.Elementals.

-20-

"Come on mage, we aren't far." I just groaned back softly in response to the princess who by now carried most of my weight, the maze finally clearing up as we stepped in the castles outer garden.

My whole body was on flames it felt like and I wondered if it wasn't my magic being unsettled and agitated by my use of it as sweat coated my body.

My feet were barely holding me up as the princess shoved the front door with her shoulder.

"Get all concerned to the healer's room now!!" She yelled at the guards that were inside and had pointed their spears at us.

Events started melting together, in the state I was in couldn't tell you if I was laid on the bed first or got met with the healers or forced to swallow something, consciousness shifting in and out.

After a while of this it stabilized.

"You had been right mage, one off its blows did indeed hurt the wounds created by the pronged bolt."

"What are you doing here Highness?" I asked softly, turning my head to look at her, sitting comfortably in the armchair present in the room with a book on her knees.

"Making sure you lived was the least I could do to repay what you do to me."

"So you watched over my half comatose self.... It is my job Highness there is no need to repay anything."

"I know it is your job but I also know even if it weren't you've have thrown yourself in harm's way, you are just that type of person that would do that, you say it is just duty but you think of saving others before thinking it is duty."

"...You got me there Highness." I sighed, turning my head back to stare at the ceiling, feeling a wet rag on my forehead and hands wrapped up in bandages in a way I could still separately move my fingers with some slimy feeling on my scorched palms.

"You have way too good of a heart to act purely out of duty, that's why I do need to repay you... how you feeling?"

"Does 'crushed by a dragon's foot' serve as explanation enough?"

"Oh it sure does." She laughed, covering her mouth with a hand. "Do you feel apt to move?"

"I suppose her Majesty and king Alabard want to hear our side of the attack?"

"Yes and they asked for you when you awoke and could operate your legs on your own."

I pushed myself up sitting and set my legs on the ground, the princess closing her book and walk over to help in case I couldn't stand.

I grabbed her offered hand to pull myself on my feet.

"Don't doubt me princess, I might be hurt but I am not fragile."

"Oh I seen enough to know that fragile is not a word that applies to you."

I nodded, reaching for my undershirt which had yet again needed cleaning off because of my own blood.

I left my corset untied completely, torso in worst condition than before but at least I was wearing it.

Glancing in the mirror to see if I was presentable I could see there were no blood on my face but a light pink scar cutting through my brow remained from the hit my head suffered.

I guess some elf wild mage helped as I was badly off.

"Highness." I held out my arm to the side, elbow bent. She smiled and hooked her arm around mine as I pushed the door open.

"Twice has my kingdom almost caused your early end mage Mystery and for that I apologize." The king said with a small bow as we entered the studies, Amalia and the queen were also there.

"It is my duty to die for my Majesty and her heirs king Alabard."

"So mages, what can you tell us about what happened on this day?" The queen asked.

"Your Majesty I have the sinking feeling this attack is one of the many already aimed at the princess, we were confined inside with so many of this ghostly magical projections I could have never left the castle in time are at all." Amalia spoke first.

"They were effectively after the Highness." I added. "a bigger monster then those Amalia had dealt with came after us, trying to separate me from the Highness and when they realized I wouldn't let it happen it came after me."

"I can only thank you for your service to my daughter mage Mystery, who knows of the grim fate that awaited her if you weren't there."

"Thank you Majesty but that's the problem, I wasn't the one to nullify the threat."

"Then who? Amalia saying all magic vanished into a void."

"It did but I cannot create such spell, a void like that is the opposite of magic, an all-consuming force that eats away at elemental and wild magic."

"Who was it?"

"I owe my life to the Highness."

"Audrey?"

"Yes mother, we don't know what happened, it was about to crush mage Mystery in its claws and I just needed to do something. You taught me that a queen shouldn't run from danger unless there is truly no more choice and this happened, I felt a heavy emptiness in my chest, the magic making up the monster tearing apart and I felt a gust of wind in my face"

"I can theorize it has to do something with her purple eyes Highness, they must mean more than her connection to dragons." I added. "But unfortunately I cannot give a definitive answer."

"The small innate grasp our family has on wild magic manifested in an intimidating aura for me as you know daughter, it is just as possible that the rareness of the purple eyes came with a rare gift."

"That could be a reason why you are hunted dear friends." The king said. "Someone could have knowledge of what that void truly is and is willing to do anything for it to not reign on the throne, fearing how powerful it could become, I will have my men escort you home for safety as one guard and one able bodied mage is sure not enough."

"Thank you my friend."

"On my side, I will look into this void and the purple eyes to see what our archives have about them."

"We'll do the same from our side, I count on you dear friend."