[b]Chapter 10: Rescue[/b]

Nicolas' heart was heavy at that moment. His mind had fallen into deep depths of depression, anxiety and desperation filling his soul. He was grasping his cape tightly; it was his only comfort in that dark time. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since the Nightfolks had shut him in his cell with Edgar. Even though he had the older man in there in the same cell, he felt lonelier than ever. It was like he had been betrayed by everyone in the world, completely abandoned inside deep stone. Nicolas was in such an awful mood that he hadn't even eaten anything, even though his captors had brought bread and water for him and Edgar. The thief had taken his portion of their indigent meal and had left the rest for the young wizard, but Nicolas just couldn't put anything in his mouth.

“Even if you don't want to, you should eat something”, Edgar had tried to encourage him. “You need strength.”

Strength for what? Nicolas didn't utter a single word, he just didn't want to talk to the older man at all. He kept his bitter thoughts to himself, but Edgar probably sensed them anyway, as he remained silent as well, dwelling in his own mind. They just sat there in silence with anguished hearts, the only sounds they heard was from the neighboring cells. Some people were muttering something, but kept their voices so low that Nicolas couldn't understand what they were saying. Someone was weeping and the young wizard felt sorry for that poor soul; he sort of wanted to cry as well. Then he heard someone screaming in her sleep, speaking of visions of horror, that Skygold Town would get filled with blood. It made Nicolas wonder if she was truly seeing into the near future or was she just having nightmares. Whatever the case was, Nicolas hoped that her visions wouldn't become reality.

At some point the young wizard started to ponder what time of the day was. They were locked up so deep that there weren't any windows, so it was hard to tell the time. But did it matter though? He felt so anxious that he couldn't even think about sleeping and it seemed like this applied to Edgar as well. The older man looked exhausted, but perhaps he was plagued by such a horrible amount of guilt that he couldn't close his eyes. Nicolas did feel a bit of sympathy for him, even though he didn't want to.

It almost felt like that time had frozen, that this place was forsaken by the universe, and so it was impossible to tell how much time had passed. And because they all were abandoned down here and no one was coming to see how they were doing, apart from that one moment when food got brought, it started to become more likely that they were floating inside of a small parallel world. Nicolas couldn't help but think nasty and dark thoughts, and he did scold himself for doing that, but such notions were persistent and he couldn't reap them.

However, light would soon shine into the dark world.

Suddenly Nicolas heard the horrid screech of the metal door which was guarding the prison. Even in his desperate state he became curious about who had just come through it, this was a sign that they weren't completely abandoned by the outside world. Was someone bringing them more food and water? Or was one of the cells getting a new inmate? Or – the most horrible and stomach twisting possibility he could think of – were the Nightfolks now coming to get him and use him for whatever they were planning to do? All of his focus was now in listening to who could possibly be descending the stairs into the prison. He tried his best to listen carefully, but all he could hear were light footsteps coming down, and he could swear that there was only one person coming closer. It was strange… The footsteps were so perplexingly light, they couldn't possibly belong to a beastman. Then who could it be? Nicolas was tense and had his gaze fixed on the corridor – well, to the small part he was able to see from his cell – hoping to catch a glimpse of the person who had dared to come down here.

In the light of a torch, a small dark figure came into view – and Nicolas couldn't believe his eyes. It was the black cat. He had come for him after all! In that moment, the young wizard's anxieties and feelings of loneliness and betrayal were washed away, so incredibly happy he was to see the black cat. His optimism was back and things didn't seem so desperate anymore. Nicolas basically bounced up and took a hold of the bars of his cell and followed with his gaze how the black cat walked closer and closer with soundless steps. Then Nicolas realized that indeed, no noise of footsteps came from his soft paws, so whom did those light footsteps belong to? He got an answer to this question as soon as some foreign man came to his view.

The man was a little older person who was dressed in the bard's colorful clothes. In his hands he was carrying a musical instrument which resembled a lute. And in one hand he was also grasping a bunch of keys. But soon the young wizard's gaze bounced back to the black cat.

“I'm so glad to see you!” he said to his travel companion. “But how did you get in here? I saw Nightfolks guarding every door.”

“It was rather simple”, the black cat answered and looked at the bard. “This man was able to play music that put Nightfolks in a deep sleep!”

“That… That's actually pretty incredible”, Nicolas said while the bard opened the cell. “Thank you, sir. How can I repay your kindness?”

“Ah, you don't owe me anything”, the man spoke with a gentle smile on his face. “I'm simply doing what is right and I firmly believe freeing you is for the greater good.”

“Oh… Okay.” Nicolas was a bit fazed by these words and didn't completely understand what the man meant. “Uh… My name is Nicolas, nice to meet you, sir.”

“Cedric”, the bard replied and extended his hand, Nicolas grabbed it and they shook their hands.

“And this is”, the young wizard said as he pointed at his little companion, “uh… Black… Cat?”

The young man in cat's form didn't say anything, but there was a spark in his deep blue eyes, but what that meant, Nicolas couldn't say. At this point, Edgar, who had stayed in the background this whole time, managed to get on his feet and tried sneakily slip away. Awkwardly he bypassed all the others, gave a weird apologetic glance at them before he left the scene, and ran away. Nicolas watched his receding figure and that was the last time he saw Edgar in this life.

“Well”, Cedric spoke suddenly, “let's cause a little bit of mayhem for our friends.”

The bard began his little tour around the prison and opened every single door so the prisoners could get out. Some of them dashed out right away, while some were a bit puzzled by their sudden freedom and had sluggish movements. Few of them thanked Cedric while some remained quiet. But in the end, everyone was free and no one missed their dark and reeking cells. They all disappeared from sight just like Edgar and soon only Nicolas, Black Cat and Cedric remained at the prison.

“We should get going”, Black Cat suggested and began to walk towards the stairs.

Nicolas and Cedric simply nodded and then all three of them headed to the stairway. They ascended with a rather quick pace and shortly came to the metal door which was now gaping open. Nicolas noticed that there were still few beastmen by the door, but they were lying on the floor, snoring loudly. The trio tiptoed past them, even though they seemed to be fast asleep and hadn't woken up although every other prisoner had already bypassed them. They climbed the stairs all the way up, panting a little bit after this performance and they started their task of finding the way out of the castle. Nicolas hoped that his two companions knew where to go since he had become so disoriented when some of the Nightfolks had escorted him and Edgar through the zigzagging corridors. And indeed, Black Cat managed to get their little group to the grand hall of the castle where the red carpet was leading the way right into the darkness.

Before Nicolas was able to open his mouth to ask what their plan was, a voice, a tormented and weary voice, came from the dark: “Who are you people?”

The gazes of all three of them got drawn to the direction where the voice had come from and they saw a tall man who was dressed in noble clothing, indicating that he was an important person. He was standing in the dark, barely visible in the light of the candles. His brown eyes were gleaming in the dim light and there was a curious but also cautious look in them.

“I don't recognize you”, the man said. “You look like you're not from here. Let me ask you again: who are you?”

Nicolas nor Black Cat couldn't even speak before Cedric had come forth and bowed respectfully to the man and said: “Ah, greetings, lord Alexander. We are just humble travelers, caught in this mess Nightfolks have unfortunately cooked.”

Lord Alexander let out a heavy sigh. “Yes, I'm awfully sorry about it. But my hands are tied, I can't do anything to resolve the situation.”

“May I ask you, my lord, why is that?” Cedric inquired.

“I suppose I can tell you”, Alexander responded, suddenly looking even more exhausted than the moment before. “I'm tired and desperate, even terrified. It's all because Nightfolks have captured my son.”

“Your son?” Cedric was surprised, and so was Nicolas and Black Cat.

“Yes. He's being held in one of the towers, heavily guarded by Nightfolks”, Alexander told. “If I do anything against these barbarians, they will hurt my son… or worse.”

“Hmm, that is indeed troublesome”, Cedric admitted.

“Please, save my son.”

The trio got completely bewildered by these words as soon as they left lord's mouth. The poor man looked like he was on the verge of a total breakdown, there was a pleading expression on his face. It seemed like this was his last resort, to ask for help from travelers he hadn't even seen before.

“But… what can we do?” Nicolas asked after a brief moment had passed.

“My men can't approach the guarding Nightfolks”, the lord said. “They'll get aggressive immediately. But you… you don't look threatening at all. You may have a chance. I don't know how you can do it, but… Please… you're my only hope.”

The trio exchanged looks with each other. They hadn't expected at all that they would get caught up in a situation like this. But they didn't really have the heart to say no to a man this desperate. Nicolas felt anxious about this – he wasn't a hero – and the look in Black Cat's eyes told that he was't feeling thrilled, either. But Cedric seemed very calm and had a gentle expression on his face and at that moment, he made the decision for them all.

“We will do it”, he said. “Can you point us in the direction we need to go?”

“Oh, thank you, thank you!” A spark of hope was lit in Alexander's tired and desperate eyes. “Walk through this hallway towards the throne room. When you're at the doors, turn right and continue forward. Keep going until you come across a set of stairs. Climb them all the way to the top and you'll get to the exact tower. Nightfolks are guarding the door to the room where my son is held, so you'll know when you've found the right place.”

Nicolas was a little confused by these instructions and had a hard time memorizing them, but thankfully it looked like Cedric had managed to internalize them well.

“Thank you, my lord”, Cedric spoke and bowed to Alexander once more. “We will go and rescue your son right away.”

“Good luck”, lord Alexander said, his voice being barely more audible than a whisper.

“Let's go then”, the bard stated to Nicolas and Black Cat and they began to follow the red carpet into the belly of the castle.

Lord Alexander stared at them as long as he could before darkness devoured them. Then he left the scene as well, going his own ways. But he nor the trio hadn't been aware that in the darkness there had been a spy, listening to their talk. And as soon as they had left the grand hall, the spy swiftly disappeared, desiring to find Paleface as fast as he could.

Nicolas, Black Cat and Cedric walked through the hallway under the surveillance of the paintings that portrayed the lords of the past. Their frozen gazes looked eerie in the dim light of the candles and Nicolas felt like they weren't the only ones following their journey, there was something weird about the shadows. But he tried to brush it off, deeming that his imagination was just going wild and focused on walking. Cedric was at the head of their little convoy while Nicolas and Black Cat followed behind him.

“So, uh…” Nicolas tried to find the right words. “Cedric, are you a mage as well?”

“Not exactly”, Cedric answered with a soft voice. “Let's just say that my instrument… it's magical.”

“Oh, alright”, Nicolas said, being eager to know more but didn't dare to speak the words. “Well, what's your story? I mean, how did you end up here?”

“Oh, there's nothing special in my journey”, the bard chirped cheerfully. “I'm just like any other bard, traveling around the world, singing about heroes and adventures and royalty. I came to Skygold Town and got stuck like everybody else. I've been here for a while, observing the situation.”

“But you could have escaped, right?” the young wizard inquired. “Black Cat said you can put Nightfolks in a deep sleep. Why haven't you used that?”

“Well, I haven't really had an urgent need to leave”, Cedric admitted. “I want to see with my own eyes when the crisis of Skygold Town gets resolved. Besides, you put too much trust in my abilities, Nicolas. My music can't fix everything.”

“Oh, okay…”

After that, the trio kept going in complete silence. But it didn't take for long when they were able to distinguish a set of decorative doors appearing in front of them. Nicolas was in total awe and stopped to admire the great double doors. They were red and had absolutely gorgeous wood carvings on them, making beautiful and complex curls that represented vines and leaves and flowers. The doors were a magnificent piece of art, made by the most skilled craftsmen in the region. It really suited the place, considering how wealthy town Skygold Town was. Nicolas was curious to know what the throne room behind these doors looked like, but they weren't sightseeing here, so he turned right to follow Cedric and Black Cat who had managed to get a bit distance, but the young wizard soon caught them and they continued to advance deeper into the castle as a group.

The corridor felt almost endless. It branched into many other passages and once again Nicolas wondered how long it would take for anyone to memorize the layout of the castle. He was sure he would have gotten lost already if they had strayed from their path even once. But since their little group was going forward only, he didn't have to worry about it. And in addition, he wasn't wandering through these hallways by himself and at that moment he was really glad he had Black Cat and Cedric with him.

The castle was eerily silent. And because the trio didn't encounter anyone on their little journey, it made the place feel like there were no living beings around; no humans, no Nightfolks. It was probably because it was nighttime, as Nicolas noticed when they finally passed some windows. The world was completely dark and he wondered if it was a new moon tonight. But since it was pointless to try looking into the utter darkness, he didn't give more attention to the view the windows offered and just continued to walk forward with his companions.

Finally they came to a set of stairs. They were made of stone and spiraled upwards. At this point Nicolas started to feel really anxious about their mission and he did notice some tension in the air, so probably Black Cat and Cedric felt the same. But without uttering a single word, they started to climb the stairs. Torches had been placed at regular gaps to illuminate this part of the castle and they were casting playful shadows along the way of the group. They passed many different floors as they kept climbing higher and higher, but at some point, they all were left behind and there was nothing but stairs leading to the tower. It felt like the longest set of stairs in the young wizard's life.

Then they came at the top. Few final steps and they found themselves from a platform. There was only one door, nothing else, and that door was guarded by Nightfolks; it was exactly how Alexander had described. Five beastmen were in a formation before the door and the gazes of all of them hit the trio as soon as they came forth. But what were they thinking of their little group, it was hard to tell as they were as expressionless as always.

Nicolas nervously glanced at the sharp weapons of the Nightfolks: spears, axes, short swords… So threatening, so deadly. But Cedric, who had already turned out to be a brave man, stepped in front of the beastmen while plucking the strings of his instrument.

“Leave immediately”, one of the Nightfolks commanded bluntly. “There's nothing for you here.”

“Pardon, but I think you need to take a break for a little bit”, Cedric said while smiling.

Then he began to play music. It was one of the most beautiful songs Nicolas had ever heard. The melody was tranquil and Cedric played it slowly, which inflicted strange calmness into the young wizard's mind. He started to feel drowsy and content, it was like his head was getting filled with soft haze, washing away all the worries and negativity. He lost almost completely his sense of the situation as the feeling of bliss conquered his body.

“Nicolas! Nicolas!”

It wasn't until that point when Nicolas snapped out of the weird trance. It was Black Cat's voice that had pierced through his hazy state. He looked at the direction of Black Cat who seemed like Cedric's music hadn't affected him at all.

“I'm sorry, I…” Nicolas struggled to find the right words. “I just got this weird feeling and…”

“Oh, don't worry”, Cedric then chirped. “That happens sometimes even to those I'm not targeting, but less likely if you have heard my music before. Now, let's go in.”

That's when Nicolas noticed that the group of Nightfolk guardians had fallen asleep. They could access the door now. Although they knew that Cedric's music was very effective, they still tiptoed past the guardians and opened the door carefully before slipping in.

The sound of fire cracking in the fireplace was one of the first things Nicolas registered as they stepped in. It offered a little bit of dim light into the relatively small room. It was furnished nicely, fitting even for a king. Nicolas got a feeling that for being a captive, the lord's son still had a nice place to be in. Then his gaze wandered to a decorative – and maybe a little too big – bed where a small figure was sleeping soundly. The trio walked towards this little one and once they had reached the bed, Cedric began to gently shake him awake.

“Uh… huh?” The little boy slowly woke up. He yawned and opened his eyes. He was so young still, couldn't possibly be older than ten years old. “Who are you?”

“We are here to take you to your father”, Cedric answered gently and smiled at the little boy.

“Really?” Suddenly the child was up and ready to go. “I haven't seen my dad for a long time! The pigmen have kept me here forever! Let's go!”

He had swung his little legs to the floor and was ready to leave already. He had already managed to run to the door when Nicolas, Black Cat and Cedric were just preparing to leave the room. The little boy was waiting for them to catch up and swiftly their group left the room and headed back to the stairs where they had come from.

However, before they managed to get to the first steps, they noticed that someone was coming. Suddenly the little group froze and watched how the figure climbed the stairs all the way up. It was one of the Nightfolks, but more muscular and taller than most. This individual also had snow-white fur. Nicolas hadn't seen her before, but he had a strong guess who was now standing before him, fiery eyes blazing.

It was Paleface.