by Halle Dean
"It's strange to all be here again," Warner remarked, echoing Sophie's thoughts.
"My thoughts were the same," Mason said. "I never thought we would all be here together again. Not on good terms, in any case."
"Hopefully we'll be able to do this more often," Melody said. "Once we're through with all of this."
"Let's focus on the task at hand, for the moment," Warner said.
They came upon the lower dungeon door and Warner led the way in. There was a gaping hole in the cell walls where the other Warner had blown through them. Sophie hadn't thought anything of it before, but she realized that he had been able to use magic. She turned to Warner in confusion. He was already stepping over the rubble.
"How did you do this?" she asked. "Well, how did other Warner do it? Your magic should have been suppressed."
Melody shook her head. "The spell would have been set to suppress your magic," she said. "And Jace's." Sophie's heart twinged at the thought of Jace. "If it suppressed all magic," Melody went on, "then they wouldn't be able to use any on you."
"Am I the only one that can't use my magic now?" Sophie asked.
"I can't either," Melody said. "Edric must have never removed the spell suppressing my magic."
"Then, the only person that can actually use magic," Mason said, rolling his eyes, "is out of magic energy."
"I'm nearly out of energy anyway," Sophie admitted. "I used it all to save us from dying when we flew out the window."
"I don't have much left either," Melody said.
"How are you supposed to fight Truss without any magic?" Alex asked.
"He won't have magic either, once we suppress it," Warner said as he ran his hands along the wall, searching. "An elderly sorcerer with suppressed magic won't beat the knights of Coriander."
"But how can we suppress his magic if you need magic to make the device work?" Mason asked.
"We don't need much," Melody said. "We only need to get close to Truss and point the suppressor at him. It only takes a minimal amount of magic to set it. Then we simply have to keep him within its range."
"We must kill him quickly," Warner added. "It should be simple."
"Many things that should have been simple did not go well," Sophie pointed out. "I'm not saying that we can't do this, but we shouldn't be overconfident. This is the last thing we have to take care of. We must be cautious."
"I have a question," Blue said. "How will we find this man again? We have no idea where he went and I doubt he will be back until he is prepared."
"He may not even come back then," Alex said, looking worried. "Perhaps he'll do that huge spell again from wherever he is."
"He won't," Melody said. "He'll want to be more personal. He'll want to be sure Warner and Lane are dead first."
"I'm glad I never became knight captain," Alex said. "You seem to anger so many people."
"If we both die today, you're up next for the job," Mason said.
"That's not funny," Melody and Sophie said, nearly in unison.
"I'll try my best not to let you die," Alex mumbled.
"Are you sure the device is in here?" Warner asked Melody.
She shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "All I know is that it only affects me when I'm inside the cell."
"I'm certain it's not in any of these walls," Warner said. "I gained back enough magic energy to search for differences, but it's solid stone."
"Perhaps it's under the floor?" Melody asked.
Warner placed his hands on the stone floor, noticeably avoiding the bloodstains. After a moment, he stood and shook his head. Then he looked up at the ceiling.
"Perhaps it's above us," he suggested. "It could be in whatever room is over the lower dungeons." He looked at the knights. "Is there a room there?"
Alex and Blue shrugged. "I don't know the layout perfectly," Alex said.
Mason shook his head and sighed. "I think I have an idea of where it is."
* * *
"Where are we going?" Sophie asked as everyone followed Mason through the halls.
"To the courtyard," he responded glumly. "I've passed by the stupid thing every day and never questioned it. I could have helped her years ago."
"It's not your fault," Melody said consolingly. "You didn't even know it existed."
"How do you know where it is?" Warner asked.
"Because it's displayed out in the open," Mason growled. They came upon the doors to the courtyard and he threw them open. A statue of Edric stood tall in the center. In his hand was a scepter with a glass ball on top. "That is directly above the lower dungeons," Mason said. "He was so dramatic."
Before Sophie could get closer, there was a blade to her throat and a hand grasped her arm. The others walked towards the statue, but she was being dragged back. She tried to struggle, but the knife pressed closer, slicing into her skin. She tried to scream, but could make no sound. No one noticed her, not even Warner. She felt her hands bound by magic as she was pulled away from the others and out of the courtyard.
Fifty
Misplaced Vengeance
Warner had never been so low on magic energy before. He was realizing how much easier magic made mundane tasks, such as retrieving things from the top of tall statues. He sighed in exasperation as he studied the base of the structure to find a good foothold. The statue was very smooth and there was very little to hold on to. If someone boosted him up, he could reach the carved fold in the marble robes and climb the rest of the way up. When he turned to ask for help, he quickly forgot his objective.
"Where is Sophie?" he asked, surveying the courtyard.
The others looked around, seeming to notice for the first time that the princess was no longer with them.
"She was here only a moment ago," Melody said.
She sounded alarmed, but not as much as Warner was.
I should have been paying more attention, he thought. Subconsciously, he expected some sort of response. It would take some time to get used to being alone in his mind again. "We must find her," he said.
"It will be all right," Melody said. "Perhaps she saw a better way to get to the device."
"She would have said something," Warner said. "If she had gone anywhere, she would have told me."
"We'll find her," Mason said. "Everyone spread out, but in pairs. We don't need anyone else getting lost."
Warner didn't wait for someone to accompany him. He ran to the door they had come through and looked around, behind bushes and trees. No one was around. He went back into the castle and searched the halls as he ran. He spun around when he heard footsteps behind him, pulling his sword from The Void.
"Your sister is right," Mason grumbled, pushing the sword away from his face with his armored wrist. "You're panicking."
"I can't lose her," Warner said, vanishing his sword and trying to take deep breaths. "I can't."
"I understand," Mason said. "You won't lose her. However, you must remain calm if you wish to find her."
Warner couldn't focus properly. He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that Mason was making sense. But it was hard to remain calm when Sophie was missing.
"Mason, we were almost safe," he said. His voice was wavering, but he didn't care. "One more task and we would have been done with all of this."
"Don't be pessimistic," Mason ordered. "We have no evidence that she's hurt."
"But—"
"Warner, stop." It took Warner a moment to recognize that Mason had used his first name. When he did realize, it sobered him up considerably. "We will find her," Mason continued. "Everything will be all right."
"Yes," Warner said, taking a deep breath. "Let's go." They both hurried down the hall, looking left and right for any sign of Sophie. "Why did you follow me?" Warner asked after a moment. "I thought you would have gone with Melody."
"She insisted that I calm you down," Mason said, rolling his eyes. "She said that she couldn't do it because she wasn't calm enough herself."
"Who went with her?" Warner asked.
"Sawyer," Mason answered. "Williams stayed with the barmaid since she's not really up for doing anything else."
"It's best that you or I find whoever took Sophie," Warner said.
"Why are you so sure she was taken?" Mason asked.
"She would have said something if she had left of her own volition," Warner insisted.
"Perhaps she didn't this time," Mason said.
"She would have," Warner growled.
"If you say so."
They reached the end of the hall and still hadn't seen Sophie or anyone else. Warner was quickly becoming disheartened. Then he saw a blue scrap of fabric down the next hall. He ran over and picked it up. It was from Sophie's dress.
"This is a clean cut," Warner noted. "Most likely from slicing magic."
"Perhaps she left it on purpose?" Mason suggested.
Warner nodded and walked further down the hall, searching the floor for more clues. The severed end of a boot lace, a few more scraps of clothing, and a lock of light brown hair led him to the front of the castle. He was getting hopeful, but then it took a turn for the worse. The next sign of a trail was a few drops of blood. Warner threw the doors open in a hurry.
"Sophie!" he shouted. "Where are you?"
"Look," Mason said, pointing at the ground ahead of them.
There was a considerable amount of blood smeared in a line. It looked as if something bloody had been dragged across the ground, towards the forest. Warner's mind clouded over and it was hard for him to do more than stand there. For so long, whenever he became overwhelmingly upset, other Warner would take over. It was strange to remain in control, and he didn't know what to do.
"Sophie," he breathed. "Please, no."
He took off into the trees, followed by Mason. The blood trail continued, staining leaves and dirt. It was hard to believe Sophie had enough blood left in her to survive. Warner tried to push the thought away, but it stuck with him relentlessly. He felt as if his world was crumbling around him.
"Remain calm," Mason murmured. "You must remain calm."
"I can't," Warner managed to choke out.
"She could be perfectly all right," Mason said consolingly.
"Look at all the blood," Warner retorted. He pushed through low hanging branches as the forest grew thicker. "She is not all right."
"Then you must calm down so you can hurry and save her," Mason reasoned. "You're far less useful when you panic."
Warner didn't stop running, but he did take deep breaths and try to focus his mind. His vision cleared and he found himself able to navigate his surroundings better. The ringing in his ears had stopped and he could actually hear what was around him. There was a rustle of leaves to the left, but it was obviously a small animal. The many sounds of the forest were very distracting. He wondered if listening for footsteps was worth the energy. Then he finally heard what he was searching for.
"Stop," he whispered, throwing out his hand to halt Mason. "To the left."
"I heard it," Mason responded quietly. "What's the plan?"
"You go ahead and cut off their path," Warner told him. "I'll double back so I may halt their progress if they see you and try to flee. We'll both close in as quickly and silently as possible. If you see a safe opportunity to get Sophie away, do it."
"Yes, sir," Mason said, immediately darting out of sight to carry out his orders.
Warner took a deep breath before circling back. He continued to listen for sounds. Two pairs of feet walked through the forest. One pair belonged to someone heavier than the other. The lighter person, presumably Sophie, was limping.
Remain calm. Remain calm, Warner chanted in his mind. She's hurt, but alive. I'll kill the bastard that did this.
The footsteps grew louder as he neared them; he could tell that he was very close. Suddenly, the sound of footfalls stopped. A figure emerged from the trees ahead of him. He shouldn't have panicked, but he did. He pulled his sword from The Void and aimed it at the person emerging from the forest. He was surprised to find an identical sword directed back at him.
"Where did they go?" Mason asked, lowering his sword.
Warner was very wary as he listened to the forest again. They had been directly in front of him. They couldn't have gone far, but he should have heard them move. He was about to say so out loud when he felt something clamp down on his wrists and ankles, forcing him to drop his sword.
"Mason, run!" he exclaimed, but it was too late. Both of them were held fast by the spell, unable to break free. "Dammit," Warner growled. "Who is there?"
Laughter came from the trees in front of them. It sounded familiar and Warner was trying to place where he had heard it before. When he realized who he was hearing, his shoulders sagged and he sighed. He should have noticed when Aaron had disappeared, but he had been so focused on the situation. The dark-haired man stepped into view, holding Sophie captive in front of him.
She was bleeding very badly, but so was Aaron. They were both pale from blood loss and wobbling a bit on their feet. Warner couldn't tell who was worse off, but he was relieved that not all the blood he had seen belonged to Sophie. She looked very scared and her eyes were pleading with Warner to help her. He struggled against the spell trapping him, but it was no use.
"Ah, Warner," Aaron said mirthfully. "You never suspected, did you?"
"You don't have to do this, Aaron," Warner said. "What reason do you have to hurt Sophie?"
"I have more than one reason, actually," Aaron snarled, his grin disappearing. "For one thing, I'm glad to see your pained expression."
"I thought we were friends," Warner said.
"Friends don't steal each other's women," Aaron scoffed.
Whatever reason Warner had been expecting, it had not been that. "What?" he asked, bewildered.
"You know what you did," Aaron said. "Katherine never looked twice at me after she met you."
"You must be joking," Mason groaned, trying to yank his hands out of his restraints.
"Shut your mouth!" Aaron ordered. "This has nothing to do with you." He glared at Warner and pressed his knife closer to Sophie's throat.
Warner was confused, but mostly afraid for Sophie. "Aaron, please," he said. "You know there was nothing between me and Katherine. You would have to know that in order to believe that taking Sophie would cause me pain."
"It doesn't matter that you never felt the same way for her," Aaron spat. "She always desired you instead of me."
"That's no fault of mine!" Warner said. "And it has nothing to do with Sophie!"
"Hurting you is only one reason for this," Aaron sneered. "She has her own comeuppance."
"What did I do?" Sophie squeaked.
"My cousin is the prince of Deyinfor," he said.
"What?" Warner asked, caught off guard again.
"O-oh," Sophie said quietly.
"He was humiliated completely when you refused to even meet him."
"But I—"
"I don't want to hear it," Aaron said, causing Sophie to yelp in pain when the knife sliced her skin a bit. "You rejected him for an orphan nobody who wanted to play as a knight. He's not even a prince." Aaron turned back to Warner. "So, you stole two women from my family."
"I didn't steal anyone!" Warner protested. "I never tried to get Katherine. And Sophie wasn't your cousin's in the first place."
"Well, now she won't be anyone's," Aaron said.
Warner's eyes widened as he saw Aaron's arm move. He was actually going to kill her, right before Warner's eyes, and there was nothing Warner could do to stop it. He tried desperately to escape, but he pulled so hard against his bonds that he felt his wrist break.
The tears in his eyes had nothing to do with the pain in his wrist. He shouted and begged Aaron to stop. His mind buzzed and he couldn't focus on anything but getting to Sophie. His restraints only tightened the more he struggled, crushing his already broken bones. All of a sudden, he fell flat on his face. The bonds had been released.
"What the—" Mason grumbled, a
lso having fallen to the ground.
Warner only stayed down for a split second before he jumped up. Aaron was no longer holding onto Sophie. He was lying, spread-eagle, on the ground, and Sophie was crumpled at his feet. Warner dashed forward and pulled Sophie into his arms, wincing at his injured wrist. He quickly checked her over; she was unconscious, but not dead.
"Oh, thank God," Warner breathed. He held her to his chest and glancing around to try to determine what had happened. His eyes fell on a blonde woman approaching Aaron. "Katherine," Warner said. "Did you—"
"Yes," she said somberly, kneeling next to Aaron's body. Warner looked down at him to see that he was very clearly dead. "I didn't have much choice."
"I don't understand why he pretended for so long," Warner said.
"His sorcerer magic held him back," she explained. "He told me everything yesterday and then locked me up. It took far too long to find him. I don't know what happened to his sorcerer magic, but it's gone now. He must have already died once."
"Thank you," Warner said, looking down at Sophie. "You saved her."
Katherine nodded. "He was like my brother," she said. "Though, I suppose he didn't feel as such. He should have said something. I hadn't realized how he thought of me."
"So tragic," a cold voice said. Warner looked around to see Truss at the edge of the clearing. Mason stood in front of Warner and Sophie, holding his sword at the ready. Truss rolled his eyes and Mason flew sideways, into a tree. "The tragedy will be less when there are none left to feel it."
"Shouldn't you be off, recovering?" Warner asked, glaring. "I heard you didn't do so well against the knight captain."
Truss glanced over at Mason, who was picking himself up off of the ground with difficulty. "He is a good swordsman, that is for sure," Truss admitted. "But it is no matter. I stole more magic energy and now I shall destroy you all."
"No you won't!" yet another familiar voice said. Melody, Alex, and Blue all stood behind Truss. Melody pointed the magic suppression device at him. "Try using your magic now! Ha!"