Chapter 8

"Eliena, Eliena, you're glowing." Onua pointed to Eliena's bracelet, which glowed violet.

"One minute," Eliena told the people gathered around her and called up the violet ball. "Yes?"

"How soon can you get here?" Numair demanded.

"Hello, Numair. I'm fine, thank you so kindly for asking. Everything is going quite nicely, thank you so very much. Oh, my parents? They-"

"Eliena." Numair was serious.

"How soon can I get where?" she asked.

"Dunlath," Numair replied.

"In seconds, why?" she wanted to know.

"Good. Bring Thom. Get a Rider group and a company of the Own. Tell them to hurry. I need you here. No time to explain."

"All right. Give me five minutes." The ball disappeared and Eliena turned to Onua. "What Rider group is closest to Dunlath?"

"The Ninth," Onua replied. "

"How soon can they be there?"

"I'm not sure…"

"Find out. I need to grab Uncle Thom. And find out which company is closest." Eliena vanished and reappeared in her uncle's chambers.

"Great Merciful Mother, Eliena!" Thom exclaimed. "Don't do that!"

"Numair wants us in Dunlath now," Eliena told him. "And don't ask, I haven't the slightest idea. I'll tell my parents. You go on ahead." She vanished and appeared in her parents' study. "Uncle Thom and I are going to Dunlath. Numair needs me. I'll be safe. Bye!" She transported herself back to Onua, who reported that the Riders could be there within twenty-four hours and the Third Company of the Own could be there within two day. Eliena nodded and transported herself to Numair.

"Is that the princess?" a huge, lizard-like creature asked. Eliena jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"What in the name of the Blessed Mother is that?" she exclaimed.

"Eliena, this is Tkaa. He is a basilisk and Daine's new… friend. Tkaa, this is Crown Princess Eliena of Conté. We just call her Eli," Numair introduced. "Eli, Tkaa is speaking for Daine, who can't get through that." He pointed to a magical barrier.

"Great Merciful Mother," she breathed. She walked up and pressed her palm to it, and then cried out in pain. Eliena yanked her hand back and blew on her palm. "Magic much?"

"Three or more mages' magics are holding it," Thom explained. "At least two of them went to the university in Carthak with Numair."

Eliena swore. "And… Daine?"

"She is trapped within the valley," Numair replied. "If I am correct, Kitten, Cloud, and Lady Maura of Dunlath are with her. Don't look so concerned, Eli. Daine has friends everywhere, remember?"

"Yolane and Belden," Eliena hissed, the steam practically coming from her ears. Thom, Numair, and Tkaa stepped back from the fuming princess. "Yolane's been after father's throne for years. Everyone knows it. If father and mother hadn't married, Yolane would be queen." She spat on the ground in a very un-princess-like manner. "Thank the gods for that."

"Don't be so sure about that, Eli," Thom said. "Yolane knows the only way she'll be queen now is to get rid of Jonathan."

"Not if I have anything to say about it! I'm the heiress!" she snapped.

"Not if she kills you, and the twins," Numair replied coolly. Eliena flopped onto the ground.

"I'll kill her, I swear…" Eliena muttered. She looked up at the men and immortal. "Is there any way to get in? Can't we break the barrier?"

Numair shook his head. "The only way to get in is for it to be broken from the inside." Eliena swore again.

"What if mother and father came? Then could we break it? With father, mother, Uncle Thom, your, and my Gifts combined, we could surely break it!" she said, hopefully. Thom shook his head.

"The barrier is absorbing the magic, Eli. And, besides, Jonathan and Alanna can't be here together." Eliena groaned.

"I just want to- Mithros!" She pounded her hand against the ground. "I hate being useless!"

"You and your mother," Thom remarked, shaking his head. "You need to be doing something to be happy." Eliena glared at him.

"Uncle Thom," she said, her voice icily flat, "this is not the time for that. We need to figure out… hello, little marmoset."

"Marmoset?" Numair shoved Eliena to see the creature. "Daine?"

"Daine? Is that you in there?" The marmoset nodded.

"She said, 'it's me'," Tkaa relayed.

"You can understand her?" Thom, Numair, and Eliena asked in awe. Tkaa nodded.

"Daine, what's going on in there?" Eliena asked. "Can you break this barrier? I have a few things I'd like to say to Yolane. And none of them are 'hello, cousin.'"

"She said she can do her best, but needs instructions," Tkaa replied.

"Break the gods-cursed barrier!" Eliena yelled. She clapped her hand over her mouth. "They can't hear me, can they?" Numair shook his head. Eliena smiled.

"She can't 'just break the barrier', Eliena," Tkaa told the princess. "She needs to be told. Oh, Numair, Daine wants to know what 'bloodrain' is." Numair and Thom went white.

"Bloodrain?" Thom asked in a strangled voice.

"Oh, no. Tristan," Numair murmured.

"What's bloodrain? Daine's not the only one out of the loop!" Eliena exclaimed.

"Daine, is there bloodrain?" Numair asked. The marmoset nodded. "Mithros. Daine, you have to get out of there."

"She says it will affect the whole valley. They're putting it in the river." Tkaa told them. Thom and Numair blanched.

"What is bloodrain?" Eliena asked, growing agitated.

"A terrible thing. Eats things alive," Thom replied.

"And if it gets inside…" Numair gulped.

"It will eat you from the inside out," Eliena finished with a shiver. "Goddess, we have to do something."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Three days later, a plan was in place. Eliena stood with Thom, ready to go in and stop them. She wore chain mail, with a silver helm tucked under her arm. There was a gold crown painted on it to show her royal blood.

The barrier started to disfigure and dissolve. "Five… four… three… two…" Eliena counted down.

"One!" Thom yelled and the barrier disappeared completely.

To Daine! Eliena commanded and transported herself to her friend.

Author's Note- next chapter will begin EMPEROR MAGE. That will be v. interesting, promise. Argh. Oh, "Lady Alanna and the Prince" is on hold. REVIEW.