Saving the Rifts (The Traveling Rifts Trilogy: Book Three) *ON HOLD*

Shadow Princess

"Then come here, dragon keeper. I need you to guide me to where the entrance is."

And then they disappeared underneath. Lian slowly stood up as he realized that the mer was no ordinary mer. She was a water-controlling mer. However, he had no time to dwell on the thought. The woman and her son were coming back to the spot, and the dragon was narrowing in.

"Your son must have a vivid imagination," Lian said in English. He smiled in a friendly manner. "I don't see anything to cause such an outbreak."

The woman regarded him suspiciously. Her son, however, was staring at the empty beach.

"Where did they go? They were here! Honest!"

"Oh, come on," the woman said, roughly seizing the boy's hand. "There's nothing here."

"But Mama!"

The two went off and Lian looked back up to the sky. The dragon seemed to have realized that the rebels disappeared under the water. He didn't make an effort to descend, and instead sped up. Lian waited until he had passed over before walking out onto the beach. Ignoring the stinging of the sun, the shadow elf crouched next to the water and touched its surface. He had studied the rift maps for years. He was sure that no rift existed there. But if the keeper had sensed an entrance...

Lian stood and took out a phone from his pocket. It was another very useful invention. Of course, communication in Aldenuur was much more efficient, but the enemy still hadn't discovered this way of contacting each other. After pressing the name on speed dial, Lian put the phone to his ear. It barely rang two times before he heard a voice.

"Report."

"This is Spy 32," Lian said into the phone. "Quadrant 1, sector 2, region 8. The old prince. S-T-O-N. I found the rebels." He looked back to the still water. "Inform Princess Ellwood at once."

***

Another Contest was being held. After the first, Queen Elora stopped showing. After the second, King Saj receded back to his throne room. Considering Prince Sajen had left the night before and Prince Ravlynn was banished, it was up to Princess Ellwood to keep the public appeased by showing the royal family's support.

Even if that meant enduring the sixth Contest since the night had started.

In the arena, two men fought toe-to-toe with clashing swords and gritted teeth. From the second the fight started, Ellwood knew who would win. The faster one. Not because he fast; because the slow one was thinking too much. He was trying to strategize, which never worked in a fast-paced swordfight.

The princess watched with barely any interest as her theory was proven correct. The winner would go on to fight the previous winner in stage two. It was a complicated process, but it decided who was fit for the new military division First Rank, as well as what status they would hold.

Frankly, Ellwood would rather watch her brothers have another spat.

As the preparations for stage two was complete, the princess stood. Her silky black dress loosely hung from her body. The thick silver band that held it up was decorated with blue gems. Ellwood's black hair was loose around her shoulders and atop her head rested a tiara. The beautiful lines intertwining themselves in it were pure silver.

The shadow princess held up an arm and with the other pressed a box to her lips.

"Let stage two begin!" she said into the amplifier.

Then she turned the object off and sat back down. The elves in the stands all clapped then sat forward in their seats. Anticipation was written all over their faces.