"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 bounced harmlessly off the shield around them.
After long moments of quaking, the mountain went still again. Marek's eyes were burning bright red as he stared down his queen. Kira bent over Bronwen face to see if he was still alive. His body was broken from the attack, and he lay motionless. As she sat up, the vacant eyes of her most trusted friend stared back at her. She cried softly as the truth sunk in. She didn't have time to indulge in her sorrow. The protective barrier had weakened as she had lost concentration and was consequently hit by several fiery missiles. Burn marks from the vicious attack appeared all over her body while smoke rose from her wounds. Her resolve and desire for revenge gave her new strength as she stood to face her attacker.
She straightened herself as she faced Bronwen's murderer and knew that she would have to kill one of her other trusted friends if she were to destroy this assassin. She did not hesitate a moment longer and sent a gust of wind of her own at the assailant who did not attempt to deflect the attack. The general was sent flying through the air some fifty feet backwards. Marek landed with a deafening thud and did not move. Kira sent balls of fire and rained down blocks of ice on the crumpled form of her loyal general. She then sent pieces of the cavern's ceiling crashing down on top of the motionless would be assassin. After the dust settled from the assault, no movement could be seen from the pile of rubble.
"Marek, are you still there? Are you still alive? Have I driven that demon from your body?" asked the queen with tears streaking down her scorched face. She felt sick to her stomach because she was sure she had just killed her friend. She hoped that she had killed whatever it was that possessed him; however, she got the feeling that it might still be there.