It had been two months since Ordu had messed everything up. The Voice had just recently found their new target - the man that had run from Ordu's camp during the first fight - and just needed the time to approach him and show him to the Masters. A couple days later, Lord Edan received a summons from the King and headed off with Eva in tow. This was the perfect time to take care of business.

The Voice waited until the third night Edan was gone and snuck out as soon as everyone was in bed. Using magic to track the man, The Voice was able to find him in a matter of hours.

"Moron- er, Morloc" The Voice appeared seemingly out of nowhere in front of the dirty man poking at a small fire.

At the sudden appearance, the man fell backwards, landing heavily on his backside. "Wha'? Who ya?"

"I am The Voice. Ordu was working for me and the Masters before he met his untimely death. I am here to give you the opportunity to wield magic and pick up the task that he left unfinished." The Voice explained.

At the mention of being given power, Morloc's eyes lit up gleefully and he quickly agreed.

The Voice held out their hand and cut a thin slice down the middle of their palm. Holding their hand over the small fire, they allowed the blood to drip down until it sizzled and red smoke rose. "Masters, I, The Voice, have a new servant for you to test. If you deem him worthy, give him your power and he will do your bidding."

The smoke formed into the shape of a man's face hovering above the fire. "Do you swear fealty to the Masters until the day you die? To do as you are told and work our will?"

Speechless at the magical display before him, Morloc simply nodded so hard The Voice thought his head might fall off. Suddenly, Morloc burst into flames. As the flames died out, the man lay still on the ground, dead, unable to handle the power the Masters had tried to give him.

"Curses!" The Voice spat. "He would have been easier to control than a true mage."

"Good try, but he just couldn't handle it," the face in the smoke turned towards The Voice. "You will be joining Lord Edan in the capital soon. You will be able to find those to do our bidding easily enough there."

The face in the smoke vanished and The Voice put out the small fire and walked away, leaving the dead Morloc where he lay.

*~*~* Break

It was the day after they had arrived and Edan woke up to a knock on the door. When he got up and made his way there, he was greeted by a castle servant carrying a tray of food for their breakfast. Edan accepted the tray and the servant promptly vanished down the hall. Edan arranged the food on the writing table and took what he wanted to sit in one of the large chairs and contemplate the prior evening.

A little later, Eva walked out of the bedroom still wearing her nightshirt and her hair tousled. "Good morning, my Lord...I mean, Edan." Eva blushed. Edan pointed out the tray of food and Eva selected some items for her breakfast and sat down in the chair opposite Edan. “Do you know when you will have an audience with the King?”

“No. It could be today, tomorrow, the day after – it depends on when he has the time,” Edan answered. “But while we are here, we will still continue your lessons. And there is a library here we should be able to look through for information.”

They had just began a lesson in magic when there was another knock at the door. Edan answered to find two people waiting. One was carrying the dresses promised by the seamstress for Eva, along with an outfit for him, and the other was a messenger from the King. He was to meet the King in his private audience chamber in two hours.

“There we go. Here, put on this dress and I will take you to the library while I meet with the King,” Edan selected one of the dresses that had been brought and handed it to Eva.

As Eva was putting on the dress, Edan summoned a servant to lead them to the library and then take him to the King.

*~*~* Break

The library was the largest Eva had ever seen. It reached at least three stories high and out as far as she could see. Edan left her with the library’s keeper and left for his meeting with the King. Eva asked the Keeper to guide her to the books that covered magic and spells, thinking to look there for a way to return to her kids.

As they were walking past the history section, a painting on the wall caught Eva’s eye and she suddenly had an urge to look through the history books instead. “Can you tell me, who is that woman?” Eva pointed at the painting that had caught her attention.

“That is the Lost Queen,” the Keeper replied. “Legends say that around 500 years ago the country was under attack and about to fall. She had done everything in her power to save the kingdom from the invaders but it was not enough. As the invaders reached the great hall where she sat, a bright light enveloped her and she vanished before they could take her or kill her. No one knows where she went.”

“Thank you. I’m going to look through the history books instead.” Eva said as she followed the pull she felt. Fine with whatever she wanted to look at, the Keeper simply told her the instructions for removing a book for the shelf and pointed out the table she could sit at to look through it. Eva followed the pull until she was standing in front of a section of older books. She carefully removed one and took it to the table the Keeper had indicated.

The book she had selected showed signs of charring and seemed to be missing several pages. Turning to the first page, Eva discovered that she was looking at a personal journal. Around torn and burnt pages, Eva was able to make out that the journal had belonged to that of a court Mage during the reign of Queen Breena the second. It didn’t say explicitly, but Eva gathered that the owner of the journal had not only been a mage in the Queen’s court, but also her lover.

Flipping through pages that she could only make out a word or two on, Eva found a couple pages that were in strangely better condition. She stopped and read the few passages she could make out:

The end is coming, I can feel it. The mages from Bantar have a strange magic that is too powerful for us to defeat – like their Gods are fighting with them! But it is too late to change the course of events as they are about to play out. The queen is pregnant with our child, she doesn’t know it yet, but I felt the child’s presence beginning to grow a week ago now.

We received the battle reports from the field today – defeat. The queen cried and was angry that she hadn’t been out there. But it wouldn’t have mattered – she would have just lost her own life had she been on the field. Along with that of our child. I still have not told her about the child she carries, but the child would be very powerful if they were to have had a chance in this world.

I spent the rest of yesterday looking for a way to save my Queen’s life and found one way. My Gods have agreed with the plan so I will be enacting it as the invaders arrive to the palace. I will be sending Queen Breena and our child through time and space to another world. I wish I could accompany them, but the one that opens the portal cannot step through. So I will gladly sacrifice my life for hers. She will not know what I am doing until it is done – there is no way she would agree to this plan – it’s too close to running away for her, but I love her too much to let her stay here and die.

There were no other entries after that last passage and Eva just sat there, staring at the pages. ‘Could this Queen have been mother?’ Eva’s thoughts returned slowly. Eva looked again at the painting labeled Queen Breena the second. It had caught her eye at first because it looked like her mother, and now, after reading the journal, Eva couldn’t shake the feeling that the woman pictured didn’t just resemble her mother, but was her mother.

‘But that would mean,’ Eva’s thoughts swirled. Her mother had never told her anything about her father besides that he had abandoned them. Eva wondered, had her mother not died when she was only thirteen years old, would she have told her about her father and this world? “Oh, Eva! Stop your dreaming. This Queen lived about five HUNDRED years ago,” Eva snapped out of her reverie. “There is no way mother was that old. But the journal said ‘through time and space’…so what if.”

“My Lady, do you need any assistance?” The Keeper popped around the corner, making Eva jump in her seat. “I heard you talking.”

“Oh, no, I’m fine.” Eva answered. Before the Keeper could leave, Eva changed her mind. “Actually, can you help me find any books that cover the Kingdom’s history during the time immediately after Queen Breena’s disappearance?”

“I’m sorry, My Lady, but there are none. The Kingdom was under the control of evil mages from Bantar. Only a few relics managed to survive the destruction they brought with them, like that picture. They didn’t allow the recording of any history during their reign so there is no information until the time they were defeated.” The Keeper replied sadly.

Eva no longer felt the pull of magic, but asked to keep the journal for the duration of their visit to the capital. When the Keeper agreed, Eva tucked it against her and moved on to the books concerning magic.

*~*~* Break

“My King,” Edan bowed as he was escorted into the King’s chamber. The room was cozy, with an expansive window behind a large, solid oak desk. A fireplace with an elegant marble mantle was set into the wall to the right of the desk while two inviting chairs faced it and the King behind it.

“Lord Edan. Please have a seat.” King Kyden greeted. “We have much to discuss.” As Edan took his seat, Kyden continued. “But first, how have you been? You arrived with a pretty lady by your side – I was not expecting that.”

“Actually, Your Majesty, had your messenger not arrived the day he had, I would have been writing to you asking for an audience and for use of your library on her behalf,” Edan answered. He then went on to explain how Eva had arrived and her desire to return home to her children.

Kyden listened to the story quietly, thoughtful as Edan went on, “I wonder if her appearance has anything to do with the reason I summoned you here,” he said when Edan had finished.

Kyden then explained that he sensed trouble on the Northern borders. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he feared it was just as powerful as the force Queen Breena the second had faced before her disappearance. As the strongest mage in the Kingdom, he wanted Edan to look into the disturbances and, if necessary, summon the Mage’s Council to deal with the threat.

“There is something else, is there not, my King?” Edan narrowed his eyes on the other man.

“Yes,” Kyden sighed. “As you know, I have no children. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem for a man my age, but next winter could be my last.” Edan sat silent, shocked at the news. Kyden continued on, “The healers have promised to make sure I am able to function as long as possible and that I am not able to pass it to anyone else, but they were not able to heal me.

I have had a dream that someone who is a direct descendent of one of the ancient lines will be revealed soon. If this turns out to be simply wishful thinking rather than a message sent by our Gods, it will be up to you and the council to select the next ruler.” Kyden finished and sat quietly, waiting for Edan’s response.

They sat quietly for several minutes before Edan nodded and asked to be excused to prepare.

*~*~* Break

Eva was still hunched over a book, looking through the pages when Edan walked up. “Have you had any luck yet?”

“Ahhhh!” Eva jumped and spun around. “My Lord! You scared me. And no,” she turned back to the book she had been looking at and put it away. “How was your meeting with the King?”

“Interesting. Let’s go for a little walk.” Edan held out his arm for her. Eva grabbed the journal that she wanted to hold onto before accepting Edan’s arm. “What’s that?”

“A journal I found that I want to hold onto while we are here.” Eva explained.

The two walked along quietly, enjoying the peace until they reached the gardens. Walking the paths outside, Edan told Eva what Kyden had said about trouble in the north and the need to investigate it. Eva found a bench to sit and show Edan the journal she had found.

When Edan didn’t seem to understand the importance of the journal after reading the passages Eva had pointed out, she explained, “My mother’s name was Breeanne. All she ever told me about my father was that he abandoned us. The more I think about it, the more I remember her telling me stories of a far off land; I had always thought they were just made up, but I’m starting to think she was telling me her history.”

Kyden’s words about an heir from an ancient ruler flashed into Edan’s mind.

“But even if that connection isn’t right, now I have proof that travel between this world and the one I grew up in is possible. I have to find the way,” Eva continued. “I would also like to know who pulled me here, why they did, and most importantly, how.”

“But if your mother truly is the ancient Queen, then you will be needed here,” Edan was trying to put his thoughts together.

“Why? You have a King. Even if I am right about her being my mother, that was about five hundred years ago,” Eva reminded him. “And I can’t help with any threat that might or might not be the same. I wasn’t actually here when she faced it.”

“Yeah,” Edan turned back to the journal in his hands. He had to figure out if Eva was right about her mother. The Kingdom depended on it. But what would he do if she was but still refused to give up her goal of returning to the other world?