Chapter 30: Entrance

  Julien

  Julien heard the strangled gasps and outright cries of those behind him and he couldn't help but sigh. He had seen the brief doubt in his father's eyes even if he had seemed to squash it quickly. The doubt didn't really hurt but it also hadn't been the first time he'd seen it. His father had been sneaking glances at him ever since he blasted out one of the palace walls. He put his other hand on the other door and a tingle ran up his arm. He instinctively knew the Refuge had recognized him.

  How a building, identified him, he had no idea. Nor and perhaps more distressing was how he knew the building recognized him. He pushed with his body as he also attempted to push away his thoughts. he didn't have time. He felt a presence at his back as the door began to swing inwards the massive thirty foot doors made of solid stone. But they felt no heavier than his bedroom door in the palace. They swung open before hitting the entrance tunnel walls with a dull boom.

  He stepped back and turned not really surprised to see the rest of his squad had gathered. All of their expressions were different, but at least Altaya was smiling. Aramin stood to the side a solemn expression on his face like the weight of fate was pressing down on his shoulders. They all understood, this was the moment. Hopefully, answers would follow soon. The tension was broken as a wide eyed Petra and her assistant carrying an oversized leather bag pushed through their group attempting to enter the refuge. And smack into a barrier of translucent light.

  It was utterly invisible before but the minute Petra came in contact with it it simmered into existence rippling with light it reflected. By now the morning sun was just appearing over the horizon. So the shimmering barrier appeared red gold as it reflected the light.

  Petra cursed as she was thrown backwards. Julien made to rush over but Petra was already climbing to her feet. She was staring at the barrier with a intense expression like her very gaze could burn a hole in the barrier. Her attendant looked frightened and worried looking back and forth between her master and the barrier.

  He also paused, no such barrier had been there before. Had it just appeared or...

  "I think it will only let us in." Carlouse finished his thoughts as he stepped.up next to him. Carlouse studied the barrier his eyes flicking across it looking for some kind of weakness. Then he shrugged, walked forward, and straight through the barrier like it wasn't there. There was silence for all of two seconds and Petra's glare grew even more intense.

  They all remained silent as he went over his thoughts. Why were we able to enter but not them? Was it because we fell from the top? And how do we get them in there if the barrier won't let them through?

  "Maybe there is some kind of mechanisms we can disable to let the barrier fall?" Katrina offered. When no one said anything she sank backward. He wanted to tell her it was a good idea but he was interrupted when his father approached on foot with his four knights captain bodyguards.

  He felt a twinge of guilt when he realized that despite the knights being his father's shadows for as long as he could remember he only knew two of their names. Olena was on the right her helm held under one arm so her long black hair could flow freely down her neck and across her shoulders. In one hand she held her steel spear with its wide leaf shaped blade. To his left was a red bearded hulk of a man with a massive two handed hammer strapped to his back. Behind them on either side were the twins Marith and Barith, both of medium builds and neatly trimmed brown hair. They each wore massive greatswords of intricate design strapped to their backs. Olena grinned as they approached. Julien allowed for his own grin. It faded a moment later when he saw the glare that Hellgarth was directing at him.

  "Trouble getting in?" His father asked as he came to a stop near the barrier. Then he noticed Carlouse standing just on the other side and chuckled.

  "Of course it wouldn't be that easy," his father remarked dryly. He managed a sheepish grin before he turned away from his father to study the barrier. Plans had begun to form in his mind but it all stopped when Aramin grunted and started forward. No one said anything as he stomped forward an exasperated look on his face.

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  He grabbed Petra's hand as he went by and pulled her bodily towards the barrier. She began to protest only for the protests to die as Aramin pulled her through the barrier the shimmering wall passing through her without any effect. Aramin stopped and turned back.

  He thumbed over his shoulder at the softly glowing tunnel behind him.

  "Come on we're wasting time."

  A quarter of a glass later they were all moving through the tunnel staying away from walls. Even though the refuge let them In he wasn't taking chances. They moved quietly but quickly coming to the second set of massive double doors. His boots echoed on the stone in the large, transformation chamber, as he was calling it. The golden liquid was still in the massive pool in the center more dull than he remembered but still glowing. The two doors on the opposite sides of the large stone chamber were still there. He let out a breath, nothing had changed. Then he looked up. The hole that had been knocked into the vaulted ceiling was gone the stone unblemished and whole. Conflicting emotions barred with in him. There was something different about this, cave. It recognized him, and it repairs itself. How can a building or for that matter any inanimate object accomplish such things? He looked toward the side as the others shuffled past him into the room. The knights eyes roamed the outer edges looking for threats but as soon as Petra entered it was like a bee detecting honey. Her eyes zeroed in on the expansive pool of glowing golden liquid.

  "Is that the substance that changed you all?' She asked. There was an undertone in her voice that he couldn''t place. She stood stock still eyes fixed. For a moment no one answered. It seemed to take a great deal of her will power to look away. She glanced briefly back at them and he nodded at her question. Her eyes were wide and she didn't even blink as she stared. Julien would've been more worried if he hadn't already experienced her eccentric nature.

  "I must take a sample!" She said her feet moving forward. Her steps were frantic almost manic as she approached the pool. His father and the knights followed their curiosity peaked. Julien found himself just smiling and moving to the side. The excitement of the Kingdoms monarch and its only ancient scientist was palpable as they all but ran toward the pool. He had no doubt that at least his father was more excited about the potential boost to the troop or maybe Petra would be able to unlock some secret of the liquid. Just based on what it did to him and the others it could do a lot. He looked back at the others as they spread out across the room chatting amiably. He smiled, for the first time in days his shoulders relaxed. how long had it been since they were able to have a relatively peaceful day. Maybe he reacted too late to what happened next because of his relaxed state but he liked to believe it was just preordained. If not it made absolutely no sense why Petra in her rush would slip in a small, puddle of liquid right at the pools edge. whether from some phenomena in the past just built up condensation, it really didn't matter. All he could do is watch in shock as Petra stumbled a cursed escaping her mouth as her left foot slid out from under her. She tried to regain her balance, arms pinwheeling for balance just on the edge of the pool. She tried to turn, to throw her momentum in another direction, she failed. With a deafening splash she fell backward into the liquid a shocked and horrified look on her face.

  Then Julien was moving forward. Logically he knew the liquid wouldn't hurt her. It had healed them after all but the scream of sudden pain that tore from the woman's mouth as she broke the surface had his instincts and emotions taking the forefront of his mind. So much for all those lectures in the Academy about staying calm in a crisis. His eyes widened further when he saw his father lunge left arm outstretched as he reached for his chief Physician and presumed friend. According to what he knew his father and Petra had been part of the same squad in the Academy, a revelation his father had only recently divulged to him while they were on the road. So, the panic and worry he saw in his father's eyes made sense. But when his arm plunged into the liquid, a scream tore from his mouth and he tried to snatch it back. Some force seemed to hold his arm still as he father pulled and pulled until with a shiver his father's eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed, his head and the top of his torso hung over the edge of the pool. He finally arrived sliding on his knees up to the edge. The stone painfully dug into the skin of his legs as it tore through his pantlegs but he ignored it grabbing his father by the armor straps to keep him from falling the rest of the way in. The knights joined him as second later each grabbing on to a portion of his father's armor locking him in place. He looked down to see his father's arm submerged up to his elbow. the gauntlet and glove he had been wearing were already dissolving into brown and grey mist. He had no frame of reference as he was no alchemist but any liquid that could eat through leather like that was dangerous. Belatedly, he realized what had happened to their clothes the first time. Further out Petra was completely submerged and he didn't see any sign of her coming back up. Well, he thought, it looks like the family might be about to grow.