Kingdom

06. The Forbidden Pool (2)

Being harmful, revengeful and hateful generates dark energy. Being generous, kind and loving, generates positive energy. Both positive and negative energy exist in the world, one creates, the other destroys. Both are needed to keep the balance. Light and shadow.

Dark Magic draws its power from negativity and has always been dangerous to handle, unpredictable and corruptive in its nature. Using Dark Magic could lead to madness and obsession. Therefore its usage is forbidden for Wizards.

Yona doesn't fear darkness, she is the Mistress of it. She knows how to handle negative energy with great ease. While she is waiting for Yoongi to get out of his bath, she is making a little dark spell. Another gift for the new Queen.

The witch has no intention to let Yoongi leave tonight without making him hers again. She wants to regain her feeling of control over him, she doesn't like being rejected. Once he is rested he will come to her, she is sure of it. He always comes to her at the end.

Yona doesn't have to wait for long, she can soon hear the King walking back down the corridor. She smiles. He couldn't even stay away for more than 10 minutes.

The witch stands up to lean by the wall, waiting for him to open the door, a confident smile spreading over her beautiful face.

The door opens with a bang but instead of going to his lover, the King passes by Yona as if she is not even there, hurrying towards the front door.

"Wait! Where are you going?" she asks.

"No time to explain, I need to go back to the Palace immediately."

" But why are you ... "

Before Yona can finish her question the door shuts in front of her. The King is gone. Just like that. He vanishes into the night, even faster than he came.

Yona feels deep rage building inside of her. The King has never left her so abruptly and suddenly. Whatever was happening to him, she did not like it. She should have not allowed such a long time to pass without seeing him. He has grown too distant and hard to reach. Yona must have him back, all his attention and thoughts should be focused on her and her alone.

She grabs the amulet, the light gets faint as he goes away. Red light - anger, distress. Suddenly the amulet bursts and breaks into Yona's hands.

The candle lights go off.

The witch can hear a faint music, quiet as a whisper, coming from the corridor. She stands up to lit a few of the candles again, almost blinded by the darkness. She grabs one of the lights and walks down the corridor.

Yona dares not enter the Hot Spring room but she stands at the open door. Darkness rises from the waters, spreading through the whole room and dissolving the walls into nothingness.

Someone has entered the forbidden pool, someone has disturbed an ancient spell.

The door suddenly shuts in front of Yona and she steps back startled.

Some magic is so ancient, so strange and so powerful, that even Yona, the Dark Witch, fears it.

----

The hot spring room is lovely. On one side the space is almost entirely opened to the garden, while on all other sides it is closed by solid walls made of clay and stone, topped by curved, beautifully colored eaves. There is no roof. The room is open to the stars, covered only by the branches of a few tall trees.

On the wall opposite to the entrance, there is a huge painting that seems to be at least a century old. There are cosy pillows arranged on a bench by the left side of the room and soft towels placed on the right. The floor is made of beautiful, light-colored jade stone, the likes of which Nori hasn't seen before. Probably it was brought here from a distant land.