Ethan and Dawn were headed towards the fortune-telling room one evening after dinner. Dawn had been taking extra lessons now with Ms. Danner and Shadoe after school. While she was happy to be learning so much, it was obvious to anyone that she was feeling a little exhausted from their extensive lessons. When they had approached Ms. Danner about it she couldn't have been happier and apparently had wanted to privately tutor Dawn since their first meeting but hadn't said anything because she hadn't felt Dawn was ready yet. Ethan would occasionally sit in on the sessions and was amazed at how fast Dawn was improving with tarot, runes, and even her crystal ball work was becoming noteworthy in comparison to their classmates. The Rimanis scrying was still difficult which Shadoe explained to being too detached in the relation to finding whatever it is she was looking for during the lesson. Most of the lessons ended in an argument between the two but it didn't stop them from continuing the lessons. In a way, Ethan thought it was a way for them to vent their frustration with each other while mending their relationship. Ms. Danner had been kind enough to lend them the fortune-telling classroom for Shadoe's lesson and Eugene and Kai would often tag along to observe the lesson, much to Shadoe's dismay as she had agreed to only teach Dawn.
Everything appeared to be going well except for one loose end: Deryk. Ever since they had returned from break Dawn had been avoiding Deryk and Ethan couldn't blame her. While she had found exactly what Deryk has asked of her she was worried that she couldn't show him the contents from her promise with Agent Zero. Her attempts to avoid him had not gone unnoticed. Deryk constantly tried to corner Dawn but Dawn would run the other way. She even would hide with Rosaline's pack when leave the girl's dorm to avoid him and on one occasion, jumped out their window to avoid him hunting her down. The only refuge they had from his presence were their nightly sessions with Ms. Danner or Shadoe. However, as these things happen, Deryk had finally discovered them and was waiting for them.
"Can we talk?" He asked Dawn as they approached the door. Dawn looked to Ethan and nodded his head before walking into the room, leaving Dawn with Deryk in the hall. However, Ethan listened closely on the other side of the door with his ear pressed to listen to their conversation. He hadn't realized Eugene and Kai were already in the room and quietly joined him to listen.
"Did I do something?" Deryk asked. "You've been avoiding me ever since we got back from break."
"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, it's just complicated." Dawn said apprehensively.
"Well what's going on? Can't you tell me? Did you find the book?"
"That's what's complicated. I found the book and you were right, it's just I promised someone else never to make it." Dawn bit her lip. "I was worried that if I showed it to you that you might want to make the potion."
"Don't you?"
"No," She sighed. "It's not right. It's not natural. It defies the laws of nature."
"Magic defies the laws of nature but we use it every day." He argued. Dawn empathetically looked up to him with a twist of emotions pushing and pulling her conscience and heart in two. "Please, Dawn. Maybe if I just see it I'll feel better. You know me, I've never been one to keep up with stuff if it gets too hard." He tried to joke but anyone could see the anxiety in his eyes.
"Deryk," Dawn sighed.
"Please, Dawn." He begged and held her arms. Dawn sighed and slowly took his hands off of her.
"I can't. I promised I wouldn't make the potion and I can't let you." Deryk took an offensive step backwards. "I know what you're feeling right now, Deryk. You would do anything to get her back but you can't. It's not a simple matter. I know you, you would do anything for your family but this is not the answer."
"I see." He gritted his teeth in anger before he let out a disappointed sigh.
"Deryk, I'm so sorry." She tried to apologize.
"No, I get it, Dawn." He stepped away but refused to look at her. Dawn dropped her head and slowly turned to the door for her lesson with Ms. Danner. As she turned the knob she heard the sudden shuffles of feet running across the room and when she peered inside she saw, Ethan, Eugene, and Kai sitting nonchalantly around the place.
"Smooth, guys." She rolled her eyes and flopped her bag down on the table where a crystal ball sat.
"Sorry." Eugene squeaked an apology for eavesdropping making Ethan and Kai follow suit. The door opened again and Ms. Danner cheerfully walked into the room from the back door.
"Oh, you're all here so early. Will Shadoe be joining us?" Suddenly the door to the classroom flung open and was shut and locked quicker than they could see who had done the locking. A quick turn of her raven black hair and a flash of her purple eyes revealed it to be Shadoe.
"Yes, Shadoe will be joining today." Shadoe quickly reverted into her usual emotionless self.
"You ok?" Ethan asked apprehensively.
"Perfectly fine, thank you." She walked to the room to her usual position by the window until it was her time to teach Dawn.
"What were you running from?" Kai smirked waiting to pounce on a good opportunity to tease Shadoe but before she could answer the calls for her by the three Rimanis students could be heard on the other side. All of them turned to her smiling. Kai, in particular, looked deviously pleased.
"What?" Shadoe looked away.
"Is it that time again already?" He walked up to her smugly. "Is it Culture Festival time? Are we going to see you dress up all pretty and dancing around like a little wild forest girl?"
"Is it time for me to pummel you to the ground already?" Shadoe stood up defensively cracking her knuckles.
"With pleasure." Kai readied himself.
"Enough, you two. I have a lesson to teach here so if you can't play nice, take it outside." Ms. Danner ordered forcing them to sit down, temporarily stifling their inevitable boxing match. "Now, Dawn, shall we begin where we left off last time?"
"Ok." Dawn sat up straighter and put her hands on the table.
"Very good, hands flat, shoulders back, eyes focused on the center. Breathe deeply." Ms. Danner instructed. "Let the channel open in your mind, close your eyes." She guided in a soothing voice. Everyone watched intently as Dawn obeyed. Dawn always had a bit of trouble with crystal balls. Last time they had practiced she caught a few glimpses of a vision that faded away before Dawn could understand what was going on. "Now let's try focusing on one thing. Don't let your mind wander too much. Pick something or someone to think about and let the visions come to you." They watched as Dawn inhaled again as she thought of someone to focus on. "Good, let them surface. Hold on to it a little longer." Ethan looked between Dawn and the crystal ball. He could have sworn her aura was expanding around her and reaching out into the ball to pull the images of what she was trying to see. "What are you seeing, Dawn?" She asked.
"Water, like I'm swimming in a pond or a lake."
"Good, keep going." She guided.
"A room of stairs, ropes on fire, a puzzle, a pair of green eyes, statues."
"Now! Push through!" Ms. Danner commanded and Dawn opened her eyes in a quick motion revealing their pure white glow. Dawn suddenly screamed and fell backwards on the floor.
"Are you ok?" Ethan ran up to her and the others quickly surrounded her. When Dawn came to, tears flooded her eyes.
"Ethan!" She suddenly jumped up and held him in a tight embrace as she cried into his shoulder.
"What happened? What did you see?" He rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her down.
"I saw you." She sobbed. "You were hurt and tied up and I saw him." She shook with fear. No one needed to ask who she meant. They all knew she meant Teras. "I saw him bleed you."
"Bleed me?" He let go to look at her and everyone circled around to listen.
"I saw you in this big rig of some sort." She gestured a big circle to try and explain. "He took a knife and started draining your blood. Nullens was raising you above something." She began hyperventilating.
"Calm down," Ms. Danner patted her on the head. "You did very well but remember, not everything we see is literal. This could still be parts of your anxiety manifesting through the visions. I don't think you were completely clear of them when you went into it." She reasoned although it wasn't convincing anyone. "I'll just go get her a glass of water, I'll be back in a moment." Ms. Danner hurried up to the back room.
"Shadoe, what do you think?" Ethan looked up to where Shadoe had been only to discover that she was gone. "Of course." He rolled his eyes.
"Guess I'm not scrying tonight." Dawn sighed.
"Don't worry," He squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sure everything will be alright."
"Yeah, because a vision of you getting cut open by one of the top dark warlocks in the world is nothing to panic about." Kai interjected earning him a glare from the rest of them. "Sorry."
"I think the problem is, if what she saw was in fact a true vision, we need to figure out when it will happen." Eugene continued.
"Forget that, we need to figure out what he's using your blood for." Kai suggested but no one had a decent answer.
"The Troll King." Mr. Coraggio boomed in a loud, obnoxious voice making everyone jump awake in his class. Several returned to sleeping as soon as he moved on. "Much like our own society, the troll nation is ruled upon a monarchy, however, theirs is more of imperial with an army that once greatly outnumbered our own. The last troll king, Gernoch, served for eighty-seven years, a time known as "The Living Stone Age". It was called this in tribute to the trolls nature to turn to stone and because it was one of the most active military years for the troll nation who ravaged through the lands of those they believed inferior races. However, it wasn't until the last six years of Gernoch's reign that he attacked the witching world forcing us to undergo the Great Troll Battle." Dawn and Ethan listened carefully as Mr. Coraggio continued with his lecture. It was rare for them to stay awake but they felt a strange need to pay attention. "This battle was one of the most gruesome in our history. Trolls are a tough breed to kill. Their skin is impervious to many spells unless performed by an exceptionally skilled warlock or witch and while trolls are not equipped with magic like our own, they are incredibly strong, have a high tolerance for pain, and little care for affairs of others. For many years it was thought to be hopeless to attempt to defeat them but with perseverance and strength our armies defeated the troll troupes and imprisoned them." He closed the book in his hand he had been reading from and looked up. "Any thoughts, Miss Misturry?" He called to Shadoe as they class waited her usual outburst only to discover silence. "Where is Shadoe?" He scanned the class. Everyone looked around the room but Shadoe was nowhere to be found.
"Mrs. Underhill called her into her office before class, Mr. Coraggio." Rosaline answered. "I was supposed to tell you she would be absent today."
"Then why didn't you do that at the beginning of class, Miss Drewlis?" He sighed in annoyance at her.
"Forgot." Rosaline shrugged earning an eye roll from Mr. Coraggio.
"Well, thankfully we can have a lesson in peace today." He exhaled pleasantly. "Now, I want all of you to write an essay on the Troll King Gernoch and the effects of the Great Troll Battle due next week." The class groaned but Mr. Coraggio silenced them.
"Want to work on them together? We still have to repay our debt to Shadoe in homework." Ethan whispered to Dawn who nodded in agreement.
"Next class let's continue learning without rude interruptions." Mr. Coraggio went to dismiss the class when suddenly Shadoe burst into the room. "Oh of course." He angrily huffed. "Class has been dismissed, Miss Misturry, get the notes and assignment from a friend." He walked towards his office.
"Why bother? The information is wrong, isn't it?" She snapped before rushing up to Dawn. "We have a problem."
"We do?"
"Our room was broken into," She folded her arms. "Again." Dawn jumped up remembering how the same thing happened last year when she was trying to hide the Grimoire of Honorius.
"Was anything taken?" She panicked.
"That's why I came to get you to help find out. Let's go." Shadoe said with annoyance but the two girls rushed out followed by Ethan, Eugene, and Kai to see what had happened. When they arrived at the dorm it was like a blast from the past. The door had been smashed inwards and all of their furniture had been turned over and their belongings scattered across the floor. Mr. Watkins and Mrs. Spohn were discussing the break-in upon their arrival.
"Do you two have any idea who could have done this?" Mrs. Spohn looked to Shadoe and Dawn.
"I have an idea." Kai said smartly. "How about that evil warlock that's on the loose."
"No boys allowed in this dormitory, you three need to leave." She ordered.
"It's alright, perhaps they know something a little more useful." Mr. Watkins interjected. "First, we need to know if anything was stolen, girls if you would?" He gestured for them to enter. Shadoe barely moved anything of her own. There wasn't much to go through as Shadoe never had that many belongings to begin with. Ethan watched as Dawn tore through her belongings. He saw her locate her scrying box and her father's diary but then a panic set in her eyes.
"My mother's diary." She whispered.
"What was that?" Mrs. Spohn asked.
"Nothing." Dawn quickly said. "Everything is here." Ethan looked at her in confusion as to why she wasn't telling their teachers something wasn't there. He knew she hadn't found her mother's diary and it was clearly missing but she didn't want to report it.
"Are you certain?" She asked and Dawn nodded her head.
"I'm pretty sure. We should start cleaning this up." Dawn looked to Shadoe who furrowed her brow but agreed.
"I'll give you a hand." Ethan stepped into the room. Mrs. Spohn watched in horror as Eugene and Kai followed in.
"It's alright, they're just helping. I'll keep an eye on them." Mr. Watkins assured her before sending Mrs. Spohn out of the dorm.
"What's going on?" Mr. Watkins asked.
"My mother's diary, it's missing."
"You mean the one that has the secret recipe for a resurrection potion?" Eugene gasped.
"No, the one with the secret recipe for green bean casserole! Of course that one!" Dawn shouted and grabbed her hair in a panic.
"You just left it in here?" Shadoe folded her arms.
"I thought it would be safe."
"Because our room has never been broken into before. Honestly, something that important you'd think you'd keep it with you at all times!" Shadoe snapped before storming out of the room.
"Where are you going?" Kai shouted but got no response.
"Come on, maybe it's under this mess somewhere." Mr. Watkins picked up a drawer but no one else moved. "I'm just trying to be optimistic. Unless you have any better ideas?" Ethan looked to Dawn whose face suddenly lit up with an answer.
"He wouldn't." She stopped Ethan before he could say it.
"You said yourself he'd do anything for his family."
"Who?" Mr. Watkins asked.
"Deryk." Dawn answered.
"What does Deryk have anything to do with this?" Dawn hesitated before sighing and explaining.
"Teras killed his mother." Everyone stood in silence at the realization of the culprit. "But he wouldn't do this. He's not like that. I'll talk to him. I'll see if he knows anything." Dawn hurried out of the dorm.
"And you'd be following her, correct?" Kai folded his arms but he didn't need to say it twice as Ethan rushed to follow Dawn or perhaps find Deryk before she could. Unfortunately Dawn managed to find him by the forest. Ethan quickly hid by the side of the school to try and listen. He craned his ear to try and hear but it was no use. He grumbled in annoyance before putting his hand up to his ear.
"Nisme rapasu." He whispered and his hearing heightened to hear a new variety of things. He could hear the wind against the leaves in the trees, a small colony of ants crawling on the ground, the flapping of bird wings he couldn't even see. He adjusted his position to pinpoint Dawn and Deryk's conversation.
"Dawn, I'm sorry but I didn't break into your room." Deryk apologized.
"But you still took the book!" Dawn shouted in anger. "When did you take it?"
"That day in front of the fortune-telling room. I took it from your bag. I'm sorry but I was desperate."
"Give it back right now." Dawn demanded. Ethan watched as Deryk shuffled through his bag.
"I won't make it, I promise."
"Give it back now." She said narrowing her eyes sternly. He pulled the diary out of his bag and handed it to her. She quickly flipped through it to the page with the potion's recipe.
"I'm sorry, Dawn, I really am." He begged her forgiveness and Dawn looked at him with both anger and pity.
"I suppose it's good that you had it when my room was broken into otherwise the real bad guy might have taken it." Deryk went to smile but Dawn turned away angrily. "But that doesn't clear you from stealing from me, Deryk!" She shouted back at him and stormed away.
Ethan, Dawn, and Eugene sat in the library pouring over books about the Great Troll Battle and King Gernoch. Dawn had not spoken to Deryk nor about him to anyone. Ethan knew he did not want to bring it up and knew Dawn must be protecting him from being a suspect of the break-in. Even though Deryk has somehow proven his innocence to the break-in to Dawn, he still wasn't entirely clear with Ethan or the rest of the gang. However, Deryk made no move to talk with any of them and steered clear of the entire group.
"So Gernoch was a hundred and thirty-two when he fell." Eugene added the fact to their outlines. "Does anyone have anything on how or who took him out?"
"I've got a bunch of different sources that say different things." Kai fumbled through the books. "I've got poison, I've got a band of two-hundred soldiers, there's the weird story with the fairy prince which I do not believe for a second."
"You should because that's the right one." Shadoe's voice made them all jump as they saw her standing behind them with a few books.
"And how do you know that?" Kai folded his arms.
"Because it is." She shoved the pile of books into Kai's lap making him exhale sharply from the impact. "The Fairy Prince, Agelianat, was actually a half-fairy, half-warlock. He was around the same height as any other witch but had all the magic of the fairies to go with it."
"But I thought you had to be a pure-blood to be a prince." Eugene asked.
"To be a Crown Prince, yes, but Agelianat had twelve other half-siblings, three of which were pure. That's not the story though." She continued and sat down. "Agelianat actually went to Bridgestone and rounded up the top students to form a small elite team of agents, most of whom were his close friends, to attack the Troll King." Shadoe looked to Dawn and it was understood that her parents were a part of that elite team. "This, of course, was against the orders of the Flying Castle and Royal Guard. They organized a simultaneous attack to harness the power of the sun. It involved the proper positioning and distraction of Gernoch."
"And how did they kill him?" Ethan asked.
"They didn't."
"What? But you said he was defeated by the prince."
"Yes."
"Ok, genius," Kai interjected. "Explain."
"They turned him to stone, he's not dead."
"I thought that trolls die from being turn to stone." Dawn asked in confusion making Shadoe sigh and continue.
"Trolls, as we all know, are allergic to sunlight and it turns them to stone. It doesn't kill them completely. Trolls are perpetually frozen in the stone to watch the world pass by."
"So what did they do then? They couldn't possible get him out in the sunlight." Kai argued.
"Yes, they never attacked during the day. It was the only time during the battle that the witching world had any peace. In the day they all hide in the caves or underground and heading into a troll cave is the last thing anyone wants to do." She advised. "Instead, they devised a plan to harness the sun's light during the day."
"How does one do that?" Ethan asked.
"I don't know." She sat back. "No one knows that part, it's said to be a great secret only those who performed the spell know how and probably a handful of people at the Flying Castle, but they managed to do it and as punishment for his crimes he is supposed to watch the world pass before him."
"I don't get it." Kai folded his arms. Everyone looked to him. "Why didn't they just kill him? Isn't there a risk that he'll come back?"
"Are you kidding? Once in stone they can't get out! That's why it's their weakness." Eugene cackled.
"True, but it's magic that they're trapped it, surely there is magic to get them out. Haven't other trolls attempted?"
"No way, they don't have that kind of magic, if they did stoning wouldn't be such a problem." Shadoe stood up. "But for your essays I suggest going with the one where Coraggio's troop took him down."
"Why did you tell us all of that if we're not going to use it?" Ethan asked in confusion.
"Because I'm the only one here who gets to make Coraggio annoyed with facts. You're writing my essay and that's what I want it to say." She went to walk away.
"So that wasn't a friendly exchange of information then?" Dawn huffed.
"Of course not, we're not friends, remember?" Shadoe snapped back before leaving.
"Ugh, she frustrates me." Dawn gave an exasperated grunt.
"Don't worry about it," Ethan patted her on the shoulder. "Whether she wants to admit it or not, she is our friend."
"Tell that to her." Dawn sighed and returned to writing her essay. Ethan thought about what Shadoe had told them about Gernoch.
"Does anyone know where he is held?"
"Where who is held?" Eugene asked.
"Gernoch. Where is his statue?" They all shuffled around as they looked in the books.
"Well they don't give a specific location, probably for safety," Kai passed an open book to him.
"Frozen in the stone he watches, frozen in the land he lays." He looked up to them.
"Well clearly he's somewhere very cold." Eugene laughed making them all relax and continue their writing.
Ethan had wanted to speak more with Shadoe about her knowledge of the fall of the Troll King Gernoach but she was as elusive as ever. He watched her avoid the demands of the other three Rimanis students as the Culture Festival was approaching. He tried to corner her when she was running but she wasn't taking the bait. He figured he would have to find a way to trap her at the Culture Festival. Perhaps he could enlist the help of her old caretaker Madame Mandragora if she was there.
The morning of the Culture Festival, Ethan and Eugene readied themselves in their dorm. This year they were not required to go with the rest of their class in a group so they would be going with Dawn as a group. Kai had declined their invitation to go with Leland and Daniel who had been noticing his neglect to hang with them from spending so much time with Dawn and the rest of them. Dawn was waiting for them outside of their dorm eagerly. Dawn had spoken to Ethan about how she wanted to visit the Espers again and perhaps get some information on how to hone her abilities better.
They calmly flew over the grounds on their brooms towards the town. They couldn't help but look down at the mouth of the cave where they had their confrontation with Teras and Dawn's own confrontation with death. When they arrived at the grounds for the festival it appeared it had expanded in double since last year's with attendants. The music was echoing through the air and the smells of sweet pastries and delicious food was intoxicatingly enticing. After buying a few bits of fried fruit kabobs and a cup of chocolate Clementine malt, they headed out on the search for the Esper tent. It was still early so the line for the Esper readings weren't as long. Dawn stood outside the tent and took a deep breath.
"Are you ready?" Ethan asked.
"Yes." She said confidently. "Let's go." Eugene opened the curtains of the tent to enter when suddenly they were pushed back by a group of five tall and buff men who immediately grabbed a hold of Dawn, Ethan, and Eugene.
"Whoa! What's the problem?!" Ethan shouted.
"You are not welcome here." The tallest spoke with a thick Mediterranean accent. He was dark-skinned and his eyes fiercely glared down at them.
"Why not? We haven't done anything." Ethan argued. "She's an Esper, she wants to talk to a teacher."
"None of you may enter. Death walks on your shadows. Anywhere you go you leave the scent of destruction." He scowled down at them.
"What are you talking about? I just want to talk to someone, please." Dawn begged but one of the other Espers forced her back.
"Hey! Let go of her!" Ethan fought him off to pull Dawn away.
"Leave! Don't come back here!" The leader shouted again.
"Alright! We're going!" He snapped back and quickly pulled Dawn away with Eugene trailing at their heels. They went into a small alley formed by a few of the other stalls selling goods from the Woodland Elves.
"What's their problem?" Eugene asked rubbing his shoulder where they had grabbed him.
"I don't know, are you alright?" Ethan kneeled down to Dawn who had sunken in confusion to the ground.
"Yeah, I just don't understand. I was really hoping to get to talk to another Esper but now I'm being denied that." She frowned in bitterness.
"I know," He sat down next to her. "What do you think they meant? Death walks on our shadows?"
"I don't think it's that hard to interpret." Dawn mumbled as she drew spirals in the dirt.
"Psst!" They all turned their heads to see the young Esper boy from Dawn's last encounter with the Espers. "Psst! Come here!" He whispered urgently. Dawn and Ethan scurried up to the boy.
"Hey, Isaac, right?" She asked.
"You remembered!" He beamed.
"Of course." She patted him on the head.
"We don't have much time." His face turned back to the grave seriousness. "You can't go into the Esper tent."
"Yeah, we just figured that one out." Ethan said.
"No, you don't understand. Everyone's been having visions of you." He looked between them and stared at Ethan. "You're in grave danger. He's not going to stop until he gets what he wants from you."
"What does he want from us?" Dawn asked.
"Blood." He answered with fear trembling in his eyes.
"Blood?" They repeated back when suddenly Isaac's mother called for him.
"I have to go. Be careful. It's best not to be out at night." He advised before running off. Dawn and Ethan looked to each other in confusion and worry from the warning they received from the little Esper boy. Eugene, of course, was always more focused on smiling and laughing, broke the awkward silence to suggest checking out the Rimanis dances. On the way there found the stall for Madame Mandragora and walked inside. They were surprised to find Shadoe with her standing in front of a mirror. Mandragora was working on putting gems into her hair. She was draped in a beautiful silvery blue dress that reflected the light to speckle the room.
"What are you doing here?" Shadoe snapped. Mandragora turned to them with a great smile on her face. She wailed in joy at their arrival.
"Oh how wonderful it is to see you again!" She came up and kissed Dawn, Ethan, and Eugene on the cheek. "Have you come to see Shadoe as the star of the Alignment?"
"Babi!" Shadoe grumbled and tried to silence her but Mandragora ignored her.
"Alignment? What about the Willows Moon?" Dawn asked.
"Oh, the Willows Moon only happens once every four years. This year it is a special occasion with the alignment of the planets and moon. Shadoe is playing the moon in this year's dance."
"I can't wait to see it." Eugene said happily.
"Don't come." Shadoe walked around Mandragora to leave.
"Not so fast, lila." Mandragora ordered making Shadoe stop and turn to her. "Mask." Mandragora walked over to a dresser and pulled out a blue lacquer box. She opened it to reveal a stunningly intricate silver mask that looked like it was made of spider web. Between the lines of the mask was a sheer white fabric and on the center of it near her forehead was a large moonstone. Shadoe reluctantly went over to let Mandragora fix the mask on her face.
"You look very pretty, Shadoe." Dawn spoke as Shadoe turned around to stare at them. Her purple eyes were so bright they seemed to cast a violet glare on the webbed mask.
"I look ridiculous." She stormed out of the room leaving the three of them with Mandragora.
"She doesn't take compliments very well, she never has." Mandragora tried to excuse her.
"Is there a reason for all of this? She's so stubborn! Why can't we just go back to the friendship we had?" Dawn slammed her hands on her legs in anger.
"You must understand," Mandragora spoke and they all turned to her. "Shadoe is doing what she thinks is best."
"So it's best not to be friends with us? Yeah, we've been getting that treatment a lot." Dawn folded her arms in memory of the Espers.
"Oh no, she is your friend. That's why she's trying not to be." They all cocked their heads in confusion at Mandragora's explanation. "Shadoe doesn't make friends easily but once you're there she will do anything to protect you. Right now, she thinks she has a better vantage point to do that if she isn't playing friends."
"But it's not her responsibility to do that. She's just a student." Ethan argued.
"True but Shadoe hasn't exactly had a normal childhood. She never went to an actual school before being sent to Bridgestone by her uncle." Mandragora said with a sour hesitation. "She's just not good at expressing her feelings. Give her time to come round." She walked up and patted Ethan and Dawn on the shoulder before patted Eugene as well. "Go on, get to the dance, she's going to be stunning." She shooed them out.
When they got to the stage for the performance it was already beginning. There was a procession of the planets going on and each dancer was dressed in a beautifully intricate way to represent which planet they were. Shadoe was not among the procession but was standing in the center of the stage, surrounded by dancers dressed as stars. The music boomed through the crowd as the planets made their way to the stage and began the dance.
"She is good, isn't she?" Eugene cheered as Shadoe moved around the stage gracefully. Each planet began dancing with her when Ethan noticed something was strange about the boy in the Mars costume.
"Wait a second, isn't that the guy from last year? The one who took the place of the Rimanis boy Shadoe was supposed to dance with?" He asked. They looked closer and could even see the confusion in Shadoe's eyes when he picked her up to dance.
"What are you doing here?" Shadoe muttered as he spun her but the masked man only smiled before tossing her to Jupiter.
"Something's not right. Why would he do it again? Who is that guy?" Dawn asked but the boys shook their head in confusion. No one else in the crowd seemed to notice the difference, no doubt because his eyes were hidden from the fiery red flames on his costume which prevented anyone from noticing unless they were looking for the difference. They watched as he rejoined in a dance with Shadoe.
"I don't like this." Eugene cracked his knuckles.
"Who is that?" Mandragora's voice came.
"I don't know, can you tell? He's not Rimanis." Dawn asked.
"No doubt about that but he seems to be putting up a barrier to block anyone from discovering his identity. A very difficult spell to do but not unheard of." She focused on him. "I'm sorry, I can't break through it." The song suddenly ended and before anyone could stop the masked man, he was off. Ethan, Dawn, and Eugene chased Shadoe as she searched for the perpetrator.
"STOP!" Shadoe shouted down an alleyway as the masked man ran a few meters in front of them. He stopped and turned to face her. "What do you want? Who are you?" She demanded. He didn't speak as he looked between the four of them. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a single rose. He tossed it over to Shadoe who picked it up when it landed near her feet. When they looked back to where he had been standing, the masked man had vanished.
"Someone's got an admirer." Ethan teased. Shadoe crushed the rose petals in her hand.
"Don't say stupid things." She walked around him and went to throw the rose but instead examined it's petals in her palm.
"You danced really well, Shadoe." Dawn said. They waited in silence for Shadoe's reply. She suddenly flung the rose to the ground.
"Thanks." She answered and left. Ethan clapped a hand on Dawn's shoulder.
"That was a little improvement." He reassured her and Dawn nodded with a smile.
"Come on! I want to go get some tornado fries!" Eugene quickly changed the conversation and pulled them out to the vendors when suddenly the skies began to darken.
"What's going on? A storm?" Dawn asked but Ethan saw that it was daylight that was disappearing, not blue sky.
"No, something else." Ethan looked around for a sign of threat. They all jumped when screams erupted from the crowd. They immediately took off in the other direction as the crowd ran towards them trying to avoid whatever attack was going on.
"Wait! Where's Shadoe?!" Dawn panicked. They ran to the side of a vendor stall to try and locate her but she was nowhere to be found.
"I'll go find her! You two get out of here!" Ethan tried to leave but Dawn pulled him back.
"No! We go together!" She shouted and Eugene grabbed his arm as well with a solid nod.
"Come on!" He commanded and they ran into the stampede of people trying to escape. It didn't take long for them to figure out what was attacking people as many passed with bleeding wounds to the neck. Vampires. They tried to avoid being seen as the vampires searched through body after body looking for something or someone.
"I don't see Shadoe, maybe she got out." Eugene trembled.
"No, I know she's around here. I can feel her." Dawn said gripping the scrying necklace from her mother's tools.
"Can you see where she is?" Ethan asked when all of a sudden he was lifted into the air and thrown to the center by a vampire who had snuck up from behind them.
"ETHAN!" Dawn screamed but she and Eugene were quickly tossed to him. The vampires began converging on them.
"Well, look at what we have here. Just what we were ordered to find!" The leader of the mob of vampires exclaimed with a clap of happiness. Upon examining the vampires faces their white skin was covered in an ashy film that made them look almost like walking skeletons. Their eyes were jet black but bloodthirsty. The leader snapped his fingers and one of the vampires went to lunge at them when suddenly he exploded into a cloud of dust. When the dust settled they all looked to see Agent Zero standing with a sharp stake in her hand poised from her last kill. "Oh dear." The leader spoke his last words as the Agent threw one stake directly into his heart and began fighting off the others. Dawn, Ethan, and Eugene hurried to scramble up to escape as Agent Zero tried to clear a path for them to run. They turned back to see her dusting one vampire to the next with amazing speed and skill. However, when they turned back around Dawn and Eugene were thrown to the ground and Ethan was grabbed in a steel tight grip. It wasn't until the teeth sunk into his neck that he realized a vampire had gotten him.
"HELP!" Dawn screamed and before she could call again, Agent Zero was there to stake the vampire and help Ethan to the ground. Agent Zero immediately grabbed Dawn's hands to put pressure on Ethan's neck wound while she got up to defend them from the rest of the vampires as the Royal Guards and other Flying Castle agents began to show up to take control of the situation.
"Dawn." Ethan struggled to say.
"Shh, don't talk. You're gonna be ok. Right, Eugene?" Dawn looked to Eugene who seemed petrified with fear from the sight of Ethan's gushing wound.
"Y-yeah, totally fine, man. It's just a scratch, really." He tried to sound convincing through his horror.
"Really, you'll be ok." Dawn kissed Ethan's forehead but the tears streaming down her face were not comforting.
"It's ok." He reached up and cradled her face in his hand but it soon dropped as he fell unconscious from the blood loss.
When Ethan awoke he was laying in a bed in the clinic. He slowly batted his eyes open as he focused on the bright light of the room. When his vision unclouded he saw Mr. Slithers standing above him.
"Good morning." He smiled.
"What happened?" Ethan tried to sit up but Mr. Slithers pushed him down.
"You were bitten by a vampire. We got you back just in time before you could lose too much blood." He explained but no sign in his voice showed that Mr. Slithers was happy. "You'd think, your highness, that you might be more careful to protect yourself when things like this happen."
"I'm sorry." He apologized.
"Your parents are not pleased at all. Your mother is worried sick, especially since she cannot visit you without causing a commotion. Your father threatened to shut down the school from the incident."
"But the school had nothing to do with it." Ethan argued.
"The school is responsible for every student that attends. Don't worry, he has been convinced otherwise that this was a purely external attack of some thirsty vampires."
"But it wasn't, was it?" Ethan frowned.
"Your highness, do you understand why Teras probably sent those vampires after you?"
"Because he wants me dead?"
"No," He dismissed. "Because he wants your blood. Are you fully aware of the properties of royal blood?"
"I know that it's different, I just don't know how."
"It is different." He sat down on a stool next to the bed. "Royal blood is very useful and powerful. It's a great catalyst for magic as it is one of the oldest bloodlines in magical history and is a valuable asset in healing potions. It would be a very bad thing if it got into the wrong hands."
"Like Teras."
"Exactly. So, do me and your parents a favor and try to stay out of danger?" He stood up.
"I'll do my best." Ethan sighed and watched as Mr. Slithers disappeared. Mrs. Merrifield came out to change his wrappings on his neck and put more flesh-growing cream on his neck for the wound.
"Another hour and you'll be all set." She said before walking away. Not a moment later did the doors burst open as Dawn ran in. Dawn seemed to be in the worst of shape from the panic and worry in her voice as she rushed to hug him.
"I was so worried." She clutched onto him.
"It's alright. I'm ok." He held onto her.
"I thought you weren't going to make it." She cried.
"Well you got me here in time. It's ok, calm down." He stroked her hair.
"You didn't see it. You didn't see how much blood that vampire took. It was everywhere."
"Well he was dusted and I'm better. See." He pulled back the bandage to show her his almost healed wounded. It seemed to calm her down. They looked into each other's eyes and for the moment everything stood still.
"You weren't hurt?" He asked no louder than a whisper.
"No. Were you worried?" She replied matching his volume.
"Of course I was." He brought a hand up to her cheek to cradle it. She held his hand to her face and they both let out a sigh of relief before closing their lips on one other in their first kiss. Ethan hadn't expected it to feel like this. He knew he had always wanted to kiss her but the electricity that came with it was something completely surprising. As they broke the kiss they leaned their foreheads together and slowly breathed. Ethan reached into his pocket and pulled out the bracelet Dawn had given back to him.
"You kept it?"
"I was waiting to give it back to you." He handed it to her and she smiled and put in on her wrist.
"When can you leave?" She asked and sat down on the bed but refusing to let go of his hand.
"In an hour." He smiled. "Is everyone ok?"
"Well," Dawn hesitated. "Not everyone made it out before the vampires could get them. Most of the victims were townsfolk but there were two first years, a third year, and a fourth year." She looked down in sadness.
"Oh no. What about Shadoe? Is she ok?"
"Shadoe's perfectly fine, you idiot." Shadoe's angry voice came from the door to the clinic. She stood with her arms folded and a scowl on her face. She began walking up to them.
"Shadoe, thank goodness, you're ok. We were so worried about you we had to try and find you." Ethan thought his words would make Shadoe see their friendship but instead they made her grab him and pull him upright.
"Don't you ever risk your life for me, you hear?!" She shouted.
"Shadoe." Dawn tried to pull her off of him.
"NO!" She let go of his shirt. "You do not get to do that! If something like that happens and you don't know where I am! Too bad! Get your stupid butt out of there and leave me!"
"We would never leave you to die, Shadoe!" Ethan snapped back at her. "Don't you understand? We care about you!"
"Well stop it! I can take care of myself! My life is not important as yours!" She argued and Ethan's eyes widened at her words.
"What do you mean by that?" He narrowed his eyes trying to confirm his suspicions.
"You know exactly what I mean by that." She narrowed her eyes to match him and Ethan knew. Shadoe knew he was the Prince. "Never do that again." She warned before storming out of the clinic leaving Dawn and Ethan confused and hurt in the clinic.