I burst into the corridor, wiping damp from my cheeks and taking deep breaths. Emotions unfamiliar roared through my body, and I didn't know how to break them down and make sense of them. Was that guilt? Over a kiss? Anxiety? How would this all end?

No! Now was not the time to break down. Now was the time to get to work, and finish what I'd came here for.

Find Reia, I told myself, if I find her, she'll know what to do. She will know where they are keeping Arianna, if Val's here...

'May I help you, ma'am?' a kindly angel bowed to me. I'd stormed through the closest side doors to the ballroom, and was in a long, thin, red corridor. The servant was obviously here to show guests around-- but was it to keep them in? Or make them feel welcome?

I blinked. The servant was young, and he gave me a sheepish, cute smile that showed the dimples around his youthful face. After only a few months of being out of the stealing game, the ability to manipulate and cheat returned like a rash. I looked confident, the words of my lie coming to me almost naturally.

'I'm looking for the restroom,' I declared. 'Could you show me the way?'

The servant couldn't be more obliged, flaring my guilt once more. He led me down the corridor, and I spied rooms as I passed. To my anger, no room was unfurnished, no decoration spared; compared to the terrible destruction of my city and the slums of Ruby's, the palace was another world. 

'What a beautiful palace,' I said with forced cheeriness, hoping to learn about where Reia might be. Another world, indeed-- and a maze. 

'Indeed, yes, the princess ensures that this place is well run.'

Right on the mark. 'Where is the princess?' I asked curiously, as if I were asking what the weather was like outside. I added, 'I didn't see her in the ballroom.'

The servant nodded understandingly. 'Our princess isn't often in good health, I'm afraid. Her chambers are upstairs, and she is resting in them.'

My heart drummed, distracted from the anxiety of kissing people to excitement. Reia! 

But the servant's words had struck a chord. She isn't often in good health? She's probably battered and tortured, that's why! No wonder she can't make a public appearance...

Anger that had been forced down at the lavish expenses of the King returned in full force when I considered his barbaric behaviour towards his daughter that left her bed bound. My dreams had been right, Reia's ill health was too suspicious. I had to find her. Fast.

I bit my lip, wondering whether I still had Clae's power. I could sense it, buried deep inside, and I prayed that I would be able to use it. When the servant arrived at the washroom and turned back to face me, my eyes glowed electric blue, and I knew her powers were retained.

'Show me to this princess, but tell no-one what we are doing.'

Gone was the servant's cheerfulness; in fact, he looked at me blankly and robotically, changing direction and leading deeper into the palace. At the first set of stairs, we wound up them, until yet another red corridor faced us. I mapped it in my head, should I need to return this way, but everything looked similar. With any luck, Reia would know the way back.

At the end of the second floor, another set of double doors greeted us. These doors were golden, with decorations of the sun around the edges. I thought it very apt for Reia's chambers.

'The Princess is inside,' the servant announced. Yet another pang of guilt flooded me as the blue colouring ebbed away from his irises, and then he walked away again, as if nothing had happened.

I pushed the guilt away, along with all of the other emotions baying for my attention, into that storage box inside my heart. I was learning the hard way the entangled problems of using people against their will. If Clae were alive, she would have been able to tell me how it felt.

Find Reia, I insisted. Once I found her, less important things could be sorted later. 

My hand reached for the golden handle, grasped it, turned it. The lock clicked, and the door swung open.

Inside, a dimly lit chamber was in lonely disarray. Unlike the rest of the palace, which had been polished and cleaned to perfection, this room was filled with cobwebs and dirt. Old furniture cluttered the sides, but it was scarce, with creaking wooden floorboards and an ancient, cracked looking glass.

But what was on the furthest side of the wall made me stifle a cry.

Golden hair swept along the bed, onto the floor, like netting made of sunshine. The girl's hands were placed like a corpse over her chest, and her eyes were shut. She wore a simple dress of gold fabric, and bangles on her wrists. The girl's face was pale, her lips painted cherry red. Golden wings cocooned her, protecting her.

Reia.

I didn't hesitate. I ran to her.

I threw myself at her bedside, grabbing her hands in mine.

'Reia! Reia!' I gasped, feeling tears welling up once again. The hands I held in my own were cold, and I clutched them, trying to warm them. She didn't move, didn't wake. Her eyelids remained shut.

I stroked a lock of curling, golden hair from her cheek. Her whole body was freezing; how was she this cold?

'She won't wake.'

The voice made me jump, twitching to my feet and scrambling to face the direction it was coming from. I hadn't even heard anyone creep up behind me, but sure enough, a golden-haired man stood in the doorway, blocking my exit.

The fading yellow curls, the cornflower eyes, pale complexion-- this man could only be Reia's father. He stood shorter than I imagined, and in a plain grey suit he looked no scarier than one of the rich men from the cities, and no older than his fifties. The wings that burst from his back were orange, but their tips turned into red, as if he'd dip-dyed the bottoms of the feathers.

His confidence oozed from him, stood with his feet shoulder width apart and leaning against a sleek black cane. He didn't bother to wear a crown; there was something regal about him, and when he smiled, a gold tooth glinted.

'Freya won't wake,' he said, taking a step forwards. 'I won't ever let her awaken.'

I took a step away, still standing protectively over my sister. 'Why?' I demanded.

The King smiled. A dark, possessive leer. 'Because the throne is mine, and neither you nor her will get in my way.'

He rushed forwards, grabbing my dress and pushing me hard. I stumbled, crying out as his nails ripped through skin. Clattering to the floor, I tried to stand, but the King swung a swift jab with his cane right into my abdomen, and I felt myself hunched over, heaving for air.

'Maybe I'll make you into one of mine,' he said, swinging the cane again. I felt it connect with my wrist and I screamed, bones cracking.

Survival instinct must have kicked in, because I lashed out, bolting quickly across all fours. Somehow, no matter where I tried to escape to, the King was one step ahead. I tried to control him, my eyes glowing hot, but no matter how I attempted to catch his attention, the King's gaze slipped past my control.

How was he so fast? I thought desperately. He was everywhere at once, his face the only thing my brain could make sense of. By the window, that calm, irritating demeanor. Then he was by the wall. Then he was behind me, by Reia...

'You'll make a great daemon. I'll make you kill all your loved ones first.'

'Never,' I panted. How was he doing this? I felt cornered and out of control. How could I face an opponent that I couldn't keep track of? 

In every situation, my calculation and logic conquered all, and if I could see they weren't going to work, fleeing became my option. But here, running away was no alternative; Reia needed my help. But logic of the King's power was beyond my comprehension, and calculation of how to overcome it even less. 

'You'll have to kill me.'

I tried to run again, but the world seemed to turn and crash around me. My head swirled. The King grabbed my chin, placed his hand over my eyes and whispered something.

My head felt as though it had split in two, caved in by an earthquake. The pain was a thousand knives, contorting my limbs and shredding my skin. I panicked; how could I not? I didn't want to become a daemon!

No! Please, god, no!

I gritted my teeth. If I concentrated hard, maybe I could steal his power--

Concentrating didn't stop the pain, and I continued to convulse as my limbs jerked at odd angles. Bone was pressing against bone, and I wondered how I wasn't bleeding as skin ripped away. Surely my eyes were about to burst! I could feel my face swelling!

I can't feel the source of his power, I realised.

That was what was missing. No power source, no light within the darkness.

A sob escaped from my mouth. No, I can't cry. I can't fail here. Reia is so close...

Focusing, I willed the black dots in front of my eyes away. I could make out my knees, crouched upon the floor, the King stood watching my transformation. Left hand first, right hand second. On all fours, I dragged myself across to my sister, feeling so weak I could barely lift my hands.

Instead, I leaned my head against her hand, which had dropped off the edge of the bed and was dangling limp. The coolness of her hand calmed my forehead, and I made myself breathe in, out, in again.

I'm here, Reia. I found you. Your dad is trying to kill me, but I'm here.

You're not alone anymore.

I had no power to defend myself.

A heat burned at my head, and I thought that my headache had begun to bleed, hot blood warming my skin. But my hand managed to tremble, reaching up to the burning stone adorning my hair.

Not quite powerless. My fingers enclosed around the Opal, shaking, scared.

Black, shiny shoes took a step towards me. The King was stalking his prey, thinking that I was resorting to praying and peace than fighting back. He grasped my dress again, pulling me by the scruff of my neck.

'This ends here,' he hissed.

He moved his hand, but to do what I'll never know. As his fingers connected with my skin, I felt the Opal burst into life, the millions of colours whirling through my body and creating a blazing inferno. The spark spread, roaring into life along the tips of the King's nails, burning his flesh and travelling further. Within seconds his whole hand was alight.

I heard him screaming, crying, as his hand spread blackness, and I gazed on in horror through exhausted eyes as he dropped me, clutching his hands, then his arms, then neck. Burning flesh filled the air, making me nauseous. Oddly, my headache was lifting rapidly, as was the sensations my body had been feeling earlier.

Glancing down, my skin hadn't ripped, my bones hadn't protruded. Not even my wrist looked sore from the attack by the King's cane. In fact, the heavy weight that had clouded my limbs was gone, and I blinked, feeling normal once more.

Had the King done that to me? I stared at the man howling in pain. Something flickered before my eyes, and the image of the King disappeared.

I blinked, standing up. The room appeared decorated for an instant, beautiful white walls and painted flowers.

Blink. The room was grey and dusty, and the King before me was injured.

Blink. The King's blond curls had disappeared. A withered old man cried upon the floor, burning to death.

I stumbled, clutching my head. What was going on? Why was I seeing things?

I spun around, wondering to check on Reia. The girl was still frozen in place, her curls unmoved by the battle. I frowned, noticing a detail I should have realised sooner.

Something is odd.

Reia isn't even breathing.

What's happening here?

I looked back at the younger King, and my vision broke once more, like a flickering radio station. Tiny parts of the picture burst over the rest, and a mix of old man and blond king crossed my eyes. The blond king was lying still, clutching at his injuries.

Blink. The old man stared at me, eyes filled with anguish. Fear. Hatred. His face was withered, but the remnants of old curls remained on his temples, and he had lost his hair on his crown.

A slim band of gold circled his forehead.

What? Who was that man?

The blackness had burned him to a crisp; the old man faltered, falling, and I could hear crying in the background.

'Guards! Guards!'

Blink. The King's black cane left upon the floor.

Blink. The cane was gone.

I turned.

Reia was awake. Crying, screaming, bawling. Her image flickered before my confused eyes, from bed-bound to beautiful, pointing and screaming.

And that's when my headache cleared entirely, and the room was filled with light. No longer grey, a lightly lit bedroom of a person with a sensitive nature came before my eyes. Sketches and paintings adorned the walls, and occupied easels by the windows, waiting to be completed. Bookshelves were dotted thoroughly, and an armoire of glitter and frills hit my eye from the opposite corner.

On the floor, an old man lay dying, skin charred by the stone still pulsating in my hand. All that was recognizable of his face and clothing was the gold band, mockingly glinting at us. The trail of soot led right from my feet.

And slowly, I turned to face the girl behind me.

Reia was standing beside her four-poster bed, her gown made of a thousand stars of golden light. Beautiful curls piled atop her head cascaded down her shoulders, waggling down to her hips. Her face was the same, except accentuated by pale powder and dark red lipstick.

Her wings were flexed, defensive, gold and strong. Almost as strong as the finger that was pointing accusingly towards my chest, and I followed it, feeling numb.

Reia's blue eyes were the same ones I'd looked into for what seemed like hundreds of years. Sister. Best friend. Confidant.

Liar.

'Guards!' Reia screamed, 'She killed the king! Capture her!'

---

A/N: AHHH!! We're so close to the end of Equinox now. What do you think will happen? Is Reia really betraying Lumina, or is something else going on? Whose side is she really on?

Please let me know your thoughts, theories and if you liked please VOTE! :)

lots of love (nearly there!)

Larissa