Disclaimed

AN: Okay, here come some fun chapters to make up for the last three depressing/angsty ones. And… some actual length to this one!

ALERT! ALERT! YOU MAY NOW SEE THE AUTHOR'S VISION OF WHAT ARAVIAN LOOKS LIKE!

To see a sketch of Aravian:

http://www.angelfire.com/art2/rachel_hunt/ara.html

Or you can just check out my website (which includes the sketch):

http://www.angelfire.com/art2/rachel_hunt/

And I'd love to hear what you think of her!

E-mail: Deastra@aol.com

*~~~~~~Chapter Eleven: Spiraling down into Ebony~~~~~~~~*

Winter, Ebon Askavi, Two years later (which means Aravian is seventeen and Luthar is eighteen)

Sounds of laughter and intermittent footfall resounded through the Library. Calmly, Geoffrey raised the glass of yarbarah (heavily laced with brandy) to his dark lips again. "You know," he commented, "A seventeen year old Aravian isn't that much different-" a loud screech came to them from the depths of the shelves "-from a seven year old one." He took another healthy swig, grimaced, and refilled the glass.

The corners of Nickolaes' mouth twitched up. He wasn't sure how much it took to get a Guardian drunk, or if it was even possible, but he strongly suspected that Geoffrey had resigned himself to fate and was trying. "I'm surprised you didn't kick them out as soon as-" he was interrupted by a feline squawk "- they showed themselves in here."

The Guardian glared at him. "You think I didn't try? Damn kids… they tricked me." He slumped down farther into his chair. "I curse your grandfather everyday for resigning from his post as assistant librarian as soon as your mother came back." His eyes narrowed at the memory. "Jaenelle comes back, and all of a sudden, 'Oh, well Daemon doesn't have the time to take care of all I left him' and Hell starts filling up again, and he's gone for good!"

Nickolaes made a mental note to ply Geoffrey with alcohol more often. It was amusing.

A moment later Kaelas walked through the wall to their left. He took no notice of them, proceeding farther into the Library.

There was a loud crash followed by silence.

The Arcerian paused, a paw in the air. He tested the air, then asked them on a Red thread, *The scary pixie is in there?*

Nickolaes' mouth quirked at the kindred nickname, but he replied solemnly *Yes, the Scary Pixie is in the stacks.*

*Then I go the other way.* Kaelas turned around and went back through the wall.

Geoffrey was still slumped in his chair, glaring sullenly at the books.

"You know…" Nickolaes said. "It's been quiet in there for awhile now."

"What's your point?"

"Come on!" Nickolaes slung a companionable arm around the older man's shoulders as he stood with a groan. "I'll even help you clean up the mess…"

~~~

"Oops…" Aravian looked down at the pile of books in front of her with a guilty expression. Luthar landed next to her, looking astonished. He hadn't known an entire shelf could fall so quickly.

Avaesel and Elasia were both already gone. They'd taken off when they'd realized that they could be blamed for the mess.

Traitors.

"Um…" Aravian glanced from Luthar to the books. "I think it's time to, well…leave…" she tugged on Luthar's arm, backing away from the books slowly. They could both hear footsteps heading for them. They took off running the other way.

It only took a moment before they were lost. "Luthar, where are we?"

Luthar looked around. They were in one of the few sections of the Library he didn't recognize. "Erm… we are in the …. Library. Yeah."

She glared at him. "I got that, sugar." She glanced around. "How do we get out of here?"

"A door."

She turned back to him to glare again. "I'm going to hit you soon if you keep up with these faceted- no erm…"

"Facetious?"

"Be quiet. These facetious answers." Her eyebrows drew together. "I guess we'll have to use Craft and walk through the shelves." She shuddered. "I hate that. It's so creepy."

Luthar just pointed to the wall at the end of the shelves. "A door," he repeated deliberately.

Aravian looked, and blinked. "Oh." There was a door down there. She had the grace to give him a guilty look.

Avaesel and Elasia came through the shelves to their right just as they neared the door. The two kindred had to walk behind their Intimates, both being too huge for the four to walk abreast. The two kindred kept brushing each other, Elasia being full grown to 180 pounds, and Avaesel having just passed the 800 mark.

Aravian looked up at it. Up close, it was nearly twice her height, made out of a beautiful dark wood that someone very talented had carved beautiful swirling designs into. It didn't have a handle. Luthar glanced at her, she shrugged, and he just pushed gently against the spot the handle would have been. It didn't move.

"Try again. Push harder."

Luthar did, muscles straining under his dark skin. The door still didn't move.

Aravian scowled at it, then braced her feet on the floor. She looked at him and said, "On three. One… two… three!"

With a tired groan the door moved, just enough that the Eyriens could get through. The shuffled through sideways, Elasia following, (although she nearly got stuck). Avaesel, though, barely even got his head through.

"Rrrreeeoooow!" came the plaintive call as he tried to get his head back out, which he couldn't seem to do.

"Sugar, hold still!!" she stroked the soft fur of his head, sending him calm waves through their bond. She looked up at Luthar. "You pull from the top, I'll pull from down here. On three again, one… two… three!"

They started pulling the door inward. The muscles in both their arms were straining, quivering under the skin, and all of a sudden the door swung the rest of the way in. Luthar and Aravian were thrown onto their backs, and Avaesel scrambled in as if afraid the door would close on him.

After she got her breath back, Aravian sat up with a groan. I think, she thought as she stood, I hate getting the wind knocked out of me more than anything.

Luthar stood too. "Ow…" He shifted and his back cracked. "I think I'm getting too old for this stuff…" He glared at Aravian. "If you tell me that you want to close that thing…!"

Aravian ignored what he said, looking around the cavernous area into which they'd stepped. "Luthar… look."

He did look. His jaw dropped nearly to the floor.

The space they'd entered was big enough be a huge room, bigger even then the Great Hall, continuing on either side until it was out of sight. The stone was black as midnight and matte, rough looking. It must be some kind of tunnel…Aravian thought to herself in awe. She touched one wall, only noticing when she looked closer that the swirling design was continued in there. It was very lightly done there, as if an eroded memory of something older.

And higher up deep groves, gouges, were taken out of the walls and rough ceiling, as if made by massive claws. But nothing was that massive, at least nothing that was still alive.

The only light in the place was what came through the door. Even that didn't extend far, being devoured by the darkness after only a few feet. Reluctantly, Aravian conjured up a ball of witchlight, flickering blue across the surrounding surfaces.

Avaesel was sniffing the air, Elasia sitting on Luthar's foot. From Avaesel she could tell that the air was old in there, smelling not even of dust, so tightly confined it had been for so long. The psychic sent of the place spoke the same, giving a feel of age and power. She wondered what had left such a signature.

With an adventurous glint in her eye, she asked Luthar, "Left, or right?"

He hesitated. "Are you sure that you want to explore this place?"

"Are you kidding?!" She flung out her arms and spun around, looking about with a grin on her face. Her long hair, messily unbound, swirled around her, her wings draped with silvery strands. Luthar felt an ache in his chest as she gazed at him with sparkling blue eyes. "This place is magnificent!"

"It's just, well these claw marks…"

"Sugar, come on! We've got to check this out, I've never even heard anyone talk about something like this! It's got to be older than the rest of the Keep, this is nearly the center of Ebon Askavi. Don't worry," she grabbed his hand and started towing him to the right, "whatever made these has got to be long gone, the Keep is older than anything."

Luthar let himself be drawn inexorably onward; he knew that he'd follow Aravian anywhere she went.

After a few moments they heard a slamming noise from behind. Suddenly it was twice as dark.

They both jumped and turned. It took her a moment to realize she couldn't see the door anymore. "Where in the Darkness did it go?!" she exclaimed as they searched along the wall. The pattern, she thought as she traced a hand along the designs, it must have been continued on the inside of the door as well. Why would they face the door with more stone though? A shiver raced down her spine. Unless whoever built this didn't want people to be able to go out once they were in.

She turned and looked back into the darkness they had started into. She looked at Luthar, who just looked back at her steadily. He had an odd look on his face, but she wasn't in the mood to puzzle it out. Shifting her attention to Avaesel, she asked him, *Do you think we should continue that way?*

*What else is there to do?* the Arcerian answered with kindred simplicity.

Elasia bounded ahead of them as they went along the wide passage, and Avaesel brought up the rear. After they had walked long enough that their feet were getting tired, Aravian started to get nervous. Was there no end to this place?

*Avaesel, is there any change to the air?*

His nostrils flared briefly. *None.*

"We may just have to go through the walls," Luthar suggested.

Aravian bit her lip, looking about them. "We don't know how thick they are…" She turned embarrassed eyes on him. "And you know passing through solid objects isn't my best thing."

Luthar's lips tightened. "Then I'll go through and come back for you through the door."

Just as the two were starting to seriously consider this, they heard Elasia on a Tiger-Eye thread exclaiming, *Come look, come look!*

With questioning glances, they hurried up to where the canine kindred was excitedly pawing at a door, her long tail beating at a dangerous speed.

This door was something like the first, but different. It was actually a double door, and larger than any door either of them had ever seen before, even those at the Hall. It extended from floor to ceiling and was many lengths across, fitting into the dark stone perfectly.

All Aravian could think was that it had been made for something not human.

This door too was full of carvings, but for the first time here the swirling pattern was broken.

Wings. Those were what jumped at them first. All sorts or winged creatures were at carved up the upper three quarters of the door, the sky sweeping out in vast relief, dotted with iridescent 'stars.' The creatures were of all sorts, cranes and hawks and seagulls… and Eyriens. The lower quarter of the door was ground filled with animals of the land, snakes and foxes and horses and Arcerians. People too.

She craned her neck up as far as it would go to see the top of the doors. Sweeping out, were huge creatures that looked like great lizards almost, but with wings that blocked the sky. The stars seemed to sweep out from them, to touch all the others.

Even though Aravian had never been to the Fyreborn Islands, she instinctively knew what these were.

Dragons, dreams and stories to many, legend to the children of the first circle, who'd only heard about them from the stories of Witch's, Jaenelle's, heyday. When things had been exciting, when it seemed that things were actually going on. Many of them wished they'd been alive then. Mostly those not old enough to remembered Karla's slow recovery from the events shortly before the Purge.

Luthar was just as still as she, also taking in the carving. After a moment he let out a slow breath and turned to her, his golden eyes shining.

It was she though who said what they were thinking. "Sugar, you know we have to get in there."

Luthar nodded. "But how can we open these doors…?"

Elasia scratched at the door her huge paws, whining and saying, *Look at this one!* her mind voice terribly impatient with the dull-witted Eyriens.

They looked at the carving she was scratching at. It was a unicorn rearing on the field. They ran their hands along the smooth lines, trying to figure out what Elasia was so excited about. When Luthar's hand struck an outcrop of stone that formed the unicorns hoof, they realized it was actually a handle.

Looking more closely, they realized that there was a smaller door within the large ones, a bit bigger than a human would need.

With an excited squeak, Aravian pushed the door open, plunging into the waiting darkness beyond.

Luthar followed more slowly, watching the door with a growing feeling of deliberate wariness creeping inside him. He would have sworn that the carvings near the top had moved.

And then he was inside the darkness… or maybe, for all he knew, the Darkness.

~~~

Back in the Library, Nickolaes helped Geoffrey with his task of putting all the books that they had come across back in order. He cursed the Pest and his cousin every time Geoffrey found one out of place and they had to rearrange them; it would almost have been easier to do this by hand the first time rather than flinging it all aright with a flick of craft!

His thoughts turned to Aravian. Sometimes, when she wanted something mostly, she was sweet and charming as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. Then, most of the time, she was much like she had been all her life; a wild sprightly creature, impertinent to a point that it was it's own kind of charm. For a time after her ordeal two years before, Aravian had been very quiet and reserved. They'd all been afraid that she would never regain her old self, but even though she never regained all of her child-like innocence, she did eventually return to the Pest they'd all known. Nickolaes, much to his own confusion, had felt a sort of gratitude and relief the first time she growled and stuck her tongue out at him after that fall. Although he did twitch every time she called someone 'sugar.' She sounded just like her mother when she did that.

He shook his head in grief and wonderment, sending another row of books skidding into different places with a flick of Black-jeweled thought. There was no point in pondering the Pest.

~~~

All around her the air was black as pitch, without any difference between the dark stone beneath her feet and the dark space in front of her. The air was warm and thick, almost scratchy, and heavy with some sort of scent she didn't recognize. Nervously, Aravian sent, *Luthar?*

*Where are you?*

"Right here."

She jumped as warm fur brushed her leg, only realizing after she squeaked in fright that it was only Avaesel. A moment later her outstretched hand met the cold, clammy one of Luthar. She made a tiny witchflame, somehow afraid to disturb the solid darkness all around them.

It didn't matter. That one tiny flame showed them much of the surrounding area, so lacking other sources of light that it was like a drop of water to a parched mans throat.

The huge tunnel they'd been in before was nothing to this… cavern. That was all it could be. Wherever the ceiling was, they couldn't see it. The wall behind them was just as dark and black as the other had been, but in this were little flecks of reflective brightness. And the figures on these walls were more spectacular than any others she'd seen. Writhing and dancing and spinning, fluid and stirring, all sorts of figures stood in relief everywhere, all sorts of creatures, more than on the doors outside. They were wonderful.

"Hell's Fire, Mother Night and may the Darkness be merciful…"

Aravian turned to look at what Luthar and the others stared at. Then her jaw dropped to somewhere near the ground.

In a rising curve to the front of them was a sheer face of glittering iridescence. Silver-gold bits plastered the curved wall, shining in her tiny flame like so many jewels. Aravian had never seen something so lovely in her life, something so utterly awe-inspiring. It made her want to write poetry or sing, two things she'd never had much use for.

And then it moved.

~~~

"What are you reading?"

Jaene jumped as his brother spoke, not knowing he was there. "Hell's fire, can't you make noise or something? Wear a bell!" Grumpily he opened his book back up.

Nickolaes' mouth twitched as he slid into the seat next to his brother's. He poked him in the shoulder. "My apologies. Now, I asked, what are you reading?"

Annoyed bronze eyes slid up to meet his. "A book."

"I got that, dick. What's it about?"

He sighed and leaned back, knowing his brother was determined to pester him. Brushing dark gold hair that was too long away from his face, he answered, "It's just a book of old poetry Geoffrey thought might interest me." His eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Nickolaes shrugged broad shoulders. "No reason. Can't I be curious about my dear little brother?"

Jaene snorted. "Horse shit."

Nickolaes shook a finger at him, grinning. "Jaene Tersa Sadiablo, I don't want to hear you saying things like that!"

He scowled at the use of his full name. "I still think there is something wrong with Mother and Father, naming a boy after two women and a girl after two men."

Nickolaes buried his head in his hands. "Will you never stop harping about that?!"

"Just be happy you get to have your own damn name."

"Little bit grouchy today?"

"No."

Nickolaes sighed in a long-suffering way and stood. "Listen, will you do my a tiny favor?"

"I knew you wanted something."

Nickolaes ignored that little comment. "Whenever Aravian and Luthar come back out, just tell them that I had to clean up their mess."

"Sure, whatever." Jaene was already back in his book.

Heaving another sigh, Nickolaes stalked out of the Library.

~~~

Aravian, Luthar, Avaesel and Elasia stood still as stone as the 'wall' in front of them moved. Slowly, one end lifted and turned, until a long neck swung round to bring them face to face with the largest creature they'd ever seen.

Elasia sat down on Luthar's foot with a plunk as the dragon looked at them. Avaesel growled a little, but not much.

*What are you four doing here?* The voice was dark and heavy, and suddenly Aravian knew what that scent she'd been catching was.

With a shock, she remembered the stories her mother had always told her when she'd been little, about when she had first come to Kaeleer. One particular story stood out in her mind at that moment—the one about the night the Dark Court was formed.

"Oh. By the Darkness. You're Lorn, aren't you?! Luthar!" She started tugging on Luthar's arm as he continued to gape. "Sugar, that's Lorn! Oh-" she turned back to the confused looking dragon. "Sir, you are Lorn, aren't you?"

*Possibly*

"I knew it!"

Luthar uttered something that sounded like "uttububua."

Aravian was rushing on. "Oh, sir, don't mind us, we were just in the Library when we saw this door, you see, and so we went through the door—it was so cool looking, all carved with this really nifty design—and anyway we went through the door and we were in this big old tunnel, and it was made out of this really dark black stone and there were all these big old claw marks –oh wow, you must have made those!— and the door closed behind us so we had to come down here, you see."

Luthar stared at his petite friend.

The huge dragon blinked once. *You came in a carved door?*

Aravian raised an analytically superior eyebrow. "That's what I said, sugar."

He breathed at them, effectively making all of them stumble backwards.

*Please,* Luthar sent on a direct thread, *be respectful to nice, ancient dragon with the big teeth!*

Lorn, though, appeared to be thinking for a few moments. *And you say it was in the Library?*

"Yup."

*Interesting. Now leave.*

"Oh no, please, couldn't we talk to you for a little while? Ask you some questions?"

*Like what?* Lorn replied warily.

"Like… what's it like to be a dragon?!"

Luthar sincerely wished he could regain the power of speech.

*Hungry. Now leave.*

"But I told you, the door shut behind us!"

With that, Lorn reached out a claw that was bigger than any of them, and inexorably pushed them towards another room to the left.

*Up the stairs, out the door. Very simple. Good bye.*

On her way out, Aravian realized that the dark throne and dead scepter must be the ones her mother had told her about. She would have stopped to look, but Luthar was pulling her along, muttering something like "Insane and Stupid's great adventure," and Avaesel was pushing her along from the back, his nose cold against the back of her knees.

Just as they neared the top of the ebony staircase, Lorn's voice was in their minds again. *Wait a moment. I want a promise from you four.*

With mixed reactions, the group stopped. *Yes?* Aravian spoke for them.

*Promise you won't tell anyone about the door.* He said 'door' like it should be capitalized.

*Why?* Aravian asked.

*If I tell you, will you not bother me and promise not to tell anyone?* Luthar looked at Aravian in awe. Only she, he thought, could exasperate the oldest creature in the history of the Blood. Then he remembered his Aunt Jaenelle.

*Yes,* Aravian answered Lorn.

*The Door is full of craft of its own, and moves. It only appears as it is needed—but once you know it, you can summon it from anywhere in the Keep.* Aravian looked absolutely delighted. *Now promise you won't tell others about it—and that you won't summon it on a whim!* The order was fierce in their minds.

All four of them promised, then dragged Aravian away before she could cause any more trouble.

*~~~*~~~*

Arg, do you know how hard it was for me to write the whole thing with Lorn?! Okay, please review, you all know I live for the reviews… And, I swear, the next chapter will be out in about a week!

As for THANK YOU's… okay, I spent more than two hours responding to each and every of the reviews… AND THEN MY MOTHER SHORT CIRCUITED SOMETHING AND I LOST THEM!! Oh my god, I'm seriously going to start crying. I'm sorry, but for most of you guy's this time I'm doing mass thank you's.

So my utter undying thanks go to:

Kapies

F

Blue Lady

Starlight

Sarah

Sakura Usagi

StorytellingStar

ME

Thera's Blaed

Jimaine

Skie (you're insane, I might add)

Laura

Katie

And to respond:

Kiana Dark: second review: Yes, the little-evil-psycho-guy (as I'm calling him in my head, since not even I know his name) will be involved VERY significantly later on; expect him to pop up every few chapters. 'flying-monkey cronies'?!?!? Lol!! I love that! I think I'll have to have Luthar or someone call them that later on… if you don't mind my creative theft, of course :) Anyway, don't you worry, they'll be cropping up again later. Thanks for being so specific!

Goddessnmb1: The ruling halfbreed is Lucivar. Remember, he's Warlord Prince of Ebon Rih? Second review: Actually, I was unnaturaly hyper when I wrote that… I just knew I had to write that part first before I could get onto the next chapters… you'll be seeing the results of that hyperness later though. !

Angelajria Knight: Sorry, didn't mean to say that Valpo was cornfields itself, just that so much of the area here is taken up by farming that if it's not a town it's gonna be that… or, well, the lake…**smacks self** anyway, the first part of the chapter was the introduction of a pyschotic killer who will from now on be popping up intermittently throughout the story, until finally we realize my purpose for bashing him on my poor unsuspecting readers. Does that answer the question? :) Thanks for reviewing!

Lady Amethyst: Although I'm kind of ignoring the later maturity myself, I'd say long-lived races probably mature after about a century or so, and half-breeds somewhere between twenty and fifty years. That's just my guess. It's your call though; like you said, they never really say in the books. Hmm… Hayllian Witch… it could work. Lol, I have noticed that about 'Hayll.'

Alanna Roseguard: Just so you know, Nickolaes-y goodness has been bumped ahead to next chapter (I originally planned on this being two chapters)

DarkSideofNowhere: Actually, I have been thinking about writing Aravian's Virgin Night. I'll keep it in mind. Thanks!

And don't forget: www.angelfire.com/art2/rachel_hunt/

Okay, that's it, now it's time to review and tell me what you think and any suggestions/requests/questions! Please?