Blakeshire (Insight #9)(92)

“Tell me what you are trying to figure out.” Looking into his mind was pointless because I saw his perception, and that was more than confusing.

“I think you are the time keeper.”

“Of?”

“Of the seven. Through you, they know if the right war was fought.”

“What?”

“I think this is Landen and Willow,” he said, pointing to the oval that was nearly full.

“Why?”

“This means ‘fear,’” he said, pointing out a mark. “Donalt told you he was the King of Fear. Once they finish him, they’ve won.”

“Not according to Donalt.”

“You know he was delusional,” Aden muttered. “He said Xavier was shock; that is this oval.” He pointed to the one that was nearly empty. “Charlie and Draven are just starting their war.”

“Where is obsession?”

“Here,” he pointed to the one that had three notches left.

“Seven kings that must fall, and seven people or couples that will bring them down…and they have five shots at it,” I concluded.

“It says something here about an order. I can’t make it out.”

“All right, cool. I have a wicked locket. I want go through those back passages while everyone is distracted.”

“I’m getting to that,” he said as he turned a few pages. “This reads like a novel. A record of Horace.” He traced his finger over the words, then turned a few more pages. There, I saw a drawing. I could read that.

“Stairs,” I breathed.

“I told you the looking glass had nothing to do with your dream. I know for sure where this is. This is the oldest wing; floors have been added to it. What was at ground level is now floors below.”

“Yeah, well by ignoring you I got the heads up from Donalt about the explosion. So we are both winners last night.”

“Smart ass,” he muttered. “This isn’t in the main palace. It’s on the wings that shift out.”

“Seriously?” How was I going to get there?

“When water was dammed in the palace, they used it as some kind of symbolism for testing spirituality. The wing is actually made by nature. I bet it’s more like caves over there.”

“A test I apparently went through.”

“That is the only way a glass boat would make any sense—that is where most of the water was dammed and the only point where I know there are stairs and floors leading down. This has to be the place,” he said to himself.

I could see him imagining my dream along with the stories he had read, as well as the drawing of the palace he had seen. Apparently, Aden didn’t go to sleep when he left me last night. After he found his release on the drums, he went to find Perodine and they talked for hours. If it weren’t for Drake stopping time, I would say he had at best two hours of sleep last night.

“I think we can get here. And if I’m right about these words, this drawing, your original body may be frozen. This says something like blue sleep—that means ice. Unnatural ice, I think.”

“Let’s go.”

“I’m hiding these,” Aden said as he closed the book he was reading and took off toward his room.

I was pacing by the door when he came out. He had put a jacket on. “How are you cold?”

“Hiding this,” he said as he flashed a knife that was in a case strapped to his waist. “You need a coat. It’s going to be cold.”

“I’m fine. Let’s go.”

“Where is this anxiousness coming from?”

“I think I’m starting to feel anxiety—fear is coming back to me.”

“What did Blakeshire do to you?” he quipped.

“Don’t go there, violin boy.”

“Very funny,” he said as he opened the door.

We crept out into the hall. Aden leaned to the side to see if anyone was guarding the doors that led to this hall. Apparently, he couldn’t see anyone and I didn’t feel anyone.

When we reached the next doors, we found them unguarded.

“Must be helping with the explosion,” Aden noted.

I had no idea how an entire city had been evacuated in less than six hours. I just hoped it was and that Drake would be able to use whatever was meant to hurt him as a weapon instead.

Aden pushed through the door that led us to the dark stone passages. “We are going to have to cross the entire palace.”

There were torches hooked on the wall. Aden used the match next to them to light one.

“Look at you, Indiana Jones.”

“She’s full of jokes today,” he said with a playful glare. “Stay behind me.”

I felt like a rat in a cold, dark, damp maze. The stone passage would twist and turn, and at times there would be more than a few choices of turns to take. Aden seemed to hold the same direction each time. Even when we could not follow the path he wanted, he found a way for us to loop back.

He stopped for no reason. “You hear that?”

I heard rustling but didn’t care to think about it. I was sure it was a rat.

“Not evaluating sounds,” I said anxiously.

He glanced at me, and I could see the concern in his eyes. He knew like I did that I was running out of time. “This way.”