I have several things to point out,

a) I realize I keep switching back and forth between Elizaveta and Elizabeta. The correct spelling is with a 'b' and I will be going back to fix my errors.

b) I'm sorry this chapter came out so late, I expected to have my laptop back sooner but as it turns out I had to leave it back home to get fixed so I won't have it until Christmas break.

Most important: I want to thank everyone for following this story and I love reading your lovely reviews. I do appreciate them and hope you continue to support this story. This chapter is kind of short but it's more of what's going on in the background than the main action which is what I will get to in the next chapter.

Enjoy!

The bright light flashed from the other side of the door and Aakusta pressed herself into the corner hearing the blood-curdling screams from the other side of the door. They echoed in her ears and her body tensed as she could feel the hairs sticking up on her arm and neck. She covered her mouth, her lips trembling and her chest rising up and down quickly.

Who was that man on the other side of the door? The man she called her son - was he even her son anymore?

The light flashed intensely a few more times, the screams echoing all throughout the house and she covered her ears desperately trying to tune out the sound. Tears spilled down her pale face as she slid down the wall and curling into herself.

This was not how it was supposed to be. Everything was wrong. She knew it.

Everything went quiet after what seemed like an eternity of torturous sounds, and when she could no longer hear screaming she hesitantly moved her hands away from her ears and looked at the door.

Oleo emerged moments later glistening with sweat and inhaling sharply as if breathing fresh air for the first time. His eyes looking over the room thoughtfully until he spotted the woman on the floor. "Mother," he hummed and she visibly flinched as he took another step towards her. He paused for a moment furrowing his eyebrows. He turned slightly just as his father walked right behind him.

Bisok's face was flushed and his clothes were sweat-stained and clinging to him. He was leaning against one of the doors hardly able to stand straight up by himself. His eyes wandered to his wife sitting between the wall and a bookshelf, then he looked away from her quickly back down to the carpet where droplets of sweat fell from his hair. He panted and hesitantly moved past his son and toward his cowering wife.

"Don't t-touch me!" Aakusta hissed at Bisok before he even made it halfway across the room. She wrapped her arms around herself hardly able to speak as she gasped for air between each word. Her lips trembled and she pulled her knees as close as they could get to her chest.

Bisok averted his eyes leaning against a chair in the middle of the room. "I'm...sorry," he whispered after a few moments.

"Don't worry," Oleo said as if he was spoken too. He removed what little was left of his shirt and threw it on the floor. "This will all be over soon."

Aakusta didn't dare look up at the man in the doorway, her eyes focusing on the bookshelf in front of her.

Tino felt as if his heart dropped to his stomach as soon as they exited the Black forest. Beside him was Berwald, sitting across the two of them was Lovisa. He tried to focus on what the two were saying, but it sounded like static in his ears. His focused on the familiar fields that passed by the window and the bumps in the road were enough to keep him occupied.

"With your father and brother already shifted I'm sure Oleo would be able to sense them quickly enough. We don't have much time until he realizes this." Lovisa said as if she were talking to a general of war rather than her own son. "We need to be quick, the Ravens are already in town I presume?'

"Yes," Berwald replied without hesitation. His fingers tapped his leg impatiently, if he had been allowed to shift and go into the village himself he would have been there already. "If anything goes astray from the original plan they will act as a distraction until we can regroup."

His mother nodded, her fan unmoving in her hand but covering the lower half of her face. "Do you have any idea where they are being held?" she asked quietly glancing over at Tino who didn't seem to be listening to their conversation.

"No," he whispered his eyebrow twitching and his jaw began to hurt. He rubbed his jaw slowly trying to collect his thoughts. However, with what Tino had told him never left his mind and it was a permanent image in his head.

As a mother, Lovisa would like to think she knew her children well. However, for the last two years, she has only seen her eldest son two or three times. They were practically strangers at this point, but some things never changed. "There is something more, isn't there?" Lovisa asked taking a guess. Berwald glanced at her, his hand pausing on his jaw as she could already see the first signs of his teeth beginning to change place. He looked away and she knew she hit her target. "Does this have to do with him?" Lovisa asked only slightly nodding her head towards Tino.

"I much rather not speak about it," Berwald said lowly his voice on the verge of turning into a growl. He gripped his knee with his other hand and Lovisa pressed her fan closer to her face. Her eyes wandering across to Tino who seemed to be in a trace staring at the landscape outside.

Ludwig, Gilbert, and Elizabeta watched the townspeople gather towards the center and he scratched his chin. "What are we even doing here?" Gilbert asked looking over at Elizabeta.

"The Duke has asked us to watch them, and to stand by in case anything goes awry," she responded and crossed her arms watching the non-magic users argue amongst themselves.

"We could always just go in for the kill," Gilbert said as he now shifted into a squatting position and a small smile crossed his face. "Would certainly be easier than waiting for those beasts to show up."

"What good would that do us?" Ludwig asked glancing down at his brother whose pale hair and skin would make him stick out of any crowd. "We need the Duke on our side."

"You know as well as I do his loyalty does not lie with us," Gilbert shot back.

"Both of you hush," Elizabeta murmured and she pressed herself closer to a wall as a group of people passed by. Once they passed she sighed out, "Just because we have magic covering us doesn't mean we can just make rash movements. Besides, Ludwig is right, if we can do what the Duke wants then maybe we have a chance for him to be on our side."

Gilbert huffed but the townspeople had become quiet allowing them to hear an older man who stood upon a chair looking over the crowd. "Please, please, let's not argue amongst ourselves!" he shouted.

"How can we even trust 'em?" a woman shouted towards the older man. "The Lord has done nothin' but ruin our lives, now we should side with 'em?" There was muttering of agreement.

"'Sides," another man said crossing his arms. "The Duke helped us out when the mine collapsed. If ya ask me he's done more than enough for us!"

There was another wave of agreement but the older man raised his hand to hush the crowd once again. "I know we don't all agree to this, but perhaps when the Duke gets here we can ask him for ourselves."

"That is if he doesn't kill us like Oleo said," a woman said. There was eerie silence among the crowd.

"They don't realize they're being used do they?" Gilbert asked.

Elizaveta didn't say a word, how were they sure they weren't the ones being used? Who was to say they could trust the Duke? Trust the Oxenstierna family as a whole? "Whatever they decide we're only here to assist the Duke," she said before turning away from the crowd and pulling her coat closer to her body.

Tino swallowed the growing lump in his throat as the carriage came to a halt and he stared at the crowd already gathered outside. "Alright Tino," Lovisa said tucking her fan away. Tino looked at her, his eyes wide and he felt his breathing pick up. "Relax," she said quickly and reached across to place her hands on his. "If this is going to work we need you calm and collected." He nodded numbly and she pulled her hands away, her face expressionless. "When we exit the carriage that will be the signal for the snake to look for your family. The Ravens will be nearby in case we need them. Oleo should be making his way out at any moment now, he should have already sensed us."

Berwald watched his mother as she went over the details of the plan, it was something he wasn't used too. She had never been one for violence or any sort of revenge. However, it seemed like this had crawled under her skin and he could see the menacing purple aura lurking around her. "We hope to cooperate with him," she said looking out the carriage window just as Oleo arrived walking idly with a cane.

Tino quickly looked away and back at Lovisa who didn't look at him, the mark on her neck in full view. Her usual loose blond hair was up and only strands of hair hugged her face. She glanced back at Tino, "If things begin to get ugly, don't panic. Trust us."

He nodded as Berwald tapped the top of the carriage and moments later the door opened. Tino watched as Lovisa stepped out first, then he followed after her. Berwald was the last to exit the carriage, and he glanced around the town's center where the crowd had already formed. He scanned the crowd quietly as they had slowly made their way towards them, in the front of all of them stood Oleo. He leaned on his cane and raised an eyebrow, a sly smile crossing his face.

"I'm glad you could make it," he said.

"We're simply here to speak on our behalf," Berwald replied. "And to put to rest the rumors you have given life too."

Tino watched quietly and recognized the many faces in the crowd. They were more or less staring right at him and he looked away. "If we may," he heard and glanced overseeing the mayor step forward from the crowd. He was leaning against his own cane heavily, he seemed to have aged twice as quickly since the last time Tino saw him. His eyes were sunken in and large bags were underneath his eyes.

Oleo glanced over at the older man and his tongue clicked, "Make this quick old man."

"I speak on behalf of the people," he said continuing on and staring at Tino. "We are well aware of what the Duke is," he said softly. "We do want to know, however, is are you in any danger?"

"Of course not," Tino stepped towards the crowd. "I don't know what he has told you, but Berwald has never hurt me."

Oleo narrowed his eyes at the old man as the crowd behind them began to talk amongst themselves. "Now let us ask a question," Lovisa said staring at them. "Why have you allowed the imprisonment of Tino's family?"

"We had no choice," the mayor said glancing at Oleo then back toward the three of them. "Lukas attacked Oleo."

"Lukas and Mathias," Oleo corrected swinging his cane for a few seconds.

"Mathias?" Tino repeated and then looked back at Berwald who seemed just as confused.

"Oh, that's right," Oleo said leaning against the cane once more."You don't know, do you, Tino?"

"Know what?" Tino whispered.

"I assume neither does your mother, Duke," Oleo said and seemed like a giddy child. Lovisa stayed expressionless as she stared at him. "Well, let me be the first to say then." Oleo chuckled and slammed the cane against the ground with sand flying up. "Your dear son has been lying to you, Dutchess. Mathias is indeed alive and breathing. Your son here," he waved his hand at Berwald, "Who proclaimed himself that he killed Mathias, actually simply locked away his magic. They've been moving and traveling so often that when Mathias' father died didn't you think it was odd how quickly your son decided to move over here? Afterall, he is incredibly far from you, is he not?'

"Get to your point," Lovisa said as Oleo could see the rim of her eyes glowing slightly.

"My point is, he moved here with Mathias to get as far away from your reach of power as possible. He has been lying to your face this entire time. Mathias of course going under several alias names before he reverted back to his proper name thinking nobody here would even recognize him here." Oleo waved his hand as if he had just shown a grand magic trick. "So, you see Dutchess, Tino, if it hadn't been for the web of lies you both foolishly walked into and allowed them to spin, then you wouldn't be in this situation at the moment. But, I'm sure if you ask the Duke, this was all in the name of the family. Was it not?"

Berwald was silent the pain in his jaw had gone numb and he looked up at Oleo. A winning smile on his face. "You fail to see how incredibly absurd you look at the moment," Lovisa said after a few moments.

Oleo looked at her with his smile becoming curious, "Whatever do you mean Dutchess? Do you think I'm making all of this up?"

"Of course not. What makes you think we haven't known all this time?" she asked.

Oleo's smile disappeared and he narrowed his eyes glaring at the Dutchess. "Know about this?" he scoffed. "There is no point in pretending, Dutchess."

"I'm not," Lovisa replied. "I'm sure you're well aware of who we are, and what we do, yes?" she asked taking a few steps forward. "We know all. We see all. We are the ones who pull the strings. The ones who set things into motion. You are who you are simply because we've allowed it."

Oleo watched her as she approached the crowd her eyes meeting his and never breaking eye contact. "You're nothing but a pack of savages!" Oleo snapped at her.

"Savages couldn't do half the things we've accomplished," she whispered. "As for my dear brother in law, Duke Aalt Køhler-Oxenstierna, insisted his own son be killed. He believed his wife had an affair when Mathias did not show signs of the family crest. This is not of an unheard of tradition in our family, but simply one that we haven't practiced for many years." Oleo gripped the cane tighter, his knuckles becoming white. "However, my husband did not approve of this tradition. When Berwald insisted he had killed Mathias, nobody was more in shock than me." She sighed out and glanced back at Berwald who didn't look up at her. "He is a man of his word. Usually. However, I suppose when it comes to family I can make an exception."

Oleo was shaking where he stood. "YOU LIE!" he snapped and picked up the cane quickly in his hand swinging it right at her. The cane went swinging and before Lovisa had a chance to realize what he was doing the end of the cane came into contact with her temple.

The sound of bone cracking rang through the air.

Thump went her body against the dirt.

Mathias groaned into the wooden floor beneath him, his body jerking in pain every few seconds. He panted looking around the room in a daze, all he could see were two teenage boys he recognized from the market.

One had long braided brown hair, and Mathias knew him as Juho. The other boy had short blonde hair but was heavier than the other boy, Toivo. They didn't seem to be paying any attention to him as they sat at the table playing a game of cards.

He opened his mouth to call to them but his voice caught in his throat as he felt an overwhelming amount of magic suddenly burst through the air. Berwald, he thought. Even with his magic Oleo had enchanted a pair of cuffs to restrain his magic. The cuffs digging into his wrists behind his back.

"Do you want some water?" Juho asked looking over at him, but he was kicked in the shin by the other.

"We're here to look after him. Not to baby him," Toivo scowled and set down a card in the middle of them.

"It's Mathias," Juho murmured and looked over at him once more.

Mathias pushed himself onto his knees even if his entire body screamed at him to just lay there pathetically. "C-can you get me some water?" he asked his throat dry and he struggled to keep his balance. Sweat dripped from his temples and the tips of his hair. His eyes could barely focus on anything in the room and he had to close them so he wouldn't pass out.

The two boys glanced at one another before Juho got up. "You're going to get us killed," Toivo hissed.

"Relax, it's just water," he muttered. He walked out of the room and Toivo glared at Mathias before it faltered seeing him leaning against the desk.

"Why is he doing this?" he asked quietly.

Mathias looked up at him through the hair that stuck to his face. "I don't know," Mathias replied and another wave of energy hit him. It was familiar, but he couldn't tell who it belonged to. He hit his head back against the desk and restrained himself from screaming. His body was struggling to let the magic flow freely, but with the cuffs around his wrist, it was impossible.

Joho returned with a glass of water and walked over to Mathias kneeling beside him and holding the glass of water to his lips. Mathias pressed his lips against the cup taking a sip of water. His eyes looked up only being able to barely make out his face, and he silently apologized to him before he kicked out his knee knocking over Joho onto his side. He quickly got atop of him and pressed his knee into his throat.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Toivo shouted standing up quickly and the chair he sat in knocked over on the ground.

"Listen," Mathias panted and stared at him."Get me the keys, and nothing is going to happen to him."

"We don't have them!" Toivo said quickly and was frozen hearing Joho struggle to breathe underneath Mathias.

"Then find something to break these cuffs!" he said quickly not sure how much longer he could keep up the act. He knew he had to, for the sake of Lukas and the others. He watched Toivo scramble around the room looking for something to break the cuffs until he found a fire iron in the next room. Mathias was hesitant when he saw him with that, "If you try anything funny I'll snap his neck," he whispered.

Toivo was shaking, but Mathias could see he was too terrified to try it. He watched as the boy walked behind him then hit at the cuffs several times trying to break them. With each hit, he could feel the fire iron scraping against his skin, but there was also a small pulse of pain that came from his wrists. He tried to focus on his magic to fight against the cuffs, after all, he knew he was stronger than this. Stronger than whatever Oleo had put on the stupid cuffs.

Toivo slammed the fire iron down as hard as he could and the cuffs snapped.

Mathias inhaled sharply quickly moving away from both boys and curling into himself. His body felt like it was exploding from the inside out. His magic flowed throughout his body rapidly like a stampede destroying every non-magical part that he had. He gasped for air his hand gripping the wooden floor as he crushed it underneath his hand and panted.

Joho stood up quickly coughing as well and Toivo gripped his arms pulling his friend far away from Mathias.

Mathias was unmoving for a few moments allowing his body to readjust. The cuffs hung loosely on his wrist and he looked at his hands that were bloodied from the fire iron hitting them. He didn't care much at the moment as he ripped off whatever was left of the cuffs and forced himself up. He could see both boys cower away from him and he looked away. He raised his hand towards them, "Dream away the bad, let it slip away. So it be." A soft purple mist collected around the two boys seemingly out of thin air and they collapsed to the ground in seconds.

It was the first time he had used magic for so long. His hands were shaking and he wiped the sweat from his forehead as his vision began to clear up. He needed to go and find Lukas and the others. He pushed himself off the wall and stumbled towards the door.

Lukas was leaning against the bars, his body trembling from the cold but he wouldn't take his eyes off of the cell across from him. Emil had finally cried himself to sleep and Taisto had been trying to negotiate with the man who stood watch over them. "Please, you know us," he pleaded with the other man.

"You know I can't," the man replied looking down at his lap. His arms crossed and he was rocking back and forth. "I have my own family to protect."

"He won't protect you," Lukas muttered absently. The man looked over at him, but he said nothing looking back down on his lap. The door opened and light filled the room, the three of them looking over at the door but there was no one there.

The man frowned and stood up walking over to the door and looked out. Outside he could see people running from the center. He furrowed his eyebrows and took a step to go outside before glancing back at the cells. All Lukas saw the man stumble out as if someone or something had pushed him, and the door slammed shut.

Elizabeta quickly locked the door as she heard the man banging. "Let yourself be seen by those who matter. So it be." She whispered and then turned back to the cells that lined the walls. She walked over to one of them and saw Lukas leaning against the bars and snap his head back when she appeared.

"Wh-Who are you?" he asked quickly moving away from the bars.

"I'm a servant of Duke Oxenstierna. He's sent me to retrieve all of you." She looked over at the other cell where Taisto looked at her hesitantly. "I'm going to need you to stand away from the bars," she said.

Lukas stared at her before nodding and moving as far away from the bars as he could. He watched as she ran her fingers over the bars as if looking for something, then placed both of her hands onto the lock. "Like the rage of a volcano, let me melt these bars to nothing. So it be." The lock turned a bright red before melting right in her hands and landed on the floor into nothing but a mess of melted metal. Lukas was in awe, he had never seen magic like that. Well, he had never seen magic beside the one time he saw the Duke shifting. She pulled open the bars and stepped aside for Lukas to walk out.

Lukas walked out of the cell thanking her and then going over to the other cell quickly. Elo and Taisto smiled and hugged him through the bars. Elo then looked over at Elizabeta who did the same to their cell. "I'm assuming since you're here that Berwald is already here?" Elo asked as he walked out of the cell holding Emil and making sure not to wake him.

Elizabeta nodded, "Yes he and Tino-" her voice caught in her throat and she stumbled back. Taisto quickly reached out grabbing her wrist making sure she didn't fall.

"What happened?" Lukas asked quickly as she was panting and her other hand held her head.

"Something….somethings happened. Duke Berwald has suddenly…" she shook her head again and was unable to say anything her knees giving out from underneath her.

"Berwald what?" Lukas asked quickly and looked at the door.

"Don't," Elo warned gripping his son's arm.

"If Berwald is in trouble than Tino must be too!" Lukas snapped pulling his arm away.

"No...no please…" Elizabeta whispered reaching out to him. But her vision was going dark, she had never felt this much Black magic before. Her hands were shaking and she could see small specks of white dots in her vision. "Please don't… I'm sure-" both her hands gripped her head and she inhaled sharply. The next burst of energy filled the air and it was like someone had hit the back of her head with a bat. Her eyes were wide staring at the ground but she couldn't make a sound. Then her vision went black and the last thing she could feel was Taisto making sure she didn't hit the ground.

"We have to go," Elo said quickly and turned to Lukas handing Emil over to him.

"Go where and do what?" Taisto asked stopping him. "We don't know what's going on out there."

"We can't just stay in here either," Lukas said looking down at Emil who was now shifting uncomfortably in his sleep.

"You need to get somewhere safe," Elo said looking towards Lukas. "Take Emil and get Taisto's cottage."

"I'm not-" they heard a sudden loud noise making all of them slightly flinch. The sound of glass breaking and screaming from outside filled the air.

"Get somewhere safe. Now." Elo said looking at Lukas and now Emil who had woken up to the loud noise. There was another loud noise as if something had crashed into a building, but Lukas still didn't move.

"I'm not running away from this."

"You need to protect your brother," Elo snapped at him.

"Stop it both of you!" Taisto snapped and held his hand up to them. He was staring at the door as the banging had stopped suddenly, but the handle was jiggling. "Get inside," he whispered quickly as the four of them, plus carrying Elizabeta inside, went back into the cell. He closed the gate to the cell just as the door opened, but they all pressed themselves against the wall.

They could hear screaming coming from the outside and the smell of fire leaked through the door. Taisto stared at everyone as they pressed themselves against the wall and he held a finger to his lips. Footsteps made their way down the stone steps and Lukas held Emil close to him. Emil hiding his face in his shoulders and already shaking.

"Lukas?" they heard. "Lukas where are you?" and Lukas recognized it as Mathias.

He quickly stepped forward but was held back by Elo just as Mathias walked toward the other cell. "Mathis, Mathias I'm right here," he said and Mathias turned quickly towards the others.

Mathias let out a relieved sigh and quickly limped over to the other cell as Elo opened it. "What is going on out there?" Taisto asked as they walked out.

Mathias recognized Elizabeta, "I'm not sure. What happened to her?" he asked looking at her.

"She passed out, we don't know why." Taisto said. "She said she was one of the servants of the Duke."

He nodded confirming, "She must have passed out from the waves of magic." That's when Mathias paused and he looked toward the door, "It seems like everything has settled down, we should get moving." They all agreed as they headed for the door and Mathias poked his head out.

The familiar town was up in flames, he could feel the overwhelming dark auras and he inhaled sharply trying to relax. He closed the door slightly again, "As soon as I open this door head toward the cottage." They all nodded as Mathias opened the door and they all walked out, Lukas hesitating to walk out the door when he saw the town in flames.

"Tino," he muttered but Mathias put a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, you need to get to safety. Tino is fine."

"You promise?" Lukas whispered looking up at Mathias and noticed the rim of his eyes had changed color. Or was it the lighting? Mathias looked pale and sickly and like he was going to kick the bucket at any moment. Lukas stared at him for a moment longer and he grabbed Mathis' hand squeezing it tightly.

"Everything is fine. I promise." Mathias said squeezing his hand back. Lukas let go of his hand and walked ahead as Mathias glanced back at the ruined town. "I hope," he whispered to himself.

Okay, so I hope you really enjoyed this if you did or didn't please leave a review telling me why. It is always greatly appreciated, thank you!