Songs to listen to while reading:
We got Love by Jessica Mauboy
Rise Up by Imagine Dragons

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
# Negativity, death, suicide and other triggering things are mentioned in this chapter. Read at your own risk #

Redwind insisted that we freshen up and reenergise ourselves with a good, hearty meal before we began our next process: extracting the key.

    Everyone instantly agreed, everyone, that is, except for me ...

    I sat, rigid and stiff in my chair. I puffed my cheeks out and let the pent-up breath out through my pursed lips. Sure, I was enjoying the food, I hadn't tasted anything like it in days ... But I was worried ... worried that we wouldn't get back to Precipitous in time ...

    "Hayley? Hayley, are you okay?"

    "Hmmm?" I jerked my head upwards in response. I scanned the room for the speaker and my eyes landed on Daniel. He'd swapped seats with Teyla and had scooted nearer to me without me even having noticed.

    I gritted my teeth and turned away. The last thing I wanted was Daniel nagging me. "W-what do you want?" I demanded brusquely, ducking my head and poking at my food with my fork.

    "Nothing," Daniel returned, his voice a mixture of surprise and dismay. "I - I was just checking up on you ..."

    "Last time I looked, you were busy checking up on Evangeline," I bitterly spat out. "Why don't you just go and make out with her and get it over with? It's better than keeping me in such agonising suspense."

    "WHAT?" Daniel's mouth fell open as a look of realisation flashed across his face. "N-no, Hayley, no! I - I don't like Evangeline ... not like that."

    "Then why did you ask her to come with us than? And why are you always defending her when someone tells her something snarky?" I blurted. My mind was a haze of emotions and I was venting out all of my anger and sadness into these words; even though I knew it was uncalled for.

    "Hayley, listen to me, you're the only one I care about, the only one I'll ever love," Daniel tried to reason with me but I was having none of it.

    "Funny that," I shook my head. "A few days ago I would've literally died to hear you say those words - b-but now ... ? Go to hell, Daniel. I don't need you."

    With that, I roughly pushed back my chair and stood to my feet. Throwing my napkin forcefully down on my plate, I turned my back on him before he could say another word and stormed out of the room.

    I wound up back in the Great Hall.

    I glanced around, trying to cool my raging temper. My eyes wandered over the intricate tapestries and fancy decorations gracing the ivory-laid walls. The soft red carpet cushioned my feet and I bent down to graze my fingers over it's velvety smoothness.

    "Beautiful, isn't it?" a feminine voice inquired from behind me.

    With a start, I leaped to my feet and whirled around. Redwind was standing nearby, one hand on the hilt of her sword and the other hand lifting up her scarlet cape that was draped across the ground.

    "Uh ... yeah ..." I swallowed. "It - it's amazing."

    Redwind gave me a knowing look as she stepped closer. "You've been through much suffering and known your share of pain, Hayley Schultz. You are a fighter, a warrior and a woman worthy of respect. However, I shall warn you of just one thing: you must not turn on your own. Whatever feelings are bottled up inside of you must remain there, until after the battle is over."

    "W-what are you trying to say?" I inquired, feigning innocence although I knew all too well what she was getting at.

    "Daniel. He is not your enemy, Hayley, so don't treat him like he is," Redwind lifted her chin determinedly and looked me straight in the eye. "He too, has left everything behind to come after you. Do not ruin your chances of a happy ending because you are too stubborn or wilful to see your own flaws."

    I bit my lip and remained silent, a wave of guilt and shame suddenly breaking over me.

    "I am not here to judge you, only to remind you of what is right," Redwind continued, firmly, but gently. "Now, while the others are busy, we must go."

    "Go? Go where?"

    "You want the key, do you not? Then follow me and I shall get it."

    For a moment, I hesitated. I glanced from Redwind to the partially opened door leading into the dining room.

    "If we are to work together to destroy the Author ... you must trust me," Redwind's tone remained unwavering.

    I heaved a deep breath and nodded. "O-okay. I'm coming."

    "Good." Redwind turned around on her heel and strode down the hall towards a nearby side exit. "Come. We must hurry."

    A little quizzical at the urgency in Redwind's voice, I abandoned all caution and trotted meekly after her. I wished for some sort of weapon to be in my possession, just in case things turned ugly, but they had all been taken from us upon capture. I highly doubted I'd be granted any now.

    Redwind's slim figure, her red cape billowing out behind her, walked purposefully through a series of halls, passageways, twists and turns. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we arrived at a narrow flight of stairs.

    I glanced up, amazed at the sturdiness of the construction. The wooden flight of steps wound their way upwards along the rocky walls for nearly 5 or 6 stories. At the very top of the stairs was a strong iron grate secured with metal bars.

    "The - the key's up there?" I inquired doubtfully.

    "Yes. Let us go," Redwind started hurriedly up the stairs.

    I chanced a quick look around but, to my relief, I couldn't spot any of Redwind's soldiers lurking around. I didn't want to be lured into a trap and killed, but I had no choice. If I was to save my people from the hell-hole they were living in, I had to silence the warning bells dinging in my brain and follow Redwind ... up the stairs and away from everyone else.

    By the time we reached the top, I was certain that I had never been so puffed in all of my life! My legs were aching, my head was throbbing and the back of my throat was all scratchy and dry.

    I doubled over, trying to regain my breath, as Redwind unlocked the grate and swung it open.

    Sunlight, bright, glaring sunlight, poured into my face. With a yelp of surprise, I stumbled backwards. My foot landed on a loose stone and I slipped.

    I tumbled to the ground, gasping in horror as my body, helpless to stop itself, rolled straight towards the edge of the stairs! If I went over, I'd be dead for sure!

    My hands flailed around, reaching for something, anything to hold onto, but there was nothing.

    "Oh my god!" I choked out a scream as I toppled over the edge of the steps. "HELP ME!!!"

    Suddenly, something calloused and warm snaked its way around my wrist. My whole body was jerked to an abrupt halt.

    I glanced down and nearly yelled in terror. I was dangling, in thin air, off of the edge of the sixth flight of stairs! The ground beneath my feet had never seemed so far away. I lifted my head up and gazed into Redwind's face. She was hanging onto me with one arm and with the other, she was holding onto a sword that she had stuck into the ground as a lever.

    "Are you always this clumsy?" she asked, almost amused.

    I fought to control my rapid breathing as I shook my head.

    Redwind rolled her eyes. With a mighty heave, she lifted me back up onto solid ground once again.

    "T-thank you!" I gasped out as I struggled to regain my balance.

    "Don't mention it. Now come along," she held out a hand for me to take, obviously not intent on allowing me to slip over again.

    My heart hammered against my chest as I grabbed her hand and was hauled forward, straight through the grate.

    Redwind dropped my hand once we were inside and turned her back on me to fasten the door.

    I looked around, surprised and amazed. I was standing in an upper room of the invaders rock-like cove. The place was overlaid with basins, towels, screens and the occasional bathtub. A huge oval-shaped window had been hewn out of the opposite wall and looked out over the entire valley that lay below the Eagle's Crest.

    My mouth fell open as I walked nearer to the window. "T-this is incredible!" I exclaimed. "You can see everything from up here! The mountainside, the valleys, the ridge, the tips of the houses in Precipitous ... look how far we've come!"

    "And look how far you have yet to go," Redwind pointed out.

    I shrugged and nodded. "Yeah ... I guess ..." I turned back around to look at her and let out a startled gasp.

    Redwind was standing over one of the basins nearby. She had discarded her cape and her belt of weapons and they lay on the floor behind her. She had rolled up her sleeves and was pressing the point of a shiny sharp-bladed knife to her wrist.

    "What the hell are you doing?" I shouted, springing forward.

    Redwind glanced up at me and for the first time since I had met her I saw the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. "This is the only way," she whispered.

    "The only way? The only way to what?" I demanded desperately.

    "H-Hayley ... I AM the key ..."

    My eyes widened in shock and all I could do was stand there and stare at her, gaping. "W-what? H-how?"

    "It's very simple really," Redwind sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly. "The Author of old, the one who was so cruelly taken away from us, created the idea of invaders as a way to help and strengthen the characters. However, he died before he could complete his work and our new Author has turned his idea into a reality, a harsh, awful reality. What he didn't know was that the Author before him knew what could happen to the characters of his story if his book fell into the wrong hands. So, before his death, he managed to create ONE invader; an invader that would be the queen of all others, one that would insist on peace and harmony, one whose blood, once sacrificed, would transform into the key that would dissolve the book in the case of a crisis ..."

    "Dissolve the book?" I inquired, confused. "Wait a minute ... T-that means that you have to die in order for the book to be destroyed and in order for all the characters to escape?"

    Redwind nodded. "Yes. Once I die, the key will be released and free to chose who it's master is. Then, it will guide whoever it has chosen back to Precipitous where there is a special place in the binding. Once the key is inserted into this special place, the book will be destroyed."

    "B-but how will I know - er - where this 'special place' is?"

    "You won't. But the key will. It will lead you there. However, I must die first in order for the key to come into existence."

    "And if it doesn't work? If you died for nothing? If your people think I killed you out of malice? What then?" I blurted, tears trembling in my eyes. "P-please, Redwind, don't ... There must be another way ..."

    "There is no other way," Redwind told me softly. "Trust me. I know."

    A sudden sound of clattering footsteps caught my ear and I turned my attention towards the door as a flurry of fists began to pound upon it. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" someone from the outside shouted. "You must not kill yourself! Your Majesty! You must not give the key to these people ... Please, Your Majesty!"

    Redwind sighed and closed her eyes. "They already know, Hayley, my people already know. Once they know that you are on our side, they will march with you to freedom. You will be their new queen but you must promise me that you will treat them well."

    I nodded, tears beginning to slip from my eyes. "Yes ... yes ... I promise ..."

    "Thank you," Redwind breathed. "Good luck, Hayley, and may the key choose well ..."

    I covered my mouth with my hands as I watched, helplessly and hopelessly.

    SWISH. SWISH.

    Redwind's blade, covered with blood, clattered to the floor. Fountains of bright red blood erupted from her wrists. A weary smile found its way to her face as she closed her eyes and crumpled to the ground.

    "REDWIND!" I screamed, jumping forward to catch her as she fell.

    I grabbed her head and lowered it gently to the ground. Sniffling, I passed my hand gently over her face as I whispered, "Rest in peace, Your Majesty."

    For a few moments, all was still, then, suddenly, a loud sucking sound occurred.

    Quickly I glanced down towards the ground where a pool of Redwind's blood lay. My ears and eyes followed the source of the noise and I crept forward, in a crouched position, until I came face-to-face with it ....

    The key.

    It was IN Redwind's blood that had been spilled all over the floor! And - and it was alive! It was turning and twisting and jumping all over the place as it freed itself from the bloody mess that had previously enslaved it. It rolled across the floor until it touched my knees. Then it stopped. A soft illuminating glow burst from within the key and floated over me.

    I gasped as I realised what the sparkling hue surrounding me meant: the key had chosen ME to be the next queen!

    BANG.

    The door suddenly flew open and a group of Redwind's guards burst into the room. They must've been prying at the lock as Redwind spoke her last words. Finally, they had gotten through but they were too late to save her.

    Upon seeing the scene before them, however, their ferocious looks of displeasure and anger disappeared. Expressions of deep reverence reflected off of their faces as they dropped to the ground and bowed before me, indicating that they were now my subjects.

    The bright hue that was entwining with my face and hair slowly faded away and the key lying in front of me became rigid and still. Only then did I deem it safe to pocket it and get to my feet.

    Clearing my throat, I nervously addressed the soldiers, "Arise."

    They did so, none of them daring to look me in the eye.

    "We depart and return to Precipitous at once," I commanded, trying to keep a calm and authoritative tone as I spoke. "Gather what items you must; we leave within the hour."

    They all nodded and withdrew; save for two, who, I assumed, where my personal body guards.

    Before I left the room and Redwind's body, I stooped down and picked up her belt, lined with weapons off all various degrees and sorts. I strapped it on around my waist, one of my 'new' bodyguards helping to adjust her cape around my neck and shoulders.

    I heaved a deep breath as I thought to myself, I can do this.

    My fingers encircled the key in my pocket as I made my way downstairs and back towards the dining room. As I stepped inside, the entire room went silent. All eyes were fixated on me.

    "W-where have you been?" Teyla, totally oblivious to what was going on, questioned.

    "Hey, why are you wearing Redwind's cape?" Wesley inquired, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

    I huffed and rolled my eyes as I took the key from my pocket and lifted it up for everyone to see.

    "I have the key," I proclaimed. "This is our ticket out of here. Come on, hurry up and finish eating ... it's time to go home."

Gif: Hayley and Redwind :)

A/N: I am so so so so sorry for the late update!!!! I hope this chapter was all you were hoping for. Anyways, I've only one more chapter and an epilogue after this so I'm super excited about that!!!! Thanks so much for sticking by me and encouraging and supporting me!!! I love you all!!! 💕💕tysm!!!!! Ok, so what do u think of how the Mystery is coming to an end? What about the book coming to an end? Do u admire Redwind for her sacrifice? Do u think Hayley even cares for Daniel anymore? Do u think the characters and invaders will make an unstoppable force as they march back to Precipitous to finish what they started?? Please comment ur opinions below, I'd love to hear from you! I'd also appreciate it if you could vote lol!! Thank you!! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter!!! 😁

Word Count: 2,844