The next day, Iris was changing the bandage around Zoneen's hand.
"This is no natural wound," Iris said.
"How so?"
"It refuses to stitch together."
Zoneen paused and took a breath before answering:
"He used Shezen magic. He drank some sort of potion, then he was able to create ice spikes. And he took only a small sip."
"Klal."
"Who?"
"A servant recognized him when the guards brought him in," Iris said quickly. "He was an orphan who stole from the wrong people, and ended up working for a criminal group located all over Shezul."
"How did I never know about this group?"
"They're very secret, I guess."
Iris finished re-bandaging Zoneen's hand.
"We have to notify Shezen," Zoneen said as she stood. "Their magic has been stolen."
Iris nodded, and the pair walked out of their room and to the hallway.
Guards were rushing down the hall.
"What's happening?" Zoneen asked, holding out a hand to stop one of the guards.
"There is trouble in the dungeon, Your Highness," the guard said, bowing quickly.
Zoneen turned to Iris, who immediately shook her head.
"You'll get hurt," Iris said.
"I'll be fine."
"Continue on." The guard nodded and left at Iris's words. "Zoneen, let's go back. You can't get hurt much worse."
"I'm not that injured."
Iris gave Zoneen a look.
Iris turned and walked back into the room, holding Zoneen's hand. Zoneen let go. She shut the door and grew vines from the plant holders by the door to cover the door.
"Zoneen!"
"Sorry, niyalau. I have to help in whatever way I can."
"That magic was too powerful! You could die."
Iris's voice cracked at the last word.
"I'll be okay."
On one side, Zoneen rested her forehead against the door. On the other, Iris did the same.
"If you die, I'm fighting nature itself to bring you back."
"I wouldn't be surprised."
Zoneen found a servant passage behind a suspiciously thick wall of vines and found her way to the dungeon.
Chaos.
Guards lay dead on the stone floor. A boy of barely sixteen years with light skin and brown hair, wearing a long brown jacket, brown-and-green boots, and black pants, stood in the center of the circle of corpses. Glowing red strings danced around him, and his eyes glowed the same color.
Zoneen watched as the boy moved his hands, causing the iron bars holding back the one called Klal to be wrapped in red strings and bent. Klal stepped out through the hole.
"I told you the Kalilazzo would free me," Klal said, looking directly to where Zoneen hid in the shadows.
The boy lifted his hands as if he were to attack Zoneen.
"Let her go," Klal said. "Legends need witnesses."
The boy's hands dropped to the side. He followed Klal outside.
Zoneen ran after them and found the entire courtyard held in place by the boy's strings.
"Wait!" Zoneen called as the boy created a short platform out of red strings.
The boy stopped. Klal stepped onto the platform.
"Zheirah…" Klal said in a low warning tone.
"Zheirah. Is that your name?"
The boy - Zheirah the Kalilazzo - nodded so barely that Zoneen almost missed it.
Zoneen took a step forward.
"I mean no harm. I only want to speak to Klal."
"Zheirah, get on the platform," Klal said.
"Klal, why are you stealing magic?"
"I stole nothing."
"How did you get magic, then?"
"I am only using what I own."
The red strings around the courtyard faltered, but quickly returned to their normal strength.
"How did you get that potion?"
"Magic used to be shared among all people. Is it truly stealing if I'm using what once would have been mine?"
"Times have changed. Magic isn't as common anymore."
Klal scoffed and grabbed Zheirah's shoulder, pulling him onto the platform.
"Bring us back."
Zheirah - who looked almost like steam came from his eyes - lifted his arms. Red strings surrounded the platform, then every string disappeared.
So did Zheirah and Klal.
Everyone in the courtyard was able to move. A noblewoman named Chir ran to Zoneen. The silk of her sleeveless shirt looked partially burned, as did her arms. The burns were in the shape of strings snaking around the noble.
"Princess, what will we do of this?" she asked, grabbing Zoneen's left arm.
"I will speak to Shezen, because Klal stole their magic."
Chir's grip on Zoneen's arm tightened, stabbing Zoneen with her nails.
"Do not speak the name of someone like that!" Chir hissed. She let go and took a deep breath, moving her hands to straighten her white skirt. "Apologies, Princess. It's just… We cannot associate with them in any way."
"I will speak the name of whoever I wish."
Zoneen then spoke to the crowd of nobles that had gathered:
"Go to your homes, and stay there. This problem will soon be resolved."
The nobles nodded and dispersed, going to the circle of homes just outside the castle property.
----
Two days later, Zoneen sat in a carriage alone, going to Shezen. A carriage behind her held two advisors - Evera and Barir.
The carriages stopped at dusk. Someone knocked on Zoneen's door. Zoneen opened it to reveal a servant she didn't know the name of.
"Your Highness-" the servant bowed "-Shezen is far north. If we travel another hour, we can stay the night in Shabo and spend the daylight traveling across Shezen."
"How cold is Shezen this time of year?" Zoneen asked.
"It is the peak of winter in Shezen, as it is the peak of summer in Shezon. That is why we believe it wise to spend the night in a warmer place, so the sun's heat will deflect some of the cold."
Zoneen nodded.
"Send a messenger ahead to notify Shabo officials."
The servant bowed and walked away. Zoneen closed the door and sat back down in the large carriage.
The carriages soon began to move again, and within an hour they arrived at the Shabo castle.
A Shabo servant led Zoneen to a royal bedroom.
"Is there anything you need, Your Highness?" the servant asked.
"No. Go rest."
The servant bowed and walked away.
----
The next day's trip lasted until noon. Even in the heat of day, Zoneen had to put on a coat. She rolled up the curtains of her carriage and slid closed the wooden panels to preserve some heat. At one point, the carriages paused for servants to hang heating lanterns from the ceiling of the carriages.
When they arrived, Shezen servants came to greet them. They led away the horses and carriages. One of the servants - a dark-skinned girl close in age to Prince Zentik - stepped forward and bowed. The white cloth covering her face was decorated with blue swirl embroidery - unlike the plain cloths that covered the other servants' faces.
"Hello, Your Highness," the girl said, bowing. "Hello, advisors. I have been sent to escort you to the King and Prince."
"What is your name?" Zoneen asked as she walked to the right of the girl.
"I am Tang."
"I see you're close to the Royal Family. How so?"
"I have known Second Prince Zentik my whole life."
Zoneen nodded.
Tang opened the door to a meeting room. King Lonek and Second Prince Zentik sat by each other. The Shezen Council sat around the table. Three spaces were to King Lonek's left - the closest was for his non-existent spouse, the next two were for Evera and Barir. One empty seat was placed to Second Prince Zentik's right - two seats down from King Lonek.
"Princess," King Lonek said, standing to greet Zoneen.
"King. How is your world rising?"
"High above. And yours?"
"Above all."
"Good. Come, sit."
Zoneen and the advisors sat.
"What is the issue you have?" King Lonek asked.
"There is a man named Klal. He has stolen Shezen magic."
"What do you mean?"
"He drank a potion the color of blood. It gave him the ability to create ice spikes. He used them to attack me earlier this week."
"Do you know how he got this power?"
"No, but I do have a suspicion."
"What is it?"
"A boy barely sixteen years old appeared the day after we captured him. The boy used red strings made of pure magic to break him out of prison."
Second Prince Zentik's eyes widened.
"Is something wrong, Prince?" Zoneen asked.
"Lonek, that's the boy," the Prince said, turning and putting a hand on King Lonek's arm. "The boy from my dream."
"The one not in the pool of blood?"
Prince Zentik nodded.
"What dream?" Zoneen asked.
The brothers shared a look.
"Zentik has been having dreams," King Lonek said. "In one, he saw one boy using red strings to hold another trapped in a pool of blood."
"You believe this is the boy?"
"If Zadu was honest, yes."
"This is proof that they told the truth!" Prince Zentik said. "Bhin is alive!"
"We still aren't sure of that."
"Third Prince Bhin?" Evera asked from where xe sat across the table. Xe folded xyr fan and placed it in xyr lap. "Is he not the one who died many years ago?"
"Zentik believes he somehow survived."
"If Klal is the man from the dream, and this boy is the one from my dream…" Prince Zentik paused with tears almost falling from his eyes. "There's no way Bhin's dead."
"Klal used the title 'Kalilazzo' to refer to the boy, but his real name is Zheirah," Zoneen said. "Do you have a way to track him down?"
King Lonek shook his head.
"We will need any help you can provide," he said. "If this Klal has relations to Bhin's disappearance, we could be fighting against something more powerful than we can imagine."