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battle raging elsewhere fell silent. Surviving candles found their flames unable to flicker.
    The whole world was still.
    Adella’s hands moved in broad strokes, painting an ancient symbol on the air as though the frozen candlelight provided canvas. Magical energy flowed from both floor and ceiling, converging on the glyph. Her hands moved faster, the symbol becoming more vivid as the energies multiplied.
    The symbol exploded in a shower of golden sparks and swirling vortex was born.
    Adella touched a slender finger to her lips, then pressed it to Donovan’s temple, gifting him the remnants of her power. She hoped the sacrifice would be enough to balm his wound. She hoped it would give him time.
    With a wave she sent Donovan’s body into the unknown of the portal. “Good bye, Captain.”
    “No! He must pay!” Pandora had shaken off the shock wave’s effects. Her eyes were no longer the crystal blue of her mother’s. They burned with an ugly indigo firestorm that ached with hatred. Pandora jabbed a palm forward, flinging a sizzling green flame at Donovan.
    Adella stepped into the bolt, absorbing the brunt of it with her chest. A streak arced from her body, colliding with the portal. The combined magicks of Breath and Blight twisted and pulled at the helpless captain of the guard. His torso collapsed upon itself, then ballooned. Limbs cracked and twisted. The portal collapsed upon itself leaving no traces, as the opposing energies continued to ply Donovan’s broken form.
    Adella shuddered in disbelief. She had expected pain, but there was only warmth washing over her. Warmth and peace. She suddenly felt a nagging fatigue and longed only for her favorite blanket.
    “I shall love you always, star-shine.” Adella’s body dissipated into a translucent cloud of sapphire fireflies and then faded away.
    The Once Kingdom, home of Adella’s proud palace stood eerily silent, absent any traces of its former family.
    Save for a furious Pandora, whose glowering eyes continued to burn.
     

Chapter 2
     
    The Beast of Briarburn awoke hungry as usual. He rolled from a spongy bed of moss, patting the pangs away. He yawned until something popped, then massaged his smarting jaw with a plate sized paw that ended in coal black claws.
    He brushed a blanket of fluffy snow from his shoulders and shook his mane clean. He stood on thickly muscled legs like those of a lion king. A stout pair of ram-like horns added a further foot, ensuring the Beast was taller than any man of the realm. He fastened a dingy pair of breeches over an even dingier loin cloth and arched his back like a rustled feline. More popping. The price of sleeping on the ground.
    The setting sun bequeathed swathes of mingling oranges and creeping purples. A canopy of snow-laden branches struggled under their added burdens. Despite obstructions of snow and ice, the Beast quickly located a princely tapestry of constellations glistening like diamonds. It was an appreciated comfort. But for the stars and the solitude, there wasn’t much that was comfortable in the Beast’s world. He could not even recall the last time he gazed upon a rising sun.
    The Beast waited patiently for families of foxes and rabbits to drift off to slumber before lumbering about. After all, they afforded him the same courteousy during the day. A badger quipped a goodnight and then disappeared into the hollow of a nearby fir. A moment later, its tiny yellow orbs were swallowed by the darkness. He wished them all a peaceful night, then heeded the second rumble of his hungry belly.
    He cinched a hunter green cloak whose faded tattered edges had seen better days. Still, it was all he needed to face winter’s bite. His own coat of chestnut brown fur was ample enough. A walnut sized ruby hung from a preposterously thin necklace of golden spider silk. He pawed at the jewel, vying for a better look. After a curse best reserved for a tavern brawl, he managed to grasp his most treasured and frustrating