The Crown's Entrapment

The parade continued, and Jayra couldn't help but sniff at the air as she rode right behind Xenia on her own horse. Gilas and Calypso also rode behind their King and Queen as she followed. Meanwhile, her husband Bartos rode beside her, with Gideon trotting along by her other side. Looking around, she couldn't help the tears of joy running down her eyes as she took in the celebration.

The Ebodian Royal Family didn't join the parade. Instead, they spent time with the Queen Mother, Princess Freya, and some of the chosen Elders along with the Great Admiral, Lord Osman to further discuss essential matters in regards to the cooperation between their two kingdoms. Specifically, it was their stance against their common enemy in the Kingdom of Helion.

King Nikolai on the other hand, had already left early to go back to Valcrez, leaving his Queen Mineah here in Cordon for a few more days to stay with their Queen Xenia.

As things stood, it seemed that King Darius fully trusted Lord Osman with the happenings of the kingdom. According to her husband Bartos, the admiral was a great strategist, and she smiled just thinking of how Lord Osman would definitely look good for her sister-in-law.

[Wife, I'm so confused with your emotions and thoughts,] Bartos telepathically remarked with a chuckle. [Just a while ago, you were thinking about our Queen, only to then suddenly shift your thoughts to my sister.]

Jayra awkwardly chuckled. Right, she forgot to put her wall up, which meant her dearest husband could spy on her thoughts and emotions.

[Anyway, I'm just so glad that finally, my dearest friend is now a Queen!] Jayra quickly diverted with a cheer. [She's our Queen and she deserves all the respect and recognition she can get!]

[Of course, Wife,] Bartos smiled. [Just look at how the Cordonians love her.]

Jayra nodded as she looked around with a wide smile on her face. Everyone around them was currently on their knees as they kneeled towards their Queen. However, that smile quickly faded when she sensed a dark energy lurking around the corner.

[What is it?] Bartos quickly asked her as soon as he sensed her weariness.

[I sense dark magic!] Jayra quickly answered as she turned her head to the surroundings. Breaking from the march, she moved her horse to the side and walked slowly back towards the available space. Behind her, Bartos was quick to follow her tracks, while Gideon did the same from the other side of the march.

"Move! Give way!" Bartos barked aloud as Jayra's horse moved. Unfortunately, there were so many people around her that she immediately had to get down from her horse to continue her search by foot. She couldn't have mistaken it. The dark energy that suddenly sent shivers down her spine was way too strong to ignore. It was a first… and that kind of energy was something they shouldn't just shrug off.

[It's a dark witch. I'm sure of it…] Jayra pensively explained to Bartos as she continued to search around the crowd. She could still sense it, and she could feel that she was getting close.

[What are we looking for? Can you give me a proper description that I can relay to the rest of my men?] Bartos inquired.

Jayra stopped in her tracks as she quickly closed her eyes, casting a searching spell as wide as she could manage it.

Chanting out words, she then suddenly bent down and touched the ground. A huge gray light quickly spread forth, invisible to the naked eye as it dispersed throughout the area as wide as Jayra's magic could extend.

Gasping for air, Jayra quickly relayed, [You'll see a red light in a body with dark magic…]

Jayra took a deep breath. She had used a lot of her inner energy to make this kind of spell work in such a wide range that it would take her some time to cast another one like it. It would be up to her husband along with Gideon and the royal guards to start their search discreetly while she tried to gather enough energy so that she could also participate in the search.

She clicked her tongue. She really needed to finish up her new formula to help these werewolves detect everyone entering the kingdom using dark magic.

It was one of the best advantages Ebodia had against all the other neighboring kingdoms… Their mages and seer were simply just better. They might lack the physical strength of a werewolf, but they at least had the best mages to make up for it. Still, mages were also limited in their power, and they couldn't just use their magic to its full extent unless they wanted to endanger their own lives.

Jayra was still panting when she tried to follow the trail. Before she knew it, she was already far from the crowd, ending up in front of a particular alley where there was no one around.

"Your capabilities are truly impressive," a man's voice echoed in Jayra's ear, making her body tremble at his tone. "It would be a waste for you to stay here, my dear. How about you come with me where you really belong?"

'What is going on with me? Why can't I move?!' Jayra inwardly screamed. Something was wrong with her.

"I'm not this generous but I see great potential in you," the man continued. "It's either you commit your soul to me, or you die this instant for being a possible threat in the future…"

"You… who are you?!" Jayra gasped, trying her best to stall time. Hopefully, Bartos could feel that she was in danger because she couldn't contact him through their mindlink.

There was a maniacal laugh as the man behind her walked right in front of her to face her. Her eyes widened as her face paled. The man had black irises and he had a snake tattoo moving up around his neck.

Helion's symbol and mark… The Demon King himself. She had recalled feeling this kind of magic back in the Ebodia Encampment.

"You're a lost child… Aren't you curious about your origins?" the man asked with a grin.

Jayra gritted her teeth but still kept her silence.

The man walked closer and leaned into her ear. "I am looking for someone like you; an abomination that I need to eliminate. However, you're lucky, I'm generous and willing to keep you alive," he whispered. "You'll be a great medium in my search to find the one I've been looking for…"

Jayra tried to move, but she slackened as she suddenly felt a sting prick her wrist.

"W-What did you do?" she weakly whispered.

"Don't worry, you'll forget everything once you wake up. I just need to use your body for a while to find what I'm looking for," the Demon King chuckled. "You have vast amounts of energy in you, so it will be easier for me to use you. If you're lucky, then you'll survive. If not, then you'll simply die…"

Those were the last words Jayra heard… She squinted her eyes only to see Xenia's wings quickly landing towards her.

"My queen…" Jayra weakly whispered with a smile before everything turned black.

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