The Abduction: Part I

He would rather be anywhere but there, in the dusty all too familiar halls of the Fortress’ library.  His green eyes drifted outside the narrow windows, towards the garden where his family’s knights were training.  He narrowed his eyes.  The sword was much more interesting and fun, not to mention fitting for the heir of the Guevera March.

Going through a battlefield, sword in hand, fighting enemies of the empire was where he belonged.  Not in the library, staring at a bunch of colorful rocks.

A thud sounded in front of him and jumped in his seat.  He looked up at the beady dark eyes of a short man with graying dark hair looking down at him.  His hand was placed on a large textbook he had been holding.

“Is the subject matter boring you, Lord Sebastian?” Master Ramos was the premier crystal master in the south.  He was personally invited to come teach Sebastian by his paternal grandmother, as she believed Sebastian had talent for it.

Being talented in crystals was akin to being talented in mundane applications.  Sebastian didn’t hide his disinterest.  He sighed and stretched out his arms in front of him, tilting his head and looking at Master Ramos, bored.

“Master, I don’t see how crystals will really help.  They aren’t exactly necessary when going into battle, aside from communication and lighting,” Sebastian said.  “At most, I can see one being used as a beacon or to keep your hands warm when it’s cold.  Otherwise, wouldn’t it just be a burden to bring bags of heavy rocks with you when you travel?”

“Crystals are just a medium to control energy.  Each crystal has a specific use.  The limitation is the user’s imagination and ability,” Master Ramos said.  Sebastian tried not to roll his eyes at the familiar words.  He mouthed the latter half of the sentence as Master Ramos spoke.  “Not the crystals themselves.”

“I know, I know.  You’ve said it many times,” Sebastian said as he gave a wave of his hand.  “But the only thing I’ve been able to do so far is make a glorified heating pad for our cat.”

Master Ramos’s lips pursed and he looked at Sebastian with a dull gaze of his own.  “That’s not the crystal’s fault.  That’s your fault.”

Sebastian let out a groan and looked back out the window opposite him.  On that side, there was the outer courtyard and then the main gate with its old, iron portcullis.  Every day, he would look out at that gate, hoping to see a familiar figure ride in triumphantly.

Master Ramos followed his gaze and seemed to understand the boy’s dispassionate - more so than normal - behavior.

“You are worried about your father,” he said in a thoughtful voice.  Sebastian gave a small, vague nod.

His father, Gregorio de Guevera, was the heir to the Guevera March and he had been gone for months.  They’d received calls every so often to confirm his safety and that of his brother and new brother-in-law, but Sebastian wasn’t naive to what it meant for his father to be outside of those gates.

“I know that Papa had to go and deal with the coastal raiders and that he’s in good company, so he’ll likely be fine, but....”  He trailed off and Master Ramos patted his head.

Their navies had been unable to deal with the raids that swept the coastline for some time now.  It was theorized that perhaps they had an inside network within the various coastal towns, which made the entire situation much more difficult.  If various groups within the towns and possibly even the inland villages were working with the raiders, their navies would be almost helpless.

Thus, they needed support from the march’s armies.  From what he heard; the theory had been proven.  It had been an extremely chaotic last few months after the discovery of a deep reaching raider network going far more inland than they expected.

His father took on the mission to find and slowly eradicate the networks from the inland out to the coast.  It was a time-consuming job and his mother told him it required a lot of manpower and logistic work in order to make it happen.

Sebastian counted how many months his father was gone and frowned.  “I wonder if he’ll even remember what Victoria looks like.”  His baby sister wasn’t even a year old yet.  When their father left, she was still a wrinkly ball of pink and peeling skin, unable to lift her head.  Now, she had a head full of curly black hair and fat, red cheeks.

Master Ramos chuckled.  “Lord Gregorio would never forget how any of his children look like.  Give your father more credit.  He is an excellent leader.  Though he is not the best swordsman or tactician himself, he knows how to deploy what he has in his hands wisely.  Any good leader does.  Have more faith in him.”

Sebastian opened his mouth to assure Master Ramos that, of course, he had faith in his father, when he saw the portcullis begin to rise.  He sat up in his chair and squinted.  He’d been disappointed many times before; it was usually a delivery or a visitor or someone returning to the fortress.

Yet, the past disappointment didn’t hinder him.  He held his breath, standing up and walking closer to the window, ignoring Master Ramos’ exasperated look.

A familiar dark bay horse galloped through the stone tower gate with an imposing man riding him.  Sebastian’s eyes lit up, ignoring the numerous other men on horseback arriving behind him.

He whirled around and gave Master Ramos a weak smile as he shuffled towards the door, not being nearly as subtle with his rush as he thought.  “Master, I have to go. Rest assured; I’ll study whatever readings you assigned today before our next class!”

Master Ramos raised a brow.  “I haven’t assigned anything-”

“See you next time, Master Ramos!”  Sebastian’s voice echoed in the hall as he raced out of the library.  He ran down the corridor, passing the training courtyard.  He skidded to a stop as he saw his nine-year-old brother holding a wooden training sword and practicing cuts against a wooden dummy under the watchful eye of one of their sword masters.

“Kasen!” Sebastian shouted.  His yell was heard clear across the courtyard and his brother snapped his head in his direction.  Before he could ask what he wanted, Sebastian raised his arms in the air and waved them.  “Papa is back!”

He saw Kasen’s blue eyes widen before he dropped the sword, apologized to his master, and ran after his brother.

Sebastian grinned as he watched Kasen’s thick, curly hair bounce around his baby face as he ran.  Kasen was only nine, but he was already a good swordsman and was showing a lot of promise.  Of course, he wasn’t as good as Sebastian.

Two geniuses can’t be born into the same family.   It’s just too much good luck.  Sebastian thought to himself with amusement as he ran through the stone halls.  He could see the main entrance to the fortress up ahead.  Light was coming from the open, massive double doors.

He jumped off the top step and landed on the packed dirt and stone ground.

“Sebastian!” Grammie gasped as he appeared beside her, kicking up some dust.  She lifted her hand to her chest.  “Be careful!  What if you get hurt-”

Before she could finish, Kasen landed on her other side, also having jumped off the top step.

“Where’s Papa?” Kasen shouted, looking around the courtyard in front of them.  It was usually a large, empty space, but now it seemed crowded with the dozens of horses, their riders, and a large wagon lined with metal bars on the outside.  It was chaotic.

Sebastian craned his neck, trying to search for familiar faces in the crowd.

“What are you looking for, boy?” Gramps laughed as he looked down.  “He’s right there.”

He pointed to a dark horse and the tall, gallant looking man dismounting while talking to two other men waiting for him.  He had a serious look on his face and from the look of it, he hadn’t shaved since he left.

Sebastian looked towards his mother, who was already walking towards the man.  The bustling crowds did nothing to stop her and it almost seemed as if they made way as she came through.  It didn’t seem to matter that his father was dirty, smelled, and wore stained light leather armor.  Lady Antonia de Guevera raised her soft, pale hands and grabbed her husband’s head, bringing him down to kiss her.

Sebastian let out a heavy sigh and diverted his eyes.  Kasen was making a strange face and the two men who were with his father, his Uncle Lorenzo and Uncle Rom, looked even more tired.  After what Sebastian felt was an unnecessary amount of time, the couple separated and his mother led their father and her brother-in-laws towards where the family was waiting.

“Papa!” Kasen beamed and almost seemed to jump in place.  Sebastian stood up straight, trying to have more decorum than his younger brother.

“Papa, welcome back!” he said, bowing his head lightly.

“My sons.”  Gregorio’s low voice carried a warmth as he reached out to embrace them.  He paused, looked down at his clothes, and chuckled.  He lifted his hands and tugged off his gloves before patting their heads in lieu of embracing them against his stained clothing.  “I’m home.”

“Gregorio,” Gramps said, seemingly looming over them.  “How did it go?”

His father let out a heavy sigh.  “We managed to do a complete sweep of the southern coast, specifically targeting any suspected villages that had ties to the raiders.  We still have a few leads to follow deeper into the southern marches and I’ve assigned the Gonzalez, Ramirez, and Gutierrez marches to follow them to see how deep the networks go.”

“We’ve maintained the pressure on the raiders for now.  After we rest a bit, Rom and I will continue to oversee the sub marches in order to completely wipe out the raider network,” Uncle Lorenzo said as he lifted a hand to run it through his thick, dark hair.

“We also have to take care of that.”  Uncle Rom tilted his head back, towards the prison wagon.

Sebastian and Kasen both looked towards it with curiosity.  “Who’s inside, Uncle?” Kasen asked.

“Inside that one is Lazarus Hogan,” Uncle Rom said, narrowing his eyes at the wagon.  “He’s the eldest son of the raider leader, Red-eye Hogan.”

“There are two more sons and we’ve got both of them,” their father said, patting their heads once more, as if to reassure them.  “They’re all going to separate prisons, but Lazarus was in Peralta.  He gave us a lot of trouble there.”

Sebastian nodded silently.  Peralta was a large merchant trading port.  The fact that the raiders had a base there was disconcerting.

“Are they going to be executed?” Sebastian asked in a low voice as his eyes narrowed.

He glanced at his father.  Gregorio’s jaw clenched as his expression went cold.  “Yes...but a clean execution is too good for them.”

“All right.  The commanders will take care of it from here,” Sebastian’s mother said.  She raised a hand and stroked her husband’s arm comfortingly.  “You all must be tired.”

His father turned to them, a smile warming his face.  “I am, but I want to see her first,” he said, his voice sounding a bit choked up.  “Where is my Victoria?”

The family moved into the fortress and Sebastian sent one last suspicious look at the prison wagon before following his parents.  His hand lowered to his stomach, feeling it unsettled and wondered if he needed to get something to eat, as he’d been ‘studying’ all morning.

Uncle Lorenzo and Uncle Rom remained to oversee the men and the prison wagon in the courtyard, but Sebastian, Kasen, and their parents headed to the east wing of the fortress.  While the rest of the family lived in the west wing, their mother and father had decided to temporarily settle in the east wing, as they didn’t want Victoria’s cries at all hours of the night to disrupt the rest of the family.

A step behind him, Kasen sighed heavily and Sebastian looked over his shoulder.  “What’s wrong?”

“Once that baby was born, we were just pushed off to the side.  No longer loved or wanted.” Kasen lamented out loud and their father let out a guffaw.  Gregorio looked over his shoulder as they reached the upper floor of the east wing and gave his son a helpless look.

“Kasen, you’ve already had nine years of Papa and Mama’s love and attention; don’t you want your little sister to also have some?” he asked.

Kasen puffed out his cheeks and diverted his gaze, but didn’t agree.  Sebastian smirked and ruffled his hair before following his parents into the nursery.

Gregorio went straight for the elaborate wooden cradle with carvings of flowers and plants.  He seemed to hold his breath as he peered over the edge.  His eyes watered as he saw the fat, pink baby sleeping with her little mouth open.  He let out a small, trembling breath and reached down to pick her up.

Immediately, Antonia grabbed his arm and pulled him back.  She frowned as he looked at her, confused.  “She is sleeping.  And you smell and are wearing armor.  Go and clean up before you even dare!” she hissed in a low voice.

Once more, Gregorio looked at his clothes and chuckled sheepishly.  He looked at Victoria’s sleeping, swaddled figure.  “I’ll be back, my baby girl,” he promised as his wife turned him around and pushed him out the door.

Kasen and Sebastian remained by the cradle.  Kasen looked down at their sister and reached in.  He gently poked Victoria’s chubby cheek.  “You’re so lucky,” he said with a sigh.  “Everyone wants to see you.  Father’s been away for several months and you’re the first person he asked for.”

Sebastian tried not to laugh.  “Are you jealous of Victoria now?” he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.  “It wasn’t as if she could come and meet father herself in the courtyard.  What do you expect her to do?  Crawl down the hall and then roll down the stairs?”

Kasen looked at Victoria with disdain.  “She can barely crawl.  I expected more from my little sister.”

“She’s a baby.”  Sebastian shook his head.  “What do you want her to do?  She’s not even a year old.”  He looked back at the baby bundled in yellow and green cloth.  He cracked a fond smile.  “At least she’s cute.  Much cuter than you when you were a baby.”

Kasen rolled his eyes.  He poked at Victoria’s cheek once more, causing their sister to raise her chubby baby arm to try to swat at him.

“I should go back to class,” Kasen said, with some hesitation.  He looked at Sebastian. “Are you done with Master Ramos’ class?”

Sebastian looked away, pretending to be interested in their sister’s cradle.  “Yes, it’s over.”

Kasen let out a hum and left the room.  Sebastian looked back at the cradle and smiled as he knelt down beside it and reached in to touch his sleeping sister’s chubby, exposed arm.

“I’m going to miss you when I go to Lycée next year,” he said softly.  “I won’t get to come play with you.  I won’t get to teach you sword.  Gueveras all use the sword, you know.” He paused for a moment.  “I’ll send you back a bunch of toys and clothes from the capital.  None of the other children here will have them.  You can play with them and think of your big brother, okay?”

He heard a gurgle and met big, blue eyes framed by long lashes.  His sister opened her mouth as she made little sounds.  Drool haphazardly came out and Sebastian chuckled as he reached for a small piece of cloth hanging on the edge of the cradle to wipe her drool.  As he did so, her arms rose and she seemed to be trying to grasp at something.

Sebastian placed the cloth to the side and lowered a finger just over one of her hands.  Tiny fingers curled around his calloused finger and he watched her giggle and drool.  He chuckled.

“I hope this drooling thing doesn’t continue when you’re older...ah, it’s okay.”  Sebastian leaned over the cradle and smiled.  “I will take care of you, no matter what.”

News came faster than they thought that the leader of the raiders was apprehended off the coast.  The entire fleet of ships that was with him was burned and sank to the bottom of the gulf by the southern navies.  It was a massive success and once the leader was brought to one of the unnamed prison locations and was secured, awaiting execution with his sons, Marquis Guevera, Sebastian’s grandfather, made the announcement.

His son, Gregorio de Guevera would be formally handed the title of Marquis Guevera.

It wasn’t exactly a surprise, as Gregorio had been doing much, if not all the duties of his father for some time.  He was only missing the formal title.  Antonia was also not only doing all the duties of the marchioness, but took over the financial work for the entire march back when she was still pregnant with Kasen.

It was mainly because Grammie wanted to go off to a dig site and needed to hand off the work to someone.  She was lucky her daughter-in-law was more than competent and easily took it up.

The succession ceremony would also change the title of Sebastian’s mother.  She would not simply be a marchioness, but she would be made a joint marquis along with her husband.  For many, it was a questionable decision, but Gregorio had that much trust in his beloved wife.

For days, the entire city was in the process of being decorated for the ceremony and to welcome the guests.  The ceremony was scheduled for a nice spring day and various relatives and allies were coming.

Auntie Lucia was back with her fiancée from Horizon.  Sebastian thought he was quite nice, though very interested in medicinal plants.  They were also expecting several high-ranking nobles, including Major General Schwert, heir to the Schwert March of Osten in the east, Lady Siobhan O’Tuagh, heir to the O’Tuagh March of Anlar in the west and a cousin of their father, and Duchess Genevieve Alvere, an old classmate and friend of their mother.

As a result, security was a serious concern.

Sebastian had walked past his father’s study after sword practice and could hear several people discussing the security measures that were to be put in place.  Not only were all the knights of the fortress going to be on duty, but an entire battalion from the garrison outside of Presidio would be combing the city.

“I don’t want to make it too stifling and obvious that we’re making such high security measures,” he heard his father say as he lingered outside the door for a moment.

“It’s necessary to reassure the numerous influential guests,” his mother said.  “It would’ve been worse if Monica came, but she also has a baby to deal with and can’t travel.”  Monica was the name of the empress and was a schoolmate of his mother’s.

“I’m surprised you didn’t press for the emperor to come in her place,” Uncle Lorenzo chuckled.

“He’s not interesting.  Besides, if Monica isn’t coming, the emperor isn’t going to come.”  The group inside chuckled amongst themselves.  Sebastian continued walking, passing a messenger who arrived at the door.

“Enter.”

“My lord.” The messenger bowed his head and pushed the door open.  “I bring a message from Duchess Alvere.  She is ill once more and unable to attend.”

Sebastian didn’t stay to listen.  He continued down the hall and then towards the library.  He had another crystal class scheduled with Master Ramos.  When he opened the library door, he found the man going through some books while Kasen was hunched over the large table in the center, using a pen with soot ink to practice writing on some parchment.

Sebastian came up behind him and looked over his shoulder.  Old Sulfae.  Rather than crystals, Kasen was more adept at a dead language and he seemed to enjoy it.  Sebastian narrowed his eyes with distaste.  Nerd.

“Lord Sebastian, you’ve finally arrived,” Master Ramos looked up from his book and raised a brow.  He looked at Sebastian before looking over at the chair next to Kasen.  “Please take a seat.  Since you complained that crystals are not useful in battle, I thought I’d show you today just how useful they can be.”

Kasen looked up from his work and wrinkled his nose.  “Is it time for Sebastian’s class?”

“Yes, you’re free to go, Lord Kasen,” Master Ramos told him cheerfully.  Kasen collected his work and put them in a neat pile before cleaning his pen and placing it to the side, in a wooden box where he kept his study materials.

Once he left the room, Master Ramos reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet bag.  He opened it and gently shook out its contents.  There were three pieces of crystal that tumbled out.

“This,” Master Ramos said as he picked up a small, black arrowhead.  “Is made of obsidian.  It is very useful in battle.”

Sebastian looked at the little arrowhead and then back at Master Ramos with unimpressed eyes.  “Anything can be useful in battle if it’s sharp enough to hurt someone.”

A sigh left Master Ramos and took Sebastian’s hand and placed the obsidian in his palm.  “Obsidian is a motivator crystal.  When worn close to the body, especially near the heart, it gives the wearer a boost of energy as it absorbs the chaotic energy in the center of battle and funnels it to the wearer to increase their stamina, strength, and overall life energy.  There have been soldiers that have worn obsidian talismans as a failsafe.  In case they are wounded or in a situation where they have little to survive on for days - little food or drink or rest, the energy absorbed from the obsidian can delay their deaths.”

Sebastian knit his brows together and brought the little arrowhead closer to him.  “This little rock can do that?”

“It must be charged by a competent master, but yes.  I don’t recommend it for long term survival.  The body will eventually require food, water, and rest, but in a situation where a day or two can make a difference, a fully charged obsidian could tip the scale in one’s favor.  However, depending on the amount of energy absorbed by the wearer, the obsidian will of course lose energy faster than normal and it will grow weaker as it is used.”

He pushed forward a small white, opaque crystal.  “This is an air crystal.  It is particularly useful to help regulate breathing if someone is sick and has problems with their lungs.  It is placed on the chest to help clear the lungs and purify the air, but it must be charged to do so.  If the user is not paying attention to the air crystal, once the air crystal runs out of energy, it will start taking energy from the wearer.”

Sebastian frowned.  “So, it has to be watched?”

“Yes, but unless a user forces it, it takes quite some time to get to that point.  Weeks can pass before it needs to be recharged under normal circumstances.  If it is left on the wearer when the energy runs out, it will eventually weaken the lungs until the wearer cannot breathe and suffocate.”  Master Ramos looked towards Sebastian.  “You can understand how much power a crystal user has if they know how to ground, connect, and trigger it at the right time.”

Sebastian looked at the white crystal, but wasn’t convinced.  “But the enemy would still have to be wearing the crystal to suffocate them.  If I need to get that close to begin with, shouldn’t I just stab them?”

The corner of Master Ramos’ lips curled up in a small smirk.  “Not all cases will require you to kill your enemy immediately, young lord.”  He snorted.  “It looks like you didn’t get your father’s strategic mind.”

He took out the last crystal.  It was dark, but glimmered with streaks of gold, blue, green, and purple.

“Aurora stone is good for life energy.  This crystal is especially important if someone is very ill or has lost consciousness.  It is believed that if a person loses consciousness, then their soul has detached from the body.  If the body is not kept alive, the soul will be unable to return.”  He held up the smooth, glistening stone.  “This will ensure that once the soul re-enters the body, the realignment of body and mind will go smoothly, as the body has not deteriorated beyond repair.”

Sebastian squinted as he was handed the crystal.  “So, you’re saying that the stone can raise the dead?”

Master Ramos dropped his arm and looked at him, appearing almost defeated by this young lord.  He gave him a strange look.  “I see now you’re using your imagination....”  He scoffed.  “No, the soul must be willingto return.  You can’t just raise the dead with one crystal.”  He paused.  “You need at least two.  White howlite perhaps...why do you want to know this?”

Sebastian grinned as he shrugged.  “What if I fall unconscious.  It would be good to have these on me, right?”

Master Ramos sighed.  “Do you have any more ridiculous questions?”

Sebastian played with the aurora stone in his hand.  He smiled a bit.  “What crystals would be good for babies?”

The fortress wasn’t the elegant palaces of newer built estates.  It was old, stocky, and dark, but the grand room in the fortress’ south wing was still the hub of activity in Presidio that night.  Sebastian led a young lady around the stone tiled floor as music filled the hall.  Tiered light crystals above them illuminated the dark room well.

He was dressed in a gray military uniform tailored for his size.  He was tall at thirteen, but had yet to put on the bulk of an adult man like his father and uncle.  Still, coupled with his handsome face and amiable personality, Sebastian was very popular with his peers.

The young woman kept her eyes on him as she was led around the dance floor, entranced.  “Lord Sebastian, are you really leaving for Horizon?”

“Yes,” he said, not losing a step.  “I’ve already been invited as a swordsman niche student.  I’m unsure if I want to transfer to La Garda after my second year, though.  I’m not yet sure what area of study I want to focus on.”

The young woman looked disappointed.  “Aren’t you going to miss home?”

His lips curled into a playful smile.  “Well, of course.  My family is here.  This is my home,” he said.  The song died and they parted to clap before he offered his arm to escort her to the side.  “However, what I’ll probably miss most are the people here.”

“Really?”

“Hmm...yes.” Sebastian brought her to the side and his arm smoothly brushed against hers until he caught her hand.  He bowed and brought her gloved hand to his lips.  His eyes rose just enough to meet hers.  “I doubt any girl in Horizon is as beautiful as the ones here before me.”

The young woman’s face turned red as he kissed the back of her hand and released her.  He stood up straight and gave her a teasing smirk before turning around.

He immediately caught the eyes of Auntie Lucia, who raised a brow and crossed her arms over her chest.  “Aren’t you a little too young to be trying to sweep ladies off their feet?”

Sebastian gave her a slight shrug.  “I can’t help being as charming as I am.”

Auntie Lucia let out a little snort.  “You can go and charm your mother.  She’s looking for you.”  He walked beside her as they moved around the room.  “Honestly, I don’t know where you get that from....”  Her voice trailed off and Sebastian looked over to see that his aunt had been distracted by a handsome man awkwardly standing by a pillar.  Her eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement and she made a beeline over to Maurizo di Biancci.  “Handsome men shouldn’t hide themselves!  Come and dance with me!”

Sebastian shook his head as he watched the hapless medicinal plant researcher be dragged off, red faced, by his aunt.  He turned and caught sight of his parents, who were talking to a few other adults.  He quietly sided up beside his mother.

“Mama, did you call for me?” he asked.

Antonia looked over and stepped away from the group.  “I don’t know where your brother is.  Can you find him and make sure he’s not getting into another fight?”  As she said this, she peered over his head to try to find her nine-year-old.  She let out a heavy breath.  “He’s such a smart boy, but sometimes that temper of his gets the best of him.”

Sebastian nodded.  “I’m sure he’s not far.”  He was about to step away when a maid reached them.  She bowed.

“You called, my lady?”

“Maritza, go check to make sure Victoria is sleeping.  She’s always so fussy at this time.  Nanny took her upstairs an hour ago, but if Victoria’s awake, come and tell me.  I’ll put her to bed myself,” the new Marquess Guevera said.  The maid nodded and was about to go when Sebastian stepped in.

“Mama, I can go check on her,” he said.  “I can use a bit of a break from socializing, anyway.  It’s hard being so popular.”  He let out a mock, tired sigh and his mother gave him a deprecating look.  “I don’t want a fight to break out because I can’t dance with everyone.”

“Then go and be quick about it.  You still have to find your brother,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Sebastian grinned and easily slipped out of the grand room.  He walked down the halls, intent on using the servant stairs on the west wing to get to his room.  He needed to pick up the item he ordered.

He reached his room and picked up the small box on top of his desk.  He opened it and smiled to himself as he looked at the hand sized lion carved out of pink quartz.  The crystal was charged and was supposed to release warm, loving family energy it had been charged with.  Sebastian hoped this would help ease his baby sister when his parents weren’t there.

He had it commissioned by the best crystal sculptor in Presidio.  He still didn’t think crystals were very useful, but this made it useful enough.  He picked up the heavy lion that was leisurely laying on its side and walked out.

A smile was on his face as he walked across the fortress to get to the east wing.

He didn’t notice it at first, not until he was well within the east wing that he realized there was a heavy, sweet smell in the air.  He narrowed his eyes.  The kitchen was in the south part of the fortress; the scent of food wouldn’t have wafted all the way to the east wing.  In addition, there weren’t many pastries laid out that night.

The smell grew heavier the deeper he went.  He liked sweets, but this was a bit much for him.  He reached into his pocket with his free hand and took out his handkerchief.  He placed it over his nose and mouth as he rounded the corner to the main corridor of the wing.

The lion fell from his hand and hit the stone tile, shattering as Sebastian’s heart stopped.  Knights that were supposed to be standing along the corridor were on the ground, as if they had suddenly fallen over from their positions.

His eyes moved to the nursery as dread filled him.  The door was open and he could see light spilling out of the doorway.  He could feel himself begin to shake.

It was so quiet.

Sebastian began to run.  He passed the fallen knights with only one thing in his mind: his infant sister.

The door was open wide and he skidded to a stop before grabbing the doorframe and pulling himself through.  The color bled from his face.

Victoria’s nanny was on the ground, eyes closed and a bit of red dripping out of the corner of her mouth.  As Sebastian stepped inside, three other maids were laying around the floor.  The sweet smell was even stronger and it penetrated the cloth he held against his nose and mouth easily.

He jumped around their bodies, dropping the handkerchief as he ran to Victoria’s cradle.  His heart was slamming against his chest.

Victoria was always fussy in the evening.  Why was she so quiet?  Why wasn’t she making any noise?  He gripped the side of the cradle desperately and looked inside.

“Victoria!?”

The cradle was empty.