Beneath the Forever Tree
577 Words
The ancient oak tree stood proudly in the center of Kingsley Estate.
Rain poured over its enormous branches, just as it had on the day Adrian Kingsley planted it decades earlier.
Hope stared at the blueprint.
Her grandfather had circled the exact spot where the tree stood.
«The Third Key sleeps beneath my greatest promise.»
She looked at Alexander.
"We have to get there first."
Alexander nodded.
"And Damien knows it."
Another explosion echoed through the estate.
Marcus burst into the library.
"The eastern security line has fallen!"
"They'll reach the gardens in less than three minutes."
Hope folded the blueprint and slipped it into Adrian's diary.
"Then we don't have three minutes to waste."
---
Hidden beneath the mansion, Ethan led Lily, Grace, Noah, and several staff members into the reinforced panic room.
The thick steel door sealed shut behind them.
Grace looked at Ethan.
"Hope stayed behind."
Ethan nodded.
"I know."
"You should have stopped her."
A faint smile crossed Ethan's face.
"Have you ever tried stopping a Kingsley when they've made up their mind?"
Noah laughed despite everything.
"She's exactly like Grandpa."
---
Outside...
Hope, Alexander, Marcus, and two security officers sprinted through the rain toward the oak tree.
Gunfire echoed from the front of the estate.
Damien's men were getting closer.
Marcus pointed toward the garden wall.
"There!"
Three masked intruders climbed over the stone fence.
"They've spotted us!"
Alexander drew the compact pistol he had taken from one of Raven's guards.
"Marcus!"
"Protect Hope."
"I'll slow them down."
Before Marcus could argue, Alexander disappeared behind a marble fountain.
Moments later...
The sound of gunfire erupted.
Hope wanted to turn back.
Marcus grabbed her arm.
"He knows what he's doing."
"You have to reach the tree."
---
Hope dropped to her knees beneath the massive oak.
The rain had softened the earth.
Marcus handed her a small shovel from the emergency equipment stored nearby.
She dug quickly.
One foot.
Two feet.
Nothing.
The sounds of the battle grew louder.
One of the security officers shouted,
"They're almost here!"
Hope refused to stop.
She remembered Adrian's words.
«My greatest promise.»
Suddenly...
Clang!
The shovel struck metal.
Marcus knelt beside her.
"You found something."
Together they cleared away the remaining soil.
A small bronze chest emerged from beneath the roots.
Its surface bore Adrian's initials.
Hope brushed away the mud.
Unlike the previous boxes...
This one had no lock.
Only a handprint carved into the lid.
Alexander's voice suddenly echoed across the garden.
"Hope!"
She looked up.
Five Raven soldiers were charging toward the tree.
Alexander was retreating, injured but still fighting.
"Hurry!" he shouted.
Hope placed her palm against the bronze handprint.
For a moment...
Nothing happened.
Then...
Click.
The chest opened.
Inside lay a crystal key unlike anything Hope had ever seen.
It shimmered with faint blue light despite the darkness.
Beside it rested another letter from Adrian.
Hope unfolded it with trembling hands.
Only one sentence was written inside.
«Never let the fifth founder hold all five keys.»
Hope's eyes widened.
The fifth founder.
Whoever that person was...
Adrian had feared them more than Raven itself.
Before she could say a word...
A single gunshot echoed across the garden.
Alexander staggered.
Hope screamed,
"Alexander!"
He fell to one knee, clutching his shoulder.
From the shadows, Damien Blackwood slowly emerged, holding a pistol.
He smiled as he looked at the crystal key in Hope's hands.
"Thank you."
"You've just found it for me."
- Writer
