Armageddon

“There is no coming back from that path, ya can’t just go without any thought to those ya leave behind. Think clearly. Only the chosen King can return!”

She meekly tried to push him off, her eyes fixated on the ever-stretching hallway. “You don’t understand, this is my path. The path I’ve chosen. I must go.” She stepped forward and Jaya ripped her back.

“They are only doing this to keep ya silent!” He barked in her face, his eyes furious and raging. She blinked several times at him, the truth to his words painful to hear.

Her lip quivered and she lowered her gaze, unable to look at him any further. “Tiana is an open channel to the other side. As we speak, I can feel how confused and angry she is. I think she’s arguing with herself. She’s surrounded by a lot of Fates, some dating back to the very beginning.... Oh...” Her skin tone went slightly white. “Some are looking at me... I’ve never seen them so hostile...” Slowly she slid to the floor. Jaya lowered himself with her.

“Don’t anger them,” he whispered, concerned for her safety. A tear slid down her cheek and she closed her eyes.

“Tiana knows you’re here; she won’t return this way. She knows other ways of coming to our plane from that side.”

He jerked slightly, bewildered. “How does she know other ways? This is the only passage.” Cleo looked away from him, her mouth thin and closed tight.

At that moment a gust of wind came from the end of the hallway, which seemed much closer than ever before. With the gust, a groan that rumbled through the building, hundreds of whispers cried out for all to hear, “Save our sister.”

“Oh, Tiana...” Cleo gasped, gripping Jaya’s wrist tightly. The air on his arms stood up as he studied the hallway before them carefully. “She’s returned here, to save that Human. She’s going to battle against Vladimir.”

“That won’t end well,” Jaya grumbled. “He’ll lock her in his bedroom for the rest of her life.”

The black-haired Princess frowned. “He’s always gotten his way. This will be good for him.” She set her resolve and gave the Orc a hard look. “We will help her; he can’t always get his way. Come on,” she stood up quickly and began walking down the path. Jaya stood with her and folded his arms across his chest.

“You forget who I am,” It wasn’t a question.

She turned to look back at him, her eyes trailing over him. An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. “No, I know exactly who you are. You are exactly what we need: an inside man. Now come along.” She continued her way.

Jaya’s shoulders slumped as he watched the slim female walking away from him. Her white gown swept along the cobblestone passage, her long black hair dancing along with the fabric against her lower back. Something about her was nearly transparent, nearly haunting. He wondered just how long she’d been like that.

“I hate royals,” he grumbled, following her.

Tia’s pink paws carried her through the walls of the palace, her dark eyes full of wonder as she scurried about. A few other rats she came across regarded her curiously, but she quickly moved on. She had to find Michael.

Somehow, she seemed to have lost an entire day, with little to no memory of what happened. He would be murdered tonight if she did not save him.

A pair of gossiping maids caught her off guard. They huddled together just on the other side of the wall she was passing. Though she couldn’t see inside, it smelled delicious. She assumed they were preparing for the festivities.

“Did you hear Prince Vladimir might cancel tonight’s events?”

“What? That’s absurd. Just because Lady Tiana won’t come down from her What a spoiled Human.”

“No, I heard Rosie crying about it! She’s gone, she’s runoff. He can’t find her anywhere,”

“Oh, the poor Prince. He can fight for my hand in marriage any day!” She sounded determined.

A male voice now joined the fray. “Stop your gossiping, there’s too much work to do.”

“Yes, Sir!” They called out together.

Tia sniffed and hesitated once more before continuing her way. The gray fur across her body rippled as an internal struggle took place. She turned back around only to turn around again; she wanted to try to talk to Vladimir again but knew he wouldn’t listen.

A long and dark tunnel took her down into the underground beneath the palace, where the smell of blood and rotting flesh caused her to hesitate. The smell was Human. She found a little hole in the wall and gently poked her head through it.

The room was oddly clean for the smell that lingered. The instruments on the walls were used to inflict pain. In the center of the dreary room stood a blonde-haired Human she’d only met once before. Her heart leaped for joy. His cold gaze regarded a large beast that walked past him. She eyed him, too, as he silently made his way to a desk by the only door. She looked back at the boy, Michael, noticing he was unhurt and wearing clean clothes.

“You seem livelier today, beast.” He called out coldly. “Are you feeling up to talking to me? I’ve only had the one visitor since I came here and frankly, I didn’t care for him,”

His arrogance hadn’t changed. She scurried down the wall and hesitated below a shelf, eyeing the beast. She’d never encountered his race before. His frame took up the entire side of the room. He hunched his shoulders just to be able to move, his head sagging. She noticed he had no ears, but her enhanced sight saw two very small holes. She wondered if he could hear Michael taunting him at all.