Blix:Please forgive me,I hit a wall and had no clue what to do!

Nana:She will update once a week from now on come hell or high water

Dressi:Yeah yeah….

Blix:Im working hard on two stories right now. Plus I noticed people writing stories about a wall…Made me feel flattered,at least if they had gotten the idea from my fic….whatever

Nana:On with the story!Sorry its so short!

Disclaimer:I own nothing to do with the Dark Jewels Trilogy!

Thankies Ephona,but I broke up with the bf, but we're friends. So it's all good. And thank you for reviewing Moren-re! It makes me feel all warm and uber fuzzy inside!

Ebony Thunder

Chapter 10: Starting the Path

Sere awoke the next morning, rose in hand. Quickly she dressed in a pair jeans and a t-shirt, then pulled her hair into a messy bun. After picking the rose up, she walked out into the kitchen and saw everyone sipping coffee.

"I got them all rounded up," Tweak told her. Sere nodded gratefully as she accepted a cup of coffee from him.

"Everyone, be prepared to travel today. We're going somewhere important."

"Where?" Faygo asked as he shoveled food into his mouth.

Sere smiled slightly as she looked at the rose in one hand and sipped coffee from the cup in her other hand.

"Sere, where did you get that rose?" Tweak asked nervously. Sere put the coffee mug down on the counter and gazed intently at the flower within her hand. It looked like it was fresh, not even blooming yet, just a bud with exposed petals.

"Diana gave it to me. Faygo, we're going somewhere important. It's imperative you all trust me. Please," Sere asked in a quiet voice. She looked up and saw them all nodding one by one.

"We leave in an hour. No need to pack anything. We're going downtown, across the bridge," Sere told them.

"Into Tweaker Town?" Liz asked, referring to West Sacramento's infamous reputation.

"No. Now eat up and everything. I'm going to go take a shower."

Whispers began to crowd the room as soon as she left, and Severnar, Tweak, and Daemonar began to feel crowded, especially when people kept asking them if they knew where Sere was taking them.

"Come on, Tweak, you have to know, you're the closest to Sere!" Matt whined. Tweak shook his head and walked from the room and into the living room. Grabbing the remote, he turned on the TV. and channel surfed, tuning all the whispers out.

Soon Severnar and Daemonar joined him, followed closely by the others. Tweak had to focus carefully to tune out their thoughts, forcing a wall of steel up around his mind. He knew instinctively that Daemonar and Severnar were doing the same. Titian stumbled out of her and Sere's shared bedroom blearily and grabbed a cup of coffee and mumbled an almost incoherent good morning to them all. She knew they were heading for Kaeleer today and was happy, considering she hated this new world and all it's technologies. She didn't get along very well with a toaster. Not at all.

There were still scorch marks on the wall.

Sere walked out and smiled as she saw all her friends sitting in the living room, most fidgeting anxiously.

"Let's go," She told them, grinning as almost everyone practically leapt for the door. They hurried for the Light rail station and waited for the bus, and Sere endured questions about their destination, but said nothing.

This lasted the entire ride to Old Sacramento. But everyone began to become subdued as they walked through the Historic Town and over the bridge. Confused, they followed Sere down the hill and under the bridge, where unfamiliar sleeping bags were rolled up and stuffed into the hollow parts of the support beams.

And Sere spoke.

"I want you all to follow Tweak. Please, this is not bad or evil or a dream or a trip. I can explain better on the other side," Sere explained.

And with the, she nodded to Tweak, who jumped between the supports of the bridge, disappearing into thin air.

Sere saw their frightened and confused expressions.

"What the fuck just happened?" Faygo demanded angrily. Sere sighed, having known this was a possibility. She put a shield of ebon thunder around them and floated herself and them through the gate, all of them yelling along the way. Severnar, Titian and Daemonar were not far behind.

And then they were at the Keep.

"Where the fuck are we?" Matt demanded to know.

"You are still on Earth, you're in a hidden place. This is the Keep. It is part of your land, only it's been veiled because it's a safe place, a strong place. Kaeleer has also been veiled from you all. It's a very long story, but it has to do with my mother and the Great War and the Cleansing of the Blood. Come inside with me and all will be explained," Sere told them as she released them from the energy bubble. Sam looked over his shoulder at Tweak, who was now sporting a necklace with a black jewel in it.

"Why are you so calm, and how did you know how to get in?" He asked the blonde suspiciously.

"I came here before. It was the time Sere left for a few days while I was supposedly in Chico. I've known about this since the night we met her, that's why I was so moody that day, I saw her in a dream," Tweak explained.

"You usually share your prophecies with us, why not this one?" Liz asked.

"I didn't know it was a prophecy. I thought it was wishful thinking. Then it came true, and all of you guys wanted so much to find a way to save ourselves and the people like us, but I don't think you would have believed it," He told her as they walked through the doors. Draca greeted them.

"I've prepared the smaller chamberssss for their birthright ceremoniesss," Draca hissed as she looked the group over. She eyed some and saw their disgust with her features and turned a disdainful eye to them and greeted Sere with a hug, and inclined her head to Tweak after he bowed his to her.

"The non jeweled ones have temporary rooms in the East Wing. You five know where your rooms are. Lorn will come to them tonight at sunset. You all might want to eat before you go downstairssss," Draca told them, then left.

"Well, she's not happy with some in this lot," Daemon said as he walked into the foyer of the Keep. Sere hugged him and turned to her friends.

"Everyone,this is my father, Daemon. Daddy, is grandpa here, and the rest of the family?"

"Yes, and the rest of your court. You might want to prepare them for the Arcerians," Daemon warned. Tweak almost laughed at the thought. Mother Night, they'd either faint or try to cuddle one!

But Sere didn't have a chance to warn her friends about the giant Kindred, because Kaeaskavi slammed into Tweak, not intending to knock him over, but doing so anyways.

"It's good to see you again too," Tweak said, wondering if his back had snapped and if he was paralyzed for life. He couldn't feel his legs.

'Good to see the Queen's protector. Who others?' Kaeaskavi asked. Sere giggled.

"They're Dreamers," Sere told the giant cat as it leapt from Tweaks prone form and towards the group of unjeweled Blood. The groups reaction was a mix of terror and curiosity. The large animal hadn't tried to kill Sere or Tweak, so they shouldn't be afraid, right?

'Not like tainted male,' Kaeaskavi said. Oddly, Matt was able to hear that one comment. And it triggered chaos.

"What tainted male, what does he mean by tainted?" Matt asked.

'Pyro,' Kaeaskavi said dumbly, not knowing that the future court members had no clue about their dead friend.

"WHAT!" Matt bellowed. It brought several people running to the foyer.

"What happened to Pyro. He told us he was going out and we assumed he just ended up with some chick. Didn't know it was you," Matt spat out.

"He tried to rape her!" Daemonar bellowed.

"Pyro would never do that!" Darkstar protested. "He was my brother, and he would never hurt a girl!"

"Yes, he did. I was there," Tweak told them.

"I don't believe it!" Darkstar screamed. "Sere's just a lying whore, and you're a backstabbing asshole for talking about Pyro like that Tweak!" At this point she was almost crying as she screamed and pointed at Sere and Tweak.

"Believe it," Janelle's voice said throughout the room, and suddenly everyone was dropped into a black oblivion.

"What are you doing here?"

Everyone glanced at Pyro after they heard his voice. They were back under the bridge, and they saw Sere and Pyro. Pyro looked half wild and insane. They watched as he spoke about the toll, as he grabbed Sere roughly, as he manhandled her breast, as he choked her. Then they saw Tweak looking like a savage beast tackle Pyro and snarled at him.

And they heard Sere's tiny voice plead for Tweak not to hurt Pyro.

They saw the warring emotions in Tweak's eyes, they saw the rock Pyro was going to use to kill Tweak. And then they were back in the foyer of the Keep.

"What happened?" Matt asked.

"I showed you what happened. Pyro is Blood, and he had to pay the price for trying to rape my Daughter, and he tried to kill Tweak. For that, he paid the price," Jaenelle told them.

Darkstar was silently sobbing, and Sere's eyes were nothing but ice.

Tweak looked at the sobbing people around him. They were all getting the same feelings he had had when he had found out about Pyro's attempted rape.

"Get them to their rooms," Was all Sere said as she walked up the stairs. Tweak followed closely behind her.

Daemonar and Severnar sighed as they looked at the group of people in front of them. It was going to be a long few hours before they went into the ceremony chambers.

Blix: Review! Pleasepleasepleaseplease!