We managed to somehow get out of the house and also get on our horses without being noticed. We didn't wanna take the bus or use a carriage because we were afraid it would draw attention to us.

"Guys I'm nervous" Tori says as we're getting closer and closer to the estate "Someone literally got murdered here last night and we're actively looking for the thing that was probably the reason for her death"

"Just don't think about it" I say

"That helps a lot"

The estate has a few lights on but other than that we don't see anyone. We tie our horses to a tree and decide to watch from the bushes for a bit.

"So what exactly is the plan?" I ask

"We can use a spell to find the notebook" Finn says "You touched it right?"

I nod

"You're gonna walk a few steps into the lake then you'll say the spell and it should fly into your hands" He says

"What if it doesn't?" I ask

"It will, don't worry" Tori says

"Okay, I think it's clear. Let's go" Finn says and we quietly walk out to the lake.

I stand in front of the water, waiting for an instruction

"You're gonna put your arm out towards the water and say inveniam viam ad me, then the notebook will come flying to you" Tori says

I walk into the water and do as she says. I reach towards the center of the lake and say the spell. At first, nothing happens but then a few pieces of paper fly into my hand. The papers are drenched and some of them aren't even in one piece.

"Guys" Finn says and we turn our heads.

"Someone's here" He says whispering

We quickly hide in the bushes. I can hear footsteps approaching the lake. They suddenly come to a halt and I hear a few sentences of a conversation.

"You better get that notebook. My son will not be responsible for this I can assure you of that"

"Yes ma'am"

As they approach I can see them now too. It's a woman with what I suppose are two warlocks.

"Come on" Finn whispers holding out his hand.

Me and Tori take it and we're transported back to where we left our horses. Without saying a word we hop on them. I shove the pages in my pockets and wherever I can fit them. We take off and get home safely.

"What now?" I'm the first to say a word as we're putting away our riding equipment.

"We'll talk inside" Tori says.

We climbed back inside the house through the window we climbed out. Tori peeks out her door to make sure her parents aren't nearby.

"I don't think they're home" she says.

"Were those two people warlocks?" I ask as I take a seat on a chair by Tori's bed "With that woman"

"Probably" Finn responds "But that woman is the queen of Elsher. And on top of that she's Aiden's mother"

"Oh no" I say standing up "She probably thinks I had something to do with Amanda's murder"

"I doubt it" Tori says "You just got here. How could you have to do anything with a murder like this"

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"I'm sure she'll find an explanation if she wants to" Finn says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Don't think for a second that the she's looking for the one who's responsible for this out of the goodness of her heart. The monarchy is weak and she can't risk an uprising" Finn says.

"He's right." Tori says "Things have felt different in the past year. And the queen feels it too. She's clinging onto whatever power Elsher has left"

I reach into my pockets to pull the soaking papers out and Tori takes them from me. As I try to be as careful as possible not to rip any something falls from my hand and lands on the ground.

"What is that?" Finn asks pointing at it.

"It's a necklace" I say picking it up. It's a silver chain and on it sits a rather large pearl wrapped with more metal to protect it.

As I'm looking at it I feel like I'm almost transported to another world, it's nearly hypnotizing.

"Letty?" Tori says my name and I snap my head up.

"Was that in your pocket the whole time?" Finn asks.

"I must've accidentally grabbed it while I was shoving the papers into my pocket" I say

Ramona suddenly opens the door.

"Give them to me" she says looking at Tori's hand.

"What?" she asks.

"Give me the papers Victoria" she says, more demanding and aggressive this time.

"Mom you have no idea what these are" Finn says.

"Conspiring against the leaders of this world is a crime" Ramona says "I thought you were all aware of that. Now give me them"

"We weren't conspiring. This is a huge misunderstanding if you'd just let us exp-" I say but I am cut off.

"Give them to me now" She says taking a few steps toward us.

"No" Tori stands her ground.

"Desmond!" she yells as four Elsherian soldiers and my uncle enter the room. Three soldiers grab us and one takes the papers from Tori.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this"

"Let me go!" I try to move but my hands are already tied. "Why are you doing this? Arresting your own children" I ask looking at my aunt and uncle.

"Dad?" Finn says looking at Desmond but neither he nor Ramona say anything, they just stand by and watch as we're taken downstairs and out onto the yard. We get shoved into a carriage without seats or windows and we take off somewhere.

✧ ˚ · ☾

A few hours pass and I desperately try to find a clue that could tell me the time but there's none.

I watch as Finn tries to cut the rope around his hands with the tiny metal accessory on his belt.

"It's not gonna work you know" Tori says leaning back, eyes barely open.

"Well at least I'm trying" Finn responds "Where the hell are they taking us? We've been in here for hours"

"Averill" I say

"Are you certain" Finn asks

"That's usually where prisoners go" I say "They make you build fortresses and clean and cook for soldiers in training. Then after a few horrid years, you're released"

"How do you even know that?" Finn asks

"My best friend's dad was imprisoned there for some time. He never made it back but he wrote to his family frequently about the horrors"

"Great" Tori says.

The carriage comes to a sudden stop. We all freeze and try to pick up at any sounds we can hear. The door to the carriage suddenly opens.

"Thank god" says Alison and jumps in to untie us.

"Four is my lucky number" says Lyle.

"How'd you know we were getting taken away" Tori asks as Alison works on the rope around her feet.

"I couldn't sleep all night so I went back to the lake to look for the notebook but Lyle found me and informed me that he had seen you three sneaking away from there and he thought you might've already taken it so we thought we'd go to your house." she answers.

"We decided to walk and as the sun started coming up we saw these soldiers everywhere in Polis. They were shoving random people into the back of carriages and then we saw the queen and your parents talking at a servant's entrance to the palace." Lyle continues.

"We hid behind a wall and listened to their conversation. Neither of them sounded like themselves." Alison says with a concerned look on her face "They were talking about Finn and Tori as if they weren't their children."

"We quickly figured out what they did to you then did a tracking spell to narrow down your whereabouts" Lyle says "We have to hurry. We're near Stalgrunn"

"We're at the border of Solace?" Finn asks. "How is that possible? We've only been traveling for a few hours"

Alison and Lyle look at each other.

"It's been a week Finn" Alison says. "They must've given you something"

"Hurry, someone's here" Lyle says and we jump out of the carriage.

"Go" Alison says pushing us behind a large rock. It is only now that I notice that all there is I can see is dry dirt and rocks.

"What happened here?" I whisper as I look around "This used to be the most fertile land of the otherworld"

Lyle puts his hand over my mouth and motions with his head to the side. At least a thousand people pass by us on the road. They are all silent. I examine their appearances. Warlocks, halflings, and fairies. They arent Spades. If I had to guess almost ninety percent of these people are from Corter, Averill, and Elsher.

"Are they under a spell?" Tori asks.

"Come on" Alison says.

We follow after the group, staying about fifty meters behind them just in case. After about ten minutes of walking, we spot something. It looks as if the ground has caved in. There is a huge firey pit which only seems to be getting larger. I spot creatures with deformed and burnt faces working on weapons, and fueling the pit. But there is another thing. As the carriage arrive, like the one we were transported in they drive straight into the pit without thinking for a second. As the group we were following reaches the camp of these creatures every single one of them jumps into the pit.