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A/N: This chapter is an honorable mention in lowfantasy 's True Magic contest.
A big thanks to lowfantasy  for such an award.

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I did not know how I got here. One moment, I was striding across the kitchen with a batch of freshly baked cookies on a tray. The next moment, I was falling through a hole in the floor. A hole that wasn't there before.

It was deep and dark and the descent was chilly. My shoulder-length blonde hair flapped to the howling currents as I shrieked in fear and shut my eyes tight. Then suddenly, everything stopped.

I opened my eyes to a surrounding that resembled a castle's interior. White pillars spaced around the wide red-carpeted room and at the far end of the walls were stone knight statues poised with lances and shields. They stood directly in front of red tapestries which draped from the ceiling inscribed with the bold black insignia of a Knight's helmet.

I was roughly at the center of the room, sitting on the red carpet with my legs stretched out. My blue dress seemed to contrast the carpet's color. But of course, the contrast was the least of my concern.

I screamed out of confusion and closed my eyes again; hoping to wake up from this nightmare when I reopened them. When I did however, nothing changed except what looked like a dark purplish portal that appeared at one end of the room out of thin air.

Fear jolted into me as I scrambled to my feet. Spinning on my heels, I could find no stairs or doors.

The room is sealed. So how did I get here?

I looked at the whirling portal again. Could it have been...? No, there's no such thing as magic in real life.

I ran my hands through my hair.

I must be going crazy. Hallucinating. Or I'm in a really deep dream.

Suddenly a figure came through the portal and I reflexively took a few steps back.

He was slim and quite tall and had a thick book floating beside him. Like his hands, the book had a dark purplish glow. He wore a dark purple cloak with strange symbols etched all over and though the hood was down, his facial features were concealed behind a thick grey mask. It looked like one of those theatrical comedy-tragedy masks. Only that there was no mouth and the eye space had lines like a Knight's visor.

"Wake up Amber!" I knocked myself hard on the head. "Wake up!"

Nothing seemed to be changing. The creepy man was still there and a deep slow laugh began to emanate from his mask. "Oh, foolish child. You are brimming with so much magic potential and yet you doubt its entire existence."

"Stay away from me." I quivered in fear. "Someone make this stop!"

"Focus on me child, and I will open your eyes."

I summoned up the courage. "Who are you?"

He lifted his hands as dark purplish fumes oozed out of them. "I am Esquire! Lord of the dark Knights."

My eyes followed the fumes as I continued to vent my curiosity. "Were you the one that brought me here? What do you want with me?"

I saw the fumes entering in and out of each stone knight. This can't be good.

"By the order of my Master, I summoned thee. And by his command, thou shall be executed!"

I watched in horror as stones slowly turned to steel and as a purplish aura enveloped the knights. One by one, they began to advance toward me. Then suddenly, in unison, they all stopped.

Esquire clasped his hands together, interlocking the arms of his cloak. "I have too much rank to waste energy on a pathetic opponent such as thyself. But try not to feel any less grateful as you die at the hands of one of my dark knights."

"Grateful?!" Anger blended with the fear inside me. One thing I couldn't stand was cockiness. Kennedy made sure of that every day in school. I thought he was the cockiest being in the world but this psycho just took it to another level. Suddenly, the whispers came back. Those voices in my head I had been trying so long to get rid of. They came back louder than ever making me double down to the ground.

Esquire seemed to mistake my action. "You bow for your execution? How glorious. For that, I'll make sure it is swift and painless."

I heard the metallic footsteps of a knight advancing toward me. But I couldn't think straight with the noise in my head. What are these damn voices saying?!

Immediately I thought that, the voices seemed to become clear and unified. 'stretch forth your hand and cleanse. Stretch forth your hand and cleanse.'

I looked up and saw the knight with his lance raised to smite me. Instinctively, I thrust my hand towards him and my palm glowed white. The warm glow enveloped me and the Knight.

As my hand went back to normal, I could see—standing in front of me—a pure white knight with a golden glow emanating from him. To my utmost surprise, he offered me a hand.

"Impossible!" Esquire bellowed.

I turned towards him, feeling strangely happy. "Better believe there's more where that came from."

He growled. "Your insolence, child, is highly unforgivable. I revoke my mercy, you shall die by a thousand stabs. Get her!"

The other knights pointed their lances at me and began to advance. Not only had the voices in my head stopped, but dizziness had also suddenly come over me. I didn't think I could 'cleanse' another knight since I had lost so much energy.

My white knight stood in front of me with his shield raised. Chivalrous as that was, I doubted he could withstand the wrath of his brothers. Life officially sucked.

As I took a step back, I saw a white portal burst open beside me and to my surprise, I heard Kennedy's voice from beyond. "Quick, get in!"

Yep, I'm nuts. I jumped inside it.