“The city is evacuating.” Emperor Cassiel entered the room, looking grim. He was flanked by Cameron. He, Eddie, and Charlie’s dad were all dressed in Elven armor, swords at their sides. “We have contingency plans for things like this. We need to get as many people as we can to the Mirror of Ingress. Getting them through the portal is the only chance we've got.”
“We can't abandon Forevermore!" Charlie shouted. "This is the only safe place the Elves have!"
“We always knew this day would come,” Emperor Cassiel said sadly.
Fuck, it was too soon! The Elven prophecy spoke of a second war breaking Forevermore, but I assumed we had more time— like, alotmore time.
“The city isn't safe anymore," Emperor Cassiel said. “And you, Charlie, are our top priority.”
“Why me?” Charlie asked harshly.
“We can’t let anyone know that you are the heir to the Elven throne,” Emperor Cassiel said firmly. “If theworldknows who you really are, they’ll kill you. And everything we’ve worked for will be lost.”
“So we just give up the city?” Charlie asked in despair.
“It is as the prophecy foretold. Forevermore has been exposed. We are going to have to move our people somewhere they won't be discovered, until the prophecy can be fulfilled and we are safe once again,” Emperor Cassiel said. “Everyone already knows what to do. We can only pray that the people of Forevermore follow the plan we've had in place for over a hundred years, and that nothing else goes wrong."
Charlie appeared heartbroken, and I felt my heart breakforhim. He had just found Forevermore, found a home, and it was already getting taken away from him in less than a day. Cameron shifted uncomfortably, but didn't move to say anything.
"Let's go. We don't have much time." Emperor Cassiel led the way out of the room. Once in the hallway, we were immediately swarmed by dozens of guards. I assumed that this was the Emperor’s personal security. They didn't mess around, either. The guards hustled us along through the gold hallways and out the great gates of the palace, into the city streets toward the Mirror of Ingress.
"Do you think we'll get there in time?” I asked.
So many people were panicking. Elves were packing everything they had into bags, rushing through the streets toward the Mirror as if it was their only hope for salvation. I took Charlie’s hand, leading him beside me so he wouldn’t run into anything or get lost.
"We have a chance, that's what matters," Emperor Cassiel told me, although his tone sounded hopeless. My spirits dampened. The Elves had been prepared for such a moment, but unfortunately, they had hoped this day would never come. As a result, the escape was poorly executed.
"Where are you taking us—?” Charlie asked, but his words were abruptly cut off when a stream of guards stormed in front of us.
I knew them. I recognize so many faces from the men that patrolled the halls of the Institute. There was blood on their uniforms. They hadn't come here to overtake the city. They’d come here to kill.
Professor Hemlock was right when she said that finding Forevermore would be a grave mistake. I wished I had listened to her.
"Defend the Emperor!" a guard yelled.
Immediately, the area turned into a bloodbath. Elven battle magic whizzed by us, fired by the Emperor’s Guard, but it was chaotic and didn’t hit its target. The Institute guards fired their guns into the crowd, and this time, it didn't look like they were shooting noxite, but actual bullets.
So many Elves went down. The spray of blood and the stench of innards began to rise around the street as one by one, bodies collapsed onto the stone.
It made me sick to watch, to smell. I suppressed a fit of nausea and summoned a fireball. I began tossing my blue Fire at the guards. Once it hit their uniforms, they immediately ignited, becoming torches of screaming flame against the darkness of the cavern.
Marcus began firing offensive spells, and Charlie’s Air magic beat back the guards, blowing them out of our way as we ran. Once the guards were behind us, Charlie used his Earth magic to create concaves in the earth, pits that sucked the guards down and prevented them from following us.
A couple of guards saw what Charlie was doing and went to stop him, but Eddie immediately placed himself between the guards and his prince, unleashing his sword with a wild yell. Eddie cut down anyone who got close to Charlie, breathing raggedly as if daring anyone to try and hurt his prince. Eddie had seemed so gentle, but it was clear that once Charlie was in danger, the Elf could turn deadly in a second. If it meant protecting Charlie, Eddie was out for blood.
Kallie used her illusion magic to summon a sword. She charged ahead of the group with a wild yell, and killed any guards that got in our way. She was a ruthless force, a faerie gone mad with the heat of battle. She swung her sword with one hand and used her other to cast harsh spells at the same time, making a small pathway that we could escape through.
The Elves weren't completely defenseless. They cast spells and used defensive magic of their own, trying to push the guards back. But so many of them had never been in a fight, and most were just trying to stay alive as the Institute’s guards continued to press in from every corner.
Forevermore had been peaceful for over a century. Now that it was under attack, most of the citizens didn't know what to do. I had to duck as several Elvish spells shot over my head, shattering windows and blowing off doors as we charged through the raid. Kallie and the Emperor’s Guard made a way for us to get through, but with each step, that way became smaller and smaller.
The closer we got to the Mirror of Ingress, the worse things got. There were thousands of Elves crowded around the portal, each of them attempting to slip through to get away from the guards. It was complete pandemonium. There was so much blood on the streets that it ran freely like a river over the cobblestone, staining the beautiful streets. The guards had run out of bullets by this time, and had abandoned using their guns, resorting to magic instead.
A couple of the Elves were using their powers to take magic away from the guards. They absorbed shifter super strength, vampire speed and angel light magic, rendering their enemies powerless and using it for their own. But not all the Elves knew, or remembered, how to use their magic, or could steal the magic of others. They’d just been in hiding for too long.
My stomach churned as I witnessed a vampire guard jump onto a female Elf. He began sucking her dry. I rushed to help her, a fireball in hand, but by the time I had flung it at the vampire guard, she was already dead.
The vampire guard turned toward me, blood streaming down his face. When he saw that I was ready to fight, he didn’t challenge me, but simply went in a new direction to find his next victim. With superspeed on his side, he vanished into the crowd instantly. I lost him, unable to stop the vampire from hunting the rest of the innocent people in this city.
