4. Door Knight for the Win #3
‘Got him. Let’s go!’ Lynx yells, pulling my attention back to him.
Levi is still on the floor, but at my feet, and I don’t waste any time picking him up and throwing him over my shoulder.
‘Let’s go, rug!’ I yell, taking off, knowing he will be right on my tail.
I’m not even worried about being seen. At this point, I’m confident that no one will be able to follow us as long as we get a head start.
We slip out of the room when I hear Angel’s scream.
“Emer! Levi’s gone!” Angel’s shriek pierces the air as we run down the hallway. “What the fuck are you waiting for? Go get him, and you guys take care of him.”
I chuckle to myself as I imagine that scene playing out behind us. I mean, they were holding their own, but that was also before that demon was getting in the room. A deafening roar pierces the air, causing my skin to pebble. Loud thunderous beats pound the ground as we run down our tunnel.
‘I…ugh… don’t think that demon was there for the girls, Doorknob,’ Lynx vocalizes my fear.
‘Wow, really, rug? I would have to be dead not to notice,’ I growl out.
‘Well, you are called Deadwood for a reason,’ he retorts.
‘Now’s not the time, Lynx,’ I yell as we shoot out into the tunnel and find the hidden door closed. ‘Shit. Lynx! We need the door,’ I call out, not at all hiding my anxiety.
‘Hold your mage, Doorknob. I’m on it.’ He darts over to the closed door and paws at the floor as I look back at the tunnels to gauge our lead.
I catch sight of Emer and Angel’s determined looks as they come through the tunnel, catching up with us.
Unfortunately, that’s right when the Demon busts through the far right tunnel, spewing rocks and debris outward down the tunnel.
Seeing as some of the stones were aiming for us, I flare my wings up to protect Levi’s unconscious body over my shoulder.
Can’t let anything happen to the precious cargo.
‘It’s open, let’s go,’ Lynx grabs my attention.
‘Make sure you’re touching me,’ I yell out as I take off in a sprint.
I bypass Cherry Blossom and run straight for PawPaw.
Gripping his door handle and opening it, the portal to Nova awaits us on the other side.
I feel something lightly wrap around my ankle and squeeze me.
Knowing it must be Lynx’s tail, I focus on the Hall of Knowledge and feel us get pulled into the familiarity.
‘Damn, Knots, that was close,’ Lynx immediately starts complaining. ‘Don’t you think—’
‘Shut up, Lynx, and let me work!’ I yell as I set down Levi. ‘PawPaw, where did the Demon go?’ I run a hand through my hair, pacing as the adrenaline runs through me.
‘Demon slipped into Nova’s culture district. I’ve already notified Hawthrone, and they are sending guards.’
‘Where did Angel and Emer go?’ I ask, wondering where they would go to look for us.
‘They doubled back and did not enter the portal,’ Cherry Blossom answers. ‘Scaredy-cats that they are.’
‘Can we track where they took Rez? We need to meet up.’ I rub the back of my neck as I wait for an answer.
There’s a collective sigh, and there’s an unease that twists my stomach.
‘Is there a problem?’ Lynx cocks an eyebrow at me.
‘Anyone have eyes or can tell me their last location? Anything could help us out…else we’re going to have some psychotic mates tearing at some literal doors,’ I emphasize, knowing full well that I’m one of them who’s on the edge needing to physically see that she’s okay.
A groan pulls my attention down to my feet, and I find Levi coming to and trying to roll onto his back, but his hands are still bound.
“Fuck, sorry about that, Levi. Here, let me get that,” I say, easily pulling Alexis free and slicing through his cuffs.
“Where are we and where is everyone else?” Levi asks, taking a moment to scan the area before rubbing out the kinks in his wrist and shoulders.
“Well, we are currently in the Hall of Knowledge, which is how we Door Knights all communicate.” I indicate the threads above us.
‘I last saw them fighting before my door, but then they used a portal. No traces of them on the grounds,’ Ponderosa informs me.
‘Did you happen to see anything in the portal that would give it away? The door on the other side?’ I ask, hopeful that I can piece together something to give us a hint.
‘Sorry, Knots. I couldn’t make out much through the red sap.” I don’t push any further since the red sap is enough to help.
‘No, that’s great. Thank you, Ponderosa.’ I turn to face Lynx and Levi, and before I can say anything, Levi jumps in.
“How come I can hear your conversations between all the Door Knights?” Levi spits out.
“I think it’s because of that.” I simply point up to my cut thread. “All the other ones are still intact, but mine is cut. My guess is that since I’m in here, all the knowledge is free range.”
Levi’s eyebrows furrow as he takes in everything and opens his mouth to ask another question, but I stop him.
“Make a mental note and ask later. I think I know where we need to go, and time is of the essence.”
Now, only to find Dragon, the DoorKnight, in the Forgotten section.