The warm fire in the corner of the tavern slowly died. It turned from bright yellow flames into dull orange coals. Outside, the sky was completely black. Luna paced back and forth across the floor of their rented room. Her boots made a soft *thud, thud, thud* sound on the wood. She crossed her arms tight across her chest."They should be back by now," Luna said. She looked at the small wooden clock on the wall. "It has been six hours. Quinn said they would just walk in, get the gold, and leave."Felix sat on the edge of his bed. He held a small metal screwdriver. His dead, broken screen lay in pieces on his lap. He was taking it apart just to keep his hands busy."Darius probably started talking," Felix tried to sound hopeful. He pushed his cracked glasses up his nose. "You know how Darius is. He loves to brag. He is probably telling the Royal Knights how he single-handedly killed all the ice-trolls. Quinn is probably just waiting for him to finish."Luna stopped pacing. She looked o

The royal courtyard was a sea of panic. People ran in every direction. The loud alarm bells of the Northern Castle rang through the cold night air.*BONG! BONG! BONG!*A group of Royal Knights pushed through the terrified crowd. They formed a tight circle around the broken body lying in the snow. It was the knight Luna had pushed from the supply tower.A tall, angry Guard Captain marched into the circle. He wore a thick fur cape over his silver armor. He glared down at the dead knight."What happened here?!" the Captain roared. His voice cut through the noise of the crowd.A younger knight saluted quickly. His hands were shaking. "Sir! He fell from the supply tower window! We heard the crash and found him here!""Fell?" the Captain narrowed his eyes. "A Royal Knight does not just fall out of a window. Did someone push him? Are there intruders?""We sent men up the stairs, sir," the young knight reported. "The tower is completely empty. There is no one inside. But... sir, you need to l

The wind howled against the giant stone walls of the main barracks. It was pitch black outside and the snow fell in thick, heavy sheets.Luna and Felix pressed their bodies flat against the cold wall. They were climbing up the outside of the massive square building. Luna moved first, finding tiny cracks in the stone for her fingers. Felix followed right below her, shaking violently from the freezing cold."My fingers are numb," Felix whispered loudly. His teeth chattered. "I cannot feel the stone.""Do not look down," Luna commanded. Her voice was strained. "We are almost at the roof. Just five more feet."Felix gritted his teeth. He reached up and grabbed a frozen stone edge. He pulled his thin body up.Luna reached the top. She pulled herself over the edge and rolled onto the flat, snowy roof. She reached her hand down and grabbed Felix by his coat. She pulled him up. They both lay flat on the roof, panting heavily."We made it," Felix gasped. He pushed his cracked glasses up his no

The heavy iron doors of the elevator slid open with a loud, mechanical hiss.Quinn was dragged forward by two massive executioners. His arms were bound tightly in thick, black dread-iron chains. His face was covered in bruises, but his dark eyes were completely calm.Darius was dragged right behind him. The red-haired swordsman was bleeding from his lip. He kicked his legs, struggling against his heavy chains."Get your dirty hands off me!" Darius yelled. He spat blood onto the polished floor. "I am a noble! You cannot treat me like a dog!"The executioners did not speak. They just threw Quinn and Darius forward. They fell hard onto the cold floor.Quinn looked up. His eyes widened slightly.This was not a dungeon. This was not a dark stone cell with iron bars.This was a massive, futuristic laboratory. The room was perfectly round. The walls were made of bright, shining white metal. Blinding white lights glowed from the ceiling. Giant, humming machines lined the walls, blinking with

The heavy oak doors of the throne room pushed open with a loud creak.The tall Guard Captain marched into the room. His shining silver armor was covered in grey dust and chipped stone. His white fur cape was torn. He was bleeding from a cut on his forehead from the collapsing roof. But he did not look defeated. He looked very proud.He walked directly to the golden throne and dropped to one knee. He bowed his head deeply."My King," the Captain spoke loudly. His voice echoed across the smooth white marble floor.The King of the North sat on his throne. He held a golden cup of wine. He looked down at the bleeding Captain with cold, sharp ice-blue eyes."You look like a dog that rolled in the dirt, Captain," the King said slowly. "I heard a loud noise from the main barracks. I heard the alarm bells. Tell me you have good news. If you do not, I will cut your tongue out."The Captain looked up and smiled a cruel smile. "The news is perfect, my King. The rats came right to us. They tried t