Novel & Cerita The Newgate

I just hold up my phone and show him the single-time-use access code that Clyde sent last night, sealed by a black crest: a mountain peak under a silver moon. The guard’s face goes pale. He scans it with his own device, and it chimes as the gate unlocks. He steps back, his eyes full of fear. “Clear passage. Safe travels… Luna Coralina.” The gates swing open. The manor is ten minutes outside the border, nestled in the dark pines that belong to no pack, a neutral zone. It is elegant and formidable, built of dark stone. Above the monumental doors hangs the Nightfall Crest: a mountain peak under a sliver of moon.

I repeated, trying to sound calm. “Yes. The password,” he said, his gaze narrowing. “Oh… okay… where do I… put it in?” I asked, glancing around, utterly confused. He gave me that look again… the one that screamed what a crazy lady. “Say it there,” he said, pointing toward a small statue by the side of the gate. I turned to it. A little wolf figure, carved with sharp detail, almost lifelike, was by the gate. “LunarGate_13,” I said confidently.

I read it twice. Then I set it down and looked at my brother. "What," he said. "Someone came through the south gate an hour ago," I said. "On foot. No horse, no wagon, no visible travelling companion. The gate guard logged them as a single adult, unknown, requesting temporary residence access under the new governance structure's open-city provisions." I paused. "They gave a name. Calder, the gate guard's description is one adult, grey eyes, mark visible at the collarbone."

Elysia remains speechless and is rooted to the spot, listening to footsteps getting farther away and the sound of the parlor door being swung open. Although not everyone in the capital knows the existence of this palace gate, this one is certainly more popular and more useful among the palace staff and servants. Filth, trash, basically all unwanted things are rid off of this inconspicuous, small gate. Some refer to it ‘the small gate’. Others call it ‘the garbage gate’.

It was when he lost the woman he loved. "Everything I told you was true. This is a new type of gate and we just discovered it this week. But what we don't know is where you will be transported. This is the second time this type of gate appeared. The first was four days ago." The hunters started to whisper to each other. "Four days ago! Isn't that the same day the red gate incident happened?" "A lot of people died back then. We were so focused on that red gate that we didn't notice the new type!"

She shrugged apologetically. Doors, they all understood, closed doors that had an irresistible appeal to Esmee, she had to listen at the doors. Esmee laughed because she turned out to be such an open book. ‘What gates?’ Raven demanded. ‘Gate 31 and gate 2?’ Esmee knew. ‘Where are they?’ asked Maddie. ‘Two is located somewhere in North Holland and 31 in Utrecht near Dorestad,’ Rodolf knew. ‘And there was something about a crocus or something,’ Esmee said. ‘It sounded very, very important because Omems voice was an octave higher then usual, which means she was impressed.’

Maybe a bit of TV would help distract me. "...update on the developing story for tonight, we will switch to our on-site correspondent Ms. Gabi Hay." "Good evening Ted, and all our viewers. This is Gabi Hay currently reporting from outside the restriction zone of the Fault Line 45 just outside the Western Manila area where a confirmed Anomaly Gate materialized. The Gate was evaluated to be at Rank A-5 by the Anomaly Guard and as such was put on the Clearance List. Well, just three hours ago, we received information that a Freelancer was taking on the task solo, and he has just finished! A marvellous success, as expected from S-Rank Necromancer Jester Lee--"

*** Completely ignoring Mandy and Xynthia’s suggestions… Harvey arrived at the Newgate Chamber of Commerce the next day at ten o’clock. The place was located at the end of an old town street. An antique-looking building could be seen. The building seemed extremely robust. There was a large open area in front with a lot of shops around. And at the entrance of the antique-looking building, the name of the organization was hung on top with a broken sword on it. It was quite the fierce look. Harvey had already asked someone to look into the organization before he came.

That was a problem. “Oh, no. I’m sorry. Did they tell you anything at all about where you were supposed to meet them?” “No, Seth just called it a gate.” “The Gate?” Naomie repeated. “The Gateway? Oh. That won’t be hard to find. You can see that from miles away from Louis City. But I’ll look up the address on my phone and put it into your navigation system.” “Thanks,” Adam said, wondering how big this Gate was that you could see it from so far away. He had no idea what it might even look like, so how would he know he was seeing it?

Between them stands a pair of black wrought-iron gates, easily twelve feet high, their intricate metalwork as elegant as it is imposing. There is no sign, name or even a freaking mailbox. There’s nothing to suggest anyone lives beyond them. Just walls. High stone walls disappearing into the trees on either side until the forest swallows them whole. The Defender slows to a crawl in front of the gate, I search for a keypad, or an intercom. Maybe a freaking security guard. But there’s nothing, no one but then I hear it. A faint mechanical hum as my eyes center on a discreet camera, almost invisible against the weathered stone, pivoting toward us.