Ailyn Lacald sat on an uncomfortable chair outside of the questioning room. Her fingers drummed on her knee, twitching nervously. Beyond the one-way mirror in front of her rested Nora Lemmer, bound to a chair. Ailyn could only imagine the fear and confusion that struck her when her eyes fluttered open.

She had seen that girl before. She had bumped into her on her way to the meeting about the kingfisher, and at that moment she had thought Nora was swooning over Kage. A few moments later she was being chased down a forest, and a bullet was planted in her shoulder. A medic later removed it, but Kage didn't look sorry in the slightest that he almost killed the poor girl. Still, a part of Ailyn wanted her to never wake up. She wished the bullet had been shot a little to the right. She knew that the information the spy had gathered would be released to the world eventually, and if that happened, it would push the war beyond redemption.

Nora looked around, dazed but not surprised. She tugged at the ropes that restrained her and soon gave up, probably too fatigued to panic. Kage was already sitting in the room for thirty minutes while he waited for the girl to come back from her long sleep. Once he noticed her, and she noticed him, he bolted upright.

"Rise and shine," he sneered as she sent a murderous glare his way. Ailyn was grateful Nora couldn't see her terrified expression.

"Why am I even alive?"

Ailyn had been wondering the same thing the past few hours. A bullet so close to the heart would have normally killed anyone. But she soon realized that was not what the girl meant. Kage picked up on it quicker.

"Many people find bees useless. They don't see how they could have used them until they are deprived of them."

"So you're comparing me to a bug? Charming."

"Indeed. A very tiresome bug that I wish I could just step on and be done with already." A short, spontaneous laugh escaped him. "But enough with the metaphors. Who sent you?"

Nora looked at Kage dead in the eye. Few people had attempted that and came back to tell the story. "You really never peeked inside that clay bird? What a moron."

Ailyn clenched the fabric of her coat.

A muscle in Kage's jaw twitched. It was clear he was trying to keep the girl alive until he got what he wanted. "I ask the questions, and you answer. I do not need your feedback on how to do my job."

"And why are you so desperate to get it back? Bet you can share this marvelous secret," taunted Nora. She yanked at the ropes holding her down once more, inching closer to Kage's stiff figure. "Wait, I think I know the reason. And it won't be very flattering to your noble reputation, will it? Why had nobody discovered that heirloom earlier, anyway? Is there a particular reason it magically appeared now that your pitiful country is running out of dirty tricks to pull on Flouron?"

Ailyn's eyes widened. She held more tightly on her cloak.

"That is enough," Kage hissed. He bit on the inside of his cheek and threw a quick glance at the window, which for him was simply a mirror.

Nora laughed. "What, you're gonna kill me? Go ahead," she goaded. "I'll haunt you for the rest of eternity, along with the countless children you have and will slaughter in cold blood. One day you'll run to your gods, pleading for forgiveness, but they'll have abandoned you. You and the army you plan to turn-"

"Enough!" Shadows rose on the walls and lurked on the floor, coiling around the chair's wooden legs. It rose until it reached Nora's torso, which suddenly snapped and twitched like a branch under the weight of a foot. A short scream escaped the girl, and ever after the sound ceased, her mouth remained wide open in silent torment.

The room went silent. Outside, everyone was looking at both of the furious figures stunned. Ailyn looked down at her hands. The silk she was clutching had been torn.

She sprang up, storming out of the narrow hallway. Some servants attempted to calm her down, but a simple gesture of her hand was enough to stop them. She shoved open any doors she found in front of her, tears threatening to escape her eyes. With a thrust, she pushed the double doors of the Seyali Police Headquarters and was welcomed by the winter wind. She held her head as if it was going to break.

He can't. He won't!

The night before they departed from the palace, Ailyn had joked about something Kage had said a long time ago. 'What will we do when we find it? You don't plan on using it, do you?' He had stayed silent for a moment, his face blank. Then he turned to smile at her. 'Don't be stupid. I just want the artifact back.' Ailyn wanted to believe him, and she had. Until she figured out she wasn't the only 'stupid' one.

She knew what he wanted to do. The war wasn't going well for Seyal. He intended to use the information in the kingfisher to convert a whole army into Ascended. They would be granted powers, the same powers that had haunted Ailyn, the same powers she was cursed with. However, Kage hadn't had time to gather enough ignorant recruits. That scrawny girl suddenly seemed like a godsend. If he had truly managed to assemble the first Ascended army, there would be nobody that would have been able to stop him from conquering the whole world.

While that wouldn't have sounded so horrible a week or a month before, Nora had changed something in her. Nora, the girl Ailyn could have been. If only he hadn't killed that girl. Ailyn Lacald had burned to a cinder and the Princess of Light had risen from the ashes.

A light tap on her shoulder was enough to shatter her thoughts. Kage stepped next to her, staring at the street in front of them. Ailyn wanted to coil in disgust, the sensation of the cold knife in her hand still fresh in her memory. But she refused to let him know what she was thinking, even though her wet cheeks were quite self-explanatory.

"What a paranoid child. It can be truly startling, what it says." He turned his head to examine her face, his gaze leaving no area undiscovered. Under other circumstances, she would have smiled, and her heart would have lept out of her chest. He would have made it all alright. At that moment, though, she only wanted him to disappear. She wished he could stop himself before she had to.

She forced herself to look at him. A cautious, gentle smile had been painted on his face, but his eyes were empty, void of anything but greed. All the things people said about him, all the rumors; they knew nothing, but they were all true. Heartless, manipulative, suspiciously alluring. How could I have ever thought otherwise? Although she had refused to believe it before, Ailyn was just another pawn, another tool he could exploit for his selfish needs.

"Don't worry, the door cannot open from the inside." He tried to touch her shoulder again, but she moved away. She crossed her hands in front of her chest, feeling suddenly vulnerable. He narrowed his eyes, his eyebrows raised in a silent taunt. "Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry."

"Apologies save nothing and no one," she spat before she could stop herself. She felt like a completely different person.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. Ask my mother, it's her quote." She felt a pat on her finger. She looked down to see a shiny droplet on her hand, and then another. She wasn't sure if it was her own tears or mere raindrops falling from the sky.

Kage seemed to apprehend what she was talking about. He sighed and attempted to come close to her, but she stepped back. "That was ages ago. You need to learn to let go."

Both of her hands had been soaked. Her arms had trembled furiously and the blade had clattered to the ground. She had moved a quivering hand to the woman's cold cheek, painting it crimson as she caressed it tentatively. She had cursed the Ascended Council and that witch that had revealed her real identity and mostly herself to wanting to prove her dedication to Seyal. The bodies were never buried, just dumped into a river. Ailyn had washed her hands multiple times, and even though the blood eventually went away, her sins could never be erased.

Her hands were soaked once again. She wondered whose blood would be spilled this time.

"Let go." She could do nothing but laugh and repeat the two words. Does he think it's that simple? "You want me to let go? After everything I did? After everything you made me do?"

Kage straightened his back. "I didn't realize you had second thoughts about your loyalty to Seyal."

Ailyn stared at him. His smile was gone, replaced by an almost bored expression. She wanted to punch him. She wanted to show him what seven stab wounds in the stomach felt like. But she refused to stoop that low. She simply looked away.

Kage started walking away. "I will go prepare the horses. Be ready in ten minutes."

"The girl?" she blurted out.

He shook his head, distancing himself more and more. "I can get nothing out of her."

She will die.

Kage disappeared in the woods. Ailyn watched him go and wished he would never come back.

She acted quickly. Ten minutes were nothing considering the madness that had come over her. She knew she would regret what she was about to do.

Her legs moved on their own. She went back inside, stumbling through the corridors. A familiar window appeared into view. Everyone had gone their way, leaving the girl behind the mirror in complete silence. Nora looked relaxed, as if she had accepted her horrible fate. She had slumped against the chair, he eyes observing the ceiling above her. She looked peaceful, like a corpse. A fresh bruise sat untreated on her left cheekbone. Someone lost his temper.

Ailyn opened the door to the small room slowly, careful not to make a sound. Nora's eyes shot to her, instantly narrowing. It seemed that she was in the mood for more arguing, but they didn't have that kind of time. "Came to taunt me?"

Ailyn shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "I came to bail you out, but either is fine by me."

Nora gaped at her. Ailyn rushed behind her, fumbling with the thick string. The fact that they had used traditional rope to tie a spy sounded almost like an anecdote. Once she found the point where the two meets ended, she started trying to untie it, unsure of how she was supposed to do that.

"Are you still doing the hands? Hurry up!" But she couldn't work any faster. Frankly, it was her first time handling rope, and hopefully the last.

After two long minutes, Nora jumped up and ran to the door, but Ailyn grabbed her wrist before she could go any further.

"Stay behind me. If anyone sees us, we run." Reluctantly, she pulled off her heeled slippers. It was going to be painful in the woods, but she definitely preferred getting stabbed by a few branches to falling face first on cement.

They started moving in the large building. After every turn, Ailyn felt even more confused and lost. She was not particularly talented at orientation. Inevitably, after pushing a set of doors, they were greeted by three unfamiliar faces.

They all stood staring at each other for a moment. The strangers looked at Nora, then Ailyn, then Nora once more. Ailyn couldn't move or speak, and she ended up opening and closing her mouth like a fish deprived of water in an attempt to get some words out. She could have easily lied to the officers. But when she felt Nora tug at her sleeve, pulling her backward, she knew that whatever came out of her mouth would only incriminate her.

So she turned around and ran as fast as she could. The men at the doorway came back to their senses, yelling orders and blowing on their whistles. Ailyn extended her arms, letting the familiar warmth of her power surge through her. A blinding light was born between her palms, bathing the room in white. The shouts behind her only got louder, and Nora's hesitation wasn't helping.

"I can't see! Where are we even going?" the girl yelled.

But Ailyn didn't reply. She simply pushed her forward, desperate to escape the building. She was immune to her own light's unpleasant side effects, but even with her vision clear she still felt blind in the foreign corridors. Every time she turned to look behind her, more people were marching her way. She cursed herself for running around and crying like an idiot a few minutes ago instead of securing an escape route, just in case. It almost felt like a goose chase to her, and she was starting to pant. He breath was knocked off of her lungs when another group of people appeared, this time in front of her.

Her light was starting to fade. Soon, they would be visible again. Ailyn shoved Nora towards a window she spotted to her left and wished they were close to the entrance. "Open it, please!"

All the windows in the Seyali Police Headquarters were made of crystal, so they couldn't hope to break any. Some windows close to the front door, though, were able to open, for the convenience of the employees and the visitors. If the gods were feeling nice that day, maybe they would have stopped at just the right place.

A click was heard. Ailyn looked at the sky - or rather the ceiling - and sent a silent 'thanks' towards whoever was protecting her. She hastily climbed out of the window, letting her hands finally relax. The light died down, allowing their pursuers to look at each other perplexed before dashing after the two girls.

Ailyn sprinted after Nora into the woods. The sun had begun to set, letting only a tiny amount of sunlight shine past the mountains. Dark clouds decorated the crimson sky, dropping heavy globs on the already wet soil. The tall trees before her towered over them like emerald soldiers deployed at strategic positions. Despite the impressive scenery, Ailyn was beyond agitated. No matter how much they tried to hide in the dark, a 'there!' or 'found them!' kept blowing their cover, making them have to advance deeper into the forest. Even blinded by her light, those beasts had been able to find Ailyn wherever she went.

"How do they keep finding us?" she groaned, unable to catch her breath.

"There's a ringing every time we move. I thought it was just me... but..." Nora wasn't able to complete her sentence between pants. She suddenly took a sharp breath in, whipping her head to the side to glance at Ailyn. "The necklace!"

Ailyn looked down. Her amulet was bouncing on her chest as she ran, chiming obnoxiously. She had gotten used to the sound after so many years of wearing it, and she wasn't sure she was ready to forget it just yet.

"I... I can't."

"Just take it off!"

"I said I can't!"

She started hyperventilating. Her vision was getting blurry and the screams following her sounded muffled. She struggled to keep up with Nora's pace. Kage had given her that necklace on the day of her selection. He had said it was a tradition for the newest member of the Council to gift something to the one who would join next. A waste of money and resources, but he insisted on retaining the custom. Blood had rushed to her cheeks and her hands had been shaking as she clipped it around her neck. She wanted nothing to do with him, but the amulet had become a part of her.

"You'll get us caught, Lacard! Throw that cursed thing away!"

Images of her parent's unmoving frames flashed in her head. A bloody knife, two pale corpses, and one single unforgiving saying coming out of her mother's mouth as Ailyn kept yelling she was sorry.

Apologies save nothing and no one.

Ailyn grabbed the yellow chain, tearing it from her neck. She knew it would leave a mark, just like Kage did. But if she really wanted to move on, if she really wanted to end what he had started, she had to be rid of him and his chains, visible or not. She heard the charm fall on the muddy ground with a sad plink. The Princess of Light was no more. She felt like she could breathe again as the corners of her lips rose. For the first time in a long time, she felt happy, alive.

"Ailyn!"

His taut voice made her stop. Nora released an exasperated yell but eventually had to halt and stand next to Ailyn. She threw a glance behind her. In front of the mob that had been running after them stood Kage, cold and unreadable. It was clear that he was trying to seem distant, uninterested, but his wide eyes betrayed him. Ailyn sensed something in his burning gaze. Desperation. If she left, his control would falter. He would have one less ally, one less pawn. The tiny sun charm lay on his palm, dirtied and unrecognizable. She felt her heart ache.

"If you leave now, you'll be considered a threat to the country," he yelled over the howling wind. His hair had been soaked by the sky's tears, and for once, under the honest light of the sunset, he looked flawed, stressed, hopeless. The people behind him had raised weapons, ready to strike.

Ailyn turned to look at him in pity. She felt that familiar soft smile creep on her lips, her eyes wrinkling slightly. "There will be a day when you will be consumed by your darkness, and you will wish you hadn't driven all these people out of your life. I hope that day you'll understand just how lonely you had been this whole time."

"If you leave now," he attempted again with a somewhat more unstable voice, "it's all over."

She knew what he meant. He was referring to all the times they had stood close and smiled at each other, all the times he had beguiled her into doing his bidding. She instinctively hesitated, but in the end, she whirled around, grabbing Nora's arm and running away. No shots were heard. He was going to send out a search party after her the following day; she was well aware. But for the time being, he let her go. Each step was more painful than the last, physically and mentally. An unintentional grin came to contradict her gritted teeth, her bleeding feet, her swollen eyes. Nora threw her a strange glare, and she was right. Ailyn didn't know what there was to smile about, either.

It felt like it had been an eternity before they found a small, abandoned barn on the forest's edge. They slipped inside and secured the door with a plank of wood. Then they just sat down, in the dark, hearing the storm intensify.

"It's kinda dark in here," whispered Nora after a long pause. Ailyn nodded and opened her fingers, exposing her palm to the humid atmosphere. A flare of light sparked in the murk.

They sat in silence for a while. Ailyn enjoyed the peace after their long trek, but Nora seemed much more energetic. She turned to Ailyn, eyeing her questioningly.

"What do you plan to do next?"

Very good question, she pondered. "Um... I was hoping you could--"

"I can't bring you to Flouorn. I left my radio in the army camp, sooner or later they'll find it and trace the set frequency back to my country. Besides, I don't think my commander would appreciate me bringing one of Seyali's leaders in our country." She narrowed her eyes. "Ex-leader."

"I'm Flournan."

Nora almost choked on her saliva. She coughed and groaned, her eyes shining brightly in the dim light. Once she regained her posture, she leaned towards Ailyn. "You? Flournan? But you were literally about to obliterate us with an Ascended army!"

So she believes that, too. "That was Kage's idea. I didn't think he would actually attempt it."

"How did they even let you into the Ascended Council?"

"They wouldn't, normally. But they asked me to prove my dedication to Seyal. The war hadn't started back then, but there was definitely heavy propaganda against Flouorn. Thus, they couldn't kill me. But they could deport me, or jail me up for a fake birth certificate."

"What did you do?" mumbled Nora, probably already having suspicions.

Ailyn shook her head. "It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is the kingfisher, remember?"

Nora let it go, but it was sure she would try again later. "Right, good luck with finding it."

Ailyn bit her lip, thinking of a way to express her thoughts. She had hoped Nora would help her find the artifact and destroy it, considering the Flouornans' hate for the Ascended. It seemed as if it would take much more than a mere suggestion. "You need to help me. I can't sneak up on people. I can't get information out of anyone. I only know some Fryan, and the bird is definitely nowhere near the southeast. Whoever stole it must have gone north."

"You can't seriously expect me to leave my job to help you," Nora gibed at Ailyn's suggestion.

"Sometimes you have to do some... ambitious things for your country. Besides, finding the artifact is within the scope of your job, right? And I imagine you will be paid handsomely if you manage to eradicate such a huge threat," Ailyn suggested cautiously.

Nora laughed. "If I go searching for a stupid gimcrack with someone who is worth my weight in gold, odds are I'll be dead before that happens."

Ailyn was running out of options. She was trapped in a barn with a spy who talked like a dock worker and wasn't even willing to listen to her offer. At that moment, however, she felt hopeless. That rude spy was her only hope of getting at least some kilometers away from Seyal before people started searching for her. If she somehow managed to reach Gwein in less than three days, she was going to give Nora all the gold she could find when Kage was brought down.

Ailyn exhaled. "They made me kill my parents."

The small hint of light over her hand wavered. Nora snapped her head to Ailyn, her eyes suddenly wide. All evidence of a mocking smile had vanished in a quiver of the weak spark. She looked down at her feet, her hands clenching into fists.

"I cannot bring them back. But I can punish their real killers; the Ascended Council. I don't need to kill Kage. He will suffer enough if this curse is purged from the world once and for all." The flare faded, letting darkness consume the room. It was better that way. "We will find the kingfisher. We will read the instructions and once they are destroyed we will make sure nobody else is ever ruined by this calamity."

"And if we don't find the bird?" Nora's voice was low, almost a whisper. The mention of Ailyn's parents' death had startled her abnormally.

"If push comes to shove... I guess we will have no other option."

Nora smiled, her surprised expression fading. "I won't give that schmuck the pleasure of dying unpunished." She jumped to her feet, circling the room. "We leave tomorrow morning. They think we're heading north like the good little Flournans we are." She whirled around to look Ailyn in the eye, her smile having evolved into a grin. "But we're heading to Frya."

It was Ailyn's turn to cough. The dust dancing in the atmosphere wasn't of much assistance. "Are you utterly insane? Frya is allied with Seyal. They're going to crucify us if we get caught!"

"I'm sorry if you don't know this, but Frya is the heart of the black market. Trust me when I say whoever stole this probably doesn't even know what's inside. For them, it's a royal heirloom, which translates to instant cash. I know someone who can help us there, we used to work together."

Ailyn knew there was illegal activity in Frya, especially Sevin, but she had refused to accept it for a long time. Now that she had to be part of it, she felt slightly uneasy. "And when we detect it, what? We have no money."

Nora giggled, placing a hand in front of her lips. "That's the easy part. If we manage to lay eyes on that thing, the impossible will have been done already."

Ailyn hugged her torso. The cold wooden floor and the humid air surrounding her was a horrible combination, one that made her shiver and wish she had been smarter about her clothing choices. Her bare feet were soiled and wet, blisters forming on her toes. She felt unclean, trembling in the brisk breeze that sneaked into the barn through the wide crack under the huge doors. Her head was pounding, full of thoughts and worries.

"Well, I'll go search this place. Maybe there are some clothes for you here. I mean, you can't go out like this." Nora pointed at Ailyn's attire. A blue silk dress with mid-length sleeves, embroidered with discreet scarlet flowers and jade leaves. Over that, a black coat of the same fabric, the sleeves lined with lace. Considering such materials were scarce during the war, especially on the losing side, there was no doubt her outfit would raise a few brows. Besides the conspicuousness of her clothing, silk wasn't particularly warm, especially wet silk. The fabric was too thin to keep her from dying from hypothermia within the next few hours.

Nora disappeared into another room. Ailyn doubted she would find anything in the dark, with only the dim moonlight helping her, but she stayed where she was. Each action was more painful than the last. She slowly leaned against the hard floor, resting her head on the wooden boards. She shrank into a small ball, her knees against her chest and her hands around them. When she stopped moving, her ear on the floor allowed her to hear everything. Every single creak, even Nora's footsteps roaming around the barn.

Another quick pair of feet behind them hammered on the boards.

***

What the heeeell eighty reads? Who is reading this?

Vote and comment for my suffering soul, this freaking chapter alone is literally twenty minutes long ♥

PUBLISH DATE — 19/05/12

EDIT DATES — 19/07/15 | 19/09/04