Collapse (Part 2), Scene v1

Should I start posting who's perspective these are all in, or is it self-explanatory, as I'd hope it'd be.

==========================================================

The Catheran coughed in the cloud of dust. Scrambling to her feet, she ran down the dark tunnel after the king, pulling out the large splinter lodged into her leg. Not far down the dimly lit tunnel, one of the men hacked at one of the support beams of the narrow tunnel. He broke through half of it before she reached him. He thrust his dagger at her, but with such little room to evade the attack, it sliced her waist. She looped her arm under his and snapped it upward. His cry echoed throughout the tunnel, followed by a swift crack when she slammed his head into the wall.

The sound of General Raze and Delphi’s footsteps approached from behind her, but she had no time to lose. She sprinted after the king, following the faint bulbs of light that hung from the ceiling. Their footsteps grew louder, and louder as she neared them. “Run faster!” commanded the captor.

She quickly closed the gap. As soon as he was within several paces, she threw one of the knives from the band wrapped around her thigh. The man staggered with a grunt when the knife pierced into his back. She threw another one at him as he spun around. He twisted to the ground when it hit him in the center of his chest. “Your Majesty, are you alright?” she called out.

The king dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. “I—I’m fine, thanks to you. I’m getting far too old for all this excitement,” he laughed.

A large snap, followed by crashing rocks, echoed through the tunnel. Delphi’s scream pierced Kismet’s ears, filling her with dread. “Delphi!” cried the Catheran, running back as fast as her feet could carry her.

It was impossible to see through the thick dust. Kismet waved the air aside, following the coughs that came from within. Just in front of the collapse, General Raze was huddled over Delphi.

“Princess, are you hurt?” asked the general, after the dust settled.

The young princess shook her head. She sprung to her feet and ran to King Marcus as soon as she saw him. “Father!” she cried, wrapping her arms around him. She sobbed into his crimson, silver-embroidered doublet.

“Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I told her not to follow me down here,” said the general.

“She’s unharmed. That’s all that matters. And if it weren’t for the two of you, I wouldn’t be standing here right now. You did well,” he said, with a reassuring smile.

“I deserve none of the credit. Kismet was the one who saved you,” she admitted shamefully.

King Marcus released Delphi to Kismet’s side. She clung onto her arm as the king placed a hand on the Catheran’s shoulder. “Thank you, Kismet. Seems all of your training has really paid off.”

The ceiling of the tunnel began to shift and crumble near the collapse. “We should keep moving. We don’t know how stable this tunnel is,” advised the general.

Following the dimly lit path, the tunnel led into a large cave. General Raze lead the way, grabbing the torch that awaited them at the end of the tunnel. The cave was pitch-black, with no lights to lead the way. The general held up the torch to light the cave, but it split into two directions.

“Can’t we stay in the tunnel and wait for Mother to find us? It’s really cold and dark here,” complained Delphi.

“Wish we could, but we don’t know how long it would take for them to dig through the collapse. It may be days without food or water,” said King Marcus.

General Raze knelt down, lowering the light to the ground. She brushed the floor with her fingertips. The thick layer of dirt and loose rubble gave little resistance to her touch. The hint of a smile crept on her face as she scanned the ground carefully. “It seems they left footprints coming from the left. Shall we?”




First: Kismet vs. Bandits, Scene v1
Previous: Collapse, Scene v1
Next: Collapse (Part 3), Scene v1