For the first time in a very long time, I actually slept well.

Well, for the remainder of the night, anyway.

I woke up in my bed, with no memory of walking there myself. The sheets were placed on top of my shoulders, almost carefully. On the side of the bed I wasn't on, a small rectangular object rested on the mattress.

I poked my fingertips out from under covers and touch the thing, rubbing my thumb up and down the hard top. I found the groove of an engraving and traced the spiraling shape up and down the cover. I gave a tiny grin. The thing on the bed was what I read the night before, Eleven Chimes. A small slip of paper was poking out from the pages marking the spot I had left off at.

I sat up in my bed at stifled a yawn. The sunlight flooding the room made me feel like a cat--lazy.

A muffled noise from across the room made me jump.

"Gah!" I cried, throwing the book that I held in the direction of the noise.

A small "oof" told me I hit my target. Sadly, that target was Lia. She rubbed her head where I had hit her and held the green-covered book with her first finger and her thumb.

Oops.

"Lia! I'm so sorry!" I cried, rushing over to her. She sat up in the velvet chair she had been sleeping in.

"It's alright, Miss. Although it is best to not throw objects at sleeping victims."

I opened my mouth to apologize again, but noticed the small smirk hidden behind her blonde hair.

I laughed and extended my hand. "What are you doing in here anyway?"

Lia placed the book in my hand and smiled widely. "Would you like to eat something, Miss?"

Immediately, my suspicions arose. The smile the plastered onto her face a wide--too wide to be a real smile. That wouldn't have bothered me, except for the fact that she changed the subject so quickly.

"Lia?" I asked. I crinkled my eyebrows together worriedly. "What's going on?"

The smile stayed in place like it was painted on. At my question, she walked past me briskly to the other side of the room and picked up a tray with food on it, which she then brought back over to me.

"Have something to eat, Miss," her voice quivered. Her wide green eyes were filled with fear--at what I didn't know.

Surely she's not scared of me.

I walked over to my bed and sat, patting the spot next to me. "Come on."

Shakily, she came over and placed the tray where I had patted. I shook my head. "No, silly! That's where you sit."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Oh no, Miss! I couldn't!"

I smiled at her. She needs to calm down. "Of course you can. Just sit."

With warriness, the plopped down on the bed. A barely audible sigh escaped from her lips. She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ears and gestured at me to begin eating.

Oh, yeah. Food.

I dug into the cinnamon roll on the plate, not caring about my "manners" at all. Why should it matter? It's just me and Lia..

After I was done with my food, I placed the fork that I had barely used on the silver tray. I could tell that Lia had calmed down significantly when I stopped acting like I was going to question her.

I got up from my bed and beelined toward the dresser. I grabbed a dress and went to the bathroom to change.

Lia didn't move.

What is she up to?

If she's not gone when I come out, I though as I pulled the dress on, something's up.

Slowly, I cracked the door open and peered out. Lia still sat on my bed with her hands folded in her lap.

Yeah, something's definitely up.

"Is something wrong,?" I asked as I opened the door the rest of the way.

She averted her eyes and stared penetratingly at the floor. "No, Miss."

I flumped down next to her. "Where's Raul?"

Confusion darted across her face.

"I mean," I started to clarify, "I'm not complaining or anything, but he's the one who normally deals with me in the morning."

Lia's face paled. "I--he's--" she let out a huff. "Master told me to stay with you," she mumbled.

Thought as much.

"Why?" I pressed further. "I can handle myself."

She shrugged, not wanting to answer the question.

I narrowed my eyes. "Lia..."

"He's--Master is doing business," she squeaked out.

"Business?" I shouted. Lia frantically waved her arms around, trying to silence me.

"Business with who? What kind of business?"

The tips of Lia's ears grew a light shade of pink. "A client?"

I bounded up from the bed. Very mixed emotions flew through me, all of which I couldn't name.

"A client?" I screeched.

She nodded her head quickly, backing away from me slowly. "You must understand, he is not the one in charge in this case. It is the Beast who rules for now. That is what conducts business, not him."

"Oh really?"

Maybe I could find a way to phase through the wall.

"He doesn't want you to leave the room, Miss."

Oh, was that the wrong thing to say.

My foot slammed on the floor like a toddler throwing a fit because they didn't get their way.

"Hecan'tkeepmeinhere!"

With the flurry of unintelligible words that came tumbling out of my mouth, I pointed my hand at the door. My rage came out in spurts, so sadly, my magic did also. A sharp blast of energy tore itself out of my fingers and hit the doorknob. The doorknob then flew away the door and onto the chair Lia had fallen asleep on, landing with a soft flump.

I ran to the door and squeezed my fingers through the gap left by the doorknob and pushed. Slowly, the door creaked open.

"Miss, I can't allow you to do that!" Lia shouted after me, shock finally worn off from my outburst.

I answered by pushing the door shut behind me and dragging a desk across the hall to put in from of it.

Sorry, Lia.

I practically ran down the hall, thinking of where Kvir could be.

And what Lia meant by "client."

A low rumble caught my attention. It was coming from downstairs. Quickly, I tiptoed down the steps, careful not not step on the ones that popped or creaked.

The talking was coming from behind a door, in a part of the castle I had never been in. Stone creatures--some with boars heads and leapards bodies, others with the wings of an eagle but the legs of a lion--lined the walkway that gradually got wider as I went on. The walls were gray, the floor was gray, the stone was gray.

There was only one word I could think of to describe the feeling I got.

Cold.

My bare feet made no noise as I rounded a corner, still following the voices. A few words faintly broke free from the rumbling, most of them being spoken in a much higher voice.

"Your majesty, please--"

It was the voice of a younger man.

It was familiar.

My heart pounding, I glimpsed from behind the wall I was at. I was right--a young man, bowed in fear, stood diagonally across from me. His hands were clasped in a plea, begging for help from unseen person.

He didn't have to be seen for me to know who he was.

"Vadik?" I whispered.

There was no way. He was back at the castle, still with Regol. There was no logical reason for him to be here of all places.

Unless he's trying to find you.

He wouldn't be.

"What you wish is impossible, boy. Nothing is able to transfer power like that."

It was all I could do to not gasp. It was the Beast who spoke, but a low growl was hidden beneath his voice.

Power?

Vadik collapsed to his knees, defeated. "Please," he choked. He held out his dirt-stained hands in a prayer. "Please. The kingdom will fall if you don't."

Edria, falling?

A sound like rushing wind came from the top of a stone mound. "You ask this for selfish reasons, boy. My answer is unchanged."

Vadik jumped from the ground, rage in his eyes. "You helped my father with his selfishness, monster! You condemned a girl to death for his mistake, why not mine? You know what I ask--"

Beast roared. "You ask the impossible! Magic cannot be transferred to another without consequences you have to pay. Nothing is free."

"A girl died for this!" Vadik choked. "My friend is gone because of my father's conquest for power, a girl killed by you because she only wanted her family safe." A knife, one with a red blade and green hilt appreared in his hands. In less than a second, Vadik stood at Kvir, the blade pressed to his throat. "You will grant me this power."

My heart leapt to my throat. The tension in the air was stiff, sharp with anger and fear.

Something was about to happen.

"You ask for revenge." Beast laughed.

Laughed. Knife to his throat and he laughed.

"I ask for justice," Vadik spat. "Justice for the dead."

The blade cut deeper.

In that moment, I knew what would happen. Kvir was gone, all left was Beast. Neither could be killed by a dagger, but Vadik didn't know that. If he cut, he would...

"Let go before I kill you, little man."

Die.

Too late, I stepped out. All thoughts of hiding from the one who could confirm my life vanished.

"Then you die."

The knife tore across Beast's throat. Blood splattered the white shirt Vadik wore and the floor around him. The body hit the ground like a weight shattering concrete.

I from my corner and grabbed Vadik's arm. The whirled around, knife raised, until his eyes met mine.

For an instant, everything was familiar.

His lips parted with surprise. "Zara?" he breathed. His hand found my shoulder. "You're alive?"

I wanted to smile, wanted to hold him.

All I'd be holding was the life about to be extinguished.

I tugged him away from Kvir's body. He'd yet to stir, but his shoulders rose and fell enough to tell he still lived.

"You have to go. Now."

He broke away, head shaking. The smile faded. "What? Zara, he's dead. You're safe."

"No." Behind us, Beast began to rise. I pulled Vadik to the middle of the room. "It didn't kill him. Trust me, I've tried."

"Nothing can be unkillable."

Beast stood, circling his head as if to test it was still attached. His eyes were the brightest red I'd ever seen.

The shriek that came squeezing from my mouth was only a fraction of the fear I felt. "Vadik, listen to me. He is alive. He won't hurt me. He will kill you."

Finally, Vadik turned and saw what I meant. Too late, he started to back away, hand still clenched to mine.

Too late, because his chance to run was gone.

Beast reached out and fired a force of air at us--at Vadik. It smashed into his chest, tore him away from me, sent him flying across the room and onto a wall. A crack resounded from the place he hit, a crack to make my breath catch.

My friend fell to the ground, still as the dead.

Beast brushed past, his attention locked onto the person who attacked him. Claws extended from his fingertips, razors ready to cut flesh to pieces.

Ready to cut Vadik to pieces.

Whether he lied to me or not, he couldn't die. Not like that.

Either bravery or stupidity made me jump in front of Beast, hands up. "Leave him," I gasped. "Let him go, he's meant no harm."

Beast snarled, eyes still on the body. "Move."

I wanted to. Every fiber of my body wanted to get away.

But it wasn't to save one friend anymore. It was to save two.

"No."

His fists clenched. "Zara, move."

Kvir broke through on the last sentence. Maybe there was still a chance.

So, I held my ground. "Leave him alone and I will."

Beast-Kvir shut his eyes. His body was tense and taut like a bowstring ready to break. "You can't beat me in a fight. Move."

I stayed still.

His eyes snapped open, red and burning. A tremor went through the ground from where I stood, the rock caved in to make a dent large enough to swallow me.

I darted to the side, barely able to get free.

Beast expected that. With a point of a finger, ice formed around my ankles. The cold cut into my skin, to the bone.

As he started to go to Vadik, who still lay in the floor, I caught sight of a stone.

It's just like the play fight, Zara, except real.

The stone went flying to the back of Beast's head.

His concentration broken, the ice fell from around my ankles. I scrambled up to try and get closer to Vadik as he glanced back to throw a ball of fire.

The heat from it singed my shoulder. I sucked in a breath. It burned even after the fire dissipated.

"Pagoma!"

Beast waved a hand, as if swatting the spell away. A some of the stone detached itself from the ground and came flying toward me.

Just barely, I was able to dodge it.

He was right. I couldn't beat him. I knew all of five spells, all of which he could block.

But, he relied on force. I relied on dumb luck and somewhat strategy.

And force.

It was time to hope the promises he made as Kvir also applied to Beast.

I couldn't beat him, but I knew how to stop him.

Focusing all my energy on the tiny pebbles scattered from the blast he sent, I lifted them up and forced them to ram into Beast's back. His surprise and pain lasted long enough for me get in front of him, close enough to Vadik that I was able to dive onto my knees in front of him.

I got there in time to see a hand of claws swiping to kill.

They didn't.

My body shook with fear and excitement. Air forced its way from my lungs into the open world, onto the claws frozen a hair's width from my eyes.

Behind me, Vadik pulled his hands close to his body, awake after being magicked into stone.

Slowly, I pulled back from the mini daggers aimed at the man behind me. My eyes met Kvir's dark crimson ones.

He stared back with too many emotions to name, arm trembling, then body. A thud rang across the forced silence when his knees hit the floor, a small gasp following as the little bit of color left in his face drained away.

My limbs unlocked themselves. Still shaking, I touched the top of his outreached hand, lowering it to the floor. He started like he was going to say something, but stopped, words dead in his mouth.

I shifted my weight so I was close to him. As carefully as I could, I wrapped my arms around his neck in a hug.

"Pagoma," I whispered.

Beast couldn't come back. It wasn't a chance I was willing to take.

There was no looking back at Kvir after that. Instead, I grabbed Vadik's hand and helped yank him up. He wobbled a moment as he stood, then steadied himself.

"Come on." With a tug, he was with me, at the door.

We would go together.

_______________________________________

This whole bottom half is brand new... Idk why I couldn't just leave it how it was, lol.

And of course, this means I have myself more work for the next chapter. Probably about half of that will be changed, so it'll be a few days before the next one comes out.

Vadik's backstory was also changed, for those who read it before 11/23/17. Chapter two is the only tweak and it's not much, just enough y'all know they're friends.

Main reason this changed was because it made more sense from a story standpoint as to why stuff happens later on and how. If you haven't read it before, you'll find out. Shoot, even if you have read it, you'll still find out.

Noa

Discussion starter: Vadik found his way to the castle, but why do you think he came?