Chapter Six ~ There One Minute, Gone the Next

The maid walked merrily down the hall. The children were so lovely, making her job a breeze. She opened the door, announcing, “Time to wake up ki-” She cut herself off, mouth wide with horror. They were gone. Wind blew through the open window, making the startled woman shiver. She turned around and ran through the corridors, screaming, “The royal children have been kidnapped!”

The knights were on their way once more, arriving in yet another town. “The castle is this way…” Hazel trailed off upon taking a look around. There were royal soldiers around town, questioning everyone. Another knight approached them, also on horseback. “Knight Hazel, what are you doing here?” he asked with narrowed eyes. “Knight Pierce. We’re crossing through. What’s going on?” she questioned. “You don’t know? The prince and princess have been abducted. We’re interrogating everyone in town.” The knights gasped in surprise. “Any way we can help?” Hazel offered. Pierce took a moment to consider. Without a word, he headed towards the castle, leaving the others to follow.

King John was a tall, proud man. He ruled alongside his wife, Queen Natalie. They, alongside the knights and Pierce, stood in the children’s room. Hazel examined the surroundings, memorizing every detail. “Was anything changed from the original sighting?” she asked, surveying two open books on the bed. “No. I instructed my knights not to.” the king responded. “No signs of struggle…” she muttered. Clasping her hands, she turned to the royals. “There are two possibilities I can come up with. The first, which I find less likely, the trespasser covered up all signs of struggle. If that was true, however, it wouldn’t be professional to leave the window open. The second may seem far fetched, but hear me out. The intruder… had magic.” Pointing about the room, she continued, “This would explain the lack of struggle. The enemy could have simply put the kids to sleep. There are open books on the beds, where they were dropped upon unconsciousness. Our suspect then opened the window to make it seem like a normal kidnapping, and vanished.”

The room sat in silence, absorbing Hazel’s analysis. “Are you currently on the bad side of any wizard or sorceress?” Wen asked. King John closed his eyes and said, “Ximena.” “Gesundheit!” Rowena exclaimed. He frowned. “That’s a name. She’s a powerful witch who has been threatening me lately. She must be behind this.” The knights silently groaned, knowing exactly what Hazel would say next. “We’ll find her.” Not to be outdone, Pierce added, “And I’ll come with you! Together we shall save the children!” Queen Natalie raised her eyebrows. “Really? But why?” Hazel smiled and replied, “Because we can. Now let’s catch this Ximena.”