Chapter 11: Magana's Misfortune


Coronia, 4:10 AM, local time

The cloudless, yet humid night which patronized Coronia, was kind of quiet, but tense. Like a calm before a storm, with the slight difference that this time, the storm wasn't about to consist of unseen rain. This time the storm was to be a surprise attack, a capturing action prepared by five young women and one man. The guardians of Kandrakar were flying close to the ground as the rebel leader walked on it. Strong and agile as a jaguar, Caleb moved like a shadow, determined to capture the man under whose tyrannical rule he had grown up. He was determined to eliminate him.

- There, do you see it? It's that house over there, I'm sure of it! - Hay Lin was ecstatic, her invisible intelligence expedition had been successful. She had found the big house, or rather the 'Hidden Mansion', as the map named it. Phobos's hideout, as they were now sure. The Heart of Kandrakar confirmed their doubts by shining so madly when near to that building, that Will saw herself forced to absorb it in herself to dim its lights. After all, their attack was meant to be a secret.

- If the Mansion is so 'hidden', then why is it labeled on the map? - Irma had to ask in their telepathic chat. And how did Phobos manage to break into it? What a creep!

- Remember what Magana said. - Taranee reminded her. - Phobos forced her to provide him with the best she could offer and had made her swear to never reveal his location! Which is why she gave us the map and that seemingly impossible riddle.

- Thankfully, not in vain, we are one of the most successful guardians in history. - Cornelia interfered. The riddle was the easiest part. The famous riddle of the sphinx for the human. In the first stage of our life, we walk on four legs, then on two, and then, in old age, on three. Supposedly.

- Then came the hard part. - Will went on, recalling her and Nerissa going over the given map. - It took us a little time, but in the end, we figured out the riddle's connection to Phobos's hideout, which Magana was sworn not to betray. The morning, which is the first stage in the riddle, is naturally on the east, from where the sun rises, so we looked for a place in the eastern corner of the map with 4 perfectly identical geographical features.

- The Four Lakes of Inner, Outer, Vicious and Immaculate Beauty. - Hay Lin added rosily. - Then, as the sun goes to the south in the middle of the day when the man from the riddle walks on two legs, we had to find two identical objects on the map. It was not easy to choose, but the two Royal Spruces were the only ones that met these requirements.

- Last but not least, we needed three westward features to complete our map decrypting. - Will said in their thoughts. "The three everlasting fields" in the western lower corner of this area, were perfect for this purpose. Then, when we connected these objects, the name of the so-called 'Hidden Mansion' appeared in the ideal center of the resulting figure.

- That's how the Hidden Mansion appeared on the map and we were able to uncover where Phobos hides. - Taranee summarized. - Gee, Irma, I know that you were quiet during all these events, but you were present and I thought...

- Sorry, Tara, for its NIGHT and I was unpleasantly surprised with this new mission. - Irma's loud voice sounded in their heads. - This blows like big time! If Corny wasn't in charge of the parade, this action could have happened with the help of more people at a much more convenient time, when we would've been more awake! It might've still been at night, but still! Now that we know where Phobos is, whether we attack him tonight or on the next night doesn't matter much, does it-

"No, Irma. We end this now. Once and for all."- Cornelia snapped, abandoning the telepathic connection. "I'm not going to allow Phobos to darken Elyon's life again!"

The Water guardian made a face but didn't say or broadcast anything more in response. She and her friends had landed on the ground, at the top of the hill from which the Hidden Mansion in the bottom of the valley was easily seen. Caleb had already caught up with them. His parents came next:

"We will end this now."- Nerissa agreed with a cold mask-like expression. "But for that, we need not be heard from the mansion. Zip it and prepare yourselves. If we are to make this battle final, we ought to be uncompromising and striving. You cannot and should not make any mistakes-"

"Alright already, do your thing and let us do our."- Irma interrupted the other woman with undisguised irritation. She felt like, by now, they were far too experienced for these lectures.
They had been guardians for over ten years, for cryin' out loud! More than Nerissa and her friends' team had lasted. Unlike C.H.Y.K.N, Irma and her girlfriends had managed to stick together through thick and thin. That being said, who was Nerissa (besides a very trying, constant presence), the one who had been the first to fall out of formation all these years ago, to try to teach them about their responsibilities?

- Let's not be arrogant, Irma. - Taranee had picked up on her thoughts. - We're on the same team. What do we win from being frosty in a moment like this-?

- Frankly, T, I'm not sure that we're on the same team! - the Latina scoffed. - Nerissa's not a team player one bit, she always has her own game playing in the back of things. She has always been a big offstage sneak. Besides, I'm fucking tired of her and Cornelia deciding for us! I know that they're both impossible, overbearing narcissists, but it's getting out of hand.

Taranee didn't answer, she just looked down. The Water guardian's fury and anger towards Cornelia and Nerissa, as well as her sour mood, were all things that Taranee didn't like one bit. She was beginning to look at things skeptically by the time the former guardian completed her spell.


Cedric was sweating with tension. It had all happened so quickly - the unnatural fog and that terrible premonition he was fortunately having. How fortunate he was to have insomnia...

He managed to give last orders, he made it to the vaulted foyer just when the mystical noise was heard. He knew that noise so well, the magic of the guardians!

Cedric's eyes widened in shock and refusal as the entrance door flew out of its hinges. No, it can't be, he cursed mentally, but it was too late for denial. It was time for action:

"He's awake?!"- Hay Lin noted with disappointment. "Well swell, so much for the big..."

"Surprise, lizard-boy!"- Taranee said with a fireball forming in her hand. "Didn't expect to see us, did you?"

"Where's your master, you clown?"- Irma glared right at him. "First you betray him and steal his power, now you're in his feet again?"

"That's no surprise for us because the two of them are no real men, they're both pathetic!"- Cornelia made it to the center of the foyer just when the soldiers came with swords in their hands. "You're two pathetic rats!"

"Sss-soldiers! Attack the guardiansss! Protect Phobosss with your lives!"- the shapeshifter hissed, and Will knew that negations were over.

He took his serpent form, something that at the beginning of their journey as guardians, had terrified them, today could only annoy them. The redhead tossed her hair back and aimed at Cedric as he roared loudly and launched his attack.


"Do not be intimidated by this fog, men!"- the general called out, as he led his small troops to the back door of the Hidden Mansion. Truth was, he himself felt intimidated by this attack. He knew the guardians of Kandrakar and what they were famous for, he and his men weren't capable of defeating them by any means. But nevertheless, orders from the princess were mandatory.

"This fog is a trick of the guardians, we ought not to let it stop us from attacking their allies! We have to square away the perimeter! "

The soldiers lost no time in hesitating, they all rushed forward into the murk. Their bravery and loyalty, however, were quenched, met by a sheaf of lightnings that shook them from the ground up, imprisoning them into painful, tight electrical rings... Shocked and desperate, when he saw his last soldier captured, the general leaped forward, swinging his sword in every direction. Let it happen, whatever has to happen! Then to his surprise, he was suddenly able to distinguish the image of a...woman?
No, the general knew that this was no ordinary woman, it was the sorceress herself! The one who aided the guardians and Phobos himself feared! Knowing that it would most probably lead him nowhere, the man let out a sharp battle cry and tried to pierce the woman with his sword. The fog had obviously deluded him because his sword met only air and after a second, he found himself with a kick hammered in his face. Another knee strike and someone caught him by the collar, dropping him roughly on the hard ground, where the general officially lost consciousness.
Julian threw the fallen man on his back and looked at his wife, as the fog scattered partly, loyal to her will. In the air around them, a dozen men floated in their newfound shutters.

"It's time you took this man and his soldiers to the Palace where they'll have to answer to the Queen, Julian." - Nerissa spoke calmly. "I will get you there. Then, if Phobos is still loose, I'll get Caleb and come to you, leaving the rest to the guardians."

Her tone was unmistakably bitter. The veteran rebel turned his confused dark eyes to her one last time before getting teletransported:

"Why do you suppose that Phobos might manage to escape this attack? There is little to no chance, Nerissa, have more faith - "

"Call it a sneaking suspicion or call it on the poorly compiled, improvisation of a plan. But I for one know that Phobos managed to rule over Meridian for more than a decade and it takes more than this to defeat him for keeps. We have to be more realistic and patient, Julian."

In the end, Julian nodded, concordant with her statement:

"I'll be waiting for you and Caleb in the dungeons."


"This better be one grand coincidence, Leonida! HOW DID THE GUARDIANS FIND THIS PLACE?!"- Phobos raged from inside the mansion. "I thought that it was supposed to be imperceptible!"

Leonida didn't answer, because she herself thought the same. This wasn't a coincidence and she knew it. Someone had hinted the guardians on what to do and where to look. And that someone was an inside man. The woman frowned and stopped to listen- the battle upstairs was still going on in full force, while she and the prince had already made it to the catacombs. Their ticket to freedom, but not safety. They were going to flee the Hidden Mansion, but then what were they to do? This house had been the only safe place, but now that it was discovered, every other point in this realm was dangerous. They would have to run all the time, alert for the guardians and her mother's people, and that didn't quite suit the plan. Unless... Her indigo eyes lit up at the thought. Unless they could get rid of the guardians for good, right here and right now, turning the mansion to their grave. Thankfully, that was possible.

Phobos opened his mouth to protest but he quickly understood what the princess was doing once she closed her eyes and started meditating. She had already told him about her inner connection with this house and its powers. He had to agree that the current situation called for the direst of them:

"Cedric is still fighting them, forget the Lurdens and your soldiers, but we must take him out before you evaporate this place."

"Is he that important to you?"- Leonida sounded annoyed.

Phobos just crossed his arms on his chest:

"Do not question my words, carry out."

"Your Highness, the guardians are close to overpowering Lord Cedric. They've already defused the rest of our combined army. We must all escape through the catacombs before they find their way down here!"

The man that had just appeared to report, didn't even know how useful he would turn out to be. Phobos smiled sinisterly and turned to the honey-haired woman who just huffed in response. They were too sunken in shit right now for her to deny him on his whims. She had to make an attempt to get rid of the obnoxious guardians:

"Do as you wish! But be quick!"

"Wait, your Highness..."- the soldier took a step back in horror, as Phobos approached him with a dark expression. "What are you..."

"Silence, peasant."- before he knew it, the man saw the prince take his appearance and he was left with...that of the prince himself? When the glamouring rings vanished, the disguised Phobos got as close to the other man as their bodies could get:

"You'll forget all your questions and thoughts and will do exactly as I say, my friend."- he hissed. "You'll do your King and Queen a great favor. Now take this knife and grab a hold of me, as we appear in front of the guardians. And better yet make it believable, because they will hardly end you, but if you fail me, I will not give your murder a second thought."


"Taranee!"- Irma yelled in alert as she watched Cedric throw her friend out the window.

She then turned around and glared at the shapeshifter. He was still strong, but he was definitely getting tired. Her next wave had him on the floor of the trashed mansion. Caleb, who was currently fighting the very next group, of what seemed to be an endless supply of Lurdens, jumped over them and brought the blade of his sword to the Snakeman's neck:

"Another move and you'll become a purse, bastard! Which side do you want the zipper on?!"

"Go ahead, rebel leader! Sss-slice my throat while you still can."- Cedric hissed hatefully. Cornelia had already wrapped a new set of thick roots around his tail and arms, preventing him from moving. "I'd like to ask, how does-ss it feel? To depend on your girlfriend and mother for everything!"

Caleb's face went red with anger at that as he spat back:

"At least I don't have to depend on that tyrant whose ass you kiss all the time, Lord Cedric!"

"And I'd like to ask why isn't your mother helping?"- Irma flew above the man with hands on her hips. "We haven't captured Phobos yet, we lost over thirty minutes on Snake-Boy and these idiots."- and she gestured at the Lurdens which Will was currently keeping occupied. On the other end of the enormous room, Hay Lin was carefully sorting the fallen human soldiers, keeping them secure under her big air balloon from which they could never escape, even if they tried to.

"Didn't you listen when we talked the plan over?"- Cornelia snapped at her. She had just created a wall of spiky plants between Will and the flowing Lurdnes and was now fully ready to face Irma: "She's supposed to be out, wielding that fog spell which prevents Phobos or anyone from freely leaving the premises!"

"Oh, is that so, and who says?"- Irma didn't remain obligated. "Phobos might've as well already fled for all we know! I knew this whole attack on the go and dumbass plan were never going to work out the way they were supposed to!"

"Guys!"- Taranee had returned to the setting with a frown. "Quit it already! We're supposed to be looking for Phobos. As big as this place is, the five of us plus Caleb should be able to find him!"

"That may not be needed."- Hay Lin murmured with a gaze pinned somewhere behind Caleb. When the others turned around to see what she was looking at, they all knew what she had meant:

"Phobos!"- the rebel bared his teeth with contempt.

"Not a move."- Phobos warned as he came into light, holding the blade of a sharp knife against the neck of his captive- a terrified looking man in Coronian uniforms. "Or this man dies because of your mistakes, guardians. Coming here under such surprising conditions was low of you. Especially after my sister granted me freedom willingly- "

"Don't you even dare speak about Elyon, you jerk!"- Cornelia interrupted him angrily. "You tricked her into giving you freedom and you know it full well! But we never swore on anything, Phobos! We're here to take you to the Tower of Mists on Kandrakar, where you'll once and for all have the perfect spot to rot! For eternity."

"I'm afraid that is not about to happen."- Phobos replied. "Not unless, of course, you want this poor innocent man dead because of you, guardians of the universe. I believe that sacrificing other people's lives does not fit into your philosophy."

"You think that you can just blackmail us like that?"- the other guardians were silent, debating on the possibilities, but Cornelia wasn't giving up. Her anger was close to shaking the entire room. How dared Phobos? She wasn't about to let him get away this time: "This man and the rest of them did help you out after all. It's not like they're completely innocent."- she then noted coldly. "What makes you think that we care enough about your minions? Enough to choose their life in front of taking you?"

Irma turned to her friend in outrage before Will could react. There was something odd about this setting, but before she could put her thoughts into speech:

"Corny, you've gone absolutely nuts!"- she declared and pushed the other woman's shoulder." You blab about us being the guardians all the time, but now you're ready to sacrifice a life in order to achieve your goal! Wow, I guess that Nerissa has influenced you, after all, it's inevitable, isn't it? You have to learn from future mommy in-law!"

"Look who's giving out a lecture on morals, the laziest guardian ever, who didn't even care enough to come here and do her job without her constant whines!"- Cornelia snapped at the Latina. "Besides, looking out for insignificant criminals has nothing to do with our duties!"

"Shit, and here I thought that you have been present during Magana's confession! You know that these Coronians have been forced to work for Phobos, you egoistical goose!"

"Enough, Irma! Hold it, Cornelia!"- Will saw herself forced to stand between them before they could keep yelling at each other, or even worse, take each other's hair and start a catfight. "You're being childish and immature; you don't even think about the case rationally! What does Phobos gain from appearing here with such hollow threats? Think about it! He must have an actual reason to face us when we outweigh him on power! Otherwise, he would've never taken the risk-"

"Duh, the reason is that he can't flee!"- Cornelia cut her off stubbornly. "He's trying to fool us with that same tick from the ball again, are you all blind?!"

"Oh, you mean when we were forced to listen to him because he was threatening your son?!"- Irma squalled from behind.

Taranee almost gasped at that and Hay Lin covered her mouth with her hands. Irma was about to cross a line and they knew it, but it was too late, the bullet was fired:

"You cared back then, but now you don't, because this time the one at stake is some random dude, not your blood and flesh! You've become just like Nerissa, Cornelia!"

Cornelia stared at her friend, motionless and visibly affronted. Will wanted to say something, but Caleb had reacted faster. He aimed all his anger at...Phobos. Hay Lin almost screamed in surprise, as the rebel leader tackled the prince near her.

"All this is happening because of you, mud!"- he growled hatefully, straddling the other man. "You'll pay dearly for everything which you've done and caused!"- and he punched him mercilessly and repeatedly.

Phobos didn't even seem to fight back. Cornelia bound him to the floor with vines as her boyfriend kept hitting him. With this pace, they'd soon have him killed, Hay Lin realized in concern. But neither she nor the others dared interfere. They all despised the prince anyway.

Will frowned in puzzlement, but when the sudden flashes from Cedric's abandoned side died down and he was no longer present in the room, a new burning glow in her chest made her fall to her knees. She looked again. Cedric and the Coronian guy were gone, but the Heart was acting like crazy, all of a sudden:

"Something's not right."- she declared as she took the disconcerted jewel out.
A bright flash and Phobos wasn't Phobos anymore. Taranee gasped in horror:

"Oh my God! Caleb, stop! This is not Phobos, it's that man...the man whose life Phobos threatened..."

"But how?!"

"It has all been a lie. A diversion!"- Will shook her head angrily.

Caleb got off the bruised man and helped him to his feet. He looked over at Cornelia who responded with equally as confused anxiety.

"Umm, why is it suddenly that this house is like...on drugs?! Or were we the ones drugged?!"

Taranee lost balance, but she had finally been able to put the pieces together too. As everything around them swirled and blurred, losing shapes and boundaries, becoming a hurricane of colors and lights, she managed to shout:

"Not only that, Will. It was a trap! We...we have to get out of here!"

"I can't teletrasnport!"- Will yelled in response. The others tried to look at her, but it wasn't possible due to the constant smearing. Neither of them could teletransport. And the Heart just kept shinning like mad somewhere above their heads...

The sound around them was deafening. All of a sudden, the Hidden Mansion was quickly turning into a vortex. Cornelia screamed and grabbed a hold of her boyfriend as everything started turning around repeatedly.

"If we don't get out of here now, we'll die in these conditions!"- Taranee cried, but the noise drowned her words. She tried to use her powers to burn through whatever was that swirling around her, but nothing happened. The last drops of hope were leaving her...


"Come on, Caleb. What's taking you so long."- Nerissa nervously stomped her foot on the top of the hill she was standing on.
She glanced once more at the valley below, where the fogs enveloped the hidden mansion in an impenetrable veil. The ex-guardian growled under her nose. The guardians were lousy but this was too much, why weren't they emerging from there already? Why were they unreachable when she tried to mentally contact them? All five of them were fools!

Nerissa was just cursing her decision to ever retire and let these five girls carry out the most important responsibility when she noticed something odd. There, amid the mist, some kind of light shone brighter and brighter, somewhere above the house, as it seemed. Nerissa frowned. But what was the nature of this energy that could break through the fogs of Neidron?* What the hell was happening in that house?! The black-haired woman rose her hands and summoned the mists away, clearing the view to the mansion.

"What the h-"- but she didn't have to finish. She knew what that purple-black hurricane unfurling over the house meant. She knew what it was, and the thought that her son was inside this doomed building, terrified her.

Nerissa dove down, flying to the house sending off all of her mists on the way. She needed all her energy to save Caleb from this disaster:

"Quintessence!"- she demanded, trying to dissolve that black energy around the doors at least partly. The Heart of Nimbus appeared to aid her in that. With a long, painful moan, as if lifting an enormous burden on her back, the sorceress finally managed to open the door. She saw the chaos inside and her son floating around in the chaos, and her heart stopped:

"CALEB!"

Inside the dark havoc which she and her friends had been thrown in, Will opened her eyes. She had kept them closed up until now, trying to fight the terrible vertigo, but now, on the top of their horrific prison, she could see a tiny bit of light. A rectangular-shaped light that didn't consist of chaotic flashes and shadows like everything else. Was that... the door?! It appeared that it was now all of a sudden on the ceiling. Will frowned to fight the relentless headache. That surprised her the least after what had happened.

The crazy colors and moving shapes stopped killing her for a moment, and she looked down at the rest of the guardians, also with their eyes closed, half-flushed by the chaos, as from above, Nerissa's voice overpowered the terrible sound of the blurry world:

"CALEB, YOU MUST FIGHT IT, MY SON! LOOK UP TO ME AND TAKE MY HAND! I WILL SAVE YOU FROM THE CURSE OF THE BLACK OBLIVION! CALEB-"

"Nerissa! They, they're all barely conscious, he can't hear you!"- Will managed to yell in response. "How can I get them out of here, I've tried everything!"

Nerissa wasn't too pleased with hearing her. But Will was the only one who could help save her son from death, as well as save the rest of them, of course. Still and all, deep in her heart, the sorceress knew whose life she'd chose if she had to...

"Will! You must concentrate and use the Heart of Kandrakar to bound each and every one of them to you! There's not much time left, if you surrender to the curse of Black Oblivion, the Hidden Mansion will disappear together with all of you. Forever!"- the redhead had never imagined that the other woman's voice would ever sound like that to her. Like a ray of hope in the tunnel, amid the cruel hassle of the black hole she and her friends had suddenly fallen into. That was the only way she could describe the feeling- like being sucked into a literal black hole.

"We tried everything, we even tried working in harmony, becoming one..."- Will closed her eyes again. "Nothing works...this...this spell can't be stopped, can it."

"No!"- Nerissa was panicking from above. "Do not close your eyes! If you do so, you'll never be able to escape oblivion. Fight, Will! I told you, I will help you! This spell can't be revoked, but you can escape its premises. Only the Hidden Mansion has been cursed to obliterate itself, which is why you're all in this situation. To be able to teletransport to a safe distance, you must leave the heart of the obliterating. The heart which is this house!"

"But how?"- Will tried her best not to faint. The moving colors were too much. "I can't...I can't even move...You have to teletransport us, I can't..."

"Don't you dare give up!"- Nerissa scolded her. She looked down at the havoc through the door and felt her heart crumble at the sight of Caleb, helplessly floating in the distance. "I can't teletransport you from in there, but I can pull you out! You just have to help as well, do not give in to the pain, it will vanish the moment you leave the premises of the heart of the obliterating! Bound the others to yourself, use your element!"

Will strained herself to the last limit. She knew that the ex-guardian was right, if she, as a leader, couldn't save her friends, she was no true leader at all, and right now they all had more than many reasons to survive this low blow. She concentrated and urged her powers. Quintessence, containing the element of life in itself, soon found its way to each and every leaving creature left in the chaos. Cornelia, Irma, Taranee, Hay Lin, Caleb...thankfully, Hay Lin had all the soldiers in air bubbles which were still whole, hence the redhead managed to bound them to the Heart as well. Last but not least, she felt the body of the last fallen man, the one used as bait by Phobos, being attached to hers.

"I... I did it."- she yelled over the deafening noise. "I'm holding them, now you have to pull us out!"

Outside the house, Nerissa gathered all her power as she summoned the Heart of Nimbus. She knew that this was harder to do than say:

"Alright. Now, wield your power and let it merge with mine! Our spells must blend together to form a wire of infinitely homogeneous Quintessence in order for me to be able to pull all of you out!"- she ordered firmly.

"Like a rope of energy."- Will realized. This was all one big game of pulling turnips out. A very dangerous variation, yet similar enough.

"Exactly!" - the ex-guardian responded in a shout. "But hear me out, for the connection between our two lightnings to be strong enough to hold out everyone, you must be willing to let our powers become one! You must willingly let me reach deep enough in your authorities, to be able to grab a hold strong enough to pull everyone out!"

"I'm willing, I'm more than willing to do so, actually I'm dying for that to happen! And faster!"- Will screamed. Everything was becoming black; she knew that she wouldn't be able to do this for much longer. It was all up to Nerissa now.

"QUINTESSENCE!"- they yelled in unison and their spells met halfway through, merging into each other just like the former guardian had said they would. At first, the construction was flickering, but then it became a strong and thick, rope-like length, that started in the Heart of Kandrakar and ended in that of Nimbus.

Nerissa took a deep breath and started it- pulling the essence of their combined magic into her amulet, moaning and sweating through each and every second of it, as her enormous efforts weakened her knees. But she couldn't collapse now and she knew it- not when the mansion was beginning to disintegrate. One piece of matter flew out of the façade of the building. An explosion was near, everything was waiting to fall apart any minute now...

With a final powerful scream, the former Heart keeper was able to absorb the energy sufficiently inward, and when she saw the string of people outside the space of the disappearing house, she was able to transport them to her hill from which she had watched before.

Down in the valley, the obliterating energy spread and died down in the matter of minutes, and when Will managed to stand up on her feet again, there was nothing left in the distance. They had been able to escape on the strings... Speaking of strings, she could finally let her friends and the Coronian soldiers loose. They had made it out and it was all that mattered. Now that the world around was finally normal, they'd soon come to their senses. But Nerissa didn't look too good, she was about to fall down and hit the grass but Will caught her in the last minute. Not that it would've done her much harm to lie down, the redhead just felt beholden to her for what she had done:

"Hey, Nerissa."- she gently shook her. "There's no time for beauty sleep right now, come back to us. We have a Prince to catch."

Caleb was just coming to his senses when he saw his mother and jumped on his feet abruptly. The others were also respiring while he was already urgently demanding:

"Mom! Mom, open your eyes!"- he took the slender body of the ex-guardian in his arms. "I could hear you the entire time and I fought for you. Now you have to fight! Come to your senses!"

Nerissa's eyes slowly flickered open as she heard that. She smiled up at her son's concerned face and ran her hand against his dear face:

"Worry not, my boy, for I'm fine. We're all fine now that the danger of the dark obliterating has passed. I simply needed a minute to get myself together after the pressure. Don't look so disquieted now, I'm perfectly fine."

Will smiled at the rebel leader, as he exhaled in relief. Nerissa was fine and so was everyone else, in spite of the hell Phobos had just put them through. Will frowned. Phobos, right. After this last trick, she more than ever wanted to get her hands on him and punish him for everything. One look at Taranee, who nodded back, was enough. Their Prince hunt was going to continue. If that jerk thought that he could get rid of them that easily, he was in for a big disappointment.

"We could all hear you, Nerissa."- Hay Lin interjected. "Your thinking and knowledge saved us."

"Yeah, thanks for that."- Irma said under her nose. "You were useful, after all."

Cornelia gave her a little glare, but Caleb pulled her closer to himself and as she leaned on his shoulder, her desire to confront Irma's effrontery went to the back of her mind.

Back on her feet, Nerissa only tossed her hair back and gave something that looked like a half-smile.

"It's what I do best, Hay Lin. You don't have to mention it."

Taranee smirked. It was too comical to watch someone as charismatic and outspoken as Nerissa, facing trouble with accepting a sincere praise from her former enemies. She guessed that bickering with them suited her better than accepting their kind words. Yes, for someone with a huge ego, like Nerissa, keeping more distant and even pugnacious relations with her once opponents, was surely easier and less awkward than building up a new, friendlier relationship with no grudges held in-between.

"Of course, I have to mention it, silly!"- Hay Lin objected and Taranee's smugness vanished as she felt her friend pull her forward. "I know you're just playing all tough and uncaring! If time could make you reveal your love and soft side for your family, then such little rituals are important for the relationship between you and us to be stronger and more open!"- the bubbly young Asian had a great power, the power of bringing so many different people together...She had to give her that, but then again, she was Yan Lin's granddaughter. "Group hug!"- Hay Lin declared and pulled her flabbergasted friends closer.

Although they were all surprised, Nerissa the most, none of them pulled back. Hay Lin hugged the former guardian sweetly and as Cornelia threw her hands over her on the other side, she made Irma hold the blonde. Will and Taranee joined by throwing their hands around Hay Lin and each other, closing the circle of the group hug.

"Okay, this really isn't..."- Nerissa was meaning to say "needed", but she wasn't sure she meant it any longer.
These young women around her, their friendship and eagerness to even welcome her in their circle, more officially, as they were doing it right now, provoked her thoughts and inner demons. It brought her sweet memories of happy times, moments she had had with her team, and their closeness...
Once upon a time, she, Halinor, Kadma, Yan Lin and Cassidy had been just like them. For the first time, the ex-guardian felt something different than anger and bitterness when delving into the fact that W.I.T.C.H were their replacement. They were emoting what she and her friends had once had. Clearly, they were doing something right. "...that bad."


6 hours later, somewhere around Coronia

"You did this, mother! Be cursed! How did you manage to break your vow without suffering the consequences?! How do you still wear your crown even after you betrayed me?!"

"I didn't betray you, Leonida."- her mother replied in a dismal tone.

Even the beautiful little forest which they had met by couldn't comfort her. Nothing could anymore. Fighting her daughter had never been easy and each time she caused her pain, Magana regretted it. But she was forced to, especially since the kingdom and her family were at stake.

*Flashback* (takes place in chapter 10)

All the commotion and the sudden rain were disturbing enough. The Queen assumed that this strange phenomenon was her daughter's fault. It had to be.

"But what are you trying to achieve now, Leonida?"- she murmured under her nose. The crowd was huge and Visser was currently talking to them. All these dukes, wealthy men and women, and their children. All these workers. No, Coronia was definitely a realm of the wealthy. Even the farmers here could boast about owning a lot. But whenever such a strange event took place in their usually trouble-free homeland, they were all equally scared. Scared, as they knew that their money won't be able to bring them back their comfort and peace. All that burden was to fall on the Queen's shoulders.

Visser was going to keep the people busy with his long speech for a little while longer, but then she would have to talk. Magana tried to stop her hand from trembling as to keep the umbrella straight above her head. It was useless- she was already quite wet. But what was she supposed to tell her people? That was the question, which she didn't have even a second more to think about, because the moment she got off the royal carriage, she felt herself being dragged. Someone dragged her to a close but secluded space between two houses, isolating her from the large square and its sounds, and as soon as she heard the feathers, she knew who it was. She had turned into a bird almost immediately.

"How dare you come here, Leonida! After what you've done again! What are you trying to achieve through this terrible rain? You're such a disappointment-"

"Save your breath, mommy."- the beautiful blonde eyed her snidely. Somehow, to her mother's distress, she was managing to fight the curse and avoid its effects in spite of being so near... "Save it for your people. I'm here simply to warn you. I haven't come to chat, nor am I responsible for the storm."

Even under her cape, Magana spied the odd-looking talisman. It looked like a true magic object. Could that be what was helping Leonida overcome the curse?!

"What rubbish are you speaking."- she frowned. "You came with good intentions and you have nothing to do with this disaster? What a pathetic lie, I'm not stupid to fall for it, Leonida. Leave me at peace and fly to your hiding spot before, by mistake, you uncover your lies in front of the entire city!"

"I had to fake my own death because of you!"- Leonida bared her teeth and wanted to slice her mother's throat, but she couldn't even if she tried. That damn 'protecting' curse was still too strong. "Never mind. You may not be stupid. Enough. But you definitely are gullible."- the blonde smiled bitterly. "Blimey, I bet that was the reason why I could deceive you so many times. You and daddy were quite the fools back when you had to rely on the guardians of Kandrakar to get me back to you, eh?"

Magana blenched and glared at the younger woman. The rain around them was falling mercilessly.

"Goodbye, Leonida. I can't waste any more time on someone as troubled and delusional as you!"

"Oh, so you don't want to know who caused this rain as means to send you out of the Palace?"- Leonida asked innocently. "Serve yourself then. But when she discovers some things about us, she will cancel that marriage you're putting such high hopes on."

Her mother, who had given her back to her, all ready to leave, turned around at the sound of that, wide hazel eyes full of distress:

"What are you tal..."

"The Mage and her son are going through your castle as we speak. By the Golds of Coronia, I hope that they don't uncover some dirty secret of yours before you make it back..."

"Why would they be doing that."- Magana whispered, even though it was obvious how very uneasy she was. That only made her daughter gloat:

"It's simple, mommy, people don't trust you anymore. Your crimes are written on your forehead. Hence, the Mage came to dig through your dirty past. Mark my word that when she finds out what you fear, she will do everything to prevent your dear son's marriage to Queen Elyon. Coronia will fall in ruins."

"It's all because of you!"- Magana cried silently, glaring at her daughter and her malicious grin. Leonida only giggled. "You're the criminal! Your evil deeds made them suspicious, but I fail to see if what you're saying is true, why would you come here to warn me? You want just that, you want Coronia to fall in ruins!"

"You're so silly, mommy, you don't even know what I want."- Leonida hissed. Her eyes were flaming dangerously. "Listen to me very carefully. Get back to the Palace at once and stop them before it's too late. But before that, you will swear on the Crown of Coronia. You'll swear not to betray me, my identity, or location. You'll keep the story about my death going even when that hag presses you to the wall."

Magana hoped that due to the rain the tears in her eyes would remain unseen.

"What if. W-what if I'm tired of helping you. What if I want to tell them about you if I decide to warn everyone about you being that shameless enchantress helping Phobos!?"

"Then don't help me, help yourself! And if you don't, then watch Coronia die because of you. Because, my dear mother, if you do tell them about me, I'll personally destroy Andan's each and every chance with Elyon, and if you don't, but keep losing time, that will happen by itself."

Magana swallowed the tears backs and sighed gravely. This was not the first time such a thing was happening. Leonida's blackmailing worked, in spite of all the worse things she had done.

"Swear on the Crown, mommy. Swear and go stop that mother-son duo before it's too late. Because trust me about this Nerissa, once she bites into something, she doesn't let go. Care to become her personal chewie?"

*end of Flashback*

"You did this to yourself. You should've been more specific with that vow, Leonida."- Magana smiled sadly. "You made me swear that I'll keep your name and fake death in a secret, but you didn't say anything about Phobos. That's why I hounded the Mage and the guardians on his trail! They will do that evil man away for the better good of everyone, and you will be left alone in your insanity once again!"

The amount of hatred and betrayal Leonida felt at that moment couldn't be described. She glared daggers at her mother and wished her ill more than ever as she let out a scream:

"You are the worst mother this Universe could see! Whatever didn't you do to me, just as to destroy my happiness?! But you underestimate me again. Just because you still have your golden water and I don't, doesn't mean that I won't have you punished for what you did! "

Magana shook her head with tears rolling down the apples of her cheeks:

"Oh, Leonida, even the golden waters of the Spring wouldn't be able to give you wisdom. All that water which I wasted on you years ago, in a desperate attempt to save your life, proves it. You weren't born to serve the Coronians with grace and class, my child. You were born to fall for the wrong men and destroy lives! And it deeply saddens me!"

"THIS TIME I WILL KILL YOU!"- the rejected princess screamed, scalded by the other woman's words. The words which brought her most pain every single time... "You denied all my rights and diminished me; hence I will kill you, jade! You're no mother to me!"

"Kill me?!"- the Queen repeated angrily. "You know darn well that you can't, you can't lay a finger on us, Leonida. You can't hurt us!"

The secluded forest scene was both hot and cold from their words and emotions. In a fit of confidence over her protecting curse, Magana approached her daughter too much. She got into her personal space and glared right back at her. She was sick and tired of being terrified by her.

"I gave birth to you, you atrocious girl!"- she roughly held her jaw. "If someone was to kill the other one around here, it would've been darn right for that to be me, but I won't! I won't ever take your life away, even though I gave it to you in the first place. In spite of all your wrongdoings! Shame on you, Leonida! Shame on you for all your malice!"

"You've already given me a fate much worse than death!"- Leonida growled and pulled away. "You took my son away from me as you took away all the happiness that I had! You've been doing so my entire life, and for your last betrayal, you shall die, Magana of Coronia! I might not be able to kill you personally, but that doesn't mean that I can't have you killed by someone else! I have an idea, why not that be the one who you tried to denounce to our enemies!" - and she put two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly.

Magana's eyes widened in surprise and fear as the birds on the trees around them all flew away, scared by the sudden noise. Her daughter's eyes radiated only pure hatred and she saw herself pinned to a wall. This time for real.

"Say hello to daddy from me when you see him. Oh, and don't worry, I will make sure to send your precious son to you too, very soon. So that the three of you can be happy together. In HELL."- Leonida hissed viciously and that was when her mother's anger prevailed over her fear of what she had in store.

Magana gave her a rough slap and in a second, tore the talisman from her neck. She had spotted it the other day. She was furious.

"My antidote!"- the younger woman cried just before she turned into the flaxen cuckoo again.

But before she could fly away, her mother had taken a hold of her in a rough fashion, shaking her with all her might:

"This is why I cursed you to become a bird each time you approach us, Leonida! Because you're evil! You're vile and you don't deserve to live among us or among people at all, for that matter! You are my greatest failure and pain. Should I break your neck now, ha? Not that you're absolutely defenseless? Because this is how your brother felt each time you threatened him! This is how your father felt before you d-did that...that unforgivable thing! Do you like being defenseless and overpowered?! Tell me, Leonida, should I just kill you and solve all of our problems?!"- Magana was crying aloud by now, holding the struggling bird that was her daughter. "Should I, my baby and perdition? Oh, Leonida, you break my h-heart, each time, you'll lie on it forevermore..."

"I wouldn't be considering that if I were you."- a sudden sinister male voice broke the woman off of her outburst of suffering. "But I find it amusing that you said perdition. Because that's what awaits you."

Magana stepped back in horror as she focused her wet eyes on Prince Phobos's threatening posture, so close to her that she could practically smell his scent. Gin and … roses? She took another step back, involuntarily giving her daughter the opportunity to escape her grip. Leonida landed on the man's shoulder and he just smiled. But there was nothing welcoming in that smile, the queen realized in terror. That smile meant doom.

"No...how are you still here?! The guardians, they should have hunted you down by now!"- Magana cried. "You're not welcome in this realm, Phobos of Meridian! And how dare you stand before me with threats. You're standing before the Queen!"

"Yes, that I am."- Phobos agreed with a little smirk. "But you seem to be holding something which I gave as a gift to your daughter."- as he said that, the talisman was teletransported from the woman's hand to his. "It's not very nice to steal, Queen Magana, but as the old saying says- an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I also stole something from you. From your people. I've been draining Coronian life force for weeks, thus I managed to escape your insidious plot and the guardians' attack."- and he made a pause to haughtily put a hand on his chest. " To answer your question, you underestimated my power, but that is fine, we don't know each other that well yet."

"You've been feeding this..this vampire with our people's life force, Leonida? And then you try to tell me that you can be a good queen?"- Magana gasped in shock, once her daughter was back in her human form again, standing next to Phobos. "You're good for nothing! Disgusting!"

"Don't overplay it, mommy, your nasty trick with Arzu was also quite a disgusting one!"- Leonida crossed her arms on her chest. "And then we wondered as to why the sorceress has taken such drastic measures! You planned this all along, you wanted to expose Phobos and ruin our plans, and now we will ruin you for it."

"What are you talking about!? You are those who have killed Arzu!"- Magana's tears were falling down again. "You killed her for your plans' sake! Curse you and your plans, may they all fail, may you never succeed!"

"Should I kill her now, my squeeze?"- Phobos asked with a deep frown. This woman was getting on his nerves.

"Give us a few more minutes. She can curse alright."- Leonida snorted. "I want to confront this harpie, who has always reproached me for lying, but has still used the dead maid to start her own plan! You stole the corpse and the magical satchel, and that is how you've taken Arzu's body to Meridian where you've left her as a trail for the blasted guardians!"

"What?!"- Magana gasped in shock. "I've done no such thing! I would never...Leonida, you mindless girl, that man is playing with you!"- she suddenly shot, having put two and two together. "He has done this, you're not even aware of his intentions! He has..."

"Yes, because I would sabotage myself."- Phobos interrupted her with a grimace. "Silence, you worthless cow. Humble before your death, at least, and shut your enormous mouth!"

"Leonida, listen to me. Think about..."

"Oh, please, mother!"-Leonida glared at her. "As if we would bother with the entire Arzu scheme if we could just cross through the divider. You're the only one who can do that! You've thrown her body near Nerissa's dens in order to begin your plan to eliminate Phobos. Your following actions speak for themselves!"

Magana shook her head in silence. She couldn't understand what was going on at that very moment, but she didn't have the time to think about it. She rose her hands and yelled:

"Enough with you, miscreants! This ends now!"

But her magic, even though it was powerful, got absorbed, submersing right into Phobos's spread hands. His cruel laughter brought chills down her spine, and soon her own daughter was laughing with him.

"Pathetic you are, mommy!"

Magana shook her head again. Too many things threatened Coronia and her family. What could she do?!

Just then, another man, who she wasn't familiar with, came from the deeper parts of the forest behind the Prince and her daughter. Magana watched him stop by them in a desperate attempt to catch his breath:

"Cedric, what the hell are you doing, we aren't done -"

"My Prince, the guardians are relentless."- the man said breathlessly, leaning on a tree for support. "I tried to lose them, but they are near. We have to flee now. They may appear any minute..."

"What?!"- Phobos yelled. "And you led there here, you fool!"

"I had no other way to warn you, my Liege! Let's leave. Who is..."- the moment he turned to her, Magana saw her chance and acted fast. The guardians were near. She had to attract their attention.

"In lapidem offensionis!" *

Her spell pushed Cerdic on top of Phobos and they were both on the ground. With a desperate cry, she sent a beam of charges and lights to the sky.

"GUARDIANS! HELP!"

"YOU MISFORTUNE OF A WOMAN!"

Phobos's dark magic scalded her insides. Magana cried silently, not having the air needed to let out a scream. Her heart, as if made of glass, was breaking at that moment. The pain was terrible.

"My Liege! They're here, they're here!"- Cedric cried in distress.

With a fatal expression, Phobos broke his spell, but it was done. A contented smile spilled over his lips as he, his righthand-man and the princess teletrasnported. The spot where Queen Magana had fallen, was now just a sad area of dark, dry grass.

Taranee landed on the meadow followed by the other girls and scanned the area with a disappointed face:

"Hey, what gives, I thought those lights came from here!"- Irma exclaimed next to her, running her green-blue eyes around.

"These lights were a signal for help."- Will announced grimly. "I just hope that we weren't too late."

"A signal for help, but from whom?"- Taranee rubbed her chin. "Not many people around these lands can use magic."

The girls looked at each other before giving the scene they had landed at, another look. Hay Lin knitted her brows, but before she could speak:

"Oh, please! We've been chasing Phobos for hours!"- Irma crossed her arms with a huff. "I'm sick and tired, and he obviously fled again! What a coward, bet his balls are small! The guy doesn't even have the ability to fold out of this dimension, I say we go to Kandrakar and have the Oracle raise the veil around Coronia too, and the problem will be so-"

"And condemn all these people to such a ruthless fate? We don't take stupid suggestions, Irma, remember that. And I sincerely hope that you know better than to kid right now!"

Irma glared at the blonde woman and suppressed the urge to throw a wave at her with great efforts:

"Oh, yeeah?! I for one see your initial suggestion as stupid, Ms "We CaN soOo tAke PhObOs on OuR Ownn"! Plus, admit it, Cornelia! You only care so much about this realm because it's Elyon's stupid fiancé's!"

"No, I care, because I'm a guardian of the Infinite Dimensions!"- Cornelia turned to the Latina and replied to her glare with a venomous look.

"Yeah, yeah!"- Irma snorted. "You say that a lot, but actually, we got downgraded to Guardians of the Veil again, so I say raise the veil around every world like it was done before and shut up! Problem solved!"

"Sure."- Cornelia mused mockingly. "If everyone were as lazy as you..."

"QUIET!"

Hay Lin's scream got everyone's attention. She was flying above their heads with a focused expression:

"I'm trying to hear Phobos in the distance-"

"Yeah, we all saw where that took us the last time. To a damn swamp where Phobos was not even present."- Irma folded her arms with an unimpressed face.

"- but the air here, around this very spot, is so dry and depressing!"- Hay Lin went on.

"Figures. After all, Phobos's sorry ass was just around here. Maybe he farted or something. Eww. Phobos fart, thanks a lot, Hay-H-"

"Shut up, Irma!"- Cornelia yelled. "I think I know what you mean, Hay Lin. Connecting with our elements is a good way to find Phobos. I know that's what we've been doing ever since we started this mission, but some of us aren't trying hard enough!"

"Hey, I asked that lake where Phobos is and it didn't tell me, how is that my fault!"

"This is not how we properly connect to our element and environment, and you know it, Irma."- Taranee shook her head. She and Will had just returned from their brief tour of the surrounding area on foot, just in time to see Cornelia kneeling to the grass.

"We have to open our heart for the heart of nature, which we carry inside of ourselves."- Hay Lin narrated. "Each one of us is the guardian of a certain natural element, and we can do much more with that power if we all open our hearts, minds and souls. We need to become one with our element in a more humble and spiritual way."

"And we do need harmony too."- Taranee noted, looking at Irma who just sulked. "We're more mature now and it should give better results if we decide to really work hard for it."

"The plants around this place are all scared."- Cornelia announced after a few seconds. "The Earth is scared. And it doesn't just get scared over someone's presence like that. No, a very dark spell was cast here. This place is drenched in negative energy."

"If we are done with the blunt environmental speech by Miss Green Talking Veteran, can we get movin'? I want to capture Phobos before it gets dark. Again."- Irma snapped and flew in the sky, showing everyone just how unhappy she was for having to guardian-up before dawn for this mission.

From the ground, Cornelia clenched her fists:

"Why that immature, little..."

"Don't get angry with her, Cornelia. She's just tired."- Will put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We all are, but you're right. This area is odd, this is also where these sparks came from. A cry for help that we will have in mind and return to investigate. But right now, we just have to keep looking for Phobos. Do you agree with me?"

At first, Cornelia was a little surprised by her words, but in the end she reconciled:

"I guess I do"


Coronia Royal Dungeons, 12 PM local time

"I still don't quite understand. Why would these Coronian men with close to noble status help Phobos?"- Julian shared his thoughts aloud, with eyes focused on the prisoners.

After the surprise ambush on Phobos, they had been able to capture most of the soldiers and servants that had been hiding in the Hidden Mansion with him. They were all brought to the royal dungeons- a wide and illuminated, richly decorated underground, that was almost nothing like a prison. The veteran rebel and his family had arrived to question them while the guardians continued their search, but they were in for an unpleasant surprise.

Stricken by some sort of dark spell, the captives were unable to say two sensible sentences in a row. Phobos's trademark cruelty- apparently he hadn't thought twice before sacrificing his supporters in the name of his own sake.

"I don't know, Julian. Something in the entire problem doesn't add up."- his wife was striding around the premise with hands on her hips. "If the brat was actually working alone the entire time, like Magana said, how did he manage to discharge the Cavigor prisoners whilst being held in the ballroom? How did he flee from Meridian in the matter of minutes?"

"He might've acquired temporal minions."- the man shrugged, a look of concern in his eyes. "Like these men here...Why, you have other hypotheses?"

Nerissa didn't answer right away. Telling anyone that she had revealed Magana's lie in the moment of saying, was pointless at this stage. Will was probably just going to accuse her of risking the lives of others. But nevertheless, the ex-guardian did have a reason to let things unfold as directed by the Queen. She had gone along with her version, even though, after 15 years spent in the Meridian Palace, she knew full well what Phobos's hair actually looked like. Goodness gracious, she had washed the brat's clothes and bedsheets! His hair was an extremely fair- almost white toned hue of blonde...Not that dark honey-colored strand that the deglamouring potion had revealed the posing maid's hair as. But naturally, Queen Magana couldn't have known that such little details were involved in the entire game, she had played her part in a very deserving fashion. Nerissa smirked under her nose. At some point, the hazel-haired fox had almost fooled her. But that hardly mattered, even though she knew that Magana had gone for an untruth, she was still on pins and needles, waiting for the truth to be revealed.
Unfortunately, as the hours went by and nothing happened, she was losing patience.

"Nerissa?"- Nerissa flinched but quickly proceeded to relax her muscles as she felt the man's arms around her. "Is something else to matter?"

"No, no. I'm just...yearning for all this to be over sooner. As I'm yearning for you. In fact, why don't you take me somewhere tonight. Somewhere fun and bright, and then somewhere secluded and romantic..."

Seeing his bearded grin made her smile too. She had distracted his worry, distracting her own at the same time.

"Whatever you say."

But their moment of intimacy was short-lived when the gates of the dungeons opened and two men walked inside. Caleb walked along with the Coronian prince, whose features were glum and impenetrable.

"Caleb, are there any news in reference to Phobos?"- his father began at once.

"Hardly."- the younger man shook his head grimly. "The guardians are still searching for him. He escaped them yet again near the Eastern Mountainous Wetland. "

"Well."- Nerissa folded her arms on her chest. "I can only hope that we haven't given the said guardians a too hard task."

They had bonded earlier that same morning, but now that it was noontime and their mission was still fruitless, Nerissa was starting to get annoyed, willing to take it all out on the guardians:

"It's not all in their hands, mom. The cad is quick and clever, he has studied his way around Coronia. You saw how he almost killed us all in that mansion... He's escaping them so skillfully as if he's a native to these lands."

Julian and Nerissa exchanged glances before looking back at their son.

"Then what is it that you want to say, son?"- Julian asked. "And why is his Highness with..."

" Prince Andan had some worries to share."- Caleb murmured glancing over at the shorter man. "He..."

"Mage, I apologize for interfering with your affairs. I sincerely believe that you and the guardians of Kandrakar are the most qualified people to fight our joint enemy, given your history with him."- the prince spoke for the first time since his arrival alongside Caleb. All eyes were focused on him. He took a deep breath: "But my mother's disappearance leaves me no other choices. My mother, Queen Magana, left the palace more than three hours ago. She can't be reached and is still gone, I'm afraid that Phobos might have done something to her."

Nerissa's green eyes shone probing. Magana had gone out? No, now she was sure that her test was over. And it had been worth it because the results confirmed her initial thoughts. Now the prince had gotten her full attention, and he obviously felt it, because he tried to escape her look, but she didn't let him. He was indeed pretty. Too pretty for the seedy Elyon, anyway. Now she was to test his intelligence:

"I see, your Highness. I see where you're coming from, yet I can't help but share with you, that I didn't feel like your mother told us the entire truth yesterday."

Andan twitched as he heard that. He tried to conceal his initial reaction, but it was too late. Not only the sorceress but also Caleb and Julian had noticed it.

"What?!"- Caleb spat. "But how? She swore an unbreakable oath! How could have she hidden something from us in spite of that?"

"Yes."- his mother agreed and shrugged her shoulders lazily, as she kept staring at the prince. "This is a question that has been bothering me, but I remain determined. I will need the entire truth, that hidden part, in order to help your mother escape Phobos's wraith, Andan. I'm sure that you get it."

Andan shook his head somewhat irritated:

"No, Mage. I have no idea what you and mother have been discussing, for all I know, she went out three hours ago, but with the threat of Phobos hanging over all of us, her safety is at great risk. Please, do help me retrieve her before something terrible happens-"

"But, your Highness."- Julian interfered. "I don't understand, why has her Grace, your mother, gone out in the first place, when she was informed of the guardians' attack on Phobos? It wouldn't take him much time to come to realize that she has found a way to betray him despite his dirty tricks. Queen Magana couldn't have not been aware of that. That being said, I don't understand why would she risk going out-"

"What are you and your mother hiding from us again?"- Caleb raged as he grabbed a hold of the other man's shirt. His parents' words and Andan's ambivalent behavior had served as means to open his eyes for a bigger deceit. The Coronian royal family were a bunch of manipulating liars, in his eyes by now. "Enough with your games! You're not marrying Elyon if you don't stop being a lying rat!"

"Caleb, control yourself!"- his father demanded.

The guards at the entrance headed towards them, seeing the young royal being roughly handled, but Nerissa's spell stopped them in their tracks:

"Andan, you must make a decision, child."- she said coldly. "Either you tell the entire truth which Magana spared us, or you'll be left to deal with her disappearance on your own. I can only imagine how angry Phobos must be with her, upon realizing that she has betrayed him."- the sorceress finished mockingly, gifting the hazel-haired man with another cold glance. In part, he reminded her of Elyon and her own incompetence. That man was royalty while her son was to simply lead the Meridian Intelligence Guard? Her son, who had such golden traits, worthy of a true king. What a shame!

Andan was obviously debating. The rebel leader had let go of him, but he still stood perked up and tense, as if someone was pointing a sword at him. Nerissa was getting impatient. Did she really have to pull the words out of this fool's mouth with a cane? So much for the intelligence test. He was as dull as Elyon, they deserved each other!

"The enchantress which your mother lied to be non-existent, you silly boy, tell me the truth about her!"- Nerissa snapped. "I know that Phobos wasn't the one posing as that maid and as the 'mysterious woman' who released Cedric. I know that he has been getting help from a person coming from this realm, for a long time now. What I don't know is why?! Why is your family trying to compound her identity as much?! Who is she?!"

"Is Magana the damn enchantress?!"- Caleb raged and shook the bedazzled man once more. "Answer, you d-"

"No!"- Andan yelled in outrage, pushing the rebel's hands away. "My mother is innocent! Don't you ever dare impeach her again! Leonida is the one who brought our family immense shame! Leonida isn't dead, Mage; my sister's the enchantress in coalition with your Prince Phobos!"


Trivia:
In lapidem offensionis!* (from Latin)- Stumbling stone;
Neidron- a realm with magical wells wielding fog (witch book series: the Fogs of Neidron)

A/N: So, what did you think? Magana altered the story of Phobos's stay on Coronia, as to get rid of him without violating her oath, but it didn't live up to her expectations. Despite her trickery, only a part of the truth was revealed. Nerissa saw partial flashes of it, but how much more will she endure to be a step behind Phobos? The breath of war is in everyone's necks. What is to happen next? Stay tuned. :D