They shared a look then helped me up, being careful of my side we rushed out and down to the library- to Travis.

We burst through the doors startling the few Scholars that were present.

“Where is Master Travis?” Simon demanded, searching the faces gathered.

Cast supporting my weight more or less the whole way down the stairs as my knees gave at the start.

“Where is he?!” Simon repeated voice raising.

The Scholars looked at each other then to me in concern before everyone's heads snapped around as Travis made himself known from the Locked Wing.

Travis gave one look at me and ushered us to follow him. He led us to his room that doubled as his office. I wished I could have looked around more, it wasn’t every day that you just got to walk in here.

“Sit him here and tell me what happened.”

Cast led me to a plush chair, Travis was at my side immediately checking me over with daft fingers.

Simon and Cast shared another look. “We don’t know, we heard a scream and rushed in.” Simon added.

“We saw Maki drowning, I jumped in and saved him.” Cast added I looked and sure enough his clothes were still wet, a puddle forming at his feet.

“Maki what-”

Travis broke off as another sharp shout left me. More pain slashing through my chest, my fingers clawed at the armrest.

“Maki tell me what’s wrong so I can help!” Travis pleaded.

Struggling I pulled weakly I pulled at the collar of my bathrobe where my skin was on fire. “M-my c-chest-” My words turned to screams. “Make it stop!”

His hands moved the robe aside and I heard his gasp as another wave of pain washed through me. I threw my head back against the headrest.

“Simon, Cast hold him still so he doesn't hurt himself!” Travis ordered.

They all held me as I rode through two more waves of whatever this was.

I think I passed out but I wasn’t sure for how long. My mouth felt like it was filled with gravel, my body… Spirits above! My body there was no way to even begin to explain how that felt. What happened? I was bathing and then there was pain-

I blinked up confused at them, they were all still holding me.

“Maki? You with us?” Cast whispered.

I felt my head bob once as it fell forward and I wish it hadn’t moved. Everything hurt.

Travis bent in front of me. “Maki… how are you feeling?”

“Garbage… like someone took a knife to my chest.”

He huffed with an amused yet pained look on his face. “Well you’re not wrong.” He pointed at my chest then faced a hand mirror at me.

In my reflection the skin of my chest was inflamed like a fresh burn and just as raw but now there were six stars. The little star shapes were no bigger then my fingernail, sort of metallic and silver in color catching the light as I breathed.

Slowly my finger poked at the mark and the room spun with pain black creeping at the edges. It was real.

I looked up to them. “What… what is this, Travis?”

He frowned, turning to Simon and Cast then to me. “Anything I say stays in this room, understand?”

We nodded.

His eyes flinted up to me then quickly away. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know anything- right now. But I’ll search.” He promised. “Till I find anything keep this to yourselves.”

Words burned on my tongue. He was lying! He did know something!

My hand rested over my heart where the weird marking lay. Now I had more questions.

What was this mark? How did the Demi's get into the Kingdom? Who killed my mother? Where were those Demi's now? And who made an attempt on my life, would they try again?

I sagged against chair in defeat. But what if Hermes was right? Ever since we tested Travis’s theory everything was just spiraling out of control. What if me knowing caused all of this? The Demi attack, the dead citizens… mother…. It was my fault. All of it.

“Maki?” Travis asked. “Are you alright with that?”

“S-sure.”

He blinked not expecting my easy surrender. “Alright then we’ll go about like this never happened and if I find anything I’ll summon you. Maki for once I’d like it if you left this to me and didn’t go digging yourself. Okay?”

“Yes… I’ll focus on my duties.”

My words surprised them further and I didn’t blame them. I couldn’t even count the number of times I had argued to be a part of something but here it was me… giving up twice.

Travis kneeled till I had no choice but to look at him.

“You can do more then that, my boy. Be with your people, don’t close yourself away. Talk to them, who knows maybe someone saw what happened.”

I stared at him. “What?”

“It strikes me as odd that no one saw what happened before the attack and the Queen’s… not to mention we haven’t found any sign of Maralah. Yes I believe there's someone that saw what really happened.”

I had been so swallowed in mother's death and the attack I hadn’t even considered that.

The Kingdom would be in mourning and rebuilding for at least a couple of weeks, but the council would probably summon me before that for my training to take the throne. Though they may wait since they viewed me as a child and not their King.

Sadly that meant I had time, time to search for those who may have seen the Demi's.

Those monsters in white.