Dawn's POV
Suddenly, a shimmering part of world in front of us started to widen. Izira and Jodan turned towards it.
The Black Knight turned, and growled at the shimmering portal, then vanished. I looked, confused at everyone, then we all rushed through the portal, leaving Izira and Jodan behind. They stood still, their voices broken and fractured.
I hopped through the rainbow-colored portal, ending up in the colorful land of Ephedia.
"What?" Iris finally spoke. It was just as magical as it had been when we were first born.
The King came up behind us, spreading his arms wide, as if nothing was wrong.
"Dad?" Iris asked, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight. He grinned.
"Yes! My darling daughter!"
"You left Izira and Jodan in there!" Carissa protested.
"No, that's not really Izira and Jodan," he reassured us, "the ones you met on Earth were real. When you got there, I used a crystal spell to make clones of them. They went last, right? They took another portal behind your back."
Talia crossed her arms.
"My King, I don't think that was the wisest decision."
He waved his hands in dismissal.
"Princess of Xeris, you have nothing to worry about!"
Iris shared a worried look with me. Anyone who wasn't a close member of the King's family wouldn't see the waver of doubt in his eyes. But me, I could easily see the tension in his eyes.
Suddenly, Nathaniel's brows furrowed.
"My King, what was the thing that we encountered? The extra dimension?" Nathaniel stammered, trying to voice his words.
"An illusion." the King replied, sliding into a carriage, patting the seats for us. Talia and Auriana slid in easily, with more hesitance from me, Chandler, Lev, and Nathaniel. Iris followed after, a huge sigh coming out as soon as she entered.
There were bags under Talia's eyes. SHe yawned, and blinked a few times. Iris was already asleep to the rocking of the carriage, resting her head on Nathaniel's shoulder. The King's eyes flared up, but relaxed once he saw that Nathaniel was falling asleep too.
Suddenly, I found my eyes closing, and I laid my head on Lev's shoulder.
...
I blinked, awake now that the carriage had stopped. None of my other members of the team were awake, so I shut my eyes as not to disturb anyone. Unable to fall asleep, I opened my eyes again.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the King talking in hushed tones to a guard. He looked guarded and unfriendly, but at the same time, willing to do his job.
He nodded several times at the King, who kept on giving him orders. I heard tiny pieces of words, floating into my ears.
"Graymorr.... wife.... secret.... attack...." he whispered fiercely into his ear. The guard's eyes grew wide, but he quickly wiped the expression off of his face. He nodded solemnly, and led the carriage into the castle, the dangerous secret still hanging in the air.
I shut my eyes as the King turned his head towards me, and he let out a huff, then shook Lev and Nathaniel's shoulders, asking them to wake up, stirring Iris and I in the process.
He, then, glared at me, proceeding to hit my with his cape as he walked by. I stuttered in protest, but he had already gone past the castle limits. Iris, Talia, and Auriana followed behind him, with the rest of us following suit.
We entered the throne room, where officials, magistrates, and other members of Ephedia were standing, watching the Queen intently. Her forehead was coated with sweat, and her eyebrows were furrowed.
The King burst in front of the already-waiting citizens. They grumbled, but ceased once they realized it was their ruler that was standing in front of them. The Queen looked uncomfortable as she twisted on the throne, her subjects offering unasked tribute.
She waved the last of them off with an elegant thank-you, and we followed her down the hall, took a right, then a left, entering on the first door on the left.
It was a wide, great room. There were rows of seats, complete with a stage and a mini table with elegant chairs surrounding it.
"Iris, the rest of the Royals," the Queen addressed us, "please, take a seat."
She then glared at her husband, who then took a seat, unfazed by her anger. After she turned away, a flash of worry and sadness crossed her face.
"There is some... grave news that we need to tell you." she confessed. Iris and Carissa leaned forward in their seats. Lyna and Lev were panicky, while Chandler, Talia, Auriana and I leaned back and tried to get comfortable.
"We know that you were probably very busy with your lives." the Queen began, then motioned for her spouse to continue.
"There is a very dangerous secret that could eventually overthrow us, and the rest of the Royals." he continued, but kept it vague. None of them seemed to want to start the real part of the conversation.
The Queen looked at her husband disappointedly and sighed.
"There is a problem. A man, calling himself the Black Knight, is terrorizing the city of Ashlar. It destroys our crops, kills our people, and is ultimately knocking the entire universe of Ephedia out of Balance. Ashlar is one of our most dominant cities, as it also holds the beacon that keeps the entire world of Ephedia from falling into darkness. Your father managed to keep this from me and he is knocking the entire world off Balance."
Carissa nodded.
"A tiny batch of warriors vandalized our home after my mother passed away. They were from the city of Ashlar." she confirmed the town's reality.
Iris sucked in a breath.
"Mother, you know I love Ephedia. I love it more than anything in the world." she shot a glance at Nathaniel.
"With one exception." she added. They frowned.
"Iris, Ephedia is in the Balance. This will eventually erase all of you. This is what's holding you to the ground!" the King slammed his fist onto the table, sending a small tremor through the floor. Iris and Nathaniel jumped, while Lev, Talia, Chandler, Lyna and I leapt out of our seats. Carissa seemed unfazed.
"We'll do it." a firm voice said.
I looked back to see Nathaniel sitting up, to Iris' surprise.
"Fine!" the King seemed unhappy, though it seemed like he had gotten what he had wanted.
Carissa, Lyna, and Chandler walked out, still shaken by the King's outburst. Iris looked at Nathaniel, who's confident face was still determined.
The King and the Queen exited out a different way, heading in seperate directions. The Queen let out a large huff as the King made his way to his study. I followed Lev, Iris, and Nathaniel out the door, and we walked into the Library.
The King's POV, 2 weeks after the End of the Reign of Graymorr.
"Aeliana, I'm just going to clean up the study." I shouted across the hall. My wife nodded. Her face was focused on the rooms filled with dark crystals.
Shouting, "Crystal Solvenda!" and I thrust my fist into the ground, emanating a magic circle that lit up the entire room. I heard another shout from the same spell.
I looked around to see what had happened, only to see a tiny trapdoor in the floor. I walked over, and bent down to inspect it. Lifting the creaky hatch up, I found letters and postcards.
There was a woman, her dark, maroon-colored hair pulled back, but her face joyous as she held a baby boy. His face was covered in milk fed to him from a bottle. Another picture showed Graymorr, standing proudly at his wedding as he watched the same woman from before, walking in a floor-length dress. The ceremony barely had anyone there, except for a priest and a ring-man.
There were letters addressed to one person in particular.
Gedeon, my Son.
I stared in shock. Destroying a tyrant with a plan of vengeance, evil coursing through his veins, and revenge on his checklist was one thing. But killing a man with a child was another.
This could destroy my reputation. This could eventually wipe us all out. I had to protect us. I stared at the hidden trapdoor.
My wife's footsteps were getting louder. I frantically pushed a desk over the trapdoor, in an effort to cover it.
Aeliana rounded the corner, and smiled once she saw I was working.
"Harrick, take a break." she said, as she walked behind me and ushered me down the hall. I smiled worriedly.
Her face turned serious.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked.
"N-No. Of course not." I reassured her as I plastered a smile on my face. Her grin returned.
"Let's go." she nodded. She walked to the entrance, and turned back to me, holding out her hand. I grasped it willingly, and we walked down the hall towards the kitchen.