In the dark city, hundreds of people were lined up at a huge gate
Maybe thousands
Behind the gate was the royal castle
A violin could be heard playing inside
Two golden lamps rested on each pillar that held the gate
At the gate were two men
They were studying a letter cased in gold
One of them was completely bald
The other had glowing green eyes
His eyes pierced everyone who crossed the gate
He didn't smile
Or speak
He was only staring
Everyone in the line looked formal
Tuxedos, dresses, gowns
Every color on their clothing shone brightly
The air smelled of various perfumes
The bald man nodded as he handed man and woman their letter back
The gate opened and they entered
The man with the glowing green eyes looked at them
He didn't blink
The couple stopped smiling for a bit as they walked
They stopped talking and looked at the floor
Soon, the man turned away his gaze
He looked at the other person entering
About ten people away from the gate stood Autumn and Thomas
Thomas wore a black tuxedo
Its colors shone deeply
He had a black hat on his head
A small feather was attached to it
Around his eye was a white star-shaped mask
The visible strands of his hair fell slightly over his face and down the sides
It was no longer spiky, but curled loosely
Thomas slowly stepped forward as another person entered the gate
His arm was linked with his partner's
Autumn
She wore a long white dress, embroidered with silver jewels
The dress glittered the closer she got to the lamps at the gate
She wore long white gloves on both hands
Her silver heels made her almost as tall as Thomas
The two stepped forward in unison
Heads not too low
Not too high
They were now five people away from the gate
"Oi! Are you there yet?" Richie's voice rang out
It sounded almost choppy
Like a radio with little signal
"Shut up, we're getting close," Autumn muttered
"Remember, cut the signal or you're good as dead" Bob's voice crackled
No one answered
They both stepped forward
There were now two more people in front of them
A couple
At the front was an old man
"I'm getting nervous.." Thomas whispered
Looking at the floor
Autumn didn't answer
She clung closer to him
He finally looked up
They got closer
The bald man took the letter from the couple in front
The green-eyed fellow locked eyes with Thomas
He didn't smile
Just stared
Thomas looked at the floor
Autumn squeezed his arm, but he didn't look up
The couple In front started walking through the gate
It was now their time
Thomas wasn't looking up though
Autumn squeezed his arm tighter
Fuck it
Thomas looked up
He looked at the green-eyed fellow
Then looked at the bald man
He dipped into his pocket, taking out a letter
The royal crest was on it
A circle with a crown inside it
The man studied the letter
"Nigel?" he muttered looking at Thomas
Thomas nodded
"Nigel Myers... And this is my beloved wife Catherine"
The man looked at them
Eyes narrowing
Then he shook his head
"Well you're on the list" he said
Almost bored
The gate opened automatically
Thomas and Autumn started entering
Behind the gate, at the far side,
Stood the man with the glowing green eyes
'You're good as dead....cut the signal'
Autumn remembered
She clenched her teeth
Something crunched inside her mouth
A metallic taste
She swallowed
The green-eyed fellow stared at them
He didn't blink
His gaze travelled from head to toe
Then looked away
The two continued walking
The paved walkway was about 100 meters from the castle doors
"Tastes like shit..." Autumn muttered
Thomas chuckled softly
Yesterday Bob held that exact device
In the small dark shabby cottage
A small bead infused with magical energy
"We'll use this to communicate..as long as you don't accidentally crush or swallow it" Bob said
He then put it in his mouth
"Like this" he opened his mouth
The bead was attached to his molar
Thomas grinned again, staring at the concrete path
He looked up
He was halfway to the castle
"Should've swallowed it, like me" he grinned
Just up ahead the door was open
The violins were now louder
A yellow glow came from inside
Not like a pale lamp
More like stars or glitter
"Remember the mission, Autumn." Thomas said
Autumn nodded
Soon they entered the castle
A golden atmosphere engulfed them
Music
Servants walking around
People chatting enthusiastically
Wine in hand
Giving their best smiles for the worst
Autumn looked at the floor
"Find Leo, right" she muttered
She slipped her arm from Thomas's and slowly walked off
Thomas watched her walk
He stretched his hand forward
As if to reach out
But he stopped
Instead
He walked the opposite way
Autumn went into another room
There were three formally dressed kids
They looked about five or six
Two boys and one girl
They were giggling nonstop
Even though a man in a tightly dressed tuxedo kept trying to silence them
She stopped
And looked up at the ceiling
The chandelier was filled with many lamps
The lamps seemed similar to the one at the cabin
Yet they were so much brighter
Just yesterday, she was staring into the dim lamp at the cabin
They all sat around the table
"We get Leo out of her reach no matter what" Bob finished
"What if Leo's not in the main crowd?" Thomas asked
"That's why we're splitting up" answered Richie
"We check the private rooms, you check the main ones" Bob added
Thomas leaned back into his chair
It squeaked loudly
Autumn didn't utter a word. Shee was still staring into the fire
"If things go south, we are ready to leave this city" Richie said
"W-we can't leave Leo" Autumn said softly
"Well, your days are numbered," Richie said
Autumn went silent again
She didn't utter a word or respond to Richie
"Ugh, you really are an asshole" Thomas said
"Tell me about it" Bob agreed
"What!? I'm telling it as it is" Richie half-shouted
"She'll get herself killed with that heart of hers" he added again
"Hey! Just shut the fuck up!" Thomas stood up quickly
The three started arguing
All talking at the same time
Everyone's voices overlapped
But Autumn was silent
"Autumn, don't listen to him, alright?" Thomas said
...
"Autumn?" he called
"Autumn?!"
A clink of a wine glass could be heard
Multiple conversations drowned out the argument
"Autumn!?"
Standing in front of her was Thomas
She looked around
The three kids who were giggling earlier were gone
"Catherine.." she corrected
"Right... Any luck?" Thomas asked
"We barely started.." she replied
"I know, this place is a maze... We'll easily get lost" Thomas answered
Autumn started walking
"Then let's search together"
The two walked back into the first room
They wove past a few groups talking
A servant stepped in front of them with a tray of beverages
"Oh yeah, definitely. " Thomas said, taking two
He gave Autumn the other
The two started walking again
No Leo
They exited the large room
In the other room was a huge staircase
A long velvet carpet stretched up the staircase
In the middle was a crest
A circle with a crown in the middle
A gem was embedded in the crown
"No Leo either," Thomas muttered
In this room, the musicians could be seen in a corner
Only a few were playing the violin
The two went up the staircase
All they could see was people
Some in separate groups
All chatting
But it felt more
Fake.
Forced laughter, and accents that drew their words out
Everybody had a different crest on their outfits
Not all of them were different, many wore the same crest
Thomas and Autumn went to a small corner
Where wine was being served
He sipped the drinkalready in hand
The red liquid was almost gone in one gulp
His lips had already begun taking on its shade
"Why would Leo even be in a place like this?" he grumbled
Autumn sighed
She sipped her beverage too
She squinted her eyes, her face wrinkled
"Here..." she shoved the drink towards Thomas
"Come on, it's great" he said
"It tastes like bleach" Autumn said
Thomas took a sip from her drink
Instantly he spat it back in the cup
He gasped, eyes wide
Autumn looked around instantly
Her eyes landed on two men getting wine
They were staring at them
One's mouth was half open
The other didn't even react
"Commoners..." he said before walking off.
Autumn glared at Thomas
"Ah.. I didn't mean that" Thomas said
The man serving the wine came over to them
"Anything I can get you?" he asked
"N-no we're good," Thomas answered
The two then walked away
"You're ruining our cover," Autumn whispered
"I'm not a fucking spy, alright?" Thomas cursed silently
As they walked into the crowded areas
Autumn sighed again
"I sure hope they're doing better than us," she said.
"Nah..." Thomas said in disbelief
"What do you mean, 'nah'?" Autumn asked. "They've probably found him by now."
"No, look." Thomas pointed ahead
Just in front of them
Stood Leo
His long shaggy hair was now short
His gray tuxedo shone effortlessly
Golden lines were sewn into it
There was a crest on his collar
A red circle with a golden crown in the middle
Embedded in the crown was a red jewel
"Leo.." Autumn muttered
Thomas gripped her hand
"No... not yet"
Leo was just standing still
Staring out into space
As if lost in thought
End