Alora turned quickly and wiped the tears from her narrow face as she heard the soft footfalls climbing the stone staircase just outside her empty room. Witch struggled to free herself, to let her true nature be shown but the shuck was still fighting her on some level, but at least they had reached an agreement . They both agreed that they were witch and would die as such, there was no disputing that now. Not after her powers had been seen. Not after she had killed the king.
The bared wood door slowly creaked opened, but to her surprise and maybe horror it wasn't the executioner , it was however her younger brother Ethan. She wanted to run to him and weep. Wanted to tell him that she hadn't known that she could kill …. Wanted so many things right now that it hurt. Prepared for the worse she stayed still. She would not kill her brother, not even if it meant the only way that she could survive.
He paced around the room. His long legs made his strides long but yet still graceful. His hand ran throw his coal black hair nervously before he said, " I can't keep you safe after everyone finds out what really happen tonight. You know I can't."
Sobs came to her throat and in a horse whisper she said the only thing she could think of, " Your majesty I do not wish for you too."
He turned to her not seeing a known witch but seeing his older sister teasing him. " Majesty? Hump… well that certainly took less time then I thought it would for you to go from scolding me for not doing my lessons to calling me that." he gave a small half smile before continuing , " no…. for today I am just your brother."
He set the terms and leveled the playing field for her. Carrying on with the now clam and pleasant feel of the room she teased, " you mean much younger brother don't you?"
" yes….. Yes , fine younger brother then." desperation filled his gold eyes, " you must listen to me Lor. Word will spread quickly of this and when it dose……" he let out a sigh, " I can't help an accused witch."
She knew he couldn't not with out being accused of being bewitched or worse one of her minion. Desperate she asked, " What will you have me do Ethan? I can't stay here but there is no place in the realm for the likes of me…."
His eyes lit up as he came close enough to whisper, " a few years ago I found an ancient scroll in the main Library. It's a 'key' to another place. A gate as it were. It proclaims that it can take a witch to safety."
Sure there couldn't be anything that could actually do that Alora grumbled, " oh, well now there's a plan. I just walk out of this room to the make-believe gate and…."
" no Alora. The scroll is right it does open a gate. Hells fire I thought the same thing…..
" watch your mouth you'll bring the wrath of Saetan down on us for using such curses."
Ethan glared then dismissed that comment after all he had seen Saetan. Had met him and his grandchildren and knew what his wrath could be like . Or at least knew if what the stories said were true, " as I was saying. I tried it the first time thinking nothing would happen and I found my self stepping through this gray mist that felt as heavy as water. When I reached the other side I was met by a woman …… or at least I think she was a woman though she looked more like a serpent and spoke as one dose too. She took me to meat her queen. Now her you'll like and you can beg for asylum."
" a queen. Ethan really you know…."
" a queen Lor I swear to you. Now listen. the queen and I became friends of sort after all I wasn't yet ten when I tried this. She told me in her silvery soft voice that I could come there when ever I pleased and that her library would be open to me. In the past four years I have went there many of times. Sometime only to barrow one of their books other's to have a meal of sorts with Ledia."
Ledia where has she heard that name before? It sounded so ….. So familiar to her but yet she couldn't place it. Why couldn't she place it. Memories like a dream filled her head. A handsome man with broad shoulders and a tan face. His black hair smoothed back and his golden eyes looking at her with joy and wanting. Another memory a child being placed in her arms and a woman with spiky white blond hair laughing with her. Her heart ached. A dream or memories she couldn't understand. None the less she said knowing her brother would never lie out right to her, she demanded, " then show me."
" you forget one thing. First we need to get you out of this room."
And that was the problem, " couldn't you…." he was a male and had rights. He was also the one who would now take the thrown since the king was dead. And that gave him all the rights in the world.
" I could but it wouldn't suite for what we need to do. I need to keep the appearance of being indifferent to your …… well charge…. And you need to escape."
" how Ethan? The windows are nothing more then archer's holes and the door is bared?"
His grinned such an evil smile. " we disappear as I did when I came up this way. Then after you are tucked away in my friend's home, I will come back and find that you turned into a bird of sort and flew out the widow. Of course the bird would have to be like none other so that the armies won't kill every one they see. And some one other then myself would have to see it."
" and how?"
" I'm sure Ledia can help with that. After all she is a very gifted witch. Did you know that last winter holiday she made a …… well she called it a shadow of me …. And it was here interacting with father while I stayed with her. Though she would hide me when her father or brothers came to visit. Something about them being over protective snarly males. Maybe you can find out what that means while you visit with her?"
Her head hurt. Never had she had a headache from having a simple conversation. Oh she had had them but usually because she was under fed or over worked but never from just talking with her brother. " and does any one else know of this place?"
" all four of our brothers have been there. I took them myself then showed them how to make the gate. "
" father let you see them." she sounded shocked as such the possibility.
" let me? Oh no he took me to see each of them with in the last two years. Took me to show me what awaited me if I showed weakness like them. Do you know what I saw Lor? I saw the four most happiest people in all the realm. Their plots of land had green grass. Green not this yellowish gold stuff that grows here but deep green and full of life. Their cows and pigs were fat and looked healthy. In fact if I didn't know better I would say that they were trained only to do their business in a certain area to save on clean up. Because the piles of dung were only in one area. One. And the pigs were trained to find mushrooms. I wish you could have seen it. I wish I could have the rest of the realm look that healthy."
" what did father say….."
His tone turned into a soft growl," before we left the houses were torched and the crops were plundered. He left them with nothing to survive the winter. He didn't know that they weren't there. He didn't know that it was shadow's that had been there that day. As I said Lor you will be safe wit my friend."
" and will you be safe here?"
" the coronation is in the morning. And as far as what happen here today….. Well the guards think that a man, one of my political advisors killed the king…."
" how…. Why."
" because you are a royal and no royal can be a witch. I declared that myself. Besides they have to believe the word of the king even if that word is a out right lie."
Ethan clocked them as he had been taught. Then they moved swiftly through the dark and gloomy castle till they came to the old library that had seldom been used. Or at least the one that no one ever thought to use. They passed through the door. Didn't open it but actually passed through it.
Alora stood in amazement. There were four rows of book shelves all creating a single isle that let to a table at the end. A candelabra stood at the end of each shelve. Each holding three black candles. A single wide black candle sat by itself on the end table. A stone wall stood behind it. There were no chairs , no paintings or tapestries only walls and books.
Quickly Ethan pushed her to the center of the isle and took a snarly tone, " stay here and don't move till I tell you to."
She nodded as he lit the candles. Watched as the flames seemed to appear from out of no where. Watched at the stone wall turned to gray mist.
The sun was starting to peer over the mountains when both Lucivar and Daemon got back to the eyrie. Daemon was giddy about finishing his wife's web for her. His heart ached because he would never meet the shuck that Witch was now living in but at the same time he seemed more relaxed. Calmer then he had since her body faded into the dark .
Not knowing what to say Lucivar asked, " did you want…."
" I think I'm going to lay down for a bit. It's been a long night."
" I'll make sure the puppies don't…"
" it's fine prick besides I'm use to waking up to an assortment of wet noises and tiny fur balls sleeping around me."
" I forgot you have Kaelas and Ladvarian sleeping with you most days."
" yes and like their namesakes the two of them find my room there den of choice."
" well at least Kaelas only weights what a hundred pound now."
Daemon spoke dryly , " closer to two hundred but….. He reminds me of his namesake. It's comforting having the two of them there."
