“What’s happening?” Luna asked, still trying to look for Ezzie in the chaos, hoping that she would find her hiding under a table nearby.
“They can’t stay… they have been infected.” Lucas answered simply, watching the line as it grew longer.
Luna stared with him, most of the bitten were presenting themselves willingly, ready to face the Gateway to save their families from the curse.
It was heart-wrenching to watch, innocent victims dooming themselves to a cursed life in the Gateway until they could be saved. In the pit of her stomach Luna felt sick knowing the truth; the curse couldn’t be broken.
Luna looked away, she couldn’t watch any longer. Instead she focused her efforts into finding Ezzie, it made it easier to push down the rest of her thoughts if she kept her mind busy.
She couldn’t have gotten far, Luna had only been distracted for a moment. There was a good chance that Ezzie had gotten out, found a safe room somewhere in the castle and was waiting for them there. But Luna couldn’t leave the hall until she was sure that Ezzie hadn’t been left behind.
The truth was, Luna had failed, and in doing so, she had ruined Eranox. There was no cure, and the curse was spreading again, faster than she could have imagined. As she searched through the hall for Ezzie she realized that at least half of the people were lining up to be taken away.
There wouldn’t be many un-cursed left in Eranox when the morning came, and even less after the next night. It was Luna’s fault, she had believed that she had cured the High Wizard, she had spoken to him all day thinking that he was back to normal. There had been no signs that the curse still lingered in him, she hadn’t even thought to check; nothing could have prepared her for what was happening because of her slip up.
Luna pulled back another tablecloth, coming up empty handed again, “I hope she found somewhere safe.” Luna turned to Lucas, she was starting to think that Ezzie had gone somewhere else, she hadn’t come out to find them yet.
“Prince Lucas, Lady Blackwater…” A Knight appeared behind them, his voice cracking.
Luna turned, her face falling when she saw what the Knight was carrying in his arms.
“Ezzie…” Luna breathed, reaching out to her. The Knight stepped back before Luna could touch her.
“It is too late Lady Blackwater…” He shook his head sadly. “She is one of them now…” He tipped his head towards the sullen crowd waiting to be escorted to their doom by the dining hall doors.
“No…” Lucas stared at the limp form in the Knight’s hands, shaking his head in disbelief, “No.. is she…”
“She is alive.” The Knight answered, “But that will not make it any easier on her out there.” He added sullenly. “I am sorry Prince Lucas, she is going to have to go to the Gateway, I just thought you would want to know… so you can tell the King…” He looked down, avoiding Lucas’ stare.
“You can’t send her to the Gateway.” Lucas decided, his face bitter with anger. “Cage her, lock her up, but she stays here at the castle… she stays here.” He stared at the Knight, daring him to defy his Prince.
“Lady Blackwater?” The Knight turned to Luna, unsure if he should take the Prince’s orders, he had clearly been told to take all of the cursed from the incident to the Gateway.
“Do as he requested.” Luna used her most noble voice, though the words quivered as they escaped her lips.
“As you wish.” The Knight tipped his head, turning to carry Ezzie from the room to another place where she could be kept safe.
Lucas stared after him, his face unreadable, but Luna knew there was rage boiling under the surface.
“Lucas?” Luna placed her hand on his shoulder, “We have to find another way… we can’t let this happen to them.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Lucas and Luna stared out the hall as the line of victims began to depart, led by an entourage of Knights as they prepared to take their walk through the glowing city of Eranox one last time.
“How did this happen.” Luna’s voice caught in her throat and she realized that she was holding back tears.
Beside her Lucas looked defeated. “We have to tell my father what happened…” He whispered, his voice hollow.
“Should I come with you?” Luna asked, she wasn’t sure if Lucas would want to talk to his parents alone, she also wasn’t sure what she would do if he did. She had nowhere to go.
“Yeah.” Lucas nodded, he wasn’t looking forward to telling the King that his daughter had been bitten, that Ezzie had become one of the cursed.
Lucas led Luna out of the dining hall with his head down.
The screams had begun to fade, or perhaps they were just farther away. Knights were scouring the hallway, inspecting each person who had escaped the dining hall in an attempt to weed out those who had been infected.
Every head turned as Luna and Lucas passed, Luna had to stare at her feet to avoid their stares. She was sure that they knew that it was her fault, that they were suffering because she had failed as a High Wizard.
It just felt wrong.
It was the end of Eranox, the fall of the Kingdom; Luna felt the weight on her shoulders as they reached the council room doors.
She wished that she had never come back, Eranox still would have collapsed, but being there to witness it; it was harder than she could have imagined.
There were no less than six Knights standing guard at the doors, “Are you safe?” One of them asked, stepping forward to give them a once over.
Lucas nodded and held out his arms, Luna followed suit. The Knight looked them over, seemingly satisfied that they had not been bitten in the chaos. He nodded his head back at the others and the doors were opened for them.
Inside the King was waiting for them, Madam Hawthorn sat at the table, her eyes rimmed red with tears, she didn’t even look up as they entered. Beside her the Queen sat in silence, staring across the room with a forlorn look on her tired face.
“You made it.” The King beamed, and then his face fell as the doors closed behind them, “Where is your sister?” He stared, expecting that there was someone behind them, “Where is Ezzie?” He stared at the door, his eyes wide.
Luna took a breath, fearing the answer as she prepared herself to reply, knowing that Lucas wouldn’t.
“Bitten.” She said slowly.
Across the room the Queen gasped, pulling her hands to her face.
Luna felt her heart flutter with grief.
“I’m so sorry…” She whispered, averting her eyes so she wouldn’t see their faces. She couldn’t take the looks, the grief that filled the room was enough to drown her already, she couldn’t take any more.
“This is the end…” The King walked to the table, taking a seat next to his wife, “Eranox is doomed…” He whispered, hanging his head in defeat.
“It’s time to evacuate.” Lucas spoke with authority, something that Luna had never heard from him.
The King looked up at him and nodded once.
“It is time.” He agreed.
“How can we leave her behind?” The Queen sobbed.
The King reached for her hand, “We have to…” He sighed, “For now…”
“Where are you going to go?” Luna asked, she imagined that they already had a plan, it sounded like Lucas and his father had discussed evacuation before.
“To Earth.” Lucas answered flatly.
“To Earth?” Luna stared at him, “All of these people? Where will they go?” Luna asked.
The people of Eranox wouldn’t exactly fit in on Earth, especially in River Falls. There were still hundreds of people in Eranox, though come morning there would be fewer, it was still a lot of people to come walking out of the woods in a small town like River Falls.
Someone was bound to notice.
“Renaissance Festival.” Lucas answered her question without missing a beat, he had clearly put some thought into it.
“What does that mean?” Luna didn’t understand how that would help.
&nb
sp; “We are going to convince River Falls that a Renaissance Festival is coming to town.” Lucas explained, “Flyers, posters, everything…” He continued, “and then we will make a camp for them there and evacuate Eranox.”
It was brilliant, they had clearly been planning their escape for a long time. Luna nodded, surprised at the simplicity of it, “Okay, that will work…”
“We need you two to go and clear the way for us.” The King stood, keeping his hand on his wife’s shoulder for comfort. “There is a lot of work to be done, both here and on Earth, you know the plan Lucas, see it through.” The King nodded.
“We need to leave tonight.” Lucas turned to Luna, the urgency in his voice masking his pain.
“Take three of the Knights with you for the journey.” The King sounded scared, and suddenly Luna understood how dangerous their task was.
The Gateway was about to be filled, all of the victims from that night were being marched to the doors as they spoke. If Lucas and Luna survived the trip back to Earth it would be a miracle.
“Understood.” Lucas nodded, he crossed the room towards his parents, pulling them both in for a long hug.
Luna looked away, she wanted to let him have his moment, the reality was he might never see them again.
When they finally left the council chambers the halls in the castle had grown quiet. The chaos in the great hall had died down, and the cursed had already been escorted out to the Gateway to suffer their fate.
Lucas didn’t say a word as they left the room, and Luna didn’t expect that he would be saying anything anytime soon.
“Three of you are coming with us.” Luna turned to address the Knights that were waiting in the hallway.
They nodded and separated, prepared to depart with Luna and Lucas back into the Gateway without asking any questions.
Luna walked to her room with the Knights and Lucas in tow. If she was never coming back to Eranox she didn’t want to leave anything behind.
She opened her bedroom door and heard a startled gasp from the other side.
“You’re alive!” Margie rushed towards her, pulling her in for a hug. A moment later she released Luna, looking embarrassed, “I’m sorry, I know that wasn’t proper…” She whispered, averting her eyes.
“I’m glad to see you too.” Luna smiled, relieved that the cursed one hadn’t found Margie, the only real person in the castle that Luna could talk to.
“Are they evacuating then?” Margie asked in a whisper, following Luna to her wardrobe with a suspicious glance over her shoulder at the Knights standing guard at the door.
“Soon,” Luna nodded, “you should tell the others to get ready.” Luna paused, “At dawn, when it is safe…” She added, she didn’t want Margie to get bitten, she was starting to like having her around.
“I will do, thank you Lady Blackwater.” She whispered, still keeping her eyes on the Knights.
Luna filled her school bag, she was already wearing sneakers and her Earth clothes, though the cloak over her shoulders wasn’t from Earth, she decided to keep it on. It was warm, and would remind her of her adventures in Eranox when it was all over and she had to move on with her life.
With one last look around the room, she pulled Margie in for a hug and said goodbye.
It was time to leave Eranox behind for good.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Luna followed the Knights in silence as they walked to Lucas’ room on the other side of the castle to retrieve him. He had gone ahead to gather his things. It seemed that he had already been prepared for the evacuation, he was standing in the door, staring at his room with a bag over his shoulder when they arrived.
Luna stood back, giving him some space as he said goodbye to his home in Eranox. She was sure that he was having a hard time with it, how could he not, Eranox had been his home, and it was about to be lost forever under an unbreakable curse.
Lucas turned away from his room slowly, closing the door over, his face still and unreadable.
“Let’s go.” Luna nodded to the Knights as they waited for instruction. “We are going through the Gateway, starting the evacuation.” She added, feeling that it was fair to give them a warning that they would not be returning.
The flash of panic in their eyes lasted only a moment and then they began to march down the hall, keeping pace with Lucas and Luna as they walked towards the castle doors.
The night was passing quickly and Luna was determined to keep moving forward, she would sleep when she was home safe. There were still more obstacles in their way, and she had to keep herself alert and prepared.
They still had to get through the Gateway.
Luna fingered the necklace around her throat to be sure that it was still there. She didn’t want to be left behind, not in the maze of creatures, not when it was about to be filled with more of them.
The city was less than quiet as they passed through the castle gates and into the streets. Screams and howls echoed through the spaces between the buildings, creatures watching as they passed. Her father, the cursed one, was still out there within Eranox, he hadn’t been caught yet; Luna could feel him out there spreading the curse.
No one watched them through the windows that night as they passed the boarded up storefronts that had gone dark with fear.
Eranox felt defeated.
Ahead there was a crowd, the cursed of that night, waiting to enter the Gateway. The infection had not yet taken hold, they stood in silence, scared and shivering as they waited for dawn when they would join the others.
Lucas slowed.
“She’s there…” He whispered, staring ahead.
Luna followed his gaze.
There in the middle of the crowd was a girl wearing a beautiful orange dress, her hair was tousled and her eyes brimmed with tears, but it was her.
Ezzie hadn’t been kept at the castle.
“Why would they bring her here?” Luna asked, afraid of the answer.
Lucas didn’t answer right away, he stared at his sister for a moment longer before he finally looked away, “If we left her alone in the castle, she would die…” He whispered, “She needs to be with them to survive…” He gritted his teeth.
“Should we…”
“No.” Lucas answered sharply, “It would only make it harder… for all of us…” He stayed back from the crowd, trying to hide from his sister before she spotted him.
Luna stared past the crowd at the doors to the Gateway, they only opened during the day, for the safety of the inhabitants. However a ladder had been erected against the wall, the same as the night they had come for Alec Blackwater.
“I think they intend for us to hurry.” A Knight turned, tipping his head to Luna.
“I think so.” Luna frowned, she wasn’t quite prepared to venture back into the night maze, but it seemed that the King intended them to finish the trip in one night. Which meant that they would have to travel quickly and hope that they didn’t encounter any danger.
“Eranox will be waiting at the gate tomorrow at dusk.” Lucas whispered, staring at the ladder as though he had been expecting it.
“So soon?” Luna asked, “Will we have time to prepare for them?”
“They need to evacuate.” Lucas replied, starting to walk towards the ladder, “We will have to make it work.”
The Knights followed them past the crowd, venturing up the ladder ahead of the two of them to secure the other side.
Soon, Lucas and Luna were making their way back up over the wall and into the Gateway, leaving Eranox behind one final time.
A fourth Knight followed behind them and as they landed safely on the other side he began to hoist the rope ladder back up, leaving them in the Gateway with nowhere to go but Earth.
“Lead the way.” Luna turned to Lucas, ready to get home and put the nightmare behind her.
“This way.” Lucas started forward at a jog.
The night was already almost half over, if they hoped to get through the portal before dawn they were going to
have to hurry.
Luna stared at the tall stone walls as she jogged behind Lucas, knowing that she would never have to see them again.
For her it was the end of an adventure, a horrible one, but still an adventure. It was her final trek through the maze that she would never see again, there was something strange about the experience, she found herself knowing that she would miss it.
And then came the guilt. While Luna was reminiscing about her wild adventure, she knew that Lucas and the Knights were having a much different experience as they raced through the Gateway. They were leaving their home, saying goodbye to everything they had ever known, not even knowing if their loved ones and friends were going to make it through to join them in the new world on the other side.
Though Lucas had been to Earth, Luna watched as the Knights stared ahead with apprehension, Earth was going to be stranger than they feared. Even with the caravan and the ruse of a Renaissance Fair, there were too many things that would be different for them.
Like electricity.
Lucas wound them through the Gateway faster, cautious of the noises that echoed through the tall walls. It seemed that the creatures were waiting for the newly cursed to join them, the farther they got from Eranox, the quieter the Gateway became.
Luna was running out of breath, but the moons overhead were getting low in the sky and they needed to get to the portal before it closed.
“Only a little farther.” Lucas huffed, hurrying to make it around another turn.
The Knights seemed to be having a more difficult time keeping up, their heavy armor jangled against them as they tried to keep pace, they were more protected against an attack, but the weight of the metal plates must have been exhausting to carry all that way.
Lucas dove around another bend and Luna could hear him slowing down before she made the turn.
They had made it.
The fireflies swirled around the door, greeting them with a frenzy of excited flickers.
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