Chapter 19: Unboxed

Song Connection: "Fearless"

Amber approached Cedric one morning, pulling him aside from his conversation with Nigel and Baileywick. Seeing his focused expression, she inhaled slowly before telling him, "I'm ready."

He nodded. "All right. I'll gather the box, and you get the others."

Together, they worked on final preparations to travel to Exchancia, determined to unearth the madness and stop the chaos that appeared to be occurring in Exchancia.

Prior to their departure, Amber retreated to the room she shared with Desmond, collecting a few items for traveling, before catching sight of her reflection in the mirror. She stared at it for a few minutes, her hand lifting to trace the glass in the mirror. "Hmm." With a slow intake of air, she closed her eyes and focused for a few moments. When she felt ready, she opened her eyes and smiled softly at her reflection. "Amber… This is a really weird and dangerous situation you're about to face, but you have your family with you to help you out. Don't be afraid to lean on them and ask for help when you need it. Mom and Dad can handle things here, and they have help with the kids, so don't worry." She frowned slightly. "You'll meet Ember, Queen of Exchancia, head on. Don't allow her to manipulate or distract you. If she's truly evil, and if there's no saving her, do what is best for your kingdom, family, and friends. The safety of Enchancia and everyone here is a top priority, especially as you are their queen and leader. Protect them by confronting the problem head on. Show kindness and mercy when applicable, but do not be a pushover. Be fearless…" With her words spoken to her mirror and to herself, she felt a bit better and turned, leaving the room to meet up with the others.

In Exchancia, Ember was doing the same thing, though she seemed far more confident. "You've got to be strong and show no fear," she told her reflection. "You've built up everything around you to match what you desire. Those who stood in your way are now gone. You have an army of people behind you, ready to strike when you snap your fingers. Jaime—" She paused, faltering a bit in her bravado and speech. Jaime had not emerged from his room since last night when she essentially crushed his spirit. She didn't have the capacity to feel too much guilt or shame for what she'd done, but she did need him with her. "I'll have to talk to him later," she murmured, though she wasn't overly confident in that idea. Just seeing him looking defeated might change her mind. It's not like she'd wanted to destroy what little compassion the boy had left, but he'd gone too far. He knew she didn't have the same ability to care as he did. Why did he push her so far? She was nothing if not truthful, and the truth hurt sometimes… She shook her head, clearing it. "You can handle this on your own, Ember. You have the power, the drive…" She lifted her hands, watching as the dark magic pooled in her palms and surged throughout her body. "No one will hold you back anymore: not Dad, not your subjects, not this other queen, and not even Jaime. If he wants to change, let him. You don't need him." She turned around, her eyes a darker shade now, almost as if there were little flames within the irises and dilated pupils. "You can do this, even if you do it alone."

In Enchancia, Cedric held the box out for the gathered travelers to see. "This is our token that will safely transport us from one parallel realm to the next," he explained. "I will hold onto it for safe keeping, as it's quite powerful, and I don't want anyone getting hurt if anything happens. I think Sofia and I know enough spells or general magic to keep it tame, just in case." He turned the box sideways, indicating a carved out language that no one else could read. "After reviewing the box, I found this engraved on the side. It's a spell in a secret language that will activate the magical properties of this box to get us from here to Exchancia."

"Let's set some ground rules," Amber told the others as she looked around. "First of all, thank you guys for supporting me and going with me to stop this other queen. I usually leave the crazed magical adventures to Cedric and Sofia, but for some reason, it managed to tag me in this time…" She smiled as the others responded with chuckles or small smiles. "Desmond, you will stick with me the whole time."

"Just like real life," he agreed, nodding. "I can do that."

"James, your knight skills will be useful, but only when they have to be. Don't try to be a hero if you don't need to, okay?"

He grinned, patting the sword attached to his belt. "Fine, but I'm prepared, just in case."

"Cedric and Sofia… I think you know what I'm going to say."

Sofia nodded. "We have some spells and magical items prepared." She held up a small bag before nodding to Davie's Reliquary. "Cedric has the box. We can handle the magical stuff. You guys handle the diplomatic and physical side of things. But please be careful."

"Right. Dark magic is not something to mess with." The sorcerer glanced at his wife, who sighed. "We would know."

"Everyone understand?" Amber nodded when the others uttered their agreement, and she smiled. "It's going to be okay. Just stay strong and keep the faith. Don't be afraid."

Cedric reached out to Sofia and took her hand as he held the box in his other hand. "Everyone, hold hands. Once I say this spell, there will be a powerful tug that will transport us from here to the Exchancian castle. If you let go, you will likely be lost in a dark unidentified realm, and there's no guarantee we will be able to rescue you."

"Well, that's comforting," James joked as he took Sofia's other hand and then one of Amber's hands, squeezing both reassuringly. He smiled at his sisters and nodded. "We've got this."

Amber took Desmond's hand, and his free hand held onto Cedric's shoulder for good measure since his other hand was occupied with Davie's Reliquary.

Cedric muttered the hidden language, the spell activating as the box started glowing once again. "Hold on," he told the others as the pull from the box grew, and soon, a blinding light engulfed all of them.

Within a few seconds, the group had disappeared.

The Enchancian group teleported to the Exchancian grounds, right near what appeared to be one of the secret entrances. They were used to such things in their own castle, but who was to say if they were the same here?

Sofia retrieved her wand from the bag, using a spell to cast an invisible barrier over them. "Stick close together," she advised them. "The barrier will protect us from being seen, and we can get around in secret. But stay close and be careful."

They entered the castle through the secret entrance, undetected. They traversed the corridors, looking into rooms and side halls, noticing just how different this castle was to the one in Enchancia. For one, it was much colder, and it also seemed emptier for some reason. Where were all the workers? On the other hand, the color scheme was quite different too, and they were struck by just how red and otherwise dark everything was in comparison to Enchancia, which lent itself more to the patriotic colors of their homeland. However, with a queen named 'Ember,' it shouldn't have been such an unexpected color scheme.

Eventually, the group arrived at the throne room, though the doors were closed.

"What now?" James asked, stepping forward. He yelped when Sofia grabbed his arm and pulled him backwards, just before he nearly ran smack into one of Ember's guards. He sighed, whispering to his sister, "Can they see or hear us?"

"No," Sofia confirmed, "not as long as we're under this magical barrier. But if you run into them, they'll feel you. Magic can't protect everything, so it's best to stick to the barriers. We must be careful."

He nodded. "Right. Sorry about that."

They stood together for a few minutes, talking about their next plan of action, when the doors to the throne room opened on their own. Curious and cautious, they moved together through the doors, entering a rather dark, open room. Surprisingly, the doors slammed closed behind them, echoing loudly around the empty space.

"What's going on?" Desmond asked, holding his hands to his ears after the noise.

In the distance upon a platform where a glowing black throne stood was the glowing outline of someone with similar features to Amber. However, there was a much more sinister nature to her as she smirked at them, her features highlighted by a deep red radiance, almost casting her in a fiery outline.

"So," Ember drawled, her voice steady and firm, as she focused her line of sight straight on Amber, even through the magical barrier, which was obviously useless due to her own powers. "You must be Amber, Queen of Enchancia…" With a small laugh, which echoed around them, she whispered, "I've been waiting for you…"

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Think Twice