As the walls of light retracted back down to the ground, Beanni couldn't help but stare. The golden rays lay frozen within the carved grooves in the floor, forming a shining river of power. Standing in the centre of the eight-pointed star, was Ethan Robson, the impossible man that contacted Beanni from another realm. He stood beside the Trabem Pool, wearing the strange reflective clothes she had witnessed him wear when she first met him in the smoke. He was finally in Natanstrelle, standing in the cold and damp forbidden cave, built by Beanni's ancestors centuries ago.
"Oh, Dachan Terran, I know your air." She heard Ethan say through a deep, satisfied sigh. "I'm finally home!"
"It worked," Beanni whispered. The relief that washed over her in that moment made her smile. "I'm so glad it worked."
It was then that Ethan finally stepped out from the engravings on the floor. As his last toe crossed the dip, the golden light sitting inside it snuffed out, plunging the three of them into sudden darkness. Oslac quickly found his light orb, grew it in his hand and lit up the ancient room once more with a subtle white glow.
"What now?" Oslac broke the silence.
"I must get back to Troll Land. There is not a lot of time," Ethan declared, and made his way to the àrdurum door.
"Wait!" Oslac called after him, making Beanni jump. "You can't just stroll back to Troll Land. It's not safe."
"It's where I belong," Ethan said with a deep, confused scowl.
"Oz is right, Ethan." Beanni made sure to be as careful as she could with her words, so not to upset him. However, she had to tell him the truth. "There's a war. And you, looking like that, like one of us... The Trolls will attack you."
Ethan looked down at himself, it was as if he had forgotten what he looked like, what he was. He let out an irritated sigh and with clamped lips and flared nostrils he turned away from the door.
"What do you two suggest?" he asked with anger plaguing his impatient gaze.
"We will help you! We will get you back! I promise!" Beanni rushed to his side.
"We just need a plan, that's all," Oslac pitched in with a shrug.
"Alright, do either of you have a plan?"
"I do," Oslac spoke up, taking Beanni aback.
When did he have the time to work out a plan? she thought to herself.
Then the prince continued, "I say we all go to the palace. My father is bound to help us once we show him who you are, Ethan, and what your return may mean for this land."
"But how do we show him? What if he doesn't believe us?" Beanni hated that she had to dissect her best friend's plan, but she couldn't help but think his plan sounded too easy, maybe even too hopeful on his part.
"We have to try, I can't see how else we can do this." A flicker of doubt entered Oslac's eyes, which didn't escape Beanni's attention.
"You're right." Beanni gave him a nod of encouragement. She understood that they had to do something, and they had no other plan; she certainly couldn't think of anything. Her eyes locked onto Oslac's as she watched him give her an appreciative smile.
A glimmer of violet then swirled at the corner of her eye, pulling her gaze from Oslac's face to the glowing orb in his left hand. The sole remaining violet ribbon began to swirl and dance amongst the glittering dust that kept it company. Twisting and twirling, it danced more and more aggressively in the confines of the small, clear globe.
"What's it doing?" Beanni asked, not moving her gaze from that lively thread of violet.
Oslac followed her gaze and looked down at the swirling colours of the light orb in his left hand.
"Father," he answered under his breath. "He must be close. That's how extracted violet magic behaves when it senses its harnessed kin."
A loud banging then took over Petra Marbh. Crashing into Beanni's ears, scrambling all of her thoughts.
"How did he find us?" Beanni's fear spilled out through a dread filled gasp.
"Genelle," Oslac replied through gritted teeth. "She must have ratted us out."
"W-what can we do?" Beanni's voice shook, as her wide horror-filled eyes took in the àrdurum door, "After finding us here he definitely won't listen. This place is forbidden!"
"I'll handle this, don't worry." Oslac reached for Beanni's hand, but Beanni stepped back.
"No, Oz, we must go! Transport us now!"
"Where?" Oslac asked, not looking away from the door that was still being battered with a resounding, ear-splitting sound.
"Anywhere!"
Oslac shook his head.
"Beanni, to get Ethan back home safely, I must face my Father. Only he has the authority to stop the war. He's the King."
Beanni bowed her head, she could feel her face begin to crumble. She hated that she was now crying in front of Ethan. Oslac took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"It will be okay, Beanni. Trust me," he said in a gentle voice filled with the authority of his status.
She took in a shaky breath and let it out slowly, then straightened up feigning bravery the best that she could.
"Are you with us Ethan?" Beanni looked over her shoulder towards the strangely clothed man, who didn't seem at all phased by any of this. With a confident air he stepped forward and stood at her side.
"Let's go," he said and looked straight past Beanni to exchange a nod with Oslac, who then led them towards the abused barrier that kept his father's wrath at bay.
"Father," Oslac said as soon as the door swung open to reveal a handful of guards and the King that stood with fire in his eyes.
"Arrest them," he commanded, not giving Oslac the chance to snatch a breath, never mind get a word in. The guards sprung into action and dragged the three of them over the threshold into the forest clearing.
"No, father, listen, let me explain," Oslac pleaded, pulling himself out of a guard's grip. A strange smirk curled the King's dangerous looking face, and his son's appeals were left ignored. He turned his back and began to walk off between the surrounding trees, which cued the guards to get back to work.
Oslac fought against them, all of his arguments falling on deaf ears. It was as if they were all in some sort of trance. Beanni then saw a guard grab the prince's arm and twist it. There was a loud crack and he let out a scream of agony.
Oslac's cry pierced through Beanni's mind and lit a hot fire within her chest.
"No! Stop!" she demanded, throwing her hands in the air before her. Her sudden movement managed to shake off the guard who was restraining her. It was then that she saw the violet glow that covered them, they shone just as brightly as her eyes did. She turned each hand and took in the old power that each line and crease of her skin held.
"Oslac, Ethan, look!" she gasped, lost in the beauty of the violet light. "Look at my hands!"
She was met with silence and suddenly she realised, not a sound was made after she had shouted "stop". She looked around and everyone, all the guards, Oslac and Ethan were frozen in place as if time itself had stopped.
"The moon is mightier than time itself." She remembered an echo of Ethan's voice say.
"Beanni," that same echo of a voice filled Beanni's thoughts. "Beanni, run!"
She looked towards Ethan, his frozen eyes staring straight at her.
"Run, now!" She heard his voice again, but his mouth didn't move. "Beanni, I mean it, run!"
It couldn't just be an echo.
Beanni rushed to Oslac, his broken arm stuck in a guard's tight, unmoving grip. She tried to prise him free, but could not get a finger to budge. She then ran to Ethan, who was also trapped; frozen in a moment of chaos.
With trembling lips, Beanni stopped struggling. She took a few steps back and took in the violent scene. A tear fell from her eye.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, then ran towards the trees. She ran past the King who was frozen in mid-stride upon the moss covered ground. She ran all the way to the surrounding wall, which she opened up with only a touch of her violet hand. As soon as she placed her foot upon the cobbles of Central City, violet ribbons left her hands and surrounded her. The night-lit streets disappeared from all around her and she found herself standing outside her house in Iarest. Tears now stained her face as she stared at the lowly building she called home. Taking the quietest steps she could, she made her way to the door and let herself in. However, as soon as she stepped over the threshold, a sharp pain struck her, as if she suffered a sudden blow to her forehead. Everything went dark and she fell onto the hard, slate ground.
After what felt like hours of shouting, yearning to be heard beyond his locked chamber door, Oslac gave into his imprisonment. All hope seemed far away, all his cries fell on deaf ears and the missing pouch from his belt added to his helplessness. He was trapped in a darkening room.
He turned his back to the unyielding door and slid down to the ground, landing in a heap of self-pity. He cradled his throbbing right arm to his aching ribs and smacked the back of his head against the hard wood in frustration.
Never did he think his father would react the way he did. He looked right through Oslac as if he was a stranger. Maybe that's what his father saw him as now - nothing but a stranger, a criminal, a wretch. He was his son no more. He had gone too far; first he had used blood magic, now this. He felt torn between his duty and his heart, between the guilt of betraying his training as the future heir, and doing what he must to help Beanni. But although he knew how much he messed up, how angry his father would be, he never thought he had it in him to take away his light orb. To do such a thing to anyone, kin or not, is cruel, unheard of, it was like cutting off another's dominant hand.
A tear trailed down his cheek, as he stared across his large room towards the darkening sky that peeped at his tragic form through his window. As he focused on the shadows of twilight, Beanni entered his thoughts. What happened to her? He didn't see where she went. All he knew she could be locked up downstairs, in a cell beside the woman that kidnapped her; such a thought made his stomach clench. He struggled back to his feet, wary of his broken wrist.
"Guard!" he shouted, his face barely an inch from his locked door. "Guard!" he yelled again. When no answer came, seething anger began to rise from deep within. "I demand someone answer me! I am the Prince, the only heir to the Natanstrellean throne!"
The door then unlocked with a mighty click. He stumbled back and the door slowly opened to reveal Claudia Slànacus standing with the guard who twisted his arm back in Night Forest.
"Guard Dìl-Dìon, brought me to see to your arm," Claudia explained.
Oslac didn't tear his untrusting glare away from the man standing at her side.
"Prince Oslac." Guard Dìl-Dìon fell to one knee under the weight of Oslac's stare, he looked up towards him from the ground and trembling words fuelled by anxiety fell from his mouth. "Please forgive me for what I did to you. I promise you, I don't know what came over me. It was as if I had no power over myself. You must believe me!"
The guard bowed his head as he awaited for Oslac's response. However, the prince didn't care about his arm, all he could think about was Beanni.
"Where is Bay?" he demanded, Guard Dìl-Dìon looked up into the Prince's stern face, confusion plagued his eyes.
"Beanni Draoicis-Lus!" Oslac clarified impatiently. "Where is she? Where has she been taken?"
"Beanni? The girl found at Strelle?"
"Tell me where she is!"
"I-I don't understand what you mean. I haven't seen the girl since before Strellemarè."
With a suspicious scowl etched in his brow, Oslac scrutinised the man, there was no sign that he was hiding anything; there was no smirk, nor a glint in his eye. All he saw was regret and confusion.
"Take a seat, your Highness," Claudia pleaded, pointing to a chair beside an ornate desk.
With a frustrated sigh, Oslac sat and Claudia delicately removed his shirt. As she assessed his injured arm with the aid of her magic orb, Oslac watched the guard get up off the ground and also take a look.
A pained expression took over the guard's eyes. His lips trembled for a brief second and he shook his head in anguish.
"I'm so sorry..." The guard's lips trembled as he clawed his fingertips against his temples. "I'll never forgive myself!" He was acting so over the top and it was getting on Oslac's nerves. The Prince could not care less about his stupid arm and found it so bizarre that a guard he usually wouldn't pay attention to did. With a deep scowl he scrutinised Dìl Dìon, waiting for a flicker of movement to betray him if he was just acting, but he just stood there with guilt plaguing his eyes.
Oslac didn't know what to think, nor what to do. He sat and watched Claudia hold her light orb against his arm, the warmth it emitted penetrated the muscles in his wrist, which took away all the pain he had felt only seconds ago. As he felt the strange, but not unpleasant, sensation of his bones shifting into place, his mind wandered again to Beanni. Where was she?
"I hope she's alright," Oslac thought out loud.
"Shh... You mustn't worry, your highness," Claudia attempted to soothe her patient. "Just relax and allow yourself to heal."
"I can't help it Claudia, I want to know. I need to know!" A spark of frustration then suddenly lit up in his chest, and he rounded onto the very quiet guard. "How could you not have seen her? She was there in Night Forest with me! Her and..."
A sudden thought came to him - Ethan. He was so busy worrying about Beanni that the Troll's ancient magic trapped in human form completely slipped his mind till now.
"Ethan, the man you arrested alongside me, you must take me to him." Oslac tried to get to his feet but a sudden pain in his arm made him sit back down again.
"Now stop that or you'll set me back!" Claudia scolded him. "Just stay still, Prince, and let me finish!"
Oslac groaned. "Will this take much longer?"
"Only a few more minutes."
"Fine!"
Claudia rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "You're just as bad as you were when you were a boy!"
She concentrated on her orb's magic for a few counts, then stroked it back and forth along his forearm before returning it to her pouch.
"Alright, your Highness, wiggle your fingers for me." Oslac did as he was told without pain or difficulty. "You'll be feeling the light magic holding your bones together, it will also be relieving any pain. But please, your highness, be careful not to use your right hand too much until your wrist is completely recovered. Give it a couple of days at least."
"It feels incredible!" Oslac said in awe whilst clenching and unclenching his right fist.
"Did you hear me, your Highness?"
"Yes, yes, give it a couple of days to recover, got it!" Oslac replied dismissively, his eyes not leaving his healed wrist.
"Very well," Claudia said with a smile. "I'll leave you to it." She made her way to the door, then hesitated. "Dìl-Dìon, are you coming?"
"I'll be right with you, Claudia, just give me a moment."
Claudia gave him a quick nod then left the room, closing the door behind her.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Guard Dìl-Dìon rushed to Oslac and knelt before him.
"Please, no more apologies. Look, my arm is fine!" Oslac said, and went to stand up but was stopped by the guard's shaking hands.
"No, listen to me. I had to wait till we were alone. Oslac, you cannot trust the king."
"What?"
"I saw it in his eyes," Dìl Dìon whispered and glanced warily over his shoulder, as if he anticipated an eavesdropper to barge in.
"You're not making sense!"
"The man you were with, the one we arrested, he's being tortured. I saw the guards' eyes, the ones carrying out the king's orders. They match his. I only just got out in time."
"What are you saying?" Oslac whispered, entranced by the guard's urgent stare.
"Their eyes were black. I fear, I know this is impossible, but I fear Noir-Astra is back!"
Oslac's heart leapt into his throat. He swallowed hard, then studied the guard's eyes. They looked normal, there was no sign of any darkness at all.
How did he escape the shadows?
Oslac shook his head, he couldn't allow himself to get distracted by this now. There was no time. He got to his feet.
"Take me to the dungeons, I must see Ethan - the arrested man - now!"