Chapter 6: Ominous Message
A figure dressed in all purple with a black cloak was pacing the hallway of her castle. "Oh, where is he?" She asked herself, her pacing getting more frantic.
One might think it was a bit humorous for a powerful magician to be pacing the floor like a worried mother, but this magician was worried like a mother worries about a child who was missing.
Just then, she heard a horn sound and a high-pitched whistle answered. "Oh, thank goodness," she said, rushing to the balcony where she could see the one she was waiting anxiously for was now approaching the drawbridge. Gathering her cloak around her, she jumped from the balcony and glided down smoothly and softly, landing on her feet. "I was getting so worried," she said.
"Master," the person before her said, kneeling before her and bowing his head. He was tall and thin with a pumpkin for a head, a jack-o-lantern smiley face, green gloves, and black boots. His shirt and pants, both simply styled, were gray in color while his cloak was all black like his master's own cloak. A belt with round, turquoise objects was around his waist and gave off a sweet scent. The person then stood up. "I'm sorry I worried you, Master."
She pulled him into a hug, her wavy black hair getting tugged by the wind around them while her two different-colored eyes, one green and one purple, were filled with relief. "Did something happen, Spooker?" She asked, calling him by his name.
"It did, Master," he said. "Edna passed away."
The magician gasped in shock. "What?" She asked.
Spooker nodded and they went inside, to which the magician snapped her fingers. A butler came up to her and bowed. "Yes, Miss Phantasia?" He asked.
"Jones, would you please bring me that file that Edna gave to me for safekeeping? The one only to be opened if something happened to her?"
"At once, Milady."
Spooker looked at his master, who turned back to him. "Tell me everything you learned," she said.
"Well, Edna must have arranged for Poppy and Edgar to go somewhere in case she died, because they weren't at any orphanage and I looked all over," he said. "And I don't think they have any living relatives, at least none that I could find."
Phantasia looked worried. "She seemed afraid of someone when she gave me the files," she said. "I didn't question it then, but could someone be after the kids?"
"Or they were after Edna and she wanted her children to be safe?"
They were pondering until Jones returned with the files and Phantasia looked through them for the first time with Spooker and Jones beside her. Her eyes widened. "Oh, no," she said softly.
Spooker looked worried. "So Edna was in a bad crowd thanks to her father?" He asked.
"Looks like it," Jones said solemnly. "But she escaped and met her husband, but then he vanished before the twins were born."
"And no trace of him," Spooker said. "I looked all over."
Phantasia looked over the papers and her eyes widened at seeing they were documents that could be used in court. "She had these ready for court, just in case," she said before spying a letter. She opened it and read it aloud.
Dear Phantasia,
By the time you read this, I will have passed away and I'm sorry I couldn't meet up with you to discuss more about what you just read, but what you read is all true. The crowd I used to hang out with got arrested and double-crossed by my father, who managed to get me out of there, but he also sent me away. I thought he was betraying me, but it turns out he was trying to keep me safe for when those people got out of prison. Before I got out of that crowd, I had met my future husband and we got married not long after, but he turned out to be from that same crowd wanting me back after I had left. My father, no doubt seeing how bad the crowd was, especially when they stole from him, apparently didn't want me to pay for his bad choices, but when I learned who my husband really was, he left, never to return.
I don't know what happened to him, but I didn't want him finding Poppy and Edgar, so I kept them hidden. My father helped me out a bit before he died and I kept moving until we reached our current home, but I fear that my old 'friends' could be looking for me. In the event of anything happening to me, I have chosen Oxana and Boris Hauntley to take care of Poppy and Edgar, to adopt them into their family.
I do have one last request of you, Phantasia. Please watch over my children and their new family. The crowd I used to hang out with wants my children for hostages, but there is no one to pay them because I found out later that my father had put all his money into a trust fund for the twins. It is inaccessible until they are nineteen years old.
I do dislike that things may come down to this, but in the even of my passing, I will at least be able to rest easy knowing my babies are safe.
Thank you again,
Edna
Phantasia stood up and took a deep breath. "Spooker, I'm sorry," she said. "I know you just got back from a long mission."
He placed a hand on her own. "What mission do you have for me, Master?" He asked.
"I need you to watch over the Hauntleys," she said. "Report anything suspicious back to me and if the kids are in danger, get them to safety at once."
He bowed. "Should I announce myself, Master?" He asked.
"No, not yet," she said. "Silent ninja technique for now, but that may change later."
He nodded. "When should I head out, Master?" He asked.
"Tomorrow morning, after you've rested," she said. "You can head to your room to unwind. I'll ask one of the maids to bring you up dinner. And please, make sure you get a good night's sleep. I don't know how long this mission will be."
"As you command, Master," he said, bowing to her before heading out.
"Miss Phantasia, if I may?" Jones asked politely.
"Yes, Jones?" She said, turning to give him her attention.
"I have some friends that I know would come to your aid at once to protect a child," he said. "If you'd like, I can ask them to be ready in case they are needed."
She looked at him. "You trust these men wholeheartedly?"
"With my life."
She nodded. "Then yes, please call them," she said. "I will send a message to the Hauntleys."
With that, Phantasia got up and went to a vast room in her castle. A large cauldron was in the middle and the liquid bubbled inside the warm pot. Holding her breath, Phantasia stepped into the liquid in the cauldron, thinking about the Hauntleys. A moment later, she opened her eyes and walked out of a long mirror that had appeared in the hallway. She hunkered down and listened, but all was quiet and she soon saw why. It was nighttime.
Quietly, she snuck into Oxana and Boris' room, waving a hand over the door to soundproof the room before she waved her hand again and a couple scarves rested over the vampire couple's eyes, blindfolding them.
Oxana awoke with a start. "Do not fight my magic," a voice told her and she paused while Boris woke up.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, but this is urgent," Phantasia said, her voice worried. "With Edna's passing, there are some people after Poppy and Edgar."
"What?" Oxana asked.
"Edna's father left the children a trust fund, one that a former crowd she hung out with wants to get," the magician said. "Beware who is around the children and watch for any suspicious people. This group Edna managed to get out of is dangerous and they aren't happy for her father for reporting them."
Boris tried to sense who was in the room, but couldn't. "Who are you?" He asked.
"A guardian," she said softly. "One granting a last request to a friend." She snapped her fingers. "Be careful, Hauntleys. And please keep Edgar and Poppy safe."
She stepped back into the mirror that appeared behind her and it vanished. When it did, the blindfolds vanished and Oxana and Boris quickly looked around, but no one was there. "What was that?" Oxana asked.
"I don't know," Boris said, looking worried. "Do you think...it was a hoax?"
The red-haired vampire shook her head. "No, I don't think so," she said. "Whoever was here sounded really urgent."
"You're right," he said with a nod. "We'll look into it in the morning."
Oxana nodded, hugging her husband while Spooker was outside, checking on the kids and he found them all resting well. "No one's going to get to these kids," he vowed to himself. "Not so long as I serve my master."
Bit of a twist, huh? :)
Please leave a review, but no flames! Phantasia (Latin for fantasy) belongs to me.
GoldGuardian2418
