Meanwhie, Doom was at the library when one man burst into the quiet library and panted towards him.
Doom: Haspa, what..?
Haspa: Doom, sir. Reporting an important news! Our stronghold at the west had received warning that
the Shadowlord had poisoned the waters in the sea...
Doom: What do you mean? The Shadowlord cannot do his sorcery in here while the royal bloodline flows!
Haspa: Exactly, sir! He had poisoned it in a way that it is unfit for drinking. And what I mean about
this, sir, is that whoever touches the waters in the sea, that person would become a servant of the
Shadowlord!
Doom: How many are affected?
Haspa: More or less 50 people, and most probably counting as we speak!! The affected ones are mostly
children, and they are under restraint, for even their age the waters had made them strong! And since
the current is moving against the poisoned waters, somehow it makes it's way further inland. But it
may take some time before it reaches even the Mountain.
Doom: Send word of this to as much of my officials as you can. I will alert the king.
That evening there was an emergency meeting in the palace.
When Jasmine entered the room, she saw everyone seated. She saw Barda sitting with the palace guards, and
Doom beside Lief, who was at the front. And beside Lief was a hooded figure. Where shall she sit?
And then she saw that Marilen and Ranesh were beckoning her to sit beside them, and she decided to take the
offer. The meeting started as soon as everyone was quiet.
Doom: The Shadowlord has struck again!
Loud exclamations filled the room. Another man (called Haspa) stood up and spoke of his news. Then, when
everyone was quiet, Lief stood up.
Lief: I have known this would happen even before tonight. And all these time I have been discussing what to
do best with help from Mesmeralde.
Unable to keep silence any longer, Jasmine stood up.
Jasmine: How did you of this? Surely, the opal couldn't have told you. And who is this Mesmeralde?
Doom: Jasmine, guard your tongue! Of course the opal could offer glimpses of the future...
Lief: No! It is not the opal who had given me this news long before this happened. It is Mesmeralde. She is
the one who told me!
With that the hooded figure stood up and faced everone.
Mesmeralde: I am Mesmeralde, a Guardian and Keeper of Time.
She lowered her hood for everyone to see her face. And what Jasmine saw caught her breath.
Surely this was the woman Lief was to marry! She herself spoke of being a "Guardian". Her clothes were of war
style. And yet she doesn't look like a warrior with her straight black hair and blue eyes, pale skin and red
lips!
She held out her hand, and a staff appeared. She took it and faced everyone.
Mesmeralde: I know what has come, and what is to come. I have the power of a Time Guardian, and I could stop
or turn back time if I wish. I was the one who told Lief about this, and what is to be done now.
Doom: Haspa, what..?
Haspa: Doom, sir. Reporting an important news! Our stronghold at the west had received warning that
the Shadowlord had poisoned the waters in the sea...
Doom: What do you mean? The Shadowlord cannot do his sorcery in here while the royal bloodline flows!
Haspa: Exactly, sir! He had poisoned it in a way that it is unfit for drinking. And what I mean about
this, sir, is that whoever touches the waters in the sea, that person would become a servant of the
Shadowlord!
Doom: How many are affected?
Haspa: More or less 50 people, and most probably counting as we speak!! The affected ones are mostly
children, and they are under restraint, for even their age the waters had made them strong! And since
the current is moving against the poisoned waters, somehow it makes it's way further inland. But it
may take some time before it reaches even the Mountain.
Doom: Send word of this to as much of my officials as you can. I will alert the king.
That evening there was an emergency meeting in the palace.
When Jasmine entered the room, she saw everyone seated. She saw Barda sitting with the palace guards, and
Doom beside Lief, who was at the front. And beside Lief was a hooded figure. Where shall she sit?
And then she saw that Marilen and Ranesh were beckoning her to sit beside them, and she decided to take the
offer. The meeting started as soon as everyone was quiet.
Doom: The Shadowlord has struck again!
Loud exclamations filled the room. Another man (called Haspa) stood up and spoke of his news. Then, when
everyone was quiet, Lief stood up.
Lief: I have known this would happen even before tonight. And all these time I have been discussing what to
do best with help from Mesmeralde.
Unable to keep silence any longer, Jasmine stood up.
Jasmine: How did you of this? Surely, the opal couldn't have told you. And who is this Mesmeralde?
Doom: Jasmine, guard your tongue! Of course the opal could offer glimpses of the future...
Lief: No! It is not the opal who had given me this news long before this happened. It is Mesmeralde. She is
the one who told me!
With that the hooded figure stood up and faced everone.
Mesmeralde: I am Mesmeralde, a Guardian and Keeper of Time.
She lowered her hood for everyone to see her face. And what Jasmine saw caught her breath.
Surely this was the woman Lief was to marry! She herself spoke of being a "Guardian". Her clothes were of war
style. And yet she doesn't look like a warrior with her straight black hair and blue eyes, pale skin and red
lips!
She held out her hand, and a staff appeared. She took it and faced everyone.
Mesmeralde: I know what has come, and what is to come. I have the power of a Time Guardian, and I could stop
or turn back time if I wish. I was the one who told Lief about this, and what is to be done now.
