Alex sighed as he placed the ball down. "I will not leave you, brother. I will fight with you to the end. When the time comes, I will make sure I return as the best friend of the next Eagle Lord, or perhaps his brother."Fortune sighed. "She will be here soon. I need to write all that happened and place it inside that red ball. That way, when the next Eagle Lord comes, he will see all my mistakes and know how to avoid my pitfalls. He will also get directions to where we hid the treasures."The scene shifted violently. King Fortune stood in the air, his golden wings spread wide and shimmering with celestial light. Alex stood a distance away from him, though he did not look as glorious as the King. A voice echoed from the distance, cold and mocking."Give up, my dear. You have lost everything. If only you had agreed to marry me, then all of this would not have happened. You had to choose the Cloud Princess over me! Foolish you! And you have a foolish clan, too!"Laurel finally appeared,

Charles waited briefly. At that moment, the only thing he could hear was the sound of crickets chirping outside. Darian moved to sit opposite him, slowly but decisively. “It means nothing to explain my abilities to you. Whatever happened to me besides my success does not need to be explained to you, either.”Charles exhaled deeply after he sighed. “Darian, my partner. You seem to have forgotten something. I allied with you so that when you find out the power behind that artifact, you can share it with me. I would not like someone to go back on his agreement. As an ally, I can be most cooperative. But believe me, you will not want to have me as an enemy.”Darian leaned forward. “Are you trying to make a threat?”Charles leaned forward too. “Why don’t you find out and see?”Darian sighed. “I was just about to try to understand and open the things I retrieved from that place. Give me a few days, and I will share that information with you.”Charles clicked his fingers and said, “Not a bad

Helena entered the rebel camp in her old woman disguise. She arrived carrying a skin bag full of herbs. She had already been to Darian’s house, but he was not there. Next, she had gone to the restaurant, but Noel was nowhere to be found, and Darian was not there either. Noel had put someone else in charge of the restaurant.So, Helena had taken the last obvious option: to check the rebel grounds. As she entered, some soldiers greeted her as they passed. Others ignored her. Helena headed to where Jerry would be, and when she got there, she asked, “How have you been?”Jerry replied even as he gazed at the map before him. “I am well, healer.”“I have brought the supplies for the treatment of fever among the guards. Winter will be approaching soon, and when it does, the herbs will be hard to find. We need to prepare in advance.”Jerry nodded his head as he looked up at her. “I thank you.”“Is the new leader around? I would like to ask him concerning some arrangements,” Helena asked.“Dari

A thought clicked in Darian’s mind. He remembered that there was a staff Her Holiness held wherever she went. Darian wondered if that was the Rod of Thunder she had stolen thousands of years ago. He rose to his feet and paced around the cave. He tried to recollect the form of the rod, and right now, he wished he had a picture or a painting he could check. He thought that perhaps he could return to the library later to see if there was anything relating to its design.He gazed at the other scroll on the floor—the one his father had given him. This scroll was the one Noel had opened in the past, and it had sucked Noel into its pocket dimension. Darian had been forced to enter the scroll to save his friend, but apart from that, Darian had never taken a close look at it. He knew words were written within it, but he had never taken the time to read them. Right now, he prepared to open and read it, though he hoped it would not suck him in as it had before. The last thing he needed was to di

The lamp was glowing brightly even as it burned. Darian wondered if it caused any pain. He cleared his throat. “Noel, can I talk to you for a moment?”Noel responded, “Sure. Helena, please excuse me for a moment.” Helena nodded in agreement as Noel and Darian walked a short distance away.“So, what exciting secret do you want to share with me that you couldn't wait for Helena to leave us?” Noel asked, excitement coloring his voice.Darian asked pointedly, “Are you hurt in any way? Does your head hurt, or anything? Your body, perhaps?” Darian reached out a hand to touch Noel’s head.Noel took two steps back. “Stop acting like a mother. I am fine, Darian.”“Really?” Darian asked, his voice thick with concern.“Yes, I am. On the contrary, I should be asking you—you are acting weird. What’s up with you?” Noel asked.Darian folded his hands behind him and straightened his shoulders. “I think I need to ask the Old Eagle a question. Have fun with Helena. I will be back.” Darian turned away t