Chapter 2
I woke up the next morning with sunlight flooding my room.
I went out into the kitchen and saw that my mom was already up making eggs for us. “Good morning, Drake,” she said with a smile. I couldn’t help but notice that she looked uneasy this morning. “Morning,” I responded.
She set a plate of eggs in front of my seat at the table. I sat down and started chowing down on the eggs. Mom always made the best eggs.
She sat down on the other side of the table and began eating her own portion of eggs.
“So,” I began casually. “Who was that guy last night?” She looked surprised at what I said.
“Uh…” she said. “That’s Hal, one of the main guards for King Lucius.”
I couldn’t help but ask, “Is he my father?”
Mom shook her head. “No, he’s just a guard.”
“Why was he here?”
“He was… trying to recruit you.”
I got hopeful. What I thought was real. I was going to be someone finally!
“What was he recruiting me for?” I asked.
“Listen, Drake. You don’t have to do it. I know that you don’t really want to.”
Don’t really want to? Does she know me at all?
“Yeah I do! I want to be a knight! What was he trying to recruit me for? Was it to be a Sky Breaker?”
She stared at her food for a moment. “Maybe you should talk to him; he lives in house twelve by the castle gate.” She almost looked sad. I wondered if she didn’t want me to become a knight. I didn’t want to let her down, but at the same time I didn’t want to give up this opportunity.
“Thanks,” was all I could say. Then I was out of the door.
I looked at my map over and over but I couldn’t find the twelfth house. In fact, the map actually skipped house twelve. So it was useless.
Sigh.
I tucked it away and proceeded to search by eye. The calm town always seemed to give me some sense of security inside me. I didn't know whether it was the birds chirping, or the trees swaying back in forth that gave me a feeling of ease. I sighed again. These were the moments I cherished.
I found house eleven and thirteen, but in between there was no house twelve. I searched all around the houses for some clue of a twelfth house. Then I found a trap door behind a large tree in between the two cottages.
On it, painted in white, were two big numbers that I could easily discern as one and two. Twelve.
I opened it with the small handle on the edge.
Inside I saw stairs leading down to darkness. I shrugged my shoulders and took the first step downward.
Each step seemed to take longer and make me weaker. I felt like the air had been sucked out of me. I had never been this deep before. And what’s worse is the stairs just seemed to drag on and on.
Finally I saw some source of light further down. It looked like a lamp hanging on the ceiling. Behind the lamp was a door with gleam coming from it. On the door the number twelve was painted in small white numbers.
I knocked on the door and I felt how hard and cold it was. It was like metal, but it looked like wood. It was dark, so I guess I couldn’t really tell.
Then the door swung open and I saw a familiar man. He was tall and pretty muscular and he had a beard starting to grow in. “What can I do for you, mister..." He looked me over a little better. "Drake? Drake, is that you?
“Yes, sir,” I answered confidently. “I’m Drake Bone.”
“Good. Come on in, Drake.”
Inside was a bit intimidating. There was a lot of darkness and cold walls surrounding me. Hal gestured toward the couch in the middle of the room.
I sat down and he started to speak. “Okay, Drake. Did your mom tell you that I came over last night?”
She didn’t really tell me—I told her—but I guess I could say that. “Yes.”
“Then do you know why you’re here now?”
“You were recruiting me for something?” I asked. “I just wanted to know what, sir.”
“Indeed,” he said with a grin. “You look like a capable sort for what I want you for. Not too much muscle to weigh you down, but not too little so you are a weakling. A bit tan, so you can easily blend in with your surroundings, that is a good thing." I didn't see how being tan could let me blend in with my surroundings, but okay.
All of the adjectives Hal had described had nothing to do with the five knights. I had no idea what he was getting at.
"I shall let you in on the details later, but for the time being there is a place we must be, care to join me, Drake?” before he finished he was already out of the door I just walked in. I followed him.
For once I wished someone could just tell me what was going on.
