Plain Misleadings

“But it’s not right! To hold someone against their will just because of who they are, it's completely unjust!"
"It's who they are, Mirhae! They know nothing more than to steal, and corrupt!"
"You don't know that! Just because a Fae is a Grayling, you can't automatically assume that they're either a thief or some other indecent person."
The usual argument between the king of the Lits and the feisty princess echoed around the palace’s marble throne room. The carved shutters covered the usually open windows, the cutout pattern letting in enough air to keep the room cool. As cool as it could be from the flaring tempers of the city’s most influential people that would put the sun’s desert glare to shame.
King Yinta Allanora rubbed his temples while attempting to discreetly wipe his shining forehead. He and Mirhae had been arguing for at least an hour now. He had sent the usual attendants and the queen out of the room to deal with his own daughter, but now he was wishing he had at least kept his wife. She seemed to be the only person who could calm the bristling young woman down. His patience was wearing thin against Mirhae's raging temper, and she showed no signs of relenting or reaction to the stifling heat in the room.
"Mirhae, kin quarta, you must try to understand," he begged. This debate was getting old; they had had it more times then he could count.  "It's part of their culture. Every Grayling child, no matter how decent an upbringing, is taught to take what it needs if it cannot be done so through normal means. The alleys and back streets are filled with abandoned half-breeds and Grayling orphans who steal from our markets and sell the stolen jewelry of the nobility."
"And yet you do nothing!" she shot back. Anger and determination flashed in her purple eyes as she stood her ground against her traditionally minded father. "Hundreds of your people are starving in the streets, barely hanging onto a life that is more miserable than their death! Instead of punishing them because of an assumed existence, help them! Give them food, water, clothing, anything of which they don't have enough of. Our nobles sit in their mansions, counting their thousands of zens while those in the ghettoes hardly have two zinks to rub together! The least you can do is have the nobility pay some taxes instead of throwing it on all the commoners!"
"You know what would happen if I did that!" said Yinta, rising from his seat, his temper showing in his slowly flushing face. "The nobles would rebel in an instant and throw us all in the street! I will not have the City of the Sun become like that of the Darklings. They tried to reform, and look what happened! Their land is cursed, and their royal house insane. They were at civil war for forty years when they tried to remove their caste system."
"All I'm asking is that you give them a chance!" Mirhae pleaded. "When a Grayling is brought to trial, you don't even give him a jury! While if a Lit citizen was brought, he-"
"Vink-towang!" her father boomed. His patience was gone as his expression illustrated, his eyes mirroring his daughter’s emotions if not in a different color. "I've had enough of this foolishness!"
"It is not-"
"I don't care what it's not!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the room. "You are here to receive the consequences of your actions, not bargain for Grayling rights!"
Mirhae seemed subdued, and took a steadying breath to try and control her raging blood. She lowered her eyes and kneeled back to sit on the large silk pillow she had been on before she had risen in her anger. She watched her father as he ran his fingers through his white hair. Yinta sat back down in his own throne and sighed wearily. She found herself counting the lines on his face again. She found it hard to believe that her parents were only thirty six when they looked twenty yuns older, her mother even more so though she actually thought it made her prettier.
"Mirhae, how many times are we going to have deal with this hobby of yours?" he asked, sounding exhausted. "I and your mother have told you over and over again not to leave the palace! And even if you must go outside, we've told you to not speak to anyone, and to take some guards with you. Do you know how dangerous what you did was?"
"I was just fine! I was just coming home a little late, that's all." she said, looking unsurely at the ground next to her. "I realize what I did was against your wishes, but I was safe. It was just that one time-"
"That one time could of gotten you killed!" he exploded, sounding more frustrated then before, almost making her jump. "Do you know what those Darklings could of done to you? You're my only heir! If they had gotten a hold of you, and given to you to that maniac of a Rao..."
Yinta shook his head, looking disturbed. He took a deep breath, and seemed to calm down once more. Mirhae was used to his sudden changes in moods, but this had felt more panicked then usual. She wanted to ask about his health, but held her tongue like he would usually want.
"You'll be confined to your room for the rest of the month-"
"What?! Dad-!!"
"And you'll only be allowed to go anywhere outside the palace with a guard escort!" he said, talking over her protests. "And nothing in linxak or zensheek is going to change my mind!"
"But Dad, this is ridiculous! I'm sixteen yuns old! I don't need an escort anywhere!" she protested. "And a whole month? That's not fair!"
"I told you, I'm not changing my mind! Mirhae, this is to keep you safe. I'll not have my daughter in hands of a madman." said Yinta.
Mirhae's face turned as red as her tan skin would allow from anger. She quickly stood up and stomped away from him. He watched her, concerned.
"Mirhae?" he called. "I'm only doing this because I love you. You know that, yes?"
The young princess gritted her teeth, and continued to walk out of the throne room. She wanted so badly to start shouting at him once more, try to get him to take a few weeks off the confinement. She had children that needed her to bring them food, or else they would have to resort to stealing once more, risking the capture of the guards. But she knew when to stop pushing her father. She looked back to see that there were two guards already following her down the airy halls.
She gave them each a smoldering look of annoyance, and continued her bad mood despite the bright mosaic tiling and wide-open windows the halls provided. If she talked with her mother, she might be able to convince her father for her to lessen the punishment. The queen was the only one she usually told her radical ideas and thoughts to, and was the one who had actually brought the city’s predicament to her attention. She sometimes wondered how her parents could have such differing opinions, but loved one another all the same. Her mother usually told her she’d understand when she was married whenever she asked.
She turned to look outside as she walked, hearing the usual training of the apprentice guards and the few bonded sand dragons some of them had. Their new, bronze armor glimmered in the sun, but one with blonde hair caught her attention. She immediately thought of the Grayling boy that had saved her from the Darklings. He was the only person she had ever needed to reveal herself to, but she felt like she didn’t have to worry about him spreading the word. He had seemed trustworthy enough, and she had no doubt he was a genuinely nice Fae.
She was a little troubled though as to why she couldn’t get him out of her thoughts. She was immensely curious about him, that she couldn’t deny, especially after she had found out from one of the half-breed children that tree bark was usually used in spells. She opened the polished wood doors of her room, breathing in the cool air from the small fountain off to the side. Like the majority of the palace, the entire room was covered in tile, the ceiling a blue and white mosaic of the night sky. She fell on her bed, finding it to be the best place to think out her anger.
She looked up at the guards that had positioned themselves on both sides of her open door. She glared at both of them; she was not in the mood to start being watched day and night yet.
“Do you mind?” she said, annoyed. The guards looked at one another, and one of them meekly closed the doors, leaving her alone.
She sighed loudly, grabbing one of her many pillows and throwing it over her head.
“Confined to your room for a whole month,” she grumbled to herself. “Way to go, Mirhae.”
There was a light knocking from her door, and she sat up. “Come in,” she said, even though she wasn’t exactly in the mood for visitors.
Her mother poked her head in, giving her a comforting smile in greeting. Her navy blue eyes glimmered like dark stars, and Mirhae saw her curly, black hair reflected in Queen Nara’s appearance. Unlike her however, her mother tended to wear dark colors while Mirhae preferred bright colors that highlighted her red wings.
“I heard what happened with your father in the throne room,” she said as she walked across the room, her silver anklets jingling rhythmically. She sat down beside her, smoothing her deep purple dress out once seated on the bed.
Mirhae folded her arms, jutting her chin out stubbornly. “He’s being ridiculous,” she said. Her mother gave her a kind look.
“Actually, he isn’t,” she said. She winced at her daughter’s open-mouthed reaction, and continued before the girl had a chance to protest. “I know I usually side with you, but for this I have to agree with your father. What you did was very dangerous.”
“But I was giving little kids food!! What’s so dangerous about that?!”
She ruffled one of Mirhae’s curls. “Nothing, but it was the fact that you lost track of time is what we’re both upset about. You know I support your efforts, but we both agreed you would do it during the daylight hours.” she said. Mirhae bit her lip, looking guilty.
“So, you’re not going to do anything about the month’s confinement?” she asked, trying to make her eyes a bit bigger to hopefully convince her to lessen it.
Her mother gave her a flat look, but then let the sigh out that had wanted to be voiced earlier. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Yay!!” Mirhae immediately hugged her, and kissed her on the cheek. Nara laughed from the show of love, her bubbling giggle the happiest thing her daughter ever heard. She tended to be a little loud when she laughed though, or so Mirhae had noticed.
“I’m glad that makes you happy,” she said, but then gave her a curious look. “ So why did you come back so late? You’re usually very punctual.”
Mirhae looked up at the ceiling, trying to think of another reason besides the blond Grayling boy named Jaden. “Uh… Well, I had to help someone, and it took a little longer then I expected…”
She hoped her mother wouldn’t press the issue, but thankfully there was a knock on the door. “Enter,” the queen said, looking towards the door.
A maid nervously came in, looking a little harassed. “Um, his Grace wishes that Queen Nara see him in the throne room,” she said, eyes moving around like a cornered animal.
The queen stood, and followed the maid out, Mirhae hoping her mother could calm the poor thing. Her father had a habit of verbally abusing the staff when he was in a bad mood. She waved goodbye to her daughter, and the guards closed the doors once again. Mirhae breathed a quiet sigh of relief; her mother could read her like a book. Saying that she was late because she helping someone wouldn’t have been a good enough reason for her. She would have to think of something better then that before their usual walk through the palace gardens. She lied back down on the bed, hoping that maybe somehow she could tell her the truth about Jaden.
Maybe she wouldn’t think it too strange or dangerous for her to want to find him again after the month’s confinement. She looked over at her dresser and wardrobe, hoping that she could find something to keep herself occupied besides debate with her father, find more nobles sympathetic to her cause, and spend time with her mother. She turned over onto her stomach, opening and closing her red butterfly wings in the bright sun that filtered in through the window. She heard her doors open once more, and she sat up to see who would come in unannounced.
A Darkling was standing just inside the doorway, puddles of blood creeping along the floor from the murdered guards. She leapt off the bed, taking breath to scream for help only to have a hand clamp over mouth. She started to struggle immediately, kicking out her legs and flailing her arms until her captor was forced to pin her arms down with his other free arm.
“Make any more trouble and we’ll put poison in your parents’ food,” a voice grated in her ear.
She was able to turn her neck just enough to see that the Fae holding her looked just like Jaden, multi-colored eyes and all. Her eyes widened, and she managed to say his name in muffled confusion. He grinned, flashing pointed fangs.
“No, not really,” he said, his battered gray wings flickering enough to reveal leather wings with yellowing bones poking out at the tips.
Despite the earlier warning, she started to struggle even more, managing to slip one of her arms out of his hold. She swiped a fist across his face, drawing blood with sharp nails.
“Augh!”
The fake Grayling glared at the other Darkling, who had finished up destroying the bodies with magik.
“Don’t just stand there, do something!” he snarled as he tried to grab a hold of his troublesome hostage.
The Darkling quickly crossed the room, and dashed a blue powder in the girl’s eyes. A brief scream, and she went limp in the imposter’s arms. He lifted her over his shoulder, carrying her like a sack of grain.
"We should hurry," said the Darkling in disguise. "The Rao wanted us to get out of here quickly."        
They closed the doors behind them, and took off down the hall.



"Get your elbow out of my face!"
"Oof! Don't shove! There isn't enough room in here to hit me!"
"I'll hit you all I want!" snapped Charlie as she tried to get herself out of the cranny both she and Jaden had gotten into.
They had been hiding for over two hours. The pin hadn't worked against the shield so they had jumped into an order a merchant was bring in, squeezing themselves in a mela barrel. Even without the melas, it was a tight fit, and the guards poking the barrel with their spears had been almost enough to make Jaden jump out of the barrel. Somehow they had been able to make it in, and had been dropped off in one of the kitchen’s connecting chambers. Jaden tried to move his cramped body so he could get out, but having Charlie on almost the same level as he was, doing the same thing, was making it difficult.
"Some plan this was," Jaden grumbled. He felt like he was completely wedged in, thankful that his wings were so malleable.
"Shut up! I got us in, didn't I? Move your knee, and then I can help you out." Charlie snipped at him. With a little effort, she suddenly popped out of the barrel, and brushed herself off. She then turned around, and leaned back into the barrel.
"Gimme your hands!" she said. He reached up and she started to pull as hard as she could.
"Ow! Charlie, be careful! Don’t pull my fingers off!!"
"Will you shut up?!" she said between gritted teeth. "All you've been doing is whining since-"
She was cut short as Jaden suddenly slipped out of the barrel, and the both of them went flying. Jaden picked himself out of some bags of grain, and saw Charlie getting up from the ground. They had been left completely alone, it being too early to make any large meals in the kitchens.
"Are you okay?" he asked her, picking himself up.
"Ugh, I will be. Where's your bag?"
Jaden paused in his getting up, realizing where Weirdling had been at the time they had jumped in. "At the bottom of the barrel."
"Jaden, you idiot, how could you?!" she exclaimed and immediately returned to the barrel.
She reached in and picked the bag up, and then took the dazed mouse out of it.
"Are you alright, Weirdling?" It shook itself, little motes of magik coming off of it.
"A bit flatter then I was, but yes."
She turned and gave Jaden an accusing look, holding the mouse close to her like he was going to reach out and attempt to hurt it somehow.
"Jaden, Weirdling's not immortal! You can't just throw him in a barrel, and then sit on him!"
"I didn't mean to!" he protested. "I was being stuffed into the barrel at the same time!"
"Well, next time use your head! You can't panic in situations like these, they get you thrown in jail." she chastised, continuing to frown unhappily at him. He rolled his eyes when she turned her back, and dusted himself off.
"Let's just get out of here before the cooks come back and find that all their melas have walked off." he said. Charlie went ahead of him, moving completely silent.
He followed right behind her, finding it unnerving how she moved just like the Darklings that had attacked him the other night. He just hoped he never had the bad luck of running into them again as Charlie had explained that he had run into orishime`, the only guards skilled enough to sneak past the stone dragons that guarded the City of the Sun’s gates. The kitchen ahead of them was completely empty, unused pots and pan lying on counters while food lay waiting to be cooked and prepared. Jaden kept waiting to hear something that would cause them all to duck into cupboards and behind stoves, but the kitchens were eerily silent. He didn’t know whether to be grateful or spooked by the emptiness.
"Okay, Weirdling. You go on ahead of us, and say if it's okay to go." she whispered to it. Weirdling nodded and on into the hall ahead of them.
I don't see anybody.  The words went through his mind, and they both moved to where it was. They moved into the hall, Jaden admiring the rich yet simple surroundings. He had never seen anything like the polished stone and beautiful mosaics that were just in the hall. He remembered a trip to a prominent merchant’s house in his early childhood when his father had still been a blacksmith, and had thought just having a house not made out of adobe was grand enough. The marble pillars that made up the open windows alone would have put the merchant’s wooden house to shame in an instant.  
It made him wonder what the other rooms looked like if the halls looked as if they cost a small fortune. The hall seemed as empty and silent as a tomb waiting for its resident, and they continued on down the hall without any trouble. Weirdling’s small paws echoed on the tiled floor as it continued on ahead of them, though it had started to feel as if the entire palace was empty for some reason. While this put Jaden into an optimistic mood, it had the opposite affect on Charlie as she became increasingly agitated.
"Something's wrong," she said as they went past their fourth empty hall. "There should be guards everywhere. Even Lil didn’t have it this easy, and she went during prayer time."
"Maybe there's a meeting," suggested Jaden. She shook her head, not looking convinced at all.
"I dunno, Jaden. I think we picked the wrong day to do this," she replied. Jaden was then surprised to hear her continue on in his head, spreading her mental requests to both him and Weirdling.
Weirdling, go on ahead and find the princess. I think Jaden and I will be fine without you.  Her voice drifted through his head like smoke.
I'll contact you when I find her. it said to the both of them, and they went in opposite directions, Weirdling going in the direction they had just come from while they continued their path to the left.
"Where do you think we'll find something good?" asked Jaden, even though he didn’t want to take anything. He had only agreed to it so Charlie would come along with him, but he wouldn’t object to exploring the palace for the sake of finding something.
"My best guess is the prayer room," she said, as she looked down another hall. "Lil told me that they have these mosaics made from jewels on the doors. She would of gotten them herself, but considering everyone was in the room at the time, she didn’t risk it.”
She grinned wickedly at her unwilling partner in crime, the idea of causing mischief to the rival religion that condoned her natural talent making her want to giggle with delight. “But we didn’t come during prayer time so the room will be completely empty. All we need to do is pop off some booty, grab the gold door handles, and then run."
"And where is this prayer room?" he said. "Did Lil tell you where you could find it?"
"Abiding by Shellack rituals, it should be on the most eastern side of the palace." she said. She suddenly stopped, causing Jaden to bump into her back.
"Wha-"
"Sh!"
They both remained where they were, Jaden watching Charlie's eyes turn from mauve to silver, and then back again. She looked around where they were in the tiled hall, and then peeked out the window. She looked over at him, a curious look on her face.
“Did you hear anything?” she asked him.
Jaden looked around where they were, and shook his head. He watched her poke around the hall a little more, wondering whether she was just paranoid or had actually heard something. She finally shook her head, and motioned for him to follow her again.
"What was that?" he asked as they went along.
“I thought I heard something like Weirdling talking,” she explained. “But I guess it was just a bird or something.”
They turned a corner and found themselves facing a pair of beautiful, ornate doors, the polished wood gleaming along with the hundreds of jewels set into them. Charlie immediately did something close to a squeal, her eyes lighting up with greed.
“Whoo!! Jackpot!!” she crowed excitedly, temporarily forgetting their were supposed to be sneaking around.
Jaden's mouth had dropped open, his mind sent reeling by the opulent display of wealth. Both doors were completely inlaid with jewels from top to bottom. Hundreds of cut diamonds, emeralds, rubies, helos stones, jade, amethyst, and amber, along with several other kinds of precious stones, were put into the door to create the holy scene of Shellack making the first Fae. The glowing, faceless figure was floating among a combination of clouds and leaves, while a Lit, a Darkling, and a Grayling were kneeling before the god in gratitude for creating them. Behind the scene were the City of the Sun, and the City Di Morta with the blue Sable River rushing in between the two.
A battered boat was coming down the water, carrying a few Graylings and spreading bits of yellow and green from it’s bow to represent the disease that the migrating Graylings were escaping from their old kingdom. Light green bamboni and milky white ivory framed the scene with climbing roses. Flowers made from sculpted gold and jewels were kept in glass holders on the sides of the doors. Charlie brushed past her dumbstruck friend, and inspected the door with hands on her hips.
"Well," she said, giving the doors a shrewd look. "The first things to go are these."
She tapped the wings of the First Darkling as she said this, the glowing opal shimmering in reaction to her touch. She looked back at Jaden who hadn't moved, but kept staring at the door.
"Jaden, hand me the bag." she said, motioning with her open hand. Jaden shook his head, holding his tool heavy satchel like a child would a security blanket.
"Charlie," he said, giving her a pleading look. "We can't do this. Look at it, it's a work of art! Who knows how old this thing is?"
Charlie groaned; she had hoped he wouldn’t keep resisting her on the stealing issue. "C'mon, Jaden, don't do this. You said I could take something, and this is what I want to take."
Jaden continued to give her a beseeching expression
"But Charlie, this scene is completely priceless. Will you just look at it!”
Charlie met his feelings with a small death glare, obviously annoyed at his trying to persuade her. “I am looking at it Jaden, and I see how we’re going to eat through the dry season!”
“Charlie!!” She rolled her eyes at his chastising tone, folding her arms and sticking a hip out to the side. She turned around to seriously study the doors though, not wanting to start an argument in the middle of an echoing hall.
It was very detailed, even more so when she looked closely at it. The jewels had been cut with talent and precision, looking as if they had sprung up as thin as a piece of hair or as large as her hand. All of it was molded to form so realistic a picture, Charlie felt as if she was watching the scene play out right in front of her with miniature actors. She could even count the veins in the first Grayling’s wings, and count the eyelashes on the first Lit. The roses to the side looked like she could reach out and touch the satin petals. I'm way too nice when it comes to this stuff, she thought, inwardly groaning as the thief inside her threw a temper tantrum.
"Alright, I won't take any of the jewels." she relented. Jaden smiled brightly at her, completely pleased at her showing she had a conscience.
"The least I can do is take the door handles though!” she said quickly, reverting back to her thieving instincts. “And the flowers in those holders! That stuff can be replaced easy!"
"Alright," said Jaden, as he tossed the bag to her. "Just don't do anything to the doors. I'm going to check with Weirdling."
"Mm-hm!" she said, already stashing all eight of the golden flowers in the bag. She fished the twisters out of the bottom of the satchel, and started working on the door handles as quickly as she could.
Jaden walked a small distance away from her, just to be careful not to get any interference from her permanent link to Weirdling. He wasn’t quite sure how it worked, but even Charlie didn’t know for certain either. He concentrated on an image of the large, gray mouse, hoping it would help it be able to hear him.
Weirdling? He thought to it. Can you hear me? Have you found Mirhae yet?
I...can-...ou...in....fro-....
It was like something kept getting in the way of the bond, interrupting Weirdling’s thoughts in random places. Jaden concentrated more, thinking it might be him, but it just seemed to get worse. It sounded like a fly was buzzing right in his ear, drowning out the incoming thoughts.  
Weirdling? Is everything alright?
Rrr.........  He turned to Charlie who was putting the last door handle in the bag, his heart starting to bang in his chest from panic.
"Something's wrong!" he said, the anxiety clear in his voice. "I've lost my bond with Weirdling!"
"What?!"
Jaden didn't wait for another answer but dashed forward into the hall. He looked down one end, and saw nothing. He looked the other way, and watched as he saw himself come around the corner with Mirhae thrown over his back. He felt his brain come to a screeching halt, trying to wrap his version of reality around the fact that he was staring at himself without a mirror. His double seemed as shocked as he did, but quickly raised a hand and sent a streak of blue lightning at him.
Jaden threw himself back into the prayer room hall as Charlie ran forward. She let out a small shriek as she saw the lightning coming toward her, and threw herself to the ground. She looked up to see where it had come from, and saw Jaden running down the hall with Mirhae over his back. A Darkling came out of the same hall the other Jaden had. I knew something was wrong! she thought as she jumped to her feet. We've got magiked orishime` running around here!
She threw a blast of her own red lightning at the Darkling, who dashed into the preceding hall to avoid it. Jaden ran past her and started after the retreating double.
"Dopplegangar karm! Evawnryzza mista jun!" she shouted, pointing a finger at the disguised Darkling. She then had to quickly turn her attention back to the second Darkling as he sent a glob of lava her way.
She leapt out of the way, sending more lightning at her opponent as she did. Black streaks were running through her hair as her eyes had already turned silver. She formed a triangle of red lightning in her hands, whirled the growing energy around her head, and then sent it spinning at the Darkling. He leapt behind a podium, which promptly exploded into pieces as the lightning hit it. The orishime` threw some large fragments at Charlie which she deflected with more lightning and dodged the next attack of lava.
While Charlie fought with the second Darkling, Jaden had already run down the other half of the hall chasing after the now revealed Darkling carrying Mirhae. The Darkling suddenly stopped, and leapt onto a windowsill. His leather, bat-like wings opened like giant sails, preparing to take off from the window with the unconscious Mirhae. Jaden opened his wings, and launched himself at the Darkling, shoving the panic out of him from before down to the very bottom of himself to replace it with determination.
"Garm Darkling!" he shouted at him. "You leave without Mirhae!"
He grabbed the Darkling's ankles before he could jump, and pulled him down. He fell along with him, not thinking the motion of throwing himself at the orishime` and the effect of gravity. The Darkling struggled against his hold, his booted foot grazing his jaw as he tried to kick him, and Jaden managed to punch his knee in return. Mirhae lay motionless near them as they struggled with one another, Jaden managing to pull himself upward so he could punch more vital areas. He was hitting whatever he could reach, while the Darkling sought to immobilize him as quickly as possible, grabbing at the Grayling’s flailing limbs. Compared to the orishime`’s larger frame, Jaden’s lean form was hard to keep a strong hold on when the slim bones could easily slip out.
The crackle and shriek of lightning mixed with Charlie shouting spell commands caught his attention. He quickly looked back at the magik battle, seeing his friend sending both lightning and whatever solid objects were near her at the other Darkling, who was deflecting the flung vases and ripped off shutters with his own blue lightning. She finally ran out of stuff to throw at him, and started to furiously hurl lightning, barely taking time to breath she was doing it so fast. Blue and red lightning met in the middle of their fight with an ear-splitting crash, waning and waxing with how much energy the wielder was putting into their side of the duel.    
"Don't watch them, watch me!" the Darkling snarled at him. Before Jaden could do anything, he whipped a dagger out and slashed him across the arm.
"Arrrrrgh!"
Jaden fell back from him, the searing pain of iron coursing up his arm, making him cry out. He cringed for a moment, fighting to recover quickly from the pain that was spreading itself through him. Through blurry vision he saw the Darkling bent over to pick Mirhae up again. Without thinking, he flung himself at the Darkling, managing to crush the hand with the dagger in it with a luckily placed knee. The waves of pain finally subsided, if not leaving him a bit numb, and he heard bones snap in half as the Darkling howled in pain. The Darkling spun around, pouncing on him like an enraged animal, his silver eyes narrowed to angry slits. They rolled around on the floor, kicking each other while both swore incessantly.
Jaden was able to get on top of him, and started punching the Darkling, feeling flesh giving underneath his fists. Blood was splattered on the tiled floor and on both fighters. A strangled shout from Charlie snapped Jaden out of his feral struggle. He looked up and saw that she was losing the lightning duel. Her red energy was pushed back to the point of where it nearly touched her hands. Her face was twisted in a painful grimace, her teeth clenched as she tried to force the Darkling’s blue lightning back towards him. The magik wielding Darkling laughed mercilessly at her, his silver eyes gleaming with malice.
"Half-breed wretch! Your soiled blood is no match for mine!" he crowed, his lightning surging around his hands for the final push.
Jaden started to desperately scramble up to help her, his entire being screaming at him to get up and do something to stop her from being killed. The Darkling suddenly reached up and cracked his forehead open with his own. An explosion of white spots was all Jaden could suddenly see, and then there was nothing. At the same time, Charlie's lightning was forced back into her. She screamed in pain as her own and the other Darkling's lightning burned its way through her body.
A loud blast crackled as the two opposing energies mixed, and she was thrown back into the prayer room doors, jewels and splintered wood spraying across the hall like troubled water. She fell to the floor with a faint moan, trying to get a hold on her reeling state of consciousness. The triumphant Darkling ran over to the other who had commenced to start kicking Jaden.
"Enough!" he said urgently. "We have to leave now. The guards will have woken up by now, and will come to investigate the noise."
The orishime` quickly leapt up onto the windowsill, and waited as his partner kicked the unconscious boy one more time then shouldered Mirhae once more. They then leapt out the window as if nothing had happened at all. Charlie groaned from her crumpled position, trying not to breathe too heavily so her aching body would stop screaming in agony. She slowly got up, and was able to drag herself over to look around the corner to see what had happened. Both orishime` were gone and Jaden had been left bleeding on the floor.
"Jaden!!"
She sprang up, panic and adrenaline fueling her actions, and ran over to him as quickly as she could manage before her body gave out from under her. It felt like the lightning had gone through her and scalded the inside of her body down to her nerves. She pulled herself onto her knees, the floor slick with the red liquid from both Jaden and the Darkling. She fervently shook Jaden, trying to get him to wake up.
"Jaden!" she said desperately. "Come on, wake up! Wake up! You have to wake up!"
His eyes suddenly snapped open, and he gasped from pain. He rolled over, trying to get a sense of where he was, and what didn’t hurt from the vicious beating he had received. Charlie hugged him she was so relieved to see him awake without thinking of the consequences.
"Jaden!!!" she cried, almost laughing. "Oh, thank Evawnryzza, you're alive!!"
"Let go! You’re hurting me!!" he shouted, trying to get out of her hold. She immediately let go of him and he fell back onto the floor, panting in relief from the subsided pain.
"Did... they get... Mirhae?" he was able to ask. Charlie bit her lip, and then nodded her head.
"Yes,"
Jaden rolled over and let his head hit the floor. She could hear him mumbling every curse word she knew existed in regret. Suddenly, the sound of clanking armor met her ears and she looked up as guards came from either side of the hall. Her eyes turned silver again as she gathered her energy to defend themselves from the surrounding palace guards, despite how little there was left and how much it hurt. Her winces turned into death glares as the guards formed a circle around them, bristling with shock spears.
A blue armored guard was able to push to the front, his shock spear in the form of a trident that he pointed accusingly at the scowling girl while she tried to get Jaden behind her to protect him. She felt him try to sit up to protect her back, but he was starting to fall once more.
"By order of his grand Majesty, King Yinta Allanora," the blue captain announced. "We hereby arrest you for the kidnapping of Princess Mirhae."
Charlie looked at him like he had sprouted another head, and then commenced to call the blue guard everything but a living Fae.