Royal Secret

Threats

"Ezra!" Scoth yelled for the hundredth time.

"Ezra!!!" the others shouted.
Ezra  had gone disappearing over night, he was nowhere to be found.

"Where could he have gone?" Raven asked looking behind a bush.

Shade walked slowly behind not even bothering to call for Ezra. He just kept his hood over his eyes.

"Why would he just disappear? Leave just like that?" Asher asked.

"I don't know, you know him more than the rest of us." Raven said as he sat down on a rock,his blue eyes glistening.

"Hey! I found something!" Crystal exclaimed as she bent down and picked up a glove.

"That's Ezra's" Asher said his green eyes filling with fear.

"But, Shade said he never takes them off" Crystal managed to choke out. "Right Shade? Shade?"

The others turn around to find out that Shade was no longer with them.

"Great, just great, first Ezra now Shade. If you want my opinion, we are all going to die" Raven said wiping sweat from his brow.

"Thanks for your opinion, but no thanks, also no one asked you for you damn opinion!!" Asher said as he glared at Raven.

Crystal and Scoth were avoiding the conflict between the two and were looking at the glove and trying to trace any footprints.
Zakir let out a small growl pawing towards the ground.

" Looks like footprints." Scoth said examining the footprints.

"Yes, but look," Crystal said putting her finger tips onto the ground. "It seems to have been at least four people"

Scoth takes a closer look and sees that yes, there were multiple footprints and all with different boot patterns. His eyes widen as he realizes she is right.

"So! I gave it anywa--" Raven and Asher were still fighting.
"Guys!" Scoth snapped clearly annoyed by the constant bickering.

"Well, well, well if it isn't the enemy." a voice said from behind Crystal.

Everyone turns around quickly noticing a dark figure. Asher gasps as he realizes the same figure from a few days ago.

"Oh don't look startled, I only came for what belongs to me" the figure said looking straight at Crystal.

Asher jumps right in front of her, "We have nothing of yours, we don't even know you"

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that" he said with his palms glowing and his evil grin.

From behind Scoth takes out his sword and takes a swing. The figure dodges and pins Scoth to a tree using his magical force.

"Who exactly are you?" Crystal cautiously says.

The figure turns around with a sneer, "Remember what I said"

Crystal is frozen as she remembers, you'll find out.
Asher pounces onto the figures back struggling to get the cloak off.

"You stupid fool" the figure says throwing Asher up against a tree.

The cloak, somehow, got off the figure revealing a tall body, with a sword at its left and a large, silver armor plate covering the left shoulder. But on the face, where the face should be shown, was a mask, the mask had a dark blue streak on the left eye and red one on the right.

"Great, guess we won't see his face" Asher groaned as he held his arm which had been bruised.

"Now for you" The masked figure said as he pointed to Raven.

"No!" Crystal said as she rushed to protect him and the others who were bleeding and bruising, just as the heavy dark wave of magic was about to hit Raven, Crystal jumps in and crosses her hands in front of her face. Eyes shut tight she waits for the pain of the magic to hit her, but nothing happens. Cautiously she opens her eyes and sees the magic frozen in place.

"How?" the figure exclaims.

A huge force field was around her as well as the bandits.

"Impossible.." The figure says as he turns around and starts walking into the depths of the jungle. "Oh and if you ever want to see your friend again, then you'll have to give me what I want" the figure smiles mischievously.

"What do you wa--" Crystal started, but the figure was already gone.

Later that night Crystal had another dream,
"No!" "Don't do this!" A girls voice screamed.
"Give me what I want"
Tears fill up in the girls eyes as she watches a figure kill a white and blue creature.
"Don't come close!" a blurred figure was warning, "Get out of here now!"
All she could make out was a hand covering an eye and the other over the hand.
"The only thing that  I want is--"

"Crystal! Wake up!" A voice was saying. Crystal rubbed her eyes as she came face to face with Asher. "You okay?"

"Uh.. Yea.. Just a weird dream." Crystal replies noticing Shade was back.

Shade was watching her as she got up. "Ezra's not back huh?" She said keeping an eye on Shade. He quickly looked away as she asked that question.

"I'm afraid not" Scoth says coming up from behind. "We'll look for him later today"

They continued down a clear path keeping out for any signs of Ezra. After Crystal was a little bit ahead of the men Scoth said, "I have figured out more of her"

"I guess your old books and scrolls do come in handy" Asher teased.

"But I'm not so sure" Scoth said rolling his eyes at Asher's comment.
Shade listened closely as he took mental notes, He better thank me.

"Oof" Raven said stumbling on a rock making everyone collapse behind him.

"Ugh, you clumsy little--" Asher started but was cutoff by the sound of Crystal yelling, "Come quick!" she said.

Her fingers traced the writing on the bark of an old tree, "Beware, for time is short, the path long, any other words judged and it is finished." She read aloud as she noticed a mark in the tree, a circle with a long stitch and a shorter one on the bottom.

"What the.." Asher said. " Other words judged and it is finished?"

"Someone wants something, something we have, but I can't figure out what, they have already taken Ezra, they will stop at nothing to get what they want" Scoth said as he looked onwards through the path.