Caleb raised his eyebrows. He shook his head to remind himself that sorcerers surrounded him and he was also one of them. He entered the portal, followed by Daryn and Canton. As soon as they stepped on the other side, they found themselves in a small clearing on a grassy knoll. The portal closed behind them.

"Where are the men? How will they come?" asked Daryn, surprised at Canton for closing the portal.

​​

"They will join us via another portal because this one can allow only three people," said Canton dryly and walked ahead of them.

As they walked, Caleb noticed the blackness of the night. It was so deep that it obliterated the memories of the day. The stars were hazy behind the tufts of clouds that blew with the warm wind. The place was in complete contrast to Bainsburgh where the snowfall had already begun. "Where are the chiefs?" asked Caleb, growing restless with each step forward.

"Yes, where are they?" asked Daryn.

"You see those lights?" Canton pointed towards the right.

Behind a thicket of trees, just where the knoll ended, there was a cottage, which was glowing with lights. It was pretty far.

"We have to go there," he said and started to walk towards that side.

"Wait!" Daryn stopped. "Let the soldiers come here. We will walk together!"

"It will delay the meeting and chiefs won't take it lightly," hissed Canton.

The brothers gritted their teeth but moved forward.

"Why aren't you creating a portal to reach there?" asked Caleb.

"There are spells, which prevent me from doing so."

"Let me try," said Daryn. He tried but as soon as he created the portal, it would disappear into thin air. It was as if magic was preventing it. Although he could read the spells, this was very strong. Hair on the back of his neck stood in alarm.

"I already told you, my liege," said Canton and continued to walk ahead.

They must have walked no more than a hundred feet when they heard shrill voices.

"My liege!" Someone yelled at them.

The brothers were taken completely by surprise when the voices became louder. They were coming from the right side. "My liege, stop! Don't come nearer."

Daryn snapped his head to the right and noticed a silhouette of a woman running towards them with a torch in her hand on the knoll's horizon.

"My liege!" She yelled again. "Don't go there!"

"Who are you?" asked Caleb, and found magic crackling like fire in his hands.

She was only about twenty away from them. "Don't go there!" she said as she stopped, panting in front of them with disheveled hair. Her skirt was muddy at the hem and blouse was torn at places.

All of a sudden she was seen flying into the air and she crashed right on Caleb. Caleb dodged her in time and her head hit and bounced off the exposed rock on the ground. The force sent her skull being pierced by the rock so badly that it cracked and she slid to the side with glazed eyes. Blood spilled over the stone like ink dribbling down. Caleb rushed to her and bent down. The woman extended her hand towards him and he caught it.

"Who are you?" he rasped.

Daryn stood right next to Caleb as he watched her with wide eyes.

"Take care… my… liege…" she stuttered in a whisper with whatever energy that was left in her. "Don't…" She formed the last words but no sound came out and the next moment her hand went still in his grasp.

"Don't what?" Caleb shook her, not believing that she was dead. He looked up at Daryn who was looking equally confused.

"She's dead," said Daryn. "Leave her." He grasped Caleb's shoulder.

Daryn scanned the area. "Where is Canton?" he grated.

Caleb got to his feet and whipped his head around to find the high priest, but he was nowhere. "Maybe he has gone ahead."

"What? After all that just happened? I am sure he must have heard the chaos." His senses raised an alarm.

Not able to find Canton in the vicinity, they got alarmed and dashed in the direction of the cottage with their Lykae speed. They hadn't even gone fifty feet when they were flung back bouncing off an invisible wall. They both crash landed with enormous force the same distance they had covered. With fangs and claws sharpened, they charged again only to be flung back.

All at once blinding white light emerged in front of them and they covered their eyes with their forearms. Slowly upon removing the arm, their eyes widened at what they saw. Canton was right in the center of the light. He was levitating in the air. White lights emerging from his chest, snaked around his hands and pooled in his palms.

"Where the hell were you?" Daryn yelled at him with anger. He dragged himself on his feet when he felt as if a cannon ball had hit him. The Lykae was hurled in the air and he was thrown further down the knoll.

"Daryn!" Caleb shouted and turned to run towards him. However, even he felt the same force on his back and he landed near Daryn.

Shocked as hell, the brothers didn't know what caused the impact, when from the corner of his eye, Daryn caught Canton hurling the ball of white magic at them. He slammed into his brother and sent him crashing on the left, avoiding the fireball.

"Are you mad?" Daryn yelled at the high priest. "Are you trying to kill us? Where are the bloody chiefs?"

A sinister laugh from the high priest made them gape at him.

"One of the chiefs is already lying dead. She dared to foil my plan," he said pointing at the woman. "Now it is your chance!"

"What the hell—" said Caleb, but was cut off by another blast of energy sent his way. However, the fireball didn't reach him.

Daryn had waved his hand in the air to stop it and was growling at Canton. His eyes had turned orange and were glinting like flames. Blue magic lights crackled and sizzled around his fingers. He shoved Caleb at his back. "What are you doing?" Daryn growled.

"I am doing exactly as queen Sedora wishes," said Canton coldly. He was slowly floating towards them. "Both of you will never be the kings of Ixoviya. That throne belongs to her and you are going to die!" Saying that, he thrust both his hands in their direction to hurl the white beams. Daryn bellowed in the air and with all his might to stop the beams using his own magic.

"Why is he doing that?" asked Caleb, still stunned as hell. He had got them to meet the chiefs saying that they had rebelled. The man was so trustworthy. He had come to Ensmoire to give them all the training to hone their magic skills, then why was he even talking about Sedora.

"I have no idea!" Daryn hissed. "But he is going to get killed, because I am damned pissed off!"

"No Daryn!" said Caleb. "We have to capture him!"

"The bastard is not coming in control!" said Daryn.

"I'll help you!" Caleb came out from behind Daryn and said in a loud voice, "Canton does this mean that you were working for Sedora all the time?" He had to distract the priest.