Chapter Fourteen
Norman closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Just as she went to blow out the candles, a loud explosion shook the palace from its rafters to its very foundation. Screams of fear echoed throughout the great ballroom. Tapestries and banners came undone from their fastenings. The great crystal chandeliers swayed as if the whole earth had moved. Some of the candles fell, setting the fallen banners ablaze. People with the presence of mind tried to extinguish the flames. Everyone rushed toward the main entrance only to be stopped by sword-wielding guards and barricaded doors. More screaming ensued, as both Gertrude and King Octavius noticed what was going on. Some guards were fighting one another. Sadly, the ones loyal to Octavius were soon overpowered by the rebellious guards.
Gertrude pulled his sword from its hilt and shielded Norman and the queen behind him. Running towards the quartet were several of the king’s guards with their swords raised. The Troll shouted, “Octavius, flee with your family! The guards do not look as if they are coming to protect you…”
Octavius looked at Gertrude. “You cannot fight four humans at once! You must come with us! Please do not argue with me…” What Octavius said rang true to his ears. Gertrude turned as they all fled the oncoming guards. He was the last to go through the unguarded door. Just as he did so, he heard a familiar voice - one dripping with hatred. It was Lord Mellem giving the orders!
The four fugitives found themselves dodging guards. One guard was unfortunate enough to challenge Gertrude’s blade. He fell as they made their way through the halls and down the stairs. They found every entry out of the castle blocked by guards. Octavius noticed that the guards wore the colors of all of the other kingdoms and pointed it out to Gertrude. They did not have time to ponder exactly what was going on or who was in charge of the rebellion as they made their way to the bowels of the castle.
“Gertrude, there is no way of escaping. They will find us sooner or later. We are trapped with no way out.” Octavius was looking over his shoulder, watching for guards.
They soon found themselves in the corridor with all of the cells. All of them were empty. Either the guards had been overwhelmed by the others, or the guards had merely let the captives go. Gertrude led them to a large room off of that corridor. He closed the door and started piling furniture in front of it. The others joined in and soon they had barricaded themselves inside.
“Gertrude, why did you lead us here? This is a dead end and sooner or later we will either succumb to thirst and starvation or they will break in.” Norman anxiously cried.
“There is an exit into the tunnels from this room. If you will remember, Norman, we came across a large blank wall at the base of the castle when we were exploring the tunnels.” As he spoke, Gertrude went over to a torch post hanging from the farthest wall and pushed it with all of his strength. The walls of the room started to tremble and the rattle of chains could be heard. The floor vibrated as if some gigantic monster had been awakened from a long slumber. Slowly the outside wall moved outward giving a narrow passage, yielding a cold darkness.
Gertrude took the small sack from his shoulder that held the remaining candles he had brought and lit them. “Come! We must hurry before they find us and the hidden passage.” Gertrude let the three royals pass first and followed close behind. The candles lit the tunnel well enough for Gertrude to find the other torch holder. Once again he gave it a push with all of its strength. The four of them watched as the passage closed.
Octavius looked at Gertrude questioningly. “Why did you not tell me of this secret passage, Gertrude?”
“My mother once told me that the best kept secret is the one told to nobody but yourself. I knew that there were spies in the castle. I knew that this passage might come in handy, and it did...”
Octavius nodded his head in agreement. “You lead the way, my friend.”