Orange Shadow Magic: Awaken. Book 1

Chapter 22: Time to Unite as One

Coral was the one to first see Gala and Avery running out of the forest side by side, Mattzew nowhere to be seen. Her heart had been crushed by many, but this was the first time that it had actually broken for her. The boy she had strongly grown to love and care for had screamed at her and thrown her away just like he had done with Avery. Now, finally, Coral could understand the pain that Avery felt beating strongly in her bones day after day after Mattzew had refused her. Coral did like Avery, but they were very unalike. For example, after Mattzew broke her heart, Avery just got angry about it. She didn't cry or anything. Avery just let the emotions sack inside of her like potatoes. Coral, on the other hand, had cried her heart's worth and swam to where no one could find her. Anyway, enough with her broken heart. Gala and Avery obviously wanted to tell them something important, because usually, it took a while for Avery to cool off after a huge fight, like the one that happened twenty minutes ago.

"Mr. Rold has left," Gala panted, and pointed toward the peaks of the faint mountains aways past Dustlantern. That was the state called Gradevine, the only place known to snow in Exeria.

"What do you mean by....... left?" Coral asked, particularly disturbed by the comment. If he had left, that meant he was leaving his home again, and for only one reason: to collect her locket and make a portal to go to different realms. The thing about making portals was that almost every sorcerer or sorceress could do it. But they couldn't make a portal for themselves. They could only make portals for other people. The power of the three lockets combined gave the user the power to make a portal for himself to go anywhere he pleased. Coral didn't know why Mr. Rold wanted all three lockets, but Coral did know this: if King Expella got a hold of all three lockets, he would go to all three realms and establish his dictatorship over the worlds and kill all the sphinxes so that there would be no possible way for anyone to kill him. And he would start with his two treacherous daughters: Mally and Avery.

"Mr. Rold couldn't have left Exeria, could he?" Mally asked, remembering the time when he had almost killed Lily and Parker in his magic globe. "I'll kill him for that," Mally swore now under the presence of the horrible memory.

"And I'll kill you for giving my locket to Mr. Rold." Gala rolled her eyes, and continued. "I felt his presence leave Exeria the moment he stepped through the portal. He hasn't just left Gradevie, he's left this realm! And it appears it wasn't in a good way. King Expella is the one who sent him off this planet. There must be a reason why. Which means it is time to confront him. We've wasted time. It doesn't matter what we know, or don't know about each other. All that matters is that we're a team. We're doing this together!" Mally eyed Avery suspiciously, but Coral agreed with Gala. It didn't matter about what they knew and didn't know. They had to do this, one way or another, and right now they were wasting precious time while they dilly-dallied.

"I agree with you, Gala. We should get moving," Coral replied. "But how did you come to find out about this information?" Gala sighed irritably.

"I thought I told you. I can feel Mr. Rold's magical presence from almost anywhere. Likewise, I felt it disappear when he left Exeria. Obviously, he didn't come to me or Avery to get him to Coranne, so he went to King Expella. Also, before he went there, I felt a dark presence I've never felt before. It felt almost like......death. A second after the presence came, it disappeared, which meant I didn't have enough time to analyze it," Gala said thoughtfully. "But enough about Mr. Rold. I've seen his spirit. His intentions are not evil. His heart is just broken, like mine is. Right now, we must find Mattzew and leave to Servenmoor immediately. We must confront the King! Who is with me?" Gala roared energetically. Mally and Parker both raised their hands as one, and even though Coral's heart felt like it had been pulverized by a tractor, she needed to give this her all. So, Coral raised her hand as excitedly as she could, and joined in with the others who were whooping and hollering.