“I’m fine, my leg’s healed considerably. Whatever Jeremy did with his magic really helped me out, a lot,” Elora said, taking a deep breath. “You first need to decide what to do about Velia.”
“There are many amongst us who instantly declined of going to Velia, and many who instantly agreed. We have three of our campers ready to go with you,” Johan said, looking at Kieran. “Kieran, will you be going?”
“Definitely,” Kieran said, looking stoic and just like a ruler is supposed to look as. Jeremy also looked up.
“I will be going as well,” Jeremy said, looking at Elora. “I was the first one to volunteer and Kieran and the other three followed. And now it would seem that you only need to approve of this ‘team’ of ours.”
Jeremy looked at Kieran, who sighed and shook his head. He had his own problems with this, and he knew that he would have to do this as well.
“Chaiya, I know you want to come,” Kieran said, looking at Chaiya. “But you need to stay back and guard the camp if something happens. You’re the best with a bow and arrow, the best I have ever seen! You need to protect the camp.”
“...Fine,” Chaiya said, morosely and rudely. Elora was a great friend, but she had a duty to the camp as well. She would have to protect everyone when Kieran was gone and when he returned could she properly interrogate Elora for all the information that she could give. But right now, her brother was right. She needed to stay back, undoubtedly to protect everyone if the time came for it. “I’ll stay, but you guys better come back!”
Kieran nodded. He knew how much Chaiya wanted to come with them, but he couldn’t take any choices, not right now when all was at stake. He knew that as soon as he was gone, the camp would be open to attacks, and Kieran didn’t think that the campers alone could rally up without someone to lead them. Except for him, Chaiya was the only one that would be on the position, and no one else.
Elora looked at the gathered team and felt a pang in her heart. She felt the wrongness of the entire team in front of her, pouring out of her being and affecting her very mind. She could feel that this wasn’t the team that should be going up ahead, for there was only one way that things could go and end as. This was war, and she was now stuck inside of it. She knew that she wanted to help in any way that was possible, she knew she wanted to do everything to help Feather Grove win, but helping out, and being a part of a war, were two entirely different things.
Kieran got up and hugged his sister tightly. Chaiya didn’t hesitate to hug her back. She could feel it in her heart, she could feel that something was about to go wrong, and she didn’t want her brother to die because of this madness.
“If we don’t send a message or come back in two days, you can come and search for us in Velia,” Kieran said after parting from Chaiya. “Come alone, don’t bring anyone, and make sure to search for us everywhere, you know what the Yogi can be like.”
Chaiya nodded, barely managing to control her emotions. She then jumped on Elora, hugging her tightly as well. Elora hugged Chaiya back, knowing that both of them, at this point, really needed the comfort that only the other could give, and it was the comfort that would go on a long way to help them out.
“I’ll be alright,” Elora said softly, hugging Chaiya back. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
“You better come back, Elora James,” Chaiya said sternly. “Because I want to be there when you go back to your world, and see how you go back there.”
“I will be back.” Elora nodded, looking at the team. There was Elora, Jeremy and Kieran, and three other campers. Mati, Muhal and Verav. Muhal and Verav were twins and really, really close to each other, and they were also very fast when it came to a fight. Mati was a scout and a spy, and could easily run across distances and be as fast as possible if needs of escape or sending a message came up, and he was a good fighter as well. Combined with Kieran and Jeremy, they were a good team. A really, really good team.
But even when faced with such a good, great team, Elora couldn’t help but feel nervous. Something was going on, something was wrong, and something bad was going to happen. She could feel it in her heart, in her very mind and body. Something bad was going to happen and it was going to break her, or make her, either of the two, and she didn’t want either of the two to happen.
Please, oh gods of this realm, don’t let anyone die here because of me, Elora prayed to the gods as she removed the wrappings around her ankle. It was now normal, no longer swollen, and she was now ready to move, to go and be free. Please, let me be free. Let me fly...let me cry...let me be free.
They had started to walk down from the main road, and down towards the route that would lead them to Velia. Elora noticed the difference between this road and the road that would lead to Claw Worth. It was really, really noticeable. The road was so proper, so perfect, that it was stupid to just think about it like that. The entire road was wide, with trees on both the sides of the road, as if made by magic. According to Jeremy, the entire road from the conjunction of Nokidora to Velia was like this, and it really mystified her, as to how can such a long stretch of road be made like this, with such systematically planted trees, without the use of modern technology. She figured out that it wasn’t wise to ask questions at the moment, and instead just shook her head and did as she was told to do. Walk.
Kieran saw the flickers of the emotions on Elora’s face and he knew that she was, once again, putting up a strong front. He didn’t blame her, this wasn’t something that he himself would admit of doing without fear. This was too much, too much even for him. They were going to Velia, where they would be close enough to Claw Worth to be noticed to talk to the Yogi of Velia and then come back. It wasn’t something he ever planned on doing in his life except for whenever he managed to conquer Claws Worth, which was also only a dream. It was not possible for him to just go ahead and walk inside of Claw Worth mainly because Italus had the power, and the control, at the moment. Most of all, he had Sinara, who told him everything about everyone that went on in this world.
But he couldn’t comfort Elora. He couldn’t go on and appear as weak. He just couldn’t go there and comfort her because she was feeling slightly off again. It would reveal his own fears and that wouldn’t be manly of him, at all. So he knew he would have to do the next best thing. He would have to go to Jeremy and ask him to go and comfort Elora.
“Windgate.” Jeremy looked towards Kieran, who came to stand beside him. He was surprised that Kieran even wanted to talk to him. “Can you go and talk to Elora? She looks afraid.”
Jeremy blinked at the sudden request, and looked at Elora. He did see the flickers of emotions on her face, and then at Kieran, who walked away without a word and in front, and then at Elora, who was slowly walking in the middle of the group. Jeremy sighed.
“Well I’m not an empath...” Jeremy said. If he had been he would have been able to sense the Jealousy in Kieran as well, but he didn’t. Instead he simply walked over to Elora.
“Elora.” Elora looked up and at Jeremy, who had come to stand beside her and walk with her. “May I be your company, for a while?”
“O-Oh, s-sure,” Elora said, smiling fraudulently. She was too worried to even smile falsely at the moment and she was sure that smile came out as a grimace or something. “B-But I won’t be good company right now, to say the least.”
“Completely understandable.” Jeremy nodded, smirking. He then sighed and shook his head. “So, what is bothering you? I know something is bothering you at the moment.”
Elora looked at him, surprised that he had seen through her front. She was so sure that no one would be able to see it, not even Kieran, but Jeremy had done so without a simple thought of it. Elora sighed and smiled, knowing that she was defeated, yet she was still reluctant to tell him about what was going on inside of her head.
“W-Well, if you remember, I am not from this world,” Elora said, and Jeremy nodded, not taking this as a joke. “And, for me to go back home, I have to either find the missing piece of
the tapestry, or complete the task I came here for and acknowledge my destiny.”
Jeremy nodded, not speaking yet. He had a feeling where this was about to go, and he honestly didn’t know why it was him that was going to have to comfort this fear of hers. Kieran could have done this himself if he needed to do so yet he hadn’t.
“I...honestly don’t know if I am ready to actually do any of that. I mean, I am a girl from a different world where things like this were only a child’s fantasy,” Elora said, her voice slightly hysteric, filled with worry and concern. Jeremy put a hand on Elora’s shoulder and squeezed it. “A-And I am afraid...I am afraid that my destiny is somehow going to be a choice, a choice between saving this world and going back home. And... If that was the case I honestly don’t know what I would do. I honestly don’t know if I would ever be able to save this world or not, if I would ever be able to go back home or not. I don’t want anyone to die, but if I didn’t choose to save this world then everyone would die and it would definitely be my fault. But...I just want to go home! This is not my world, I can’t do anything here except of just lying down and sitting, I can’t just leave this world, just like that. You know I can’t do that.”
“From how I see this, you are confused if you want to go home or stay here and save this world, correct?” Jeremy asked, and Elora nodded. Jeremy sighed. “A lot of people get a difficult choice to take every single time they want to do something good. The choice is do we choose the choice which will benefit us greater, or the choice which will benefit others greater. This is a similar choice as that, and only you can take it. When the time comes, you will have to take it, but no matter what happens, Elora, you will always have me beside you, even if it meant certain death for me, I will protect you.”
It didn’t help out a lot to curb her mood, but Elora did start to smile again, and that was a good sign.
Away from all of the Rebels, Italus, and Sinara, was another princess, making her way to Claw Worth. Her beauty was defined by her soft looks and kind eyes, but she was nothing but kind. Wearing a soft purple dress, her black hair shone, silky and strand, looking perfectly braided up. She was sitting inside of her carriage that would go all the way to Claw Worth.
Princess Vanessa Duchond was going to Claw Worth to somehow finalize and set up her marriage to Prince Italus of Claw Worth. Had she known this when she was little that she would be marrying the biggest and most cruelest king in the world, she would have killed herself, but right now, that was her choice, for it was what would get her what she wanted.
She had no love for Prince Italus, they were like strangers, much like strangers. She only held pure contempt for his actions as he was a vile and cruel man, she remembered what he had done to Chaiya and she didn’t want that to happen to anyone. But right now, she had to go to him, because she wanted something that he had. Italus had the throne, the throne of Claw Worth, and she wanted it. It wasn’t fit for someone like Italus, who would destroy the power of the balance in the world and pull everything towards him to perhaps become the ruler of all. But she wasn’t going to let him. No, she had her own plans regarding the throne, and for that to happen, she needed Italus’s hands in marriage. That was the first step.
But the main reason was so she could get an access to the hidden scrolls of her Kingdom Noblethorn, which Prince Italus had taken from every single kingdom, so they could be held at the palace of Claw Worth. She needed them because of the wordings inside of the scrolls, about a legend. A Legend that an outsider would come in from another world who will help save their kingdom from peril. She needed to learn more about this but it was no easy task. The main reason for her to even learn about this was because of a visitor to her kingdom, a passer-by.
The woman that had come was however, was not what she was expecting. No, she remembered her grandfather’s tales about the legend.
‘There will be an outsider, Vanessa, when the kingdoms come to peril. And the kingdom that she signs herself with will be the only one to prosper.’ She remembered her grandfather’s voice, telling her about the story one night. ‘The Outsider will be strange, wearing a simple cloak, with a sack of sorts that is hung up around her side. Below the cloak she would be wearing clothes that no human or wizard has the capability of making, something truly outside of this world that I have no idea as to how it would look or what it would look like. They would be keeping a very, very low-key, and would be so silent and smart about things that here would be nothing that would be known of them.’
And when she matched the description with the visitor that she had, it was pretty much the same thing. She remembered what the visitor looked like, and she needed to be sure that she was wrong about this, for if she was right, then things would be bad.
But it wouldn’t be so easy. Keeping an eye on Italus, Prince of Claw Worth, was difficult because of the witch that he kept as a companion. She was not to be trusted. She was supposedly an enchantress, but Vanessa wasn’t afraid of her. No, she wasn’t afraid of her, at all. Vanessa had her own witch in her court, and she had spells on herself that would stop any enchantments to be put up on her.
That is why, the first thing that she was going to do, was to try and look for the scrolls. She had a basic idea of where the scrolls could be, and Prince Italus had told her to meet her for dinner late in the evening. She had arrived early in the afternoon.
What sort of a man is he? Vanessa thought as she sneaked out of her room. Prince Italus hadn’t even come to greet his guest, and supposed future wife. He was somewhere no guard would answer, and no one knew, not even his own parents. The King of Claw Worth even went as far as to ask if she wanted to trade something in return for calling off the marriage, but she wanted to marry Italus. She could have gotten the scrolls, but what she wanted was to keep an eye out on Italus, without Sinara being around. Perhaps with enough influence, she could hopefully get Lady Sinara out of the way as well.
But first, though, were the scrolls. She had received information that Italus kept the scrolls inside of the castle, deep in the library of Claw Worth, but she knew that she wouldn’t be allowed to enter. There was a lot of information inside of the said library, and the only one that went ahead inside day in and day out was Lady Sinara. She just had to choose a time that was against the Witch’s usual schedule so she could successfully sneak inside of the library to look for the scrolls. She only needed one single peek of the scrolls and that was it, she just needed to be sure of what she had seen.
And for that, she had to time out perfectly. Without the perfect timings, she didn’t know what she could do. She had observed or had someone observe Sinara for a while, and she knew that Sinara wouldn’t be in the library after a certain point in the evening, going away somewhere for half an hour. So Vanessa had placed herself clearly outside of the hallway that held the entrance to the library, and she waited for Lady Sinara to leave.
She had the perfect excuse to enter the library as well, she had been told that Prince Italus was in the library, and she wanted to speak to him. It wasn’t as if she was prohibited from entering the library, it just wasn’t something that was useful. So once Sinara was out of the library, Vanessa knew that she had limited time.
She had just limited time before Sinara came back, and as soon as she had gone, Vanessa sneaked inside of the library. There wasn’t anyone inside of the library at the time thankfully, but it was still spooky to be inside of the Library alone like this. She had been told that the Prince held all of his things in a book-case in the middle of the library, but as seen by Lady Sinara’s influence, the Library was large, going as far as till the very ends of the giant room where the library was. Vanessa could see that, she knew for a fact that finding that particular section of where the scrolls were was impossible, to say the least. Just impossible.
Now what? Lady Sinara thought. This place was absolutely massive. She couldn’t see any end to the entire room where the library was and wherever she saw, she only saw books. She didn’t want to venture to deep, in ca
se Sinara returned. And when she did return Vanessa wanted to be out of it all. She wanted to be as far away from that witch as she could be. She had been warned about Sinara’s deadly spells and her attitude.
Sinara didn’t like it when she didn’t know something about the enemy. That is why Italus was neigh unbeatable. He had Sinara, who would tell him everything, everything that transpired and every single threat that were against Claw North. Sinara was the one that helped out Italus be what he was today and Vanessa held no doubts the man was planning to get his parents killed. She didn’t know what to say about that so she wouldn’t say anything, but for now, she needed the scrolls.
Come on, come on, Vanessa desperately thought as she looked around the first few rows of the library. Please, anything, even a single copy will be enough! Please!
She needed only a simple glance into the scrolls to find out what the prophecy was and if what she had seen was true or not. After that she would keep the scrolls back and retake them later in the future when the time came for it. For now she only needed to find the scrolls, and she knew they were in the library, she only had to search for it.
She found various other scrolls of stupid prophecies and stupid notes of the witch. She wasn’t interested in magic, not now. She was interested in finding out where the scrolls were and unless the magic was of a special scroll that would point out where her family’s secret scrolls were, she wasn’t interested in anything. It was wasting her time and she was already on limited time here. She didn’t want to waste any more time, let alone till Italus found her here, it would be an end to all her hopes and dreams.
She then suddenly felt the enchantments on her tingle. She knew what that meant. It was a sign that the witch was close. She had to get out of the library right now or things wouldn’t be good for her. No!
She quickly jumped out of the door and closed it softly, just in time to see Lady Sinara turn around the corner and stand in front of her. Vanessa had a strange look on her face, as she looked at Sinara. Sinara looked right into Vanessa’s eyes and her eyes instantly narrowed.
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