Malidia POV

Well, I'd pretty much stuffed myself up. Hybern knew where I was, and there was probably already someone here. I mentally kicked myself. No matter how much I tried to think of a way that they possibly could of missed it, I couldn't think of one.

I shovelled down my food as I thought, stress causing to eat more than I should. I was so trapped in my thoughts, that it took a while for me to realise that the others were staring at me as I ate.

"What?" I asked, through a mouthful of food. They glanced at each other, before Cassian responded.

"Were you really that hungry?" He said, raising his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes, and went back to my food. Eventually, I decided I couldn't eat anymore, and leaned back in the chair, glancing at the others as they looked at me in amusement.

I leaned back in my chair, ignoring their stares, and crossed my arms. We sat there for a few minutes, in silence, until Rhys waved a hand, and the food disappeared.

Rhys left first, and then Cassian, until only Azriel and I were left. We sat in awkward silence for a little, before Azriel started to talk.

"You need to see a healer for your ribs." He said.

I rolled my eyes. Typical of Azriel to not forget about my wince earlier.

"Maybe later." I said. "For now, I'd like to sleep some more."

"But," Azriel protested. "What if it gets worse?"

"Then I'll see a healer then. Right now, it's fine." With that, and rose from the table, and walked out the door.

After I turned a corner, I placed a hand on the wall, balancing myself. I shuffled awkwardly along, trying not to slip.

I reached the door to my room, and entered. The curtains were still drawn, leaving the room in a state of semi-darkness. I strode to the centre of the room, and stopped short.

Something didn't seem right. I racked my brain for what it was, then remembered I hadn't shut the door to the bathing room. Rather than going to investigate, I ran for the door to the hallway.

Something snagged onto my shirt, and it hauled me back. In a last desperate effort, I lunged for the door, my fingertips grazing the wood, before a rough hand gripped me around my waist, pulling me in close. Another hand clamped over my mouth, stopping me from screaming.

A hoarse voice whispered in my ear, "Miss me, Malidia?"

Relief shattered through me as I recognised the voice. It was Garbhach, the only person I felt I could trust when I was in Hybern. I turned my head, and pulled back.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

He let go of me, certain that I wasn't going to yell. "They sent me." He said, his voice hoarse. No, not hoarse, raw, as if from screaming.

I stared at him. "Why you? Why not one of the Crimsons?" The Crimsons were named after the colour of their hair, which they had died red, with blood. They were elite assassins, and were incredibly good at killing, and then disappearing without a trace.

"They want you back alive." Garbhach replied.

My blood chilled. If I ever went back, I had no doubt, that however bad what I had just endured was, it would be even worse.

"Tell them I killed myself rather than come back. Tell them I refused, and jumped out of the window." I said.

"I can't."

"What."

"I can't." He said. "They know what we did, Malidia."

My mind was racing. While we were in Hybern, Garbhach and I had been lovers of a sort, but something told me that wasn't all there was.

"Who." I said, my voice flat. I didn't feel betrayed, not at all, because being someone's lover was sometimes the only way to survive, but I felt like it might have been…

"Calynn."

"Of course." I spat. "Of course it's that slimy bitch."

"Please Malidia." He paused. "If I don't return with you, they'll kill her. Slowly. And make me watch."

"When did you ever develop feelings for her?" I snarled. "When?"

There was no reply, which was answer enough for me.

"Go."

"What?"

"Go." I said. "Go, and tell that young new asshole king, that if he ever sends another lackey to fetch me, I will gut him. And I will take my time."

I stared at him, and backed towards the door, groping for the handle, making sure he never left my sight.

My hand gripped the cool metal of the handle. I blinked, but that was all Garbhach needed. His hand slammed onto my wrist, and he pinned me against the wall. I drove my knee hard into his stomach, and he bent over, winded.

His grip slackened, and I shook it off, darting to the other side of the room. Garbhach drew himself upright, and I prepared myself as he charged at me, holding a dagger I hadn't seen before.

He threw it, aiming for my heart, and I dodged, but not before it struck me in the side. I screamed, and fell to the floor.

He stalked towards me, savouring each step. I pulled myself up to my knees, and started struggling up to my feet. He reached me, and one kick sent me sprawling, the dagger digging deeper into my flesh.

I scrambled away, until I was pressed against the wall with nowhere to go. Garbhach grinned my arm, and yanked me to my feet. He yanked a piece of cord from his belt, and fastened it around my hands.

I knew he had to send word that he had found me, since he wasn't strong enough to winnow.

"You would have just let her die, wouldn't you?" He hissed into my ear.

"Of course I would have. She is nothing, and I have no doubt she is just using you. They would never kill her. She's Lord Daegan's little plaything. But you, oh, they'll take their sweet time killing you, even if you bring me back, and I will enjoy listening to you scream."

I smiled, showing my teeth, before I spat into his eye. He hit me in the face, splitting my lip and giving me a black eye.

Then, Garbhach grabbed the hilt of the dagger embedded in my side, and twisted. I howled, and fell backwards. I hit the floor again, and he gripped my hair, twisting it around, then dragging me to the window.

"They'll be here soon, and you'll regret everything you just said." He snarled.

I lost it. I wasn't going back. Not now. My magic slipped out of my control, and, lifting my still bound hands, I directed them at him.

Spears of stone shot out, and hit him directly in the heart. I watched the light leave his eyes, and just as he died, my head became light.

I fell back, hitting my head on the floor, and passed out.

Azriel POV

I was walking down the hallway to my room when a scream shattered through the silence. A very female scream, not terror, but pain. And… rage.

Without thinking, I was racing up stairs and down hallways, until I reached Malidia's room. I heard scuffling, and I summoned my power before bursting through the door. What I saw before me had any magic dying down.

Malidia was lying on the floor in the centre of the room, her hands bound in front of her, and her face swollen with a terrible black eye. Not far away from her, was a man. I didn't recognise him, but he had a spear of solid stone protruding from his chest. He didn't seem to be moving.

I bolted towards Malidia. Her breathing was shallow, but relief was washing over me, because if she was breathing, she wasn't yet dead. Gently, I scooped her up into my arms, careful not to move her head.

As I lifted her, I saw a dagger embedded in her side. Rage ripped through me. I glared at the mans body, before I walked out the door with Malidia in my arms.

Cassian came running around the corner, but he stopped when he beheld Malidia in my arms.

"What the hell happened?" He asked.

"I don't have a clue. I heard a scream, and ran there. When I found her, she was in the same state she is now." I replied.

"I'll have a look around the room, see if we can find out if there's anyone else. Get her to a healer. Now."

I nodded, and took off to the closest room, careful not to jolt her as I ran.

When I reached the room, a healer was already there, the same one that had healed her last night.

He whistled when he beheld her face.

"That's one hell of a black eye." He said. Then, his manner turned more professional. "Put her on the bed."

I did as instructed, and the healer began pulling out many herbs, and different tonics.

After very little time, a knock sounded on the door. I went to open it, and was greeted with the faces of Cassian, Rhys and Mor. Mor pushed around me, and, seeing Malidia, walked right over to the healer to help.

I glanced at the others and shrugged. We walked towards the bed, and the healer turned to us.

"One of you, hold her head back onto the pillows." He ordered us. "Someone else, pin her arms, and another person pin her legs. I'm pulling out the dagger."

I moved to Malidia's head, gently but firmly pressing it against the pillows, not allowing her to move it. The healer placed one hand on her stomach and the other on the dagger hilt. He pulled on the dagger, and Malidia thrashed, but Rhys, Cassian and I held her firm.

When the dagger finally slid out, a scream ripped from her throat. Mor was ready instantly with a cloth, and she placed it over the wound, washing away the blood until the healer dressed it.

Finally, the healer was done. He forced her to swallow a small tonic, and shortly after, she was settled into a deep sound sleep, the bruising on her face already dying down.

I left the room, and returned to the scene, in an attempt to figure out what had happened. I examined the body of the man, and noted the stone spear in his chest. Malidia must have done that, but how?

Before I could think over it properly, I noticed the crest on his chest. Hybern.

Rage ripped through me. Not only had this piece of scum tracked Malidia, he had to have broken through our defences somehow, and not one of us had noticed.

I looked again at the stone protruding from the mans chest, and saw it was smooth, not a single scratch or imperfection. I studied it closer, before a memory unlatched itself from where it had been hidden.

I watched as Malidia fought a man in the bar. I had heard the whole encounter, and he had grabbed her, despite Malidia refusing his advances. He whispered something in her ear, and her face turned livid.

She whirled on him, smacking him up the face with her elbow, and I saw something happening around his feet. A trail of dust was snaking it's way up his legs, and then it solidified.

His legs were rooted to the wooden planks with stone, and she kept hitting him.

I got closer, and heard her say something in between hits.

"If you ever touch another female without her permission, I will find you and rip you to shreds. I swear it."

She hit him one more time for good measure, and stalked off, leaving him to fall on his face when she released his feet.

I brought myself back to the present, and I realised I had forgotten about her magic. She could manipulate or summon stone, a power so unique and rare, because of the rate those who wielded it were hunted and killed.

At her behest, I had researched about it, so she might master control of it completely. That explained why the man was dead, but it also explained where the pebble she had thrown at Cassian had come from.

More and more memories flooded from wherever they had been locked away.

Malidia lying on the floor next to Cassian, glasses in hand and wine spilled everywhere, in the exact positions we had found them in after they had decided to go on a drinking spree while Rhys and I were at the court of nightmares.

Malidia Under the Mountain, before Amarantha had destroyed it, when she had met the other High Lords for the first time, and convinced them all to not start a war over some petty thing, with the deal of new trade routes. Not all the High Lords had agreed, but enough had to thwart the imminent war.

More and more rushed through my brain, but I paused briefly on a certain one.

Malidia was standing at one of the Illyrian camps, disgust written all over her features. She was watching the wing clipping, and her back was twitching, as well as her fingers, as if she was trying not to intervene, knowing she'd only make it worse.

Then, the final one made my heart race.

Malidia and Cassian were face to face, roaring at each other. It was only a few days before Malidia had disappeared, and they were arguing about a decision she had made. The details were murky, but I could remember enough to know that it had been about a bar fight that she had provoked, and she'd almost gotten herself killed before Cassian had carried her out.

I blinked, dragging myself back to reality. I shouldn't have forgotten all of these things, but I had. It was almost like someone had placed a glamour over my memories.

I considered it, but realising I was only going to hit dead ends, I searched around the room again. My eye caught on something under the bed.

I reached under, and pulled it out. It was a ring. The ring was rather simple, made out of a dark metal. The band was simple, with very little decoration, but the crystal was the true masterpiece. Set in the middle of many miniature leaves, the crystal was a perfect oval, and so clear that I could see my reflection in it.

I turned the ring over, studying it further before I slipped it into my pocket. I had a feeling I knew who it belonged to, but I couldn't be certain until she woke up.

I strode out of the room, leaving the corpse of the man, and shut the door behind me.

Malidia POV

My eyes flickered open, to see a stone ceiling. I was still at the palace then, so that was good. Groaning, I tilted my head to the side, seeing Azriel sitting in a chair, reading something, and beside him was, Morrigan.

Mor lifted her head at the sound of my groan, and grinned at me. I returned the gesture, as best I could without wincing in pain.

Azriel raised his head too, and placed what he was reading onto the small bedside table. I glimpsed what looked like a book title. It was a title I recognised, and I raised an eyebrow.

"I never realised you read that sort of book Azriel." I said.

Mor turned her head to him, curiosity sparking in her eyes. Azriel, on the other hand, sighed, as rolled his eyes.

"You're hell bent on embarrassing me, aren't you?" He asked. I grinned in reply.

"What book is it?" Mor asked, peering over Azriel to look at the book. He slammed a scarred hand on it, covering the title, but not before she saw. A wicked grin split her face.

"I wonder what Cassian and Rhys will say when they hear about this." She remarked.

His face went pale for a moment, making me laugh. I soon stopped, however, pain splitting up my sides. I hissed, and the others were alert instantly.

I hauled myself into a sitting position, and leaned against the head of the bed. Memories ripped through me of what I had done.

"Is he dead?" I asked. All I recalled was summoning stone to pierce Garbhach's chest.

Azriel and Mor looked at me, then Mor responded. "Yes."

Relief flooded through me, and it must have shown on my face, because Azriel asked, "Who was he?"

I made my decision to answer, and told them most of the story. Bits I kept to myself, such as the part about Calynn, but as I got up to when I had killed him, Mor interrupted.

"It doesn't make sense though. You said you were lovers, but if you were, why would Hybern send him?" She asked.

"Because the prick had stopped seeing me a few months before I escaped, and was seeing someone else. I didn't care, because we all had to survive somehow, but it turns out it was this woman called Calynn." I said.

"Calynn was one of the worst prisoners in Hybern. She was favoured by one of the Lords, so that made her powerful, and she had power over the other slaves."

There was more, but it was my history, and they didn't need to pity me. Besides, I had done some despicable things in Hybern, and I was trying to forget.

We chatted for a while longer, before Mor excused herself and left.

Azriel and I sat in silence for a while, until he fished something out from her pocket. I didn't see it, until he opened his hand.

"Is this yours?" He said, curiosity filling his voice. My breath hitched in my throat. It was a ring, but I hadn't seen it in one hundred and fifty years.

I took it, and examined the crystal, cut to perfection, and the metal leaves placed around it.

Breathless, I nodded. He looked at me, but passed it over. I slid it onto my hand, the fit as perfect as ever, the weight comforting.

"Where was it?" I asked, not looking up.

"Under the bed." He replied. I lifted my head in surprise, but he continued on. "I thought it might be yours, I didn't see it on you when you first got here."

"The last time I wore this ring was over one hundred and fifty years ago." I whispered.

"Where is it from?" He asked.

I stared at him, and decided to tell a story.

"Once, I hated the horrors of my past…"

Azriel POV

I hadn't expected this reaction when I gave Malidia the ring. She gazed at it with longing, and I realised this was important to her.

She began to tell the story.

"Once, I hated the horrors of my past," she began, "so much, that I couldn't sleep for days. Every night, I was haunted by what had happened. So, I decided that with all the pain, I deserved something wonderful."

"I looked everywhere I could, but I found nothing. On one of the rare nights I could sleep, I had a dream. I didn't realise it then, but I think it was the Mother talking to me. She started talking about how my powers were deadly, but they could also be beautiful. She said that not only could I control stone, but the gems buried beneath the earth as well."

"When I awoke, the dream fresh in my mind, I will my powers to search for a gem, and the first one I came across was this. I pulled it up from the earth, expending most of my power, but the clearest crystal I had ever seen landed in my hand."

"Over days, I carried the gem in my pocket, before realising that I could also manipulate metal. This was all during the time when humans were still slaves, and I saw one human child being whipped until he fell to his knees."

"I will never forget the sound of the whip cracking, of his cries of pain. He couldn't fight back either, with his hands and feet bound in chains. My rage built, until I darted forward. When the whip was about to fall, I raised my arm, and the whip collided with my skin."

She paused, and looked at me. I hadn't realised I was holding my breath.

"Go on." I breathed.

"The fae whipping the child stared at me, before calling me a foolish child and grabbing my arm and throwing me out of the way. On the ground, I could do nothing as the child was whipped until his back was bleeding."

She went on, her voice turning softer and softer with anger at the memory.

"I lost it. I forced the metal of the child's shackles to snap, and then made it as a shield between the Fae and the child. When the whip hit the metal, it bounced back and hit the faerie, drawing blood from his face. He turned to me, and snarled, readying himself to strike me."

"I acted on blind instinct." She said.

I tilted my head to the side, gesturing for her to go on.

"Stone shot from the ground and struck the faerie in the chest. He died instantly, and the young human child stared at me. I gave him my hand, and helped him to his feet. I did my best to heal his back, although I did a rather messy job."

"I looked over the field, and understood that there were over a thousand slaves here. That day, I killed all the faerie overseers, and freed the slaves. This was little more than fifty years before the War. I was only two hundred and fifty years old, but something in me thought that this was wrong."

"So, I freed them, and I left, never to see them again."

She paused again, as if lost in the memory, before saying.

"That's what this ring is made out of. The metal of that little boys shackles. I bent it and twisted it, until I created this. Then, I cut the crystal, and set it in the ring, to remind myself of what I would fight for until the day I died, to remind myself of that little boy. The Mother was right, my magic is deadly, but it can be beautiful." She finished.

I didn't know how to respond, so I sat there in silence, before I said, "I'm sure those humans never forgot you until the day they died, and they probably passed the story down through the generations."

"Maybe, but I don't want to be remembered like that. Like a saviour. Because I'm not." She said.

I refused to let her think that.

"It doesn't matter how you see yourself, because you won't ever know the personal impact you made on those humans. It matters how they see you, and no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to change what you did." I said.

"Maybe." She smiled softly.

I got up to leave. "I should probably go. And you should get sleep."

Malidia rolled her eyes, but said, "I suppose so. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Malidia."

I was almost to the door when her voice cut through the room.

"Azriel?"

"Yes?" I said, turning around.

"Thank you."

I didn't dare ask for what, but as I left the room, a smile formed on my lips.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review if you did enjoy it, or if you have any feedback. There will be long gaps between posts, but don't worry, I am not going to give up on this story.

-CrystalShadowStar