"Oh, you do?" Shuuko asked, clasping her hands together and crouching down on the floor beside Spinel Sun.
"Yes. I'm pretty sure." Spinel Sun then looked from Shuuko to Keroberos. Keroberos nodded and then the two guardians placed their front paws together, and a large magic circle glowed beneath them. The group of people watched in awe, wondering what they were doing.
---
"Yuki!" Toya shouted as he climbed the stairs to the castle roof, his highest ranking knights following him, Eriol and Minoru. The king burst through the door at the top of the stairs and stared at the destruction of the roof. There was a large hole in the roof, and dislodged stones from the walls everywhere. Many of the archers were slumped against the wall, tired, and the rest were working to remove stones from the princess's room.
The king walked briskly out onto the roof, ignoring the bows he received from the archers as he walked to the watch tower and climbed quickly up it. He pulled himself into the tower and looked down upon the unconscious face of his friend.
"Yuki. Oi, Yuki." Toya said, kneeling down beside him and placing a gentle hand on his face.
The mage's eyes fluttered and opened halfway, and he cast his tired gaze upon Toya, "Toya-o." Yukito said softly, a small smile on his face.
Toya cringed a bit at the keigo, but knew that meant that Yukito was ok, he always needed to be reminded not to use it when it was just the two of them.
Yukito then seemed to realize what had happened and he pushed himself up to a sitting position before rising completely to his feet and walking to the edge of the watch tower. He took in a sharp breath at the destruction around him, and more-so at the room just beneath the hole in the roof. He cast his gaze quickly to Toya and the king nodded, his face downcast.
"Are they both missing?" Yukito asked.
"Yes, as well as Keroberos, Spinel Sun and the other travelers that came." Toya said briefly. He would give Yukito a full recap of the battle when there was time.
"I'm sorry, Toya." Yukito said, "I tried to keep the shield up around us all." The high priest clutched at his shirt for a minute.
"It's not your fault," Toya began, but was interrupted by a call from Minoru below.
"Toya-o!" Minoru called, "its Eriol-kun!" The boy pointed to the young magician.
Eriol's eyes appeared to be glazed over, and a magic circle glowed beneath his hovering feet. He reached up and grabbed the key around his neck, transforming it into the staff. He held the staff out before him and showed it to Toya.
"Toya-o," Eriol spoke, "Keroberos and Spinel Sun wish to speak with you." At those words, the center of his staff flickered and rippled, revealing the images of the two guardians, and four other people in the background.
Toya peered down at the staff before jumping from the watchtower and looking at the staff expectantly. "Yes?"
"Yo!" Keroberos said a grin on his face until he was shoved out of the way by Spinel Sun, and a disgruntled "hey!" came from out of view.
"Please excuse him, Sire." Spinel Sun said, bowing before the king, "But, we have news about the princesses' whereabouts, and their captor...and believe it or not, it is actually quite the little misunderstanding."
"A little misunderstanding?" Toya said, crossing his arms across his chest, "What kind of misunderstanding creates a kidnapping and a war for the history books?" The king growled looking at Spinel Sun.
"You know...this would be easier to explain if you were here." Spinel Sun said. The creature then cast its gaze up to Yukito, "Are you feeling well enough, High Priest, to do a bit of a transport spell?"
Yukito nodded his head and he climbed gingerly down from the watchtower and he stood beside Toya. "I believe I am." He said. The priest then held up a hand to the staff before nodding his head. "Good, now I know where you are. I will be transporting four there, so clear a spot for us, Spinel Sun." The guardian nodded before disappearing off of the staff. The magic circle beneath Eriol disappeared and the wizard stood on the floor, blinking slightly.
Yukito summoned a tall staff, which he held high above his head in both hands. The wind around them picked up, and a magic circle glowed beneath Eriol, Toya, Minoru and Yukito. The mage's grip on the staff tightened and he turned it sideways, the wind enveloped them and they disappeared from the castle roof.
