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Aurora and Devon looked at the demon in alarm. It looked out of place in the enchanted forest, like an ugly stain on a new dress.
How did it get here? Aurora wondered. Then she noticed the demon’s wings.
This demon was not like the grey one they had seen in the river; it was shorter, stockier, and with green skin. It had talons that looked poisonous and were oozing something green.
“Not so fast, princess. We just came for you,” the green demon said. “It is not every day that Malorna asks Gorge for a favor. She promised us fifty horses to feast on, if we brought her back her precious princess.”
Aurora felt sick. Gorge was a monster.
“Did she promise to chop your head off when you fail?” Devon asked. “Aurora won’t be going anywhere with you.”
“Ooh! The little princess has a little bodyguard,” Gorge said with a terrible laugh. “Malorna said not to harm the princess, but she said nothing about harming her friend.”
“Well, this little bodyguard will chop you to little pieces,” Devon said. “Then we will see who is laughing.”
Gorge laughed again. “It is still Gorge that is laughing.”
Devon readied his sword and stood in front of Aurora. Aurora felt foolish for leaving the cottage when her fairy godmothers had warned her not to. Now both hers and Devon’s lives were in terrible danger.
Gorge swiped his poisonous talons at Devon, but he moved out of the way. He swiped and struck Gorge’s torso. The demon yelped as the sword hit its target, but Gorge quickly spun around and slashed Devon’s arm with its spiky tail.
Gorge’s tail hit Devon's arm hard. He dropped his sword, but Aurora caught it before it fell to the ground.
“Devon! Get behind me!” Aurora said. She pointed the sword at the demon.
Devon moved back, clutching his injured arm. Aurora stood still, with Devon’s sword in her hand.
“Are you just going to wave the sword at the demon?” Devon asked. “Strike it!”
“What do you expect me to do? I am only sixteen! I am not a trained assassin!” Aurora retorted.
Small creatures had gathered all around and were watching Devon and Aurora fight the demon.
The animals were chattering among themselves. The demon had come to hurt their princess. They had to stop the monster!
The animals of the enchanted forest rallied together and attacked. Birds swooped from the sky at the demon, pecking at its eyes. There were other critters on the ground gnawing at its feet. The demon yelped in pain.
“Never mind that! Forget what I said,” Devon said, laughing. “Keep doing what you are doing, Aurora! You have an animal army at your command.”
“Enough!” the demon roared and flapped its wings. The wings’ impact blew away the small animals.
Gorge stepped forward and swiped its vicious talons at Aurora. Devon pushed her aside and took the blow, and the demon’s talons left deep gashes on Devon’s forearm. He doubled down in pain, clutching his injured arm.
“Devon!” Aurora exclaimed.
She pointed her sword at the demon, warning it to stay away. The sword glowed brightly. As the demon lurched forward, a blinding light came out of the sword.
The demon stumbled back as the bright light of the sword burned its eyes. The demon opened its wings and took flight to the dark sky.
“We will tell Malorna to expect you soon, princess,” Gorge said with a harsh laugh. “You will need her if you want to save your friend.”
Aurora looked at Devon with concern. She rushed to his side.
“Devon,” Aurora said. “We need to go back to the cottage.”
Devon nodded, but he was still in pain. All color had faded from his face.
“Think you can walk?” Aurora asked.
Devon nodded again, but stumbled as he stood. Aurora quickly put his arm over her shoulder to stop him from falling. Devon was so tall that he had to bend in order to lean on Aurora.
“My fairy godmothers will know what to do,” Aurora said. “Stay with me, Devon.”
Devon gave a small smile. They both slowly made their way back to the cottage, with Devon leaning heavily on Aurora all the way back.
——-
Luna was waiting by the door, and was the first person they saw when they returned to the cottage.
“What happened?” Luna asked in alarm.
“A demon attacked us,” Aurora said.
“What kind of demon?” Celestia asked. She had come outside too and was helping Aurora carry Devon inside.
“Its name was Gorge,” Devon said weakly. “What do you know about this demon? Was its talons poisoned?”
“Gorge! He is one of the higher demons,” Luna exclaimed. “I am afraid so! I will get a healing potion right away!”
“The Circle members must know what happened,” Devon said slowly, each word an effort for him.
“They will know, but first, we must get you to a room to rest,” Celestia said.
Both Aurora and Celestia took Devon to the room upstairs. They placed him in the bed, but Devon was barely aware of where he was.
Celestia spoke to Aurora outside the room.
“I will go help Luna with the potion,” Celestia said. “This is not looking good, Aurora. Gorge’s talons are poisonous, if not treated right away. There is already a potion in the room from earlier. Make sure Devon drinks that.”
“Ok, I will make sure,” Aurora said. “Devon got hurt because he went to find me. Please do anything you can to save him.”
Celestia nodded and went to go find Luna.
Aurora went to the room where Devon was resting. He was awake, but looked like he was in a lot of pain. She saw the potion remained untouched on the side table.
Aurora picked up the bottle and handed it to Devon.
“Take this healing potion, Devon,” Aurora said. “It will help.”
“What will the potion do?” Devon asked.
“Luna said that it will lessen the pain, but it will make you fall asleep,” Aurora replied.
“I am afraid if I go to sleep, I might not wake again,” Devon said. “What if I fall sleep and never see you again?”
“Don’t say things like that, please,” Aurora said.
Aurora had never seen Devon be so vulnerable before. He is scared, Aurora thought. The poison was spreading in his arm.
Aurora could see the black veins spreading like spider webs, where the demon had dug into his arm with its poisonous talons.
“The potion will help you stay alive, Devon,” Aurora said.
“Will it give me nightmares?” Devon asked.
“No. It will only show you your most pleasant dreams,” Aurora said.
Devon looked at Aurora and took the potion. He finished it in one gulp.
“Thank you, Devon,” Aurora said with relief.
“I guess I know what I will dream about,” Devon said in a sleepy voice.
The potion worked immediately. Aurora saw Devon could barely keep his eyes open.
“What will you dream about?” Aurora asked.
“Our kiss,” Devon said as he closed his eyes.
Aurora blushed, but Devon slept peacefully on the bed. Aurora felt a sharp pain in her heart seeing his weakened state. At least he wasn’t in pain anymore, she thought.
“You will get well again, Devon,” Aurora said. “I promise I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
She leaned forward and kissed him gently on his lips.
“Sweet dreams, Devon,” Aurora said. “Until we meet again.”
Aurora went downstairs, where her fairy godmothers were waiting for her.
“How is he?” Celestia asked.
“He took the potion,” Aurora said. “He is sleeping now.”
“That is a relief, but I am afraid we can only delay the poison from spreading in his body,” Luna said. “We will need our wands to cure him.”
“We don’t have much time,” Celestia said, worried.
“How much time do we have?” Aurora asked.
“Maybe a few days or even less than that,” Celestia replied.
“Where is Malorna’s fortress?” Aurora asked.
“It is in the valley of death,” Celestia replied. “It is somewhere in the kingdom, but I don’t know where.”
“How will I know when I am there?” Aurora asked.
“Death and despair will surround it,” Celestia replied. “Since Malorna took the kingdom by force, all the lands she took over decays under her rule. There will also be many demons near her fortress.”
Aurora was determined to go. She knew what she had to do.
“I will go to Malorna’s fortress to get the wands,” Aurora said. “You both stay here and take care of Devon.”
“That is madness! How will you face her alone?” Luna asked.
“I won’t be alone. Devon said that the Circle would help us,” Aurora said. “I need to communicate with them somehow, but first, I need to get out of the enchanted forest. I will have to go through the cursed branches again.”
“That will take too long and we have little time,” Luna said.
“What can I do then?” Aurora said. “I can’t lose Devon. I will do anything to save him. He has done everything to save me.”
“There is a way. I have enough magic left to open a portal for one person,” Celestia said.
“I will go immediately, then. I still have to tell the Circle what happened,” Aurora said. “If there was a way I could tell them so they are ready for me and we don’t lose any time?”
“Are all the Circle members linked somehow?” Luna asked. “Perhaps by clothing, an object, or a location? Anything that connects them?”
“They all have the same tattoo,” Aurora said. “It is a circle with a sword at the center. Devon has it, too.”
“That could work,” Luna said. “Bring your hand forward, Aurora.”
Aurora brought her wrist forward and Luna said an incantation. She watched the same tattoo as that on Devon’s arm appear on her wrist.
“Will I be able to communicate with them now?” Aurora asked.
“Yes. Just place your finger on the tattoo and think of what you want to tell them,” Luna said. “They will read your thoughts.”
“I will open the portal if you are ready,” Celestia offered.
Aurora grabbed Devon’s sword. She promised herself that she will return it to him soon.
“Yes, I am ready,” Aurora said.
“We can’t go with you but we will think of you every moment,” Celestia said. “Take care, my child.”
“Take care of Devon for me,” Aurora said. “I will return to you, fairy godmothers.”
Luna, Celestia and Aurora embraced one another. Celestia concentrated hard as she opened the portal for Aurora. She stumbled as a portal opened in front of them. Luna quickly reached out and grabbed Celestia before she fell down. This piece of magic was hard on the golden fairy, and the others saw her fade until she looked translucent.
Aurora reached her hand out too, but Celestia said urgently, “Go! I will be alright! Go before the portal closes, Aurora! I won’t be able to open it again!”
Aurora took one last look at the cottage and her fairy godmothers before she stepped through the portal.
———-
Castian called the twins after Anya left. He needed company to get her off his mind. He could count on Xavier to understand what he was going through, and he could count on Xander to lighten all of their moods with his constant chattering.
Xander was the bright spot in their company, always armed with a quip or a joke to make them laugh. Fortunately for the others, his love life was safe from any heartache.
“Boy’s night? Haven’t had one for ages!” Xander said happily. “What’s the occasion?”
“Distraction,” Castian said. He placed the cards on the table.
“Distraction from the outside world?” Xander asked. “Or the usual?”
Xander picked up a set of cards from the table.
“The usual,” Castian replied gruffly.
“Sheesh! One of these days I might get lovesick too... just to see what the fuss is about,” Xander said, looking at his twin.
The twins were identical, with their white hair and grey eyes, except for the terrible scar on Xavier’s face. The deep scar ran across his face. Xander wished it had been him that got the scar, even if Mortimer found who he was looking for.
Ever since the horrific event, Xavier hardly spoke with anyone... not even with him.
What thoughts plagued his twin brother? Xander wondered. What caused Xavier to become distanced from everyone else?
Every time Xavier looks in the mirror, the scar reminds him of what he went through, Xander thought with sorrow.
It wasn’t his brother’s fault he fell in love with Morgan, Mortimer’s sister. It wasn’t Xavier’s fault he fell in love with the sadist’s sister. When Mortimer found out about their love, he got into a violent rage. How dare a lowly stable boy seduce his sister? He hunted Xavier down and then carved out his face with a knife.
Xander wished he had been mistaken for his twin that day.
I would do anything to see Xavier smile again.
He made jokes and kept the atmosphere light even when he felt the opposite.
Castian’s voice broke Xander out of his reverie.
“When that happens, Xander, our world will surely end. Xavier and I will be miserable forever,” Castian said, shaking his head. “I can’t imagine you as being lovesick.”
“Me neither,” Xander said, laughing. “How else would I keep you two company, then? I’d be out of my only job!”
Castian wanted to say something, but he paused. He felt a strange sensation in his arm. He turned up his sleeve quickly, to where the tattoo of the circle was, and saw that it was glowing.
“What’s wrong?” Xander asked and then after seeing the glowing tattoo said, “Castian, what is up with your tattoo? How come mine doesn’t do that too?”
Castian was barely listening to him. He seemed to be concentrating on something.
“Devon is in trouble...” Castian said.
“Devon?” Xavier said, alarmed. "What happened?"
Both Castian and Xander looked at him in surprise. He spoke so rarely these days that they forgot how deep Xavier’s voice was.
“I heard Princess Aurora’s voice. Her fairy godmother used magic to send messages to us through our tattoos,” Castian said. The twins saw Castian had risen from the table and was grabbing his cloak. He added, “She will tell us everything when we meet her.”
Both Xander and Xavier stood up too.
“Where are we going?” the twins asked together.
Castian smiled. When the twins were younger, they used to do this more often.... say the same thoughts out loud together or had the same reactions. It had been a while since they did that.
As Xander and Xavier grew up, they changed a lot in their personalities from one another.
“She showed me where to go,” Castian said. “We are meeting her by her castle.”
“What about Anya?” Xavier asked. Castian felt the familiar ache in his heart at hearing her name.
“Aurora spoke with her, too. She is already on her way there,” Castian replied.
“What are we waiting for then?” Xander asked. “Let us go save our leader!”
When Castian and the others reached Aurora’s castle, Anya was there, like he said.
She is with Cedric. Castian felt a sharp pang of jealousy seeing Anya with pretty boy Cedric, but he tried to calm down his green-eyed monster.
“Hello, Castian,” Cedric said, good-naturedly. “How are you, Xander and Xavier?”
“Where is Aurora?” Castian asked Anya, ignoring Cedric.
“She will be here soon,” Anya said.
“What happened to Devon?” Castian asked. “Aurora said he was in trouble?”
“Aurora and Devon got ambushed by a witch’s demon, and he got hurt protecting the princess,” Anya explained. “The wound is poisonous, but Aurora’s fairy god mothers can’t cure him until they get their wands back. The witch has their wands somewhere in her fortress.”
“How will we get to the witch’s fortress?” Xavier asked.
“Aurora wasn’t entirely sure about the exact location, but based on what she told us, I have a feeling it will be in the north country,” Anya replied. “We know all the lands surrounding here, but we haven’t been able to see much of the north because it bordered too close to Kingshelm. We didn’t go there as we didn't want to be detected by David’s spies.”
Castian agreed with her thoughts. Anya had the sharpest mind among the Circle members, and her instincts were usually right.
“If that is true, it is still a huge area,” Xander said with concern. “How much time do we have?”
“We only have a few days,” Anya replied. "We need to find a demon; it will be the quickest way to locate the witch's fortress. We can ask local villagers along the way for any demon sightings. The villagers will not trust strangers, but if we present ourselves as demon hunters for hire, they give us the information we need. "
“That is a good idea, Anya. We should split up in groups of two,” Cedric suggested. “We can cover more ground that way.”
Castian thought it was a smart plan, but didn’t like the idea of Anya teaming up with Cedric. He spoke quickly: “Anya can go with Aurora. Xavier stays with me.”
Xavier look surprised at being chosen, but he nodded his head in agreement.
That left Xander with Cedric. Xander opened his mouth to protest, but couldn’t even edge in a word as Aurora arrived at that exact moment.
She was on the white mare. Aurora had found the horses wandering by the waterfall. When she called them, they came back to her. She brought Devon’s horse with her, too. The Circle saw Devon's sword hanging by her side, a chilling sign that something was very wrong, as the sword never left his side.
“Malorna’s fortress will have many demons around it. That will be another sign,” Aurora said. “I overheard your idea about splitting up and I agree we can cover more ground that way.”
“How will we let the others know if we find something?” Xander asked.
“My fairy godmother enchanted the tattoos for all the Circle members,” Aurora replied. "It will work the same way for everyone."
“How does it work?” Cedric asked.
“When you touch the tattoo, you can send your thoughts to others,” Aurora replied.
“All our thoughts?” Xander asked nervously.
“Only the ones you want to share,” Aurora clarified.
“Which is a good thing because I don’t want to hear all the nonsense that goes on in Xander’s mind,” Castian joked.
Xander smiled and said, “You don’t know the genius you are missing.”
“I will survive better not knowing,” Castian said, laughing.
Everyone laughed, except Anya.
“How is Devon?” Anya asked, gravely. Her question quickly made the others solemn up.
Devon was poisoned. He was edging closer to death with every minute they wasted.
“He needs us. We can’t afford to fail in this mission,” Aurora said. “We are the only ones that can save him now.”
“Let us not waste time then,” Castian said. “Remember to let the others know as soon as you find any clue about the witch’s fortress. We will get there as soon as we can.”
Anya took off with Aurora, while Castian went in a different direction with Xavier. The group split into three, following different paths, all leading towards the north.
Xander looked at his brother’s disappearing figure in the distance and let out a long, heavy sigh.
“Abandoned by my own twin brother,” Xander said. “How miserable. How unlucky can one person get?”
“Cheer up, Xander. You have me,” Cedric said, giving him a bright smile. “Maybe your luck has finally changed for the better?”
Xander looked at Cedric blankly. He was dazzled by Cedric's smile.
Xander's gaze lingered on Cedric's golden curls and sapphire blue eyes.
For the first time in his life, Xander was speechless.
“Come on. Let’s go,” Cedric said, giving him an encouraging smile. "Are you ready, Xander?"
Xander got out of his stupor. “Yeah, always! Let us find some demons.”