As soon as the dance ended and another began, I drew away from the circle and Fabian. I did not look back.

How, I cursed, how could I allow myself to be so easily distracted, so desperately swayed?

My throat felt like a lump of sugar with the bitterest aftertaste. Reia, alone in a prison cell, flashed before my eyes. Freya, in love with Fabian--

-- Reia, in love with Fabian?

Let's not go there, I thought fiercely, I need her back safely first. How can I enjoy myself, when my sister is in such trouble?

I was furious at my own foolishness. Captured by music and the moment, I had almost forgotten what was most important. Stalking away moodily, I crossed the room and took a seat at the edges of the revelry.
The only seats available were the stone pews that made it extremely difficult to avoid the rest of the world. As I folded my arms and crossed my legs, attempting to shrink my body area, I was surrounded by chattering of Exchangers. Food was being served nearby; I took a bowl ravenously, not recalling the last time I'd eaten properly. The old man serving the warm broth gave me a warm smile, and laughed as I ate as fast as I could, then asked for seconds.

'Slow down, child, nobody is going to take your food,' he said.
I was sat on the pew beside his table, my legs folded under me and my hands free to ladle food into my mouth. Between spoonfuls, I gave him an incredulous look.

'Where I come from, anything can take your food away.'

The man's eyes were hidden behind his huge smile. 'Well, I promise no one will get past me. Your food is safe. And if you're really worried, my wife over there will read your future.'

'She's a Seer?' I stopped eating in order to look around. The old man was gesturing towards a stooping lady with iron coloured hair in a buzzcut, surrounded by teenagers and children. The lady was unbelievably old - her face was a maze of lines and folds, and when she grinned, it was entirely toothless. I watched her produce a card for each child, but from a distance I couldn't see what was on them.
Her wings were definitely orange. They were a deep, vibrant orange that reached as tiny spiky feathers from her coloured robes.

'Not a Seer,' the old man replied, busy serving other angels. Between watching him, the old lady and the dancing crowd, I had a lot to keep up with. I took a moment of the man's distraction to glance at the dancers, spotting Fabian on the edges, his back towards me. The unmistakable twisting hornx and chocolate hair was Kirsten, who in my jealousy appeared to be dancing like a snake.

'Something on your mind, chick?'

My head snapped at the sudden shadow across my vision. The old lady was taller than I realised, and she had stepped in front my spying spot on the crowd. All I could do was gape and hope she didn't realise what I had been doing.

But I saw her eyes flicker from me, and backwards, and I knew there was nothing that could be hidden from those eyes.

'No,' I said dumbly, knowing my every move betrayed me.

'She's been very hungry,' the old man stuck up for me. I could have hugged him-- and I disliked close contact.

Fabian's warmth invaded my mind again, and that sly voice added: normally.

'Hungry? Are you still hungry, chick?'

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, my bowl empty. 'No, thank you.'

'Then are you quite sure you're alright?'

'Yes, ma'am.'

'Then you won't mind me reading your fortune?'

The bowl clattered to the floor in my shock, causing a few angels close by to jump and turn briefly. Luckily it did not smash, Once they had looked away, I scooped up the dish as I heard the old man encourage me.

'It's alright, you know. It's fun.'

'Fun?' The sceptism in my voice was unmistakable. 'I do not believe that fortune telling predicts my future.'

The old lady was already by my side, pulling a deck of cards from her robe. Beside me, her husband watched in mild interest, as if he had seen this a thousand times before.

'Little chick, you of all people should know that time is not certain,' the woman tutted at me, 'And the future can be altered by the smallest of moves. Think of it as a guide.'

She did not wait for my answer. She closed her eyes, her hand hovering over the deck. The hand holding the cards shook and splayed them out. Like an eagle diving for its prey, the old lady's hand dove for the pile of cards. Then, she was holding three picture cards before my eyes.

I tried hard not to show surprise.
The one that drew my eyes was on the left; a young woman with golden wings and curling blonde hair, leaning against a stone wall. The one besides it was a depiction of fire, and the last one was a ladder.

The lady snapped the cards into one, with the ladder out on top. She gestured to it. 'The Ladder. A symbol of climbing; child, don't be afraid to speak out. You have strengths that you can use to your advantage, strengths that will be needed on the task to come.'

I frowned as she passed me the card. I was still sceptical; anyone could use vague symbols and apply them to a generic topic.
But it does fit the rescue mission, I thought.

'There is one more thing...there is another, here, who can be of help to you in this mission. Everyone underestimates this person, but their power will be invaluable.'

Another vague comment.

'The Flames,' the lady breathed, 'They are normally a symbol of destruction, but they whisper that they want you to take the meaning literally. I'm not certain what they mean by that...'

The Fire Opal.

I was given the card by the lady. 'The whispers say you understand...' she continued, 'Ah! They say to always have it with you.'

Well, that was much more direct, I thought. Perhaps I stand corrected. If this last card is what I think it is...

'The final card is someone close to you. She's waiting, and she's closer than you think.'

I shot from my seat, grabbing the lady's hand. Forgetting that I was not a believer in fortunes, I began to bombard her with questions about Reia.

She only smiled sadly. 'I cannot see anymore, my dear. I just read the cards.'

Placing the card in my hand and giving me a reassuring squeeze, the old lady stood to move away. I was left, muddled and confused, and missing Reia with an ache.

I heard her murmur over the noise. 'Good luck, Princess.'

---

I plucked Valkyrie into my arms, from where she had been trying to join the next dance. The angels around her glanced with caution, and looked away as I held her unflinchingly.

'Lumina!' Valkyrie wailed, 'I want to join in! Pleeeease!'

'It's your bed time, missy,' I said, heaving her over my shoulder. She flailed, making me stagger.

'I promised Morwena I would look after you, not let you join in drunken festivities.'

She continued to struggle like a wildcat all the way as I carried her into the draughty dark passageways. I only set her down when I realised I didn't know where she lived.

Valkyrie realised this, and tried to run. I sidestepped in front of her, and her arms and face ran into me, her skin touching onto mine.

Instantly, I was caught unawares. My hand felt as though it had been dipped in ice; from the skin that had touched Valkyrie, a chill swept up through my bones. A nauseating sickness flared from my chest, and I heaved. My knees caved, and I placed my arms out to catch my fall, jarring them on impact. I was too distracted by the intricate designs growing there to notice.

From the point Valkyrie had touched my skin, a dark inky blot had appeared, becoming a swirl that was extending slowly outwards in all directions. I watched in fascinated horror as the dark lines rose up my arm in tendrils, some spiralling into their end, others branching and forming more whirls.

I sighed, shutting my eyes hurriedly and waiting for the balance to take Valkyrie's power.

'Not working,' I said sternly, standing and folding my arms. The lines on them had drawn back, fading. Valkyrie gazed at me in shock.

'It's past midnight,' I ammended as the girl looked upset. Fondly, I reached for her hand. 'I'm sorry. Will you come with me? I'm not in a great mood tonight, and I'm sorry for shouting at you.'

Valkyrie gave me a lopsided, devilish grin. 'It's Fabian, isn't it?'

I rolled my eyes. 'Not you, too.'

'I'll go to bed if you tell me.'

'Deal. Lead on, Little Red.'

Valkyrie's rooms were away from the other children's, and her room had only a few of her items from home. A blanket on her bed and her shoes on the floor, and a few books crammed onto the bedside table were the first signs of the child. The next was that Valkyrie had been painting; her sketchbook was flipped open on the floor, and paper strewn around it. Sketches of feathers and wings dominated most of the pages, but I did notice a coloured one of Sakura and even a side profile of Kirsten and Iggy.

Nothing of me, I realised. I deserve it. Lately I've ignored everyone else.

'We'll start on your training again in the morning,' I said decidedly, 'I'll wake you.'

'Can I help on the mission? Please?'

I handed her the woolly pyjamas at the foot of her bed, and turned around as she changed. 'It's too dangerous. You're too young.'

I could hear the girl arguing intently from inside the pyjamas she was pulling over her head. When she resurfaced, I heard her voice become clearer.

'--if I wasn't too young!'

'Mhmm,' I said absent mindedly. 'Are you done yet?'

Red hair flashed before my eyes. Eagerness glinted in the tiny girl's eyes.

'So? Will you tell me about Fabian?'

I huffed. 'I hoped you'd forgotten. A deal's a deal, I guess.'

Valkyrie grinned triumphantly as I scooped her up under the armpits and placed her onto her bed. Tucking her in, I knelt at her side, and stuck out my tongue in a very uncharacteristic manner.

'Fabian is Fabian. I was previously engaged to him, but I don't remember, and he does. When I arrived on the island--'

'You come from off the island?'

'Yes,' I said, 'I lived most of my life in ignorance to Angelica.'

Valkyrie's mouth was wide open in interest. 'You didn't know?'

Successfully finding a story to tell her that wasn't involving Fabian, I began to tell Valkyrie all about my life at the orphanage on Earth, and the other children there. I told her about Reia, and how we were the most unlikely tag team. She wanted to know what I'd done, so I told her about my inventions, and she made me promise to build something for her. Her eyes were closing as I recounted the tales of the island and the rumours we had spread. By the time I reached the part where Reia disappeared, the girl was already fast asleep, and I quietly snuffed out the lights and slipped from her room.

---

The meeting was not progressing particularly well after the previous night's merriment. I had gone to bed right after leaving Valkyrie, and so Walsh and I were about the only ones awake enough to function.
I was trying hard not to be furious. It was afternoon already; I'd been up for hours training with Valkyrie until her control and mine were much better. Was it too much to ask for some responsibility?

Fabian, Iggy, Kirsten, Kaelan, Guthrie and Trina were all slumped across the couches in a post-night hungover state. Iggy looked remarkably green and I was almost certain I could hear Kirsten's snores. Sakura and Roan both stood like sentries, similar in their slackened faces and dark circles around their eyes.

I was surprised by Clae, sat quiet on a stool near our maps, studying them intensely. She still looked ill, but I felt a swell of pride; she hadn't drank last night. Kirsten had underestimated her sister.

Everyone underestimates this person...

The old lady's prediction came back into my mind, and I wondered on it for a moment. As Walsh asked whether I had come up with a way to enter the prison, I called Clae over. Her eyebrows rose in surprise.

She stepped gracefully across the room, her head bowed. She wore a plain grey dress, which covered her neck down to her knees. Her hair was neatly pulled back, and her face bare of make up. She looked much better natural. Her face showed strength rather than a person who was hiding, and her wings were no longer dirty but bright and golden.

'I have been listening, my lady, but I can't say I know anything about tactics...'

I smiled warmly. 'It's Lumina, Clae. No need for titles.'

The girl blushed, staring at her feet.

I decided to ask the question before I grew too scared to. 'May I ask what your power is?'

'I...I can control people,' Clae stammered, 'I just have to look them in the eye.'

My smile widened. 'I think we have our leading lady, Walsh.'

'It only works once,' Clae added, as the two of us exchanged plotting glances. 'I can make them do anything but only once. They don't remember afterwards...'

'Once is all we need,' I said. 'I'll explain, but let me wake this lot up first...'

'May I help?' I heard Sakura mutter darkly.

I stepped across the room, until I was stood over the hungover group. Clearing my throat, I began to shout.

'Okay, wake up you lazy louts! Will the Storm Mage make allowances for hangovers? NO!'

Fabian groaned as I beamed the enchanted lights over them. 'Gods, Lumina!'

'UP!' I roared, 'We have a week or so to get ready, and if you want to do the impossible, you have to start before dinner! UP!'

'This had better be good,' Iggy cursed, unfolding himself until he was standing. Sakura was tapping Guthrie and Trina. I saw Kaelan rubbing his eyes, and Kirsten was slapped fondly by Clae. Soon, all eyes were pinned onto us.

'It is good,' I said, my eyes flickering to them all, 'I know how to get into the prison.'

----

A/N: helloooo! I hope you're all having a great week and once again thank you for reading!
What are your thoughts on Clae's power? And do you think Valkyrie's going to stay put...?

And most of all, what is Lumina's plan?

Also, broth is like my favourite meal. It's so homely and comforting...what's yours?

Lots of loveee
Larissa