A/N: Wow, two chapters in two days--a record for me! Thanks to all my reviewers for their wonderful reviews!Chapter 11 might take me awhile to post, because it focuses solely on the mage battle, and my experience in writing those types of things are almost none. I just thought I would give you a warning in advance!
A/N: You see many new characters this chapter, and you will probably only see them or hear them mentioned once or twice in the sequel. There are only two chapters left in this story, but you will see these characters again in the sequel.
Disclaimer: The characters you don't recognize are mine. Everything else is Tammy's.
Silence and Shadows: Chapter 10
The streets were deserted, and it was only ten o'clock. At this time on a fall night, the residents of Tyra would be out and about, shopping and socializing. But this was different. Not a light shone in any of the streets; no figure appeared, save the stray dog or cat. The wind whistled through the streets, sounding eerily lonely.
Kei poked her head around another street corner, and seeing no one, motioned to her companions. They joined her, and she stared out at the street. Something wasn't right. The streets should be bustling, not empty. They had entered the outskirts of the city yesterday, and had seen no one. They were almost to the palace gates, and still had not seen a living soul.
Kei shivered. The entire time they had been exploring the city, she felt like she was being watched by unseen eyes. That, more than the deserted city, scared her. Beside her, Kaelyn shivered, and Kei was pretty sure it wasn't from the wind. Her twin felt the same sense of foreboding that blanketed the city.
Once, Kei was sure she saw someone moving in the shadows of a house. The next second she was sure she imagined it—it was probably one shadow chasing another. The feeling that she was being watched followed her as she paced down one street and turned onto another. The endless maze of streets continued. One street led to another; they were all the same. No people, no lights, no movement at all.
They were turning down the main street that ran up to the palace gates when they saw a person, hurriedly scurrying away from them. Motioning for Alec and Jamal to extinguish their torches, Kei summoned her bright blue Gift and threw it out, gently entrapping the person in a soft blue bubble. The person yelped and scrambled backwards, only to be towed towards the travelers by the strands of blue light that Kei controlled.
Kei felt Kaelyn place a hand on her arm: a silent warning. Kei grimaced. She and Kaelyn both knew that they would probably have to battle their cousin with their Gifts, and that they needed to save their energy.
Sighing, Kei released her prisoner about two steps away. Calling her blue fire back, Kei grabbed the dagger in her belt and crossed the woman's side. The woman stared back at her: Large, frightened hazel eyes, set above a large nose and small mouth. The woman's face was worn, and her clothes were shabby, but she seemed to have an air about her that was almost regal.
Kei and the woman stared at each other before the light of recognition dawned in the woman's eyes. The recognition grew brighter as Kaelyn stepped up to Kei's side, Alec and Jamal following, hands on their swords. The woman glanced at Kei's dagger, and then at her face, as if measuring something.
"Your majesties!" She cried in a hushed whisper, her voice carrying through the silent and deserted streets. "I knew you would come back someday to release us from our oppression!" Kei and Kaelyn exchanged glances. Instinctively, they knew they could trust this woman. As her joyful gaze swept from Kei and Kaelyn to Alec and Jamal, she became instantly wary.
"Who are they?" She asked, fear creeping into voice. Kei hurried to reassure the woman, casting around for a term that would fit the other two.
"They're our—consorts," she told the woman swiftly, risking a look back at the other two. Alec was smiling slightly at her choice of words, but Jamal looked surprised. Kei blushed and turned back to their new friend.
The woman accepted her explanation without question, curtsying low to them all, murmuring, "Your majesties."
She looked up again as Kei asked, "What's your name?"
The woman swept her a low curtsy, answering, "My name is Rhia, Your Majesty."
Kei nodded. "Rhia, do you know how to get into the palace?"
Rhia nodded, but then she stepped closer and lowered her voice, so they had to lean in to understand her. "I do, your majesty," she whispered, "but we must hurry. King Namir's spies are everywhere. We must not be seen."
Kei exchanged a dark look with Kaelyn as they followed Rhia down an alley, around the side of the palace. Leading them to a secret door, she glanced around, as if the shadows would give away her secret. Beckoning them in, she glanced around once more before following them into the passageway.
Kaelyn followed Rhia blindly, unable to see where they were going in the darkness. Towards the end of the hallway, a small blossom of light bloomed in the darkness: a door. Swinging the door open, Rhia led her guests into the main kitchen of the palace. Blinking, the travelers stepped into the large, warmly lit kitchen.
Unfamiliar faces stared back at them. There were seven figures grouped around a large wooden table in the middle of the kitchen, and behind them was a large fireplace.
Kaelyn scanned each person's face, searching for something that would link her to her past, but she found nothing. All she remembered about this country and palace was flashes of memory: Bright lights, glittering statues, soft clothes next to her skin. That glittering palace seemed a far cry from this shabby, run-down structure, which looked as if its owner did not care what happened to it. Which, Kaelyn mused, was probably true. From all she had heard about her cousin—whom she didn't remember—he was an oppressive tyrant.
She looked at the seven faces staring back at her. Six of them showed the worn and hardened faces of servants (Tyra did not support slavery) who had suffered. The seventh figure sat in the shadows, and Kaelyn could not tell who it was. The six faces stared back at her, and she saw a disbelieving kind of hope in their eyes, as if they wanted to believe they were saved, but they couldn't.
A sharp intake of breath next to her told Kaelyn that her sister had noticed it too, but looking over, Kaelyn saw that she was wrong.
Kei was staring at the shadow-shrouded figure in disbelief. Still staring, eyes wide, she blurted, "Shyam?"
The seventh figure straightened up and moved into the light, and Kaelyn could see that it was indeed the Shang Wolf that stood there. Beside her, Kei shook her head.
"How did you get here before us?" Kei asked, and Alec and Jamal echoed her. Shyam smiled at their obvious disbelief.
"I decided a few minutes after you left that I was neglecting my Shang duties," he said. "We Shang swore to help the weak against the mighty, and I couldn't send the four of you into danger, with two under-used Gifts," he nodded to them, "which could have gotten out of control at any time. As for getting here before you," he grinned, "I've lived in this palace before, remember?"
Kei nodded, mulling this information over, but Kaelyn spoke up. "As soon as this battle is over, Shyam," she promised, "we'll train our Gifts."
The Shang Wolf shook his head. "You'll need them before that," he told them. "Your treacherous cousin is planning on a mage fight, so you'll use the next two hours to train as hard as you can. Now, I know two hours isn't much time," he said as Kei started to protest, "but two hours can make a world of difference in a battle. My friend, Alyosius Zeheb, the chief mage of Tyra, will train you in that time."
One of the six figures stood and bowed to Kei and Kaelyn. "Your Majesties," he said, his voice a deep rumble. He had long brown hair and kind green eyes. He towered over Shyam at a little more than six feet.
At this, Rhia spoke. Kaelyn started; she had almost forgotten about the maid. "Shyam, will you take these two"—she nodded to Jamal and Alec—"and outfit them with weapons? They're going to need them if they, Emlyn and Brayden are going to defeat the soldiers who are still loyal to Namir."
The two men she had indicated stood up. Both wore the insignia of the captain of the guard. Alec glanced them over, and turned to Rhia.
"How many do they each command?" He asked quietly.
"Forty foot soldiers each," came the quiet reply.
"How many are still loyal to Namir?"
"A hundred and twenty." This response was more hushed than the first.
Beside Alec, Jamal paled. "A hundred and twenty against eighty. Not very good odds."
Rhia hurried to reassure him. "It will be you two, the Shang Wolf, and Master Nuhad, our other mage, and eighty soldiers against a hundred and twenty."
Jamal bit his lip, counting silently. "Assuming the Shang Wolf can be depended on to fight like two men, we have eighty-five against a hundred and twenty. Still not very good odds."
The Shang Wolf paused at the door. "Are you coming? It's time to train!"
Kaelyn glanced at Jamal, and her heart ached. While he wasn't her true brother, only her foster-brother, she still thought of him as such. She squeezed his hand, a silent plea to be careful. She wouldn't be able to bear it if he got killed. Jamal gave her a grim smile and a nod, acknowledging her plea. She saw him glance at Keianna, and she smiled. She and Jamal had talked on their way to Tyra, and she found that her foster-brother truly loved her twin.
Jamal gave her a quick hug, and swiftly kissed Kei's cheek, murmuring something to her as he did so. Kaelyn watched as Keianna hugged her foster-brother, whispering something to him that made him laugh outright.
Saying good-bye to his foster-sister, Alec came to Kaelyn's side. His blue eyes looked into hers as he took her hand, squeezing it softly. He pressed a soft kiss on her cheek, murmuring quietly, "I love you." Kaelyn hugged him tight, and then released him, trying to ignore the little voice that told her she would never see him again.
Along with the Shang Wolf, the two captains, and the battle mage, the two men exited the room. Rhia and three other servants remained. With a quiet word from Rhia, each slipped off to begin preparations for this revolt.
Kei watched Rhia move around confidently, and marveled at the change in the woman. Earlier, she had been cowering with fear; now, she moved around as swiftly as a general ordering her troops into places.
"You've had this planned for awhile, haven't you, Rhia?" Kei asked, astounded by her efficiency.
Rhia smiled. "Yes, Your Majesty," she answered cheerfully. "We've been waiting to put this in motion since the day your evil cousin stole the throne. But for now I need to finish getting ready," she told them as she prepared to leave. "You two stay here and train with Master Zeheb," she ordered, as Keianna and Kaelyn moved to follow. "You need to be well-trained for the battle you're going to fight in a few hours." She swept them one last low curtsy and departed.
Both girls turned to the mage, who stood silently, waiting for the commotion to die down.
"Let's begin," he murmured, flicking white Gift at all the furniture in the room, clearing a large space in the middle of the room. He sat down in the middle of the floor, and both princesses followed suit, settling into comfortable cross-ledged positions on either side of him.
"Now, let's begin with meditation…"
Two hours later, Kaelyn felt sore, but somewhat prepared. Two hours of training did not make her an immediate expert; on the contrary, she was still something of a novice. She was confident that she could control her Gift completely now, and also complete simple shielding spells and some battle spells; Kei had advanced more quickly than she had in the two hour period. She still didn't feel up to a mage battle, but she knew what she had to do.
Kaelyn was nervous; one glance at Keianna told her she felt the same way. It was too late to ask for anymore training—Master Zeheb was already putting the furniture back in its original places.
White fire blossomed in his palm: A speaking spell. He listened to the person on the opposite end, and then closed the link. He looked at them, grim and solemn.
"The fighting has begun." He said, and Kaelyn felt her heart lurch—she didn't feel ready. Zeheb continued, "They are able to distract the guards and soldiers while you two go in face your cousin in his specially made mage chamber—he likes to have battles with other mages, and he created that chamber especially for that purpose. It is down on the dungeon level," he continued, "and I will show you the way. After that, I'm going to assist the others. From there," he told them, "you're on your own."
Kaelyn looked at Kei and gulped. Calling to Amaya, she nuzzled her cat's fur, more to calm her nerves and comfort her more than anything else, and looked at Kei. Keianna's face was set, and her blue-gray eyes were grim.
Without another word, Zeheb got up, and showed them yet another door, this passageway leading down. Picking up Amaya, Kaelyn followed her sister as they ascended into the darkness, not knowing what lay ahead.
Kei reached the end of the tunnel and quietly pushed the door open. The dark corridor was deserted, the torches throwing large shadows on the wall. At the end of the hallway, something glittered in the weak torchlight. Keianna walked forward, curious. As the glittering something grew closer, she realized what it was: a multi-colored magic shield across the doorway at the end of the corridor.
She halted a foot away from the shield, wondering what to do. She could try to blast it with her Gift, but she wasn't sure if the shield was going to just suck it in and use her Gift against her.
A gasp from Kaelyn brought her back from her musings. Tacy and Amaya, inquisitive as ever, had crept closer to the shield, tail and fur erect. Cautiously, paw by paw, they approached it. They stretched out their noses to touch it—
Keianna realized what they were going to do a second too late. "No!" she cried, rushing forward, but it was too late. A two surprised yowls and the smell of singed fur greeted her. The two cats, black and golden, lay in an unmoving heap.
The next thing Kei heard was someone screaming. The scream was somewhere between a cry of anguish and a wail, and it echoed down the hallway and rebounded back to them, echoing over and over and over. Kei wondered vaguely who and why that person was screaming, but she was too preoccupied by the bundle of golden fur in front of her. She petted the golden fur, trying to coax her cat back to life, tears streaming down her face.
The scream ended when Kaelyn slammed her hand over her sister's mouth, cutting it off. Keianna looked at her sister, sobbing quietly. Kaelyn's green eyes were red, and her tears flowed just a freely as her sister's did. Slowly, Kei's sobs subsided, and she picked up the bundle of still-warm fur, placing it gently next to the door.
She ran her hand over the golden fur. "You will receive a royal burial, I promise," she told the golden cat. Kaelyn gently placed the black cat next to golden one, smoothing her hand over the white-flecked black fur one last time. The two cats looked as if they were sleeping, curled up together.
Wiping away her tears, Kei faced the shield for the second time. Anger and sadness boiling in her veins, she called blue fire into her hands. Magnified by her rage, the fire grew steadily brighter. When it reached an almost blinding light, Kei let it go, directing it at the shield.
With a sound like glass breaking, the shield shattered and vanished. The now-empty space revealed a twisting spiral staircase, heading downwards.
Eyes murderous, Princess Keianna Aceline and Princess Kaelyn Aceline of the royal house of Tyra set off down the stairs, ready to meet their next challenge.
A/N: And that's the end of Chapter 10! Tell me what you think by pushing that little purple button down there, and no flames please!