Hello! Here's the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy! Things are getting a little cray, so just be prepared. Also, the chapters are getting a little longer, but I hope you guys are all ok with that haha. I try to keep them under a certain length so they're easier to read in one sitting. Thank you to my lovely betas, as always :).

And to Starkvb: Thank you! Yes, we will see Roland and Miranda again soon. I really like writing for them so I'm glad you enjoy them as well :).

See you all next week!

Enjoy!

Chapter 25: Insight

An hour had passed by and the fog was getting thicker by the minute, rendering the noontime sun invisible. Miranda had devised a plan with Birk, Lt. Daniel, and Sgt. Benjamin to create a big enough distraction while a small squad infiltrated the castle, accompanied by Miranda, Roland, and Birk. Sgt. Benjamin sent his scouts to relay the information to the other Sections and decide on an exact time to strike. With all the fog, it would be impossible to see any kind of sign in the sky, so they synced their watches in order to depart accordingly.

"Get ready, Lieutenant. It's almost time," Miranda commanded, mounting her winged horse.

"Yes ma'am," Lt. Daniel replied. The tall man then turned around and addressed his troops. "Attention! Departure is in five minutes; report to your positions!"

Immediately, the soldiers mounted their horses and assembled into takeoff formation, while Miranda joined a group of four men standing with her husband and Birk. Roland looked at his wife and gave a reassuring nod. She nodded back at him and offered a small smile before looking up at the tall cliff. "We're coming, Sofia."

Lt. Daniel and Sgt. Benjamin sat atop their horses in front of their troops. The Sergeant took out his pocket watch and glanced at the time before nodding to the Lieutenant.

"Time to move out!" shouted Lt. Daniel. The men wasted no time in taking off. The larger team launched off the ground first in order to set up the distraction.

Amber was with her brother and Cedric as they watched the soldiers take off. "Come now, Your Young Majesties," said Cedric, waving his hand in the direction of the dense forest. The twins followed the man until they were well outside the village. Cedric stuck his hand out and turned around to face them. "All right. Put your hands on top of mine," he commanded.

The twins obeyed immediately. In Amber's negotiation with the wizard, the pair had agreed that they would follow his instructions quickly and quietly until they were out of the castle with Sofia in hand—assuming everything went according to plan. It was safe to say that the group was cautiously optimistic. Cedric did not know for sure the extent of Vasilia's power, but if she was busy with the teams of men on pegasi, there was a chance they could slip past any security alert spell or guards without being detected.

With the twins' hands on top of his own, Cedric used his free hand to lift his wand. "Teletransporto," he spoke firmly.

Amber felt her stomach lurch as her body seemed to lag behind her; it felt like she was being stretched from her head to her toes as everything swirled around her, sucking the world away from her vision. Her chest tightened as she struggled to breathe, like she was being twisted through the eye of a needle. Almost as suddenly as the nauseating feeling started, it ceased. Suddenly the group was just outside the castle wall. Amber stumbled as she fought to keep the contents of her stomach inside.

James stumbled slightly too, but had a look of pure exhilaration on his face. "That was brilliant!" exclaimed the boy, panting as if he'd just won a foot race.

Amber put her hands on her knees and glared up at her brother. "How are we—even related?" she wheezed.

"Take deep breaths, Princess. It will help with the nausea." Cedric glanced down at the girl before waving his wand over his head. "Aveco Infanicula."

Cedric held his hands in front of him and three folded pieces of ornate fabric dropped into his arms. "Here, take one of these." The wizard extended his arms to the siblings as they eyed the glittering fabric.

James took the one on top and it easily fell open, revealing a beautiful, hooded robe. The shimmering fabric was a deep crimson with flecks of gold interwoven into the fabric. "What are these, Cedric?" the prince asked, holding up the cloak to his shoulders.

"It's what I call a stealth cloak, Prince James," Cedric explained.

Amber reached for the second cloak and let the fabric cascade down to her feet, like a rippling waterfall. It was a pale aqua color with delicate turquoise swirls adorning the hems and cuffs of the garment. Amber marveled at the simple yet elegant design and caressed the feather-weight fabric between her fingers. "They're beautiful!" the princess breathed.

"Thank you, Princess Amber. I fashioned them myself," Cedric smiled broadly as he pulled on the last cloak, which was rich, royal purple in color and embroidered with, what appeared to be, golden hydrangea flowers.

"Y-you designed these gorgeous robes?!" Amber stuttered in amazement.

The sorcerer blushed slightly, touched by the persnickety princess's genuine appreciation for his work. "Yes."

Amber giggled with glee as she slipped into the nearly weightless garment. "I never imagined you had such an eye for design, Cedric! Oh, you must show me how you made such intricate designs in such fine fabric! I always find it difficult to work with such small thread, but it looks like you have no trouble at all!"

Cedric couldn't help but swell with pride as the girl twirled around, relishing in the cloak's beauty. "Perhaps I will show you one day, Princess. Magical weaving does take a certain amount of skill with needle and thread; I imagine, with some practice, you would be quite good at it yourself."

Amber stopped spinning and gazed up at him, her eyes shining with excitement. "Oh, you will?"

The wizard chuckled and gave a nod. "Why not?"

She squealed in delight, clenching her dainty fists near her chest. "Oh, thank you, Cedric!"

A crooked smile tugged at James's lip as he shook his head affectionately. "I guess I can't blame her for being excited. These robes do look pretty neat!"

Cedric nodded in gratitude at the boy. "I'm glad you think so, Prince James. But the real magic happens when you put on the hood," the sorcerer smirked. He tossed the hood over his head and instantly disappeared into thin air.

"Whoa!" James exclaimed.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Put on your hoods!" Cedric urged, his smile widening as he saw the look of pure amazement on both of the twins' faces.

Amber and James exchanged excited glances before covering their heads with the large hoods. Instantly, it looked as if they were looking through a thin, white veil.

"Wait, but how are we supposed to know where to go if we're all invisible?" asked Amber.

"Worry not, I took that predicament into account. In a few seconds we'll be able to see each other." Cedric smiled, though neither of the twins could see it.

The wizard was, indeed, correct. After a few seconds, the three slowly started to appear; only from underneath the clandestine fabric, they looked more like transparent visions of themselves.

"So we are invisible to others, but we can see each other?" James inquired.

"Well, yes, of course. How else would you be able to pull off stealth missions together?" Cedric asked, waving a hand. "Now keep it down. We must find Sofia."

The group snuck through the castle gates and through the outer garden. They didn't see any guards, but they didn't want to chance opening any doors and attracting attention to themselves. Cedric led the twins by the side of the castle where they found an open window that was just barely wide enough for Cedric to fit through. It was fairly easy for Amber and James to jump up on the windowsill and hop inside the castle. Cedric glanced from side to side before reaching a foot up to step up on the window, then climbed through the narrow window and tried not to land too heavily on the shiny, marble floors.

"Okay, how are we supposed to find Sofia now?" James whispered.

Cedric held a finger up to his lips and pulled out his wand as the end lit up in a faint turquoise and pulsated slowly. The man stuck his wand out in front of him and rotated around until the wand's glow brightened slightly. Cedric extinguished the light from his wand and then pointed to his shoes.

Amber cocked her head to one side and raised a questioning eyebrow. Cedric then lifted his foot and removed his shoe, revealing a black sock. Amber and James nodded and followed suit, taking off their own shoes so that their thick socks hardly made a sound on the tile floor. The trio plodded along carefully, checking around every corner, with Cedric occasionally taking out his wand and pointing them in the right direction.

After a few minutes, they peered around the corner and saw a woman of strange, spectral beauty walking in their direction. She was about 15 meters away from them in the long corrigor, so Cedric felt no need to retreat just yet. Her dark purple dress seemed to billow as her feet padded almost silently on the floor. Her dark, chestnut brown hair was done up in a crowning braid, which drew attention to her frighteningly elegant features. The woman stepped lithely into a room with a large, white door. Cedric lit his wand, pointing it in the direction the woman came from and the wand's glow flashed brightly, causing the trio to squint. Cedric extinguished his wand and nodded his head toward the woman.

"Cedric, what exactly does that spell you just used do?" Amber asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The wizard said nothing, and instead illuminated his wand so that when he waved it, it left behind a string of soft, blue light. Waving his wand in the air, bright blue letters appeared just long enough for Amber and James to make out the word, "magicometer." Cedric then slapped a finger to his lips rather emphatically and motioned for the twins to follow. They walked along closely to the wall, careful to stay as quiet as possible. When they got near to the door of the room, it was open slightly and a silvery, feminine voice was coming from inside. Cedric motioned for the twins to go on the opposite side of the door so that all three of them could peek through the opening between the doors and see what was going on.

F rom what they could see, the room was lined with dense, shimmering gold curtains that had tiny red ribbons streaking through the fabric like the lines on a piece of polished wood. The woman stood in front of a golden bowl with her back facing them. The bowl was on top of a stand, and the woman was holding on to the sides with both of her slender hands. She took in a big breath and brought her head close to the bowl. If Cedric wasn't mistaken, she had submerged her head in whatever was inside it.

Cedric furrowed his brow, wondering what the bowl could be containing. There was a number of things that he could think of off the top of his head that it could be, but he'd have to see what happened to the woman. She soon lifted up her head and inhaled deeply then breathed out a dramatic moan of a sigh. "Much better."

A gust of wind poured out from the small opening and a deep, rumbling voice that shook each one of them to their core resonated from inside the room. "Privet, milady. The former hostages are making their way out of the castle. I told them the way to the Northern Gate."

"Thank you, dear Zeleny," she murmured, looking down at the bowl. None of the three spies were able to see who, or what, had spoken to the woman, but Amber recognized the voice from the night Sofia was taken.

The woman then glanced up at her familiar, still facing away from them. "Zeleny, have I ever told you what I keep in this basin?" she asked, running her lithe finger along the edge.

"No, I do not believe you have," Came the cikavac's deep reply.

The witch skulked around the saucer, keeping her gaze on whatever was inside until she faced the entryway of the door. "These are my memories. My deeds that have led me on this path to immortality. What humans call atrocities, I call necessities." Vasilia dipped her hand into the bowl and lifted it. Ethereal strands of glowing gold streamed off of her hand and back into the basin. Amber thought she heard a faint scream from far away, as the image of a woman cowering in fear flashed in her mind.

"These images serve a much better purpose outside of my mind. In addition to keeping my weak human nature at bay, they… how would you say? Recharge me. Remind me of all that I have done to achieve what I have been seeking all these years without hindering my capabilities." Vasilia rubbed her fingers together as she gazed down at the large bowl. "Soon, Zeleny, the things that make me weak will not matter. When I attain my immortality and exact my revenge, everything that keeps me tethered to this life will be inconsequential." Amber thought she saw the faintest shadow of sorrow flash across the sorceress's face, but it was quickly negated by a wicked look in her eye as she caressed the sides of the bowl again. "Yes, with my divinity so close at hand, everything that makes me weak will hold no significance and I will finally take my proper place." A crooked, sharp-toothed smile crept onto Vasilia's face, turning her ethereal, ghostly beauty into that of a crazed demon. "And now that I have the what I need, everything is going according to plan." A deep haunting chuckle emanated from her throat as the three watched and listened in horror.

Vasilia calmed her laughter and smirked devilishly. "That little Princess was not quite the worthy opponent I thought her to be. But I will keep her in the dungeon as insurance until my ascension is complete. The time is nearing when I will exact my revenge and I will not let some pesky little child stand in my way." The witch stepped around the bowl and started walking slowly to the doorway where the three spies were hidden.

Cedric motioned to Amber and James to continue down the hallway. James immediately followed the wizard, but Amber had trouble tearing her eyes away from the expression on the witch's face. There was something she recognized in it, even if it was for the briefest moment.

The woman stopped a good distance away from the door and turned her attention to her avian familiar. "Zeleny, do me a favor and tell Vlad to prepare my battle robe? I want to look my best for when our fated guest arrives."

"Amber!" James's impatient whisper brought her out of her trance.

Amber tore herself away from the door as the sorceress continued walking towards her, and hurried to catch up with the other two. The three of them ran down the long hall and turned a corner, trying not to breathe too loudly.

"Cedric, the hostages she mentioned. If we can find them maybe they'll know how to get to Sofia?" Amber said as she quickly caught her breath.

Cedric just gave a nod as his breathing returned to a normal rate.

"Only one problem: how are we going to find them?" inquired James. He was considerably less winded than the other two, so he had little trouble speaking.

"That bird said something about the Northern gate. We head in that direction, and I'm sure we'll find them," Amber replied. Cedric just nodded and pointed to the princess in agreement, not seeing a need to speak.

"How do you know it was a bird?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.

Amber rolled her eyes. "I recognized its voice; it was the one who took Sofia. But do you really think this is the time to argue about that?"

James furrowed his brow, slightly annoyed by his sister's tone. "Okay, fine. Which way do we go then?" he spat.

"Cedric?" Amber turned her attention to the sorcerer.

Cedric pulled out his wand and laid it on his palm. The tip lit up a dark gold and rotated a few times before steadying in one direction. The wizard motioned in the direction the wand was pointing and then put it away in his robe.

The trio walked down the mass of halls, Cedric periodically taking out his wand to check their location. After a few minutes of what seemed like guess work, they rounded a corner and saw a woman with light brown hair sticking out of a dirty, light blue bandana wearing tattered clothes. She was carrying an infant and there was another child holding her hand. Amber didn't even have to think about it; she broke rank and quickly started walking toward them.

"Amber! What are you doing?" James scolded, sticking his arm out to stop her.

"That must be Sofia's family! They have got to know where she is!" Amber retorted before turning away from her brother again and pushing past him easily, jogging up to the other group. Cedric smacked his hand against his forehead and scraped his hand down his face.

"Excuse me!" the princess called.

The woman and young girl perked their heads up and glanced around. "Who's there?" asked the woman, searching for the source of the voice.

"I'm sorry, I'm right here." Amber pulled the hood from her head so that she suddenly became visible to the group in front of her.

Cedric peered through his fingers, letting out an aggravated sigh and then looked down his long nose at James as if to ask, 'Are you going to charge out there carelessly as well?' James looked from Cedric to his sister, somewhat conflicted. He clenched his fists, taking a hesitant step towards his sister, but then regarded Cedric and stayed back with the man.

The woman jumped back in surprise and let out a small gasp, startled by the sudden appearance of the stranger, while the younger girl automatically hid behind the woman's leg. "Who are you?" asked the woman, clutching the infant closer to her chest.

"Don't worry, I'm a friend. You're the family of Birk Balthazar, correct?" Amber questioned, lifting her hand in an attempt to ease the woman's concern.

"How do you know my husband?" the woman asked slowly, cocking her head to one side and gazing at Amber with a question behind her eyes. "Have we met before?"

Amber furrowed her brow thoughtfully and shook her head. "No, we haven't."

"Oh. I'm sorry, it's just, I feel like I've had this conversation before." The woman breathed a sigh and shook her head. "I'm sorry. You were about to say how you know my husband."

"Sofia is my sister and I'm looking for her. She's just a little shorter than I am, has brown hair, and was wearing a purple coat and a light blue nightgown. Have you seen her?" Amber asked hopefully.

The small child came out from behind her mother's leg piped up. "She's in the dungeon. She gave up her Amulet so we could go free," the younger girl said quietly, looking down at the floor with guilt written on her face.

"She… Of course she did." Amber sighed and shook her head slowly with a sad smile. "Well, at least you've seen her. How do I get there?"

The little girl pointed in the direction from where they came. The woman looked down at her daughter and then adjusted the infant on her hip. "It's down that way a ways. Turn down the hallway that's across from the large painting of Tsar Nicolai. At the end of the hall there is a red door, and inside that room there is a closet where you will find a wooden door that leads down to the dungeon. That is there you will find your sister."

Amber glanced behind her in the way the woman directed her before turning back to her. "Thank you. My name is Amber," she said, extending her hand to the woman.

"Anya. And this is Anastassia and Ian," the woman replied, taking Amber's hand and offering a smile.

"Thank you, again. When you get out of the castle, you should go to the village to the North. I'm sure one of our medics will be there to help you."

"Your medics?" Anya asked raising her eyebrows in surprise.

Amber nodded and opened her mouth to answer but suddenly found herself unable to speak; her mouth hung open awkwardly as she tried to muster words.

"Amber, are you alright?" Anya took a step closer to her as concern washed over her face.

Amber tried again in vain to speak, but it felt like her tongue was stuck in her throat and she couldn't get words to form in her mouth. She felt someone come up behind her and touch her shoulder.

"Amber, come on!" James whispered in her ear, grabbing her wrist and pulling her away from the family. She reluctantly tore her gaze away from the woman and two children and waved at them, donning her hood once more, and then followed her brother and Cedric down the hall.

—

In the steadily thickening fog, the soldiers could hardly see the massive castle on the ground, and it was near impossible to see the other Sections flying up from their positions. However, each Section had agreed to the plan and Lt. Daniel had no doubts that his soldiers would be there when he needed them. He raised his right fist high above his head, then hovered his left just above his head; he then brought his open right palm halfway down to his left and then made a circular motion with his right index finger.

The troop descended on the castle, but continued to circle around its perimeter a few meters above its high walls. It was only a second later when they saw other grey blobs mimicking their actions, as the whole platoon encircled the castle.

Vasilia stood in her chamber as she was just finishing donning her battle attire. A sleek, black top with a circular neckline clung tightly to her body and rested just above her clavicle. The straps were just large enough to cover the tops of her slender shoulders, with a small tip that jutted out slightly giving the top a sharper look. Vlad picked up a metal fabric that looked similar to chain mail but was virtually weightless, and held it up for Vasilia to put on. The fabric clung to her arms easily as she slipped her long, slender arms into the garment. The metal rested over her shoulders and formed to her body easily, stopping halfway down her back. Over matte, dark grey, leather-like pants she hitched a billowing, silver half-skirt: the fabric similar to that of her arm covering. Finally, Vlad brought her a cape, the fabric thick and black, pulsating with silver streaks woven together, and fastened it to the straps of her top. He then took a few steps away from her, relaxing his massive arms, and folded his hands in front of him.

The sorceress glanced in the mirror, turning her head slowly from side to side as she examined her hair. She pursed her lips as she saw a single stray hair sticking out of her crowning braid. Waving a hand over it, she allowed a small bit of magic power to seep out of her palm and calm the stubborn hair. She allowed herself a pleased smile and then hummed to herself as she inspected her makeup once more. It was a little dark, too much black; perhaps a lighter look was called for on the day of her ascension. She took both of her hands and swept her wrists up from her chin to her forehead. A touch of a mid-tone grey with a hint of umber on the outer corners and creases of her eyes, some shimmering pale gold on her lids, and a soft white just beneath her eyebrows and on the inner corners of her eyes. For her lips, a medium-dark, neutral brown would do: not too dark that it looked overdone, but not too bright so that it complemented her bright, golden green eyes. Vasilia smirked, pleased with her updated appearance. She turned her head from side to side once more before slowly turning her attention to her window. She had felt a prick, as if a tiny bolt of electricity sent itself zooming through her brain. Leisurely picking up a bottle of perfume, she spritzed herself three times before sauntering over to her window.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Oh, well, this fog simply won't do. I will not have such dreadful weather on the day I become a goddess." She raised her right hand and touched her middle finger to her thumb. "While I'm at it, I should probably do something about the little infestation that just arrived," she mused, pursing her lips in unimpressed annoyance. With a snap of her fingers, a huge ring of golden magic rippled out from her and engulfed the entire castle, and all its surrounding space.