The Real Dish on Magic

They say magic doesn't exist. But, if you think about it, how couldn't it? It could be all around us! Ghosts could really be stalking us in the shadows. Zombies could be creeping around every graveyard. Werewolves could be following the moon right now, as this is being read. The eerie feeling you get in the dark, all alone? The feeling you get that you're being watched? Well, that simply is because you are being watched! Yes, yes you are being watched! Haha, isn't that an amazing concept? Some other type of, shall we say, life form could be watching you, at this very moment!
Don't worry, the being does not judge. No, it does not at all. It is there to protect you. Yes, that's right; you're probably thinking this is all craziness, correct? Wrong. No, these beings are what some people call guardian angels. They come and protect you from the dangers of magic when you are most susceptible to it; at night. Yes, at night, you are the most vulnerable to dark magic. And, if you do not know the ways of light magic, a being called a Scout is sent to you. They look different to everyone. Some are visible, and some are not. Some take the shape of an elderly man, and some take the shape of a cat. You will know, however, but the color of their fur or the color of their clothes. The lighter, the more control over light magic they possess. The darker, however, shows how much of the dark magic they control.
Your Scout will aid you until you learn magic well enough to defend yourself. You yourself may not think you are ready, but do not doubt your Scout. They will only set you out into the magic world when they think the time is right. Now, you're probably full of questions, right? Ah, I assumed as much. But, I can only answer a few for now.
For one, not every person on the planet holds magic powers. In fact, only two thousand per year are born with the magic powers. They can be learned, but not nearly as easily as if you were born with magic running in your blood. Usually the powers make you sick. It stirs in your blood, not doing anything, just neutral magic sitting in your blood. It starts to attack you, wanting you to use it. It doesn't realize the harm it is causing and starts spreading rare diseases, such as River's Disease. Don't worry; you'll learn more about that later.
Soon, you will dive into the story of young Kaitlynn Knowles. You will learn all about her, her disease, and her future. You'll learn a little bit about her past, but all of that doesn't matter anymore. She's about to discover many new things that'll seem strange and foreign to her. Unfortunately for her, she's going to have to embrace those strange and foreign things and learn many, many unfortunate events and battles. Here, dive into her story. It is one you will never forget.

Chapter One
It's Christmas in the Knowls household. The snowy cabin up in Flagstaff, Arizona had never seen as much snow as they had that year. You'd expect the house to be buzzing with excited children and the constant barking of a lazy golden retriever, scolding its pups for pattering against the cold wood floor. No, this house was quiet this year. No tree was set up, no lights were hung, and no ornaments hung gallantly from the tree. There wasn't even a snowman sitting outside.
This year, Kaitlynn Knowls was all alone. Her parents had gone to Florida, taking their eldest son, Kaitlynn's little brother, along. She shook as she walked down the wooden stairs and into the bright kitchen. Kaitlynn was tall and very pale. She had short brown hair that went her shoulders in natural curls. Her eyes were a dull green, getting duller as every day passed. She was very skinny, only weighing in at 100 pounds and being five feet and seven inches tall, that was very little weight. She wore a long robe with a pajama set underneath. You could see a bulge in her left pocket from where her cell phone sat. She looked sickly, and rightfully so. Kaitlynn had a very rare disease hardly any doctor had heard of. There had only been one other case, Michael Rivers, who died at the age of nineteen with the same disease. They named the disease after that boy. It is now called the Rivers Disease. This disease was a painful one. It would attack your immune system first, and then make its way to your nervous system. It will sit and tie your nerves into many tiny bunches. It would cause involuntary spasms throughout your body. Soon, it'll make its way to your brain and attack every last thing it can before you go insane. The scariest part, no one knows how to stop it.
Kaitlynn coughed violently as she shuffled around the chrome kitchen, looking for painkillers. The dog, who was previously sitting on the couch, was tagging along right behind her, ready to help if she were to fall. The dog carefully watched Kaitlynn's feet, making sure they appeared to be stable. Kaitlynn stopped suddenly and roared in frustration. "I can't think straight. Where did I put these damn painkillers?" She cried as she flailed her arms about the cold counters. Her hands were very shaky as she examined the different bottles until she found her sweet medicine. "Finally," She huffed as she downed three of the pills. The dog kept watching her, especially as she became uneasy on her feet. The dog kept her balanced by putting his head on the back of her legs, the pressure keeping her stable. "Thank you, Dover." She sighed as she patted his head.
Kaitlynn began to make the long trek back to her room at the top of the stairs when the door bell rang in a dull roar. Kaitlynn growled as she slowly shuffled her way over to the wooden door. The door bell rang three more times before she made it to the door. She barely cracked the door, barely able to see outside. "Who is it?" She asked, not able to see a face. The person maneuvered around until their face was even with hers at the crack of the door. Kaitlynn's body froze; she couldn't tell if it was the fact her meds were kicking in, or the fact that she recognized the boy at the door. "Go away." Kaitlynn growled, Dover growled lowly at the door as well. The boy was no older than Kaitlynn, seventeen years old at most. "Kate, wait," the boy pleaded "No!" Kaitlynn screamed and tried to close the door. His hand blocked the door from closing. "You have no right to be here." Kaitlynn cried. Dover growled louder at the door. "Alright, I get the picture. You really don't want to see me anymore?" the boy asked. Kaitlynn didn't respond. That question always bothered her. She knew she should just tell him no. She knew she didn't need him. Or, did she? Kaitlynn hated thinking too long on things; it caused her more pain than it was worth.
Dover broke Kaitlynn's thoughts as he nudged her leg. Kaitlynn sighed and opened the door wider. "Come in, Josh." She whispered. The door swung open and there stood a very handsome young man. He was six feet plus a couple of inches. His black hair was short and spiked with gel. His blue eyes had a smooth, silky shade to them. His skin was creamy and the muscles underneath it rippled showing he was very athletic.
He walked into the house with a concerned look on his face. "You're alone on Christmas?" Josh asked her, hoping he was wrong. "No, Dover's here." Kaitlynn tried to laugh. Josh didn't return a laugh, creating tension in the room. Kaitlynn huffed and shuffled over to a recliner. "So, are you coming back to school?" Josh asked as he lounged on the couch. Kaitlynn shook her head with a frown. "I can't." She simply retorted as she sat back in the recliner, closing her eyes. Josh laughed for a few seconds before jumping up off the couch and crawling over to Kaitlynn's side. "Really, why can't you?" Josh asked as he rested his head on the arm of the recliner. Kaitlynn opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Josh. "I can hardly walk, Josh. I can't be going up and down stairs all day." She tried to explain. "I'll carry you," "You have your own classes to get to; I'll just stick with doing this online." Kaitlynn explained again. Josh sighed and slummed against the wall. He closed his eyes and started to think.
Hours went by and the awkward silence was broken every once in a while with a crazy idea Josh came up with to try and get Kaitlynn to come back to school. Soon, it was nearing nine o'clock at night. Josh got up and saw Kaitlynn had fallen asleep in the recliner. He gave her a brief smile before kissing her forehead and then departing the house. "Merry Christmas, Kate," He said before walking out the door.
Kaitlynn didn't awaken again until late the next morning, around ten. She looked around the room, still sitting in the now uncomfortable recliner. No one was there. She glanced at the couch to see that Josh was no longer there. She felt a sad, but why? She didn't want to be around Josh anymore. Maybe that's why she never wanted to be around him; she always never wanted him to leave.
Kaitlynn grunted in pain as she slowly stood up from her chair. She wobbled over to the kitchen to get her meds, her dog following behind her just like the previous day. Kaitlynn stopped several times to try to catch her balance. She was getting dizzy far too fast; she had a hard time reaching the counter before almost falling. Dover watched her wobble and started to whine in worry. Kaitlynn tried to grip the marble counter, but she failed. Instead she went tumbling down onto Dover, who yelped and jerked by accident, causing him to drop Kaitlynn. She lay on the ground, crying in pain.
Kaitlynn reached into her robe pocket and dug her phone out. She looked through the contact list and selected one quickly before putting the phone up to her ear. It rang once. Then twice, then three times before the person answered. "Hello?" The deep voice asked. "I need you to come by the house, I just fell, and I can't get up." Kaitlynn cried into the phone. The voice called out to someone and then spoke to Kaitlynn again. "I'm on my way; I'll be there in five minutes." The voice told her. "Stay on the phone with me until you get here, please, Josh?" Kaitlynn whispered. The voice didn't speak. "Hello?" Kaitlynn said. "Oh! Don't worry; I'll stay on with you." Josh said. You could hear his car's engine roar through the phone. His door slammed and tires screeched. Kaitlynn tried to hold back her tears. She didn't know what she did to herself, but she knew it was bad. She tried to look around the house. Everything was pulsating, even her vision. Dover snuggled by her back and tried to prop her up but with no luck.
"Hang in there, Kate. I'm almost there." Josh soothed into the phone. Kaitlynn tried to focus on his words rather than her pain. She closed her eyes and bit her lip to avoid screaming. Her breath quickened as spasms flew through her body. She dropped the phone onto the wood floor and curled up in pain. "Kate, Kate what happened? Are you still there?" Josh's voice called through the phone, becoming more and more distant. Kate fought to stay awake even though it became harder and harder each second. "Kate, hang in there, I'm almost there!" Josh's voice was hardly audible now. Kate gripped the floor in agony. She cried and prayed for Josh to be there already. She needed help; she needed to get to the hospital.
Kaitlynn was now in so deep she couldn't even hear the roar of the car in front of her house, the sirens of the ambulance, or the dog barking like mad at the now open door. Paramedics rushed in and around Kaitlynn. Josh was told to stand back, so he was still standing on the porch. "Ma'am, can you tell us your name?" one of the paramedics asked Kaitlynn as they put her on the stretcher. She couldn't hear him. She was barely conscious. "She's in shock; we need to get her to the hospital immediately." A voice said which Kaitlynn faintly heard.
As the paramedics passed Josh they asked him how he knew her. "I'm a really good friend of hers," He explained. The paramedic asked him to ride in the ambulance with them so they could ask him some questions about Kaitlynn. Josh agreed and they all piled quickly into the back of the ambulance. Josh explained to the paramedic Kaitlynn's condition, River's Disease. The two paramedics in the back shared a quick, nervous glance. "How long has she been diagnosed with this disease?" The male paramedic asked Josh. "Since she was born, why?" Josh asked, now in a panic. The male looked at the woman paramedic. Josh looked at the two paramedics. Neither of them spoke.
Finally, the woman paramedic looked at Josh. "She has a very weak immune system," she explained to Josh. "I know this, why are you telling me that?" Josh barked. The woman shook her head. "You don't understand, she has a very weak immune system and nervous system, it's causing everything else in her body to become weak. That fall could've just killed her." The woman explained to Josh, not breaking eye contact. Josh shook his head and looked at Kaitlynn. "You've got to be kidding me. Kate can't die! She just can't!" Josh cried as he took Kaitlynn's hand. The woman went to say something, but the man stopped her. "We're here," He said as he pointed out the window.
There they were, Flagstaff Medical Center. Josh held Kaitlynn's hand, rubbing it with his thumb. "Its okay, Kate, we'll get through this." Josh whispered. He hoped and hoped for a response from her, but the response never came. His heart started sinking more and more as the ambulance reached closer to the hospital. Soon, everyone was jumping out of the ambulance and wheeling Kaitlynn into the hospital and into a room to be examined. Josh was told to wait in the waiting room and to make any necessary calls. Josh nodded and reluctantly let go of Kaitlynn's hand.
Josh paced around the front of the hospital as he waited for Kaitlynn's mother to answer her cell phone. "Hello?" A young, feminine voice spoke into the phone. "Mrs. Knowls?" Josh verified. He hadn't heard her voice in a long time; it wasn't familiar to him anymore. "Yes, this is she." She said in a cheery, calm tone. Josh sighed before he began to explain to her. "This is Josh, Kaitlynn's friend from school." He began. "Oh, hi there, it's been a while since we've gotten to speak, hasn't it?" She started to ramble excitedly. "Uh, ma'am, Kaitlynn's been hurt." Josh explained, cutting her off. Josh heard nothing for a few seconds, and then a deep sigh. "What do you mean she's hurt?" She asked him impatiently. "She fell in the kitchen this morning, she couldn't get up, and so she called me. I called 911 on my way; she's in the hospital right now." Josh explained, trying not to upset the woman.
"What has the doctor said?" Mrs. Knowls asked. Josh sighed and shrugged, then realized she couldn't see his body language. "The doctor hasn't come out and said how she's doing. The paramedic's seemed worried when I told them she has River's Disease."
The woman sighed on the other end. "I'll get on the first flight out there." The woman said as if it were a hassle to see her daughter. Before Josh could say another word, the woman had hung up. Josh shook his head as he shoved his phone back into his pocket and walked back inside the hospital. He sat there for hours. He sat in the uncomfortable plastic waiting room chairs and waited for a doctor to come report on Kaitlynn's health. He wanted to be with her, he wanted to know she was okay.
What if she was wasn't okay? Josh couldn't just sit there and wait. He needed to know what was going on that moment. He started pacing around the room, coincidentally matching another man's pace. The man opposite of Josh wore peculiar clothing. He had an elegant purple robe on. He had curly toed shoes that were purple with gold trims. He had long gray hair with a wispy beard.
Josh heard plenty of other names while he was observing the man, but none of the doctors ever uttered the name "Kaitlynn Knowles".
Hours upon hours had passed. Josh's pace never slowed, and neither did the man opposing him. Finally, a doctor made his way into the now fairly empty waiting room. "For Kaitlynn," The doctor murmured through a mask. The doctor looked up from his clipboard to see two men staring at him. "Oh, uh, for Kaitlynn Knowles," He clarified with an apologetic look upon his young face. Both of the men kept staring at him, waiting to know what was to be known.
"Oh, okay then," The doctor said as he flipped through some of the papers on the clipboard. He was a new doctor and he seemed very nervous. "She is in ICU right now. She doesn't look too good right now," The doctor stated. "Well, I mean, medically she doesn't look good. She has a chance on surviving, although it is small." The doctor finished and looked at both of the men. Josh couldn't form any words; his mind was in a whirl. "May we go see her?" The older man asked with a very soft, yet firm tone. The doctor stammered around his words.
"I guess you can, but only for a little while. She needs to rest." The doctor tried to sound firm, but instead let out a girlish squeal in anxiety. The two men were led down a narrow hallway that was filled with odds and ends of different carts and chatting doctors. Josh looked over at the old man. He looked far too graceful for his age. When he walked, he almost looked as if he were floating. The doctor finally stopped walking. "This is her room. Please don't get too excited, she really needs to rest." The doctor whispered. The two men slowly walked into the cold, awaiting room.
There she was. Kaitlynn was resting in an uncomfortable hospital bed all in white. She was even paler than she usually was. She opened her eyes as soon as she felt Josh's warm hand touch her cold palm. She looked into his eyes and a tear surfaced, but she quickly batted it away. She looked over at the old man that was sitting in the cornered chair. "How are you, Kaitlynn?" The old man asked firmly. "Uh," Kaitlynn stammered. "I'm getting there, I guess." She stated. The man nodded and rose from his chair. He was so tall! His presence bothered Kaitlynn, but she didn't know why. He pressed his bony index finger against his thin lips as he walked closer to the bed. "I have important information for you." He whispered as he crouched down to her level.
Kaitlynn said nothing and did nothing except for staring into the old man's deep eyes. "I know how you can get better." The man whispered in an almost psychotic tone. Josh jumped and Kaitlynn squeezed his hand with all the strength she could manage, which wasn't much. "And how could you know that?" Kaitlynn asked slowly, pacing herself as to not get too lightheaded. "First, let me introduce myself." The old man said as he slowly rose and walked towards the door.
The old man locked the door and turned back towards the two teenagers. "My name is Kaljim. Call me, Kal; it's easier to say, is it not?" The old man asked as he paced around the room. Kaitlynn nodded slowly. Josh was still slightly angered. "Alright, maybe I should tell you about who you really are." "What do you mean 'who you really are'?" Kaitlynn asked, followed by a strong cough. Kal smiled. "I was hoping you'd ask that. Your name is still Kaitlynn, you're still seventeen, but everything else has been a lie." Kal said now in his normal, firm tone. Kaitlynn shook her head. "I don't understand, are you saying my family isn't really my family?" "Well, they are Kaitlynn Knowles' family, but it isn't your family. You are Kaitlynn Shawln." Kal started to explain.
"You see, your real parents, Harold and Karoline Shawln, are royalty. They, as the king and queen, look, or should I say looked, over the kingdom called Hatherwell." Kal was interrupted by a question. "What do you mean 'looked'? Are they not king and queen anymore?" Kaitlynn asked, suddenly worried for her newly found parents. "That is correct. You see, this evil, vile woman named Eya took over the throne. She started a rumor that your parents had feigned their royalty and they were to be banished, which they were. As the rule in Hatherwell, the royalty's children must be taken away and given to mortals." Kal explained.
"Are you crazy, old man?" Josh asked, standing up. Kal shook his head. "Sit, boy. This isn't about you, not yet." The man's voice boomed and shook the room. "As I was saying, the rule is that the royalty's children must be taken away and given to mortals, as you children were." "Wait, 'children'. That means I have siblings?" Kaitlynn verified. Kal sighed and nodded. "My, we have a fast one on our hands!" He laughed sarcastically. "Eya made sure that you and your siblings never met, and so far, you haven't. You had two brothers, Tylen and Aven." Kal could see this interested Kaitlynn and answered her question before she could ask. "Yes, I said 'had'. Aven disappeared; we haven't a clue if he is dead or alive." Kal sighed as he gazed out the window. "You know the mountain towards the more barren side of the state?" Kal asked. "Which one do you mean? There are so many." Kaitlynn sighed in frustration. "The mountain that looks like a boy sleeping, that is the one I am meaning. That mountain is the portal to our world. Anyone can go through the portal, but mortals would never see the difference as we would." Kal explained. Kaitlynn was incredibly lost, but Kal seemed to realize this.
"Things will make more sense as our adventure continues. You must listen closely to this part, however." Kal warned. He closed the window and pulled the curtain closed. He made sure the door was locked and stooped closer to Kaitlynn. "You and your brother, Tylen, must find Aven. You cannot defeat Eya without him." Kal whispered. "What if Aven died?" Kaitlynn asked impatiently. She started to believe what the man was saying, but, was it real? "We shall figure what to do when the time comes." Kal explained as he walked over to Josh.
"You, my boy, you are to help Kaitlynn." Kal said as he laid his hands on Josh's shoulders. Josh shrugged him off. "Gee, couldn't figure that one out myself. What else?" Josh sneered. Kaitlynn squeezed his hand and pulled him closer so he wouldn't jump up. "My, you're feisty. Well, Josh, it seems that you don't have any magic. But, I could give you a sword." Kal said with a devious smile. "A sword, that's the best you got?" Josh rolled his eyes. Kal laughed.
"You don't understand, this sword can give you more powers than any normal sword would. It has magical powers, you see. It'll take a bit of getting used to, but once you've mastered it, you'll do many magnificent things." Kal finished with a short bow as he pulled the sword from his robe. It was crested with rubies on the hilt and had an ominous shimmer upon it. Kal laid it in Josh's hands. The sword burned with a warm, almost fiery, temperature. Josh felt a weird feeling inside him, almost as if the warm magic from the blade was controlling him. Kal took the sword back and put it back in his robe. "You will receive this when you start your journey. First, we need to get Kaitlynn trained. Are you ready?" Kal asked her.
Kaitlynn looked at Josh, and then Kal. "I can't train in my condition." Kaitlynn sighed. Kal smiled and jumped up real fast. "I forgot to tell you the important part!" Kal was now dancing around the room, his robes flailing about. Kaitlynn tried to suppress her laughs but it was very difficult. The old man pounced closer to Kaitlynn's bed and whispered very low. "The reason you're sick…it's because of your magic! You haven't chosen light or dark yet, nor have you trained you magic. All it is doing is sitting there, stirring in your blood. The magic gets irritable because it has no idea what to do, so it attacks your body. I can help you. If you train, your disease will go away. It will be hard at first, but you'll notice a difference almost immediately. Now, since you have had this disease since you were born, it might be harder to get rid of. We might not even fully get rid of it. But that's okay; you'll see a great improvement." Kal explained. Kaitlynn's heart started to pound as fast as a getaway train as Kal explained. No more River's Disease? She could live with that. "I'm in."

Chapter Two
"Hey, you, get back here!" a voice yelled after Tylen as he ran with a sack of goodies in hand. Little kids watched the boy run down the brick road while the store keep was following close behind him. "Come back here, you!" The keep yelled again, growing more and more irritated. Tylen snickered as he took a sharp turn into a dark alley way, leaving the shop keep in the dust. Tylen pushed himself up against the brick wall as much as he could so he wasn't seen. The shop keep ran right past the alley way, not even looking down it.
As soon as the shop keep was a safe distance away, Tylen relaxed. He looked inside his sack to see quite a few items. Inside his cloth sack he had a few gold coins, a small vase, and a silky purple cloth. Tylen sighed as he closed the sack. He looked into the sky to see dark clouds loom over him. "Great, rain," he mumbled as he lifted his hood over his head. He turned around to walk out of the alley when he was face to face with a figure in black.
"Who are you?" Tylen asked, clutching his sack tight. "I don't want your things." The figure said in a deep voice. Tylen didn't recognize the voice and became worried. "Who are you?" Tylen repeated. "You really don't know?" The figure said, putting its hands on their hips. Tylen watched the figure come closer. "I think you know me very well." The figure said, touching the brick wall. As soon as the figure touched it, it went to black.
Tylen didn't say a word; he just walked slowly away from the figure. His hood had fallen down to show his spiked brown hair that looked as if it defied gravity. He had sharp facial details, including a rigid jaw and a thin nose. He was so skinny he looked almost sickly. The figure let out a small chuckle. "W-what's so funny?" Tylen stuttered. "You're frightened!" The figure said in delight. The figure danced around the alley rapidly, causing Tylen to become confused.
Before Tylen could say another word, the figure came up behind him and covered his mouth. "You cannot scream now, Tylen." The figure laughed. Tylen watched the bricks continue to descend into darkness and realized his fate. He struggled against the figure's dark hand. Eventually, he broke free. Tylen fell to the ground in a coughing fit. His vision was now growing dark. The figure cackled as it watched Tylen struggle on the ground. "This won't be the last time you see me." The figure said before disappearing in a puff of black smoke.
Hours passed before Tylen woke up again. He looked around to see he was still in the alley way, except for the bricks had returned to their normal color and dozens of people surrounded him. "Do you think he's alive?" someone asked their friend. "Of course he's alive, look, his eyes opened!" the other called. Tylen sat up quickly to see everyone watching him, now silently. He shook his head as he struggled to get onto his feet, only to fall to his knees again.
"Out of my way!" a man's voice called. Tylen murmured several curses to himself. He knew that was his father. Everyone separated to allow the man through. Tylen looked up to see a rugged man looking down at him. The man looked angry beyond belief. He had a scar that went across his forehead and down his right cheek. He took Tylen by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to his feet. "Time to go home." The man said in a harsh tone. Tylen's stomach dropped and he admitted defeat. He followed the man out of the alley way and back to a small cottage in town.
Tylen knew he was in for it now. He had disobeyed his parents and he knew the consequences. He knew that pleading would do nothing, and therefore he stayed quiet. Tylen and his father walked up the dirt road in silence. Tylen could see their run down cottage in the distance. The roof shingles were flailing about in the wind while the window shutters were shaking in despair. The only thing about the house that looked even remotely sturdy was the door. As soon as they neared the house, Tylen's father started talking.
"I told you not to be out at night. A man said you took a sack from his store." The man said without looking at Tylen. Tylen looked at his father. "It wasn't his anyways! It was mine in the first place!" "That doesn't mean you need to steal it back." The man growled. Tylen put his gaze back onto the dirt road. "Look, I'm not trying to yell at you. You just need to be careful." The man looked around him before whispering his next sentence. "You know her lackeys are around. They'll kill you in an instant." The man warned. Tylen nodded. "We need to stop them, dad." Tylen admitted. The man nodded. "I know we do, but we can't do it without Aven--" "Or Kaitlynn," Tylen added quickly. The man nodded again. "Kal is informing her about us now. I just hope she believes him." The man said. Tylen laughed. "What's so funny?" "She'll believe him. Whether she wants to believe it or not, she knows we need her." "Tylen, you didn't…right?" The man asked sternly, looking at his son. Tylen didn't respond. "I told you to stop invading people's dreams!" The man burst. "Dad, we need her!" Tylen roared. The man calmed and nodded as he walked into the house. "You're right." He admitted. "We do need her."
Later that night, when everyone in the house was sleeping, Tylen woke with a fright. He looked out the window and threw a coat on and yet again left the house. This time, not into town, no this time he wandered into the garden on his property. He quickly walked over to an oak tree that had a reasonably sized hole in it. He reached in and pulled something that made a loud noise at first, but settled down and started to move part of the ground. There showed several steps down and underneath the earth. Tylen quickly leaped down the stairs, as not to get caught by Her Majesty's royal army.
Once down in the room beneath the great tree, he smiled at what he saw. Books upon books on shelves wrapped the entire room. Desks were scattered all along the floor. On one wall a map with markings all over it hung gallantly. Tylen made his way over to the master desk, the one with all the drawers. As soon as he got to it, he yanked open all of the drawers until he found what he was looking for; portfolios. Tylen flipped through and abundance of papers before he got to the ones he wanted.
There he sat reading all about his long lost sister and brother. Apparently, after the three were born, their parents were killed in a deadly war with the Queen. The Queen took them with her, but managed to lose them in a busy town. That's where Tylen's father came in. He found Tylen in the blacksmith one night. Tylen had been screaming nonstop and was shivering on the cold floor. Later, another family found Kaitlynn and brought her to the mortal world. There were no documents on to where Aven went to. There were no documents of death, however, which gave Tylen some hope.
As Tylen put the papers back, he froze as he stumbled upon something. Inside the desk was a letter from the Queen's Army. It was labeled the day before. Tylen took out the paper and began to read it:
"Dear Mr. Sholow,
We are sorry to inform you that your son has broken many laws in the past few months. The Queen has decided it is time to take action. On the sixteenth of March, your son will be taken into our jail, located on the castle's property. Should you not allow him to come with us or try to hide him, you will be punished as well. We will find your son, he cannot hide from us. Do not doubt us, Mr. Sholow. You cannot win this battle.
We will see you soon,
The Queen's Army"
Tylen folded the letter and shoved it back in the drawer. He put his head in his hands. "They're after me." He whispered to himself. He shook his head and screamed. He got up and kicked a chair that was gathered around the wall by the map. He fell to the floor and thought. "The sixteenth…that's in only two days, I have to find Kaitlynn." Tylen groaned. He got up and ran outside. He needed to get back into the house before his father woke up. Tylen jogged down the pathway and crawled into the window that led to his room. He went to run out of his room when he was met by his father.
"We need to talk," The man said sternly. Tylen nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it! When were you going to tell me I'm being arrested?!" Tylen yelled harshly. The man shook his head. "Let me explain…" The man tried to reason. "No! There is no way you're getting out of this one! I'm being arrested and you have done nothing to save me!" Tylen screamed as he flailed his arms about to show dramatization. His father grabbed Tylen's shoulders. "What do ya want me to do?! Do ya want me ta fight them off ya or somethin'? Do ya wan' me ta just go erratic on 'em? I can't do that Tylen!" Tylen knew his father was mad. Whenever he was, his voice would slip into the more country side of the man.
"Dad, why didn't you just tell me?" Tylen was too angry and tried to be rational. His father didn't say a word. "You don't think I can find her!" Tylen screamed at his father as he pushed him. "What are ya talkin' 'bout?" Tylen's father questioned, his anger growing with each word. "You don't think I can find Kaitlynn! You think you'll just be rid of me. Well you know what? I'll just leave!" Tylen exclaimed as he slammed his door in his father's face. Tylen ran to his closet and started to throw things into a dark duffle bag. He threw as much clothes as he could fit into the bag, but left enough room to put other things, such as his wand, his money sack, and a small book.
Tylen's father didn't bother with the door. Instead, he barreled through it, knocking it off the hinges. "Look here, young man, if you don't stop this instant…" "What're you gonna do?" Tylen yelled, interrupting his father's scold. Tylen's father took ahold of Tylen's neck. His grip slowly grew tighter. "Stop…Old man! You're…Beyond insane!" Tylen gasped as he tried to pry his father's hands off. After about fifteen seconds of struggle, Tylen broke free and kicked his father in the shin. The man winced in pain and grabbed Tylen by the foot before he could reach his bag again.
The man pulled and tugged on his foot, causing Tylen to slide across the floor. Tylen shook his foot, trying to pry loose. He also tried to kick his father with his free foot, but to no avail. The man dragged Tylen out of the room and into the living room and kitchen area. He grabbed rope that was sitting on the counter and started to tie Tylen's feet together. Tylen started to scream, hoping his father would try to hush him. No luck. The man continued to tie Tylen's feet as if it were totally normal. As soon as the man was done tying his son's feet, he went for his hands. Tylen showed his wrists to his father, admitting defeat. That was, until he head-butted his father when he came close. The man tumbled down onto the wood floor in a cold sleep.
Tylen just sat there for a few minutes, his head throbbing in pain. "I just knocked out my own dad." Tylen whispered to himself. He then remembered the strangulation that occurred in the previous room and all guilt fled from his body. He sat up and untied his feet. He quickly made his way to his room, not sure how long he'd have before his father woke up, and grabbed his back. He high-tailed it out of the house and started to walk down the path to the road.
Tylen rubbed his head as he kicked rocks down the narrow dirt road. He looked around him to see a shabby shed a couple of yards away. "'Wonder what's in there." Tylen said as he ventured over to the rusty slab. As he neared, he realized the shack was much smaller than he originally had thought. He heard a dull humming noise coming from inside. He opened the creaky door just slightly to see a light inside the room. Before he could open the door more, he heard something rustling behind him.
Tylen looked all around him, but saw no one. Afraid that the Queen's Army could be after him earlier than they had said, which wouldn't be out of the ordinary for the crude army, he quickly hid in the shed. Once inside, he realized he had not picked the safest shelter. He looked around to see sharp weapons everywhere, anything from daggers to swords. He examined each blade and observed that one of them had a fresh blood stain on it. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his short hair. "You're working yourself up, it's nothing." He tried to assure himself.
The rattle from the door didn't help Tylen at all. Someone-or worse, something, was rapping at the door. Tylen's idea of an animal was confirmed when a low, angry growl was heard. He had assumed it was a stray dog until the being threw itself at the shed, causing a gigantic dent to form. Tylen was shaking furiously now as he was looking all around the shed for a way to hide. He fell to the ground and started to feel the bottom of the shed. To his luck, he found a door just big enough for him to get through. He swung it opened and jumped down the hole just before the being had crushed the front part of the shed.
"That thing is going to get in," Tylen whispered to himself as he ran down a pitch black corridor. He had no idea where he was going, but it had to lead somewhere. He kept running, not knowing if there were any turns in front of him, any traps, or even people. He kept running, afraid the beast behind him would soon be on his tail. No matter how much his chest burned or how much his muscles ached, he would not stop. His heart was screaming and his lungs were crying by the time Tylen decided it was time for a break.
He looked down from where he came and noticed the light had gone out. The door must've been closed. Tylen also now noticed the humming had gotten louder as he was running. It sounded like that whatever was humming was right next to him. Tylen started to feel around the ground and felt something wet and cold. He felt in all directions to see how big the object was. It was small, but it was something alive. Once he heard a small hiss, he took his hand back. "My apologies," he whispered to the reptile. Tylen got back up to his feet and continued to walk around the corridor, following the humming noise.
The humming noise soon turned into a slow, melodic beat. Tylen's heart raced as he quickened his pace. The beat soon turned into music and then, soon, the music had words dancing in time with the beat. Tylen was almost in a sprint as he ran into a wall. He fell onto his back from the force of the collision. Tylen jumped up again, out of breath and confused. He felt the wall in front of him in search for a door. What he heard next made him stop looking and fear for his life.
"The boy will be taken tomorrow night, your Majesty." A muffled voice pleaded. "That's not good enough! He should have been there tonight! What if he has already found his sister and brother?" another voiced scorned. Tylen heard a few scatters across the floor. "You're Majesty, please excuse these foolish men. We last saw the boy was at the shed…" The voice was cut off with a cruel scream. "The shed, are you mad?! Why didn't you follow the twit?" The woman scorned yet again. Tylen had concluded that the woman voice was the Queen. "We had our biggest beast try to knock down the shack…" He was cut off yet again. "Why didn't you just open the blasted door? Is your job too hard for you? You, you…Uhg," The woman muffled. There was a long pause, and steps came closer to the wall. Tylen spun around to leave, only to be met face to face with a man. "Turn around." The man ordered. Tylen spun around again to see a small girl looking at him. "Quick, this way," The girl whispered as she took Tylen's hand.