“Is the King aware of this?” she asked.
“Yes”
“Thank you Zachonier,” she sighed. “I’m meeting the King in the garden for lunch.” Suri picked up the crystal decanter filled with her own nectar and walked down the corridor to the garden.
The scene was of the king and queen in the garden. “Winston, tell me what you see?” his beautiful ancestor inquired.
“It looks like the King and Queen are having lunch in the garden,” the young boy responded.
“Yes, look closely at the bushes,” Myadora directed.
“Oh, it’s Angeen. She’s hiding in back of the hydrangea bushes,” Winston pointed to the barely visible woman crouched down behind two large bushes.
“She can see Shadel and Suri but she’s too far to hear what they are saying,” said Myadora.
“Your own brother and sister, Shadel, what will you do?” Suri asked.
“I’ve always overlooked their silliness, their greed, their arrogance. They’re my brother and sister and I love them,” he replied distraught.
“I understand,” she consoled him.
“He’s returning to the castle tonight and I’ll deal with him then. He’s become an extreme danger to the people of Luminatia. He must be stopped. Suri, I fear there could be a real possibility that I may have to put him to death. I don’t want have to kill my own brother. He’s immortal and you know I’m the only one that can remove his immortality,” he agonized. “As long as he has that book there’s going to be a potential danger to everyone,” he said sadly.
“What about the alternatives to imprison or banish him. I know how difficult this is for you, Shadel,” she said with great sympathy as she poured her husband a glass of nectar unaware they were being observed.
“Those are alternatives, but they may not be harsh enough to protect our people,” he responded. “I will speak with him later and hopefully get him to agree to banishment.”
“They drank it, they drank it!” Angeen giddily sang to herself as she watched Shadel and Suri drink what she believed to be her gift. Carefully, she left her hiding place unnoticed and hurried back to her apartment to await her brother’s return.
CHAPTER SEVEN
That night unaware he had been found out, Avadon walked swiftly down the corridor to his apartment. As he opened the door, he noticed the shadow of a man seated in the large baroque chair by the fireplace. Startled, he shouted, “Who’s there?”
As the room lit up, Shadel stood up and turned around, “It’s your brother.”
“Why are you in my apartment?” Avadon asked nervously as he cowered in front of his brother, then noticed Zachonier standing in the corner. His demeanor was quick to change. He stood straight holding his head up high.
“Secrets of Dark and Evil,” Shadel announced glaring at his brother. “I want it back now,” the King insisted.
“Well that’s not going to happen,” Avadon smirked. “It’s gone, this time and I’ve hidden it,” he shouted contemptuously as a chilling smile came across his face. “You know the power of the book belongs to the one who has possession and I have possession. You would have to locate it to regain possession. It’s in a place where you’ll never find it,” he bellowed feeling all-powerful.
“You may have acquired some power, my brother, but remember, I am the King! I have the ultimate power,” Shadel avowed staring into his brother’s glazed eyes.
“The penalty for using spells and potions from the Secrets of Dark and Evil is death, Avadon,” Zachonier proclaimed moving from the corner of the room to face the younger sibling. Avadon’s mouth fell open.
“You wouldn’t, you couldn’t kill me,” Avadon shouted in defiance, knowing Shadel was the only one with the power to change an immortal into a mortal.
“I will give you three options to choose from my brother. Be put to death, imprisonment for eternity or banishment. The same goes for our sister,” Shadel vehemently declared. “The choice is yours.”
“Knowing he had already hidden many thousands of people who were under his spell in a world of Egoshen, Avadon agreed to banishment,” Myadora revealed to her young companion who sat spellbound by the story unfolding before him.
“Does King Shadel, I mean did King Shadel know where his brother took these people.” Winston queried not having the patience to wait for the answer “Did he? Uh!”
Laughing at his enthusiasm Myadora responded, “Yes Winston he knew.”
She continued. “King Shadel traveled to the other world and removed the veils of illusions from the minds of all the people. He explained to them what his brother had done and why and the choices he gave Avadon. The people understood if they were to return to Luminatia, Avadon would no longer have a kingdom to rule.
They realized as long as he was still in possession of the book ‘Secrets of Dark and Evil,’ Avadon would find ways to return to Luminatia and persist in generating havoc. Shadel could never allow that and eventually would have no choice but to put his brother and sister to death. The Luminations knew having to execute his siblings even to protect his people; the King would be tormented by that act for eternity. Their love for their King was so unwavering they would not allow Shadel to be put that position.
The people were aware despite what he had done the King still loved his brother and sister. They knew as long as Avadon believed he had a kingdom to rule, he would leave the rest of the people in Luminatia alone. Those who were taken asked the King to return the veils of illusions to their minds. Shadel was so overwhelmed by these people and their sacrifice he vowed to find a way for them to return home.
Allowing Avadon to believe he had the upper hand, Shadel agreed to have his brother and Angeen banished to Egoshen. Avadon would be allowed to retain and rule over the people he had taken. But the younger sibling wanted more. Avadon wanted a bigger kingdom.
Shadel further authorized only three of his brother’s representatives from Egoshen would be allowed to come once a month, two hours before dawn on the day of the new moon. They were permitted to take anyone found on the streets during those two hours back to Egoshen. Avadon in return agreed if any of the people brought to Egoshen were able to lift the veils of illusions from their minds without Shadel directly removing it for them, they would be permitted to return to Luminatia.
When Avadon consented to all the terms of the agreement he made with Shadel, he was convinced that his subjects would never be able to get their true memories back without Shadel’s direct interference. After all he believed he was now omnipotent and invincible. Therefore, in his mind anyone who he wanted to remain in Egoshen would never return to Luminatia.
Avadon’s error was in deluding himself into imagining he was so almighty it would be impossible under any circumstances for those he had taken from Luminatia to break any of his spells on their own. Feeling confident of his power over his people, Avadon agreed to Shadel’s terms. Shadel categorically cautioned Avadon, were he to break any of these rules, no matter how difficult it would be for him, the King would remove their immortality and immediately put his brother and sister to death.”
“I know we have a strict law where no one is allowed on the streets at that time, but why did the King agree to let Avadon take more people from Luminatia? He should have said no to that,” Winston