Chapter 8: Sanctuary of Shock

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I. Valanice

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Queen Valanice was stunned by two things. The first was the news that an attack was coming. The northern part of Kolyma had always been the safe area. Nothing evil would dare venture to the northern part, at least nothing that would make people flock to the monastery. However, the second thing that shocked her was the appearance of Scarlett, whom she remembered had been a little girl dressed with a red cape and hood. Now, while she did appear properly dressed, she also appeared dressed to attract a man's attention.

She brought her mind back to the situation at hand, and said, "You mean your own home isn't safe? The way my brother's wizard spoke, you were able to keep this all at bay." Before she could say anymore, a loud wolf's howl echoed through the area, and the sky got darker.

When the howl ended, she realized how much danger they were in. She glanced in the direction of the monastery, and started to run towards it. She knew her husband and the good witch were keeping up with her. However, as another howl filled the air, she felt like the building was farther away than it actually was.

As they ran, she heard her husband say to Scarlett, "I trust the monks there will give us sanctuary. It had been nice of them to perform our wedding ceremony years ago." Despite the situation, and the ever darkening sky, the thought of the wedding boosted her mood. She could even see the monks now, beckoning them to get in the monastery. In fact, when the building first came into view, she tried to see if she could see one of the monks there.

She was startled when she heard Scarlett's response. "The only thing left of the order that took care of that holy place is the building. All of the monks had been turned into werewolves by the same wolf that tried to kill me and my grandmother." The shock that statement caused made her slow in pace. She couldn't believe that all the monks were gone. If they were gone, then there wasn't much safety the monastery could provide.

As they neared, she noticed a small figure floating down from the sky, and at first she worried that it might be another attack, but then she noticed that it was a fairy. She then remember that the northern part of her homeland was also under a fairy's protection, but would it be enough.

As the fairy cast a spell on them, and she started to feel calm, she looked over at Scarlett, and asked the one question on her mind. "What happened to the monks? How could a werewolf even get in there?"

Scarlett answered her as they slowed down, and were almost at the monastery. "The very pack of wolves that are chasing us were the monks. The wolf that tried to kill me and my grandmother years ago when you were in the tower, Queen Valanice, attacked and turned all the monks into werewolves. Because of that, they can never enter the monastery again, but they can get very close to it."

Valanice jumped when she heard the near by foliage rustle, and one wolf burst from it, leaping through the air at them. For a brief moment, she felt like her heart would stop, and her life started to flash before her eyes, as the wolf was coming right for her. In those brief seconds, she started to wonder why she even slowed down, allowing this fowl beast a chance to get close enough to them.

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II. Graham

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King Graham started to move towards the wolf that was in mid leap, determined to protect his wife, when the creature froze in mid air. In that brief moment, Graham had remember seeing the wolf many years ago, lurking around the very cottage that was now Scarlett's. For a brief moment, knowing that the wolf had to be supernatural in nature, he was worried that the wolf would indeed take them down. However, just as suddenly as the wolf stopped in mid air, it flew backwards. As it flew, several loud whines were heard and they could hear creatures running away from them.

He then looked up at the fairy, who was floating above them, and realized that she had made sure they were protected. He also remembered that she was the same fairy that had helped protect him many years ago, when he sought out his wife. Before he could say anything to the fairy, he heard Scarlett voice her gratitude. "Thank you, my friend. I was starting to worry that you might not be seen in Kolyma anymore."

He was stunned when the fairy answered. "The dark forces are growing in strength. The old King's wicked ways had been subtle, allowing darkness to get a foothold in Kolyma. With the monks gone, it may only be a matter of time before Kolyma is an entirely evil place. I fear that Hagatha had been waiting for another good victim to sacrifice and heighten her power to unheard levels."

Graham looked over at his wife, who had become pale. For such a long time, they both viewed the tower as only a prison. Now they were more aware of the tower's true purpose, and just how important it was to rescue his niece, Princess Yvette. They continued in silence, until they reached the door to the monastery.

After they had opened the door, he looked at the fairy. "I know you had helped me years ago, would you still be able to offer us some help now?"

He was saddened when the fairy shook her head. "Alas, I cannot. My powers lose their strength the farther they get from this building. You may not be aware of it, but part of the stones in this monastery were from the Kingdom of Eldritch, Land of the Fairies. The monks were thankful for the protection it gave the building, but they have been losing their power over the years." Now Graham realized why the fairy might not be able to offer any more protection. It had seemed that the evil that Hagatha was part of was almost in total control of Kolyma, or on the verge of wiping the good country out.

Before they entered the safety of the monastery, another thought crossed his mind. "Tell me, good fairy, do you know King Oberon and Queen Titania." When the fairy nodded, Graham was sure the idea that just crossed his mind would work. "Then could you go there, and speak with my daughter, Rosella. She and their son, Edgar, will be wed in the near future, and I feel that they may be able to aid in our quest. Can you deliver a message?" When the fairy nodded, he told her the message, and watched as she flew off. Then they all entered the sacred building.

Once inside, they closed the door and a sense of security filled them. They had managed to get to safety, and could now plan out how they could rescue the captured Princess. Then, King Graham remembered that the mystical door that led to the tower could be seen from the monastery. He looked over at Scarlett, and said, "If I remember right, one should be able to see the location of that mystical door from here. Is there a way to get to the bell tower?"

He watched as she nodded, and then led the way to the bell tower. As they all ascended, he heard his wife make a statement. "I think I know what you are thinking. Kolyma might still be under the same curse that Daventry had been under. For years, one could head north only to end up in the southern part of land. We could leave here and cross the old bridge to reach the door."

He was glad his wife could see what he was thinking. It would be the quickest way to rescue their niece, and hopefully they would be able to have some protection as they rush to the door. The only big thing he was worried about was the rickety old bridge that led to the area. However, when they got to the bell tower and looked out, the door was gone from where it had been.

He only looked on in disbelief, until a glittering trail appeared. He looked on, and saw how the trail led from where the door was, and headed northwest of the location. While it was difficult to see details, due to a darkness that surrounded the area, he heard Scarlett announce the location of the door. "I fear that your plan has hit a snag. It appears Hagatha has already had the door moved, and it is now in the same place the last key was hidden in." Graham swallowed, knowing that the door was now located in the castle in the middle of the poisoned lake. They would need a new plan to reach it.

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III. Hagatha

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Hagatha was upset when she saw the fairy interfere with her plans. She had hoped that the wolves would be able to take care of both the good witch and the Royal Family of Daventry. She was sure that Shadrack would have enjoyed learning that the Royal Family had been turned into loyal werewolves.

However, since the fairy had ruined that, she had other things in mind. Unlike her younger sister, Hagatha always had other plans set up. It was what had allowed her to advance so far in the Black Cloak Society. She had never suffered a major set back, like being turned into a toad.

She sighed and then fished what was left of her last victim out of her cauldron. She would need a snack for the hike to the lake. If things went as planned, both King Graham and Queen Valanice would make their way to the castle on the lake. It would be there she, and her best minions would be waiting.

As she left the cave and headed on her way there, she was not surprised to see both the thieving dwarf, and the sorcerer walking over to her cave. Like all the evils in Kolyma, they answered to her, but they were allowed to do what they wanted. She continued to walk when they approached, and the dwarf said in a gruff voice, "Is this darkness your doing?"

She nodded, and continued toward the lake shore. As she walked, the sorcerer then spoke in a voice that didn't hide the fact that he resented her standing in the Black Cloak Society. "I take it this has something to do with the recent disappearance of Princess Yvette."

She nodded again, noticing the ferryman waiting at the lake shore. "It has everything to do with it. Soon, this country will be one of those lands fully belonging to the Society. And since the current King isn't as evil as his father, it means we get what we can from this Kingdom, before taking it out of the world entirely." She knew that was what Dahlia had been doing with Daventry, before her demise.

Just as she was to step onto the boat, the dwarf spoke again. "I've heard the King and Queen of Daventry are here. Should we relieve them of their valuables?" She shook her head, and noticed that both looked disappointed, but would obey her wishes. Most of evil beings in Kolyma obeyed her without question. Those that didn't ended up in her stew pot.

As the hooded entity started to take the boat to the island, she looked at them. "I want to be sure they arrive on the island. I want them to get so close to victory, that their defeat and transformation into my servants will be delicious." She watched them both nod, and she rode the boat to the other side.

Once on the other side, she walked through the deadly brambles, but as she did so, she killed the poison in all the brambles. She didn't want anything to stop the King and Queen of Daventry from their demise. Once they were in the castle, she would restore the brambles.

Once inside, she walked over to the dining hall, to see both the head vampire and the Alpha werewolf at the table. Both had appeared to be patiently waiting for her, but she could see some worry in the werewolf's eyes. She knew the werewolf was worried, due to his failure to catch his targets.

Before the creature could say anything, she held up her hand. "There is no need to explain. I know the fairy had interfered. Be thankful the blast didn't put you in the lake. Your pack would have been running wild, and I can't waste time corralling them. It took power to get everything done, which means we can no longer have any slip ups."

She then looked at the vampire, who sat there radiating dignity. That was not unusual, but she could tell he was proud. She glanced at him, and instantly the evil creature knew what she wanted to know. "Moving the door was successful. Plus, I was able to make sure all the keys are here, in my casket."

Hagatha smiled when she heard that. It meant that no matter what, the Royal Family of Daventry would come to her. She then waved her arms, and her cauldron appeared in the dining room. "Very good. Now I shall contact Shadrack. If we can, I shall have my sister help us in capturing the Royal Family of Kolyma. Then this land shall be a land of the Black Cloak Society." Her cackled then filled the building, and she started to wave hands around the cauldron, which started to fill with her noxious stew. Soon she would see Shadrack, and relay her imminent success.

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IV. Shadrack

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Shadrack was thankful for the time of silence at Castle Daventry. With King Graham and Queen Valanice in Kolyma, and King Alexander keeping an eye on Daventry, Shadrack could drop his disguise for a bit, and teleport himself to Manannan's lair, or what was left of it.

When they had arrived in it, it was obvious that the lair had been vacant for years. At least vacant of human inhabitants, as he saw what had have been children of the giant spider that had been guarding the oracle's cave. He quickly placed up a sound barrier to make sure he remained undisturbed, and then incinerated the spiders.

Once they were gone, he waved his hands again, and the place started to clean itself up. The shelves righted themselves, and the jars reassembled. Obviously, after Alexander had been done in the lair, the boy had trashed the place so no one could use it again. The truth was that only a wizard of Shadrack's power could fully restore the lab.

While everything was reassembling, and his spell also made the ingredients start to come from all over Llwedor, Shadrack pulled out the tome that held the spell he needed. He knew it would take time for the spell to brew, and he wanted to get this part started so phase three of his master plan could start quickly after the completion of phase two.

However, before he could continue reading any farther, and the ingredients started to fill their repaired jars, he saw the image of Hagatha's head appear in the air above the restored table. "Hail, Brother Shadrack. I bring good news of our plans in Kolyma."

He paused for a moment, knowing he had to act like what ever the news might would be good. The truth was that good news for his plan would not really be the same as her plans. "What good news do you have, Hagatha?"

He inwardly winced when Hagatha announced her news. "Kolyma is shrouded in darkness, except for the old monastery and the castle area. Only my minions, and others who I allow to dwell here benefit by it. Almost every good thing is out of Kolyma. I would like to include the end of the Royal Family of Daventry, but they eluded my werewolves."

Shadrack frowned, but on the inside he was happy. His plan called for the Royal Family to succeed, only to be defeated by him alone at the end. However, he had to play his part. "It is unfortunate, but I'm sure we shall destroy them soon. Besides, they can't rescue the captured Princess. I figure you have moved the only way to that part to the castle on the poisoned lake." She nodded, and he knew that once the tower did it's task, Kolyma would be engulf by Hagatha's dark magic. Kolyma would make a nice addition in the lands controlled by the Black Cloak Society.

Once she continued, he let a scowl cross his face. "I plan to contact my sister, and she should get here way before Graham and Valanice reach the lake. I will have her either land her hut on them once they reach the island, or dump them in the lake, or at least one of them." He didn't like this idea she had come up with.

He quickly shook his head. "No, Hagatha. Bringing her back to Kolyma will be a mistake. It is more important to make sure King Graham and Queen Valanice are captured, and after what had happened earlier, I'm sure your minions want to give a personal touch."

He watched as a hideous grin crossed her face. "Indeed. I'm not sure which one of them should enjoy the feast first. I will follow your wishes, Brother, and here is to the end of Kolyma." She then disappeared from sight, and Shadrack continued his preparations. He knew he had to at least prepare things now, since he was sure something would happen with in the next few hours.

He quickly moved around the room, gathering the key ingredients and moving their jars to the table. He smiled when he noticed that the only thing missing was Manannan, but he would get him soon enough. Now, he had to return to Daventry, or else someone might suspect him not being a historian. Even worse, his identity would be discovered to be Shadrack. He then disappeared from the lair, to appear back in Castle Daventry, in his guise of Cale Silver. He smiled as he opened the door, deep down, knowing phase three would soon begin.

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V. Rosella

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Princess Rosella looked out from the balcony of the guest room in Eldritch Castle. No matter how often she looked at the view, it still struck her with awe. From the balcony, she could see almost everywhere, from the lands of Falderal and Ooga Booga Land, to the far off Green Isles where her brother ruled.

As she looked out, she heard someone come up behind her, but she knew who it was. It was Prince Edgar, the man she was to wed. He walked up behind her, and slowly rubbed her back, which she had started to enjoy lately. It also helped relax her from all the wedding plans.

Recently, they had been figuring out seating arrangements at the reception. There were so many people they wanted to invite, in part the good citizens of Ooga Booga Land, and Falderal. They also knew that they needed to invite her family, but she wasn't sure how to seat everyone. She had even thought about inviting Genesta, the fairy who protected Tamir, and who helped her find the magic fruit that saved her father's life.

She was interrupted from all her thoughts when she noticed a lone figure floating towards them. The figure was one she had never seen before, but something about Edgar's stance told her that he recognized it. As it neared, she could tell it was a fairy, but nothing else was familiar.

When it was close enough, she noticed the fairy was almost as big as a child, but appeared to be around her age, which might not be the case for fairies. She then heard Edgar speak to the fairy. "How fare things in Kolyma? I hope things have started to change for the better." Hearing the name of her mother's home, Rosella realized who the fairy was.

She was stunned when the fairy shook her head. "Alas, things have gotten much worse, especially in the last month. With the kidnapping of Princess Yvette, and the loss of all the monks in the monastery, things have gotten worse. Right now, the whole country is almost shrouded in darkness. It is a very dark day, and may permanently turn dark if the tower is used for it's true purpose."

This started to worry Rosella. She was aware that her uncle was the King of Kolyma, but she hadn't known that her cousin had been abducted. However it had been a while since she heard from her family in Daventry as well. She then turned her attention to the fairy. "My mother had been trapped in that tower. How dangerous is it?"

She went pale when the fairy answered. "It was constructed as part of a dark spell. A victim is placed in the top most room, and when the stars are aligned properly, the powers sap the life out of the victim, as well as the magical potential, and it is said that the Royal Family of Kolyma is full of that potential. In fact, both your mother and cousin are so full of the potential that if Hagatha succeeds, the land of Kolyma is doomed."

She turned to face Edgar, and said, "I need to inform my parents. They need to be aware of what is going on, and to help rescue my cousin." She saw Edgar nod in agreement, and they started to head for the door.

She stopped when the fairy spoke again. "Your parents are there already, Princess Rosella. They are trying to get to the mystical door that leads to the tower, however it has moved since they got to Kolyma. I don't know if they will get there in time." Worry filled her after hearing that. Something about the way the fairy spoke made her think that her parents were in mortal danger. She wasn't sure what to do now, if she should still head to Daventry, or head to Kolyma.

Hope started to fill her when she heard Edgar say, "I have an idea, since time is of the essences, we can use Sirocco to fly down to Daventry, and then to Kolyma. If both your parents are in Kolyma, maybe your brother is in Daventry." Rosella nodded, and realized he was right.

She started to run to the door, and turned to the fairy. "Thank you for telling me. If my father asked you to relay this information, I'll tell him you did." The fairy nodded, even though she had never mentioned it, but it didn't have to be said. She then ran out the door, followed by Edgar. She then hoped their search for Sirocco would not take long.

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Authors Notes:

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I hope you are enjoying this King's Quest based fic. I'm sure you might be wondering about some of the names, and with the exception of Cale Silver, Brutus, Anne, Geoffrey, Sir Robert, Princess Yvette, David, and King Drake are all are from established King's Quest background. I'll give some basics about the names mentioned in the fic, just to help bring you up to speed.

Graham - King of Daventry. Main character of King's Quest 1, King's Quest 2 and King's Quest 5.

Valanice - Queen of Daventry. Originally from the land of Kolyma. First featured in King's Quest 2. Main character in King's Quest 7.

Alexander - Son of Graham, now King of The Land Of Green Isles. Main character of King's Quest 3 and King's Quest 6.

Rosella - Daughter of Graham and Valanice. Twin sister to Alexander. Main character in King's Quest 4 and King's Quest 7. At end of King's Quest 7, she was courting Edgar of Eldritch.

Crispin - Wizard who helped Graham in King's Quest 5. I know I've misspelled it a few times in this story. As well as Derek's name.

Cedric - Owl familiar of Crispin. Featured in King's Quest 5.

Arch Duke Fifi The Yip-Yap. Ruler of Falderal. Featured in King's Quest 7.

Connor - Hero of King's Quest 8. At the end of the game, he was known as Chapion Eternal.

Sarah - Citizen of Daventry, and girlfriend of Connor. Was turned to stone in King's Quest 8. Released from spell when Connor restored the Mask of Eternity

Edgar - Prince of Eldritch, featured in King's Quest 4 and King's Quest 7. Courting Rosella.

Dahlia - Witch featured in King's Quest 1. In the game, she remained unnamed. This name is from the King's Quest Companion.

Hagatha - Witch featured in King's Quest 2. It is she who was behind Valanice's imprisonment in King's Quest 2. My current choice to make her an ogress is based on her appearance in King's Quest 2, and her nature for cannibalism.

Manannan - Evil Wizard from King's Quest 3. He was changed into a cat during King's Quest 3. He returned in King's Quest 5 in his cat form.

Lolotte - Evil Fairy from King's Quest 4. She was destroyed by Cupid's arrow by Rosella, freeing Edgar from the curse she held him with.

Mordack - Evil Wizrad from King's Quest 5. Brother of Manannan.

Shadrack - Only mentioned in King's Quest 6. A running theory is that he is in charge of the Black Cloak Society.

Abdul Alhazred - The main villian of King's Quest 6. He is currently a prisoner in the land he tried to take over.

Malicia - Main villianess of King's Quest 7. At the end of the game, she was turned back into a baby.

Lucreto - Villian from King's Quest 8 (Mask of Eternity). At the end of King's Quest 8, he was imprisoned in a void.

Shamir Shamazel - The djinn who was forced to serve Abdul in King's Quest 6. In the best ending of King's Quest 6, he serves Alexander.

Saladin - Captain of the guards in King's Quest 6.

Genesta - Good fairy that Rosella helps in King's Quest 4.