Quilt, Book and Bard

In order to take the kingdoms over properly, Neal instructs Jake and Alex that they must speak to the last vestiges of the Queen through Hildegarde. During the ceremony the Queen destroys the spell book and commands Jake and Alex to take good care of the kingdoms. As soon as the spell book is destroyed Neal goes to see if he is truly free of Hildegarde. When he realizes he is, Neal decides that living in the castle isn't for him, and moves into a small cottage in the town, finishing his painting there.Eventually it comes time for Tory and Jeremy to leave... with the promise to return as soon as possible.If you enjoyed these podcasts and wish to see more of the Kingdom Tree Universe and other stories Bryna Chalmer is writing, please visit her at: http://worldtree.brasscannonstudio.com/brynablog/

With King Delphic stuck in the picture, Tory becomes worried about returning home. While Alex is reluctant to admit that she has to go, he, Neal, Jake and Seth start speaking seriously about how to take over the Kingdoms. Though neither Alex nor Jake wish to rule the Kingdoms, they both know they'll have to do something in order to keep them from falling apart. In an attempt to figure out a solution, Tory proposes they look to the spell book.

With everything in the two kingdoms starting to become more normal, Neal focuses on creating the picture to get Tory and Jeremy home.Tory, worried that Neal hasn't stepped foot out of Hildegard, despite being human again, figures out a way for him to feel more comfortable about the prospect. Taking the spell book, she convinces Seth and Neal to reverse the spell Norlis did in order to free Alex from the bracelets which Garten put on him.With the bracelets off, Neal sees that it might be possible to leave Hildegard without dying, but an unfortunate side effect of reversing the spell unlocks all the doors in the castle, allowing the King to escape into the the picture Neal is working on.

Tory starts to worry about how Jake and Alex are going to take over the kingdoms, and how she's going to return home. In an effort to get Jake to stop stonewalling, Seth tells Tory that it might behoove her to see if the bracelets Alex still has on his wrists work in Hildegarde. Once they establish that the bracelets don't have any effect in Hildegarde, Jake is willing to sit down and consider the idea of taking the mantle of power over the Delphic Kingdom.

Neal wakes up to find that the spell has been broken. Tory tells him they defeated King Delphic when she threw the signed piece of parchment the Queen had taken from Neal into the fire. Norlis ran away after he killed Garten, and everything is now going to be different. Surprised to learn all this, Neal tries and finds he can no longer speak with Hildegard. In an effort to understand what is going on he starts towards the Kitchens, Tory following close behind.

As Norlis continues to speak the spell, Tory notices the difference in the room they're standing in. Looking to Seth, she disrupts the spell by following his directions. During the interruption the spell is changed. Norlis goes slightly nuts.

Neal and Jake are taken by Garten, who gloats over them by explaining the King's plans with the spellbook. Tory, unhappy with everyone else's inaction, and feeling hungry, convinces Alex to go with her and explore. Unfortunately they're found by Garten before they get too far, and the switch between the binding spells begins.

Neal, Tory and Seth recover from their run-in with the Talpids. Seth mourns the loss of his familiar and his mandolin, but gives Neal some important information about why he was trapped in Hildegard for so long. Once they've gathered what there is, Neal leads the other two through the picture to the Delphic Castle, intent on making sure the spellbook isn't used for King Delphic's purpose.

Tory and Neal land in Hildegard. While looking for the picture to take them to the Delphic Castle, they find Talpids in the library, torturing Seth. Conflicted about the information he got during the dinner, Alex tries not to panic, and tells Bryna and Jake about his run in with Garten.

During a dinner with King Delphic, Alex learns that the Talpids have captured Seth and are torturing him for information. Delphic threatens to bring Seth to the castle. Alex goes back and tells this to Bryna and Jake, who are at a loss, not sure if they should go back. Tory and Neal figure out how to use the spellbook and quilt in tandem, which gets them closer to the Delphic Kingdom, but not quite where they intended.