The Obelisk

-Chapter 54-

Night had come.

The five had gotten as much sleep as they could throughout the day, and shortly after the sun set, the trapdoor was closed, and everything was dark.

Forest lay by the bars, resting his chin on his talons. He wasn’t very tired after all the shut eye he’d gotten already, but he needed to conserve his energy as they waited for the Prince to arrive.

Slowly the amount of guards diminished as the rest of the prisoners went to sleep.

This was what Coal was counting on, Forest thought. Oh, I hope he knows what he’s doing.

Crimson sat with her eyes closed against the corner of the cell, her tail flipping back and forth. Spark was near her, curled up in a comfortable position. Rust and Nyx paced acrossed the cell quietly.

Finally, when what seemed like hours had passed, he heard a quiet scuffle of claws down the hallway. Everyone perked their heads up.

The dark figure of the Prince appeared, colored dark blue and indigo in Forests night vision. He fluffed his wings silently and Forest heard a tiny jingle of keys.

Coal approached the cell door. There was a slight c l i c k, and the Five stood up quickly.

“Shhh,” Coal hushed quietly. “Come on.”

The cell door opened, letting out a tiny creak. All of the other prisoners were sleeping, and there were no guards in sight. The Five carefully exited the cell, fear and excitement bristling along each of their spines.

Coal led the way down the hall, but Forest suddenly stopped, remembering something.

Nyx turned to see why Forest had stopped. “What?” She mouthed.

Prince Coal whirled his head around, his expression irritated. “What are you doing?“ he asked.

“Wait,” Forest said quietly. He gestured for the Prince, and Coal carefully trailed behind him.

Forest haulted to a stop at one of the cells, and turned to point at the sleeping figure inside. “Free him too,” Forest said.

The Terror bird glanced at the sleeping Thylacoleo. “Why?”

“He doesn’t deserve to be trapped here,” Forest whispered.

The Prince hesitated, then nodded slowly. He held out the keys and slipped one in the lock. The door swung open. Forest whispered his thanks. This was a big risk for the Prince.

Forest padded inside the cell and nudged the Thylacoleo softly with his snout. “Wake up.”

“Hmmmph?” The Thyla lifted his head, squinting. “Who—what—“

“Shhh, quiet,” Forest whispered. “We’re breaking out.”

The Thylacoleos instincts kicked in. He stood up, tired but ready, and bobbed his head in cooperation.

Forest nodded back. “I’m Forest.”

“I’m Bramble,” whispered the Thyla. “Let’s get out of here.”

They stepped out of the cell. “What now?” Nyx whispered.

“I know the quickest way out,” the Prince said.

“OK,” Forest said. “But first—there’s something else we need, too.”