Providence Ch. 03

They quietly walked up to the door of the disheveled house.

"Are you sure this is it?" Isabel asked, as she took in the unkempt lawn and the rundown exterior. The paint was flaking and the windows were filled with grime and what looked like cobwebs. The establishment was anything but regal, and the three were quite unaccustomed to such ordinary, plain traits.

She shuddered as her body screamed in exhaustion and fatigue and hunger.

Will nodded, "Yeah. This is the place. We were drilled on the locations of all the safehouses in the kingdom. This is the closest one."

They stepped up onto the porch and after a nod from Koen, Will raised his fist to dock. Three hard raps were heard, and they waited for an answer. After several long moments of nothing, Will looked to Koen. The two shared a look of doubt. Had the safehouse been compromised? Hesitantly, Will knocked again.

Suddenly the door swung open to reveal a tall, young man standing eye to eye with all three royal figures. His eyes were a clear blue, set behind a pair of glasses. He was thin but muscular, and his voice was load and thunderous but welcoming all the same. "You made it!! Come in, come in." He ushered them inside and closed the door, locking it with the five durable metal bolts. He went swiftly to the windows and pulled the drapes down to hide the interior from any nosy neighbors or unwelcome company.

"I heard what happened," he said. He walked past them walking through the living area and into the kitchen; they followed silently. "I wasn't sure if you had survived or not. The reports that Cyrus has issued said the royal family was dead, but in situations like these, you can never be sure."

He immerged with hot tea for each of them. "I've been up all night just in case. No one from town has returned home from the Festival. It's been quiet all night. I'm guessing he didn't let anyone out alive." He eyed them carefully, noting their disheveled appearance and fatigued bodies. "You must be exhausted. There's a lavatory through that hallway, and beds already made waiting for you. There's clothes and supplies in the closet, help yourself."

Koen nodded and steered Isabel down the hallway that the man had pointed to. They disappeared from view and Will took the silent moment to question the young man before him. "What exactly has Cyrus been saying?"

He shook his head sadly. "That we shouldn't try to resist him. The royal family is dead, and that he's taken their palace. He declared himself King of Aevar."

"Shit," Will cursed under his breath. This was very bad, and they needed to escape from the insanity to regroup. "Have you heard from the other contacts? Has anyone else survived?"

"I heard from three contacts several hours ago. All together there are about twenty survivors, not including you three."

"Why didn't they come here? This is the closest safehouse."

The man gave him a sad look. Of course they wouldn't know how bad it really is, he thought.

"The survivors were palace guards and soldiers from bases in the kingdom. There were no other survivors from the Festival … that I know of," he tried to offer quickly. "They're all from other targets that Cyrus must have ambushed after taking King Eamon. You are very lucky you survived. You're not even injured."

Will could only nod, but stayed silent for several minutes letting the information sink in. Cyrus had planned the attack well, striking when Aevar was most vulnerable. Never mind the fact that the Autumn Festival was a sacred ritual, and to fight on that day was unthinkable. It was a holiday, and the fact that Cyrus planned his attack on that day made his scheme that much more despicable. It would be like spitting in the face of the King himself. But obviously Cyrus was without moral or principle. After all, he did murder the King and Queen in front of the entire kingdom.

"Go ahead and contact the other safehouses. Let them know that Koen and Isabel are alive. We'll meet up at the Moana dock, and leave the planet there. Hopefully we'll break the atmosphere before Cyrus's men realize we're leaving."

"Moana? Are you sure that's wise? That dock hasn't been updated in several years. Who knows if there's even a decent ship to transport you, never mind twenty others?"

"Just do it. We're running out of options," he said wearily.

The young man nodded and went to his communications to contact the safehouses.

"Wait."

He stopped and turned to face Will with a questioning look on his face.

"What's your name?"

He smiled then, saying, "Alec."

"Thank you Alec. You've saved our lives."

He bowed in respect, and exited the room to contact his fellow protectors.