Prince Quartz clasped Eudial. He couldn't believe that she had decided to remain on Tau Ceti with him, with no hopes to come back on Earth.
"Eudial..."
The witch smiled at him: "Don't worry, I won't regret it."
Suddenly she startled, then collapsed in Quartz arms, holding her throat in pain.
"Eudial! How are you?! Are you feeling sick?"
Eudial moaned and grabbed Quartz's cloak. He kneeled and made her lie down.
"Please, Eudial, talk to me. What are you feeling exactly?"
The witch tried hard to speak and at last she gasped out some words: "I...I can't breathe! I think...my powers are...coming back..."
In fact, the little black star reappeared on her neck and shined bright.
Eudial calmed down and she began to breathe in a normal way again. Quartz sighed in relief.
Eudial opened the eyes and smiled at him: "I'm better now. It seems I'm a true witch again..."
King Quartz grabbed her and sobbed: "Oh, honey! I thought I was going to lose you!"
Eudial embraced him and tried to cheer him up: "Come on, Quartz! Don't cry. I'm here and I'm well, now." she smiled "You're the King of Tau Ceti, what would say people looking at you now?"
Quartz smiled her back: "So you've got your own powers now..."
"Yes, and I think I can teach you something interesting...I think they've improved now. I've never felt so powerful!"
Quartz laughed: "We'll see..."
"By the way, you said that the portal needed two persons to work. How could you use it if you was alone?"
He put a hand in his pocket and took a pendant formed by a shining blue crystal attached to a golden chain: "I used this. It can improve powers."
Quartz put the chain around Eudial neck: "I want you to have it. Now the blue crystal is your."
Eudial looked at the shining pendant on her breast: "Thank you, Quartz! It's beautiful and..."
"What?"
"It is of the same color of your eyes..."
They both blushed.
Suddenly they heard a loud noise coming from outside.
"What's going on?!"
They looked out of a window and gasped: a host of angry persons was trying to open gates of the Royal palace. Guards weren't doing anything to stop them.
"Quartz! We must stop them. And we have to calm them down, magical shield won't resist for ever!"
"You're right, honey. We must show on the balcony and listen what are they asking for..."
As soon as they showed up, the crowd rumbled louder. Somebody began to throw stones and magic towards them.
Eudial noticed that her brothers were in the crowd and they were feeding people's rage.
"It's a rebellion!" She cried "And my brothers are leading it!"
"Shields are about to be destroyed" Quartz shouted and pulled Eudial inside the palace few seconds before the magic of people hit the balcony.
"What are we going to do now, Quartz?"
The king pulled her at her side: "Be quiet, honey. We have some minutes before the dimensional portal become useless...We'll teleport on Earth! Now run! We must reach the room were it is before the crowd opens the doors of the palace!"
They ran out of the room, but the cracking sound of broken doors made them understand that they were too late.
Eudial gasped: "We're trapped!"
"We have no choices...We must fight!"
Eudial closed her eyes and a sword of power appeared in front of her. She grabbed it and ran towards the person who were trying to attack them.
Quartz did the same.
Somehow they managed to reach the door of the portal's room. They were both covered in blood and their clothes were ripped in many points.
Eudial opened the door while Quartz kept away angry people. She succeeded and they entered the room, closing the door behind them.
Eudial weakly smiled: "We did it..." she shut when she saw her husband's face: he was very pale.
"What's up Quartz? Did they hurt you?"
Quartz collapsed. Eudial held him up, but she screamed when she saw the he was bleeding.
The young man leant his head on Eudial's breast: "Eudial, use the portal, hurry. I know that you can do it even alone..."
The witch was shocked: "No, we'll use it together. I'll take you to Earth and I'll cure you. You'll see you'll be fine..."
"I'm sorry, honey. I think it's too late for me...I'd really liked to see your Earth with you...but it seems it's not in our fate..."
Eudial was weeping now: "Quartz, don't die, I beg you! Don't leave me alone..."
Quartz smiled at her: "You won't be alone. You've your friends and your true love on Earth..."
"But...but I won't have you!" she sobbed.
"My soul will be with you forever, honey. When you want to listen to my voice, look at the crystal and call my name. I'll be with you...I love you, honey..."
"Quartz, I love you too! Now I understand that I love you, please don't die!"
Quartz weakly smiled: "It's a lie...but I'm glad you said it..."
"No, it's not a lie! I'm always sincere, you should know it...I really love you..."
Eudial kissed him.
Quartz looked at her: "Thank you, Eudial. Now it's time to go for you, honey...I'll love...you...forever..."
He closed his eyes and quietly died.
His body transformed in little sparkles of light which entered in Eudial's pendant.
Eudial cried. Then she raised herself and used all her powers to open the portal.
She could feel that Earth was almost too far to teleport there. Her head was beginning to ache and she could barely breathe.
The witch jumped into the portal.