A/N: I'm back! Thanks to all my reviewers, and here's Chapter 11! I'm trying to wrap things up, considering Chapter 12 will be my final chapter. But don't worry, the sequel will be up shortly after that.
A/N: In this chapter, there is a mage battle, but I must warn you, my experience in writing such parts in very limited, so you must excuse me if you find it completely unbelievable.
Disclaimer: None of this belong's to me. It's Tammy's world.
Silence and Shadows: Chapter 11
Deep within the bowels of the palace of Tyra, a single torch flickered, shining on an empty, cavernous chamber. A sudden draft of air caused the torch to flicker sporadically, almost extinguishing itself, but as the wind died the torch flickered back to life.
Suddenly, a glow filled the enormous room, and a haze of light grew. The light was not light at all; rather, it was magic. This magic, pure white in color, seemed anything but pure. There was a feeling to it, as it appeared, that made the air around it feel as if it were tainted and poisoned. The white magic grew, building light until its brilliance lit up the entire chamber, making the weak light shed by the torch seem puny and insignificant.
As the light faded, the form of a person appeared, shadowed in the light of the magic. The person's face was indistinguishable, but as they turned, the weak torchlight cast a sliver of orange light on the person's face. The torchlight lit up a handsome face, but the eyes had a cold, hard look to them. The person turned again, and was once again shrouded in shadow. Confident there was no one there, he raised his hands. His lips parted; he was about to say something when footsteps echoed on the stairs that led into the chamber.
Eyes wide, the person quickly muttered something under his breath as the footsteps became louder. The white magic gathered around him again, and he faded from visible sight. The magic once again grew brighter and then faded.
At this sudden rush of air, the torch flame flickered. It flattened, turning a purplish-blue as the flame struggled to live. As the last wisps of white magic faded, the flame returned to its original position, once again casting a weak pool of orange light on the wall.
Keianna kept one hand on the wall as she made her way down the winding staircase. She risked a glance behind her and saw that Kaelyn was keeping her eyes on the rough stone ahead of her. Kei turned back and saw that she had almost reached the bottom.
Pausing on the bottom step, she prepared herself to enter. She had thought, an hour ago, she was ready for this. Now, she wasn't so sure. The loss of Tacy had hit her hard, and she wasn't sure she could go on. As if feeling her sister's fear, Kaelyn slipped her hand into her twin's. Hand in hand, the princesses entered the chamber.
As her eyes adjusted to the weak light shed by the single torch, Kei looked around. When her eyes finally adjusted, she gasped. The chamber was huge. A high, cavernous ceiling rose high over their heads, and the floor was made of smooth stone that seemed to stretch for miles.
As she looked around at the splendor, Kei was uneasy. There was something wrong here. Where was their cousin? Where was Prince Namir, whom everyone was sure would meet them here? Wary, Kei couldn't shake the feeling that she felt like she was being watched. Seeing there were no visible enemies, but still on her guard, Kei turned her focus inward.
Her blue Gift pulsed gently at her center, but she had to exercise a great amount of control to keep it there. She still did not have it completely under control, and that worried her. Just like she didn't like going into a knife fight was an unskilled blade, she didn't like the fact that she had to go into a magic battle with an under-used Gift.
Kaelyn's soft exclamation drew her attention from herself. A light grew in the center of the room; it took Kei a minute to figure out that it was magic, a white Gift. She shivered as the Gift appeared. There was something dirty about that magic—it felt tainted, and it gave the air a tainted feeling as well.
Watching to see what would happen, even more wary than before, Kei watched as a person emerged from the white light, as if they were emerging from a fog. As the Gift receded into the man's body, and more torches flickered to life, pushed by the magic, Kei and Kaelyn came face to face with their cousin and nemesis: Prince Namir.
Prince Namir was a well-built young man in his early twenties. His curly black hair accentuated his handsome features, but his brown-black eyes were cold and hard. He eyed them, a sneering smirk twisting his mouth out of shape.
"So," he grinned, "my little cousins have come to see if they could beat me. I always wondered if you would have the guts to come and find me."
Kei stiffened at the insult. She detested being called little, and instinctively, she knew that she had to ignore his words. It was his magic that really needed to be watched. Blue fire grew in her palms, reacting to her mood. She quickly pulled it back into her body, but it was too late. Namir had seen it.
"Aw," he mocked, "does little Keianna think that she can defeat me will a ball of magic?"
"No," Kei snapped back, unable to hold her temper in check. She threw the two flames of her Gift at him, but he easily deflected them with a simple shielding spell.
"Is that the best you can do?" He taunted, and in response, an arrow of green light shot out from Kaelyn, but he deflected that as easily as he had Kei's.
Kei watched him, all nerves on end. She now knew that this man was no one to be trifled with, and she needed to save her Gift. His magic came at her, and she deflected it with the same shielding spell he had used early. He tried again, doubling his power, and the shield buckled.
Kei braced herself for the rush of magic that was going to come at her, but even then, she wasn't prepared for what happened. The white magic burst the shield, charging at her. It drove her down to her knees, and wrapped around her, sealing off her Gift and squeezing her tight.
Kei struggled to breathe, trying to fight off the pain that came as the magic squeezed her ribs painfully tight. She was still trying to suck air into her lungs when Kaelyn's green Gift appeared, shoving the white magic away. Drawing in air, Keianna took Kaelyn's hand and rose shakily to her feet. She was tired—she still had plenty of power left, but keeping a hold on her Gift while trying to fight with it was draining her of her energy. She was afraid of what would happen if she let it go, but she knew she couldn't hold it forever.
She looked up; Namir was staring at them, and his face no longer held its mocking smile.
His eyes were harder than ever, and he stared at themwith hatred before spitting out, "I never thought you two would prove harder to kill than my aunt and uncle." At Kei and Kaelyn's incredulous looks, he continued, growing more and more enraged by the minute. "What?" he asked. "Did you really think they died of old age or something? I wanted the throne, they had it, I got rid of them." He glared in their direction before starting to pace, while Kei and Kaelyn stood frozen. "They were much easier to kill than you, I must say."
There was more, but Kei wasn't listening. One thing was beating out a tattoo in her brain: He killed our parents. He killed his own aunt and uncle for the throne, and now he wants to kill us, too. Rage began to boil in her veins as this mantra repeated itself over and over in her head. The rage screamed through her veins, looking for a way out, and then it found it.
Keianna's Gift had been straining to get out, and with Kei's attention diverted, it attempted to escape. Kei grabbed it in at the last possible second and pulled it in, but it fought her control. Gritting her teeth, Kei glanced over at her sister. Kaelyn's green eyes were steely and murderous, and she gazed right back. Somehow, someway, Kei suddenly knew what to do, and by the glimmer in Kaelyn's eyes, she knew her sister did too.
Grabbing her sister's hand tightly, Kei nodded once. Letting up her hold on her Gift, Kei felt Kaelyn do the same. Namir had stopped to watch them, forgetting his ranting as he watched them process this new information. Now he stared in horror as a bolt of magic, intertwined with green and blue, rushed towards him. He threw up a shield hurriedly, but it did nothing. The two Gifts were under no one's control now, and could do what they liked.
Feeding off ofhis white Gift, the three intertwined Gifts consumed the one-time king of Tyra, feeding off his life force and creating a pillar of blue, green and white light that rose to almost brush the ceiling.
Kei and Kaelyn stared, transfixed, as the light grew brighter and brighter before in turned inward on itself, and, out of power, began to dwindle. The light began to fade, and then there was the rushing darkness as silence and shadows overtook everything as the two royal princesses sunk down on the smooth floor in a dead faint.
When Kaelyn awoke, she wasn't sure if minutes or hours had passed since their battle. She was drained; looking inside herself, she saw that she didn't have one drop of her Gift left. She realized that she was still on the smooth floor of the chamber, and she slowly tottered to her feet.
Beside her, Keianna stirred and opened groggy blue-gray eyes. Her eyes sharpened as they took in their surroundings, and with Kaelyn's help, she managed to make it to her feet, swaying.
There was a clatter of feet on the stairs, and both princesses turned to stare. Armed with nothing, Kaelyn glanced at her sister and saw that Kei had her belt dagger out and was staring warily at the stairs.
The clattering grew louder, and Kaelyn saw Kei sheath her dagger as Brayden and his squadron of soldiers emerged into the chamber.
Bowing low to both, Brayden told them, "The fighting is over, Your Majesties. The other soldiers have surrendered, and peace now reigns in the castle."
Kaelyn watched as Kei drew herself up. Suddenly, she felt as if she was looking at a true princess and heir to the throne, not just her sister and twin. She wondered vaguely if the others would see that same change in her.
"Thank you, Brayden," Kei answered, nodding regally to the captain of the guards. Her gaze softened for a moment, and she asked anxiously, "How are Alec and Jamal?"
Brayden bowed again. "Their Majesties are resting. They were wounded during the fighting," he told her, but quickly added, "they were not seriously wounded, Your Majesty. They will recover."
"Good," Kei murmured, and now Kaelyn took over.
"Brayden," she asked, "do you know where we can go to freshen up and get some sleep? We just fought an exhausting battle, and we would like to rest." Brayden started, and when he answered, his tone was cautious.
"I can take Your Majesties to the royal suite to rest, but you must remember that Your Majesties must choose who will be queen before the moon sets."
Kaelyn started. "What?"
Brayden looked up, curious. "Your Majesties are not familiar with the Tyran custom of choosing the new monarch before the moon sets on the body of the old one?"
Kei jumped in, saving her sister. "We are, Brayden," she reassured him, "we had just forgotten momentarily." Kaelyn grinned at her sister, thanking her for rescuing her like that. Kei grinned back, seeming to say, Well, what are sisters for?
Not catching the glances, Brayden was gazing around the chamber. He cleared his throat to get the princesses' attention, and then asked, bowing, "Your Majesties, where is Namir's body?"
Wearily, Kei pointed to the scorch mark on the floor, the only indication that there had been a battle. "That's what left of him," she said, and Brayden nodded, face unreadable.
The captain of the guards bowed once more, and then turned and led them up the stairs. Kaelyn followed, willing her legs not to give out on her. Seeing Kei had the same problem, the two sisters supported each other through the maze of hallways, until Brayden stopped in front of a massive oak door.
"Your Majesties," he murmured, pushing the door open and bowing.
Kaelyn entered the royal suite and gasped. It was magnificent,fit for any princess. The bed was enormous, and Kaelyn glanced at the silk pillows longingly. It had been a long time since she hadn't felt the lumpiness of her bedroll.
Brayden turned to close the door, ready to guard the hallway with his squadron, when Kaelyn stopped him.
"Brayden," she murmured tiredly, "when does the moon set?"
Bowing, the captain replied, "Three hours, Your Majesty."
Thanking him, Kaelyn closed the door and leaned against it. Seeing Kei's inquisitive glance, Kaelyn murmured softly, "Three hours. That's not a lot of time."
Captain Brayden and his squad had been standing guard outside the royal suite for more than two hours now, and no movement came from within the rooms, except for the whisper of hushed voices.
The door opened, and Brayden looked up expectantly. Princess Keianna beckoned him in silently, and he obeyed. Stepping inside, he was faced with two pairs of grim and serious eyes: one blue-gray, the other green.
One question was asked: "Did our parents have any dying wishes?"
Two minutes later, Brayden found himself outside again, where his squad proceeded to give him inquisitive stares, but he refused to say anything. Their Majesties had sworn him to secrecy, and he would do just that.
No more than a half an hour later, the door opened again, and two forms stepped into the dying moonlight that came through the window. Heads up, tall and proud, the two girls truly looked like the heirs they were.
The guards waited, wondering which one it would be.
Keianna spoke. "We have made our decision."
A/N: Cliffy! You guys will have to wait until Chapter 12 to find out what they decided. In the meantime, who do you think should be queen? Keianna? or Kaelyn? Let me know what you think by pushing that button down there!