A/N: I decided to just go ahead and put it up… I don't think I'll put any more up for a while, now….

Tia awoke and decided to go for a walk. She jumped out of bed, and quickly shifted. She took a dog's form, as the hounds were all out at his time, and she could run around unnoticed. She slipped out and began to walk through the gardens. She heard another dog come up behind her, and she tried to make mind contact.

^Hello Tia, good morning.^

^Biltor! What are you doing?^

^Talking to you in dog form...^

^Why?^

^Because I don't want anyone intruding...^

^Oh...^

They walked together for a while, but he was soon escorting her to her room.

* * *

Lily plucked the strings on her harp, grimacing as she hit a badly tuned string. She had an absolutely perfect ear, and any minor problems echoed in her head and ears. She quickly tuned the string, and then began to quickly pluck the strings, allowing her small bit of magic to seep out as she played. By the time she was finished playing, she was exhausted. She carefully set the harp down, walked over to bed, and sank down into the soft mattress, allowing sleep to wash over her.

* * *

Nera carefully tucked her curls up into a golden net, secured by a clip. She smoothed the wrinkles out of her gown and exited her room. She walked down the hallways, turning corners without thinking. She had lived in the palace for most of her life, and navigating the maze of hallways was instinctive. She tapped lightly on a door, ignoring the green handkerchief hanging outside. He was probably working, but he had asked her to come at this time. She looked around and knocked again, loudly. The door creaked quietly as it opened, and she saw Timos' face.

"Shit, Nera, I totally forgot, I'm so sorry. I'm busy in a meeting, would you mind coming in about an hour or so?"

"No problem, see you then..."

* * *

Tia entered her room, floating on clouds. She looked disdainfully over at Kendi's side of the room. Tia was almost obsessively neat, while Kendi had no regard for her belongings. While she didn't often use these rooms, when she did, they were a mess. Tia put her hand out to sweep the papers on top of the desk into a drawer when something caught her eye. She picked up the tiny vial of unicorn blood, and she examined it carefully. Was it just her, or was the level of blood a bit lower than before? She shivered and put it down, berating herself. Kendi would never mess with anything so dangerous, would she? She shook her head decisively, and sat down to write letters to a few friends.

* * *

Kendi was halfway to the dining hall when she reached to her neck, and found nothing. She muttered curses under her breath and thanked the gods she had decided to leave early. Even so, it would be a close shave. She sprinted down the hallway, turning left, then right, then left again, until she reached her room. She ran in and quickly grabbed the vial, not even seeing her sister sitting in a corner of the room before she rushed out again.

* * *

Tia sat in shock. Kendi had been in such a rush to get the vial that she hadn't even noticed her. That was not like Kendi. She was not acting like a girl who had forgotten her lucky pendant, she was acting like a girl who had gotten her hands on a drug that she was suffering withdrawal from. That was not good. Tia wondered what she should do, tell her parents and risk a family feud, or keep it to herself and find out for herself what was going on. He first instinct told her to keep it to herself, and she almost always followed her instincts. Therefore, she made the important decision, and put it back into the corners of her mind with only a single troubled thought.

* * *

A/N: That's it guys! Well…I hope you enjoyed it, cause I think it'll be a while before I'm ready to put the next part up, but I'm almost ready to put up an index of names…