Adventures of Captain Xdey by Laura Dasnoit Page A

seemed, to pass by them. Xoey watched as they gained momentum and turned right. She felt a pat on her head. “Now we go left.”
    “How did you do that?” she inquired.
    The stranger smiled a pristine white smile. “In time, Xoey.” They turned left, right, and left again. Xoey wasn’t sure of where they were anymore; every wall, hall, nook and cranny looked the same as the one before it.
    “What is this place?”
    “When the Great War was just beginning to brew, the gnomes created a vast labyrinth filled with secret compartments of grand weapons. They are a very cautious breed, you see. Then Nix took over the lands and forced them to reveal the hiding place and the weapons within.”
    “Why?”
    He rubbed his closely shaved head. “Nix desires to take control of Grittle. Desert Town, No Man’s Land, and Storm’s Hold refuse to bow before him. He has threatened great harm. So far, his words are hollow.”
    Her stomach gurgled quite audibly. It had been a long while since she last ate. The man looked down at her. “Not to worry, you’ll eat in due time.”
    She’d hoped her stomach wasn’t that loud. “Sorry.”
    He pushed open a round grate and gestured her through. “Go up the stairs, take the first door on the right, and head on back to the house. I’ll meet you and the group in Desert Town.”
    Xoey scratched her nose in thought. “Why are we heading there? The Tinkertons are in Giant’s Pass.”
    With a heavy sigh, he shook his head. “I’ll explain everything when you arrive.” He handed her a thick sealed parchment. “Can’t go home empty handed.” Jesco jumped on Xoey’s back and hitched a ride.
    She gingerly took the parchment and felt disappointed that it wasn’t food. The hole was just small enough to let her pass through. She could hear him shut the grate behind her. The room was sectioned off in four corners filled with tables and trinkets of monetary value, or so she guessed. Xoey tripped over her own shoelace. Annoyed, she placed the paper under her arm and tied the lace as best as she could. Nadine had shown her a few times, but it was harder than it looked. She muttered that it was just another thing she had to keep up with.
    A slow-simmering meat aroma filled the air. Xoey’s mouth watered and she smacked her lips in anticipation. He did say she’d be able to eat soon. She skipped up the stairs to find the scent did not come from the first door on the right, but instead the second. Maybe he was wrong? She pressed her ear against the rough wooden door. All was silent. With a hand on the knob and her back against the wall, she opened the door. Xoey peeked around the door frame to find a single plate of steaming leg of meat waiting. Eyes wide and mouth open, Xoey ran in and grabbed the bone end of the meat. She chomped down on nothing but air. “Huh?” The illusion vanished and she found herself trapped in an iron cage.
    Xoey kicked the cage door. “Let me out!” For once, she felt grateful for the protection of the shoes, but that didn’t mean she could not feel the jolt of vibration ring up through her bones. She felt drained from overexerting what energy she had left. Xoey heaved a sigh and closed her eyes.
    “I’m sorry, Father,” she caught herself saying, and though she knew it was far from her fault the guilt weighed heavily upon her soul. His laughter was the only hug she ever needed, and she’d work the lives of a hundred men just to hear it again. With that, the tears flowed down her pale cheeks as she muffled the sobs into her sleeve. She hoped he would appear next to her, to be her little secret down here—and yet, he never revealed himself. He was gone. Jesco tugged the paper under her arm, interrupting her sorrow. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and with the other she opened the folded parchment and read the words out loud.
    “The unseen become the seen and the seen become unseen.”
    She turned the page to find it was blank. “That’s it?”