NOTICE: Due to getting published, chapters 27 onwards of A New Era have been removed from Wattpad. This is because of copyright reasons as well as Amazon guidelines.
The next time the corridor was empty Dominique pulled himself up into it. "Count to sixty," he told Akira, leaning down to where she still clung to the steel beam. "Then come up and go find the armor. The corridors should be empty, if not, I'm afraid you'll have to improvise." He pulled the camouflage sheet over himself and disappeared from Akira's view.
"Hurry as fast as you come. I'll try losing them within three minutes tops or I'll definitely get caught. If I'm not back, leave without me," his voice faded and Akira guessed that he was walking away.
She opened her mouth to ask him something yet decided against it. Instead she closed it again and began to mentally count in her head until sixty. By fifty she heard a distant shout. Tensing she got ready to jump up and yet instead she stayed put, hoping that everything was alright with Dominique. He was crazy to volunteer to get the Watcher's to chase him.
Upon reaching sixty Akira poked her head up to see that the corridor was abandoned. Whether it was because the guard was after Dominique or still walking his patrol elsewhere, she wasn't sure, but it was a risk she was going to have to take. Without further hesitation she pulled herself up into the corridor, relief filling her aching arms at not having to hold on anymore.
The shouts sounded again in the distance and Akira heard a flurry of footsteps. Ignoring them she threw the camouflage sheet about herself and swiftly moved down the corridor. At the first right she pressed herself up against the wall and glanced around the bend. Seeing the corridor abandoned she proceeded down it. When the corridor split again she paused to glance both sides. To the left she saw a Watcher disappear around the corner. Relieved that he had been going away from her and not coming towards her, Akira continued going straight. She came to the second turn left without incident yet paused at the corner to glance around only to swiftly withdraw her head.
Standing in front of the door at the end, the door through which Akira wanted to go, stood a lone Watcher. Obviously the shouting in the distance didn't seem to bother him, and that told Akira one thing. He was probably under the order to guard the door in front of which he stood at all costs.
Gritting her teeth Akira went through her options in her head. She was invisible to the human eye, but like Dominique had said, the Watchers had heat detectors that allowed them to still see her, or at least her body heat. She needed a distraction. Patting herself down Akira searched for something, anything. And then she felt it. Tucked into her sleeve was a small object.
Akira reached in and pulled it out, smiling as she felt the edge of the draco Dominique had given her the day before. It was perfect. Kneeling down gave the coin a kiss before taking a breath. Praying that this would work she placed the coin on its edge. She reached ever so slightly around the corner, hoping that the Watcher's eyes were looking up, and flicked the coin forward. Quickly she withdrew her hand, listening as the coin rolled, making a soft sound on the floor as it went towards the Watcher. Hearing a soft thump she knew that the coin had stopped and had fallen to its side.
Holding her breath Akira listened, her hand on the hilt of her sword as she drew it half way. Rewarding her seconds later was the sound of footsteps. She counted four steps before they stopped. Knowing that she had to act now or never Akira sprang into action. Discarding the camo sheet she stepped around the corner as swiftly and silently as possible, drawing her sword completely in one smooth move.
She took in the Watcher that stood bent over, picking up the coin. She sprang forward, her feet carried her right towards him. He noticed her before she reached him and straightened, his hand immediately going for a shocker that was strapped to his side. Yet he got no further as Akira reached him and lashed out with her foot, catching him in the chest, knocking the wind from him and sending him staggering a few paces back. He never got to recover as Akira followed up and hit him on the head with the hilt of her sword. He dropped like a stone, crumpling to the floor, out cold.
Surprised at how easy that was Akira sheathed her sword and bent over to pick up her draco. She smiled at the coin, satisfied at the job it had done, before pocketing it again. Next she proceeded to grad the Watcher between his arms and drag him towards the door that he had been guarding. She grunted, wondering at his weight, and yet somehow she managed to drag him a good distance before she stopped in front of a small door to the right, just before the one at the end.
If she was right that nothing had changed much in the academy, then this small door led to a small store room. Grabbing a hold of the handle Akira softly opened the door a crack before peaking in. A smile spread across her face as she caught sight of the baskets piled up. Opening the door fully she turned back to the Watcher and dragged him in.
She deposited him on the cold floor, making sure to relieve him of anything he carried that looked like a weapon. The pole like device and two small daggers she pocketed, the rest she hid amongst the baskets, not wanting to drag along the extra weight. Once done she left the Watcher and the room, closing the door firmly, before she turned to the large door at the end of the corridor.
This was it, the moment of truth. Akira took a breath as she walked up to the door and placed her hand on it. She knew that the room could possibly be guarded from the inside as well, and yet she had the feeling that if the armor was in there, then the council would not want anyone to know, not even the Watchers, and so they would be the only ones to enter it.
The handle turned easily in Akira's hand and the door swung open to reveal the interior. A fire place was to the right, a fire burning brightly in it to send a warmth through the room. A few nice cushioned seats stood around the fire, some more spread around a large oak table that stood the left. Soft lights lit up the room, not making it too bright but giving it a cozy glow. A thick reddish brown carpet covered the floor, giving it a look of luxury and warmth at the same time. A bookshelf stood to the far side, filled with what looked like ancient scripts, one of which was laid open on a stand nearby, as though someone had recently been reading it.
Akira stood, wondering if she was in the right room for a moment. Yet she was sure it was the right one. Though it had changed, and looked different, the room itself was still the same size. She looked at the fire place to see the chipped cornerstone and smiled. Gina had chipped it by mistake when she had waved her sword about in anger in protest at Haiden's forces latest attack. When she had chipped the stone Brandon had proceeded to ban swords being drawn in the room.
Pushing the memory aside Akira let her eyes wonder on in search of the one thing she came for, yet something caught her eyes and her attention was diverted to the oil paintings that hung on the walls. They were paintings of people and of dragons. Yet it was one painting in particular on which Akira's eyes were glued. It was a painting that hung to the right of the room. A painting which hung beside a red curtain that stretched across the entire room, hiding the back end.
It was the painting of a majestic white dragon, wearing armor and all. He was standing, his head lifted proudly as he seemed to be staring directly at Akira from the canvass with yellow eyes that looked all too real.
"Redemption," Akira whispered in awe as she walked towards the painting as though in a trance. The painting looked so real Akira could swear that Redemption would jump out from it at any moment. The artist had captured her dragon to the exact, not missing one detail of either the dragon of the armor he wore. Akira reached stretched out her hand and carefully traced a finger down Redemption's back, outlining his form with her fingers.
Still filled with wonder she turned to look at the red curtain that covered the back of the room. Akira wondered why it would be here and what was behind it. That was when she noticed the yellow cord that hung beside the painting within an arm's reach. Slowly she reached her hand out and took a hold of it. Ignoring the sense of forbidding she felt, she pulled it.
The curtain flew to the side to reveal what was behind it. The blood drained from Akira's face and she stood frozen to the spot as she stared at what had been revealed. Before her, stood a large, lifelike, dragon skeleton. Upon the ancient bones was fitted an armor that shone, and armor that Akira knew all too well.
Yet it was the skeleton that had Akira's attention. She did not see the armor, she did not care about it. For at this very moment, she was staring at the skeleton of non other than the dragon of legend, Redemption.
It got hard to breath, her heart felt like was breaking as she realized that here in the future, Redemption was indeed dead. He existed only in the past, her past. And now in the future, his skeleton was displayed inside a room. Why? Tears filled Akira's eyes. Why was her dragon's skeleton propped up like an ornament when it should have been buried in the ground to return to dust, alongside her own body? Dragon and rider were always buried together. Keeping their skeletons was not even an option, it was considered a disgrace not to be buried. Did the council of the future have no morals anymore what so ever?
Akira heard the flurry of footsteps behind her, yet she did not move. She heard a shout, yet she stayed frozen, her eyes still on the skeleton of her protector, her brother, her friend, the dragon who had brought her back from the verge of death, who had risked his life to save hers, the dragon who had chosen her to be his rider.
"Ree," Akira whispered in a broken voice as a tear trickled down her check.
"Akira!" the fact that her name had been called didn't even register with her. The footsteps were right behind her, they sounded hurried.
"They're right behind me, I couldn't lose them!" Dominique skidded to a halt behind her, his camouflage sheet missing. "Whoa," he exclaimed in awe as he stared at the skeleton. "Is that...." he never got to finish as he heard the footsteps coming from some distance behind him. "Akira, we have to go NOW!" Dominique told her urgently. He rushed towards the skeleton and plucked a piece of armor that had been covering the front left foot, and tucked it under his cloak, attaching it to the belt around his waist.
He turned to go, and yet when he realized that Akira wasn't with him he turned back. He took in her frozen form, the agony on her face and the trail the tear had left when it had trickled down her check. Gritting his teeth he hurried up to her and grabbed her by her shoulders.
"Akira," he told her through gritted teeth. "Snap. Out. Of. It!" he shook her as he spoke. "We have the armor, now let's get out of here!" When she still didn't move he decided that he had no choice but to use another method. "Do you want Redemption back or not?" he asked, wincing as he thought that it was cruel to lead her on. Yet it worked and Akira blinked, looking at him as though seeing him for the first time.
"Let's go," Dominique told her as they both rushed towards the door together. They ran down the corridor, turning the corner to go back the way they had come, yet they both skidded to an abrupt halt when they saw the three Watchers rushing towards them from that direction.
"Do you know of any other escape routes?" Dominique asked urgently as he pulled his tube forth and turned it into a rod. He wondered what on earth had made him not think of a way to get out and hoped that Akira at least had some idea, for he was sure that improvising wouldn't work in this situation.
"This way," Akira told him. She turned and rushed into another corridor, Dominique followed close at her heels, ducking just in time to avoid a blast from a shocker. It looked like the Watcher's had drawn their weapons.
"There's a window," Akira told Dominique as they ran and turned into another corridor.
Dominique nodded, understanding what she meant. "Breeze?" he thought, hoping his dragon had stuck by in the area.
"Yes," the answer was immediate and Dominique felt relieved.
"I need you to fly around the top of the academy again."
"May I ask why?" Breeze asked.
A Watcher appeared in Akira and Dominique's path, a shocker aimed at them, all ready and charged. He shot the blue ball at Akira and Dominique, yet Dominique was ready. He raised his pole and hit the ball of electricity square on, sending it flying back to hit the Watcher and knocked him unconscious. He smiled wryly of how he thought of how many times that move had come in handy.
"We're going to jump," he informed his dragon as he followed Akira around another corner.
"Oh boy," was his dragon's reply.
"Almost there," Akira gasped. Both she and Dominique were aware of the growing number of Watcher's behind them, yet both tried to ignore it, concentrating on the target ahead.
Another Watcher suddenly appeared ahead of them aiming a shocker. Dominique got ready to try the same tactic again yet before he had a chance Akira smoothly unsheathed her sword. She didn't slow down but instead increased her pace to take the lead. The Watcher aimed the shocker and shot it, yet Akira ducked, letting it fly overhead. Dominique dodged it to, hoping that it would hit one of the Watcher's following them.
He watched in awe as Akira smoothly wielded her sword and cut the shocker in half before her fist slammed into the Watcher's face, knocking him unconscious. Had their situation been any different Dominique would have stopped to gawk, yet as it was, he could do nothing but continue running. Jumping over the Watcher's body and follow he followed Akira around the next corner to see the window at the end of it.
It was there, just as Akira said it would be, and Dominique couldn't help but wonder once again if maybe, just maybe there was something to her story. In front of him Akira sheathed her sword as she ran, heading straight for the window. Dominique followed, telling his burning legs that he just needed to go a bit further.
That was when it happened. He didn't know why, or how, but somehow Dominique tripped. He went crashing to the ground, the force of impact making him lose the grip on his pole, and it went flying from his grasp to a few meters in front of him. In his head Dominique knew that even if he got up now, he wouldn't make it, the Watcher's behind him were to close. Sure enough, when he turned his head to look behind he saw the Watcher's rushing around the corner.
He turned his head back to look at Akira, hoping that at least she would make it. Yet he watched as she realized that he was no longer with him. She was meters from the window when she whirled around and took the situation in in once glance. Seeing Dominique on the floor, the Watcher's right behind him and his pole out of his reach, her expression turned grim.
"Go!" Dominique shouted hoping desperately that she would listen. She didn't.
Akira rushed towards him, away from the window, drawing her sword once again, determination in her eyes. Yet she wouldn't make it to Dominique before the Watcher's, and she knew it. Dominique turned to see the Watcher's had slowed down somewhat, triumph in their eyes as they approached him.
"Dominique!" Akira yelled.
Dominique snapped his head around just in time to see the object that Akira tossed at him. His hand shot out and he grabbed it. It was a shocker. How Akira had gotten a hold of it he didn't know, and he didn't both to try and figure it out. Instead he pressed the button to set the charge off and turned, aiming it at the approaching Watchers. Assured that they had had their victims none of the Watcher's had planned to charge their shockers, and so they could do nothing but try to scramble out of the way as Dominique released the blue ball of electricity right at them.
It hit the closest Watcher square in the chest. His whole body shook with the charge for a moment before he crumbled to the ground. Realizing that they were fine, the rest of the Watcher's charged.
Dominique leaped to his feet. He saw Akira scoop up his pole out of the corner of his eyes and he held out his hand, catching the pole as she threw it and raising it just as the first Watcher was upon him, and blocked a blow to his head. The next moment Akira was beside him, pushing a Watcher back with her sword and ducking to avoid a blue ball that proceeded to go right through the window behind her.
"Don't tell me that just came from you guys," Dominique heard his dragon's voice in his mind as he ducked to avoid a blow.
"Unfortunately," Dominique thought in reply.
"Get out of there!" Breeze told him sounding tense.
Dominique didn't reply as ducked again. He glanced up to see Akira's sword swing over him and hit an unfortunate Watcher that was in the way.
"The window!" Akira shouted.
Dominique nodded. He stood up and kicked a Watcher back before he turned and ran for the window. He knew that with his back turned he was most likely going to get hit by a shocker at any moment and yet if he could just make it to the window it wouldn't matter.
Akira pushed two Watchers back, they were all more weary of her because of her sword, before she followed Dominique right at his heels. Yet she didn't get far when she felt something collide with her back and she felt a searing pain rip through her. Her sword clattered from her hands and she fell to her knees. For a moment she felt herself back in the past, back in the moment when Haiden's fire ball had engulfed her. She felt the same burning sensation, the same panic, the same feeling of helplessness as she could not even open her mouth to scream. She knew there was only one explanation. She must have been hit with a shocker.
Her world swam and through her blurred vision she saw Dominique come to a halt and turn around. She saw his eyes widen in horror and she knew that there was a Watcher right behind her. Her heart sank as she realized that escaping twice in a row from this situation was unlikely. Her eyes roamed down to the piece of armor she could see peaking from beneath Redemption's cloak and her heart skipped a beat. If Dominique got away there was still hope. He had to get away, and she had to help him. Gritting her teeth against the pain Akira reached for her sword.
"Akira no!" Dominique yelled realized what she was about to do.
"Go!" Akira replied as she whirled around, her sword raised. Her eyes widened as she saw the blue bolt moments away from her. Seconds later it hit her. The pain she had felt before was nothing compared to this. Akira's hand tightened painfully on her sword as all her muscles seemed to tighten and cramp mercilessly. Someone grabbed her by her hair and pulled her to her feet, wrenching her sword from her hand.
Yet the pain would not keep Akira from fighting and she struggled, turning around to see that Dominique was still there, getting ready to rush to her aid.
"GO!" Akira yelled again as she struggled against her captors. "Leave!" she yelled. Her eyes met Dominique's. "You have to get Redemption," she shouted him. "Please, go!"
Dominique looked at her helplessly. He knew that if he went back to help her he too would get caught, yet he didn't want to leave Akira, not in the hands of the council. His eyes met hers one last time before he did something that he would take a long time to forgive himself for. He left.