Dark One's Daughter *Book Two*

The Doctor

We had been walking back for a couple hours and must have only been a few hundred metres away from the camp. It had taken us practically the whole journey to persuade Aurora to tell the people a little white lie.

"I don't know if I can do this. I'm not a very good liar," Aurora said, as we continued our walk.

"Oh, it's not really a lie, Aurora. Lancelot did die an honourable death and Cora did escape. All true. Just leave the particulars to us," Mary Margaret said.

"She's right. There's no need to cause unnecessary panic amongst your people," Emma added.

"I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. With Cora out, I don't think that panic would be unnecessary," I countered.

"Wait," Mulan, who was at the front of the group ordered us. "The tower. We always have sentries guarding the entrance." Mulan pulled out her sword and lowered her voice. "Stay close."

We followed her into the village, clearly underestimating the damage.

Most of the buildings had been burned down while the others had been knocked down. Every single person had had their heart pulled from them and were scattered all around the place.

"Oh my God," Emma exclaimed, while I prepared myself in case I needed to defend us with magic. I had no doubts who was behind this all. None at all.

"This can't be. Our land--we were protected here, hidden. How did the ogres find us?" Mulan wondered, while we looked around the village.

"Ogres didn't do this," I told them.

"What?" Mulan asked, walking over to me.

"Look at them. What do you notice about every single one of these people?" I asked.

Mulan and Aurora looked around at all the people.

"They were all killed in the same place," Aurora pointed out.

"Exactly. They all had their hearts taken from them. Only someone who has studied the darker side of magic could do this. It was Cora. This is her magic--twisted and evil," I explained.

"We have to stop her," Mary Margaret said.

"Too late. She killed them. She killed them all," Mulan told us.

"No, we have to stop her before she hurts anyone else," Mary Margaret elaborated.

"Hey. Hey. Look," Emma exclaimed, getting our attention.

"There's someone under there," Aurora said, running over to help.

We all ran over to lend a hand.

"He's alive," Aurora told us, as she helped pull him up.

"Please," He begged.

"Tasha, do you mind?" Mulan asked, gesturing to my hands.

"Of course," I smiled, and using my magic lifted up the things that were on top of the man.

"It's okay," Mary Margaret told the man.

"Please help me," He begged, as they turned him round.

And when they did my eyes widened and I took a few steps back.

"It's okay. You're safe now. We won't hurt you," Mary Margaret told him.

"Thank you. Thank you," Said the man, who I hadn't seen in over three hundred years.

The man who was with us on the ship the day my Mum died.

The man who had sworn his vengeance on my Father and I.