The woman in the black gown introduced herself as I glared at her.
"You need not worry, I am the leader of people who oppose the governor of the Urbo de Renaskiĝo."
I tried asking questions, but she shook it off.
"Everything you need to know will be revealed. Again, you are safe here," Miss Salda said. "This place is underground, outside the walls of Urbo de Renaskiĝo. No one knows we even exist."
"Why would you want to help us? I saw the wanted posters. People definitely know the three of us exist." I pointed to Alvinne and Maybel.
I had so many questions. What was happening to us? Why does this guy have the same last name that was on my ID card at the hospital? I still need to find that necklace!
Tick Tock.
Tick Tock.
Tick Tock.
I didn't hear a word she said after that, my head was so full of questions. Nothing she could say really mattered at that moment. Besides, I was starving. Where was dinner?
Suddenly, I looked up and realized Miss Salda was speaking to her guards. Before I could even ask a question, Giraffe and his buddies whisked us back to our rooms and locked us in. WITHOUT DINNER!
I decided that if I couldn't eat, I might as well try to sleep. My mind was a blur, and I was exhausted. Twisting and turning in the silky fabric of my king-size bed, I curled myself into a tiny ball. At one point, I could smell rice, and noticed it was left for me on my side table. However, my hunger made me ache. I couldn't settle down and the food was going stale. I was still in the green tunic that I wore to meet Miss Salda, the pleasant silk suddenly felt suffocating against my ribs, squeezing all the air out of my brain. Running a hand through my tangled hair, I could feel heat generating on my forehead and I sank into the dark abyss of thoughts once again. I blocked out everything and sank my face into the soft pillow. My breathing slowed down. I needed to sleep.
A gentle, steady knock woke me. I rubbed my eyes and forced myself out of the bed.
"Coming!" I called out.
Reaching for the handle of the door, I was surprised to see Miss Salda standing in front of me, dressed in full combat armour. I peeked behind her and saw people sprinting towards the exit of this underground castle.
"Good morning, Samael. My apologies for the interruption last night." The woman seemed so calm, not even bothered about the circumstance. I wondered how I was able to sleep through this commotion that looked like it had been going on for a while.
"Oh, that. We have high quality noise blocking walls." She answered as if she could read my mind.
"And that too, my darling. I can, indeed, read your mind." Miss Salda stared at me.
A wave of confusion shot through me. "Wait. What do you mean? Do you have magic too?" I challenged her. It was unlikely since most of the people with magic are probably decorating the hospital with their dead bodies.
She nodded, then pulled me along. "We don't have much time to waste, my dearest. I will explain it to you once we get there."
"Where is there exactly? And what about Alvinne and Maybel?" I asked.
She didn't answer me as she led me through rooms filled with stacks of coins, gems, and jewelry. At first, I tried to keep an eye out for whatever might look like the necklace, however I soon gave up after passing through what might have been the thirtieth treasure room.
Wow. How did they get all this? Did they steal it? I thought to myself.
"We didn't steal these, my darling, They were mine from the beginning," Miss Salda answered.
I was so shocked that I almost ran into an armchair before remembering that she could read my mind.
"So… You're related to the governor of Urbo de Renaskiĝo or something?" I found myself asking, a part of me knowing that she wouldn't answer me.
I could sense her iciness, but she laughed as she continued maneuvering through the corridor. "Me? No. But I am supposed to be governor."
I thought I heard her wrong. Miss Salda didn't seem like someone who would joke about this. "What happened then?"
I saw her purse her lips into a thin line, and ball her fists.
Something really bad must have happened to her.
She ignored me for the rest of the way until we reached a small chamber with no bed but a huge, beautifully carved wooden desk filled with paperwork and weapons. Swords, knives and armour hung on the wall. Surgical equipment and medicine were stacked on the shelves. The bows and arrows were placed in a wooden box in the far corner. What really caught my attention was the head of the stuffed deer hanging in the middle of the wall. If I hadn't looked carefully, I wouldn't have noticed that it was fake.
Miss Salda walked towards the deer's head and tugged on both antlers. I watched with my mouth hanging open as the wall sank in and separated, showing a dark pathway.
She flicked on the lights with a swift motion and gesture for me to head down. "We are almost there, my darling."
Debating whether to go in or not, I thought of Alvinne and me trying to escape the hospital. I shuddered.
"I really don't think a set of squeaky old stairs would eat you." Miss Salda smiled.
At that moment, her eyes reminded me of Grandpa Philips's. The same curve of the eyebrows. The same deep and rich ocean-blue eyes. Thinking of Grandpa Philips made my stomach do a backflip, and I seemed to be drowning in the loss of him once again. So many people died because of me. Grandpa Philips, Nurse Hanna, and… Leiz.
I shook my head and tried to focus on the stairs again. Lifting my right foot, I carefully placed it on the first step, testing my balance. Most of these stairs were beginning to rot in the cold air, and I wasn't sure if they could support my weight. Leaning against the wall, I slowly descended them. At the bottom of the staircase was a simple, circular room filled with more weaponry and locked-up shelves. There were maps hanging on the wall, with red crosses and circles on them. The long table filled up most of the room.
I heard Grandpa Philips's voice in my head again and suddenly I remembered.
"Salda!" I shouted. "You're Grandpa Philips's granddaughter!"
She didn't respond other than to smile and say, "We are here, darling."
I looked around the room in awe. It looked like a war room. "So, why are we here exactly?"
"First of all, I have something to give you. And secondly, I don't know if I fully trust your friends yet, so this is the only way," Miss Salda answered while pulling out a key to unlock one of the shelves.