Head in the Clouds

Chapter 4: Unknown

Knock Knock!

"Mom?" Allioni rubbed the back of his hand against his groggy brown eyes.

Sitting up, his eyes adjusted to the grim barn, but it hardly mattered. After spending the past few weeks staring at the same brown walls and laying on the same stack of hay, he could maneuver the room with his eyes closed. The harsh stream of moonlight bursting through the skylight making the aged wood seem a bit shinier and the particular comfort of the prickly stack of hay was just another part of his post-dinner- pre-sleep nap. What wasn't a part of this routine was the knocking at the barn doors.

Knock Knock!

"Mom!" He groaned, finally sitting up.

He rushed his hand against the strands of straw until interrupted by an object. Without even looking down, he slipped the pair of glasses over his eyes and blinked as though to clear his vision. It was, of course, totally unnecessary to even put them on after the night of 'The Merge'.

Knock knock!

Allioni pulled himself up off the hay, "Mom?" He dragged his heavy feet against the wooden floor, "Mom, what's wrong?"

Knock knock knock!

His feet stuck to the floor and his brows narrowed. It was as though all the sleep was stripped from him in that very moment and common sense was all that remained.

"Mom never knocks," he considered his heart rate quickening. Suddenly his eyes grew as big as the moon, and his feet dragged backward.

Knock Knock Knock!

"One second, Mom," he called shakily, "I'm just- just putting my clothes on."

He hurried back behind the haystacks shoved in the furthest corner of the barn. With shaky hands, he pushed the hay away, slowly opening the hinged door beneath him. The moment he lowered his body below the ground, shutting the door, a loud crash filled the room.

The space beneath the barn was filled with dark dampness, seeing as his father didn't put any form of light down there, but he didn't turn around. While several light footsteps filled the room, he didn't pause to figure out what was happening. Instead, he remained on his hands and knees, crawling through the tunnel. His mind remained on one simple goal: get out of the barn.

His crawling ended soon enough when he got to the very bottom of the hill. He always thought building an escape route through the property was a bit too far, but he made a mental note to thank his dad for making it. As he stood there, at the bottom of the hill, his mind raced uncontrollably.

"Should- should I head back?" He wondered, his chest heaving, "Is everyone else okay?"

His concern didn't last long. The rustling of a nearby bush was enough to send Allioni racing for the city.

***

"You called for me?" Questioned the eldest prince of Jericho.

King Archibold kept his eyes trained on the wide window before him. Carriages full of flowers and gifts arrived at the royal gates in droves while the kind servants hurried about to prepare the palace for the arrival of guests in just a couple of days. From the window, he could see his people standing at the sides of the gate, desperately peering in.

"Leave us," commanded the king, seeming a bit far away.

Without another word, the servants at the doors bowed and exited the room closing the doors behind them. Prince Carter stood anxiously near the door, ready to make a move at any point.