The Metaphorical Key Book II- Forge the Path

XX

Ah sorry for the delay! Writer's block hit so this is a shorter chapter.
On another note, I was looking for an alternate name for Raven Rise because that's the name of a book in the Pendragon series and I don't want people thinking it's a fanfic because it's not. Any suggestions for alternate titles? I was thinking The Metaphorical Key which I like, but if you have any other suggestions then let me know!

Dulcie and Kayden elected to walk from Parin to the nearest city (Chenia) rather than take a train. Dulcie figured that her friends would more than likely be walking, seeing as they didn't have much in the way of money.

Hours of walking and several train rides with vigilant scanning of the landscape yielded no results.

"Should we go back to the headquarters?" Dulcie suggested. "Try again in the morning? My eyes feel like they're about to fall out of my sockets."
"That'd be an unpleasant sight," Kayden quipped. "Can you imagine? I'd have to get them off the ground with melon ballers or something, I don't carry gloves with me."
"You carry melon ballers around with you?"
"Would you believe me if I said yes?"
"...Absolutely not."
"Mmm. Good call."

Laughing off the... awfully dark joke, Kayden nodded his agreement. "In all seriousness, heading back seems like a good plan to me. We can try again in the morning, how's that sound?"

Dulcie nodded and when they next reached Parin, they went inside.

Prosper had seated himself in the common room, explaining the situation to The Ravens. "And," he started as the duo walked by. They stopped to listen. "Come morning, I have news for the lot of you." He took a sip of the steaming cup of coffee in his hands, peering over the rim and observing the enthralled faces of the now-sizeable crowd. "And you might want to sit down during it."

He tossed the cup to the side. It wasn't completely empty, coffee splashing out of it as it rocked to a stop - thankfully not broken.

He rose to his feet and stretched. "I'll be headed off to bed, got anywhere I can sleep?"

The crowd sputtered and exchanged glances with varying degrees of panic before escorting the arrogant bastard to a room.

Dulcie and Kayden glanced at each other, silently seeking an answer to Prosper's ominous promise.

But neither of them had an answer - hell - neither of them even knew what they were being asked.

They went to bed, but they didn't exactly rest.

They kept walking.

Wasn't that routine now?

To move, to keep going, and to not stop. Never stop. They couldn't afford to stop.

Somewhere up ahead were lights.

Somewhere up ahead was a city.

Somewhere up ahead was Parin.

Somewhere up ahead was home.

They exchanged glances, slack-jawed and wide-eyed.
"Is that -" Aiden started.
Pollux cut him off.
"Parin!"

They ran.

Somewhere behind them there was a shout.

"Hey! You three! Stop! You're under arrest, in the name of the Catago!"

Pollux skidded, stopping only long enough to whip around and shout.

"FUCK you guys!" He shouted, the words tearing themselves out of his mouth in such a way that the back of his throat burned like he'd swallowed a fistful of spice.

He started running again.
"Damn, Pollux!" Will said, laughing as he ran. "You've got guts!"

Pollux's mouth split into a wide grin. "Don't I always?" He didn't. That didn't matter.

He threw his head back, listening to the thump, thump, thump of his feet on the ground.

He whooped, his heart beat fast fast fast and his face was warm, hot, heating and burning. He laughed and spun on his heel, making a ... rude gesture at the Catago soldiers.

The night air was cool and the wind was soothing against his face. Birds called out from the trees and the world was alive and so were they.

They made it into the city.

They kept going.

They always did.

They found the entrance upon escaping the Catago soldiers. (It wasn't difficult.)

Swinging the entrance open and springing down, they spilled onto the ground, laughing.

For a short moment, they just laid there, taking in the exhilaration relief joy of the moment.

"...Pollux? Aiden?"

They turned to see Dulcie and some guy.

Tears sprung into Pollux's eyes and he raced forwards, throwing is arms around his sister and standing there silently in a bone-crushing hug.

"Aiden!" Dulcie shouted, hooking her arms around Pollux's neck and resting her chin on his shoulder. "Get over here!"

He complied. The three of them stood like that for a while, before Dulcie dragged Kayden into the hug and Aiden and Pollux pulled Will in.

They drank in the safety and security and oh god they were okay they were okay it was fine they were okay.

They stayed that way, holding each other tightly and making a silent promise to never let go again.

"C'mon," Dulcie said. "This Prosper guy - he's real pleasant - has something to tell us all. Follow me, we can catch up on the way?"

Pollx glanced at his friends out of the corner of his eye. "Yah," he started. "Sounds good to me."

It didn't matter what Prosper - who names their kid Prosper? - had to say. After everything that had happened? They could handle a pompous bastard with a story to tell.