CHAPTER 374: 374-A MURDER MISSION

Clementine:

"Wait, we are not going to tell the crusaders I am leaving?" I wondered.

The lurkers entered the basement.

"What for? Do you want them to panic? Or do you need moral support?" Ms. Lenora questioned.

Miss Rue had stayed quiet the entire time, tapping her fingertips on the table.

"What is the emergency?" I asked in bewilderment, watching Miss Rue’s hands and then turning to Ms. Lenora, who straightened her back and folded her arms across her chest.

"Because the storm will last for three days," she replied, "and this storm is not only here. It hits South, East, North, and West. I told you about it. It comes once every few years, four or five. Tomorrow is the last day, and something happens in the North on that day."

I stared at her in confusion. I noticed that her tone felt strange.

"There is a place in the North that appears only on the third day of the storm. It is a castle. It stays invisible for the rest of the time, but tomorrow, at midnight, it will appear, and once it does, we can reach the watch," she explained.

Mr. Rick slid the paper toward me once again, the one that I had already seen.

I remembered it was embedded in a wall, but now I realized that it was a wall somewhere in the castle.

It looked like an old castle, very dingy type, like from probably many years ago. But there were five identical watches.

"Why is there five?" I asked.

Ms. Lenora replied with a shrug.

"The wall holds five watches, but only one is real," she replied, "and if you choose the wrong one, the castle will shake," she explained. "It will not collapse immediately. You will have one more chance, only one. If you choose the wrong one the second chance, the castle will fall, and you will have to escape before it collapses on you."

"And if I fail both times, then?" I asked her.

"Then we wait for another four years," Mr. Rick grunted tiredly.

"Why do you even want it? What is there to go back in time?" I questioned.

"The rumor says that because there are some dangerous people in the North that would probably want it too," Ms. Lenora snapped, almost like she was upset that I was asking that question.

"Huh, so you are scared the criminals will get it, the same criminals that you have sent to the North," I remarked, pulling my arms over my chest and shaking my leg, watching their faces as they dulled.

"If you want to phrase it that way, fine, but you understand we cannot let that happen," Mr. Rick explained.

I rolled my eyes.

They then told me that since the North was hit with something, with a curse, and all the monsters started to form, there was a monster who was able to hide this castle.

The monster is long dead now, but the curse, the magic, stays, and it hides the castle.

"So you are going to the North tonight. Just get it and be back," Ms. Lenora mumbled.

I began to click my tongue.

"It will be tomorrow at midnight. Why do I have to go now?" I asked, almost laughing at them for taking me so soon.

"Because we do not know if you will be able to find it even. In order for you to even find the missing location, to follow the map, it will take some time," Mr. Rick explained.

I began to click my tongue once again.

"You previously told me I will be able to find it in an hour or so," I mumbled at their discrepancy.

"Yes, if you know, if you have been there once. If you have not, it will take some time," Mr. Rick replied.

At this point, it was not something new.

They were known to contradict themselves, but all in all, I understood that they were really, really looking for this watch.

At this point, Miss Rue stopped tapping her fingers.

She lifted her gaze and our eyes met. Then she lowered her eyes again.

That was when I understood. This was not a preparation. This was a countdown.

I was being sent into the place where I could choose the right one or die with the castle on top of me.

"Now, please, if you have to go and freshen up, you can use my bathroom," Ms. Lenora suggested.

Miss Rue stepped forward before her. "Or mine," she added.

Instead of going after Ms. Lenora like she expected, I strolled after Miss Rue.

Once I entered her room, I went to the bathroom and freshened up. When I came out, I saw Miss Rue standing in front of me.

"What?" I asked her.

Before she could open her mouth, Ms. Lenora barged in.

"Let’s go, I guess," Ms. Lenora remarked.

It seemed like she had been waiting at the door to hear the click of the bathroom door.

The three of them took me to the train station together.

The storm was wild, and I wondered if anyone would notice I was gone.

My Red Squad would, or maybe not. I could not be sure.

They took me to the station and then stepped away. I was not wearing a uniform this time.

I was given black pants and a red top. I was instructed to enter any carriage. It all seemed odd, even illegal.

When I was about to board the black carriage, Miss Rue held my hand and pulled me into a hug. I could tell that Ms. Lenora and Mr. Rick scoffed at her being emotional.

While she hugged me, she whispered something in my ear that made the hair on the back of my neck rise.

"Use this, and do not waste your time trying to come toward the train. They are not going to board you on the train this time. Remember the door I showed you. This key will take you back to the mainland through that door. You will not need to return to the train station. The train will not arrive, and if it does, they will take the watch from you and kill you there. Then they will tell everyone that you died in the North."

She whispered all these words quickly. I felt her hand press something into mine.

When she pulled back, I could barely breathe.

I noticed the lurker standing behind Miss Rue and Mr. Rick.

I knew that if I tried to run from here, they would kill me. All I could do was step into the black carriage.

The door closed. I opened my palm. There was indeed a key, a key to the back door that would help me escape.

But the fact that they had planned my death after making me complete the task sent a heavy shiver through me.