The Golden Core | Secrets of the Core #1

Chapter Sixteen Part One

With her heart beat rising faster than she could keep up, Winter's hands shook as she opened her mouth to speak. No words managed to escape her lips, but her eyes widened. She didn't even know this King. Did Father know him? Maybe she would finally get some answers about her life with magic. Or even some answers about her father.

Phoenix walked towards her, his voice quivering. "Come on, Winter. We've gotta go."

She nodded. Father never liked waiting around when he asked for someone, so she imagined it was the same for King Jensen. One step after another, the two of them left Phoenix's house without even a goodbye to his family. As they continued back towards Central Lane, Winter realized that she was still a bit too shy speaking in front of his family members because now, questions were pouring out of her mouth. "Do you know why the King wants to see me? Did he know my father? Does he know that I'm a princess? What's going on?"

While continuing to ramble on, she kept moving. It wasn't until she felt eyes on her that she turned to see Phoenix glaring directly at her. She stopped talking and stood next to him.

He had both hands raised in the air, as if he was about to cast a spell. "I swear, if you don't shut up right now, I will make you. You don't need to ask so many questions. Got it?"

Winter couldn't believe how different he was from being with his family to right now. It was like he had this side to him that they didn't even know about. She wondered what it would be like if they happened to find out what he was really doing. Instead of responding to his words, she faced forward as all of the shops and houses came into her view. More people were outside now than there were earlier. Most of the adults were talking and children were running through the road; she had to move out of the way a few times to make sure she didn't bump into them.

They made a right at the water fountain Winter first noticed when the two of them came to Lost Meadow. How far away was the kingdom? People were chatting to Phoenix, a few hellos slipping from his lips as they walked by. It seemed like they were continuing for an eternity until Phoenix finally stopped in front of what looked to be a tunnel.

"We're almost there," Phoenix spoke. "Come on."

Tall lampposts stood at each side of the rounded opening. A sign was in front of her with black lettering that held the words 'Knight Passage'. That alone made her stomach tense. What were they getting themselves into?

She squinted as they moved on. It was too dark inside. Without a flashlight, she wasn't sure how they were expected to see through this. Then, a bright orange light automatically shone on them. Now, she could see everything. Stone covered both sides of the tunnel, along with the top and the walkway. It was such a long walk that she couldn't even see the end of it. Small designs in white were written on the stone, but she had no idea what they even meant.

"What are those?" She pointed towards them, glancing over at Phoenix.

He stopped. "I don't know, actually. I've never asked. We're almost to the kingdom though."

With each step they took, new lights appeared as the old ones faded away. Eventually, she could see he was right as the mirror-like road appeared once again. One step forward, she saw her reflection. Somehow, it was worse than when she first arrived. Pieces of her dark hair stood, the frizzy mess annoying her even more until she realized how wrinkled her clothes were. She was going to see the King like this? Why didn't anyone tell her?

Doing her best to smooth down the ends of her shirt, she almost stumbled over her own feet due to not paying attention.

"Watch where you're going, you almost fell." Phoenix pointed forward. "Look, there's the bridge to get to King Jensen."

Winter was about to make a snappy comeback until she lifted her head and realized the brown bridge was merely a few feet away from her with guards standing on each side. The railings were designed with brown swirls and the tall white kingdom stood at the end of it. A bright red door led to the opening.

"Wow," she said in amazement. Even though this castle was very similar to her father's in many ways, a different feeling approached her when she took a step onto the bridge after the guards let them through. The queasiness in her stomach left as she stared at the water underneath them.

Phoenix walked up to the guards by the door, leaving Winter standing on the bridge alone for a few moments. "We've been requested to meet with King Jensen."