I know that it might have been hard for you to understand who was talking, but I didn't want you to really know who was talking, just what was said. I'm sorry I have not been able to write in so long, I was caught up in the hurricanes. I live in one of the effected areas and it was a while till we got power back and all. I am very grateful that my house in still in tacked. I also have been having some major time catching up in school. Whoo, man have they been working us hard. Well I know you don't want to listen to me ramble so I will get on with the story.

Chapter 7: A Dark Beauty

"I should go and see Lasrone first, but it is still daylight and I think I will go and see Safrone while there is still time."

Solaria walks to the woods and finds the brook that will lead her to Safrone's land. She steps in to the brook and suddenly dropped into a new and mysterious world. The trees bend and turn in weird ways as if they are looking for the sun they know is above them. The only light is a weird eerie glow that seems to come from nowhere, but everywhere all at once. This dark beauty stuns her. The grass she walks on is weaving as if alive and the animals are not afraid of her like in her own world, she can sense their peace with her.

All of a sudden she hears someone coming up behind her, it is still far off, but she can hear it as if it was a bass drum. She smirks, it wants to attack her, so she waits.

Samir slowly approaches the weird person who has entered his land and raises his club over his head in an attempt to knock her unconscious until her can be held and questioned on how she got in. He brings his hand down in a deadly blow.

"Ah, you must be Safrone's son. Am I right? You smell like her. Hahaha. What did I scare you?"

Samir found himself on the weaving grass face down pinned, who was this and how could she be so powerful. Then it clicked.

"And you must be Solaria. I'm sorry I didn't know or I would not have done something so stupid."

Solaria could tell something wasn't all right with this man and was very reluctant to let him free, but she did so.

"Shall you take me to your mother, I need to talk to her?"

"Yes, right this way."

How could she be so strong, there was something weird about her, about her demeanor, about her attitude, the way she walked, and the way she talked? She seems like she would be able to read your mind and sense your feeling. Samir didn't like this and new there was something afoot with these new acquired powers she must have received, they were not normal.

As they walked the narrow path to what she didn't know a few of the animals that were watching her from afar came out and decided that they would talk to her. She talked to them and asked them about Samir, but they didn't know much and didn't want to. They could taste his pure hatred and resentment just like Solaria could.

At that moment she could see something off in the far distance. They were still trees but twisted, mangled, and molded. It was beautiful in a distorted way.

"Is that were we are going?"

She pointed to the tangled mess of trees painted in deep blue, blacks, and purples.

Now Samir's eyesight was not nearly as keen as Solaria's and he had no clue what she was pointing at, but he didn't say anything about that.

"We are going to the village and then to the castle where my mother lives."

That was the extent of their conversation and she wasn't very disappointed, she didn't want to talk to him anyways.

They entered the alcove of mangled trees. In here the light changed. It was no longer coming from everywhere and nowhere, but nowhere. The trees covered all the light and all there was to see by was red luminescent balls floating in the air at different places and some of them were following people as they walked. This place reminded her of her home, but in perpetual night. The one thing that bothered her was that there was no wind, no breeze, once you walked through the opening it was stiff and as she entered she felt stifled and almost ran back out if it wouldn't have been for Samir staring at her with his frequently changing moods she probably would have done just that.

Samir just stood there watching her for a moment, she was unusual and then normal to him in some way, he just didn't know how, yet.

"Uhm, so where is the castle?"

She really didn't need to ask, but she didn't like the way he was staring at her. The castle wasn't purple, black, or deep blue like the other trees, but a pear white and this she realized was the source of the light outside the alcove, but it was diminished in the darkly color interior of the alcove and there for dulled. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen, she hoped that this place would never be ruined by the destruction of the war that was fast approaching.

"Straight ahead, come on."

They went in and found Safrone quietly and quickly.

"Safrone, I know we need to start planning for the battle and I am prepared to start."

"Yes, I have been waiting for you."

"I am truly sorry fo-

"Don't be I know you had to see what you could do and get used to it and from the way you took care of Samir down there, I can tell you have done very well."

Samir's cheeks turned red with anger as this came back to light, he wanted to storm out right then and there, but he was more intrigued by what Solaria had to say to his mother.

"Well this is what I was thinking."

"Yes?"

"Your kind sleep at night and awake in the day, so I will come four days and we can dedicate it to planning and war preparations and at night you let me go back into my world and sleep."

"And what will you do the rest of the fortnight?"

"I will hone and prefect my skills."

"I see that sounds reasonable. Tomorrow I will introduce you to all the important people and if you don't mind I would like to test you tomorrow to see how well you are."

"I see no problem with that, till tomorrow, if you don't mind I have other preparations I must make."

"Not at all, do you need someone to accompany you?"

"No, I think I can manage, but thank you."

"Till tomorrow then."

"Till tomorrow."

She walked out of the castle then out of the alcove and all the while as she walked through the brook she felt him there poking and prodding in her mind. He was no threat to her and he knew it, but that didn't mean he liked the fact. After she walked through the brook she could no longer sense him and knew that he would go no further, at least not yet.

Well there we go another chapter up, please review.