I herby refuse to write another chapter if I don't get any reviews. Ditto.

Me. Myself. I.

Ni'aa's POV

The forest was eerily quiet, the dark unnerving. Ni'aa realized that even though K'ssu had let her live, he wanted her out of the way. The forest hummed with mystical energy, Ni'aa could feel the power in the air. It was different than human magic, harder to sense. The trees rustled the tiniest bit. Ni'aa turned, ready to shift. A young girl stood there, her face and hair so pale they were almost white. "Gods above," the girl breathed, kneeling in front of Ni'aa, "We've waited a long time for you. Come, come." Ni'aa stopped, "Waited for me? Why?"

"You are the first person to cross the barrier in eighty years! How can you not know of your destiny?"

"Destiny?"

"You are to free the Shyiran people from this prison that holds us." Seeing Ni'aa was still baffled by this she sighed, "Help me make a fire. I'll explain as we do."

Ni'aa shrugged and started picking up sticks and branches. The girl helped and soon they had a large pile of dry wood in a circle. Ni'aa started to pull out some flint, but before she could, the girl stopped her, "Not with that. Like this."

The girl lifted her hands above her head. Then, she stood on her toes, slid one foot in a circle. She pointed one finger at the wood, which then exploded into flames.

Ni'aa watched in amazement as the girl then calmly sat down. "How do you do that?" Ni'aa asked her voice wary.

"You don't know anything." The girl replied scornfully, "The Shyiran's are elementals. We each control one of the natural elements. Water, earth, fire, air, and plants; I control the element of fire."

Ni'aa stopped then sat down by her, "Why are you out here all alone?"

"I am thirteen in two days. All children who turn thirteen before the end of fall have to live in the woods, alone, for a month. They hope one of us will find a way to cross the barrier. The queen herself, nearly managed, but the magic of the barrier was too strong. I almost have it." With her last few words, she stood and walked toward the edge of the trees. The closer she got the grayer her skin turned. When she was almost to the edge, her skin turned see through, showing her skeleton beneath. The girl turned around triumphantly, "See? I almost have it. I would have gotten it if you hadn't show up. Oh, well, all the better I suppose."

Ni'aa watched her, "Why subject yourself to that? Why not be content here?"

"Are birds content on the ground? Shyirans were born to be free. We still would be if we were not imprisoned here seven hundred years ago by Shape-Shifters." The girl spat out the name, "The Old Ones were jealous of my people, so they worked with the Shape-Shifters to lock us up here."

Ni'aa held her tongue against letting her rage spill over, "The magic I felt as I arrived. That was Shape-Shifter magic?"

"Yes." The girl's voice was a small hiss, "The Old Ones did not think we should be sent here alone, so with us they banished the monsters. Giant wolves, hungry for human flesh. The wolves possess a hypnotizing gaze that will lure you in if you look at them. They hunt the children and feast on their living flesh. The wolves truly are creatures of the night."

They sat there in silence for a few moments before the girl asked, "What is your name?"

Ni'aa froze; she should have expected that, "My name is…Alom Kea."

"Alom? Odd name. Mine is Lee. Lee Mai Ar-Ara te Ir-Ori. I'm the niece of Empress Nemisal. My family is one of the oldest noble families in the Shyiran realm, and one of the least respected. My aunt housed the Shape-Shifters before the war. She let them breed and saved their wretched offspring from the death they deserve."

The girl- Lee-sat by the fire, hunched over on herself. Ni'aa sat with her through the night. Both were awake and nether cared.

*~*

The next morning Ni'aa awoke to see Lee covering the fire with sand. Lee turned slightly and Ni'aa saw splatters of blood on her.

"What happened?"

"I had a little run-in with one of those lovely wolves I told you about. He decided to wish me a good morning in his usual way."

Ni'aa smiled for the first time since the Cloisters. Lee smiled back, "We should get a move on. The capital's pretty far."

*~*

{for anyone who doesn't get it this means time has passed and it really boring to write, so you can guess. The rest of the day passed uneventfully, they saw a few wolves and got a few blisters.}

*~*

When they arrived at the capital, Ni'aa was greeted by wary faces and glares of hate. Lee slid back to speak to her, "Something's wrong. They know something."

As they reached the towns center, Lee froze, then knelt. There in the town center sat a woman on a black throne.

"The queen," Lee breathed, "on the throne of punishment."