We began our investigation by questioning the wounded guards who had survived the attack. It was a slow process, as many of them were in critical condition, but we were determined to get any information we could. Some of them had seen the attackers, while others had heard whispers of a rebellion brewing.

  "Most of us had no idea that there was anything going on," one of the guards told us. "We were just doing our duty, guarding the castle like we always do. But then they came out of nowhere, with their swords and their magic. We didn't stand a chance."

  Thalia and I exchanged a worried glance. The king was right. If the rebels were using dark magic, then that made them even more dangerous. We needed to find out who was behind this and put an end to it before any more innocent lives were lost.

  The last guard we spoke to was sitting, propped up in his cot in the infirmary, with his head wrapped in bandages.

  "Can you tell us anything about the attackers?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

  The guard clutched at his ear, wincing in pain. "I didn't see much," he said, his voice weak and very quiet. "But I heard them talking. They were speaking a language I didn't really understand. It sounded foreign, but not one I’ve overheard in the markets."

  Thalia and I exchanged a glance. Foreign allies. This was exactly what the king had warned us about.

  "Do you remember anything else?" Thalia asked, her voice gentle.

  The guard closed his eyes, as if trying to remember. "They were wearing black robes," he said finally. "They came out of nowhere, just stepped out of the darkness like they’d been there the whole time…and they had this symbol on their sleeves. It was a broken circle with a triangle inside."

  "Can you leave him alone?" A soft female voice said behind us. "He's on the brink of death..."

  "I thought you said I was getting better," the guard whimpered.

  "And he needs his rest. Trying to help you figure out who attacked the castle is only going to make things worse for him," the woman continued, walking forward to stand in front of us.

  She was a healer, I realized, her long golden hair pulled back in a braid and her robes stained with blood. Her voice was soft, despite her sharp tone. She had to be an apprentice, she was far too young to be anything but that.

  "I'm sorry," I said, bowing my head toward the guard. "We didn't mean to cause any harm."

  "These are the king's orders," Thalia said to the healer. "We must find out all the information we can so we may be able to stop this from happening again.

  The healer furrowed her brow, crossing her arms over her ample bosom. "I understand that you're trying to help. But sometimes the best thing we can do is let our bodies heal. I'll make sure he gets the rest he needs. Then he might be able to answer your questions with some level of detail."

  Thalia and I exchanged a look. It made sense, but we couldn't afford to wait too long. Every moment counted in this investigation, and this guy was the only one with anything substantial to tell us.

  "We appreciate your concern for his well-being," I said, "but we need to find out who did this before they strike again. Otherwise you’ll have a lot more patients just like him, or worse."

  The healer let out a reluctant sigh. "I understand your urgency. But I must insist that you leave him be for now. I will report anything he remembers to the king."

  I nodded, knowing that arguing wouldn't get us anywhere. "Thank you for your help."

  As we turned to leave, the healer spoke up again. "Wait."

  We turned back to face her.

  "I may not be able to give you information on the attackers, but I can give you something else," she said, a determined look in her eyes. "I can give you as much information as I have about the dark magic they used. I learned a lot, cleaning his wounds."

  Thalia and I exchanged a hopeful glance. This might be exactly what we needed.

  "We would appreciate any information you can give us," I said.

  The healer nodded and motioned for us to follow her. She leaned down toward the guard before she did. "Drink the tea I gave you," she said. "You'll feel better after you sleep."

  "Thank you," the guard said softly, keeping his eyes closed and laying back on his cot.

  Stolen story; please report.

  The healer stood wordlessly, then she led us to a small room in the infirmary, where she pulled out a book from a shelf. It was old and worn, filled with yellowed pages and faded ink.

  "My name is Amara," she said. "I was spending the night in the village, helping the sick and ailing. I got lucky. My master..."

  Thalia and I exchanged a look.

  "I guess this isn't how I expected to finish my apprenticeship," she said. It sounded like she was talking to herself, not us.

  "I'm sorry about your master," I said.

  "And I'm sorry about your father, Milord," she replied. That was the first time I realized that she knew me even without me having to introduce myself.

  I nodded, feeling a sudden weight of responsibility on my shoulders. "Thank you. We appreciate anything you can tell us about the dark magic they used."

  Amara nodded and opened the book, flipping through the pages until she found what she was looking for. "This book contains information about the most dangerous forms of dark magic," she said, her eyes scanning the words on the page. "It's forbidden knowledge, but I was lucky enough to learn from my master."

  She turned the book around so we could see the page. It was filled with symbols and incantations that made my head spin just to look at.

  "This is one of the spells they used," she said, pointing to a particular symbol. "It's an extremely powerful summoning spell. It allows them to call forth dark entities from another realm. Shades, they’re called. Once summoned, they become permanently attached to this realm. Even if you kill one, they will simply reform after a short while. Days, weeks, it depends on the strength of the one casting"

  Thalia and I exchanged a worried glance. If the rebels were using dark magic to summon creatures from other realms, then they were more powerful than we initially thought.

  "How do we stop them?" Thalia asked, her voice urgent.

  Amara hesitated before speaking. "There are only a few ways to stop them. Our best bet would be a counter-spell. But it's dangerous, and it requires a sacrifice."

  "A sacrifice?" I repeated, feeling a knot form in my stomach.

  Amara nodded solemnly. "A life for a life. The counter-spell requires a human sacrifice, someone close to the caster. Someone the caster loves."

  Thalia and I exchanged a horrified look. We couldn't possibly ask someone to make that kind of sacrifice for us.

  "They don’t call it dark magic for nothing. But, there is another way," Amara said quickly. "It's risky, but it might work. There's a rare herb that can weaken the effect of the spell. If we can get our hands on it and use it to weaken the spell, then we might be able to stop them without resorting to a sacrifice."

  "Where can we find this herb?" I asked, finally feeling a glimmer of hope.

  Amara sighed, her shoulders dropping. "You can't. It's gone extinct."

  Thalia and I exchanged another worried glance. It seemed like there was no way out of this. How were we going to stop the rebels and their dark magic if we couldn't find the herb or make a sacrifice?

  "There is one person who might know more," Amara said suddenly, her eyes brightening with a new idea. "My master had a colleague–a fellow healer who specialized in herbs. He might know of a substitute for the extinct herb. His name is Harlan."

  "Where can we find him?" Thalia asked, her voice hopeful.

  "He lives in a cave, near a small village, a few days' journey from here," Amara replied. "But be careful. He's reclusive and doesn't like visitors."

  "We'll take our chances," I said, already turning to leave. "Thank you. You've been a great help."

  Amara gave us a small smile. "I wish I could do more."

  "You've done plenty," I said.

  Her smile widened as she met my gaze.

  "Be sure to take care of yourselves," she said, concern etched in her features, her gaze never quite leaving my face. "There's no telling what you might encounter on your journey."

  "We will," Thalia said, determination in her voice.

  As we left the infirmary and made our way back to our horses, I couldn't help but think that this was going to be a difficult journey. We had a long road ahead of us, and the fate of our kingdom rested on our shoulders.

  But we had to keep moving forward. We had to do whatever it takes to stop the rebels and their dark magic. Even if it meant making sacrifices.

  "We'll need a guide," Thalia said as we walked back into the courtyard.

  "The king said we could have anyone at our disposal," I said. "Anything, too."

  "Seems I've arrived at a fortuitous time," a male voice said from ahead of us. We turned to see a tall, broad-shouldered man with a scruffy beard and a sly grin on his face. He was probably about five years older than us, maybe a little older, when I took a close look at him. He was certainly not as old as I had first thought.

  "Who are you?" I asked, my hand moving toward the hilt of my sword.

  The man chuckled, his grin widening. "The name's Alistair. And I'm here to offer my services as your guide."

  "How did you know we needed a guide?" Thalia asked, her eyes narrowing.

  Alistair shrugged, still grinning. "Word travels fast in these parts. A friend of a friend saw you talking to the healer, and another friend saw you headed for the gate. I figured you guys might need some help. Oh, and the king asked me to find you. I think he's worried about your inexperience...he believes it might mean you're not equipped for the challenges you might face. Didn’t say as much outright, but I don’t think he’d be sending me to help you otherwise.”

  Thalia and I exchanged a look. I wanted to tell him he was wrong, but I wasn’t sure that I could.

  "And why should we trust you?" Thalia asked.

  I was glad she did because I was certainly thinking it.

  Alistair shrugged again, his grin still firmly in place. "You shouldn't just trust anyone, that's true. But I've been a guide in these parts for years. I know the terrain, and I know how to keep us safe."

  I studied him for a moment, looking for any signs of deception, but all I could see was the confident smile on his face. "All right," I said finally. "You can be our guide. But know this - if we catch you doing anything suspicious, we'll put a sword through your chest."

  Alistair's grin widened. "I wouldn't expect anything less," he said. "We should leave soon. The journey will take us quite some time."

  So, the three of us headed off to find this Harlan and ask for his help.