“That’s so like him,” Mable sighed.

“Yeah, it’s frustrating, but there’s not much we could do about it,” Aria shrugged. “He hasn’t seen the stuff we have, and he’s still obligated to protect the Kingdom’s people,” she trudged through the sloped path. “Geez, how much farther is this thing anyway? We left Gelin when it was still light, and it’s starting to get dark now.”

“Not much farther,” Honey responded.

“You still have not told us where we are going, Aunt Honey,” Saya panted, before Xenia offered her a hand to stay balanced with. “Thank you, sister.”

“I believe it is whatever Honey was preparing before we departed to meet brother,” Xenia attempted to answer. “Am I correct?”

“You are,” Phordata chuckled. “The two of us figured we’d need an escape plan of sorts, so while we were gone, we had Mable, her sister, and the two demon sisters finish the preparations.”

“And those preparations would be…?” Fiona inquired as they crested the top of the slope, emerging at a small plateau. To their left was a small, raised table of stone bordered by the forest they emerged from. To their right was a steep slope interrupted by a sudden cliff that dumped into a pool of water at the bottom. On the other side of the plateau was a tall stone face with a cave cracking into its façade.

“A cave?” Xenia looked at it, noticing Yule and Noire talking to someone beside it. “Is this cave what you wanted us to see?” she asked as Phordata continued on toward the cave.

“Wait a moment,” Aria gawked.

“What is it Aria?” Saya looked to her knight’s awe inspired face.

“Master!?” she called out, prompting the green haired woman to turn and face her, green steely eyes cutting the space between them with her analytic gaze. “What are you doing here?” she asked as they approached the cave entrance.

“I was finalizing our preparations for Lady Phordata and Lady Honey,” Vert grinned.

“So, does that mean it’s finished?” Honey asked.

“It is,” Yule chimed.

“Wait, where’s Abby,” Lillia asked noticing the demoness had vanished.

“Sis got tired and went to go rest up inside,” Noire chuckled.

“Inside?” the others looked to each other.

“Come, you’ll understand once we head in,” Phordata teased.

As they entered the cave, a familiar floral scent began to fill the air as an equally familiar warm air wrapped around their coats. They emerged in a circular chamber with intricate engravings upon the floor and flower sculpted pillars. Xenia blinked in amazement as she recalled the room. “This is where you removed my seal,” she gawked.

“Removed…” Fiona repeated, “but as I recall that was at Phordata’s home in the Dark Forest, correct? How could that be here.”

“Traveling so far so quickly… Does that mean that the cave served as a portal?” Saya reasoned. “I had read it was possible, but…”

“A portal?” Lillia tilted her head.

“That’s right,” Mable nodded. “It takes a lot of delicate work, but you can use magic to connect two spaces together. While you were gone, Honey and Phora had us create a portal to her home.”

“But I was under the understanding that such a spell required large quantities of mana and time,” Saya wondered aloud. “How did you do it so quickly?”

“Well,” Phordata pulled a small fruit from her pocket, “I spent a great deal of time over the years creating fruits to act as catalysts for such spells,” she explained removing a glowing yellow grape from a nearby vine. “Part of the purpose of this enchantment chamber is to act as a receiver for any portals I need to make. I originally came up with the idea shortly after Zerto took Elise away, and I kept it going even as I lost hope,” she said somberly. “I hoped to use it in a similar way to how she used her magic to transport her here, but I’m not as good at such spells as her. I’m glad they came in handy now though,” she smiled softly.

“Why set it up now though?” Fiona asked, crossing her arms.

“I know you trust this brother of yours, but” Phordata took a deep breath, “should anything go wrong, I wanted to make sure we had a way out. This portal can be destroyed, and should we need to retreat, we can,” she gripped her hand, her balled up fist being met by a soft gentle touch, prompting her to look up in surprise.

“It will be okay Aunt Phora,” Saya smiled as she lifted her hand up. “We will not leave you behind.” Phordata smiled and nodded.

“This is rather convenient otherwise,” Xenia looked around observantly. “The plateau has plenty of space for the Lumina Knights to keep our supplies and having the comforts of our aunts’ manor will be rather worthwhile for everyone’s morale.”

“We shall prepare camp at the plateau then,” Fiona nodded. “It will also be good to get away from the city to avoid unwanted eyes.”

“You’re mostly correct,” Honey giggled. “But you won’t need to set up camp. We have plenty of beds, and space for you to store your belongings here.”

“That is very gracious of you Lady Honey,” Fiona bowed. “Thank you.”

“Still though,” Phordata sighed. “I’m still at a loss of what to do next. We do not know how long it will take your brother to come to a decision, and we still have little intelligence of that assailant.”

“Assailant?” Yule asked.

“Yes,” Xenia nodded. “When we met with brother, a woman appeared and attacked brother. What is stranger still is that she was clearly a witch and wore the cloth of the church.”

“That is strange,” Noire frowned. “Why would a witch side with the church?”

“No clue,” Lillia shook her head. “I certainly never heard of such a thing while in the convent.”

“Actually,” Saya pulled her hand to her chest apprehensively. “I have been wondering something similar. Why did she attack brother? She seemed ignorant of the church as well, and rather confused before she attacked as well.”

“What are you getting at, Saya?” Xenia cocked her eyebrow.

“Well,” she pulled her arms close to herself with uncertainty. “Perhaps this will sound strange, but I wonder if brother was truly her intended target?”

“If he wasn’t then who?” Aria asked.

“I find it rather suspicious that he would be attacked by a witch the same night we approached him?” Saya shook her head. “I wonder if her true intent was to attack us, and either she got distracted or confused,” the others looked down in silence. “And then there was that strange sense of familiarity…” she frowned.

“I fear you may be right,” Phordata said with a pained expression. “And if that’s true, who sent her and why?”

* * *

“Your highness,” a royal guardsman began as he entered the King’s war chamber, the king lowering a piece of paper, refolding it into the thirds it was delivered as, “Captain Aurith is here to speak with you.”

“Let him in,” Zerto said with an indifferent tone as he replaced the paper into its envelope. “What is it that you need, Captain?” he asked as Aurith entered.

“I have a report for you your highness,” Aurith answered with a bow.

“Is this about the assistance you requested, regarding the patrol situation?” he gave an indifferent look as he leaned into his chair.

“It is not your highness,” Aurith shook his head. “It is about a personal outing I took last night.”

“A personal outing?” the King questioned, his tone laced with agitation. “This had better be important.”

“Tis quite important,” Aurith nodded. “Last evening, I took a brief leave to the forest for some fresh air when I encountered a particular situation. I discovered a witch, just beyond the castle your highness. She had silver white hair and had purple eyes eager for bloodlust. I am certain she is a threat to the people’s wellbeing.”

“Is that so,” the King grinned. “A witch with silver white hair, you say? Is that all you witnessed?”

Aurith steeled himself, hiding his hesitation. “That is all I witnessed your highness.”

“I see, then I regret to inform you that you are a late in delivering this report, Captain.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I have already been apprised of the situation. It is of little concern for now, let the witches fight amongst themselves, my son,” he smirked. “With any luck the trash will dispose of itself.”

“Excuse me your highness, but fight amongst themselves?” Aurith asked confusedly. “What do you mean by that?”

“I see. You must not have observed the whole situation, but the witch was apparently combatting another group of witches,” Zerto explained with an indifferent look. “According to our intelligence, they appear to be experiencing some infighting. We are unclear of the circumstances, but it appears that one of them seeks the destruction of the others, which would appear to be rather beneficial for us.”

Aurith’s mouth dropped in disbelief, befuddled by this intelligence. There was of course the question of who the source was. He hadn’t noticed anyone to witness their duel. And the information was wholly false. While the witch did attack the others, it was only because they intervened upon her assault upon his own life. “I see, you are rather shocked by this news,” the king noted. “You must be rather perplexed by these other witches that eluded you.”

“Y-yes, your highness,” Aurith lied. “But a question if I may,” his eyes began to narrow with suspicion, “who provided this information?”

“Sir Goren, Captain of the guard,” Zerto answered. “I have also been informed that the group of witches was also responsible for the attack upon Lord Ilo’s manor.”

“All of them?” Aurith pressed him.

“Indeed,” Zerto sighed. “Your brother William encountered the lot while out on an errand and stated as such.”

“Is that so,” Aurith sighed. “William is many things, but I do not suspect such him of telling lies.”

“Quite,” Zerto cocked his eyebrow suspiciously. “Do not concern yourself with these matters for now. I already have my personal regiment preparing to oust this threat. They shall eradicate this threat before it escalates too much. They have much experience with handling witches.”

“I see,” Aurith replied with a stoic look. “Would it be possible to speak with William at the moment? I would like to hear this intel for myself.”

“You may not,” the king said unenthusiastically. “The fool took poor care of himself on his way back and failed to nurse his wounds appropriately. Consequently, he is currently recovering from his injuries. You know how obnoxious he can be when he does not have his way,” the king scoffed. “At any rate, he is not to be disturbed. Am I understood?”

“Yes, your highness,” Aurith nodded. “Very well then, I shall return to my own duties. Contact me if you require my aid, your highness. My blade belongs to this Kingdom.”

“Before you leave,” the king stopped him. “Are you certain you have any additional information to report. It could help the investigation.”

“None your highness,” Aurith answered with a firm nod.

The King stared into his hardened eyes as if to evaluate him. The seconds seemed to condense into minutes as he stood before his analysis. “Very well,” he said at last. “However, this is another question I would like to pose to you before you leave.”

“What is it your highness,” Aurith quietly girded himself.

“How was it that you came into this intelligence exactly? That information came directly to me from Sir Goren and he made no mention of your presence in his report,” he eyed the princely captain with intensity.

Aurith contemplated his next words carefully. He gripped his fist as he chose his direction. “Your highness, I am uncertain of the events Sir Goren reported. But I believe the situation is graver than you expect it to be.”

“Graver than I expect?” Zerto’s attention had been piqued.

“Yes, your highness. I was not finished with my report. As I said, I encountered the witch during an outing. An outing in which the witch ambushed me and attempted to have me killed.”

His words hung in the air. Zerto’s face fell, Aurith unable to see it behind his crossed hands. He gripped them tightly, his fingers digging into the back of his hands. He was enraged. “…less …ld,” Zerto muttered. “The silver-haired witch attacked you?” he glared at Aurith with unparalleled ferocity.

“That is correct, your highness,” he answered.

“I see,” he grumbled. “Captain Aurith, you are to remain on standby until I give you further orders, do you understand?”

“Standby? Whatever for?” Aurith asked, taken aback by the request.

“If these witches seek your death, then there is a chance they seek to destroy our royal line. Such an attack could not have been an accident,” Zerto gritted his teeth.

“I see,” the prince nodded understandingly. “Then I shall take my leave for now and allow you to make the appropriate preparations then,” Aurith bowed as he departed the chamber, his father grumbling angrily behind him. He shared a customary bow with the perplexed guard as well as he departed. His vision was like a blade as he stamped across the castle, returning to his chambers.

* * *

“Nerivi,” Aurith’s voice was harsh and coarse as he entered in their room alerting the young woman to his presence.

“Yes, dear?” Nerivi responded as she lowered her shining blade, placing the polishing cloth upon the table before her. “You seem displeased. Is everything alright?”

“It is not,” Aurith grumbled. “We must make haste and make preparations for our departure.”

“Departure? What are you talking about?”

“Recall what I told you last night,” he grimaced as he threw a pair of bags upon their bed to pack for their journey. “The truth that my sisters shared with me about regarding our father.”

“I remember, yes. And I was under the understanding that you were going to hold off on making a decision until you could discern his motives for yourself, correct?” Nerivi looked to him, his face curling with quiet anger. “I take it something happened to elucidate the matter?” Nerivi frowned.

“Indeed. It is rather evident father is lying to me.”

“Lying?”

“When I reported to him about the assailant last night, he said that he had already been informed,” Aurith clenched his fist. “And then he added that we should ‘let the witches fight amongst themselves.’”

“But last night you said…” Aurith glared at her and nodded. Nerivi sighed. “Aurith, what exactly do you believe has happened?”

“I would have been open to it being mere misinformation, but I began to become more suspicious when he referenced William’s account.”

“What do you mean?” Nerivi crossed her arms.

“From Xenia’s explanation, they had encountered William at Lord Ilo’s manor, but he hadn’t seen most of their party there, much less this assailant. Which leads me to believe it to be a lie,” he growled. “I trust Xenia’s account, and the omission of my presence leads me to believe that the information was fabricated.”

“That is a reasonable conclusion, but it sounds as if there is some other critical information,” Nerivi asked as he halted over his bag, “am I correct?”

“You are,” Aurith’s tone dropped. “Before I left, father stopped me, and asked me how I learned of the witch’s presence. I omitted the presence of the others, but did inform him of the attempt on my life.”

“And?”

“Father was enraged. His eyes were full of fury,” Aurith clenched his hand. “That intense gaze, and the way he gripped his hands. He was incredibly angry.”

“Is that so unnatural? His own son was nearly murdered by a witch after all. Such anger is justified, right?” she asked concernedly. “I think any father would behave that way?”

Aurith shook his head. “I have seen father respond before when it comes to attempted murders. As you know, William is not short on enemies, and he has had his fair share of attempted assassinations over the years. During those, father was angry, but in a very different way. He sought vengeance, but the anger was far less intense. That said…” Nerivi looked upon his face concernedly, tilting her head with her forefinger as it rested upon her cheek. “That anger. That expression. I have seen it in meetings before. It’s the kind of reaction he has when his plans are ruined due to insubordination. Father has a particular disgust for such acts.”

“I’ve heard. He’s even executed some soldiers for such offenses, correct?”

“He has,” Aurith nodded. “Given his demeanor, statements, and assortment other of lies, as well as the witch’s holy vestments, I can only suspect that that witch may be an assassin sent on his orders.”

“I fear you may be right,” Nerivi frowned. “But why would she attack you?”

“That is the one discrepancy I do not yet understand. I believe that she was not ordered to attack me, thus father’s fury, but as to why, I do not know,” he sighed. “Whatever the reason for that may be, that error has revealed to me that my sisters were telling the truth.”

“What do you believe we should do next then?” Nerivi looked to him.

Aurith chuckled. “You already know what I am thinking,” he grinned.

“Of course, I do,” Nerivi winked, “but this is your Kingdom and decision to make. So, I want you to say it yourself.”

“Heh, I could not ask for a better companion,” he smirked. “Let us go. We depart to find and assist my sisters.”