The Underground Palace

Chapter Seven - Conjurer of Fire

Ten minutes later the children skidded to a halt. Fear bubbled inside Alex but she forced herself to remain calm.

'We have to go back,' whimpered Thomas, and tugged Alex's arm backwards. 'They're gonna kill us.'

'If they didn't see us in the forest, they won't see us now,' reminded Alex.

A few metres ahead two men stood guarding a large wooden door bolted onto the side of a wall. One of the men shivered and pulled his thick fur coat tighter around him. He pushed his messy ginger hair away from his face and turned to the man next to him.

'Poor wee bairns aren't they?' he said.

'Nah, not really. They deserve what they get,' said the other, brown headed man, with a smirk. The ginger man looked appalled.

'I'm glad my son wasn't born on that prophecy date. I wouldn't know what do.' Alex didn't understand. Alex and Glen shared the same birthday, were the other children born on the 1st of January too? Is that what linked them to this so called prophecy? The 1st of January was only four days away.

'We need to find out what's in that room,' she stated to Oliver and Thomas. Thomas shook his head.

'I think I know a way,' whispered Oliver. He took a deep breath and walked forward out of Thomas's reach and into view of the two men.

Thomas whimpered but the men didn't react. Oliver was invisible just like him and Alex had been around the fire. He walked forward hesitantly until he was centimeters away from the men and stuck his hand out as though he was about to knock on the door. Suddenly, he hand disappeared through the door and Oliver looked back at Alex and Thomas excitedly.

'It works!' he shouted. 'Come on!' He stepped forward into the door and his whole body disappeared. Alex looked at Thomas who didn't look convinced.

'Coming?' she asked. Thomas shook his head.

'I want to go home,' he whispered, 'only ghosts walk through doors. We're still alive right?' The hatred Alex felt for Thomas shrunk a little.

'Your birthday is on the 1st January, isn't it?' asked Alex. Thomas nodded and Alex felt her instincts nudge her brain. 'So I'm guessing unless Oliver and I get you out of here, you're going to be dead by New Years?' Alex knew it. The prophecy was the reason why that beast wanted them dead.

'Definitely,' replied Thomas.

'Then you've got nothing to lose,' answered Alex. On second thoughts, Alex wondered if Thomas knew what the prophecy was. Probably. He apparently knew everything. But now wasn't the time for answers when she could wake up at any second, she had to find out what these men were guarding. Alex moved away and followed Oliver through the door, it was a weird experience to act like a ghost in front of two men and Alex gasped at the weird feeling of wood flow through her body.

'Alex,' whispered Oliver on the other side, a few feet in front of her, 'this is wrong.' The scene was horrific.

The room was dark, lit only by four flaming torches that hung from each corner of the room. Kirsty, thin and weak, was tied to an old wooden chair bolted to the ground in the center of the room.

'No!' shouted Thomas behind Alex. Thomas pushed Alex aside and fell to his knees at his twin sister's side. He took a deep breath and looked at her with concentration.