlier. Hope believed she made the right decision to stay. If she had gone with Guardian, she was sure that something bad would have happened. It was a strange feeling she had. He was a complete stranger to her but so were Livius and Ritter. Out of them all, she knew Livius the best. Though, she really didn't know him at all.

Livius and Ritter were humans. That moment, Hope felt guilty for thinking that thought. Guardian was a humanoid dragon but... even if he wasn't human that didn't mean he was bad. It just meant he was different from what she was used to.

Ritter was right about one thing. Guardian was a character for sure. She still could feel his cool scaled hands against her skin. Things must be different from where he's from. Just like how things were different on Earth that he must think is odd.

Technology over on Aeria must be truly different. She was thinking of the fantasy novels she had read the past few years. That's how she imagined that world to be. Filled with magic with no technology. In the beginning of the world, the planet decides the course it takes.

It was times like these Hope wished that she could have some books to read. The nights when her mind was whirling would be nice to have a distraction. A phone would be nice also, she thought. She wondered if Ritter would let her have one. It's not like she would call Eve or someone else. If she would do that, it would cause her more pain.

The idea of hearing Eve's voice wouldn't bring comfort. She was sure it would make things harder to move on. After all, now she was in this world of magic and guardians. Once in this world, Hope was certain she could never escape it now. All her plans she had previously were tossed aside as if they had meant nothing.

Thump!

A loud thump echoed in the distance. Hope dismissed it for a brief moment thinking that it was something she had imagined. It took a few more thumps before Hope got up from her bed to see if she could spot anything outside.

There was nothing that she could see outside right away which was out of place. The lamps lit most of the clearance of the Shadowlight Court. She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Another crash echoed but this time, it sounded a lot closer than the previous ones.

Without waiting another second, Hope decided to get dressed quickly. She put on jeans and her red hoodie along with shoes that Sorrel had given her. Once she had her clothing on, Hope dashed out the door along down the hallway until she got to the entrance. She was breathing heavily not sure what to think. Part of her urged her forward, her instinct told her to go.

To her surprise, the doors were wide open. The fresh smell of snow welcomed her. It was crisp and the cold air made her more aware something was up. A figure was in the distance. From the distance, she couldn't tell if it was Ritter or Livius. It could have been someone completely new as well.

Hope ran towards them. She pulled her hood over her. There was a cold chill which rushed past her. She was thankful for her hair keeping her ears warm inside the hood.

The young woman stopped ten feet away from the figure. Hope caught her breath seeing the mist form in front of her face. As Hope blinked, she realized it was Ritter who was staring at the gate. The metallic gate was rattling. Moments later, another pound echoed eerily. It sounded as if it was a gunshot, that's the closest Hope could have described it.