My thoughts began to whirl in alarm. Lord Dale was here! What did he want?

Was it coincidence he was here?

‘What can I do for you, my Lord? I did not think you would stay at an establishment such as this. I heard your mansion has its own, private, baths.’

I stood still in Sakura’s room, not daring to move. Even out of sight down the corridor, I feared Lord Dale could somehow sense my terrified thoughts.

‘And such an entourage. Is something wrong, my Lord?’ Morwena continued to talk extremely loudly. It was discomforting; almost as if she wanted to scare me.

And then it really did hit me; of course Morwena wanted me to hear. She was trying to warn me!

Kirsten was looking equally as fearful as I tugged on her arm.

‘We’ve got to get out of here,’ I said, but she looked uncertain.

‘He will know I work here,’ she said, ‘it wouldn’t be difficult to find out. It’s you he doesn’t know about. And it’s you who attacked him…’

I shrank away from the door once more as Lord Dale’s voice boomed.

‘This is an order! We are searching for a dark haired girl with purple eyes and black wings. She is wanted by the King. We are warranting a search for her.’

Kirsten’s eyes narrowed towards me at this. ‘Wanted by the King? Is that true?’

‘Could he be pretending?’ I dodged the question, and Kirsten looked thoughtful.

‘Yes, I suppose he could be,’ she said, peering once again around the corner. ‘Morwena’s stalling him. Where could we hide?’

‘Out the window!’ Iggy hissed.

‘My Lord, you can’t possibly inspect every room of this building!’ we all heard Morwena protest. Kirsten sucked in her breath.

‘He’s coming in the building!’ she said in a loud whisper. ‘What do we do?’

I crossed the room, and my hand flew towards the window pane, until I snatched my body away.

‘There’s guards outside!’ I cursed under my breath, loud enough for Iggy and Kirsten to hear.

‘Hide in the wardrobe?’ Iggy suggested uncertainly. Footsteps, marching, could be heard, and the sound of knocking on doors.

‘Open up! This is an order from the King! You must co-operate with a full search of your room!’

‘Shit,’ Iggy swore.

‘I can hear they’re on this corridor!’ Kirsten said faintly. ‘He can’t find you, Mina! If he does…we’re both dead!’

My heart hammered as the searches began. We could hear them through the walls; items being slammed and thrown, furniture overturned. Morwena’s voice, which made the occasional comment, was loud enough to guide us when they were coming closer.

‘All clear, my Lord!’

‘This one’s clear, my Lord!’

Ashen, Iggy shut and locked our door, placing his back to it.

‘Change into something, Mina,’ he said, ‘surely Sakura has make-up— we can make you look different—’

‘Which one of us can change a face, Iggy?’ Kirsten hissed. ‘That won’t work. These people aren’t stupid.’

‘Fine! Use your pheromone charm—’

‘I’ve already used it on Lord Dale. He’ll know I’m using it on him,’ Kirsten blabbered, ‘and that will make things so much worse. And I’ve never used it on more than one person. And besides, I can’t change what Lord Dale sees. Even if I can get him to go away, I can’t stop him seeing Mina! He’ll know we tricked him. We’ll be killed.’

‘We’ll be killed anyway if the King thinks we were hiding her!’

‘Mina says he was bluffing, that it’s just so he can punish her.’

‘We don’t know that for certain—’

My thoughts had drifted away from Iggy and Kirsten’s bickering. The noise was getting closer, and I knew I had a matter of minutes.

Which one of us can change a face, Iggy?

Fabian had been right. I had put myself in great danger, but not only that— I had put a hotel of strangers in danger.

Which one of us…

I couldn’t let everything end here, now. I was going to survive. I was going to find Reia. I was going to use this power of mine for good.

…can change a face?

I wasn’t the old, helpless Lumina that watched Reia get taken away. She wouldn’t recognise me now.

Iggy can change a face.

I can steal.

It’s like putting on a new skin. A new face. So they don’t recognise me.

Iggy’s power burst like a flower within my chest; warmth, spreading as water through my veins and into the furthest tips of my body. I felt the tingling sense of change— who should I become?

And I didn’t need to think; I already knew. The sense of warmth overwhelmed me, as though heat were pouring from my body. There was hammering somewhere in the distance, but I could feel my limbs changing, remodelling, and my body shrinking.

The dots before my eyes subsided, and I was left in a daze of new sensation.

The door slammed open, and Kirsten and Iggy’s eyes flung towards me in horror. Through their bickering, they hadn’t noticed me change, but the room when silent when they looked at me.

‘Three people, my Lord!’

And the guards gave a glance around, seeing only Kirsten, Iggy, and a young girl.

I could sense Kirsten’s eyes on me, wide with shock. Iggy’s shoulders had relaxed. A small smirk played at lips that weren’t my own. I stood comfortably in Hattie's skin, feeling safe. 

The guards began to pull away at the bed, uprooting the sheets, and searching underneath it. They pulled open the closets and checked wherever a person might hide.

Two people entered the room; Lord Dale, first, and Morwena, looking darkly at him from behind.

Seeing Dale took my breath away; and not in a good way. He retained the same arrogance and greasy hair as I had seen him last, but there was a menacing leer about him now. He was out for revenge; you could taste it in the air.

Sweat trickled along my palms and from the corner of my eye, I could see Kirsten’s balled fists. Ignoring Iggy and me, Dale sidled up to Kirsten and grabbed her jaw.

‘Well hello, little flower,’ he said sneeringly. ‘What a pleasant surprise. Oh, don’t look at me like that…’

Kirsten’s face was bunched up in hatred.

‘Your sister didn’t complain,’ he whispered in her ear, loud enough for all of us to hear.

Kirsten’s body jerked, but she still didn’t move.

‘I could have you killed, for conspiring with that black-haired witch,’ he said, flinging Kirsten’s face from his hands. She fell backwards, nail marks fresh in her skin. She glared at him, not giving him the satisfaction of looking hurt.

‘Tell me where she is,’ he commanded, ‘or I’ll change my mind. I’ll have you killed, and your sister.’

Kirsten stayed silent.

‘The search, Lord Dale,’ Morwena said pointedly, giving me a curious glance. I wondered whether she thought I was Hattie. Meanwhile the guards, contented that they had found no refugees, stood to attention. ‘It’s clear, sir,’ they said in unison.

‘Shut it,’ Dale snapped, and Morwena cocked an eyebrow. ‘Does this room look clear to you? This girl has evidence. She is a conspirator, along with that harlot!’

‘I don’t know her,’ Kirsten argued. ‘Did it seem like I recognised her? No!’

‘You’re lying, you little rat.’ Dale looked thunderous. ‘I will ensure that you will go back to where you belong, and join your sister in that whorehouse. And there, you won’t have anyone to save you. No…there, you will take my coin, and enjoy it…’

‘I think it’s time you left,’ Iggy said darkly, moving to stand next to Kirsten. He placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, and I noticed she sagged slightly when he did so.

‘Oh, you do?’ Dale said. ‘I am the King’s advisor, and Guardian of this district. I can do what I like.’

‘Is that how you forced this search, under the pretence of the King?’ Kirsten said suddenly, her usual playfulness returned. ‘You mean, you didn’t tell anyone that you were beaten—’

‘Shut up, you lying little whore!’ Dale grabbed Kirsten’s hair and pulled on it. She cried out in pain, falling to her knees.

‘I will find that other girl and I will make sure that the two of you suffer,’ Dale hissed into her ear, before he was hauled off her by Iggy and Morwena.

‘If you continue to behave like a child, Lord Dale, you will have a rebellion on your hands,’ Morwena said curtly. Dale turned purple with rage, and attempted to splutter a retort, before realising that it was that sort of behaviour Morwena was chiding him for.

‘If you decide that you want to talk, I give you three days,’ Dale said, stood over Kirsten. ‘I hope you choose your sister over a stranger. If not…I will have no mercy.’

He whirled on himself, striding from the door without a second’s glance. The guards hurriedly followed after him, and we could hear him yelling orders searching the rooms.

Kirsten remained on the floor, and it took us all a few seconds to notice the tiny drops of liquid plopping from her cheeks onto the floor. I could feel myself looking ashen; I had no idea how to comfort someone that was in distress because they were covering for me.

But Iggy was an expert. He pulled Kirsten to his shoulder and patted her back, stroking her hair, and all the while exchanging worried looks with me.

‘All of you stay in here,’ Morwena said, her eyes flashing dangerously towards me. ‘I need to be there whilst that idiot is loose in the building. I will be back to discuss this once he’s gone. None of you say a word.’

It took two hours for Dale and his guards to be certain that there was no dark-haired girl stowed at the Bathhouse, and they left, leaving behind an issue of threats and uprooted furniture in their wake. Darkness had not yet fallen, but Morwena had to turn all her guests away and explain that for today, the inn would not be in business.

When she returned to our room, I had reverted back to my normal dark-haired form, and Kirsten was slumped at the desk, her chin propped on her hands. Iggy paced the room, until Morwena threw him a look that made him stand very still.

I was extremely surprised to see that Morwena was carrying the broken bow, cradled in her arms. She shut the door with what seemed like an extremely loud thud, and stood at the threshold of the room, waiting.

When nobody spoke, Iggy tried his best to step in.

‘Well, on the bright side…Mina didn’t get caught. We did it.’

Kirsten sniffled and I gave a slow nod.

Morwena’s eyes were icy. ‘Next time your luck might run out.’

She was staring straight into my eyes, and I shivered.

‘Next time,’ she continued, and Iggy now looked scared. Even Kirsten came out of her reverie to watch Morwena as she stalked, bow in hand, towards me.

‘Next time, you may not have such a dolt looking for you. Next time, the King’s orders might not be fake. Next time, they might be looking for the Opal Princess, and if that were the case, she would be leading them straight to her,’ Morwena breathed angrily. Iggy looked terribly blank, glancing at me as if I would fill him in. But no; I was too concerned with the words washing over my ears, and Kirsten too.

‘What have you to say, Lumina?’ Morwena said triumphantly, laying the broken bow in my outstretched hands.

I looked down, and felt my insides drop. 

How could I be so naiive?

On the curve of the bow, in neat lettering, it read Lumina.

Sorry for this being shorter than normal, but I thought it was a good place to give a pause! Uh oh...Morwena knows! Is she good or evil? Will she help Lumina? Will Kirsten turn her in?And when is Fabian coming back?!?! D:

Media is inspiration for Reia and Lumina: like light and dark, sun and moon...

lots of love, Larissa x