The group descended the staircase, the air growing colder as they got deeper into the mountain. Roman could feel the goosebumps that ran up and down his arms. They were accompanied by the chills that went down his spine and the hairs on the back of his neck that were standing up. Even though his magic wasn't the same as Virgil's, his body could sense that something was very wrong and that they were nearing something that wasn't good by any definition of the word.

"Virge, what do you think is down here?" Luis questioned. "Like, I know that whatever's down here is summoning that dark mage guy, but what do you think we're gonna find?"

He looked over his shoulder briefly at the younger prince. "I honestly don't know," he replied. "Last time, it was a crystal and several spells that summoned him. I don't think that's what this is this time. It feels different."

"Whatever it is, we're gonna stop it," Roman reassured him, grabbing his hand and squeezing it.

The dark prince looked at him gratefully, but his eyes revealed the doubt and panic he was really feeling. They didn't have time to stop and talk, reaching the bottom of the staircase and finding a dark metal door. Roman knew what they were all thinking; metal wasn't used for full doors unless they were holding something dangerous. None of them said a word as Virgil stepped forward and tried pushing it open. It wouldn't budge.

He set his jaw and took a step back, raising his hand. He was clearly about to use his magic, but Roman stepped forward to stop him. "Wait, wait, you're still recovering," he scolded, taking his wrist gently. "Let me do it."

Virgil opened his mouth to protest, but the look he gave him told him that there was no point fighting over it. He nodded and backed off, letting the prince step forward in his place and raise his hands to blast the door open. He let heat flow into his hands and then punched the door, sending that heat into the metal with extreme force. The metal melted away and left a gaping doorway in its place.

"Come on, we don't have much time," Virgil said, leading the way inside.

It was dim inside, lit only by lanterns hanging from the walls. Crimson coffins were nailed underneath them. A chill went down the dark prince's spine as he recognized this room. The faint smell of blood was in the air and he saw a table with leather straps, knowing instantly that he had been there a few hours ago when he'd passed out from the pain. He tore his gaze away from it to analyze the rest of the room; he needed to find the source of the summoning.

Roman was watching him closely, seemingly able to pick up on his discomfort, but he moved quickly. This wasn't the time to get emotional.

As the group ventured deeper into the chamber, they heard breathing. Someone else was in the room with, that much was certain. Roman drew his sword and set it aflame, illuminating the immediate area. Luis and Thorn both readied themselves for a fight as Virgil led the way forward, looking determined.

They stumbled upon someone with their back to them as they approached. In the dim light, they could make out his glistening black suit. He was laughing to himself. In front of him was a purple crystal that was glowing with a black light. Green mixed with it as the mysterious man lifted a book. The black leather was shimmering in the eerie green glow the pages within were radiating with. Ineligible words were floating into the air and then disappearing around it as it hovered in the air.

"Hey!" Roman yelled, preparing to lunge at them.

The mysterious man turned to them with a devious and maniac-like smile. He simply laughed, taking his book out of the air. "You're too late," he said with a sing-song voice.

Then he opened his book and chanted something, causing the ground beneath their feet to tremble as he disappeared with a burst of green light. "Virgil... who was that?" his little brother asked in horror.

"I don't k-know, I've never seen him before now," the dark prince replied.

His confidence was faltering as he looked at the glowing crystal. Thorn stepped forward and spoke with clarity. "It doesn't matter who he is, we just need to stop what he's started. Do you have any idea how?"

"Maybe if I can destroy the crystal, maybe it'll stop it-"

He was interrupted by the coffins lined walls popping open. What stepped out of them wasn't the skeleton guards they expected, but rather full-body undead people dressed in black, red, and purple robes. Virgil's throat closed up with horror and realization as they raised their hands.

"Duck!" he yelled out.

The four of them dropped to the ground as they shot purple and black magic toward them. Luis formed a protective sphere of magical water around them as they recovered from the shock.

"They're undead dark mages, ones that fought for Dorchadas the first time," the dark prince explained.

They zapped the bubble around them, making Luis wince as he struggled to keep the protective shield up. "What's the plan?"

"Okay, the three of us will hold these guys off," Roman said, looking between the younger prince and Thorn. "Virgil, you need to try your best to destroy that crystal because from the looks of things we are running out of time."

They all looked toward the crystal. In front of it on the ground was black and red dust that was gathering together. It was slowly starting to form the shape of a person.

"Okay, okay, I can do this," Virgil murmured. "Luis, drop the barrier."

He nodded, counting down and then making the bubble disappear. Roman and Thorn launched into action with the water mage close behind.

The dark prince ran for the crystal, rubbing his hands together as he steeled himself. He needed to produce a lot of power to shatter it. The dust was still forming, beginning to do so more and more rapidly. Virgil shook himself and began zapping the crystal with all the magical energy he could muster.

The others were fighting toe-to-toe with the undead dark mages, trying to stall them from getting to where Virgil was. Roman slashed through them with his flaming sword as Thorn tore them apart with her brambles. Luis was pushing them back with magical waves of water. Hope began to flare in their chests as their numbers dwindled. They seemed to be winning.

Virgil, however, was not. He was struggling to maintain the amount of power coursing through his veins and nothing was breaking the crystal. It became too much and he cried out, falling to his knees as a surge of magical energy echoed through the chamber.

They all looked toward him and in front of him, where the dust had formed a very real person. He was tall and dressed entirely in black, appearing almost hazily. The dark prince looked up at him as dread settled in his stomach. Dorchadas grinned down at him and knelt slightly. "Thank you, my child," he said, reaching out to touch his cheek. Virgil flinched, but otherwise remained paralyzed with fear. "I shall remember what you've done to serve me."

He then unfolded leathery black wings and flapped them once, sending a wave of black smoke through the chamber. When it cleared, he was gone.

Tears dropped silently down Virgil's cheeks as Roman ran to him. "I failed," he whispered, looking at him. "He's back."

End of Book 2