A Warrior's Dance

XXXIV – A Way Out

Sanne’s footsteps were light as she sneaked herself into the back kitchen, making sure no sound ticking her heels. Quiet as a cat, as what her father reminded her as she practiced her sword skills back in the island. Underneath the black robe she wore, her heart beat heavily, anxious to get caught. The moment she reached the back door toward the kitchen, a hand grabbed her, a massive hand placed on her mouth. The next thing she knew, she was being dragged away, her feet dangling as the man hold her to his chest, taking her away.

Sanne bit the hand that her shut, swearing to fight this time.

“Oof!” A gasped echoed, the man releasing her, obviously not expecting her to bite. But before the girl could put distance between them, the man caught her again, pressing her to the wall. “Let’s not do that again, m’kay?”

Sanne’s eyes grew wide. She had met the man before and knew at once he was a high ranking official. A commander. Dang. She knew escaping the kingdom was hard but she did not anticipate to be caught that fast.

Commander Riz Bon hushed her, his eyes cautious. “I am under an order to sneak ‘ye out the castle. Lady Rainlee’s words.”

Could she trust him? Wasn’t he just plotting to turn her to the guards and locked her up?

“Said she owed you. And that you should keep the moonstone, or somethin’ like that.”

Relief washed over her as she heard him say that. Sanne nodded her head. “I need to meet the other ladies- “

“No time for that, missy,” Commander Riz Bon cut her in. “The castle guard already knew you will flee through the back kitchen.” He angled his head to the opposite direction, going to the White Tower’s dungeon. “Must go this way.”

“But, sire,” Sanne tried to plead. “I can’t abandon them. We must tell them.”

“No time for that,” he whispered, getting impatient, as the girl held her stand. “Ye must go, far from this kingdom.”

“Where should I go?”

Riz Bon grabbed her arm, this time more gentle, and urged her to follow her tracks. “Shouldn’t ye know already where ye should go?”

Just then, Sanne realized that the commander would be leading the kingdom’s aid to fight the sea serpent. “Can I go with you, sire? I know you are part of the aid going to River Lights for the battle.”

The tunnel they were passing through was so dark that Sanne could not tell which way was right. If not for the commander’s hand tagging her, she would probably got lost by now.

“Not takin’ a girl to battle,” he said immediately. “And besides, we ain’t going in River Lights, missy. Our journey will be to another place.”

“Please, sire, take me with you,” she said, firmly gripping his hand. “I won’t be of nuisance. I know how to fight. I know how to navigate on the sea.”

A chuckle echoed as they continued their way out. “Nah, ye can’t, silly. A White Tower’s maiden knew nothing of that.”

Sanne wasn’t one to back out immediately. Her father called her hard-headed for a reason. “Believe me, I know of it! I was raised in an island far from here and it’s in my nature to learn those things.”

“Look, what we will do and where we will go are not something ye can give up along the way once ye realized how hard it will be. This ain’t a game. Kids shouldn’t be part of such violence, I tell you. I’m not one to strip innocence to a missy.”

Just then, Sanne felt her cheeks hot, her other hand balled into fist. “I may look a kid to your eyes, commander, but believe me when I say my innocence had already been stripped away from me. I know the pain of a torment and learned to live through it on my own. You must know that kids are not always innocent. Sometimes, we’ve seen more that what you have seen, and experienced more what you have endured.”

That silenced the commander. He kept his mouth on a hard line, suddenly digesting her words. Something in her made him think his words twice, wondering who she was and what torment she had endured. One thing the commander was sure, though.

The girl was clever.

***

Darkness filled the surrounding as rain poured heavily to the ground. Raiden and Estelle were drenched in rain but they didn’t seem to mind. They rode a plain wooden raft, courtesy of Raiden’s hard work, and navigated the glittering river until they reached the end. They stopped as they saw a tall lone silver gate floating in the water, as if touching the sky, no walls on both side, nothing to barricade the whole island from an outsider.

“That’s the River Light’s gate,” Estelle said, her voice hoarse. From where they were, she could tell the island looked abandoned, no sign of breathing thing.

Raiden’s brows furrowed. “I’m guessing that their walls are invisible to human eyes, am I right, Estelle?”

The woman nodded her head, staring at the closed gate. “And invincible as well.”

Estelle suddenly reached her hand to the water, subtly shaking, as if afraid of what she was about to learn. She submerged her fingers to the waters. Just then, they felt a vibration and the witch snatched her hand up instantly, horror reflecting in her eyes.

“What is it? What happened, Estelle?” Raiden asked, focusing his attention to the woman. He had a gut feeling about what was happening, and it wasn’t a good one.

“We’re late,” she whispered. She paddled in haste, her green eyes pinned to the silver gate. Her cheeks warmed at the odd sensation of fear marching in her stomach. For the first time in her existence, she was scared.

When they neared the gate, Raiden felt his heart drummed, hearing a voice calling out to him. The voice was familiar, but he couldn’t place who it belonged to. Estelle touched the silver gate and it opened easily, no guard standing to halt them. She led Raiden to the wooden bridge and the once beautiful colorful vines embracing the side wood had withered away, rotting with the rest of the flowers. They wandered more, observing the place, noticing that it looked more like a ghost town than a magical land. The green grasses and the shrubs were already withered, the rich soil dried to the very core. There were no chirps, no buzz, no sign of life at all.

Raiden swallowed. The kingdom turned into a dark pit. It met its doom.