The dark waters| ✓

32. TEMPT THE WATERS

We're taking the fight to him.

I know I should be scared. But my mind is a hazy fog of confusion. I decide not to think about the dangers that we might face, the people we might lose. But that's the meaning of war. You have to lose something to gain something significant. I nod at him.

"I've sent out a messenger to call all the fidelists. We need as much as possible." Llyr says.

"How many fidelists are there?" I ask.

"Fifty or so. Against thousands of soldiers." Llyr says. "But that won't be a problem if we kill Kai first. Once the presiding king had been killed, they will obey me. All of them. We just need to get there and kill him first."

Which is the hardest part.

"We have to split among two groups." Llyr says. "Decide for yourselves."
I quickly move to stand beside Lee. I see Noelani move and stand beside Dylan from the corner of my eye. I roll my eyes. Soon there is a clear distinguished groups standing at each side of Llyr. Each of them have a weapon of some sort. Swords, daggers axes and many other deadly looking weapons shine under the light. I instinctively tighten my grip against my own sword.

"The group having Nerida. You reach the court room from the right part of the castle. Go through the corridors that are abandoned, you'll be our element of surprise. We'll go straight ahead, not putting much efforts on hiding our attack." He says looking at each person from the two groups. "And the most important thing. Don't die. Try not to. You know what I mean." He says looking straight at me this time. "Let's go"
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We walk down a deserted dark corridor, which looks like it hasn't seen a living soul walk through it since centuries. There are no lights in this side of the castle, so we use our own potable light. It illuminates the moss gathered at the corners and the fresh sea weed growing in some parts. I wouldn't have been surprised if someone told me  some ghost haunted this part of the castle. We take another turn and another abandoned corridor turn ups which ends in a small window through which moonlight filters and falls across the corridor which splits in two. Nerida leads the group. Thankfully Dylan and Noelani are in the other group. I don't want to know what's going on in Dylan's life. The less I know the better.

Nerida swim quickly towards the end of the corridor and stops there. Under the moonlight, she looks like an avenging angel, beautiful but dangerous. She checks both the sides and beckons us to follow her into the corridor to the right. We slowly swim into it and I'm the last to follow. Suddenly everyone stops.

Something's wrong. I try to take a look at what's happening ahead but I can't see anything. Everyone seems frozen in their places.
"What is it?" I whisper.
Suddenly, I get an overwhelming sensation of danger. All my senses go on a high alert and I hear someone move behind. I turn around just in time to see a guard charge towards me. I'm frozen for a moment, too shocked to do anything. Then the adrenaline kicks in and I raise my sword and it clashes against his. He draws back his, ready to strike another blow.

I cannot beat him in combat.

I close my eyes and try to concentrate. I open them and I see him being dragged down by some invisible force pining him downwards. I swung the hilt of my sword towards his head and knock him out. I'm not ready to kill a person yet.
I look around and I see that there are a couple of bodies lying around in the front. The guards know where we are. I see Nerida thrust her sword through one right in front of me. Nerida  killed someone. I could never do what Nerida had done, even if I tried to. I guess that's what being a warrior meant. I see Lee come towards me. He looks down at the fainted guard and his eyes widen.

"That is sick." Lee says smiling.

"I know right." I say. I look at Nerida and she gives me a proud smile. It actually feels good to be acknowledged like that.

"Come on et's get moving." Nerida says moving forward.
We start move further, alert, as a team. I wonder what is happening to the other group. They would definitely have to fight more than we will have to. I'm just wishing we don't have such an encounter again. After going through countless  corridors we reach one that has a difference. It ends in a huge wall.

"Nerida are you sure this is where Kai sleeps? I mean honestly,I won't be surprised if I got to know he considers this as his bedroom. Character and all considered. No judgement." Lee says holding up his hands.

"Yeah of course Lee, the king of marinus would sleep in an abandoned corridor." Nerida says rolling her eyes. "It's a portal. It takes us to the corridor near the kings real chambers. Swim right through it. Let's do it come on."
A girl having emerald green hair and black eyes moves forward first. She faces the wall and looks back at Nerida waiting for orders.
"Go Morgan." Nerida says nodding. The girl, Morgan, closes her eyes. After a beat, I see her move towards the wall in a flash. When she touches it, the wall glows blue for sometime, becoming translucent and then comes back to it's normal colour when she passes right through it.

Slowly, Everyone forms a line and goes through it systematically. I stand at the end of the line, right beside Lee. The line starts becoming smaller and before I realise it, I'm facing the wall in front of me, holding Lee's hand. It's my my turn now. We're going in together.

"On the count of three." Lee says. " 3..2 platform 9¾, here we come...1!" We dash towards the wall. Everything seems a blur except for the huge wall which seems to grow huger every second. Just when I think I'm gonna get hurt, it turns liquid and we pass through it.
I come to a staggering stop in front of the opposite wall. This wall is well lit by small lights that occur at intervals.

Kings chamber. We're here. Guards...

As if sensing what I was thinking Lee nods and looks around. There is no one around. The fidelists who came before aren't here. Maybe they decided to explore the place a little.Nerida comes out next and almost falls on Lee.

Accidentally or deliberately. No one will know. I think smiling to myself.
Alun comes next, stopping gracefully right in front of me. He winks at me when he sees me stare at him wide eyed. I raise my eyebrows and smile.

"Is there anyone left?" I ask.

"Nope." Alun says.

"Where are the others?" Nerida asks.

"Guess we'll find out." I say moving towards a large set of wooden grand doors. The doors make it look like it's an important place like a court room. We move towards it carefully. There is a good probability Kai might be here. I reach the doors first and I'm about to open it  when it flings open.

The room is huge. Many chairs of platinum line up on either sides of the huge room, illuminated by another huge chandelier in the centre like the one I saw in the room I woke up in. There's a golden chair at the very end, against the wall. It is surrounded by leather and octopus skin. On it sits Kai, surrounded by bulky guards in bronze armour. I look around and I gasp as I see Dylan, Llyr and all the other fidelists kneeling down, hands tied to there back.

"Welcome. We have been waiting for you." Kai says with a wicked sneer.