Part 32~New Kingdom~

Part 32 ~New Kingdom~


Donovan and his father sat in the study sharing their concerns about Devin. All at once a pang shot through Donovan's head causing him to lurch forward pressing his palms down firmly onto his temples in pain. It felt as if knives were being stabbed into his head, along with Shandy's faint voice pleading for help.
She was speaking to him telepathically, which absolutely stunned him. They shouldn't be capable of doing this yet. They had to complete the last bonding ritual through matrimony, and even then it took time for a betrothed couple to link telepathically.
Donavan could barely make out the broken up obscure words he was hearing from her inside his throbbing head. His heart fell into the pit of his gut and a sickening dread washed over him.
'You're fathers son Jackson----Elayzia. He's here ----take me---. He says ---- his betrothed. Please help Donov---.' The connection abruptly ended.
The king rapidly stood up walking to his eldest, placing his hand on his back.
"Son are....are you ok?" he asked with clear concern showing on his face.
"It....it's Shandy.....she's in trouble!" He managed to speak through gritted teeth, his face contorted in misery.
Slowly the agonizing thumping inside his head began to subside. Donovan shot up from his seat nearly toppling it over in his haste.
"She needs help, something is wrong! She said something about your....your son J...Jackson and Elayzia. Said he was here in the castle to take her as his betrothed." Donovan gave his father a bemused look as he sprinted outta the room.
The king's head was reeling as he fell back into the chair, from hearing such shocking news.
"No.....No it can't be." He mumbled out in the silence of the large room.
He had confronted the girl that had always held a piece of his heart. When she had become pregnant so quickly after her union, he had been suspicious and asked her if the child she carried could be his, yet she swore the babe belonged to her new husband "the king of Elayzia" and had swore it was not his. After that they had lived their own lives and never associated with one another again.
She had lied to...to keep them from becoming exiled at that time, and they certainly would have been. She had kept this secret to protect them all. A tear slipped from the king's eye. This young man 'Jackson' could indeed be his own son.
The king's wits began to return at the seriousness of the situation at hand. He arose from the chair wiping away the stray tears and dashed away to join his eldest son.
●●●●●●●
Donovan sensed her most recent presence in Jayzons room as he flung the door open.
He could still feel the energy from a portal that had recently been opened, yet he didn't know if there was time to re-open it and still get through to whatever realm Jackson had pulled her into.
Donovan feverishly ran his hands along the wall where the passage had been, but could not find the exact area.
His father rushed inside the bedroom joining him as the two searched frantically to locate the exact spot before it closed up entirely.
"Father! Can you find it before it closes completely!? He cried out hysterically.
"I found it son!....I found it!" He shouted as he began to circle his hands over the area, chanting with his eyes closed in concentration.
A lighted vortex of color began to appear in front of them. Donovan instantly disappeared through the swirling colors.
As soon as his son vanished inside the king lifted his foot to join his eldest, but before he could even begin to step through, the vortex closed tightly, sealing off the entrance.
The king slammed his fists onto the wall so hard it cracked the wood.
"Nnnoooo! He yelled, running out of the bedroom in a flash.
He made his way into his chambers where he knew he could open a portal into the kingdom of Elayzia. If that was indeed where Jackson had taken her. It would take him a bit longer to open another and he didn't know if he'd enter exactly where his son had went.
The king knew that time was of the essence and he could not afford to waste any at this point....it was imperative that he get to his son as quickly as he possibly could.
There was no way in hell he would allow any harm to befall his first born, nor the one he'd never even known about for that matter. He would offer up his own to save theirs...without question.
●●●●●●●
Donovan passed through the portal stepping out into an empty hallway, completely void of any noise except for his heavy labored breathing.
He could feel her presence near, like a warmth that enveloped his very essence.
He began to silently descend down the lengthy hallway following his senses. The further he walked, the more he could feel her.
He began to try and speak to her telepathically himself.
A sharp pain stung through his head. He stopped and leaned against a wall for support.
He could barely hear her, but it sounded far off....muffled. Then it was lost.
Just as Donovan was getting ready to take another step, someone grabbed onto his shoulders abruptly causing him to take an offensive stand.
"It's me son!" His father replied in a whisper shout. Donovan breathed a sigh of relief.
"Come son, I know this castle....there are passages hidden behind these walls we can maneuver through undetected." He pulled Donovan behind him into a sitting room.
He walked to a large picture that hung on the wall pulling at the side.
The picture released opening up a door as they both disappeared into the darkness pulling it shut.
Their feet landed inside the narrow passageway behind the castle walls.
The king pulled a small flashlight out aiming it in their path, then turned shining it behind them.
"Ok...son do you know which direction she may be? He asked.
"When I was in the hallway I began to feel her stronger...so we should go to the right." his voice shaky. He stared at his father, his eyes glazed over with fear & concern.
The two began to move slowly being cautious of where their feet landed in the darkness that surrounded them.
"W...we can't let him touch her father. We must find her be...before he puts his fucking hands on her! I swear I'll kill him!" Donovan spat with excessive anger radiating from his entire vessel.
"Shhh son, we must be silent. The last thing we want is to get caught....then we won't be capable of helping her at all." He patted his shoulder trying to ease a bit of his tension.
"We will find her....we just need to keep our wits about us. We have to for her sake." The king stared at his son with much affection.
The two men fumbled their way further down the narrow passages behind the castle's great walls, thick cobwebs catching them every few steps as they swatted their hands in front of them to clear the way.
Donovan began to feel her presence stronger, he felt he was almost so close he could touch her.
"She...she's here father. I feel it!" he ran his large shaky hands along the wall trying to push at it, making too much noise as he did.
"No son...nooo, we mustn't make any imprudent moves...we can not just go barging in. It would be foolish. We are only two....Jackson has hundreds of guards at his disposal....especially now that he has taken Shandy and knows we may come for her. We can not save her if we are discovered....then this will have all been for nothing. Get a hold on yourself son." His father gripped onto his arms, gently persuading him.
"What do we do then? Ju...just let this mad man have his damn way with her?" He shouted angrily in a whisper.
"Believe me when I tell you we will get to her before that happens. But we must use our heads." The king sighed.
"Listen...I hear something." Donovan pressed his ear to the dusty boards of the darkened wall.
He could hear Jackson talking to a guard.
"Watch that fucking door like a hawk!" He heard Jackson raise his voice as loud footsteps became more & more distant.
"I think she may be alone in the bedroom now, father." He raised his head quickly.
They began searching for a doorway that would lead them inside the king's chambers and finally found it as they tried to quietly push it open, yet something was blocking the entry.
"Are you able to call out to her son?" He tapped his son's head.
Donovan tried as hard as he could to get through to her yet he could not reach her.
"I...I can't father. I can't get through to her." He kept trying which only caused him much pain.
The two men heard a light tapping on the wall.
"It...it's her father, I know it is!" Donovan tapped back, signaling to her that they were there.
"We are here my love." Donovan whispered against the hidden door.
"Yes I hear you. There's an armoire covering the wall here." Shandy spoke.
"Can you move it any at all?" Donovan asked.
"I will try." She answered.
She pushed with all her strength getting it to move just barely enough for her to squeeze through as Donovan grabbed her hand pulling her to him through the narrow opening. She collapsed into his arms crying as she clutched onto him tightly.
"D...did...h...he hurt you?" Donovan breathed out his voice wavering.
"No...no I'm just so scared, he....he wants to kill you" she cried.
"It's ok he's not gonna get a chance for that my love." He held her close.
He and his father managed to quietly pull the armoire back into place as the three of them moved swiftly down the dark passageway as quickly as possible.
They walked back to where they had started and stepped out cautiously into the sitting room where they had first entered.
They had no choice but to go inside the room where a portal could be opened leading them back to Rolod.
The king found the spot opening it immediately as a vortex of color swirled. All three quickly stepped through as it closed behind them within seconds.