I'm going to backtrack to just before the last chapter ended so we can get Kellach's feelings about the kiss. And I'll tell you right now; it's waaaaay different than Moyra's version.

Anyway, here ya go.

CHAPTER 6

Kellach didn't really know how to feel about Moyra's proposal for a kiss. It was true that neither of them had ever been kissed, but Kellach didn't know that she cared at all. Did it really bother her that much? He suspected that the stupid looking guy's stories were getting to her, but he didn't say so out loud. When he finally agreed, he couldn't tell if he had made the right decision or not.

And then she kissed him. Kellach felt his heart speed up as Moyra leaned in closer. He had figured it would just be a quick kiss, just to get it over with, but no. Then she pressed closer, and he felt her against every inch of his trembling body. He was aware of the fact that she seemed to be growing more and more excited the longer she kissed him. He took a small step back, and she kissed him harder. Then Moyra parted Kellach's mouth with her own, and Kellach had to stop himself from flinching when he felt her tongue slide down his throat. He wasn't even sure Moyra was aware that she was doing that, as she seemed content taking in his breath as he exhaled. Kellach suddenly felt her start to shake, and then he couldn't take it anymore. He pushed her away from him as gently as he could, and she finally pulled out of the kiss.

As Moyra stared awkwardly at the ground, breathing heavily, Kellach took the opportunity to glance down at his hand. The ring on his finger seemed to be shining brighter than before, and he felt a cold shill run down his spine. Had this really been just a kiss between friends to get it over with? Or had it been something more?

…

After getting lost several times and even coming across one room which they refused to enter due to all the moaning coming from it, Kellach and Moyra finally found their way back to the main room. People were still dancing and feasting as if no time had passed. Driskoll spotted them and carefully picked his way through the crowd over to them.

"Where were you guys?" Driskoll asked, his arms stuffed with sweets, "I was looking everywhere for you!"

"We were trying to find the shadow!" Moyra snapped before Kellach could reply, "Remember? The reason we're here in the first place? Where were you, huh?"

Kellach thought she was being kind of harsh, even though it was obvious Driskoll had been at the food table the whole time. But Kellach couldn't be too mad; after all, they hadn't really been looking for the shadow.

When Driskoll didn't answer, Moyra sighed, annoyed. "I'm going to check over here," she announced, "I think there are more rooms this way, and maybe I can find some sort of trace of the shadow." With that, she disappeared into the crowd.

Driskoll stared after her, amazed. "What's she suddenly so upset about?" he wondered.

Kellach shook his head. "I'm not sure," he replied, "It must've been your question or something. I mean, she was fine right after we-" He quickly cut himself off, almost saying out loud what he had promised Moyra he would never talk about. He glanced at Driskoll to see if he had caught his slip up.

He had. He looked at his brother quizzically. "After you what?" he asked, "What were you two doing?"

Kellach mentally kicked himself for letting his words flow so freely. He sighed. "You have to promise you won't tell Moyra that you know," he said seriously.

"Ok," Driskoll replied.

"I want to hear you say it." Kellach looked his brother in the eye.

"I promise I won't tell Moyra."

Kellach nodded, satisfied. "Moyra wanted to talk to me privately, so we went looking for a room that wasn't being used," he began, "After we found one, she said she wanted to kiss me."

Driskoll's eyes widened. "What?" he asked shocked, "But why would she want to kiss you? We're all just friends!"

"I know," Kellach replied in a soft voice, "She said she just wanted to get it over with, and that it wouldn't really mean anything. I think that guy's stories are really getting to her as well. And I didn't want to appear like I don't care about her. So I let her."

Driskoll's jaw fell. He stared at his older brother with something like amazement and envy. "You let her kiss you?" he clarified. Kellach nodded. Driskoll looked down for a moment, then back at Kellach. "What was it like?" he wondered cautiously.

Kellach's eyes wandered down to the floor, and he shuffled his feet slightly. "It was fine, I suppose," he answered quietly, "Until she stuck her tongue down my throat."

Driskoll opened his mouth several times, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't think of anything appropriate. It was several moments before he could find anything to say. "Are you all right?" he asked finally.

Kellach sighed. "I'm fine," he replied, "I guess I just never thought that my first kiss would be with Moyra. It's just weird to think that she wanted us to just act like nothing had happened."

Driskoll shook his head, not knowing what to say. "Come on," he said, "Let's go find Moyra and get out of here. I really don't want to be here all day."

…

"Could you guys come with me to see my father in the hospital?" Moyra asked as the three of them walked home, "I want to see how he and mom are doing after the fire."

"Of course we will," Kellach answered before Driskoll could speak, "Should we go right now?"

"If you two don't mind," Moyra said.

"We don't mind at all," Driskoll assured her.

So the three of them walked across the city to where the healing ward was. Kellach never liked going near there. It reminded him of how many people in Curston suffered every day. Moyra led them up the stairs and into the building. A sultry looking elf sat behind the front desk. She didn't even look up as Moyra approached.

"How may I help you?" she asked, not stopping from her paperwork.

"I'm here to see my father, Breddo," Moyra answered calmly, "He was admitted yesterday for severe burns."

The elf flipped through her book, looking for the right file. Finally she found it. "Here we go," she said apathetically, "Breddo. Admitted for burns. Yes. Looks like someone is already with him."

"I know," Moyra sighed, "That's my mom. Can we please just go and see him?"

"Whatever," the elf replied, "He's in room four."

Moyra nodded politely and led the two boys through the door leading to the patients. They easily found room four. Moyra knocked softly on the door and went in with Kellach and Driskoll right behind her. Royma was sitting on a chair next to a bed where Breddo lay. She turned around when she heard the knock, but relaxed when she saw the children.

"Oh, Moyra, it's you," Royma said, a sigh of relief in her voice, "I was wondering when you would come by for a visit. How's Torin's place?"

Moyra shrugged. "It's fine," she answered simply, "How's dad?"

"He's resting at the moment. His burns weren't as bad as I thought, thank the gods," Royma sighed, "He should be fully healed in a day or two. Then we can go…" She paused, and Kellach knew she had been about to say "home." But they no longer had a home to return to, and the thought made Kellach's heart tighten.

Royma sighed. "I'm going to have to use the money I already made to pay for your father's medical bills," she continued, "After that, I don't know what's going to happen." She looked at the floor sadly.

"You can stay with us," Kellach said quietly, "At least until you can get back on your feet. I'm sure our dad wouldn't mind." Moyra looked at him gratefully as Royma turned around again.

"Are you sure?" she asked, "Torin wouldn't mind having all of us in his house? He knows what we're like."

"Moyra is our friend," Driskoll stepped in, "He can't refuse. Besides, he wouldn't cast out a family in need of help. And I don't think you would bother him at all. He's barely home most of the time anyway."

Royma blinked gratefully at them. "Thank you," she said, "Both of you. I'm so glad you're both Moyra's friends. She couldn't have better ones." Kellach felt himself blush, and Driskoll looked away, embarrassed.

Then Royma sighed again. "I just wish all of our problems could be solved so easily," she mumbled, "I have no way to make us back any money. If only I had my supplies."

A thought struck Kellach. As Moyra went to sit down next to her mother, he nudged Driskoll, gesturing him out the door. Confused, Driskoll did as he was told as Kellach gently tapped Moyra on the shoulder.

"We're going to go to the market for a little while," he told her, "You should stay here with your parents. We'll meet you later back at the house."

Moyra nodded and turned back to her mother. Driskoll was waiting for Kellach as he left the room. He waited until they were out of the building before speaking.

"Why are we going to the market?" he asked his older brother.

"You still have your allowance money on you, right?" Kellach wondered, instead of answering.

"Yes."

"Good," Kellach nodded. "We're going to the market so we can purchase the supplies Royma needs so she can knit."

Driskoll nodded in understanding. "So she can make her scarves and other things to sell during the festival," he said, "That way she can start making back some of her money."

"Exactly," Kellach replied, glad that his brother got it so quickly. Sometimes Driskoll could be a little thick headed.

The market in Main Square was usually crowded, but during the Festival of Emotions, it was even more so. Kellach and Driskoll had to fight their way through a huge motionless crowd to try to get to the edge of the square where Kellach knew a merchant sold knitting supplies. After finally getting out of the ocean of shouting people, Kellach saw the merchant he was looking for, sitting quietly at the end of the street. He grinned.

"Come on, Driskoll," Kellach said, turning back to the mob, "Stop playing with the people and let's go get the supplies." He reached into the crowd and grabbed his brother's shirt, pulling him out of the mass. Driskoll looked a little rough.

"I think someone tried to bite me," he muttered, looking back at the people.

Kellach didn't say anything, but simply turned and walked towards the merchant. He heard Driskoll sigh with annoyance and run to catch up to him. The merchant was a kindly old man who looked up as they approached.

"Aren't you Torin's boys?" he asked as they reached him, "I see you two often playing with Royma's daughter."

"Yes, sir," Kellach said politely, "That would be us."

"That's actually why we're here," Driskoll put in, "We're here to pick up Royma's supplies for her. And don't worry, we can pay you."

"Oh, what pleasant and polite boys you are!" the merchant exclaimed, "So nice of you to help a woman in need! I heard about Royma's place and the fire. She must be in a bad place right now. You boys are so kind." He stood up and walked over to his wagon, carefully gathering all the supplies of Royma's order. He divided it up and placed a pile into either boys' arms. They paid the man and started walking home.

That's when something caught Kellach's eye and he stopped. Driskoll nearly collided with him, and before Driskoll could say anything, Kellach placed his pile into his brother's arms.

"Wait here," he told him, before walking over to different stand.

"Where are you going?" Driskoll called, unable to see over the large pile of supplies in his arms, "Why do I have to wait? Kellach? Where did you go?"

Kellach made his purchase and turned back to his brother who was desperately calling out for him. He sighed and quickly walked back over to him, taking half the pile again before Driskoll could drop everything on the ground.

"All right," he said, with no explanation on what he had just bought, "Let's go home."

He heard Driskoll grumble something, but he chose to ignore him. The rest of the way home was spent in silence.

…

When they got home, Kellach and Driskoll put the supplies down on the table in their sitting room and Kellach wrote a quick note to Moyra and Royma. Then, while Driskoll settled down on the couch, Kellach went upstairs with the other purchase he had made and put it in the closet. Then he walked back downstairs and passed Driskoll, who had fallen asleep on the couch. Being careful not to wake him, Kellach made his way to the kitchen. As soon as he entered, he jumped, his heart pounding.

Alexandra was sitting at the table, seat tipped back with her boots up on the table. She was sipping out of a mug and looked to be totally at home. Kellach stared at her.

"How did you get into my house?" he asked her.

She looked up, a keen look in her eye. "I'm a wizard, Kellach," she explained, "I know how to unlock a door. That's at least one thing I do know how to do." There was no hint of the malice she had had in her voice when had spoken to Driskoll that morning.

Kellach sighed and walked over, shoving her feet off the table. "I thought we had agreed to meet tomorrow for your first tutoring lesson," he wondered.

"Yes, but I was bored," she reasoned casually, "I figured I would just let myself in and wait for you to get home. And even if you don't want to start right away, I thought I could get to know you a little better." Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she spoke.

"Ok," Kellach replied, sitting down across from her. She scooted her chair so that she was sitting next to him and leaned in to look at him. He slowly leaned away from her and she smiled.

"Your eyes," she said, "They're very pretty. Like pools of sapphire. You must get a lot of stares from the girls."

"Not really," Kellach muttered, not knowing what to make of her compliment. She leaned back, allowing Kellach his space, and smiled again. They talked for a while, with Alexandra making a few more compliments that made Kellach uncomfortable. After a while, Kellach decided to try teaching her some simple spells, starting with a simple little spell that was supposed to make brilliant colored sparks appear. When Alexandra tried it, it just blew up in her face. Kellach sighed and shook his head.

"You're not concentrating hard enough," he told her, "Try it again, but this time really focus. Block out all distractions. This is the key to performing any spell correctly."

Alexandra nodded and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and chanted under her breath. Suddenly, colored sparks leapt before her and she gasped in surprise.

"I did it!" she exclaimed happily, "I've never managed to do that before!"

"Well done," Kellach said to her. He was surprised when she leaned over and hugged him tight.

"Thank you," she sighed, "You're a much better teacher than Zendric is."

"I don't know if I would say that," Kellach murmured, "I'm just remembering what he taught me. But if you keep this up, I'm sure you'll start doing even more advanced spells in no time."

They practiced for a few more hours until it started getting dark and Alexandra left. She gave him another hug and left, passing Moyra and Royma coming in the front door on her way out. Kellach followed her out to greet them. Moyra had quickly side stepped out of Alexandra's way as she left. She opened her mouth to make a comment as her mother shut the door. But then she spotted the materials on the table.

"What's all of this?" she asked. Kellach silently handed her the note he had written. Moyra and her mother read it over. Then Moyra looked up, tears brimming her eyes. Then she threw her arms around him as Royma smiled.

"Thank you, dear," she said as her daughter hugged him, "You and your brother have done more for us than anyone ever has. I don't know how I could ever thank you enough."

"We were happy to do it," Kellach told her as Moyra silently squeezed the life from him, "We didn't want anything to happen Moyra or her family. She is our best friend after all. Speaking of which, can you please stop trying to crush me in half?"

"Sorry," Moyra said, sheepishly, relaxing her hold.

"I shall start knitting right away," Royma declared, taking up the new knitting needles they had bought for her and sitting down on the couch next to Driskoll, who was still asleep. "I think I can get enough done by the end of the day to sell during the festival tomorrow!"

…

Kellach and Driskoll agreed to let Moyra sleep in their room again that night while Royma slept on the couch downstairs. Kellach again gave his bed to Moyra, but he really didn't mind sleeping on the floor. The only thing that really upset him was knowing that at some point Driskoll was going to get up in the middle of the night for whatever reason and deliberately step on him. The thought made Kellach shiver as he settled down to sleep.

His dreams were broken by a black mist invading his mind. A horrible creature with arms like dead tree branches enveloped him, rooting him to the spot as the black mist swirled all around him.

"Kellach," a voice hissed in his ear, "I'm coming for you. You cannot hide from me. I will turn everyone you know against you. Then, Kellach, I will kill you."

Kellach shuddered as he felt the creature, whatever it was, press up behind him, its shadowy arms gripping his shoulders. He felt its hot breath on his neck and heard it hissing. Hissing in his ear.

"You can try to run, but I will find you. You are mine, Kellach. You will belong to me. And nothing you do will help you escape your fate. I will kill you. I will kill you in the most painful and agonizing way. I want you to suffer."

Kellach tried to pull away, but the creature gripped him harder. Its long nails dug into his shoulders, making him cry out in pain. The creature laughed an evil hissing laugh.

"Kellach…" it hissed, "Kellach…"

"Kellach!"

He woke with a start, eyes wide, and breathing hard. He was in his own room, on the floor. It had just been a nightmare. There was nothing there. No dark creature hissing about his death or anything.

But then who had said his name?

He started as someone suddenly put a hand over his mouth. He started to struggle, but a soothing voice whispered in his ear.

"Kellach, calm down," Moyra whispered, "It's only me."

She moved her hand away from his mouth and he took a shuddering breath. He rolled over slightly to look at her in the darkness. She was laying next to him on the floor, a gentle hand on his shoulder to calm him. She wasn't wearing a shirt, only a bra, but that didn't really bother Kellach as he already knew she didn't like wearing her shirt to bed. Even in the pitch black night, he could see her green eyes staring down at him.

"Are you ok?" she asked him gently, "You were twitching in your sleep and you looked like you were having a nightmare. Is anything wrong?"

He opened his mouth to respond by saying that everything was fine, but as she stared at him, concerned, he suddenly found himself unable to lie to her.

"The truth is, Moyra, I'm not fine," Kellach sighed, "I was having a nightmare." He felt Moyra press a little closer to him and felt her hand on his shoulder tighten in sympathy. "There was a black mist surrounding me, and an evil creature holding me from behind, keeping me still. It was hissing in my ear, saying it was coming for me, and that it would kill me. It also kept saying that I belonged to it, or something." He silently shook his head. "It was just a dream, but it felt so real."

He was still shaking slightly and he knew Moyra could feel it. Without saying a word, Moyra leaned down and gently kissed him. It wasn't like the kiss from before, this one was soothing and comforting, and Kellach found himself being calmed by the warmth of her lips pressed against his own. His trembling stopped, his breathing slowed, and his heart beat leveled. A moment or two later, she gently pulled away, staring down at him.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "I couldn't think of anything else to do to comfort you."

"It's fine," Kellach replied, "That did actually calm me down. Thank you, Moyra."

He saw her smile in the darkness. "Kellach," she said quietly, "I have to tell you something. I-" She broke off suddenly, taking a sharp breath and staring at something behind Kellach. He rolled over to look and took a sharp breath.

A large shadow was creeping along the wall over Driskoll's bed. It was slowly taking shape, forming long spindly arms like dead branches, and a cruel smile. As Kellach stared, his trembling starting again, it seemed to be coming out of the wall, slowly reaching for them.

"You are mine," a voice seemed to hiss in his head, "I will kill you, Kellach, and you will die knowing only fear!" The voice laughed a quiet evil laugh, then receded into the wall and slithered out the window.

Kellach quickly sat up, staring at the wall where the creature had been. He was aware of Moyra sitting up behind him.

"Kellach?" she asked, quietly.

"That was it," Kellach whispered, "That was the creature from my dream! The Beast of Shadows! It threatened to kill me!" His breathing was harsh and shallow, and his heart was pounding in his chest. He felt Moyra gently wrap her arms around him, but he could not be soothed this time. He tried to struggle away from her.

"Kellach! Calm down!" Moyra hissed at him, "You're fine! The beast is gone! You're ok now! Kellach!" She tried to get a hold of him, but he fought her away. Finally, she grabbed his shoulders, whipped him around and forced him to the ground, pinning his shoulders to the floor. She gently moved herself on top of him so he couldn't get away and thrust her face in front of his, forcing him to look directly into her eyes.

"Look at me, Kellach," Moyra whispered harshly to him, "Calm down. I'm here for you. I won't let that thing hurt you. Just look into my eyes, ok?"

Kellach forced himself to relax, staring into Moyra's bright green eyes. Her gaze was gentle and calming, and she smelled slightly of cinnamon for some reason. She leaned closer to whisper in his ear.

"Relax," she said, "I'm here for you. I love you, Kellach. You're my best friend. We'll get through this together. Just focus on me."

A spark of something lit in Kellach's heart, but he didn't know what. He nodded slowly as his shivering started to fade. He felt Moyra's breath flow into him and it tasted of apples and brown sugar. He wondered why her presence was suddenly so over powering, and then he realized that her lips were very gently touching his own. Not enough to really be considered a kiss, but close enough that he could feel her. Shuddering slightly, Kellach forced himself to breath regularly. He looked into her eyes again, and he felt her gently run her fingers through his hair. His heart beat started to return to normal and he found himself getting lost in his friend's eyes. They stared at each other for a long while. Finally, Kellach sighed.

"I think I'm fine now," he said in a soft voice, "Thank you for calming me down again. It's strange; I've never had a panic attack before now. That shadow is more dangerous than I initially thought."

"That's probably why Zendric told us not to go looking for it," Moyra said. Suddenly realizing that she was still laying on top of him, Moyra blushed and slid off of Kellach. "Sorry," she muttered, "I couldn't get you to hold still."

Kellach nodded and thought for a moment. "What did you mean when you said you love me?" he wondered. He couldn't really see Moyra that well in the dark now that her face wasn't in front of his, but he was sure that she grew a bit paler.

"I mean just what I said," she said, a little vaguely, "I love you. You're my best friend. You and Driskoll; I love you both. That's probably why the ring won't come off your finger. I love you because you two are my best friends."

Kellach nodded, satisfied with that answer. Suddenly, Moyra moved like she was going to go back to bed, but Kellach quickly caught her arm. "Wait, Moyra! Please don't leave me!" he begged.

Moyra silently slid back down to the floor next to him. She didn't say anything as she moved under the blanket with him and pressed herself gently against him. He had rolled around to face her and now he felt her slightly bare chest pressing along the front of his robe. Ignoring that, he closed his eyes, and when he did, he felt Moyra gently press her lips to his. His eyes opened again, but Moyra had already pulled away and was now resting with her head just under his chin. Kellach sighed and closed his eyes again.

He was completely unaware that someone had been watching them the entire time.

This chapter was a lot longer than I meant it to be. Oh well.

Anyway, tell me what you think of Kellach's side of things! Also, who do you think was the one watching them? Why? The answers might be revealed in the next chapter, so stay tuned! Also, read and review!