A/N: Hello again, and hope you enjoy this last peaceful chapter of Equinox....! Media is how I imagine Fabian to look.

'What a nightmare,' I said, arriving back at my room with Iggy, Kirsten and Fabian in tow. For ease, our rooms were all located near one another. As I reached my door, I turned to bid them goodnight, finding three exhausted faces staring back in reply.

Two hours it had taken to quiz Valkyrie before the girl would tell us who had placed the spell upon her. After my rebuke about being too young, the headstrong child had gone in search of an Exchanger that could manipulate time, and came across a young girl that had the power. Valkyrie had convincingly lied to the girl that she wanted to be older to be with a boy she liked. Before perfoming the Exchange, the girl told Valkyrie that the cost of her magic would take away Valkyrie's years.

Morwena will kill me.

Valkyrie had given up her childhood to join our cause. A further hour had added onto the day in which a great discussion broke out on whether Valkyrie was actually of age to make her own decisions. Several believed that she was now simply a child in an adult's body, but a group, lead by Kaelan and Sakura, that said the spell had altered Val's time course, and as such, she had aged ten human years within a day. 

The girl herself had to be escorted to her rooms as she would not listen to any disapproval of her actions. Finally, there had been a vote that she should not be put in danger,  and her mother Morwena should be informed as soon as possible. From there on, Morwena would tame her unruly child.

'Morwena is going to be so angry,' Kirsten said, 'I should have watched over her more thoroughly, maybe this wouldn't have happened...'

'We all could have stopped this happening,' Iggy said, and the group sagged.

Kirsten put a hand to her forehead. 'Is there no way we can turn her back? Make a deal ourselves?'

Fabian looked uncharacteristically dark as he contemplated the thought. 'I don't like these spells the Exchangers do. I don't understand any of it, and all I know is that whenever they do something, someone I love pays the consequences.'

He didn't even need to look at me; Iggy and Kirsten did that for him.

'My mother died to give me eighteen years,' I agreed, 'And Valkyrie's is nearly that much...'

'Let's wait until we tell Morwena,' Iggy reassured Kirsten as she groaned at my words. 'And then we panic.'

Kirsten pinched his cheek. 'That's not helping!'

But the shapeshifter boy only stuck out his tongue, whirling away from her hands. He backed along the corridor, and I saw him slip inside his room before Kirsten could catch him. She left out a muffled cry of fury.

'This isn't over, Ignacio,' she hissed at the closed door.

Sensing us watching her, she tossed her hair and straightened her back, blinking sweetly up at Fabian.

'Have you got something in your eye?' he asked, frowning.

Kirsten paused in batting her eyelashes as a smile flashed across my face. She gave me a furious glare.

'Not in my eye, but in my sights, yes,' she said, her white toothed grin switching back on as she looked at him. She took a step closer, her hand reaching up to his arm. If I hadn't been watching to intently, I might have missed his arm twitch away.

'Kirsten—' he began, but she cut him off, rising onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Her hands lingered on his wrists where she held him like a vice. Fabian's face portrayed no emotion, even when I was certain mine did.

'Good night, you two,' I said abruptly, and falsely cheery.

They both looked at me; Kirsten with confusion and Fabian as unfathomable as usual.  I couldn't give a hint of my own emotion away, either. If I did, this whole facade would fall, Fabian would find out what I felt and be forced to explain that he only ever loved the previous girl he knew. I spun around before they could reply, grabbing the door with all my strength and running to hide behind it.

On the other side, I locked the bolt, and slowly slid to my knees.

I was damn tired, I realised. The angels here were looking up to me, asking for my command when I'd only ever had experience stealing single-handedly from a market stall, desperate for food. I was taking care of another woman's child, and now she was in big trouble. I still had no idea where Reia was, and my real sister was locked up in the most impenetrable prison in the world. By next week, I had to have a plan ready and be tough enough to play it out. And to top it off, I was starting to think I had feelings for the man that was technically my ex.

What would Reia do?  I thought. 

She would be the leader they needed, she'd win the child onto her side, and she wouldn't be put off in the slightest by the thought of an impenetrable prison.

Figures. I rolled my eyes.

I reached across to the wardrobe and pulled out a vest and fluffy trousers. A cool winter's breeze was whispering through the night, and I picked a blanket out to wrap around my shoulders. An idea stole into my mind. As I drifted into sleep, a smile wound itself onto my face.

—-

'Please, dispatch two scouts to check whether the border is being guarded into the Ruby district. If it is, we need to know how to get past. We also need a fast messenger to Morwena, preferably one which is stealthy— when we left her, she was under watch. And someone who knows the best route to the Ruby district to map our journey. Oh, and has anyone started on the wagons yet? I believe we can use Morwena's as a model, but we will need four in total, and four horses to pull them. One can be our horse Sonata...'

I heard a low chuckle as I paused for breath.

'You're going to explode,' the voice said, placing firm hands on my shoulders from behind and squeezing them. 'And I think you've told Warren so much information that he's lost consciousness.'

On cue, the old Exchanger's eyes fluttered to life, and he looked apologetically at me. 'We're on it, princess. There's no need to worry.'

Warren bowed politely to me, and took his leave. I breathed out, wondering how on earth I could not worry.

But apparently, someone didn't. Fabian's hands moved from my shoulders to ruffle my hair fondly, and he gave an apparent yawn as I turned to face him with a scowl.

'Good morning to you too,' he said, 'Kirsten sent me to tell you that she's overseeing the clothes being made by the dressmakers, and it's going smoothly. Everyone has had their measurements taken.'

'Good,' I answered, mentally relieved that blending in was one less thing to worry about. Outwardly, I grimaced.

'What's that face for?' Fabian flashed me a toothy grin. His silver hair was sticking up at the front, as if he'd woken up only minutes ago. When he caught me staring, he raked a hand through it. 'My hair? I was thinking of cutting it short...'

I raised an eyebrow— he'd let his hair grow out and bound into a small ponytail after I'd remarked about him cutting it off.

'Your hair has grown really long too,' he added, eyeing my long plait that wavered at my thighs. 'And your wings have grown.'

They had? I swung my head to look over my shoulder, but couldn't make out my back very well. As I struggled, Fabian laughed.

'Let me,' he offered, and he placed his hand on my back.

I was wearing a halter necked t-shirt and combat shorts, ready to train with Sakura later. So when he touched in between my shoulder blades, his hands swept my skin, making me shiver. 

Either he didn't notice, or he carried on. Fabian pressed into the closest part of my wing, which I felt when he applied pressure to towards the bone underneath. Then, he ran his hand down the length of each wing, showing me how much longer they were to before. Although I registered that they were now to my forearms, I was much more aware of how close Fabian stood at my back, and the way his breath hit my neck.

So I stepped away instinctively, twisting away from the comfort of his touch, and said, 'Is there someone organising a role for each member of the troupe? We can't have too many spares, it will look suspicious.'

Fabian's eyes darkened. His expression screamed at me in disappointment.

'I will get onto it right away, princess,' he said, with emphasis. His body jerked into a bow, before he turned on his heel and walked away.

I hurt his feelings, I realised, left standing in the middle of

the council's meeting room alone, having sent away absolutely everyone close to me on errands. I would have to run the next one myself.

Searching for Valkyrie, I made my way to her room, and knocked on the door. If anyone was inside, they ignored the knock. I cracked the door open to see if the girl was there, and in true typical teenager style, only a mass of curly red hair was visible underneath bedsheets. I strode over and shouted for her to wake up.

The girl simply twitched and rolled over onto the other side. Rolling my eyes, I pulled the bedsheets off her, and reflexively, the girl squealed in the cold. Her eyes slammed open and fixed on me with unconcealed rage.

'I was sleeping!'

'It's mid-morning! Wake up!'

Valkyrie's face contorted with grumpiness, and I tried hard not to smirk. She was still in someone's shirt, covering to her knees and leaving the rest of her legs bare. She swung herself upright, rubbing her eyes in a childlike manner.

'Are you going to tell me off again?' she said, pouting fiercely. Again, I tried not to laugh.

'No,' I replied truthfully, and the girl looked mollified. 'What's done is done, and although you're still not allowed to come, I figured you should have something decent to wear. I can't have you in that shirt still when your mother arrives.'

At the mention of Morwena, the girl flinched, fixing her gaze on me reproachfully.

'You're telling my mum?' she said. She did not look impressed.

'She has to know,' I replied, producing the hairbrush from her side table and chucking it across the room to her. 'I'm more afraid of her than I am of you, so she gets to make the decisions. Now, comb your hair, and I can lend you clothes.'

Valkyrie didn't like my taste in clothes, it seemed. I lead her to my room and opened my scarce wardrobe for her. Rows of dark leggings and tank tops, sturdy leather jackets and clumpy boots made her face fall.

'They're so dull,' she said, 'Why aren't there any colours?'

'Colours are difficult to sneak around in. Pick something, and we can go to the training room.'

Brooding, Valkyrie picked out a short black skirt and tight fitting top, covering her arms and neck.

'We?' she said, swiftly changing, 'Are you letting me come?'

I gave a sarcastic laugh as I turned away from her to give her privacy.

'Last time I left you alone, you came back a woman. I'm not falling for the same mistake twice.'

—

Our attempts at a team were assembled in one of the large open rooms nearby to the council chambers. Walsh had arranged it so that workbenches were assembled, seamstresses were at work combining cloth and magic, and activity was everywhere. I spotted parts of the wagons being constructed; men and women Exchangers working together, casting spells onto the wood, their hands glowing with orange light. Behind them, a small platform stage held a young girl, her hair and body bound in bright purple cloth, embroidered with silver and bells. I recognised the small girl from earlier— Kitty— from her brown eyes, the only part of her face not hidden by purple material. As Kitty danced, the bells on her arms and legs ruffled together, making a noise like faint rain amongst the rest of the activity.

In a chair beside the stage, Kitty's mother sat with her arms folded, a muscle tic apparent in her clenched jaw.  

Other faces were recognisable in the room. Sakura had assembled a square corner, where she practiced firing arrows as she danced in an entirely different manner to Kitty— as if enemies were at her heels. Roan stood nearby, watching her with expressionless eyes. Kaelan was hitting a dummy repeatedly, Guthrie directing his strokes, and Trina laughing heartily when he fluffed a move. As we entered, his sword missed the dummy's neck entirely as he charged forwards, his gaze held onto the redhead at my side.

Feeling that I would regret it later, I made my way over to the group. Kaelan was still blushing red, his gaze fixed on Valkyrie. Guthrie simply stared in amusement, passing me a look that said she couldn't believe it either.

'Will you train Valkyrie?' I asked, placing a gentle arm on her shoulder. 'Let her try a bow and a sword. See how she goes.'

'Of course,' Guthrie said, and Trina hopped from her vantage point observing the training to show Valkyrie the collection of weapons on the table. Excited, the girl jumped towards it, focussing on a staff with a very lethal pointed end.

'Close your mouth, Kaelan,' I said, grinning at the hopeless young man.

I found Clae sat with Walsh, both pooling over notes and sketches of a dark, hooded figure. The pictures depicted lightning crackling around his hands, or being brought upon the ground he stood on.

'The Storm Mage?' I asked them, and they nodded.

'Nobody seems to know what he looks like,' Clae said, biting her lip. 'We're going to have to be smart to catch him, as well as strong.'

'How are the preparations going?' I asked Walsh, and he gave an encouraging nod.

'Very well, I believe. Everything is being accounted for; we have the operative team, who will be heading into the prison with you, and the cover team. Providing cover, but not going into the castle will be Kitty and her mother, the twins, Lav, Arl and Jak. Alongside these acts, Sakura has agreed to take part in a shooting display with Kirsten, and Guthrie and Trina are Summoner Exchangers. Iggy will shapeshift, whilst Roan and Kaelan are going to be the travelling guards...'

We continued to discuss, prepare and train for the next few days. We were scheduled to leave in four days' time, with time to reach the prison two nights and three days. Everyone was busy preparing costumes and alibis for the gyspy cover, conscious that being caught meant certain death. I took to sparring and training with Sakura, Guthrie and Roan, and occasionally Trina, if she was in a good mood. Roan's Exchanger power was particularly useful to me; he used his own energy in exchange for increasing his strength and agility. When we sparred, he was growing wary of my proximity; if given the chance, I would steal his power and use it against him.

The scouts sent to the borders came back after a day, and were extremely helpful in their findings. The borders were closed unless people had written permission from their district ruler. Ingeniously, they had waited for a moment to steal a pass from the guards, and the copy had now been forged to allow our troupe passage.

The wagons were complete, and realistic enough to not rouse suspicion. Each had four bunk beds, with the exception of one wagon, which had a downstairs cabin for Lavinia and Arl, and sleeping bags for the guards, Kaelan and Roan. The largest wagon had five of the boys squashed inside; Fabian, Jak, Iggy, and the two twins. Safe to say, Fabian was not happy.

I couldn't say I was satisfied, either; my own roommates were Sakura and Clae, who I liked, but also Kirsten, who was increasingly difficult not to head butt. The remaining sleeping arrangements were Guthrie, Trina, Kitty and her mother.

So as the first rays of light rose on the fourth morning, we loaded up our preparation and donned our traveller's clothes and guises. My black hair was gone, coloured red by dyes, and my eyes now a dark green. My wings had been tinted golden.

We set off on the quickest and quietest path we knew, all pretending to be calm gypsy travellers, and hiding the anxiety that shrouded our journey.

Nobody commented that the messenger to Morwena had never returned, and as such, Valkyrie had been left behind in distress. 

——

A/N: Thank you again for reading!!! I'm sorry for the delay in this chapter. I found this bridging part really difficult to write, so I'm much more excited to write the next portion of Lumina and co travelling on the road!

The message to Morwena never came back... :( What do you think that means?

Comment/vote/follow if you enjoyed!

lots of love

Larissa

P.S., As I mentioned last time, LITTLE SAINT BRIDE is my other current work, which now has three chapters, soon to be four! If you enjoy Equinox, PLEASE give it a look! I've posted the link below.

http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/37493976-little-saint-bride-a-dark-fairytale