Chapter 6

Imani got to the palace and she went straight to the throne room. She sat on her chair with her hand on her cheek. Adana was standing close to the queen with her hands behind her back. Imani was deep in thought when Dain walked in and saw the queen sitting on her seat, he bowed his head and waited for her to address him but she didn't see him. Dain stayed with his head bowed but his eyes set on the queen. Adana looked at the queen and whispered. "Counsel Dain requires your presence, your highness." The queen quickly came to herself and acknowledged Dain. "My apologies Counsel Dain, my head is spinning." She explained to him and he just smiled. "Care to share what bothers my queen so much?" He insisted to help his queen. Imani stood up and walked down the stairs towards Dain. "Walk with me, will you?" She said to Dain who accepted and they walked out of the palace to the palace gardens. Adana followed behind them from a distance. "My brother's powers have grown somehow. He is powerful. I could feel my mother's phoenix energy and also his water powers but I felt another strange energy I couldn't really place anywhere." She explained to Dain. In their family the women inherited fire energy, Zuri had the phoenix energy which she had passed on to her daughter, her sister Jahzara had the sun energy which she had crave for more power and had been absorbing fire energies from other Guardians and dark supernatural creatures to reign the world. It was when she wanted hellfire that she had caused all harm to the world that they locked her up. Khari like his father had inherited water powers from the males in their bloodline. So he had the ability to control water, air or anything that was related to it. He had been locked up all his life so no one knew the extend to what his powers were. Dain looked at the queen worried. "Do you think he has gone mad like your aunt and has been absorbing powers from other dark creatures? But I haven't heard a report of any missing or dead creatures." He went on to add. Imani looked at the elder confused. "We need to post guards in the human's world and also monitor the Dark world. We can't afford to have another lunatic running around." She ordered the elder who nodded his heard in agreement. He summoned Adana and gave her an instruction to station guards in the humans' world and she left them alone.

They continued walking around the garden and the elder could see the queen was still troubled. He stopped and held her hand gently. Imani looked at Dain in the eyes. He had lived for more than a thousand years but he was still as handsome as the day she had set her eyes on him as a little girl. The teenage crush on him had not disappeared as of yet but she had dared not act on her feelings, Dain had also always been dedicated to the throne that he had never been sen in love with anyone. She took a deep breath as she stared at him. "Imani, something else is troubling you." He pointed out to her and she just stood there looking at him. "Yes, when we were in the human's world and Khari threatened it with a hurricane storm he was determined to destroy Mawone Village. Then he suddenly stopped and I don't know why." She explained to the elder. Dain looked at her confused. "Maybe his powers reached the limit." He tried to explain to her. "No it wasn't that Dain. It was as if there was something that called him out, like it drew him to them." She tried to explain to Dain. They both looked at each other worried. He couldn't have fallen in love and they couldn't let it be. As they stood there Zahari showed up. "I think something did draw him, your highness." The young priestess told them as she walked towards them. She wore a yellow dress and had a crown made out of flowers by Bloomy the flower Guardian. She bowed her head to her queen and the queen bowed back with Dain too. "What do you mean Zahari?" The queen asked her worried. "You need to come with me to the valley. The iris flower has a tiny glow but it is still withered." The priestess explained to the queen. Imani looked at her puzzled. "How is this even possible, we all know no woman can love him nor can he love any woman?" She asked the priestess and Dain. The priestess nodded her head. "It was your mother who did this spell with all of us, it can never be broken." She explained. "We need to go to the valley right now!" Imani said as she walked ahead of them to the valley.

When they got to the valley the other two priestesses were there seating around the iris flower. They were casting their powers trying to reverse the glow. Bloomy was also there as she was trying to sense the energy from the flower. When they saw their queen they all stopped what they were doing, stood up and bowed to her in respect but Imani stopped them with her hands. "What is the problem Bloomy?" She asked the flower Guardian. "The iris is coming back to life your highness." She told the queen. Imani took a deep breath and she almost fell in shock. Dain held her hand and helped her up. "I am fine. How is this possible? We have to stop this at once! I won't allow Khari to bring back Jahzara to this world!" She said to the priestesses. "We need to find the source of this. Find the woman and kill her at once! I don't care if she is human, guardian or any supernatural we have to remove her and stop the flower from coming back to life." She commanded them and they bowed their heads. "This was never supposed to happen!" Dain said confused. "Khari was never meant to leave that cave but he still did! I don't know what sick game he is playing but I am putting an end to it!" Imani said angrily as she walked out of the valley. Eshu stood there looking at the flower. She hadn't said anything since they had realized it had a tiny glow. "I need to go deep into the valley to meditate. I need to find answers." She said to her sisters. She always had a poker face on so it was really difficult so know what she was thinking. She walked away from the flower was she headed deeper into the valley. The two priestesses sat down and began casting their powers on the flower. Dain bowed at the priestesses and followed the queen.

Adana had come back from stationing the guards in the human and dark worlds. She met the queen just outside the palace doors. She was walking really quickly that Dain was far behind. She walked past Adana and she followed the queen trying to catch up with her. "I need you to go back to the humans' world and stand guard with them. But first I need every guard in the human and dark world's sword laced with the phoenix fire." She said to her. Adanna looked at the queen confused. "I know those two serpents are behind everything Khari is doing right now and I intend on teaching them and their master a lesson!" She told Adanna. Imani lit the phoenix fire in her palm and Adana put her sword towards it, the fire spread through the edges of the sword and it lit it then it went out. The flame in Imani's palm was still on so she carefully placed in Adana's palm. "Now go and make sure every guard in the humans' world had his or her sword, bow and arrow or spear laced." She commanded Adana who accepted her queen's command. Adana began walking out. "Oh, Adana, not a word of this to anyone. I do not want my subjects panicking." She ordered her. "Yes your highness." She said as she ran out of the palace. Imani began pacing up and down the room. When she turned Dain and the other eleven council members were there. They all bowed to her and she bowed back. "I have asked Adana to go and stand guard as well. I have laced her blade and asked her to do the rest for the others as well." She informed the council. They all nodded their heads in agreement. "We need to keep this among us, we do not need people panicking." She further instructed the council. Imani and the council closed the doors so they could carefully discuss this issue and Adana joined the other guards in the humans' world and stood guard night and day. The other supernatural beings, outcasts mostly had just heard the rumors of Khari being out. They already feared his presence and most wanted to stay out in the clear.