The Last Pureblood Erde

38. Too Slow To Go (✔)

I craned my neck. The hallway was empty.

"Would you just stop?" Gideon said, pulling me inside and shut the door.

"What did I do now?" I folded my arms and puckered my cheeks. "Weren't you the one who said we need to get out of here?"

"We? No. You need to get out of here."

"Great," I said and started walking towards the door.

"But not this way," he said, once again, stopping me. "They'll kill me before shipping you to the f..."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Shipping me to where?"

Gideon turned away and mumbled, "Somewhere."

I frowned but didn't press any further. There were too many things I didn't understand. Now I was getting tired of it.

"Just get me out of here," I said and picked up the cloak. I wrapped it around me and stood clumsily.

"Cover your hair," Gideon said. "And face too." He brushed the strands away and stood still for a moment, noticing them.

I bit my lip and waited for him to speak. He didn't. He simply hummed and stepped back once it was tied well.

"No. Lord, no!" He moaned when his gaze fell on my shoes that were peaking out of the black cloth.

I shrugged.

"Let's get done with this," he said, tired.

"What is this?" I asked, tracing the golden thread on the cloak.

"The Symbol of the originators and the Lord," he said.

There was an inverted trident around which a flight of birds was embroidered.

"Who are the originators?" I asked.

On getting no response, I turned around. "Gideon?"

The door was slightly ajar. I peaked out. "Gideon?"

"What are you doing, Roe?"

I jumped in surprise. There he was, standing in the room with a frown.

"Where were you?" I asked.

"Right here. Why did you open the door?" He gave me an incredulous look.

I opened my mouth to explain only to shut it again. The crazy feeling was taking over me. Again.

I shook my head. "Let's just...." I gestured towards the door.

Gideon frowned but moved anyway. He waited for me to step out of the room and locked the door. The entire decor of the palace was anything but. Yellow lights illuminated the corridors in a way that made them eerily beautiful.

I began moving in what I suppose was the wrong direction because the next second Gideon was pulling in the other side.

"What's that side?" I asked.

"Nothing. It'll lead you to the central hall."

"Isn't that above?"

"It is. And it's exactly where the entire male population of our kingdom is at this moment."

"Doing what?"

He sighed and I raised my hands in surrender.

He kept walking and didn't talk much. It was fine by me, as long as I'd get my answers later. We reached the staircase. I peeked down and saw darkness.

"I don't see anything."

"Because there is nothing," he replied. "Come on, hurry up."

I couldn't help but trace the railing. Words, strange on me, ran along my finger tips. Half of me was propelled to ask Gideon but I decided against it and simply enjoyed the strange atmosphere. The stormy cloud inside my chest had finally gone to rest and the old me, calm me, was back.

"What are you doing?"

I looked up to Gideon who was frowning at me. I blinked before realising I had stopped following him. He stood away from the staircase. I craned my neck to see we'd almost come down three flights. That was fast. Mumbling an apology, I went after him.

"Are there any guards?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"You don't seem very happy about it."

He shrugged. "It is odd that there's no one here. I had always assumed the place would be heavily guarded."

"Assumed?"

"I don't come here often, in fact I come scarcely."

I nodded.

"There," he said after some time and I looked up. "Through the room, you'll reach two tunnels. One of them will be open. Climb through it and you'll be out."

"Out of the kingdom?"

He nodded.

I removed the cloak and gave it to him. "What's in the other tunnel?"

He raised an eyebrow. I looked at him innocently.

"It ensures the water supply. Complicated process, now go."

I sighed at his short answer and went to the door. "Gideon? Tell Derrian I'll want my answers."

With that I opened the door and he closed it from the other side. I could hear the water gushing and turned to see the large glass past which the clear water flowed. I was sure it was from the waterfall, Katharos, as they called it.

"Hello there."

Startled, I jumped back.

"My bad. I didn't mean to startle you."

I looked at the guy standing in front of me. He raised his hand and waved a little.

"Haven't seen you here before," he said. "Mind introducing yourself?"

"Are you a guard?"

He snickered and pushed back his curls. "No, not those pathetic puppets. I'm definitely not them."

I leaned against the door and tried to play it cool. Showing any traces of fear would be of no use. I could not even go back, considering Gideon wasted no time in locking the door.

"If not a guard, then who are you?"

His smile faltered. "I suppose I asked you first."

"Me?" I let out a shaky laugh. "I'm... I'm no one, just a passersby, trying to leave."

That must've been an awful reply because he actually began laughing. "I understand the corridors down here are a quiet place but they aren't safe enough for a woman, especially when they're not allowed here."

"There are women here."

"Hace you seen one?" He asked, getting up and walking to me.

"They work here."

"The answer to my question was either an affirmative or a negative. You seem to have a habit of walking around the truth but not quite on it."

I frowned at him.

"I wonder what he'd think of you."

"Who?" I raised an eyebrow.

I could have sworn that I saw his eye colour change from blue to brown. He turned and mumbled something.

"Di-"

He cut me off. "Leave while you can."

I was surprised at his sudden change of tone. Shutting my curiosity for once, I took a glance at his turned figure and rapidly looked around for the tunnel. At the right end, a window caught my eye and I ran towards it.

Leave while you can. while you can.

"Too slow to go," he said.

My breath hitched and I fumbled at the lock. Curse you, Gideon for not telling me about the damned lock.

"Time's up."

I saw through the glass covering my exit hole. He was leaning against the huge glass when he tapped on it. I screamed as the glass shattered and he vanished.

"Enjoy your stay." His words stayed in the thick air and the lock opened. Too late, I knew it was too late as the water began to fill in the room.