CHAPTER 50: 50: DEALING WITH A TRAP PT 2

Huddled in the alleyway, Drake watched the wide doors of the castle, waiting for more to come out yet praying that only a few at a time would exit at once. If the gargoyles inside realized that no one was coming back, they would send a larger team to investigate. He wasn’t sure if they could handle more.

The clouds were moving in, hiding the moon, letting the darkness overtake the city. It was both a boon and an inconvenience for the group. The darkness made it easier to hide. Yet the biggest issue in the dark was Renn and Drake’s glowing green eyes, which were easily spotted in the dark city streets, even from far away.

Drake stared at the doors, waiting for more to come out, but none came. "We can’t stay here all night waiting for more gargoyles to exit. We need a plan that we can survive," Drake mumbled. "Even if we go inside the castle, they’re all in one room. If some were wandering the halls, it would make it easier to pick them off. I’m open to suggestion," he added.

Mike thought for a second while Chad scanned the area for danger. "I agree, we can’t just go in there. It could put the people inside in danger." Mike looked at the castle for a moment, then smiled. "Or we can, but lock the gargoyles inside so they can’t escape."

Drake frowned. "What about the humans locked inside?"

Chad turned to the three men. "Is there a secret entrance into the throne room? Maybe behind a painting or tapestry?"

The leader of the three men nodded. "It’s there for evacuating the castle in times of need. If we go through the servants’ entrance, there is an entrance in the basement that will lead to the stairs that take you to the inner halls. We can easily travel through the castle unseen."

{A lie has been detected}

Drake frowned, looking at the man who spoke. "Tell me the truth...are you still trying to betray us? I know you just lied to me."

The man’s face paled.

Drake continued. "I happen to know that our fathers are watching and listening. If you do anything that goes against the laws of this dimension, he will most likely never extend his protection to you." Drake folded his arms, seeing the bird coming toward the city. "Is your bird going to alert the gargoyles that we’re here?"

The man shook his head, "No."

{A lie has been detected}

Without warning, Drake lifted his bow and shot. Moments later, the bird burst into light particles.

{You have slain a scouting bird}

{Mana +1}

Slowly lowering his bow, Drake stared at the three men coldly. "Tell me the plan. Let me give you a fair warning. I can tell when I’m being lied to. It comes with what I am."

The man who owned the bird stared in shock at the spot it had burst into light particles. He swallowed, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. He cared for his scouting bird.

It was the leader who spoke. "The people inside. It’s all a ruse. They don’t need saving. The gargoyle king is waiting for you. I’m sure he already knows we’re back."

"And why would you work with the gargoyles to trap us?" Mike asked angrily. "What do you get out of it?" Mike was angry. It was clear this town was named after his own family. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew his father had the same lightning, storm, and energy powers as he did.

The leader took one step back. He clearly didn’t want to answer.

Seeing his step back, Drake held his hand out, filling it with fire. "Either tell us or I burn the city down. Clearly, you’re all working with them." Drake wasn’t sure if he could actually do that. He needed to scare the man so he would tell them the plan...or at least what exactly their end goal was.

Renn, understanding the issues, stepped toward the leader, her low growls ominous in the dark street. Her eyes glowed brightly, narrowing in anger. She was pissed.

The birdman stood next to his friend, the third man following. "You’re going to have to kill us; we won’t say anything."

Drake chuckled wickedly. "You think I’m going to kill you? Oh...no...killing is too good for traitors. I don’t need to kill you." Drake stepped closer to the man as Chad and Mike prepared for a fight. Drake was less than an inch from the man’s face. "First," Drake smirked. Then, quick as a cobra, Drake’s hand shot forward, and the fire he was holding slammed into the man’s mouth. It burned him from the inside out. The man tried to scream but couldn’t. His tongue had been disintegrated, burned away by the magic fire. "If you won’t speak, you never will again." Drake’s gaze turned to the other two. "Do either of you want to talk?"

The two men ignored him and tried to help their now mute friend, but Renn growled louder, vibrating the ground where they stood.

Out of the three, there were two swordsmen and the birdman who had daggers. Mike saw this, and since this town betrayed him, he was pissed. He moved quickly, without warning, and swung his sword down, slicing hands off with the swing. When he was done, he reversed it, cutting upward, cutting through the remaining hands of all three men. "You can’t fight if you don’t have hands," Mike stated sarcastically; His dry sense of humor rising to the surface. He had managed to remove their hands in only two strikes.

Blood dripped onto the street as the men fell to their knees in shock.

"Are you going to tell us what the gargoyles want with us, or am I going to have to remove more of you?" Mike asked. His eyes were blazing. "I don’t mind removing one piece at a time."

Drake bent down, yanking their blunted, bleeding wrists forward. With one hand, he cauterized the wounds one by one so they wouldn’t bleed to death. He still needed to know what was happening. He couldn’t let them die just yet. "What is the purpose of this trap you all set up? He asked, his anger beginning to seethe.

They backed away, knowing what was going to happen. They still refused to speak. Mike came forward, holding the first man still while Drake slammed condensed fire into the man’s mouth, turning his tongue to ash.

The second man tried to scream to alert those in the castle, but Mike held his hand over his mouth, preventing him from alerting those inside. Drake formed more fire, then used it on the third and final man. "If you don’t want to speak, then you never will again," Drake repeated what he had told the first man.

Letting his eyes glow, he scanned for gargoyles. They were still in the throne room surrounding the humans.

Pulling up the three men, Drake began dragging them toward the castle. Chad and Mike pulled the other two and followed. Renn was following behind, making sure they weren’t followed.

***

The dimension master and his friends watched the boys deal with the men who had betrayed them. It was brutal. He wasn’t expecting the boys to go so far. He didn’t care, though. This town betrayed its protectors by luring them there for the gargoyles.

He could tell that Drake was trying to force information out of the men who seemed determined not to say anything. He was trying to use scare tactics, but it didn’t seem to be working. The young heirs were now hauling the three men into the castle. Drake had burned the other two men’s mouths, making it so they couldn’t speak either. He didn’t want them to go screaming, alerting those inside the throne room that they had entered the castle.

Drake’s father could see what his son was doing. Drake was taking the men into the dungeons where they couldn’t cause trouble. Renn was following behind, covering their backs. Drake kept his eyes glowing, watching for gargoyles.

"What do you think the gargoyles’ goal is?" Chad’s father spoke as they watched the boys handle the three traitors.

The dimension master frowned. "It could be one of many reasons. For one, the gargoyles might be trying to get us to intervene, breaking the pact our families have with the dimension. Killing the residents of one of our own towns would break the pact, also. The boys are lucky that they didn’t kill the men. There is also the possibility that they are trying to use the boys as bait to get back at us for going into their lair and killing some of them...I don’t really know...It could be anything."

Mike’s father stood up, staring at the screen as the boys walked away from the dungeons. "Perhaps the dimension refused our request to go help them because it would inadvertently break the pact or get the boys killed. The dimension wants the boys to complete the quest just as much as we want them to."