Herma walked into the room wearing a frown holding her waist like she was being chased, while two guards walked behind her.
Isadore scoffed folding her arms. "Enlighten me about the rank in this institution".
"I thought she was a chef". Rachel muttered.
" I believe You all know the consequences of breaking into a restricted sect". She smirked almost immediately after frowning.
They all looked at her with disgust, that Rachel covered her mouth when she felt like puking. She looked better frowning.
"Arrest them". She ordered the guards. But they stopped in their tracks when they heard a voice behind them.
"What is all this fuss about?".
His voice cut through the moment, deep, gravelly and slow. Though aged, it carried weight. It wasn't loud, there was a calm command in it.
It was the Master of Andoths.
He was a tall old man with full white long beards, white as snow that rested well on his chest. Though bending, his height still measured up to 7fts. He supported his balance with a wooden walking stick, weary and woven like branches of ivy. It looked ancient with a green emerald on the handle. Yet his grip was strong and firm.
They all froze, the sound of his walking stick etched into their souls, one ne could feel it's power. As he walked, his long red robe swept the floor till he stopped few inches from them. He looked at them with squinted eyes, his pale face full of wrinkles.
Herma stood at attention, lowering her head.
"Master, these four mischievous disciples broke into the sect and even knocked out the guards at the entrance ".
She paused to look at the Master but lowered her head almost immediately. His presence alone was too intimidating.
"The document sect has long been restricted to disciples. By breaking in, I believe you are aware of the consequences of your actions". His voice was cold, their fate had already been decided.
He left the room immediately, returning back to his chambers. He had heard noises from the document sect on a walk round the institution.
"Lock them in the dungeons".
Herma ordered. Her voice loud, with a hint of excitement. Her mood changed immediately the Master left the room.
In the dungeons...
Tyra sat down on the cold floor hitting her head slightly in the wall. She remembered the punishment for breaking into restricted areas. And that of the document sect was worse.
They were to fight a Skornak, an ancient creature of battles in the past. Andoths was an institution for learning with a past of a battlefield, built on the bones and blood of men that died on the battle ground. It housed ancient animals and creatures of magic locked in enchanted cages, only released during tournaments or used to punish offenders.
Andoths was also feared by people because of its origin and rumoured to give brutal punishments for even the smallest offences.
Rachel kept pacing back and forth in the cell. She bit her fingers so hard that they bled. Her hands were shaky, she was trembling.
Isadore watched her from a corner. Her pacing and shaky breaths distracted her from thinking. She walked up to her and held her shoulders tightly. Rachel jerked looking into Isadore's eyes, her eyes were already teary.
"Breathe Rachel, everything will be alright".
She hugged her.
"How Isadore? We won't live to see the end of tomorrow. I can't just...". She panicked.
Tyra watched them while sitting, she closed her eyes blaming herself for getting into trouble.
"I'm Gwaine by the way".
He broke the silence in the room. They had forgotten that the other intruder was also arrested with them.
Isadore scoffed. "Who cares?". She looked at him with disdain.
"You are the reason we are locked up in the dungeons, preparing to fight a creature we have never seen tomorrow ". She said pointing her fingers.
Gwaine took a step forward.
"Quit pointing fingers miss. I was quiet till your friend decided to chase after me ".
"Are you trying to claim innocence?".
"I am not trying, I know for a fact that I am ".
"Are we just going to keep arguing till we lose our lives?".
Tyra said, ending the argument. Her voice low.
Gwaine sighed. "I might know how to fight this creature".
They all looked at him in doubt. His words contradicted his physique. Rachel wiped her tears, she almost burst into laughter.
He ignored their gazes. "A Skornak is a creature of magic and can only be killed by magic".
"So, how does that help?" Tyra cocked her brow.
"Offenders are usually given a chance to practice before a tournament...".
Rachel cut him off, her voice still shaky.
"What is the point of practicing when they know they will be killed nonetheless? Our fate isn't any different from theirs".
"There is hope for us, trust me ".
Rachel wanted to believe his words. She bit down on her bottom lip staring at him with wandering eyes, searching for even the littlest of hope.
There was few seconds of silence between them as they stared at each other till Tyra cut through the moment. "And how do we win over this creature?".
He turned away from Rachel. "During our practice, I can sneak into the inner vault in the training hall. It has...".
He paused when a guard passed through their cell then whispered. "There is a relic- an enchanted spear that can kill the creature ".
" Do you think we would be left alone in the training hall? We would be watched by guards". Tyra said panicking. It was too risky and almost impossible.
"I know for a fact that we would be locked in with the guards outside the hall. There is a secret passage way to the vault, I could easily sneak in". He tried convincing them.
"And if we are not successful, what happens?". Rachel asked, this time with tears in her eyes. She had imagined the cruelty of the tournament the next day and concluded that they were going to die. Even Gwaine's words couldn't console her.
Gwaine hesitated. He had been optimistic about the tournament but Rachel's question brought him back to a very possible reality. He was quiet, he couldn't find the right words.
He sat down on the single spring mattress covered in white sheets. His stared at the small window in the cell, in deep thoughts. He had never been this scared.
........
The next morning...
The rusted prison gates creaked open, awakening the offenders. It was time to practice,they thought.
Rachel's eyes were swollen from crying a lot at night. Tyra had eyebags, she couldn't catch a wink of sleep from thinking.
Whereas Isadore slept. She wasn't one to be easily convinced but she somewhat had little faith in Gwaine's words. She believed that it wasn't in their destiny to die early, not now.
They were pulled out of the dungeons, each by a guard. But one thing changed.
They were not heading in the direction of the training hall but towards the field, where tournaments were held.
They could hear the sound of people cheering and screaming from a distance. But soon became muffled sounds as they faced reality.
Was this the end?