CHAPTER THREE

Her True Identity

Usha stood in the bell tower, watching for the return

of her fierce Nightriders, when from out of the clouds flew

six Western dragons; only one had a rider on its back. Usha grabbed

the stone railing of the belfry, trying to calm her fury. The closer

the rider got, the angrier she became. When she saw that it was

Cordell Cornwall, she could no longer contain her rage. She began to

clench her fingers, and the railing beneath her hands crumbled; her

nails grew longer and longer till they curled under. Quickly, she

turned around and ran down the stairs; her long black tail was like a

whip snapping the wall. When she made it to the bottom of the

landing, the door blew open.

She reached the roundabout just in time to see Cordell

dismounting his dragon. His fear had escalated when he saw that

Usha had transformed into a black panther. He had only seen her like

that twice before; each time someone died, of course not by her, but

by the hands of others. Now, only he was standing in front of her.

The saliva dripped from her large feline teeth when she

screamed, “Give me one good reason why I should not sever your cursed
head off right here.”

Although it wasn’t in his nature to beg, Cordell pleaded for her

forgiveness. He said, “Usha, only I can lead your army to victory,

but I need more of your warriors. Demara’s followers are stronger

than ever. Mr. Black brings them hope and confidence, and with that

they have found strength. Before, we could take them out with just a

handful of warriors, but not this time. We will need an army.”

Usha grabbed Cordell by the front of his shirt and pulled him

close to her face. A low growl emerged from her throat when she

said, “You will get your army, but if you fail this time, you will

die, for there will be no second chance.”

After changing back to Usha the woman, she turned around and

walked away; her heart ached with the pain of knowing she could not

stop the words that spewed from her mouth. Because of the bloodstone,

she hated how cruel she had to be to the ones she loves; it was the

only way to keep them safe.

Meanwhile, Sasha and Stefan sat alone in the dining hall,

wondering why the headmistress was putting off telling everyone what

had happened to Markus and Elizabeth. “I told you strange things

happen out there in those woods,” Sasha said in a concerned voice.

“You’re overreacting, like always.”

Furious, Sasha stood and walked away. Just before leaving the

dining hall, she saw a large black figure running out the door. She

turned and motioned for Stefan. He began to walk toward her; the

closer he came, he could see a terrified look on her face. Her hand
shook as she led him into the foyer; she said, “You have to see

this.”

The two of them stood at the open door, spying on Mr. Cornwall

and a strange black creature that stood in front of him, unable to

hear the conversation. They knew it couldn’t be good by Mr.

Cornwall’s reactions. They were totally shocked and horrified when

they saw the creature turn into Headmistress Gorgon. Horrified by

what they saw, Stefan grabbed Sasha’s hand and ran into the library.

He snatched two books off the shelf and ran to the farthest table.

The two of them opened the books and quietly sat, pretending to read,

and sure enough, in walked Headmistress Gorgon. “I thought everyone

was on the Botany retreat,” she bellowed out.

A nervous Stefan said, “Professor Efimia is teaching my old

class this year, and she asked me for some advice. So, I thought I

would go over some of my old spells with her and maybe learn some new

ones while we were at it.” Usha yelled in a visibly upset voice,

“Next time there’s a trip planned and you decide not to go, please

inform me first, before you make that decision.” Then she turned

around and stormed out of the library.

“Stefan, what are we going to do? We have to find them.”

While walking toward the history section, Stefan said, “I’m not

sure, but I believe the secret lies within an old history book I once

read while teaching a class.”

Confused, Sasha said. “How can a book help us find them?”

“Right here it is.”

 The two of them sat and read the book. With each interesting

passage, Sasha would look at Stefan in utter shock. Terrified, Sasha

asked, “Do you think they are there?”

“If not, I fear they’re probably in grave danger.”

“Don’t say that.”

Apprehensively, Stefan said, “We need to leave now, before it

gets too late.”

“What about the other professors? Shouldn’t we tell them?”

“We don’t know whom to trust, so it’s only you and me,” Stefan

said, while the two of them walked up the stairs to their rooms to

prepare for their long journey.

Stefan and Sasha entered the Black Forest Trail undetected and

completely prepared, with backpacks full of food, sleeping bags and

other essentials. When the two of them reached the fork in the trail,

they stopped to assess the history book.

“Mr. Cornwall and I stopped in this exact spot. He led me to the

left trail. Once I stepped into the forest that was it. I don’t

remember anything after that.”

Stefan was shocked when he saw the tears running down Sasha’s

face. He had never seen her vulnerable before; he only knew a strong

willed Sasha who wouldn’t put up with anything.

Being out of his element, Stefan put the book down. Gently, he

placed both hands around her face and said, “Sasha, I’m so sorry I

didn’t believe you.” He leaned in and kissed her lips. He could

taste the salty tears that were streaming down her cheeks. He pulled
away, and looked at her and said, “Once we step onto that forbidding

trail, there’s no turning back.”

“I know, but we have to go, not only for Markus and Elizabeth,

but also for us. Stefan, do you remember anything prior to coming

here, because I don’t.”

“The only thing I remember was sitting in the dining hall, and

you walked in. I thought to myself, you were the most beautiful woman

I had ever seen. Before that, it’s a complete blank.”

Suddenly, Sasha jumped and grabbed Stefan’s hand when she heard

the loud clap of thunder and saw a bolt of lightning flash across the

sky. After retrieving the raingear from their backpacks, Stefan

helped Sasha button up her suit. When he reached the top button, he

placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face up toward his.

While looking at her, he said, “I promise you, Sahsa, we will get out

of here.”

Quickly, he pulled her lips into his. The longer he kissed her,

she could feel his hard kiss soften; what she didn’t expect was the

passion she felt in him. He pulled away too soon, leaving her

wanting more. With her hand in his, he silently led her down the

trail that led to the right.

Headmistress Gorgon walked into the dining hall, only to find

four empty seats instead of two, and the professors whispering.

“Silence!!” she screamed.

The room became quiet, with the professors staring at the

headmistress. The more control she lost, the harder it became for her
to manage her temper.

“You know, Professor Black and Professor O’Connor ventured out

on a hike yesterday morning and to our surprise, they never returned.

I have sent out a search party; Professor Prescott and Professor

Efima are heading the party because of their experience on the trail.

I know you all must be very concerned, but trust me; we are doing

everything in our power to find them and bring them back safely. At

this point, there is nothing any of you can do. I suggest that you

all go about your normal routine. I personally will keep you updated

on the progress of the search.”

When she turned and started to walk out, she heard a voice say,

“Headmistress Gorgon, I believe I can help in the search.”

Usha turned around. She saw that the voice was Lorenzo,

Professor of Botany. She said, “I will hear of no such thing. No one

is to leave the castle grounds. Do I make myself clear?” She turned

around and stormed out of the room.

Stefan and Sasha had hiked for an hour through the Black Forest

before they came to Devil River. While standing on the banks of the

river, Stefan retrieved the history book to look at the so-called

mythical map that they hoped would lead them to a place called

Magical Lagoon. To his surprise, the river was there and with an

arrow pointing to the north.

In a peculiar sounding voice, Stefan said, “Sasha, look at

this.”

She looked down at the map, and then back up at Stefan, then
said, “Could this place of beauty really be true?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll find out soon. The map indicates that

there should be an old cobblestone bridge that crosses the river

about a mile and a half up stream.”

Within forty minutes, they were standing at the foot of the

cobblestone bridge, and once again he retrieved the book. The two of

them studied the map and found a cluster of caves on the other side

of the forest.

Stefan pointed at the caves and said, “I think we could stay

there tonight.” Sasha looked at him and agreed. They crossed the

bridge and into the Whispering Forest that lay on the other side of

Devil River. As soon as they stepped into the forest, they heard

strange whispers. Stefan held her hand while they ran through the

strange forest; the few times they stopped to catch their breath, the

whispering became louder then the trees. Leaves and brush began to

sway as if a mighty wind was blowing; yet there was no wind.

They exited the forest the same way they had entered, with a

loud clap of thunder echoing off the mountainside. They now could see

the caves up ahead; with the two of them completely exhausted from

running though the forest, they walked the thousand yards in the

pouring rain.

After entering the cave, they removed their wet raingear, and to

their surprise, there was enough dry wood already in the cave to keep

a fire burning throughout the night. Once the fire was started,

Stefan studied the map while Sasha hung their wet clothes and
prepared dinner for the two of them.

“Stefan, what was whispering in the forest?” she asked while

handing him a plate of food and a hot cup of tea.

“I don’t know. It says here that only the good can cross the

river and pass through the Whispering Woods.”

“So you think we don’t have to worry about whatever was

whispering?”

“It’s hard to say, considering that in the last eight hours we

have seen and heard things that I did not believe existed.”

“I hope the stories in the book are true.”

Stefan could see a frightened look in her eyes as she made that

comment. He bent over and touched the side of her face and said,

“Sasha, I don’t know what to think anymore, but I believe for now, we

are safe.”

After eating, the two of them zipped their sleeping bags

together. Stefan threw enough wood onto the fire to last throughout

the night. Sasha trembled at the thought of what could be out there;

he wrapped his arms around her, kissed the top of her head and held

her until they fell asleep. They slept peacefully, unaware of the set

of red glowing eyes peering out of the fire, keeping watch over them.

In a dungeon deep below the school floor stood Usha, admiring

her well-trained army while they prepared for the biggest battle they

would ever fight. As soon as Mr. Cornwall noticed Usha had entered

the dungeon, he made his way up to the platform where she stood.

In his usual arrogant voice, Cordell said, “Look at them Usha.

They are the most powerful warriors we have ever had. I believe we’ll

defeat Mr. Black, for he doesn’t understand the realm of danger he

has entered. The battle won’t even last an hour.”

“Cordell, my dear old friend, I believe you’re underestimating

Mr. Black, and that will be the death of you. Now, there’s not much

time left until the battle. I strongly suggest you inform them of the

grave consequences if they lose. One more thing, Demara mustn’t be

harmed.”

“I can’t promise you that.”

She leaned over and grabbed Cordell by the back of his hair and

pulled him close to her, so close that her lips were next to his ear.

She whispered, “My sweet Cordell, you protect him with your life,

otherwise, you know I will be waiting for you.” Just as she was

about to pull away, she leaned in toward his face and bit his lip. As

the blood rolled down his chin, she licked the corner of his mouth,

tasting the sweet warm blood then softly purred. She turned around

and headed toward the spiral staircase without saying another word.

Cordell stood alone on the platform, wiping the blood from his

mouth. He said out loud, “No! Not this time Usha.”

You can now read part 1 & 2 of Markus Black and

The Ruby Red Bloodstone.

Coming soon part 4 Hurricane Ridge.