Welcome To Mystery - Dana Smith (read e book .TXT) 📗

by Alex’s answer.
"no." he replied bluntly. Like he didn't want to think about it.
"Heart breaking isn't it?" Zitora said sarcastically, "you need me, and my people will gladly follow." she grinned, she looked about 20, and Alex knew that grin, it was the same as his brothers used to be, at the time when he though everything was a just a thrilling game.
"How many?" he asked, getting interested.
"Two thousand." Addie didn't care where these people came from; it was a useful addition to their army if they wanted to win.
"They good?" Alex asked
"The best." Cane Zitora's reply as she gave her best grin.


8 – The Revolution

Adeline


It was a secret hide out. Of course it was.
After entering through a hidden door at the side of Thunder Mountain and following Zitora through a complex sequin of tunnels, the group finally came out into what looked like a training hall. Archers were at one end, sword training at the other, and hand to hand combat to the right. There were also a lot of other techniques being used that Addie didn't recognise. Zitora led them confidently through the vast sea of warriors. Some turned to look at the passing visitors; Addie gave each a timid smile, of which none were returned to her.
The next room was separated by a curtain hanging in the door way, creating some privacy for the people who were sat at the tables. There was a pile of fruit in a plain metal bowl from which Zitora swiftly grabbed a red apple from and took a large bite. She sat at one of the tables and the others following her lead more slowly.
None of them said anything as Zitora placed the apple down on the table and swallowed what was left of it. She leant forward in her chair and placed her elbows on her knees. She looked at each one in turn, expecting them to say something. When none of them did she smirked, obviously amused by their reactions.
"This, my friends." she motioned to her surroundings "is The Revolution."
"The Revolution?" Addie asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, all my followers are people who escaped from Metrix, and a few from Necrisia, who didn't want to follow the current ruler. Instead we have all came together to fight against them." Zitora explained.
"Rain." Alex sighed as he starred into the distance, his eyes glazing over as he remembered the past.
"Speaking of the devil." Zitora stood abruptly, "I have something to show you." she said especially to Alex, who also stood, ready to follow.
They walked past the training hall again, but this time turned left, and walked down a narrow tunnel.
Zitora led them to a narrow but long room, where Walls were separating what seemed to be smaller rooms. Addie noticed that there were no solid doors or windows; instead each was replaced by bars. The black haired woman led them to the end of the room and stopped. Addie looked past the last cell and looked at the stairs going downward, presumably to another floor with cells.
"Alex." a smooth voice broke her from her thoughts and she turned to see an older version of Alex sitting in the cell. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Rain?" Alex asked, turning to Zitora for an answer, who was leaning back against the wall opposite the cell, arms folded over her chest.
"He came here and brought a girl who was unconscious, there were no major injuries but her energy levels were dangerously low. Rain here seems to have temporary memory loss, should recover though."
"What is going on?" Rain asked, he voice low and threatening. Everyone looked to Zitora for an answer but she nodded to Alex, telling him to say something.
"Who was the girl?" Addie asked suddenly, ignoring the interrogation for a moment.
"Haven’t the foggiest." Zitora replied with a shrug. "You can come and see her though."
"Sure, Alex can stay and talk to Rain." Addie decided and pushed Alex closer to the cell door.

Alex looked as the group walked away, leaving him alone with his brother.
"Rain, what happened?" he asked as he stared into his brothers eyes.
"Like the woman said," he lent back against the wall, his eyes still connecting with Alex's "I can't remember much after leaving, then suddenly all I know is that I'm in a room in a castle with a girl half-conscious on the floor in front of me."
Alex sighed and sat down on the floor, also leaning back against the wall.
"Do you remember anything just before everything goes blank?" he tried, trying to spark some new memories.
"I remember being confronted by a man, but I couldn't see his face, he told me things that he couldn't possibly know about me." he narrowed his eyes, trying to grasp at the memory, then it was gone, like a dream you know you had but could t remember.
"You haven't changed you know." Alex said suddenly, now seeming to take in his brother fully, his hair was longer back then, and his eyes still held the mischievous spark in them. He was clearly wearing Metrix uniform.
Rain smirked but it didn't reach his eyes "you have. I missed my baby brother grow up." he teased.
Alex shot him a look, and Rain held up his hands in defence.

Addie could only wonder as she followed Zitora down another tunnel, leading to the hideouts medical section. If Addie’s logic was right, then it could be Kessie lying down there.
"She’s in a stable condition." the soft voice broke Addie out of her thoughts; she looked up to find an older woman in long robes smiling at Zitora and her.
"Thank you." Zitora smiled politely before pulling back the curtains to the room and letting Kayne, Narrisa and Addie through.
Excitement pulsed through Addie as she saw the figure of the girl laid on the bed. As the group moved closer she noticed that the girl had beads of sweat trickling down her for head, which was scrunched up, like she was having a bad dream.
Addie looked over at Kayne, who was looking at her with the same expression in his eyes
"It’s Kessie." she finally confirmed, smiling at her friend.
"You know her?" Zitora asked while pulling a chair over to the side of the bed. Kayne did the same while Narrisa and Addie stayed standing.
"She’s our friend." Kayne said, not revising too much information, he wasn't sure if he could fully trust Zitora yet.
Zitora smiled at them, "do you want to stay?"
Addie looked a Kayne and then at Narrisa, "I'll stay here." Narrisa looked hurt by her bluntness
"I'll stay too." she said and moved Kayne out of his chair so she could sit in it. Zitora moved out of her chair and pulled it easily over to Addie who took it.
Kessie looked to be at war with herself, every now and then Shifting uncomfortably in the bed, although never waking up.
"What’s wrong with you?" Addie whispered, trying to comfort her friend.

Kessie didn't know where she was, and that was all she knew. She was afraid to move as the darkness surrounded her. She didn't know where was left or right, or up or down. So she thought it best to stay still.
It was dark, but she could still see herself as if in clear daylight, like the dark didn't affect her. What's more is that even if she tried to move, she was restrained by something, she couldn't turn her head to see what it was because it was holding her perfectly still.
'Do not attempt to struggle, little one.' a voice echoed in her mind, as clear as if someone had said it. Kessie had a primeval recognition of the voice; it urged her to run and made her struggle even more.
She had learnt not to assume the possible, but also take into consideration the improbable. This was the thought that told her that this wasn't a dream, but reality. If she wanted to survive this oncoming darkness, she would have to do as it said. As soon as she stopped struggling, the thing holding her released some of its grip, allowing Kessie to move into a more comfortable position.
'Aaya, are you afraid?' it asked, its voice seeping with amusement. Kessie found that she couldn't reply, either because of fear or because she simply couldn't.
'You should be,' it continued 'now that I have found you in here Aaya, I can find you anywhere.' she listened to its words; in here? Where was she? It came to here then, where she had felt this feeling before; and probably countless times before that. In a dream. When she realised that she was in a dream, she was usually able to control it, but it was one of those rare time where couldn't.
She had to try to make herself wake up. Kessie hadn't tried it before; there was no need to in the past. But she remembered waking up too early and being dragged out of the dream; she had to focus on something that was real.
"Kessie, please wake up." she knew she had hear the voice through her ears and not her mind. She grasped at the voice, keeping tight hold of the sound. Kessie imagined a cage, but all too late. Suddenly she was floating up, and as she looked down she saw that the cage had something black in it, which was totally visible behind the now green grass it was sat on.
'I'm coming Addie.'

After a while the silence between the two brothers was becoming unbearable, both dying to ask each other questions, yet none of them wanted to intrude. Alex was the first to speak, starting with a simple question.
“Where have you been all this time?” asked Alex, once again allowing his eyes to wander over to where his brother was sitting.
“I didn’t know the ropes when I left.” Rain began, “I lost everything.”
“I missed you,” Alex suddenly interrupted “Rain, you didn’t have to leave.” He forced himself to concentrate on the here and now, not on how much he missed his brother when he had left.
“Yes I did. I couldn’t become king, Alex, you must understand.” Rain had left when he was 15, so spending four years without the person you spent every day since you were born with was obviously hard on Alex. It was also tough for Rain, although he never showed it.
“Why not?” Alex asked, stunned from his brothers unusual seriousness.
“It doesn’t matter, it’s in the past. You can ruin the future by spending too much time in the past.” He quoted a line from one of his father’s great speeches, the one he had said on his brother’s funeral.
“How did you survive out there on your own?” Alex started, aware that his brother didn’t want to talk about it. Rain grinned, seeming as though reliving the moment of his past once again.
“I started stealing.” Not that he was proud of it, “became quite good at it actually-” Rain’s voice faded as Alex started to think of all the possible reasons why his brother would start stealing. He could have just come home and they would have sorted it all out as a family.
“Stealing!” he almost shouted, ignoring the fact that his brother had been talking only seconds before. “You’re a freakin’ Prince Rain!”
“I don’t want to be.” Rain replied coldly, allowing his words to sink into his brothers head.
A few minutes passed with none of the two saying anything to one another, as both were too busy caught up in their own thoughts. Finally