Lord of the realm

"The High Mother wasn't certain," Elizabeth replied. "Divinations are never completely clear. But she was convinced that new powers were stirring, that the balance was shifting in ways we don't fully understand."

Raelana stood up abruptly, her brown robes rustling around her. "If that boy is one of the new Chosen Ones, then everything changes. The shadow creatures that attacked us, the organized nature of their assault, that strange black fiend that spoke..." She looked at the others with growing alarm.

"They weren't random attacks. They were specifically hunting him."

"Which means the enemy knows about the prophecy too," Elizabeth added grimly. "They're trying to stop the new Chosen Ones before they can fully awaken to their power."

Katerina cursed under her breath in the old tongue. "And we let Morgana fly off alone to face whatever trap they've prepared. If she's protecting one of the new Chosen Ones, she's walking into a death trap."

"Wait, weren't there others with her? Like three more of them?" Elizabeth said.

"Yes, they didn't look any different than others. They may be just normal people," Raelana said.

"Well, we can't be sure now," Katerina said.

The three witches looked at each other, the weight of realization settling over them like a heavy cloak. They had stumbled into something far larger and more dangerous than a simple kids rescue.

"This has turned into something far more complicated now," Katerina said.

Raelana had a troubled expression on her face, and she was thinking about Morgana.

"We need to contact the Council immediately," Elizabeth said, her voice filled with urgency. "If new Chosen Ones have awakened, the High Mother must be informed. This changes everything about the war we're fighting."

"If they are the ones, we aren't sure about it. And you people should stop assuming and wait for Morgana," Raelana said, sighing heavily.

Elizabeth and others knew that this was all just speculation, and they weren't sure about it either. Unless, Morgana says it herself, we cannot report this matter to the council.

"Then we pray that Morgana is as powerful as we now suspect," Katerina said quietly.

"And she returns safely."

Raelana just stood there, praying that Morgana returns safely, while Katerina hoped she didn't.

Elizabeth was sure that Morgana was onto something, and those four kids, they must be the chosen ones, except for one.

What are you trying to do, Morgana?

-

Swefarna flew faster than any landbound creature could travel, her great wings carrying them over forests and hills in a blur of speed. The wind whipped through Morgana's hair, and the ground raced by far below them.

For hours they flew, following the path the black fiend had taken through the forest.

Swefarna's dragon senses could detect the trail of dark energy of that fiend even from high in the air, and she adjusted their course several times as they pursued their quarry.

As dawn began to break on the horizon, the landscape below them changed. The green forests and rolling hills gave way to something much darker and more forbidding.

Shademore Gorge was a place where no normal life could flourish. The trees were twisted and black, their branches reaching toward the sky like gnarled fingers. The mountains around the gorge were dark stone that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it, and even the air itself felt heavy and oppressive.

"This place reeks of old magic," Swefarna said, her voice troubled. "Dark magic that has been here for many years."

Morgana could feel it too—a wrongness in the very air that made her skin crawl. Whatever Lord Morgrim was doing here, he had been preparing for a long time.

They flew over the gorge, searching for any sign of where Jaenor might be held. The landscape below was a maze of twisted ravines and dark caves, any one of which could hide a fortress or dungeon.

"There," Swefarna said suddenly, banking to the left. "In that forest. Do you see it?"

Morgana looked where the dragon indicated and saw what appeared to be a clearing in the dark trees. But as they flew closer, she realized it wasn't natural. Something had been built there, something large and ominous.

The Ritual Chamber

Meanwhile, far below in the depths of Shademore Gorge, Jaenor slowly opened his eyes and groaned. His head felt like it had been split with an axe, and every part of his body ached from his rough journey through the forest.

He tried to move and immediately realized he was in serious trouble. He was standing in the center of what appeared to be a large square chamber, but unlike any building he had ever seen before.

The walls rose up around him in steps, like the inside of a deep well, but square instead of round. Each level was carved from dark stone, and torches burned in brackets along the walls, casting flickering shadows that danced like demons.

Twelve massive pillars surrounded him in a perfect circle, each one carved with symbols that hurt to look at directly. The pillars reached up toward a ceiling that was lost in darkness high above.

He was chained to an elevated platform in the very center of the chamber, his wrists and ankles bound with black iron that felt cold against his skin. The platform itself was covered with intricate carvings that formed complex patterns and shapes - symbols of power and binding that pulsed with faint red light.

"Hello?" Jaenor called out, his voice echoing strangely in the vast space. "Is anyone there?"

Only his own voice came back to him, distorted and hollow. The echoes seemed to go on forever, bouncing off the stone walls and disappearing into the darkness above.

A strange whistling sound filled the air, like wind through empty caves, but there was no wind in this place. The sound made his skin crawl and filled him with a sense of dread that went deeper than mere fear.

He could barely see beyond the circle of pillars. The torchlight only reached so far, and beyond that was darkness so complete it seemed solid. For all he knew, the chamber extended for miles in every direction, or ended just beyond the light.