"I sensed two different magical powers," the Grand Magus said.
"Someone else had uprooted the tree and made the ground collapse so Lady Stella would fall. It was the same person who made it collapse again to make Marquess Eleftheria (Hendrick) and Sir Zafir let go of the young lady. But as per Sir Francis' tale, they still persevered and tried to protect her. Thus, another person in the group probably used magic and abducted the three while they were in midair when they had fallen enough and were covered by the lush forest trees so the knights atop the cliff would not see."
He also explained that Hendrick, Zafir, Francis, and all the other knights did not notice the carriage departing because magic was used to prevent them from interfering.
"They could be a group of sorcerers with a dark agenda or they were working for someone," the Grand Magus warned Duke Henry.
