Thank you to Ghost, for reviewing. You are very kind. -bows-
I have taken the liberty of uploading yet another chapter. I think you'll find Kick-Flare's chapters heaps better than mine - she's fantastic. Go check her out!
After you read the story, of course.
Chapter 2 – Robbery
Riana flipped herself gracefully over the high stone fence that surrounded the castle, and landed silently on the soft, dew covered grass on the other side. She flattened herself against the cold stone, her dark figure melting into the shadows as her crimson eyes scanned the surroundings. Her long wet hair fell into her eyes, and she brushed it away absently. She must have been the only thief who was confident – or stupid – enough to let her hair loose when on a … mission.
"Riana!" Harmony's voice floated up from the other side of the wall. Riana grinned; she had known Harmony wouldn't ever stay behind.
"Stay put!" Harmony added in a deadly snarl, before jumping herself over the fence, landing neatly beside Riana.
"Couldn't resist a challenge, could you?" Riana grinned, and then almost yelped as Harmony slammed her back hard against the wall.
"You're mad!" Harmony growled, trembling as her eyes turned black.
Riana had a good sense that her trembling was either fear, which was very unlikely, or rage, trying to suppress the urge to slam her head into the wall. Riana guessed the second was more to notch. Harmony took a deep breath, before signalling Riana to follow.
"Since we're already here, we might as well finish what you sent out to do." Harmony sighed. Riana jumped a few steps ahead, before both girls swung themselves up onto the first balcony and slid into the castle.
"Why did we get dumped with guard patrol?" Tala groaned, as he kicked at an invisible object on the floor. Kai just shrugged, but to be frank he was just as annoyed as Tala, although Tala had chose to vent it. As Tala huffed, and Kai closed his eyes, a sound was heard from downstairs. It sounded like … nails scraping a blackboard?
"Shh, did you hear that?" Tala was instantly on guard. Kai narrowed his eyes and the two young men headed downstairs. If anyone had been watching, they would have seen the telltale sparks of magic sinking into Tala's fingertips.
After a fruitful search, Riana spotted something gold, and shiny in the ceiling.
"Look after these for a sec." Riana said, dumping her prizes into Harmony's arms as she pulled out the bottle of tint.
"This is no bloody time to paint your nails!" Harmony snarled, her now black eyes glinted, as some of the dark ivy green colour returned to her eyes.
Riana grinned, showing Harmony her nails, which were now coloured a distasteful green. Harmony gritted her teeth and Riana laughed, seeing the impatient look on her face.
"Crescere!" she cried softly to her hands. Before Harmony's astonished eyes, Riana's nails began to grow until the blue-haired girl was left with long, hard claws.
"… Nice." Harmony mumbled, at a loss for words.
"Very. You see now? It was worth those jewels." Riana laughed again, before leaping onto the wall, about halfway to the ceiling. Suddenly her grip slid, and her cat-like claws scraped the white marble wall. Harmony winced at the sound, then straightened up in fear. What if someone had heard -?
"Riana!" She swore, dropping to the floor and rolling across the room. Riana squealed as Harmony yanked her down and began to run. The figure in the doorway reacted instantly.
"You're not going anywhere!" He snarled, thrust his palm towards her. A blue mist soared from his hand, surrounding them in a huge wall of ice. Riana yelped, stabbing her cat-claws at the ice. The redheaded mage approached his creation calmly, observing the struggling figures inside … and revealing another person behind him.
Kai's eyes instantly locked with Riana's.
"She's a necromancer!!" Kai exclaimed. Tala turned, frowning.
"Tala, would you kindly thicken that ice? …" Kai murmured, now searching through his mind for a holding spell.
On that order Tala froze them in place. Riana found her tint potion had worn off, and her wrists had been frozen together.
"Harmony, help!!" Riana squeaked in fright, shivering from the cold, before slumping from the bitter drop of temperature. Harmony vainly tried to move her feet, before losing her balance, and landing heavily on the floor. Her mid-calf, dark bronze hair fell from its plait. Two feet stopped just in forward of her, she raised her gaze up, to see the redhead standing in front of her.
Her dark ivy green eyes turned a black colour as she narrowed them, from between her pale lilac bangs at Tala, who returned her glare before Kai put the holding spell on her and Riana, just as the ice melted around them. Riana struggled before Kai put a draining spell on her. As Harmony went to lunge at him, Tala's quick reflexes caught her collar, and he yanked her back. Harmony made a low growling noise in the back of her throat. Riana's energy level had been so low, that Kai had no choice but to drag her along with another spell. Harmony put one hell of struggle, but when Tala tried to cast the same draining spell that Kai had used on Riana, she was able to resist its effects, much to Tala's annoyance. They were led deep into the heart of the castle, and then were thrown into the castle dungeons. The spell was removed after they had had been thrown into the dungeon.
It was dark, damp and frosty. Riana cuddled up into a tight ball, the cold already penetrated her body. Harmony leaned against the cold hard stonewall, not saying a word.
"I'm sorry." Riana muttered, shivering. Harmony let her gaze rest on her friend, but she slipped off her jacket, and handed to Riana.
"But you'll get cold…" Riana muttered.
"I'm used to the cold. Put the jacket on." Harmony replied stiffly. Riana gave a weak smile as she slipped into the jacket's comforting warmth.
"Sir," Kai and Tala greeted the future king. Max turned with a faint smile on his milky face, and gestured for them to sit down. Tala accepted the offer, although Kai remained standing.
"I assume you're not here for a social call …" Max said. Tala smiled stiffly.
"We found something you might be interested in." Kai said softly. Max smiled at him, and cocked his head, letting Kai finish what he was saying. Kai glanced at Tala, and the redhead laughed inwardly.
"We found two thieves." Tala spoke for Kai. Max's big blue eyes turned to him in alarm.
"Thieves? In the palace?" Max asked anxiously. Tala nodded, gazing down at his boots. A few sparks sank into the leather, but no one noticed.
"But you caught them?" Max pressed. He seemed astonished that any thief would be able to make it into the palace … alive.
Kai listened as Tala explained the story. When he'd finished, Max was silent. Kai frowned slightly. Max had changed. He remembered a time when Max was almost as cheeky as Tyson …
"But how did they get into the palace without activating any of the spells?" Max wanted to know, frowning. This time, Kai answered.
"One of them was a necromancer." Max looked even more alarmed, if possible.
"A necromancer? Did you lock them up with magic?"
Kai almost sneered, and then remembered he was in front of the future king.
"We're not stupid, your Highness. But it's all right. Necromancers are most definitely not immune to … my magic." Max hesitated then frowned again.
"If one's a necromancer … they must have come from … from … the Nightmare kingdoms." His eyes shadowed. "Have you talked to them yet?"
Tala shook his head. Max turned to the window, clasping his hand behind his back. Kai and Tala exchanged wary looks. If Max was thinking what they thought he was thinking …
"We could use this." Max interrupted their thoughts. "We could use them."
"No, Your High-" Tala began firmly, but Max silenced him.
"You said it yourself, only a few days ago. Your spies weren't having any luck in the city. Quite a few of them were killed, in fact. The citizens –and the "government" – could tell immediately that none of your spies belonged in the kingdoms. If these thieves really were from Nightmare … then they'd know the city even better than it's civilians. They are thieves, after all."
"No." Tala spoke up again, eyebrows snapping together. "We can't trust them. They're thieves. They're from Nightmare. They're probably necromancers. They're women. Not even! Girls."
Kai hid a scornful look, although he knew inwardly that Tala was right. The little one with the blue hair … she couldn't have been more than fourteen – maybe fifteen – years old. And her friend was sixteen at the least. They were still children. But nevertheless … they were the best thieves he'd ever seen …
"We need to find out what's happening!" Max argued. "If the Nightmare idiot – what's his name … Boris – if Boris is planning an attack on the Dream cities, we need to know."
Tala frowned up at the blonde king, but Kai got there first.
"We'll talk to them." He said softly, ignoring the glower from Tala. He knew Max was right. It wouldn't help them to be caught unawares …
A few hours passed, and Riana was up and moving. She made a jump to hang onto the window, but didn't have the energy to hold on, and dropped heavily to the floor.
"Leave it, Riana. We're not getting out this one." Harmony said quietly, that Riana missed the words.
"What did you say?" Riana turned, but soon fell silent, upon catching sight of depressed look on Harmony's face. They both soon dropped off to sleep. They had only been in the dungeon for two days, and already Harmony was suffering from claustrophobia. She began to pace from one end to another, snarling, muttering, and cursing under her breath. The sound of the door being unlocked was heard; both girls gazed up the entrance. Riana's eyes had adjusted to the sudden rush of light, but Harmony slid back into the shadows, the light was too strong for her at the moment.
"We've got an offer for you, that you two might find interesting." Kai said, with Tala at his left. Harmony's eyes flicked to their hands – were they holding two necklaces? Plain metal bands … with one colourful jewel in their centre. She cocked her head, admiring the gems even through her anger. Tala noticed, and smiled inwardly.
"Depends on the deal." Riana's eyes narrowed, as the young men entered the dungeon.
Kai explained the deal to them, they wanted Harmony and Riana to go back into Nightmare, and as reward … they would get anything they ever desired. Harmony's eyes widened slowly. To be out of the thief's zone forever … to live in a palace … to be rich.
"Not a bloody chance. I don't know if I can trust you two." Riana snapped; her eyes narrowed dangerously, as she stood up, and into a defensive position.
"Why not?" Kai asked, keeping his expression carefully guarded.
"How do we know you'll keep your end of the deal?" Harmony slyly, her gaze flickered from Tala to Kai, and then she grinned at Riana.
"How about we set you two free, now, to give you time to think about it?" Tala shot back. Harmony fell silent, as she returned to Riana, who snorted. Harmony stepped out of the shadows now her eyes had got used to the light again. Kai and Tala swapped glances, before stepping towards the girls.
"Hold still, and this won't pinch you." Tala said quietly. Harmony tried hard not to shiver, as his breath fanned her neck. She heard the click, and Tala moved away. Riana looked just as startled, but her cheeks had begun to go red, fortunately the two lads missed it as Riana slipped into the shadows.
"Now do you believe us?" Tala asked, sighing slightly, before following Kai up the steps.
"Are you two coming or what?" Kai snapped from the doorway, Harmony nodded, took hold of Riana's arm and led her up the steps. Riana looked a little happier about the entire situation, but when Kai tried to get her to agree to the deal, she turned moody again.
"Can we have a few minutes?" Harmony asked, trying to be polite, and failing miserably. Kai met Tala's gaze; they nodded and left.
"And by the way, the necklaces you are wearing, will stop you from leaving the castle." Kai said before leaving, as he and Tala disappeared around the corner.
"What do you think?" Harmony said after Tala and Kai had left, as she absently played with her pale lilac bangs.
"No." Riana snorted stubbornly.
"Think about it, Ri. We'll get out of thief's zone, and never have to steal again. Not only that we'll get mage training!!" Harmony tried to reason with her.
"No. I don't trust them." Riana said stiffly.
"Go and wander. Just think about it. I know I will." Harmony said before slinking around the corner.
'No. I'm never going back into Nightmare. Never.' Riana thought to herself, before going in the opposite direction.
Riana strode down the white marbled corridor; the sunlight poured through the gaps in the columns on either side as her thoughts reeled.
'It does sound like a good deal though.' Riana sighed; she had sworn never to return to Nightmare, no matter what.
Then why don't you agree? The voice in her head sounded very musical. Riana whipped around to face a huge, fiery red phoenix; its chocolate brown eyes watched her with mild interest. The colour was supposed to be warm, yet they bore a steely hardness. She shrieked, jumping backwards. The phoenix blinked, staring at her through the gaps in the columns.
"Who … what are you? Where did you come from?" Riana blurted out, gaping at the giant bird.
I am Dranzer, Kai's guardian bit-beast. The phoenix spoke directly into the mind. Stretching it broad wings, it sending shafts of red, orange, yellow light across the wide walkway. The phoenix sighed, before giving a musical trill, stretching its wings again, before flipping them back.
"I swore I'd never return to Nightmare, and I'm gonna stick to it. No matter you or anyone else says." Riana snapped, before turning away. Then, having second thoughts, she turned back.
"Thanks anyway, Dranzer." Riana smiled at the phoenix.
Anytime, young Riana. The phoenix chuckled into her mind.
"How do you my name?" Riana whipped around, but the phoenix had gone.
'Was I dreaming?' Riana thought, but a fiery red feather floated down and landed in front of her. Picking it up, Riana felt the heat from the feather. She stared at it silently for a few moments, before turning on her heel and hurrying away, the feather clutched tightly in her hand. 'What's a bitbeast?'
Harmony sighed, her feet padded softly against the marble floor.
'Should I, shouldn't I?' Harmony thought, pausing by a piece of artwork, her dark ivy green eyes took in all the colours and how it had all been put together. Although she hid it well, she adored artwork.
Should you what? A low growling voice rumbled in her mind, Harmony pivoted around. To face a huge silver wolf, pristine white fangs overlapped its bottom lip. Bright yet icy turquoise blue eyes watched her carefully, as if it was studying her. Two jagged wings that sported many icicles sprouting from its back. Its long silver tail wagged slowly behind it, as it stepped forward, and lowered it nose to Harmony, before blowing at her. Harmony scowled, and slapped its nose away, and the silver wolf pulled back and blinked in surprise. Then she realised that the wolf was easily ten times her size, and its fangs were at least double her height.
You are either very brave, or very stupid. The wolf said, lying down in front of her, watching Harmony curiously.
"Why didn't you eat me?" Harmony asked natively.
Because my master would never forgive me, and apart from which I'm not hungry. The wolf replied, softening the growl, so not to scare her.
"Master?"
Yes, my master is Tala; I believe you've had a run in with him before. The wolf chuckled softly, the candlelight made the wolf's silky fur shimmer in a misty silver colour. Harmony let her eyes take in the colour of the wolf.
You like the colour. The wolf stated. Resting its great, wedge shaped head on the floor between its paws, easily blocking her way.
Back to the first question, should you what? The wolf asked, sighing.
"Go back into Nightmare." Harmony answered, shifting from one foot to another, trying to keep the weight off her sore feet.
I can give some advice. Do you believe you should? The wolf questioned, using its nose to push her against the wall. Harmony's response to that, was to slump to the floor in relief.
"I honestly don't know anymore." Harmony sighed, she felt the wolf's breath against her arm.
The only thing I can say, is follow your heart. The wolf said, as it rose easily to its feet.
"What's your name?" Harmony asked, mimicking the wolf.
My name is Wolborg, young Harmony. The wolf replied, before disappearing into the shadows of the corridor.
'How did it know my name?' Harmony thought to herself, watching the wolf disappear.
Heading back down the corridor, Riana and Harmony bumped into each other.
"Well?" Tala and Kai reappeared.
"I agree." Harmony answered, she wanted out of thief's zone, and would do anything to make it happen.
'Well, apart from which … Tala is kind of cute…' Harmony thought to herself.
Tala and Kai led her away from Riana, and explained to her what she had to do. Riana scowled as she noticed that they were getting acquainted, and the cold jealous sensation crept up on her.
"Well, Riana, what do you say?" Harmony turned away from Kai and Tala.
"No." Riana snapped before stomping down the corridor.
"But Riana…"