Kaas did not have to tell Tykus to run. Like an invisible force launched him, Tykus bolted silently across the entrance hall and up the stairs. Kaas could tell by his uneven gait that the boy was taking multiple stairs at once. He could not see nor hear the others, but he knew instinctively that they were all right behind them, even Ludd.
As Tykus climbed, Kaas watched the entrance hall grow smaller and smaller. He was waiting for the Hidaar to make his appearance through the corridor they had just entered from.
And there he was. Surrounded by the Equituum.
The sound of Grimlow's dragging chains preceded them, giving their entrance an eerie cadence.
Kaas did not dare make a sound, but it took all he had not to scream for Tykus to go faster. But as if a psychic link connected him, Tykus obeyed.
When they got to the top of the stairs, a greater panic set in as Kaas saw that the door to the throne room was shut.
What are we going to do now?! If they opened the door, the Hidaar would know they were there. They were not at all ready to face the Hidaar and the Equituum, not with Kaas in the useless state he was in now. Of the three pairs of doors they had encountered, these dark wooden ones were the most impossible to open.
But then the Hidaar shouted, sending a freezing bolt of fear into Kaas's chest. "Noren! Where are you?!"
As if by some miracle of will, the door to the throne room opened as a hideous creature poked its head out and looked around. Kaas's jaw went slack. Is that an Imp?! He had never seen one in person—only in books—but he knew of them. They were extremely rare creatures in Sohaud, only born from powerful emotions.
What was the Hidaar doing with one? Was it his? Judging by its ugly appearance, it was not born from a positive feeling. But Kaas could not dwell upon the creature any longer as the Imp pushed the door open further and took flight. Noren passed close enough that the wind from his leathery wings tickled his nose.
Kaas felt his team hold their collective breaths as the Imp flew past them without a glance. It seemed they were safe for now. But the Imp had imparted them a blessing as it had left the door open just enough for them to slip through. Tykus did not hesitate as he darted through the shutting door.
As the doors closed, Kaas heard the Hidaar ask, "What were you doing skulking about up there, Noren?" He did not hear the Imp's reply as the doors shut completely.
"Everybody make it?" Kaas whispered.
There were five grunts in response. Yes, they were all here, boxed in the Hidaar's throne room.
What a relief.
Now, all that remained was to hide within the study. If we wait for the Equituum to leave, then we can ambush the Hiddar when he's—
But when Kaas glanced around the throne room—once again suppressing the waves of familiarity—he saw something to his left that cast all thought from his head.
It had always been an eyesore. The white arch that protruded from the dark stone wall was like a parasite that clung to the inner wall of an organ. Yet it could not be destroyed. No matter how much force was put into it. The wall around it had been destroyed and repaired many times, but the arch itself was impervious to damage.
It was the ultimate torment as, for nearly 100 years, the portal would remain closed, leading to nothing. But then, for one single day, the inner wall of the portal would light with the blue light of Rau, allowing them access to worlds without number.
Kaas still remembered his first encounter with this portal and how furious it had made him. And as Kaas surveyed the room they were hiding in; he expected to feel that same frustration as he stared at the empty arch.
Except… it was not empty despite being past the century deadline. It was not even filled with the familiar blue light that Kaas had grown to hate. He stared, not quite comprehending what he was looking at. The whispered plans of the others fell past his ears as he just stared.
There was light in the arch. But the light was green as if the portal had been poisoned. Kaas's eyes followed the shape of the arch itself. Along the white stone were eight symbols written in a glowing blue fluid. He recognized that fluid. It was not ink. It was the blood of the Hidaar.
Kaas felt his body shake, not with fear but with anger. He could feel his face twist into a mask of rage as energy surged through his veins. Kaas's body finally obeyed his orders as he began to writhe, forcing himself off Tykus's shoulders. With a soft plop, he landed on his feet, which crumpled beneath him.
He heard sounds of surprise from his team.
"Kaas?" he heard Tykus mutter, "Kaas, what are you doing? You don't have the strength to—"
But Kaas stopped listening as he dug his fingers into the stone floor and dragged his body across. He could sense his team following behind him. Tykus was whispering something—maybe orders—to the others, but Kaas was too focused on his target to care.
A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and tried to lift him, but Kaas thrashed his body, breaking the hands' grip. "No! Don't touch me!"
He heard a round of "Shhs" from the others, but Kaas no longer cared about being quiet. With incredible effort, Kaas managed to get to his feet. He only had thought of reaching that portal.
How dare he…
It had been the goal of Kaas—no, of all the Ahngreel to conquer this portal. For too long, they had been slaves to the will of Urzuran. And this…this… filthy human had figured out how to break it?
How dare he!
Kaas limped forward. The only thing keeping him standing was his pure, unmitigated rage. He stretched out a hand, reaching—longing to touch the cold, white stone of the arch.
"Kaas…" he heard Tykus follow behind. He could sense that the boy's hands were outstretched as well, waiting to catch him if he fell.
But Kaas kept going. He had to get a closer look. He had to know what in the name of Freelan Darris had done to steal yet another dream from the Ahngreel.
At last, Kaas's hand felt stone as his strength gave out again. His whole body went limp as he lay against the portal wall. He stared into the blinding light as if the sickening swirl would tell him what he wanted to know. But it was quickly torn from him as he felt Tykus's hands wrap around him again and pull him away.
"What are you doing?" said Kaas remembering to whisper.
"You were about to fall in." Tykus's tone was neutral, as were his eyes.
Kaas opened his mouth to scold Tykus as his body was limp again, but he was interrupted by one of the twin's hurried whispers.
"Bad news. I tried the door to the study like you said, Tykus."
"And let me guess, it's locked?"
"Yeah."
Tykus swore. "Why? And the balcony?"
"Also locked."
He swore again. "Can't break either down without alerting the Hidaar."
Kaas was brought out of his anger as he realized their situation. They were trapped. They had only seconds before the Hidaar entered the throne room; he had led them to their deaths. They might have been able to take the Hidaar. But they had no chance against him and the Equituum together. His team was strong enough to make it out of the lake. For Kaas, this was the end of the road.
Their abilities would not allow them to silently open either door. This was going to be their last stand. Unless…
A sudden flash of inspiration washed over Kaas as he returned his eyes to the portal. His gut told him there was one escape. But where it would lead, he had no idea. The portal was designed to lead to the last place traveled. Wherever it went, there was a good possibility the Hidaar would frequent, especially now that it was open indefinitely. They had been gifted with another chance.
"Everyone! Through the portal!"
Tykus's shoulders tensed, "But—"
"Now!"
As he shouted, the door to the entrance hall began to open. They were out of time.
Without any further hesitation, Tykus ran toward the portal.
"I hope you know what you're doing," was all he said before the sickly green light engulfed them.
Kaas smirked. He hoped he knew, too. But if they were going to step into the unknown, they would do so together—just him and his soldiers against the world like always.
