Something was after them.
Silas wheezed as his foot beat the wet ground. Something wet slid down his hands and face. The filthy thing slid into his mouth, and he cursed when he tasted the dirty mud. It had rained last night, and just when Silas thought it would go down, it got worse. Even having stopped not only minutes ago, the air still stunk of rain and muck.
"Silas, keep moving," Benji called further down the path, and it only made Silas grunt.
His legs were too weak to keep running. He had even almost forgotten why he was running until he heard the growl. It was a deep throaty rumble that chilled Silas to the core of his soul.
There was a monster chasing them.
But how? It was said they had gone missing many years ago. In fact, to him, they were as true as dinosaurs were. Things like this weren't supposed to exist right? So why were they being chased?
God, he should have stayed home. He should have run away to his friend's place. This can't be true. This had to be a dream.
"Silas please wake up!"
He called to himself, stopping by a tree to lean on it and relieve his breathing. How long had he been running? What kind of dream is this?
"Silas!" Someone knocked him down, and he had almost thought it was the monster thanks to the incredibly heavy weight on him. But it wasn't a monster... More like an angel. "Silas, don't stop. We have to keep running."
The panic on Edgar's face shocked Silas that he couldn't speak or enjoy the body on top of his. Edgar's black hair stuck to his face and Silas could see the mud dripping down from his face. His sweet emerald eyes widening so wide, Silas froze at the fear he saw in them.
"We have to keep moving." He got off him and tried to help him up, but Silas' ankle had twisted in an unbearable shape.
"No no no no no! You've got to stand up." Edgar began to panic, falling back down on the muddy ground. "We've got to move."
Silas wanted to stand, but he suddenly felt himself lean back on the wet ground, and Edgar quickly came up to look at him, tapping his cheeks as if preventing him from falling back asleep.
Sleep.
Asleep? He wasn't sleeping before.
But he suddenly felt like it. His body felt sluggish, and he couldn't make out any words. Something was wrong with his body.
"Silas. Silas, can you hear me?" Edgar's voice was a lot calmer, and he smiled. "Wake up, Silas."
Wake up?
Silas slowly came into consciousness, and the first face he saw was Edgar's. His ocean green eyes warmed the cold chills he had gotten from that god awful dream. Sitting up on the bed, he held his head when he felt a headache hit him, and he suddenly became exhausted.
"Where am I?" Silas blinked to get his orientation, and he noticed he wasn't on his futon or in the blue tent he shared with Edgar and Benji. He was on a bed, in a room that was high up in a building given the fact that he could see the top of the trees from the window. He glanced around the room, slowly realizing he had no idea where he was.
"Where am I?" he repeated then looked back at Edgar who gave him a small smile, unlike his usual carefree grin.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Was all he said regarding that before he stood up from the bed and gave him that familiar grin that finally reached his eyes. "Come on, Benji's waiting."
Silas had almost forgotten the headache that weighed heavy on his head until it throbbed and he fell back on the bed. Edgar frowned at that then cocked his head at him. "What's wrong?"
"Headache. An awful one," he answered then slowly lifted his legs off the bed. He started to stand, and Edgar quickly came to hold him when his legs wobbled. The worried look on the boy's face in front of him made him smile, and he managed to stand, trying his very best to ignore the throbbing pain in his head.
Edgar hesitantly stepped away from him to give him room to move, but before Silas could take a step forward, Edgar came back and took his arm over his shoulder. "Yeah, I thought I could let you walk on your own, but I had this strong feeling you were going to fall if you even lifted your right foot."
Silas stared at him confused then glanced at his foot to see it bandaged up. That made him frown because he couldn't remember when he had fallen. Was it when they were running over to this house or wherever they were? What was even with that dream?
"Did I fall?" he asked, his brows bumping together in a scowl. "What happened to my foot?"
"You broke it," He said as he led him towards the door.
For some odd reason, the door opened on its own, and Edgar pulled him out of the room. Silas realized he had to hop because the second he had tried to put his leg down, it had hurt. What confused him was the fact that he had put that same foot down not only minutes ago, and he hadn't felt any pain only the headache.
Now that he was actually thinking about it, other than his head and foot, his arm hurt and his side that was pressed against Edgar ached. Indeed, something was wrong with him.
"Edgar, my body hurts."
"Then you're finally waking up. We've got to get you to the throne room."
"Throne room?"
If Silas said he was confused, then it was an understatement for what he truly felt. Words like 'waking up', 'throne room', what did they mean? Why was he suddenly feeling exhausted as if he had been dragged around for a whole day? What was going on?
"Edgar, please tell me what is going on?" The desperation in Silas' voice only seemed to deepen the frown on Edgar's face.
"Your answers are with these people," he said just when the large door in front of them opened slowly, and a light shone brightly in front of them.
Standing in the midst of the bright light was a lady and two older men. The lady was tall but not as tall as the men. She was dressed in a black dress that stopped right under her knee and fitted her perfectly, showing off her curves. Her black hair was in a bun, and her stormy gray eyes stared back at Silas.
There was something about her he couldn't quite put his finger on, and it was the same to the other two men beside her. The one on her right stood tall and proud with silver hair that worked so well with his blue eyes. He was dressed in black save from the white inner shirt. There was something in his eyes and the way he stared that made him shiver.
The one on the lady's left seemed to be the only normal one beside the two. He had long brown hair with the sides shaved and similar grey eyes with the woman. Actually, the longer he stared, the more he noticed the similarity between them. The small nose, the oddly thin lips. The only thing that looked different was the shape of his face and his hair color. He had to be her son.
"They're still here?" The silver haired one said, his gaze narrowing on them.
The lady frowned and stepped closer to them. Silas immediately frowned when the lady stepped into his personal space and cupped his face. He wanted to snatch his face away from her hand, but his body was too weak to obey.
Until he felt it, almost like water pouring into an empty cup. He felt woozy as something flowed through his face, the spot where her fingers touched his skin. It drifted to his head before running down throughout his body. He had even closed his eyes unknowingly to hum into her touch it. It made him feel... relaxed somewhat.
It was until she stepped back that he noticed he was standing alone without Edgar's aid. His foot no longer ached and his headache was gone. Even his arm and the side that had hurt. It was all gone, and he felt full of energy, almost like a kid who had taken too much sugar.
Silas looked at himself, his arms and legs, everything was gone, including the bandages on his foot. He felt okay. But that only added to the questions that had already been piling up.
"How?" His voice sounded throaty, and he noticed how dry his throat was. "W-water."
The lady nodded then opened her hand in front of him. Silas watched, air leaving him as a glass cup manifested out of nowhere on her hand. She held it as water seemed to just fill it up then pushed it in front of him. "Drink up."
"No." He spoke up without hesitation. He quickly stepped away from her, fear and panic rising up faster when he saw Edgar still standing beside the lady.
Did he know her? Was he like her? What in god's name is going on?
"You should drink up, boy." Her voice was warm, reminding him of Benji but it was nothing like his. Hers had a stern yet warm tone to it.
"Let me do it," Edgar spoke up then took the cup from her. Silas had almost thought his hand would easily go through it, but it didn't. That glass was as solid has he was.
Edgar came close to him, and he quickly stepped away from the boy. Silas might have liked the kid the first day they met, but that didn't mean he trusted him, especially since they were in a situation like this. Edgar frowned and said, "You've got to drink up. When you drink, she'll explain."
Licking his lips with what little saliva he had, he gaped at Edgar and frowned. "How do you expect me to just drink it? It came out of nowhere."
"Drink it, Silas. At least if you don't trust her, trust me."
"You're saying that like I trust you." The second he said it, he regretted it because Edgar's expression changed. He looked pained as he stared at the glass cup.
Silas even froze at his words and wanted to correct himself, but he couldn't utter a sound before Edgar took the glass to his lips and took a good gulp of the water. Making use of Silas shock, he came up to him and pushed the cup on him. "Drink it now that you can see I didn't die."
Silas took the glass from him, mostly because if he didn't, it would ruin any chance he had in apologizing. Closing his eyes, he took a sip from it and frowned when nothing happened. What had he even expected?
"Finish it," Edgar told him then turned to the lady who finally smiled. Oh, how it looked awfully a lot like her son's. "Ma'am, can you now please explain to us what's going on?"
"Wait, you d-don't know?" Silas flushed when Edgar shook his head at him. He quickly looked away and frowned. "Sorry."
"Whatever." He brushed it off, not even looking at him, and it only pained Silas more.
"Sure. Let me just get the third kid."
Only seconds after she said that, the large door behind Silas and Edgar opened, and Benji ran through. He managed to stop in front of Silas, and he leaned down to rest his hands on his thigh as he panted fiercely.
"Oh m-my god!" he said between breaths. "This maze is a bloody mansion. Oh, fuck. I meant... Just switch maze and mansion okay?"
"It happens to intruders." The lady spoke up making Benji look up at her.
He managed to stand straight then tilted his head curiously at the woman. Silas watched him take in a deep breath then folded his armed over his chest. "What's going on?" His breathing had calmed down, and he seemed to have collected himself.
"That's good. Now that we're on the same page, I'll tell you what's going on. Miguel, take Wyatt somewhere else to talk about the new task."
"New task? But I just got back." Wyatt had to be the Lady's son, and he frowned at her. "I thought I was going to stay a little longer."
"Something's come up, kid." Miguel gave him a droll stare. "Mummy wants you to deal with it so quit your yapping and follow me."
"I really don't like you, Uncle." Wyatt rolled his grey eyes then gave his mother a look before leaving the room through a door Silas hadn't noticed.
In fact, he hadn't noticed a lot of things about the room he as in. The room was huge like a hall with paintings of different people hanging around. The light in it shone a beautiful, eerie golden glow that went well with the red aisle that led right to the throne that indeed sat at the top of the stairs. It wasn't like the famous throne from Game of Throne, but Silas wouldn't be surprised if he saw something like that in the series.
The ancient throne would have been normal if not for what looked to be a giant metal dragon that clung to the chair and its head looking down at the chair as if watching the person who would sit on it. Making a mental note to ask about it, he continued to scan the large painting just behind the throne. It was a man with really brown eyes that they almost looked black under the light. The man was looking away as if watching the painting right beside his and which was of the lady who stood in front of Silas.
The look on the man's eyes was of some sort of deep emotion even if it was unclear and he stared at the lady who looked back at him with a raised brow.
"You've been staring at that painting for a while." She said suddenly, earning his attention.
Silas blushed and looked away from her gaze. "It just looked very intriguing."
"Hmm thank you." She chuckled lightly and that only made Silas blush deeper. However, the air around them settled down, and Silas felt the seriousness making him stand straight. "Now, let's start with introductions."
"I'm Benjamin Larsson but call me Benji."
"Edgar Dessen."
"Silas Mock."
"Good. My name is Jenna LeConn, wife of the Supreme Lord and the White Witch of Uthor."
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A/n
I want to give a big thank you to ojclarke for her wonderful critic. You guys should check out her books. They are awesome.