Strange Beasts || Novella

XVI

Whilst Raina and Akkian were fending off the Men in the Masks, causing as much distraction between the two of them as they could muster, young Rami was galloping away. Trying not to think about the dangerous situation that he left his sister in, his gaze fixated on the castle ahead, focused on spotting one of the many indicators that Akkian had described earlier.

"Faster," he urged the stallion, ears ringing with the screams that played to every whispering fear. Raina had given him one task and it was one that he planned on completing.

Find Grammy.

Nothing else mattered in that moment.

As the castle gates became more visible, they slowed down to an easy trot. Akkian detailed out each and every entrance that they could expect to find. First, there were the City Gates, the only entrance available to the public. It was the least guarded, but it also had no connection to Zendon. On the far side, they would find the stable and Beastly quarters where they kept all the Beasts, both the ones that were imprisoned waiting to be slaughtered, and the darker Beasts that had converted to align themselves to Fassa and his goal.

No, that was not the entrance that Rami was looking for. Tapping his heels against the stallion, he led it towards the back entrance, one which was commonly used for depositing waste into the sewers. Approaching closer, Rami tried not to inhale too deeply, but even then the smell was almost unbearable.

He patted the stallion on its neck gently, thanking it for bringing him this far, before sliding off.

"Go back and find Rainy and Akkian, they'll need you," he whispered knowing that if his sister could hear him now, she would be most displeased. But Raina wasn't here right now and she had entrusted Rami with the task. He didn't watch the Beast go, knowing that she would find an escape soon.

Pulling up his sleeves, Rami walked closer to the grate, lifting up the hatch with ease. Using his cloak to cover his nose, Rami wandered inside, taking care not to step into anything that looked too suspicious.

"Gross," he muttered pulling a face. If only Mr. Morin could see him now. The Headmaster always complained that Rami was not willing to put in hard work, always distracted and unable to focus. At this moment, Rami had lightening level of attention, regardless of how disgusting it was.

As he got deeper with only darkness and thick smog accompanying him. They acted like omnipresent observers, anxiously watching him struggle to keep his breathing even.

Inhale. Exhale.

That's what Rainy would tell him. She would remind him that no matter how dark it got outside, the sun always came up in the morning. Until then he could spend the loneliest of nights with her. Depending on Raina was easy because she made it easy. Sloshing through the waste, Rami kept that thought in his heart, love for his sister burning through any fear that arose.

Eventually, he could see a small light, highlighting the end of the tunnel. A small ladder stood between him and the hatch that led to the lower quarters of the castle. Taking one rung in his small hand, Rami pulled himself up. He was never the type who was athletic, preferring searches for Stones over playing sports with the other children. But as he struggled to pull himself up, he made a silent vow to try harder once they got back.

The Keeper of the Stone needed to be strong after all.

Baring his teeth, ignoring the painful protest of his arms, he kept on moving up the seemingly never ending ladder inching closer towards the light. On each and every rung, he thought of his sister and how she had changed in two short days. Since entering the Kingdom, Rami had witnessed her go from being a complete non-believer, to a ferocious advocate for her Beast.

When Akkian had mentioned that Raina had an empath link with the Beast, the pieces all slotted together. Rami recalled how Raina had asked the Beast to teleport them away to safety and suddenly it had developed wings. Until she requested it, the Beast was deaf to all pleas. Whenever they were walking, or training, the Beast would keep itself at a safe distance but with eyes trained on Raina.

It all made sense.

What's more, Rami realised, Raina's nervous behaviour in the attic must have been connected to the Beast. Perhaps it saw the kidnappers making their way to the portal entrance, seeking to take Grammy. Raina only started to feel relaxed when she stopped seeing the Beast as a threat. Smiling grimly to himself, Rami pushed open the hatch above him and pulled himself out. He had a lot of explaining to do for his sister to understand that perhaps leaving might not be as easy as they once believed.

For now, Rami took off his dirty cloak and used the inner part to wipe his hands and feet. With a quick check, he confirmed that he was indeed in the lower quarters where Akkian had claimed they would end up. The entrance to Zendon was a short walk from here, down a dimly lit passage way. During the night, the prison was hardly guarded and Rami hoped that the remaining guards fell for Raina's distraction.

His footsteps echoed in the deserted hallways, as he took a left down a set of spiral staircases. It was darker and the steps were far steeper than the ones at Grammy's for his little legs, but he ploughed forward. Hand tightly gripped on his dagger, though praying that he didn't need to use it, Rami pushed onwards.

Once he got to the bottom, he stared at the rows of barred rooms that stretched for as far as he could see. Glancing up he noticed that there were endless stories filled with the same hallowed haunted cells. Sweat dripped down his forehead, slowly making its way down his cheek mixed with fresh hot tears. This was no place for a young child.

But Grammy was down here and he had to find her.

Fortunately, he didn't have to search for long as a familiar hoarse voice called out, filled with disbelief at what they were seeing.