Fred stared at the little box in his hands. There wasn't a name on it. He glanced down the empty hallway one more time before bringing the little box inside. Closing the door behind him, Fred placed the box on his desk and opened it carefully. Inside lay a small wooden pendant. Something shaped like a sword. Fred picked it up. The craftsmanship was somewhat shoddy. His grip was uneven, and the handle was obviously carved by hand. There was a small name carved on the side of the blade. Fred. He stared at it for a moment before smiling. It reminded him of home. He instantly knew who had given it to him. "Derek." His little brother loved to copy everything he did, including his obsession with swords. Nalia and Derek were the ones who probably convinced the person who was traveling to Arkarin to bring it to him. Fred looked at the little wooden sword again. It was the most unimpressive gift he had gotten all day. And somehow, the most appreciated.The next morning, Fred walked into the A

Lyra couldn't tell how long she'd been imprisoned in the place she awoke in. A windowless stone chamber with only one door that had two masked men guarding it, another set of wooden table sat atop thick stone blocks, a single naked bulb casting shadows onto the floor. There was no furniture, nothing to signify where she was, and no windows to tell her if it was day or night. Her hands were bound in black wrist restraints that suppressed mana from flowing in her veins. She tested them every now and then but each time she summoned a bolt of lightning from her fingertips, the restraints would dig tighter into her skin until the pain became unbearable. She had tried feeling the magical energy around her in the hopes that it might help her heal, but the sensation simply made her feel worse than the pain. She was safe in her palace, her kingdom free from threats, and her mind wandered back to the Academy and her friends. Especially Fred, the thought that he was out there somewhere fightin

The Royal Academy had rarely ever known such utter silence. Plumes of grey smoke continued curling upwards over the scorched remains of the buildings, and people were already sorting the rubble on the courtyard. Several segments of the outer wall had caved in during the assault, although the royal guards had secured the main entrance to ensure that Princess Lyra Ashre wouldn't reappear outside the Academy. Healing mages milled amongst the injured students, some of this group's instructors, who were recovering from the wounds inflicted during the battle. What was a time to be celebrated was left ruined. Princess Lyra Ashre was missing, and her whereabouts or that of the attackers was unknown. Fred stood at the eastern gate, gazing along the road that stretched out from the Royal Academy. He had walked it up as far as the royal guards had allowed him, and he'd turned back the moment they signaled him to. The abductors had left their escape preparations for the night, and when the ro

"I don't. I'm telling the truth! All I know is that I will find her," he insisted stubbornly, "I promise you - I won't give up!" Alvin looked at him. "This means a great deal to you," he remarked with something akin to an approving look. Fred nodded. "Yes, sir, it does," Fred said. Alvin placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then I wouldn't waste time trying to figure ways to hide from my own children," he said. "Go and keep looking. I have more faith in you to find her than I ever believed possible," he encouraged. Fred blinked in surprise. Alvin smiled. "We'll find her one day because she is my daughter, and I know that no matter how far it takes, you will always do your best to return her home," he said. Alvin walked away and joined the others. Fred looked at each of his siblings, who all had their own thoughts on what he'd just said before turning back to the head of the table. "What are we waiting for, Father? Can't we go out there and find her?" asked little Salia. "It could ve

Aurelius shook his head. "I have my suspicions, but they are not facts," he said. He clasped his hands together on the table. "The message was clear about one thing - Princess Lyra is alive, and that the ransom for her return was my son," he said, correcting himself. "I mean, you," he clarified. Nobody questioned the king's assumption that Fred would be willing to go with them, but the boy himself wasn't certain. "So they think they can ransom me for the princess?" Fred asked. Aurelius' expression was unreadable. "That would seem to be the case. They could have taken you as well, but they only wanted you," he said. Fred turned to look at his parents, then back at the king. "Why?" he asked. "Why would they want you, you mean," Aurelius said. Fred nodded. Aurelius hesitated for a moment before replying. "Perhaps they want to use you to bargain for something else. It isn't uncommon for people to take hostages for leverage, and it's equally common to take m