Page 29 of Darkening Truth
Despite the fact that I’m not getting any kind of warnings that they’re dangerous, or that I’m under threat.
My instincts are very rarely wrong. The spells on the door were also initially put in place in order to keep something out, not keep something in, I’m certain of that.
It seems that despite the situation that they find themselves in, they are dealing with it far better than most people would. There seem to be different areas in the big room, such as a sleeping area, a lounging area, and even a small area where some children are playing. So, although cramped, they have managed to divide the space fairly well.
There only seem to be three or four children, the rest of the supernaturals all appear to be adults of varying ages.
I’m surprised to see that there are also smiles and laughter, and I have to say that their obvious resilience is impressive.
As I watch them, scanning them rapidly, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing, they slowly begin to notice us.
It doesn’t take long until silence has fallen over all of them, their gazes watching us unnervingly.
“They haven’t seen anyone but each other for thousands of years,” the kid says.
I try not to jump, having completely forgotten that he was there.
“Wait, did you say thousands of years?” I ask incredulously.
Ignatius smiles sadly and nods, “Yes. You heard him right. We have been trapped down here for thousands of years.”
“How are you alive?” Zev asks. “There’s no one here that could be giving you things like food, water, or any of the necessary things to keep you all alive.”
“Unless we’ve somehow just missed them?” I muse. “But then again, that wouldn’t make much sense because the whole place screams abandoned.”
“There isn’t anyone here. You are the first people that we have seen since the battle that destroyed the realm and trapped us in here,” Ignatius replies. “The castle is keeping us alive, although even its vast reserves of magic are now starting to run low. We do not have much time left.”
“I’m so sorry,” I reply.
What he’s saying is that they have basically been given a death sentence, a very long and very drawn-out death sentence.
It’s a cruel way to die.
“Why are you in here?” Zev asks, his worried gaze scanning them all.
Ignatius smiles, “Believe it or not, we were put in here to keep us safe.”
“To keep you safe?” I ask even though he’s just confirmed what I was thinking.
He nods, “Yes. Our King, and the ruler of this realm, knew that it was the end, and he put us in here, guarding us with some of the strongest ancient spells he knew, in the hopes that we would be able to explain what happened here and pass on the knowledge when the time comes. He had a vision and told us that someone would come for us. We had no idea that it would take this long.”
“If the spells he used were ancient to you, then that would mean that they are aeons old to us,” I say, awe and shock in my voice.
“Your king didn’t survive the war?” Zev asks.
Ignatius shakes his head, looking sad, which is all I need to know about the kind of person the king that once ruled this realm was.
“No. To my knowledge, no one did. I don’t know how you are here, this realm is locked down, it’s dying. There was nothing around us, nothing outside of this door, and yet now I can see the hallway that once existed,” he replies with a heavily confused frown. Suddenly, his expression clears, “You’re not really here though, are you? You’ve travelled through a dream.”
I nod, “Yes, we did. Through my dream.”
His eyebrows rise, “My, my, you are very strong.”
“This place really exists, doesn’t it?” I ask. “This isn’t a simple dream.”
Ignatius shakes his head, “No, this place is real, although it is now desolate, reduced to nothing but a hunting ground. You are seeing it as it once was, not as it currently is. Even though the realm has been plunged into nothingness, there is still a very real threat that stalks the realm. The same threat that started all of this. No one could defeat it, the King tried and failed, and it has plenty in this realm to sustain it. It has already turned it into the ultimate hunting ground that seems like pure nothingness. It is the ultimate predator.”
I frown, my head spinning with all of the possibilities and mysteries.
