'Milady, what is it that I can do for you?' queried her good friend Bronwen. He whispered as though they may be overheard.
'Is it safe for us to talk here?'
'I cannot be entirely certain, Your Majesty.'
She nodded that she understood and then went around the room searching out any possible spies. She did not find one, so she gave up the search. She then approached each door and magically sealed them. Then she put a sound shield on the walls, the floor, and the glass ceiling. Once she had completed all of these tasks, she turned again to her friend and smiled warmly.
'We should be safe now to speak our minds without being overheard.'
'I am certain that your magic will keep us safe and what we say a secret. What is it that you have come to speak with me about?'
'I need to bring you up to speed on our situation. I have received information from very reliable sources that there will be attempts on my life. I want to share with you what I have been told from General Marek in particular.'
Bronwen nodded that he understood, and they each took a seat at the round table. Kira relayed to him all that General Marek had learned from her husband about the secret passageways and the hiding place within the heart of the mountain. She also told him about what she had asked Marek to do. She did not hold anything back from her faithful friend. She even told him of her different plans she had formulated to defend herself. He listened carefully to every word she said before making any reply.
'Kira, you will need someone to watch your back. It should not be one of the home guard or even General Marek. They will protect you, but they may not be able to see the assassin before it is too late. If you have another person you trust to watch your back, then they may be able to see who it is that hunts you. They would be able to alert you of any danger,' Bronwen said with a certain amount of urgency in his voice. He did not feel that her plan for protecting herself was foolproof. He felt that another fail-safe was needed in order to avoid the unthinkable.
'Who would you recommend to do such a task?'
'I believe that I am the only one who can be trusted to be faithful in shadowing you. You know that I have the ability to hide myself most effectively. I will be able to warn you when I sense danger. Please, allow me to do this for you. I do not want to lose you,' he said pleadingly. If we lose Kira, then our cause is lost.
'It will be as you have asked. Follow me, and watch out for unseen dangers. I feel comforted knowing that you will be watching over me. I am sure that my husband would be most grateful for your loyalty to me. It sounds like a plan he would come up with as well. Remember, you are not to be seen by anyone,' she said with warning in her voice. She did not want any harm to come to him while watching out for her. He is putting himself in great danger by offering this service. 1 hope that he is kept safe. 1 could not bear to lose him.
'You will forget that I am even there, Milady.'
'Excellent. I must undo these protective spells on the hall so General Marek will be able to enter. I told him to meet me here as soon as he was done with instructing the home guard. With him at my side and with you watching my back, I should be safe,' she said with ever-increasing confidence. She then removed the spells she put on the entire room and unsealed the doors. A moment later, the general knocked at the front doors.
'Come in, General Marek,' said the queen.
He entered the room and bowed himself to the floor. He waited for the queen's acknowledgment before raising his head. She bade him to rise, and as he did so, he noticed that she was all alone in the hall. He thought that she was going to meet with Bronwen while he was away. She could sense his confusion and decided to interrupt his thoughts.
'Bronwen has left already. He exited through the back door on an errand for me. We had just finished our discussion before you arrived,' she said calmly.
'Very well, Your Majesty. Was it a profitable meeting?' he asked tentatively.
'It was very productive, General Marek. Now, let us not waste any more time. I have come up with several ideas, and I wanted to talk to you about them. Let's go back to the castle and discuss them there.'
'As you wish, Milady.'
As they walked in the shade of the mountain, Bronwen watched. He had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He could not tell what it was exactly, but it was there nonetheless. He watched over her from a distance as a chameleon would its prey over the next two days. The feeling of impending doom still pressed on him to keep vigilant in his duty. He saw no signs of danger and could see no one else watching the queen's movements. He thought that this should comfort him, but it did not. The only person that interacted with Kira was General Marek. The general appeared to be watching her every movement as a parent watches a newborn taking their first steps. He looked like he was very anxious as well. Maybe they were sensing the same unseen danger.
On the third day, both of Kira's protectors sensed eminent danger. General Marek acted at once, knowing that if he took too much time the queen would be at risk. A shadow flitted pass a window and seemed to land somewhere on the queen's balcony to her bedchamber. Bronwen immediately went to where he thought the intruder was, but there was no one there. He could sense a presence but could not see anything with his eyes. General Marek shoved the bed out of the way and opened the trap door. He hurried the queen down the passage below and hurried in after her. Bronwen ran across the floor to reach the door before it closed. He barely slipped past the door before it shut. He heard Marek utter the words 'Twilight Cavern', and the trap door disappeared.
'My queen, we need to head to the heart of the mountain now! We need to put distance between you and that intruder. I do not think that the assassin is made of flesh and blood, so I am not so sure the entrance disappearing will stop it from following. It will be easier for us to make a stand, if need be, in the cavern,' General Marek said emphatically.
'You are right, Marek. Let's go,' she ordered. She glanced behind to see if Bronwen had been able to make it into the tunnel with them. She saw a quick glimpse of her trusted spy and felt reassured that everything would be all right. She started down the tunnel as fast as she could manage without falling. General Marek and Bronwen Merindiel followed suit.
The journey to the center of the mountain took much longer than anyone expected. After many hours, the narrow tunnel opened into a broad cavern. The ceiling was very high, and sounds of water dripping echoed through the massive open space. Their eyes scanned the heights at first before they even realized that General Yukio had outfitted the floor with everything they would need if they were to stay here for an extended period of time. There were beds, a well of fresh water, food storage, weapons, clothes, medical supplies, and books. There was enough provisions that they would be able to last for a year if need be.
'Your husband certainly knows how to plan ahead,' said Marek in utter disbelief. He could scarcely believe what he was seeing. He took comfort in their surroundings and felt reassured that they would be able to defend themselves against any threat that may present itself. Little did he know that he was about to face the assassin in a way he had not accounted for.
As they settled themselves in to their new surroundings, they found some lanterns and lit them so they could try to see their shadow friend. As soon as the light filled the cavern, the shadowy assassin appeared. The queen and the general immediately took defensive postures as they waited for their mysterious tracker to attack. The shadowy figure began to shrink in size until it disappeared. Bronwen had been watching from behind a barrel of ale and noticed right away that the thing that had been pursuing the queen had entered Marek. He immediately sprang from his hiding place and undid his cloaking magic he had been using.
'Kira, that thing has possessed General Marek! Look out!' Bronwen shouted frantically. He had sacrificed the few fleeting moments that he could have protected himself to warn his queen.
Marek turned to face the revealed protector with an evil grin as he sent forth a strong gust of wind at the defenseless chairman. Bronwen was lifted high into the air where he hit the northern wall with a sickening thud. Kira immediately sprang to action by throwing up a protective shield that sent the blistering winds toward the ceiling. It hit the roof with an extreme amount of velocity, which caused the whole mountain to shake. Rocks began to fall from the area hit by the assassin's diverted attack. Kira quickly threw up another protective barrier around herself and her friend as the ceiling began to collapse. She hunched over her bloodied friend while projectiles
