WHAT UP!

Hello and welcome to the 8th chapter of Devil in the Shadows and may I just say, it feels good to say that. I just hope we can keep this pace up and bring in more!

I would also like to mention that I'am working on another story entitled, My Sister's Secret. It will be an Auslly story with a little Trez thrown in, so be on the lookout.

Thanks and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Austin and Ally

Chapter 8

Practice Makes Perfect…Right?

Previously:

"So, what does that mean for me? Where do I go from here?" A thousand questions formed in her head, but only those two made it out of her mouth. Stark raised his hand towards the tables and motioned for her to move.

"We will begin your journey to harness your magical potential. We have until the full moon and if you are anything like your ancestor, then it should be relatively easy."

After all, practice makes perfect… right?

Ally's POV:

I thought that meeting Warlock Stark would be the hard part of the day, but boy was I wrong.

Learning magic wasn't like learning a regular subject like English or arithmetic. It involved learning all of those subjects, piling them into one equation and hoping you don't blow up the huge library.

SLAP

That was the sound of Avion slapping me with his hand again.

"NO! How many times must I tell you, it's only 1/3 Eye of Newt, stir counter-clockwise three times, wait 10 minutes, THEN you add the 2/5 of Moon Dust and finish with a light, light sprinkle of Fungus of Toadstool." I heard him sigh for about the 20th time this morning and place his hand over his face. I sighed as well because it was also the 20th time I tried to make this potion.

The potion he had me working on was called the Blocker Potion and just like it sounds; it's meant to block any kind of offensive magic directed at the person wearing it around their neck or any place where it can be well hidden. It was meant to be used only for defense and would spring up anytime I needed protection.

This potion was meant to be a starter assignment, a level 1 potion, but even I still hadn't managed to complete it. It the span of one hour I had managed to burn through the table, almost singe off my eyebrows, and cause Avion's coat to catch on fire.

It was killing me that I couldn't get this right because failure was never an option for me. I never failed at anything. I managed to master playing the piano and writing my own songs before I was 5 years old. If I could do that then I could surely make this potion.

I set out to make the Blocker Potion again and kept a close eye on the bubbling cauldron.

So far so good, nothing has exploded or caught on fire. I could feel Avion careful gaze as I stirred the substance. I looked back at him as I put the toadstool fungus and then waited for something to happen. But I got nothing, even after the 10 minute wait time, nothing changed. I looked back at Avion, silently asking if I had messed something up, but he just smiled at me.

"Just wait and watch what happens." I raised an eyebrow at him and turned my head back to the cauldron. I stared at it until the liquid has turned from a bright purple color to a clear, translucent color. I could feel the smile burst onto my face as I looked at the potion. I had successfully completed it and I didn't burn anything!

I felt Avion place a hand on my back and smile at me.

"Well, it only took about 20 tries and the singeing of my robe, but you finally managed to make the Blocker Potion." He said as he reached for a small vial. He scooped up the liquid and placed it inside. "Keep this on you at all times and you shouldn't have any problems with anyone trying to attack you." He placed the vial in my hand and I placed it in the pocket of my shirt.

"Attack me? What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Ally, you will soon see that even in this palace with guards stationed everywhere, assassins and the like, are hiding just waiting to strike." I felt my eyes widen when he said that.

"What do you mean 'assassins'? Why would someone want to harm me, I haven't done anything."

"You have done something; you were chosen, by the Witch-King himself, to become his bride, but you are an outsider. Someone who doesn't know the first thing about magic or the way this world runs."

"Well, you know that none of this was my idea. I was kidnapped by their great 'Witch-King' without a second thought and thrown into this world. If it was up to me, I'd be back at home with my family." I sighed, throwing my face into my hands, feeling the onset of a huge migraine.

"Well, you can't exactly do anything now except to work on your magic." I once again raised an eyebrow at him. "I know you don't like this, but I can feel your potential. You may have the quality of a great witch." That caused me to laugh a little and brighten my mood as well.

After cleaning up the table, Avion decided to call it a day.

"Jacek should be here for you soon. Austin is expecting you for lunch today and it would be in your best interest to not keep him waiting." I simply nodded and began walking towards the staircase when Avion called me,

"And Ally, I know Austin can be a bit of a pain in the ass, but underneath all that, he is actually a really great guy." I stopped in my and turned back to face him. He smiled at me.

"Just give it time and you may find something in common." And with that he returned to a book he had grabbed from the table and marched up the left set of stairs to the second story.

I didn't really take what he said to heart, but you never know in this situation.

I walked up the staircase out into the hallway. I expected to see this 'Jacek' standing outside, but the hallway was completely empty. I knew that I should probably wait for him, but my curiosity got the better of me. I walked down the hallway and began to survey my surroundings. I had seen the exterior of his castle; dark red bricks that formed a formidable fortress. The inside, however, was very different.

The inside wasn't menacing in any way, if anything it was kind of homey and almost like my manor back home. The walls were lightly colored with stain glass windows placed throughout. Various paintings were also placed in between them, some originals no doubt considering I had never seen them before. A surprise came when I felt the heat of the sun directly at me feet and gasped at what I saw.

A beautiful courtyard lay before me filled with lavender bushes, tulips, carnations, roses, and other flowers surrounding a huge fountain. This was the high point of my day, this beautiful garden, because it brought a sense of home for me. My mother had a garden that we would plant together, we called it our 'mother-daughter' time.

There were small insects, such as butterflies, lady bugs, and bees happily flying around from flower to flower. It just brought a sense of 'awe' to me because this place was meant to be scary and then you find a beautiful garden nestled in here. It truly boggles my mind how many twists and turns this place has.

"Lady Ally, there you are!" I heard someone call. I turned around to see the lizard man standing in front of me, slightly out of breath.

"Thank goodness I found you. His majesty is waiting for you in his solar for lunch."

"And you are?" I asked.

"Oh yes, how rude of me to not introduce myself, I'am Jacek, his majesty's most trusted butler and footman as well as a level 5 earth warlock." He did a small bow and I couldn't contain a slight giggle. He looked back up at me and motioned back down the hallway.

"If you will follow me, his majesty is awaiting you in his solar." I simply nodded and followed his back down the hallway. I didn't know what to expect, but if it's anything like this morning, then I better keep my guard up.

No One's POV:

To say that Ally was nervous had to be the biggest understatement of the year. Following Jacek down the hallway, she could only he didn't take things too far. For all she knew, Austin could be exactly like he was that morning; forceful, controlling, and possessive. Or he could be the Austin she had last night; understanding, calm, and kind.

Whichever one she ended up with there was one thing she really hoped for; him keeping his hands to himself.

Ally was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't see that Jacek had stopped until she rammed into his back. She rubbed her bruised nose and saw that Jacek had stopped in front of two large wooden doors. Ally tried to peek over his shoulders, but the height difference made it impossible until he bowed.

"Your grace, I found Lady Ally as per your request." He stepped aside, still bowing, and Ally stepped inside the room. She saw Austin standing near a large panoramic opening in the side that showed the busy market place below. "Will you require anything else, sir?"

"No thank you Jacek, you may be excused." And with that, Jacek bowed again and walked back out, leaving Ally alone with Austin.

You could cut the tension with a knife.

Ally looked from the door to Austin, who was staring her down, trying to decide whether to move closer or walk out the door. Those were the only two places she could go as the room was quite small, big enough for only two or four people. The room also had a small table with two chairs placed in the middle filled with trays of fruits, meats, cheeses and two crystal goblets sitting next to a pitcher filled with wine.

Austin got off the side of the window and pulled out one of the chairs.

"Would you like to sit down or continue stand there like a tree?" He asked. Ally wanted to say something back, but her stomach was way ahead of her. The load rumbling caused a blush to form on her face and Austin to simply stand there and smile at her.

"I'll sit down, but not for you. Practicing magic really takes it out of a person and I could use the nourishment." She said as she moved to sit in the chair. Austin smirked as he pushed her chair in.

"Speaking of your lessons, I heard you may have an affinity for fire magic. Avion said you set his robe on fire and burned a hole through the table. I must say I've never heard of anyone managing to that much damage in one single hour." He laughed as he sat down and grabbed the pitcher of wine. He poured a glass for him and then motioned towards Ally. She had never really had much taste for wine, but seeing as it was the only drink available, she took it.

"Cut me some slack, I'm new to all of this. I'm sorry I'm not a natural like you, your highness." She said, taking a sip of her wine. The sweet, fruity taste was quite palatable, but it was still a required taste for her.

"I wasn't saying it to be mean; I was only saying that it shows you have great magical potential. Ally, not many can create fire just like that. The burners you were using are controlled by magic, not gas." He explained.

"But, if their controlled by magic, why did they flare up?" She said, reaching for a bunch of grapes on the tray before her.

"They would flare up when you got frustrated or angry, but that anger and frustration must be very high to do what you did. However, it could have led to you burning down the entire library, but you showed great restrain without thought. That shows an even greater sign of powerful magic." He said, sipping his wine. Ally had a shocked expression etched onto her face as she was still processing all this information.

It was a lot to take in, especially after the day she has had so far, and she felt her flitting around the room. They stopped however, when her eyes landed on a baby grand piano sitting in the corner of the room. She got out of her seat, startling Austin in the process, as she walked towards it.

She loved to play the piano; in fact it was the first instrument she learned how to play. Classical music was always her favorite to play; Bach, Beethoven, and the like came easily to her, but what she really loved was playing her own songs. She placed her hands over the keys as she sat down, a feeling of nostalgia overcoming her. She played a few keys as she broke into a smile.

She turned back to Austin, the smile remaining on her face.

"I didn't know you had a piano." She said, realizing how rude she was being by just leaving the table to play the piano.

"It's one of my favorite instruments to play when I'm stressed out about anything. I find it to be soothing for the mind and the soul." He said as he got up from the table and moved to sit next to her on the piano bench.

To say that he sitting so close to her wasn't uncomfortable would be telling the truth and yet lying at the same time. Ally moved her head back towards the keys as she continued to play. She then thought to the first song she had ever written. Out of habit she had begun to sing as well.

I'm a little butterfly

Spread my colorful wings

Even though I'm small and frail

I can do most anything

Austin looked at Ally with a smile on his face. He remembered when he first heard that song and he had to admit, for a five year old, she was pretty talented. Deciding to surprise her, he started playing and singing along with her.

Caterpillar in my cocoon

I'm gonna be a butterfly soon

I'm a little butterfly

I can soar through the sky

So glad I ended up like this

Thanks to metamorphosis

I'm a butterfly

I'm a butterfly

They finished the song, the ending note resonating in the room and slowly fading away. Suddenly, his hand seemed to 'accidently' nudge against her as they played the last key. Ally looked up and came face to face with Austin. Everything in the room seemed to stop when his eyes met hers, like they were the only two people in this entire castle. They stared at each other for a while when Austin decided to make the first move. He leaned in towards her, Ally not far behind. They were a few inches from touching; they could feel each other breaths on their faces, when a knock sounded from the door.

Austin let out a frustrated sigh as he walked towards the door, mentally cursing whoever decided to ruin his perfect moment. All that planning for nothing!

We were so close and I could tell she wanted it too. He thought. He opened the door.

"WHAT?!" He yelled.

He came face to face with Dez, who had jumped back a little after being yelled at, yelping a little in the process. Dez knew he had stumbled upon one of Austin's 'plans' to gain Ally's trust and possibly ruined it from being successful, but he was a king, and with being a king came responsibilities like…

"I'm sorry to disturb, my lord, but there are two of the five clans here wishing to seek an audience with you." Austin sighed again.

"Can't you give them some kind of excuse?" He pushed Dez a little ways away from the door, "I'm kind of in the middle of something." He said motioning his head towards the door and, more importantly, to Ally.

"I did, I told them that you were with your fiancé, working on wedding details, but that made them even more demanding. They will not leave until they receive their audience with you." He finished. Austin knew there was no getting around it, so he went back to Ally and told her he had some business to take care of. She simply nodded her head, not really understanding why he was telling her this.

"I think I'll head back to my room. I could use a hot bath to relax." She said as she got off the piano bench. Austin laugh a little, kissed her on the forehead, and then left. Dez stood there with his mouth open. He walked over to Ally.

"What was that about?" He asked. Ally looked at him, a little surprised.

"What do mean?"

"That little kiss and the fact that you let him do it without turning your head the other way, yesterday you couldn't stand him, not what? Are you considering going through with the marriage?" Ally hadn't thought about it that way.

Granted, that moment at the piano might have been taking things a little too far. She knew how Austin felt about her and that one moment could have made him think that she was considering this new life. She couldn't lead him on like that, but then something else popped into her head. The thought that maybe, just maybe, she does want it.

"I'm not sure about the marriage part, but learning magic is something I want to pursue. i want to see exactly how far I can go and what my limits are. So, I guess, that's my reason." She tried to make it sound convincing, but Dez didn't look one bit convinced of anything she said.

Giving up, she asked for Dez to escort her back to her room. He happily obliged and dropped her off at her room.

There wasn't a maid present in the room, so she took to running herself a bath. She turned the hot water on, poured lavender scented oil into it, and set to taking her clothes off and putting them neatly away. Suddenly, despite the steam from the water, the temperature seemed to drop about fifty degrees. Ally felt a cold shiver run up her back as she looked around the huge bathroom. There didn't seem to be anyone around, so she returned to folding her clothes.

However, Ally was certainly not alone in the bathroom. A shadow began to creep towards her as she hummed a little tune while folding her clothes. A hand rose up and the hand opened, palm side up.

As quick as it happened, Ally was thrown to the ground, her back making a 'thunk' against the tile floor, as her hands and legs were restrained by invisible ropes.

"Well, now that you're finally alone, I can finally finish what I started. Once I'm done with you, I'll make sure that Austin will never want to look at your ugly face ever again." A voice said. Ally was able to raise her head up just slightly so that she could a glimpse of who attacked her.

She gasped at who was standing above her.

"Brooke?!"

DUN-DUN-DAAAAA! Well, for those of you who guessed it, yes, Brooke is the one who attacked Ally. Next chapter you will learn why, but it's pretty obvious as to why she attacked Ally. Remember to review and be on the lookout for my new story. Thanks!