Royal Advisor Sir Rowan and the Third-in-command Lord Jeremiah hurried toward the Throne Hall as they had received an emergency summon from the King. Juanito walked alongside them, being Sir Rowan's eyes.
'My King, my Queen,' Sir Rowan greeted once they entered the hall. Jeremiah mirrored his father-in-law's greeting.
The Throne Hall was empty save a few members. The Supreme Sorceress was standing near the window, with her fingertips barely touching the table; a few Ministers seated around the table, looking grim and of course, the ruler of the Dithrai Kingdom themselves.
'Sir Rowan, Lord Jeremiah,' the Queen waved her hand, gracefully, 'please settle down.'
'I was told there was an emergency,' Sir Rowan replied as Juanito helped him take a seat.
'There is,' King Samuel replied somberly. 'We have a traitor in our midst.'
The lack of members in the Hall seemed apparent to those that were present. Lord Jeremiah assessed the faces that were before him. All the people in the Hall were deeply trusted by the monarchs.
'That seems to be true,' Sir Rowan replied as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 'There is all the more reason to believe that since Prince Damien's abduction.'
There was a brief pause.
'It's true,' One of the Ministers in the Hall agreed. 'Prince Damien is a formidable opponent with a strong fighting spirit. Someone must have aided the enemy. Without that, it is impossible to overpower our prince.'
'We mustn't forget the time the demons attacked Princess Amara and Sir Rowan. The princess had almost lost her life,' another said.
'But we have no reason to worry now,' the Shalore replied, scraping her nails against the smooth surface of the table. 'I'll have you all know that we have gathered here to discuss the punishment.'
'Are you implying that you know who the traitor is?' Lord Jeremiah asked. 'And if so, how come we were not informed about this earlier!'
'This mission was performed in complete discretion,' Queen Reveanna got to her feet. She stared at her brother, 'And to answer your question, yes, we have found the traitors.'
'Traitors!' One of the Ministers exclaimed.
'There will be no trial as the news of the prince's disappearance has not been revealed to the people,' the King began. 'All those who are present here will decide the punishment. I hope we can agree soon enough.' He nodded at Phoebe, 'If you may, Shalore.'
She bobbed her head and stood tall before the table. 'The charges against the accused are- jeopardising the integrity of the Dithrai Crown, aiding the enemy to breach the Dithrai walls, assassination attempt of two Council members and finally- Prince Damien's abduction.' She exhaled. 'All punishable by death.'
'Then death it is! Death without trial!' A Minister cried passionately.
Soon it became a unanimous decision.
When the commotion died down, Sir Rowan said softly, 'Now, reveal to us the names of those traitors.'
'You know who they are, brother,' the Queen replied sadly and turned away.
The Shalore hurled a wave of her magic toward the Royal Advisor.
Shock registered on the Ministers' faces when they saw Rowan avoid the blow by ducking, almost most as if he had seen it coming.
'What is the meaning of this!' Lord Jeremiah bellowed, making Phoebe the target of his rage.
'Do not pretend to be something you're not, you traitorous scum,' she spoke through her gritted teeth. She wove a cage made of her strong magic and imprisoned the two of them.
'How is this possible!' A Minister expressed his disbelief. 'Wasn't Sir Rowan attacked too?'
'He was taking precautions,' the King addressed the Ministers. 'He made a bargain with the Demon Queen. His sight for his help.'
'Will you not even try to explain your dishonourable actions!'
'Never!' Sir Rowan seethed.
'Rowan, Jeremiah,' the Queen spoke to the prisoners. 'You are hereby stripped by your titles. Any affiliation to the Dithrai Crown is, from this moment on, dissolved. You are to remain in captivity till your daughter arrives-'
'Felicia has nothing to do with this!' Jeremiah wailed, desperately, 'Neither does our son! Please spare them!'
'-Upon our investigation, we will decide her fate.'
'She has nothing to do with this!' He cried. 'Nothing! I swear she has nothing to do with this!'
'Take them away,' the King ordered.
Phoebe addressed Jeremiah with stormy eyes. 'You should have thought this through.'
*
Amara was nervous as she walked toward the chamber once again. This time she was ready to take the warrior down. Once again, she had effectively woven a strong sleeping spell around her. As she moved, demons fell into a deep slumber.
The warrior who was stationed outside the prince's door collapsed when she stood before him.
Her heart thumped against her ribs as she unlocked the double doors.
It's time to go home. She inhaled deeply before she dissolved her spell.
She pushed the doors open with her foot. They creaked as they revealed the dark chamber.
It was dead quiet inside. The blanket was neatly folded at the edge of the bed. The mirror was scattered on the floor, broken into tiny silver pieces. Just as she realized what he had planned, she heard something move behind.
Spinning on her heels, she raised a protective shield around her.
Damien came at her with a piece of mirror. His eyes were murderous. Blood oozed out of his hand as he tried to break her barrier. Their proximity gave her time to study the perfect proportions of his visage. She was so carried away by them that she let her guard down.
The barrier broke and the shard came at her.
She thought she was going to lose an eye.
Fortunately for her, he propelled his attack at the last moment and discarded the mirror immediately. He gasped as his weight shifted on his bad leg. Unable to take the pain, he grabbed her shoulder for support.
The only problem was that she wasn't ready for it. Both of them lost their balance and tumbled down.
For a moment, both of them were numb.
'Amara,' he rasped. 'It's you.'
Her eyes widened as she gazed into those beautiful blue eyes. His face became a blur as tears pooled in her eyes.
She let her disguise come apart as she rose to her feet. She helped him up, keeping his injury in mind. She wished she could heal it but it was beyond her capabilities.
'H-how did you know?'
He let out a dry laugh as he cupped her cheek with his unscathed hand. 'Only you could do that.' He breathed and connected his forehead with hers. 'After all this time...'
'We must leave,' she whispered.
'You're right.'
Neither of them moved. They basked in the warmth of each others' presence. Their breaths mingled and their hands wove together. They held onto each other with a grip that indicated a promise.
'We should really leave,' he chuckled.
'You're right,' she dared to move away but her grip on his hand tightened. She was never going to let go of it, no matter what.
No matter what.
'Come along now. It's time to go home.'
He smiled. 'Home,' he echoed, dreamily.
Just how long had he thought of home?
Amara smiled at him through her tears. 'Home.'
She cast the sleeping spell around them and moved through the secret chambers that Raphael had marked for her. They moved slowly because of Damien's injuries but her spell made up for it.
The passageway opened into the sewers. The two of them bore the offensive smell and moved swiftly toward the opening, where the twinkling stars beckoned them.
Finally, Prince Damien looked at the vast sky above him and then at the woman standing beside him. He relished the warmth of her skin. Unable to contain his feelings, he embraced her. 'I'm sorry, Amara,' his voice was heavy. 'I'm sorry you had to go through everything because of me.'
'Don't apologize, love,' she drew away and wiped his tears with the pad of her thumb. 'There is nothing to be sorry about.'