'OK. . . Let's get this over with. . .'
Back in the courtroom, Celi and Amandla eventually calmed down, both grudgingly sitting on their thrones. Ayaan, Gasper, and Coran slumped on their thrones, upset that their bets were halted as Cova huffed and sat down in anger.
"You are all grown yet you act like children. My apprentice babysits children more mature than you lot." As Cova spoke, the door opened and King Lupin stepped in while bandaging his shoulder.
The moment King Lupin walked in, the court members stood and bowed while greeting the king in unison, "good afternoon your highness." King Lupin smirked at the court and sat down next to Celi and Coran. "You may be seated." King Lupin said, gesturing for everyone to sit.
"Excuse my tardiness, I had personal business to attend to." explained King Lupin, keeping the reasoning for his absence hidden. Cova nodded as he passed the scroll to the king. As the king looked over the scroll, Cova spoke about what the court had discussed before Amandla and Celi's disagreement. "Your highness, we are unfortunately no closer to discovering the cause of these disappearances. . ." Cova paused, not sure if he should speak his thoughts.
King Lupin sensed Cova's hesitance, "continue." he ordered, not looking up. " Your highness, court member Romy has brought to our attention that these disappearances are very similar to. . . the midnight curse."
Cova waited as King Lupin processed this information, but the entire court grew surprised as the king, who always wore a playful look, became serious and spoke with a grim voice, ". . . It's not. . . Get all thoughts of that damned curse out of your mind."
The court members were taken aback by the sudden shift in King Lupin's demeanor, their expressions turning from surprise to concern. His serious tone carried a weight that silenced the room, leaving everyone unsettled and eager to know what had prompted such a stern reaction from their usually lighthearted king.
Releasing a heavy sigh, King Lupin pinched the bridge of his nose, regretting his tone. "Excuse my tone, all of us are obviously exhausted, I suggest we wrap this up quickly and revisit the topic tomorrow" the king said, trying to hide the pain in his voice as his shoulder throbbed.
Isis cleared her throat to get the room's attention, "din höghet, I will respect your wishes but, as the kunglig scroll keeper I feel it is in my jurisdiction to ask for any and all information on the dark ages. I know you said this was not the curse but it is similar. Maybe there is information in. . . den antika tomen?"
King Lupin paused before chuckling to himself, "Isis, if my Swedish is correct you are asking for the ancient tome, a relic only I have access to unless I say otherwise?" He gave her a mischievous smirk. "And why would I do that?" he asked. She gave him a fierce look and he groaned, "Oh, alright, you can have it."
'Always all business and no fun. . .'
"Thank you, your highness, and I promise no one but me will see the tome" Isis promised, bowing her head in respect. "Yeah yeah, just don't let it get messed up and keep it by your side until you're done with it." King Lupin ordered with a wave of dismissal.
After everything was said and done, Celi looked up at the grand clock in the room to see the time. He cursed when he realized how late it was. "Well, seeing as we're all just sitting on our asses, I must go. I have better things to do."
King Lupin sighed in annoyance as he remembered Celi was next to him. "You just had to ruin the day, didn't you Celi?" King Lupin mumbled, annoying the court leader, "yes well, you probably deserved it. Now if you'll excuse me, my fiance is waiting for me."
Amandla looked up in surprise, they knew of Celi and Leo's betrothal, as Leo and Amandla's sister, General Jabari Bititi, were close friends, but what surprised the catshifter was that Leo promised to hang out with Amandla and his friends tonight, this was planned weeks ago.
Cat ears tilted back, Amandla growled lowly at Celi, who walked out with a smug look. Cova, who was equally as angered and surprised as Amandla, gently kicked Amandla's leg, getting their attention.
As Amandla looked up at Cova, they froze, seeing the older witch have a stern yet worried expression. Amandla hissed softly as they slumped back on their throne, feeling helpless about the situation.
"Alright, I think it's safe to say this meeting is concluded. We'll discuss the rest tomorrow." King Lupin said, standing up with a stretch. The other court members began to leave, grabbing what they had brought. Before anyone could walk out, explosions shook the castle, and crashing could be heard.
The court members ran out of the room, seeing servants and maids rush out to see the commotion, along with court leader Celi and Leo. Everyone looked out at the castle doors, citizens of the Krystal Kingdom ran into the castle as bright lights fell to the ground, causing destruction wherever they fell.
Jabari Bititi ran out of the castle with guards and soldiers following behind her. King Lupin grabbed Jabari by the arm and asked in a hurried voice, "General what's happening!?" Jabari stood straight as the guards and soldiers ran out. "Sire, strange fires are falling from the sky. They've caused damage from the castle to the borders."
Leo looked up in shock, scared as he turned to Jabari. "Which side of the border!? Is it the east border!?" he asked in fear, but Jabari didn't answer, instead she tried to reassure the young witch, "the guards are already on their way to-" "Which border Jabari!?"
She didn't need to say anything, the sympathetic look on her face said it all. "I have to get home, my family could be in danger!" Leo began running out of the castle with the king and court members, who wanted to guide the citizens into the castle for safety.
As Leo ran out, he grabbed a bundle of roots from his satchel, crushed them and said a simple incantation. He waved the crushed roots over his head, creating a pink and red shield to protect him. As he ran, he shouted for people to head into the castle, knowing it was the safest structure in the kingdom.
The falling fires from the sky were a mesmerizing sight, with vibrant hues of orange, red, and yellow illuminating the darkened atmosphere. They danced and flickered as they descended, leaving trails of sparkling embers in their wake, but their beauty masked the destruction they were causing on impact.
As Leo looked at these beautiful yet destructive sights, he felt unsettled, as if he'd seen them before, then it hit him. These were not fires or flames, they were something far more dangerous. . .
"They're falling stars. . ."