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VOTE AND COMMENT THIS IS THE RE EDITED VERSION

Egon Wood ( E Gon )

Theresa Ashdown ( Tha Ris A )

Rayner Moonfall ( Ray Ner )

Pet: Bear ( Ar Es )

Ceridwen Vix ( Care A Dwhen )

Pet: Owl ( Snow )

Mali ( Mal E )

Mace Kane ( Mace )

Duzna ( Duz Na )

Vestomer ( Ves Tom Ear )

Adisa Rathmore ( A Dis A )

Salina Mortem ( Sa LI Na )

Lilith Calarook ( Lie Lith Cal A Rook )

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Chapter Five: Eyes Always Open

Duzna's feet made an eerie patter as he strolled across the long open throne room, approaching the king. He had his arms folded into in the opposite sleeves and his expression was blank, but his eyes told all. A tornado of annoyance and disappointment swirled inside his pupils. Reflected in his irises, the throne, where Vestomer sat, began to grow larger and larger as he neared.

Vestomer, whose view was blocked by a scroll he was reading, opened his mouth to speak, and the word tumbled into the air.

"Stop!"

Duzna ceased to move and bowed.

"My king, new information has risen. The children were in The Dark Forest..."

"Good, so the creatures that inhabit the area consumed them?" Vestomer questioned with an added laugh.

"No, my Lord." Duzna said facing the ground, he didn't dare gaze up, or the king would have his head on a platter.

"No? NO!?? Are you bloody serious? You incompetent fool!" Vestomer never joked; he meant every word he said, every toxic word. "Where are the children?!"

Duzna didn't have to glance up to notice the smirk on Vestomer's face had turn into a devilish growl.

"Sire, I have good news." Duzna said, even though Duzna had extreme power and Vestomer was not a Magic Born, something about the king struck fear into his bones.

"You'd better, slave!" Vestomer barked.

Duzna snapped his fingers and two burly guards burst through the door, into the throne room. They drug a lifeless, almost weightless, man. He was bruised all over and his eyes were swollen half shut. The guard dropped him at Duzna's feet and paced out the doors they came through.

"There was a group of bounty hunters that scout the area of The Dark Forest, where the children were said to be." Duzna informed.

"Go on..." Vestomer replied.

"All but one were found dead. This one here knows how his brethren were killed, but refuses to say," Duzna said, pointing to the man kneeling before him.

"And I'll never tell you cowards," The bounty hunter said.

Vestomer bellowed a despicably evil laugh. "Oh we're not asking. Duzna, show the peasant why I'm in charge."

"Gladly, my king." Duzna smiled a crooked little smiled and his hands burst into flames. He reached toward the man's chest and placed his white hot finger on his heart. Duzna could feel the rapid pulse of the man in fear. He pushed his fingers and the flames melted through the man's skin. An agony filled wail filled the massive room they were in.

Duzna slowly and painfully forced his fingers further.

"Please! I'll tell you everything!" The man cried.

Duzna removed his hand. "Excellent, that's exactly what we would like to hear."

"A girl, the one with the bounty on her head. My men and I found her. She was alone and when we tried to bring her in, she fought back. I barely made it out alive. That's all that happened, I swear!" The bounty hunter said, begging for his life.

"I believe you," Duzna smiled.

"You do?" the man asked.

"Why, of course." And with those words Duzna rammed his burning hand through the man's chest and extracted his heart. With the heart in hand Duzna squeezed it until his flame had fed on the larger organ, and it was incinerated.

***

Ceridwen's mouth drooled as she peacefully slept in a pile of hay in the barn. Before the morning sun had awaken from her slumber, Ceridwen's eyes beamed to life. Her irises held all the ocean's seaweed and every bit of the mountain's grass as her hands rubbed the sleep from them. She stood and yawned. She wandered over toward the open book that was placed atop a table in the corner. She cussed and Snow screeched.

"You're right, I'm sorry, my language was uncalled for." The owl glided to her forearm and Ceridwen stroked behind the bird's ear. "But if I can't find the ingredients to this potion, I'll never see my family again." Snow shrieked and Ceridwen seem to understand her pet.

"I know, I know. Mali could be wrong and mom and dad might not even be in Tenebris. They could be dead for all I know. But one thing's for sure, I'm not giving up. And if they are trapped there, I will find the recipe, create the potion and release them from that prison. Along with every Magic Born Duzna trapped the night of The Great Castle Fire."

Snow cawed affectionately and gently brushed her feathers under Ceridwen's chin.

Ceridwen lifted her arm and the owl flew to a nearby support beam. She picked up her bow and notched an arrow. Ceridwen pulled back the arrow to meet her cheek and aimed for the sack of oats, which had a black painted dot in the center.

She breathed in, held her breath, and released her grip on the bow string. It was only then, after the arrow had sliced through the air and into the bag, that Ceridwen exhaled.

"'Ata girl," She said to her bow, as if the weapon were alive.

Snow chirped sarcastically, whist preening her gorgeous white feathers.

"Just because Mali enchanted it to never miss doesn't mean I wouldn't have made it on my own!" Ceridwen argued with her bird. Snow squawked back in refusal.

"You watch, you ball of feathers!" Ceridwen barked. With that insult Snow glanced up from grooming and hissed at her owner.

Ceridwen laid her enchanted bow on the table beside her, and picked up a normal long bow off the rack of weapons. She removed another arrow from her quiver and notched it just like before.

With a pull on the bowstring and an inhale Ceridwen fired the steel tipped projectile into the target. The arrow wobbled through the wind and the sound of wood cracking could be heard. The arrow she had just fired had spit the already embedded one, in half.

Bullseye, She thought as she raced over to the target to retrieve her arrow.

"You were saying?" Ceridwen mocked her pet.

Snow leapt from her perch and dashed through the open barn down into the foggy morning.

***

The sun was just peeking over the mountains and warming the dew covered grass as Ceridwen knocked on Theresa's door.

"Ready for your first day of training? Better we start early, that way you can pick your weapon before the boys." Ceridwen said as she pushed open the wooden door and ambled into Theresa's sleeping quarters.

Theresa's eyes were bloodshot. She laid in the corner hugging her legs eyes wide open.

"Looks like you didn't get much sleep." Ceridwen said as she knelt down to help Theresa to her feet.

Theresa faked a smile. "You don't know the half of it."

Theresa followed Ceridwen into the barn.

"This is where we store food, weapons, and any other supplies. Now you have powers, but you'll also need to learn hand-to-hand combat and master a weapon skill." Ceridwen said as she pointed around the barn.

"For what?" Theresa questioned.

"Mali will explain everything, right now we need to train."

"Are we going to bathe first?" Theresa asked.

Ceridwen giggled, her cheeks reddened after she realized Theresa was serious. "We do not bathe before combat, it makes no sense."

"Well, where do I clean off when we are done? Where are we training?" Theresa pondered.

"Down in the valley. It is quiet and we can focus. Afterwards you may cleanse in the river, there is a soothing waterfall that cascades into a sparkling stream. It is just past the boy's quarters. Not hard to miss." Ceridwen informed.

"Now choose your weapon, but choose wisely. Because once you pick you cannot choose again, you will train with that weapon until you are a master." She presented the weapons behind her, which dangled from racks on the wall.

Theresa eyed them for a little while and finally choose. She placed her hands on wristbands, with holding sleeves cut into them. Tiny blades were sheathed inside, four on each band.

"Throwing knifes, eh?" Ceridwen asked as she tied the leather bands to her forearms.

"I use to throw small stones and pebbles at birds when I was a child, I killed a few." Theresa responded.

"You'll need quick reflexes and extreme accuracy." Ceridwen said as she began to saddle up the two horses, who resided in the barn. "This here is Artemis, she's my beauty." She patted a white and brown pinto. "And that old lad is Apollo, he'll be yours for the day." She combed the mane of majestic black stallion.

"He's gorgeous." Theresa exclaimed.

"They were my parents. After they...after they died, I inherited the horses." A long moment of silence passed before Ceridwen said, "Shall we be on our way, then?"

***

Egon awoke to the sound of horses galloping away. He scanned his surroundings. Mace and Rayner were already up. Rayner was packing a bag full of food. He sheathed his swords and begin to head for the door.

"Where are you going?" Egon asked as he stood and walked over toward Rayner.

"Mali is having me perform a chore, but Mace here is more than capable over training you." Rayner winked and ducked through the doorway. Egon yawned and scratched his head.

"Now, we won't be having any of that mate. During training we will be one hundred percent focused." Mace said as he strolled toward the door. "Come on you, you need to pick your weapon, eh?"

"Weapon?"

"Well what else would you bloody train with?" Mace roared. "Now let's get moving!"

Egon and Mace crossed through the swaying grass toward the barn.

"Pick a weapon you tend to train with, and make sure your mind is set. Because once yah pick, lad, Mali doesn't allow us to change," Mace said as he crossed his arms, waiting for Egon to make his decision.

"Why can't we change?" Egon questioned, he was a sixteen year-old full of questions.

"I don't make the bloody rules! Mali doesn't like us changing because once we pick, we need to train with that weapon until we have become a master."

Egon didn't respond to Mace, instead he gazed at all the blades a bow that hung from the barn wall.

"Aye, hurry up would yah!" Mace demanded.

Egon ignored him as his eyes fell on a red oak wood staff. It spiraled all the way to the top until in concaved over into a dome. Egon pick up the staff and smiled at Mace.

"Are yah sure, mate?" Mace raised his eyebrows. "No one has fought with that in years."

"Positive!" Egon said.