Victoria\'s POV

"No, no! You all are wrong, it\'s not just a folklore...or else, Donald would never have mentioned it. I am sure that the enchanted forests exist, and it\'s here, looming right in front of eyes beyond our reach! We just have to find a way to get it." I protested.

Nobody looked really impressed with my speech. I doubt, they even believe in what I say. This meeting with Donald, well it seemed to them as a myth. Nobody really wanted to believe that I had met up with a Dark Magician.

"I trust Victoria." Magnus suddenly said, "I have known Donald for a long time, and he maybe a jerk, but he\'s not a liar. He never lies about all these stuff and if he said that the forests exist, I am pretty sure it does."

"No one has asked for your opinion, so keep your mouth shut." Cassadrei replied coldly.

"Oh please Cassie!" I shot back, "Let us just put our differences aside for a moment, and look at the bigger picture. If we find this forest, we can get immense power and that will help us save your mother, as well as the Kingdom. This is our only chance, can\'t you see?"

Cassie pursed her lips but looked doubtful.

"I don\'t know what to believe anymore. You are saying that you are my sister, and now you are claiming that you have met a Dark Magician who has told you to find a forest which is only spoken off in the folklore! I mean, all of these is just too much to digest at this moment." She said, shaking her head.

"I don\'t know who put all these into your mind." Sofosys finally said, "but if there\'s any truth to it, we will find it. I... I have an idea. I can perform a magic, and summon the souls of the most learned Magis, they can give us some information about this forest if it at all exists."

"You mean, you want to summon dead people?" Jake said, suddenly excited, "like a sort if planchet?"

Everyone shot him a cold look and he went quite. I didn\'t quite like the idea, but I guess this was the best chance we had. So I agreed with Sofosys, that we should summon the spirits.

All the while, Rathaerys said nothing and was standing rooted to the spot. He had not spoken much since I have declared that he is my father. I fear that he disbelieves me, probably considers me as a fraud. But, I would have to deal with all these later, because I need answers first.

We all agreed to perform the procedure in my room, which was in the farthest and most deserted side of the palace. Maland was reluctant to participate, but Jake coaxed him into it, and truth be spoken I wished that either of them didn\'t participate. But there was no persuading Jake, so I let them.

We stood together, in a close semicircle, with Magnus by my side. We held each other\'s hand, while Sofosys encanted a series of really complicated spells.

The lights started flickering in my room, and suddenly the daylight seemed to disappear. Even though it was bright outside, the room was bathed in an uncanny darkness, which had nothing to do with natural sunlight.

Sofosys continued enchanting the spells, and as his voice grew louder, I could feel the room pressing me on my sides. Suddenly, the otherwise spacious room seemed to have shrunken in size and it compressed around us. The others felt the discomfort too, and we all looked at each other with a mixture of emotions. Only Magnus was unperturbed, and I had a feeling that he has performed this procedure before.

Then, all of a sudden, the room expanded. It grew vast and the surroundings disappeared into a mellow light. Before our eyes, stood two translucent figures, with beards that reached their stomach, and an ancient face that dated back centuries.

Sofosys bowed before them, and they raised their arms in praise.

"What is it that you summon us for, you learned one?" One of them spoke in a booming voice.

Sofosys answered all about our dilemma, and asked about the location of the Enchanted Forests.

The spirits looked really disturbed by our question.

"This is a mistake, my child." One of them spoke, "The Enchanted Forests are not to be known to our kind, it is kept off bounds for a reason. The reason is strong enough, and they can nearly destroy the ones that seek it. Beware, you tread in dangerous paths, and the consequences maybe dreadful. I advice, that you forego your quest of the Forest."

"So, it does exist? The Goddess Fiendora did create it?" I asked.

"Yes, my child." The ancient ones sighed, "it is all true. But, it\'s not easy to reach this place. It requires strong magic, and not just that, it requires magic in it\'s purest form. When the Pure elemental Magic combines, then will the doors of the Forest be open to all. Not mere Goblins can open it, and it\'s dangerous to even seek it. It\'s right in front of our eyes, but we are unable to access it.

I reiterate, forego the quest and be sensible!"

Then, without further warning, the spirits disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared. The room returned to it\'s normal state, and we all looked at each other with a vacant stare.

"So, we are back to square one." Jake suggested tenderly, "I mean these ghosts didn\'t really give us much information about the place. All we know is that this place is really dangerous, and rest of it was spoken in riddles, so it went above my head."

"But that means, Victoria was right." Cassie said slowly, "The Enchanted Forests do exist!"

"Yet we have no way to reach it." Sofosys said wistfully.

"Wait!" Mike suddenly remarked, "Didn\'t the spirits say that we needed Magic in it\'s purest elemental form to reach this forest? If I am not wrong, Victoria has the power of Wind, Sofosys has the power of Water and I have the power of Fire! Isn\'t that Magic in it\'s most elemental form? Maybe, if we try together, we can open a portal to this forest!"

"I have the power of Earth." Magnus coughed.

Cassie turned towards him sharply.

"You are not going to help us! I don\'t trust you, and you are sure to do something that\'ll ruin this whole thing.

"Cassie! What did I say about putting our differences away?" I retorted back, "Magnus is right, we can harvest his powers too. We need all the hand that we can get. Right now, we can afford to have internal conflicts."

"Yeah." Said Magnus drily, "Trust me when I say, that no one wants to see Arphoelus\' downfall more than me. Afterall, the king banished me remember? So technically, they are my enemies too."

Cassie looked uncertain, but she agreed. Sofosys too seemed hopeful about the idea, and this was perhaps the best chance we have got at reaching the forest.

"So, how are we supposed to do it?" I chirped.

"Let us try to open a portal, using all our combined powers. Maybe, think about the Enchanted Forests in your mind. That should do it." Mike suggested.

So, we set off towards it.

We held hands like before, and tried to focus all our mental energy into summoning a portal that would lead to the enchanted forests.

Nothing happened.

We tried harder, this time summoning our powers alongside. Tiny flickers of flame shot from Mike\'s body, the wind suddenly roared up, we could hear the roar if waves from somewhere far, and dust swirled around the room from Magnus\' efforts.

Suddenly, a tiny orb, the size of a peanut began to appear in front of us. It definitely looked like a portal, but a very miniature version of it.

It disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared and despite our maximal efforts, we couldn\'t make it reappear again. I was exhausted from all the effort, and flung myself on the floor, panting.

"Well, that didn\'t work out I guess." Jake said breaking the silence.

Mike looked at him angrily, "It should have! That was the only logical explanation! And the fact that we have four people with pure elemental magic among us can\'t be just a coincidence. It must mean that we are destined to find this Forest. There can be no other explanations for it!"

"Mike is right!" Sofosys said softly, "We must be missing something. Let us try once more!"

But, further efforts were interrupted by the appearance of a messenger, who looked dreadfully pale and completely out of breath! Poor thing must have run all the way here to deliver some message to us.

Cassadrei looked worried and he rushed to the messenger.

"What is it?" She said in a panicked voice, "Tell me fast! Is it the Arphoelians? Did they attack? Are the garrisons broken?"

The man shrunk under her queries and barely seemed to hold himself together. He gathered his breath, and then timidly said, "No, Your Highness….they didn\'t attack yet. It\'s... it\'s a different matter. Your Highness, The Queen has passed away just now." He said with a bated breath.