It was pitch black for a moment and some of them panicked they had phased into solid rock. But then Scarlett made her skin glow and the enchanters summoned a light from their wand tips. They examined the catacombs stretching out beneath the graveyard, old coffins rotting and bones spilling out onto the ground.

Silence fell over the chamber as the General stepped into the chamber. He cast an eye around the beautiful illusion, briefly distracted by the images on the walls and the flowers illuminating the room. But then he turned his attention to the young people gathered in the middle of the room, his gaze falling suspiciously upon them. He was surprised to see a sorceress here, as well as Shade and his ward. He turned to the high-Princess, who shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

they descended into a dark chamber in single file, the stairs not allowing any more room. Shade led the way with Scarlett right behind him, using her magic to illuminate the path. Emma summoned a light with her wand and led the others down behind them, walking carefully, watching their step.

The sound of swords clashing vibrated the walls, the force behind the blades making their owners teeth rattle. the shrouded figure stepped out of the invisibility bubble and shoved Alex back. the sorceress stumbled back, surprised by the strength of her attacker, quickly catching her footing to lunge back and deflect the follow up bow from a fist with her arm.

The emotional outburst had left Emma drained. As a result she was sluggish in her walk as they trekked further across the wasteland. David stayed by her side, lost in thought but remaining as a comforting presence for her. Alex, meanwhile, had forged ahead. She kept in the direction David pointed her, but she needed the space to fume.

The spell brought them to a large open space, what remains of a garden. They materialised and startled the swarm nesting in the area. It took Alex a split second to see the threat before drawing her swords and whirling in a circle, decapitating them before they could make a sound. Emma and David immediately dove to the ground, looking around to find ghouls lurking in the bushes. They emerged with snarls and the pair dispatched them with some quick bolts from her wand or spell

After several trips, planned or otherwise, into the Unknown Region, Emma realised she didn’t need to pack as much as she first thought. She retrieved the gold armour Brunhilde had made for her, which she kept in her room. She equipped the dagger and her wand, gathered some supplies from the kitchens for food and drink, put away her diadem and pulled on her jacket. The last thing she equipped was the belt buckle with the gemstone. She didn’t want anyone to know she was leaving

She found Brunhilde the next day in the stables, checking on the few Pegasus who survived the assault in the Unknown Region. The horses were skittish, but the blonde haired captain liked to take care of them personally when she could. She grew up around horses, Emma recalled, before she joined the Guard.

Thoughts rattled around in Emma’s brain while she sat against the balcony in one of the towers of the Citadel. She had wandered the halls for a long while before ending up here, where she looked out over the Realm before slumping down to the floor holding back tears.

Shade would always say she had to get used to fighting with a real sword despite training with the wooden one. Now that they were at the military camp in Berlin, they used the time while waiting for the others to organise the operation to attack the Nazi bunker to train. And Scarlett did feel the difference between the fake sword and the real one now she was twirling it through her fingers and sparring with Shade’s black sword.

The wasteland stretched out in all directions, the grey sky looming over them ominously. Amongst the trees a pack of hounds roamed, sniffing the ground digging through the bushed of dead twigs. Above them mutated birds fluttered from ash tree to ash tree, squawking at the silence where it echoed back. The ghouls roaming the wasteland in the distance turned their heads but did not move to investigate. There was an unspoken system in play amongst the mutations. They know when t

Hanson dismissed his men to continue their patrol while escorting the High-Princess back to the capitol. They rode through the night so what happened in the Ferrias Plains would not linger in their minds.

The group was quiet when they returned to the Realm, stepping off the platform once David cast the teleportation spell. Ramous and Karen were waiting for them when they returned, stepping forward to see the downcast looks on their faces. “How did it go?” Karen asked.

The mortals followed them along the cliff before climbing down a narrow path to join up with the mages. This small band were made up of familiar faces, including Hanks, Henry and Luke. The three men looked very unimpressed with the five of them, who shuffled out of the canyon towards them caked in dirt and blood. Emma was walking slower than the others, leaning against David for support.

Space folds around them and they appear inside a cave where it’s dark and dry. Immediately, Hanson and Brunhilde step forward and summon balls of light from the tips of their wands to illuminate the jump site. “All clear” the captain declares after checking the area.

Valerius was waiting for them in the War Room when Emma arrived with Karen. “I was just about to send for you” he told his daughter in surprise. “Where have you been?”

That evening, Emma is tossing and turning in her bed. The nightlight is off. She is no longer afraid of the dark. And ever since Lector’s voice faded into the back of her mind, she hasn’t had to suffer those bad dreams that would traumatise her. The therapy her father arranged helped. Talking to him about it helped more. But that wasn’t what was keeping her up tonight.

The opaque bag was ripped off the scouts head, allowing him to see once more. He squinted his eyes at the huge lamp shining in his face blinding him. His hands were tied behind his back and he was sitting on a stool in a dark enclosed space. Three figures stood around him, their features obscured by sharp shadows from the solitary light source. The mage remained stoic as he squinted through the light.