Frustrated as he was, Alex had to admit that, for the first time, he and Malachai were on the same page. Knowing this, Alex composed himself and proceeded to catch up with Malachai. “Then I’m coming with you.”
“What?” Malachai retorted. “I don’t want you with me!”
“But you need me. You can’t do this by yourself.”
“You really think I need you?” Malachai snickered. “The Ravennites have gotten along perfectly fine without you here, and especially without the scum that came before you.”
Alex was on the verge of snapping. He was so sick and tired of Malachai’s attitude toward him. “Stop blaming me for what the Morennos did to you. I’m nothing like them!”
Sensing that he had been knocked unconscious once again, Alex opened his burning eyes. He was staring at the same mysterious vision he had seen before, but his mind was so dazed that he could not think anything of it. Just as before, he was looking at the shrouded figure of a man cloaked by a bright light in the distance. The man was holding the same massive, sword-like object. Alex remained motionless with a mixture of fear and curiosity running through his head as the vision repeated itself.“Who are you?” The echoing voice of the man spoke up again.This time, the vision did not end. At first, Alex thought the man was speaking to him, but suddenly he heard the sound of a woman's voice respond to him.“My grandfather’s grandf
Zak never moved from his spot. With Alex unconscious and Malachai gone, he had no choice but to wait for him to wake up. What they were going to do after that was unclear. If the Domineers were at the Iron Furnace, then they wouldn’t have a chance of saving their friends without Malachai’s help. Zak wanted all of this to end just as soon as the rest of them did.To his surprise, Alex woke up sooner than he expected. For a while, Zak was contemplating picking him up and hiking all the way back to the Citadel. Alex had woken in a brief fit of panic. He quickly sat up on the ground and looked around hastily for Malachai before realizing that he was gone. Alex caught his breath and saw Zak sitting against a tree adjacent to him, looking back at him silently.“What happened?” Alex asked, catching his breath and putting a hand to his forehead,
Malachai had told Alex that the Iron Furnace lay on the other side of the hill, but he did not expect it to be so literal. They had crawled through the snow to the edge of a sudden drop almost steep enough to be a cliff. The drop descended about thirty feet, and just at the bottom, they could see the beginning of a wall, built about a dozen feet high and wrapping around the valley in a huge circle.Alex examined the Domineers’ fortified camp. It was at least three times the size of the Ravennites’ destroyed outpost. There were torches lined all along the wall, just like the walls at the Citadel. Looking out, near the center and toward the left, Alex could see the large, rock tower that he assumed to be the Iron Furnace. Dozens of people could be seen walking all around the fortress. Along the wall bordering the hillside, a large structure was built that stretched halfway around, and a sho
On the level just below him, Malachai and Zak were still being led down the corridor by a small company of Domineers, both of their hands bound behind their backs. The whole time, Malachai was wiggling his arms around very subtly, hoping that their captors would not notice. Zak was scanning around and observing his surroundings. As he looked up at the ceiling of the hallway, he noticed something that caught his eye. Along the left wall, just under the ceiling, Zak thought he was looking at a long, thin rope suspended all the way down the corridor. He narrowed his eyes, wondering what it must have been for.The Domineers took them to the end of the hallway until they arrived at a closed sliding door that was guarded by two more men armed with swords. The Domineers escorting the two of them told the guards that they were taking them to their prison hold. As Malachai continued to shift his arms around,
Malachai continued to hold the Domineer guard at the point of his sword as he forced him to lead him and Zak through the complex. After some quick and convincing interrogation, they had learned from the guard that the Domineers rigged an impressive system formed by a series of rope tracks running throughout the structure. Along the way, the guard told them that the system was primarily used in the prison area to help keep the cells doors tightly secured so that their prisoners could not break out on their own. He proceeded to mention that the method of controlling the doors was by use of a lever planted beside each cell, but that they had also constructed a central hub where all the wire systems in the structure met and could be controlled from one place. That was where Malachai and Zak were forcing him to take them to.Though the two Ravennites were at a total loss for understanding of this seemingly adva
Above the post, in Robert Morenno’s quarters, the entire room began to shift and tilt forward. Robert and Alex struggled to keep their balance and fell to the floor as the room shifted to an angle leaning down toward the window. Alex looked from the window back over at Robert. He had taken a solid fall to his stomach, and Alex seized his opportunity.He jumped up, ran over, and snatched Rowan’s necklace out of his hand. “Thanks!” he called out and then ran for the window. He ducked and blindly vaulted himself out through it. With the new angle of Robert’s quarters, Alex found himself falling a little over fifteen feet and landing in the snow below. He grunted harshly as he landed on his back and the wind was briefly knocked out of him. He pulled himself up and looked around to see many of the Domineers rushing into the structure from the end at which he and the others had been
About two and a half dozen Ravennites charged into battle, but still the Domineers outnumbered them almost two to one. If it were not for the fighting skills of the Ravennites, then they would have stood no chance against their enemies. As Alex reached the chaos, he observed the others fighting with intense ferocity, and every minute that passed, the Domineers seemed to grow even more demoralized.He managed to spot Malachai in the center of the skirmish fighting off foes by the waves with both of his swords. He fought so mercilessly, shouting with fierce hate and slaying all in his path. The Domineers were dropping like flies and they knew it. From what Alex could see, only a handful of them were truly fighting back. These few appeared to be bigger and much more proficient fighters than the rest of them, so much so in fact that he watched them start killing Ravennites almost as fast as Malachai was
The sun was casting the red light of morning by the time the Ravennites finally made it back to the Citadel. The gates were pulled open fast as they passed over the natural bridge leading to the plateau, and upon entering, they were greeted by nearly all of their people within the Citadel’s walls.Alex immediately collapsed to his knees and struggled to catch his breath from all of the running. They had run for miles to make it back to the Citadel, breaking only a few times to breathe and for only seconds at a time. He was completely exhausted, especially considering he had gotten no sleep. He was just happy that their daring rescue mission had worked with minimum casualties. Nevertheless, Alex still felt himself reeling over the few Ravennites they did lose.Word reached Delmar like lightning of their return, and he hurried out of the tower to meet them.