.Elementals.

-79-

The tunnel was small and cramped but we made it through the darkness slowly until my hand touched stone, flat and carved stone.

With a shove of magic I pushed it from the wall to free us and lit my flames, a ball of silver hovering in the air by my shoulder as I stood up.

"The ancient archives." Audrey said, it was the library that helped us find that book with information on the void in it. "That connects to the archive room which is just off of the throne room."

"And from there going up the spiraling staircase would lead us to an area where we can safe hop onto the roof." I said.

"So you think the advisers will be in the throne room I assume." Calypso said.

"Affirmative, Calypso, you and Em are with me for the advisers while the rest follow Belladonna up already got it?"

"You'll fit perfectly as the head mage." Belladonna said with a smile before with Audrey I lead them out of this place.

No guards in the archives that's good, no guards in the throne room even better.

There were five advisers in here and I am sure they are advisers since they are dressed differently to the other enemies I've seen.

"You both take one." I whispered to them.

Calypso with one wave of her arm froze one while Em had the plant around the room completely engulf another as the three last got their lungs filled with water, a gift from me to them.

"Both of you go."

I waited for them to have left the room before stomping my foot and covering everything in a thick layer of ice from the inside so it would take a while for people to even get in here.

"This was the easy part." I said to myself, standing on the inner part of the slanted roof before I heard cracking and groaning of wood. "No...."

"Mystery wait!" Audrey tried to keep me from running over to the other side where I could be seen but I already stopped from shock from myself.

"Oh my gods." Belladonna said almost horrified as they all joined to watch.

The elm was so damaged, holes in the bark.... Leaves burning.... And they didn't stop! All their mages going at it!!

I set my hand over my corset where the seed rested, did they see this coming? Was the seed for this reason?!

I felt a grip on my shoulder as the groaning of the wood was so loud it reached to here as the tree was slowly tilting to the left.

I brought my hands up to cover my mouth with pained wide eyes as I watched, I am sure they knew it would end up like this, they aren't stupid.

"Father..... Mother....." I whispered but barely as the roots got pulled from the ground by the tilting tree before, suddenly, the truck snapped and crashed down, the soul of the tree itself snuffed out and only partially remaining in my staff.

But as the tree died.... So did.... They....

"Mystery keep calm." Belladonna turned my head away and made me look her in the eyes. "Keep calm dear, we get out of this alive and then we cry okay?" I nodded jerkily. "Deep breaths, now." I did so. "First we live and then we cry."

"First we live and then we cry." I repeated to convince myself to not just lose it because of all the stress and the new loss on my shoulders.

I moved down from the part people could see us from and sat down, closing my eyes to concentrate.

It was actually extremely tiring to try to reach out with magic as far as I could to somehow reach the dragon.

I tried to ignore all around me and to empty my mind, all my concentration out to try to transmit one message.

'we can't flee, help us.'

straight forwards and clear.

My concentration broke before I could get a grasp on it again as the yell of the youngest princess that we were found.

"Come on." I whispered softly as soon it became too hectic for me to not intervene, just hoping the message reached far enough to touch the dragon's ears before I got up and froze over the window were someone could try to get to the roof.

I bubbled with anger as I watched the remains of my true parents, forever gone now, silver fire blazing along my arm as I blasted one mage after the other as they tried to reach us through any sort of magic.

One shot one kill, no one was spared.

I was shook and blinked, snapping out of my murderous rage.

"Mystery slow down you'll tire yourself out you've been going for a long time."

"And yet they are still coming Amalia." I snapped but listened as I saw all the other mages doing what I've been doing alone.

Time was passing so slow and the number of mages never seemed to decrease.

Our saving grace was the loud dragon roar as a dark shadow washed over us.

It was the slight relief in the pain.

"Go!!" I yelled at them as she circled the castle to douse more enemies in flames before hovering by us.

"Jump humans!!" She growled out with such a glare at the oncoming mages.

We helped the royal family jump over and then us.

"Where do you think you are going?" I whipped around and blasted the man of pure magic behind me, he shrieked... He's actually hurt, almost melting a little because of the silver flames.... Wait no he did melt I am sure off it.

"This is a payback for my parents, uncle Aurelius!!" I spat as I blasted more of my fire from my feet to send me back onto the dragon and melt him more.

I heard the angriest screech I ever heard in my life, realizing who I really was.

"Gods damn." Leo whispered as the dragon just flew as fast as she could, my fellow mages each gripping one of the royal family and just holding on.

Audrey was in my arms and I froze my boots and glove to the scales as I held her tightly with one hand.

A bright blinding light came from behind us and I looked back to see a dark glowing blast just zoom towards me.

Before I could react someone else did.

"Belladonna." I whispered after the blinding light was gone as she somehow just stood on the dragon without magic to help.

"Mystery." She said, looking back at me. "You can't let despair win."

My eyes widened and a scream escaped me as she turned enough to see the wound that the attack blew into her chest.

"Belladonna!!!" I yelled, reaching for her with my free arm as Audrey grabbed my herself.

"I am so proud of you." She said with a smile before her legs buckled and fell off the dragon's back.

"NOOOOO!!!!" I screamed, mine ringing louder then my siblings own screams for her.

"BELLADONNA!!!"