Gemini

The next morning I was awoken by loud shouting outside my door. I pulled my coat on and stepped into my shoes before walking up the stairs and peeking out the door to see what was going on. I saw two huge men yelling at a slightly smaller man who had a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

“Give us the money, kid,” one of them said. They had the guy cornered against a wall. “Or we’ll skin ya alive.”

“Money, what money? I don’t know what you guys are talking about.” The guy scoffed.
“The money you lost to us in a gambling match.” The other man said angrily. The guy pretended to ponder this for a moment.

“Oh right! I remember now, that money.” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “I lost it.” At these three words, the two men jumped on him and started beating him to the ground. I have no idea why I did, but I immediately jumped out from the door, found the biggest rock I could, and threw it at one of the men. They looked in my direction and started coming towards me, their previous argument momentarily forgotten.

I was surprised at myself, but I didn’t have time to think about my actions; I had to keep myself from getting killed. I glanced at the crumpled mess of the guy on the ground and suddenly had the energy to run. I threw a second rock to make sure they would follow me before running in the direction of the Mystic Palace.

The palace is surrounded by many guards. If I could just get the three of us past the guards and get myself out of there before getting caught, then I would be rid of the two oafs. I dodged pillars and bushes as we got closer to the palace. The two men were hot on my tail. I spotted a guard and quickly ducked behind a bush. The men weren’t expecting a sudden stop. They tripped over me and landed out in the open where the guard instantly spotted them and took them into captivity.

I carefully backed away and ran back to the crumpled man. He sat there against a broken wall. His nose was broken and bleeding, his clothes were ripped in some places and dirty from the scuffle, and he had stubble on his chin. He blinked a few times when he noticed me.

“You are probably the stupidest man on this planet.” I remarked. His mouth opened to reveal a toothy grin. I rolled my eyes.

“You’re not being cautious either.” I ignored his comment and moved closer to him.

“Come inside, I’ll get you washed up. You look like hell.” I looked over my shoulder, beckoning him to follow me down the stairs. He staggered the entire way, but he could hold himself up nonetheless. I sat him down on the bed. I walked to a small sink located in the corner and turned the faucet on, running it over a rag.

“How did you get rid of them?” He asked as I cleaned the blood off him. I shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter, but they won’t be coming back.” I reassured him. He attempted to press the matter further.

“So, what did you kill them or some-OW!” I had snapped his nose back in place. A new flow of blood came streaming down.

“Hold the rag there while I get a bandage.” I ordered. I got a bandage from one of the small boxes under my bed. I applied the bandage to his nose to keep it in place. I held up a mirror for him.

“…I look stupid.” He stated with a hint of despair.

“You’re dumber than you look.” I chided. “What makes you think that gambling in a place like this is a smart idea?” He shrugged.

“I needed the money.” He mumbled.

“You need money more than your life?” He didn’t answer me. I sighed. “Alright, that’s all I can do for you. You should go home before it gets dark.” He looked up at me.

“You saved my life. I’m in your debt. Anything you want me to do, I’ll do it.” I looked at him for a moment.

“How much do you know about where the Mystics take their prisoners?” I doubted that he would know.

“Nothing.” I figured as much. “But, I know someone who’s been there.” I gazed at him skeptically.

“Can you take me to him?” I asked. He nodded.

“It’s a long walk from here.” He said.

“It’s worth it.” He looked at me for a while before nodding again.

“We’ll leave tomorrow as soon as the sun comes up.” I was about to object, but he interrupted me with “It’s dangerous at night right?” I nodded. He told me that he’d come back in the morning before he left.

This better be real. I’m one step closer to finding her. She’s alive and I will bring her back safely, even if I die in the process.