An: Hello all, my apologies for this late and rather short chapter. My muse has decided to desert me, and so this is all I could come up with. I hope you like it anyway.

(as stated in a previous story, I'm taking a two or three week break from writing anything. Family matters.)

A quick shout-out to all those who reviewed: Daedal, VampiresWizardsCentaursOhmy, unicorn-skydancer08, A Girl Called Tennessee, and Eriphi. Thank-you one and all for the feed-back. You made my day.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Lewis' all Lewis'.

"Jadis!"

The bearer of that name turned quickly at the harsh, imperious voice.

"Yes, dear sister?" she asked, twisting slightly at the sound. "And to what do I owe this – pleasure?"

"Our father is dead," the voice said.

Jadis rose slowly from her father's throne, her face a deathly pallor, her eyes shining with a strange light. She came towards her sister, softly, menacingly, and placed a slim hand upon her shrinking arm.

"Yes, he is dead." She relished the last word, pronouncing it with a morbid delight.

"Why was I not summoned?"

"But you were, dear Liris, I sent my slaves to fetch you."

"They never came," Liris snapped, anger and suspicion present in her voice.

Jadis smiled. It would have been a sweet, innocent smile on any face but hers. On her ghostly countenance, however, it resembled a proud and malicious smirk. A faint glimmer danced in her eyes.

"Perhaps they got lost." she murmured.

Sharp, swift, Liris' hand was raised. Stinging, painful, it descended on her sister's face. Jadis, stunned by the blow, staggered back with a low cry of anger. Her sister, drawing herself to her full height, surveyed her sister's crimson cheek with a look of triumph.

Jadis, though the younger by a handful of years, was taller, stronger, more powerful. She recovered her poise, seized her sister's wrist in a vice-like grip, and bent it backwards.

"You dare to strike the Future Queen of Charn, you miserable worm," she hissed.

"Queen of Charn," Liris spat, "you will never be. That throne -" she pointed at the large golden object behind them with her free hand –"is mine. It is my birthright. It is my destiny. You may be the Jewel of Charn, Jadis, but I am the Crown!"

Jadis let go of her sister's wrist with a low, animalistic snarl. She raised her hand, intending to slap her sister's face in return.

"Cross that line, Jadis," Liris snapped, "and I will do everything in my power to crush you beneath my heel."

Jadis crossed it, slapping her sister full across the face.

Liris reeled backwards, tripped on a jagged edge of the seemingly smooth fall, and fell onto the steps leading up to the throne. She cast her sister a look full of anger and gnashed her teeth.

"I hate you, Jadis," she snarled, her lip curling.

"I know, dear sister," Jadis' tone had returned to it's icy, calm temperature. "I hate you too."

And with that, the younger of the princesses of Charn turned on her heel and left the room. Liris waited until she was gone, then drew herself to her feet and ascended the steps she had fallen upon. She seated herself on the throne of Charn, and smiled, proudly, cruelly, her eyes glazed as she looked to the future where she, Liris, and not Jadis, would rule as queen.

The Hope of Charn they called Jadis. Why? Because her tongue was sweet and promised to restore Charn to its former glory. Because she was the younger, stronger, more beautiful sister. She took them in like so many lambs running madly to the slaughter. Jadis couldn't care less, Liris reflected, for the fate of Charn and its people. She wanted power - always power - and would kill anyone who tried to stop her from gaining that power.

But surely there were loyal subjects who cared for the ancient line of Charn. Subjects who would rather have the next of kin on the throne of Charn. Many hated Jadis, Liris thought with glee, they hated and feared her. Liris decided to prey upon these enlightened subjects. She planned to draw these into fighting and killing any piffling army Jadis would manage to gather. Yes, Jadis would be crushed under her heel like the serpent she was.

And as she sat there in the darkness, lost in her musings, little did she realize that Jadis had already made her first move.

The battle for Charn would come to pass sooner than Liris anticipated.