Well here it is. We took our time with this one, but we're happy with how it turned out!

Thanks a Mil to everyone who reads and reviews :) we love yah!

The memories of one night of shock, anger, grief, loss desperation, and disgust still haunted him, but usually he could push them back into the dark corners of hs mind...until now. Now, memories he'd almost forgot he had were brought back to the surface every time he laid eyes on Mika Ver Leth. The passing of time did nothing to ease the pain that had been inflicted so long ago. If he could travel backwards into time and kill the one who caused all these years of regret and suffering, he would not hesitate. A silly thought...it was impossible to reverse time... but it was never too late for revenge.

Mika Ver Leth had no right to live.

"Mika Ver Leth, we extend congratulations to you for passing the trial of the Aquatic Maze and offer our deepest aoplogies that the trial was tampered with before you entered, but we commend you for your effort and are pleased you emerged without sustaining relative harm. We have tightened all security within the mountain and we are determined that thie dishonourable perpetrator of these acts will answer to us at some point." Paris Skyle recited, speaking as a Vampire Prince rather than a mentor.

Mika stared back up at him out of uncertain eyes.

"Thank you, Sire." he replied eventually, feeling he should say at least three words.

"Are you prepared to draw your second trial of five?"

NO! his thoughts screamed.

"Yes, Sire. His lips muttered.

"Good. You are doing well." Paris answered softly. As a Prince, Paris was trained to keep a professional facial expression, but Mika knew to look beyond the solemn exterior, into the old blue eyes that practically ached with worry and caring for the young Vampire they were fixed upon. Be strong, Mika.

I will.

Momentarily forgetting the small crowd of officials that surrounded him, Mika's world shrank down to only himself and his mentor. He had so many questions tumbling through his mind at dangerous speeds, he needed to hear his mentor say something, anything encouraging. He drew breath to speak-

"If you're done having a tender moment, we have a trial to draw." Arian's icy voice echoed across the cold stone room.

"Peace, my friend." said Paris calmly. Arian rolled his eyes.

"I'd pick an easy one for you if It wouldn't get me dropped on the stakes." Vancha joked in an effort to lighten the tension. Paris smiled humourlessly and Arian shot the green-haired Prince a look of pure contempt. Despite Vancha's cheerful attitude, Mika still supressed a shiver as he stepped up to the bag, and plunged his hand into its depths. He could have stayed like that forever, examining the cool stones beneath his fingers, but his hand eventually surfaced, barely remembering to take a stone with it. This stone was an orangey brown colour, slightly smaller than the last.

"The Cave of Spiders!" Paris announced upon examination of the stone.

"Spiders can potentially complicate things in this trial, but a big strong Vampire like you should have no problem whatsoever." Arian added casually. But the look in his eyes said to Mika, "They'll eat you alive, little boy."

Mika held his gaze, glare by glare. He was not weak.

Arian's lip drew back in a sneer, baring sharp uneven teeth, daring Mika to say something.

The smaller darker Vampire turned back to his mentor.

"Thank you, Sire Skyle, Sire Welver and Sire March" (Vancha snickered at the formal address) "I will begin to train as soon as I'm dismissed." Mika concluded simply without another glance at Arian.

"Luck to you, Mika. Vanez will show you to the Cave of Spiders when your preparation period is complete."

Mika bowed politely and left the Hall.

"He's just like you, Paris." Arian commented in a slightly curious tone, as though wondering how the older man would react.

"There are similarities." Paris agreed. "After all, he is my student."

"Tell me, what is it like to raise and mentor a child with all the love you can possibly give to someone, and sit back and observe as their abilities begin to astound and empassion you?"

"You should know, Arian. Kurda's training is coming along exceedingly well. He is an upstanding young Vampire." Paris answered with half a smile.

"Indeed." Arian sighed, picking at a fingernail in a seemingly careless manner.

"Spiders? You call that a trial of death? Honestly! Spiders!" Mika laughed happily as he wandered down a corridor with Arrow and two other friends, Seba Nile's student Larten Crepsley and Arian's very own Kurda Smahlt. Despite his mentor's attitude, Kurda was a kind and fair Vampire. Nothing spectacular in the Hall of Games, but more intelligent than average.

"Don't - I mean- do not be so quick to dismiss this trial." Larten disagreed, arching an orange eyebrow. "Spiders are more powerful than they look."

"Maybe if you're a bug." Arrow grunted. "Mika's a big Vampire, he can easily squash a couple of spiders if they get in his way."

"You two have rocks in your heads. Just wait till Vanez explains it."

"Do you even know what you do in the Cave of Spiders?" Mika inquired.

"Not yet." Larten muttered, blushing. "But I know it's east of the Hall of Perta Vin Grahl."

"Who knows, maybe I have to shower with spiders and see who gets clean first." Mika rolled his eyes. "I'm just glad I can save my energy in case I get another trial that could actually kill me."

"Yeah, your dip in the Aquatic Maze was just a little splash for the mighty Mika Ver Leth, right?" Arrow grinned.

"If some bastard hadn't gotten in there, I would have been out in 10 minutes." Mika agreed with a sharp laugh. "I can't believe I was so scared to draw a stupid stone today."

"Rocks in the head." Larten mumbled.

"I agree with Larten. How do you really know this trial won't damage or kill you? Stranger things have happened." Kurda interjected for the first time. Usually he was the heart of a conversation, but lately he'd done more lurking than talking.

"Spiders, Kurda. Have you ever seen a spider?"

"Have you ever been bitten by one? And it's not just the spiders you have to worry about, what if someone tampers with it again?"

"Paris is keeping an eye out, remember? Everyone knows by know, no one would dare fuck with me as long as Paris is watching." Mika declared with conviction.

"You assume too much." Kurda replied with a forced smile as the group entered the Hall of Games.

"Ahh, Mika. I heard about the Maze, so sorry I wasn't around to watch your glorious return to the land of the living!"

"Hi, Vanez." Mika returned the greeting with a grin.

"The Cave of Spiders, eh? I heard. It's a tricky trial, but not the most physically dangerous." the Games Master stated, observing the dark Vampire before him.

"See? No problem." Arrow contributed.

"Quiet, Arrow, I never said it was easy." Vanez reprimanded, half-serious. "Go practice somewhere else, all three of you. I need to work with Mika alone."

Arrow departed in the direction of the swordfighting arena, Larten wandered over to the bars where a young Vampiress named Arra was practicing, and Kurda seemed to decided the Hall of Sports wasn't to his liking, and left.

Vanez laid a rough and calloused hand on Mika's shoulder, and steered him in the direction of a small cavern to the right of the Hall. When they entered the cavern, the floor suddenly dropped off, revealling a steep rocky cliff with a pool of water at the bottom.

"This is a replica of the Cave of Spiders, used for training. The real one is much bigger, and located near the waterfalls, because they supply the stream that feeds into the bottom of the cave. The water is crucial to completing the task successfully-" Vanez declared.

"So what do I have to do?" Mika butted in impatiently.

"I was just getting to that, young Ver Leth. At the top of the cave, you will be given a goblet. You will climb down the wall, goblet in hand. When you reach the pool, simply fill the goblet with water, and climb back up the wall. When you reach the top, the goblet must be full. If more than a third of water has been spilled, you fail the trial."

Mika's confidence level depleted slightly. If he took just one wrong move, the goblet could tip, or drop, or- wait a second...

"Where will the spiders be?"

Vanez chuckled darkly. "The real question is, where won't the spiders be? You don't get to practice with any, but in the actual trial, there will be tens of thousands, covering the floor, the walls, and you..."

Mika's spine prickled. Thankfully he wasn't scared of spiders... but he didn't exactly adore them like Larten did.

But I can do this...they're just little spiders...

"As long as they're not poisonous?" he added apprehensively.

"Not lethally." Vanez countered. "But poisonous enough to temporarily paralyse your entire body if you get enough bites. The point of the trial is to climb back up while you can still move. While keeping the goblet at least 2 thirds full."

"How bites would it take to paralyse me?"

"Several hundred. Which may not take long as you might think, consider the sheer quantity of spiders."

Mika stiffened slightly, and gave himself a mental kick for having such a cocky attitude. This trial could potentially end very badly.

"And what size spiders are we talking about here?"

"They vary in size. Some are the size of a fingernail. Others are the size of a hand." Vanez answered in an unnervingly casual tone. Mika examined his right hand...imagined a spider sitting on it, and covering the whole thing...hairy legs, 8 eyes, little pincers, ready to inject him with poison...

Vanez must have noticed Mika's expression of shock and disbelief, because he quickly added,

"This is as good a trial as any you could have hoped for, there are far more dangerous ones you could have picked. Be thankful. The chances of you dying in this trial are next to none. The spider's poison is made for paralysing rather than killing. And Seba is a spider expert, as we all know. He will make sure you are properly treated after the trial."

"But if I don't pass, I'm dead anyway." Mika muttered dismally.

"We'll worry about that when we have to." Vanez declared. "This time must be used to its full potential, you must not allow yourself to be distracted by negative thoughts, for will be your downfall in these trials. You need to stay strong and composed, keep a clear head, and allow nothing to get under your skin."

"-But someone wants to kill me!" Mika burst out suddenly. Out loud, the words sounded stupid and childish and he immediately regretted saying them. He gazed downward and tried to evaporate.

"We don't know that for sure, Mika." Vanez stated reproachfully. "Anyone would think twice before messing with you now, now that the entire mountain, especially the Princes, is on the lookout for suspicious behavior. And anyone in their right mind knows that if they hurt you, they hurt Paris. And making enemies with Paris is in nobody's best interest. You're safe."

Mika slowly looked up at the older Vampire, feeling a hint of reckless confidence again.

"How do we train for this?"

"I show you the fastest and easiest ways to get up and down those rocks, and how to hold on to your goblet!"

"Sounds easy." the dark Vampire declared fiercely.

"That's more like the Mika Ver Leth I know!" Vanez agreed. "You'll breeze through this one if you play right."

The young General sat nervously and observed his mentor pacing his chamber. The older Vampire was deep in thought and apparently deaf to his student's mumbled half-formulated suggestions.

"I think we'll let him be, for now." the standing man growled finally. "I cannot fathom a way to use this trial against him without being obvious. And the Cave is too heavily guarded to take any action whatsoever. He's cocky, I can see it in his face. This could work to our advantage. He believes this will be a simple trial. But one misstep, and he could be doomed. Like that." he snapped his fingers to make a point.

"I agree." his student contributed feebly.

"However, I don't want Mika Ver Leth to perish due to his own incompetence. I alone need to deal him a death blow. I want his blood on my hands."

"Sir...if you don't mind me asking...why?" his student asked, morbid curiosity overtaking his desperation not to get involved.

"That, is a matter between me, and-" he paused... "-myself. Your only worry is to carry out whatever task I assign you. I promise your role in his death will never be known, nor will mine."

"What about honour?" the student blurted out in disgust, standing up so he was almost at eye-level with his mentor. "What about the Vampire laws?"

A few second of pounding silence followed the outburst. His mentor raised a sharp-nailed hand as though preparing to strike out, but instead laid his hand gently on the side of his student's neck. The student's eyes widened in fear as he longed to take the words back.

"Honour is dead to me." he hissed, lips curling in a soft snarl. "It died long before you were born."

And he pulled his hand away, allowing his nails to scrape against his student's soft flesh as they went. The General stood trembling in shock, and possibly suprise that he'd escaped with his life.

"Now get out of my sight, I will find you when I require your assictance." he concluded, shooting a nasty look at his shellshocked companion.

He waited till the sound of the departing General's footsteps faded before he allowed himself to crumble into a chair and wipe a desolate tear from the corner of his eye.

Soo according to Elena, this is the "best" chapter I've written? :) lol if you agree, send a review, and if not, tell me what I can do better!

Next one should be up sooner than later!

And check out my newly renovated story, previously titled Closer Than Brothers, now called Arrow. Am open to other more interesting title suggestions!

Thanks, xo

*Roxy&Elena,