The Royal Hood Book 1: Rise of the Royal Hood

Chapter 1: The Cabin

Racing across the side of the fortress, I see a door up ahead with two guards standing guard. Heart thudding, I ready my dagger. I need to get past the guards and get into that building. Jumping out, I slam the guards into one another, sending them sprawling to the ground, knocking them unconscious.

Going towards the door, I pull out two pins. Sticking them into the lock, I turn them and maneuver them around for a couple seconds. Heart pounding faster, the lock clicks and I slowly open the door.

Peering inside, I see a long hallway stretching before me. Pulling out my small light stick, I flick it on and silently close the door behind me. Heading down the hallway, I shine my light around me. I need to get to the vault, and fast. And then I need to get to the dungeon. Before sunrise.

Seeing three hallways splitting down from the long hallway, I remember the instructions and head down the middle hallway. Seeing a corner up ahead, I peer around it to see that the coast is clear.

Rushing down it quickly, I see a doorway up ahead. Going towards it quickly, I pull back out my pins. Holding my light in my mouth, I place the pins into the lock and begin to maneuver them once more.

The lock clicks and I open the door. Rushing inside, I shine my light around me. A light flickers on and I gasp when I see five figures standing before me. Two in chains on the ground, while two figures stand behind them. The fifth figure chuckles.

"Welcome Royal Hood," he says. "It's nice to finally meet you face to face."

💧

Feeling myself jerk upward, before coming back down, jolting awake. Ugh...what the heck? Eyes fluttering open, I yawn and rub one eye. Sunlight comes in through the car windows as my vision adjusts. Trees and bushes pass us by in a blur of greens and browns. I move aside my reddish-golden blonde braid.

"Morning sunshine," My mom says, and I turn to her. She smiles and rubs my cheek. "You sleep well?"

I see that my mom's reddish-golden blonde hair is disheveled, and limply hangs down her back. I see the dark bags under her eyes.

"Yeah," I say, as I sit up. I turn to her. "Are you doing alright?"

"I will be once we reach our cabin," she says and sighs, turning back to the front. "And we should be almost there in the next five minutes."

She looks through the rearview mirror and smiles.

"How about you wake your sister," she says and I turn around to look in the back seat. Serena, my little sister, is laying her head against the seat belt, completely conked out. I smile and reach my hand back. Shaking her gently, she jolts slightly and her eyes flutter open.

"Hey sweetheart," Our mom says. "We're almost to the house."

She yawns and stretches. Rubbing her eyes, her reddish-brown braid has strands sticking out of it and she yawns again. I can just see the freckles dotting her face, the same as mine. Her clothing is slightly disheveled. I smile warmly.

"You have a nice nap, Rina?" I ask and she nods, still sleepy. I chuckle.

Turning back to the front, I sigh and turn, staring out the window. I see fields of trees all around us. Nothing in sight for miles. No civilization close to our cabin.

"I still don't get why we had to come here for our vacation," I say and turn to mom. "I mean, what's so great about the woods?"

"Getting out of the city for the summer will be good for us after the past year and a half," she says, and I see the sad look in her eyes. My heart twists. Turning back to staring out the window, the memories from the past year and a half flow through my head all at once. She may be onto something. But why the woods of all places? In the middle of nowhere? Why not on vacation to Hawaii or Texas?