'Opal Princess, the scouts have returned.'

I paused from where I knelt on the floor, wringing out a damp cloth for the umpteenth time that day. Placing it back in the bucket, I turned to see light in the doorway, where a young Exchanger stood.

He wore what I now knew to be the lowest ranking clothes; they were shown through the monotone bright green, and few adornments of jewellery on his body. Even so, I considered him to be greater than my rank. I was addressed with reverence here and my protests were ignored. Perhaps they would not treat me with such respect had they known my past as a thief.

And present. What would it be like to Steal an Exchanger's power?

I quickly pushed the thought away. I had decided against abusing my power after meeting the charming Lord Dale.

'Thank you,' I said, regretting that I did not know the boy's name. There weren't that many Exchangers here and I should have known more names by now. When I asked his name, he looked terribly embarrassed.

'Pip, my lady,' came his muffled answer, the tips of his ears pink. I was thankful that he didn't point out that I had probably asked him the very same question a day or so ago.

'Thank you, Pip. I will be there as soon as I change Fabian's towels. Will you let them know?'

I heard the angel boy take his leave.

I picked up the cloth again and gently wrung it out, watching the droplets until them stemmed. Then I turned back to the man I jokingly thought of as my patient, although I had no more skill as a doctor than I did at being the ruler I was supposed to be.

Fabian lay in exactly the same spot he'd been lying in for the last five days, since I had pulled him from the water. He had been moved quickly to one of the healing bays. There was only one Exchanger that had healing skills, and he had assessed Fabian as critical; when the men had undressed him, they said that they had found attack marks all over his torso, arms and legs, deep cuts made by claws, and bite marks still oozing pus.

The healer then explained to me that Angel magic didn't work perfectly. There was no healing cure for Fabian; there was nothing that would turn back time, or reverse the damage that had been done. Luckily, though, the body healed naturally, provided Fabian could survive long enough to heal. And so the healer made an exchange; Fabian's disease process slowed, allowing him time to heal, but it meant that the process took much longer than usual. As such, the injured Angel had not properly awoken in those five days; most of the time, I was at his side, waking to change the cooling cloths or give him the syrupy solution that provided him pain relief.

Fabian was usually delirious or asleep; he would wake and cry out, calling about things that were not there and attempting half conversations that did not take place. When he slept, it was as if his night would never end, but he would sweat and stir fretfully, as if his dreams were full of darkness. I was afraid that if I left him, he would not awaken; after all he had done for me, he did not deserve to fight this battle alone.

After Fabian's immediate health was cared for, the next issue raised was the last message he had given us.

'They know about you.'

His rasping words had plagued me, night and day. I had awakened the Opal city, and within a day, Fabian appeared, wounded and fleeing danger. The Exchangers assured me of our safety; the walls of the compound were magically enchanted so that only those who knew the password to get beyond the gates could enter. Of course, Fabian had been brought in by me, the only other way for a person to enter.

So unless there was a traitor willing to bring the King into our midst, we were supposedly safe.

But that still left me with the question; how had Fabian known where to find us?

I replaced the towels around him, and brushed his hair from his clammy forehead. He only twitched in response, his wings ruffling their feathers uncomfortably. His feathers had been ripped and bloodied; I had tried each day to scrub out the stains, but it was yet to work.

Until he recovered enough to talk, I would not know the answer to many of the questions I had, but hopefully the scouts we had sent in secret might have found something.

Slipping out of the room, I shut the door gently behind me, and made my way along the corridor.

I navigated the tunnels with some ease; I had quickly memorised the routes within the first two days and was scrambling around after Fabian with no difficulties. I turned left and right, before descending out into the circular cavern filled with Exchangers.

To my surprise, people acknowledged me with titles as I passed. They bowed their heads in respect, and I took to lowering mine back. I wove through the Angels where they remained in friendly groups, betting and casting their magic in attempts to outdo one another. I spotted Iggy in the middle of one of the groups of girls, and he was transforming into a variety of animals to sit in their arms. Seeing him turn into a cute black bunny and nuzzling against one of the girls' chest, I shook my head endearingly and continued on.

A group of Exchanger children were playing loudly by the food hall, squealing and laughing as they chased one another. Valkyrie was not among them, and I felt a pang of guilt for the child I'd neglected to help since our arrival. She had been left with Sakura, who had brought her to practice with me occasionally, whilst I stayed by Fabian's side. She had been getting better control over her power, but I could not say the same of my own. 

Reaching the opposite stairwell, I made my way through the tunnels until I reached the meeting room that we had been brought to on our arrival. Inside, the cluster of council members sat opposite the two young scouts that had been sent only days ago. I immediately noted their drab attire; trying to blend in with the King's soldiers, they wore only plain uniforms that stood out oddly from the Exchanger's normal colourful attire. 

On seeing my entry, all of them turned quietly respectful, rising to greet me formally. 

'Princess,' they called in unison, and I could only bow stiffly back.

'Just Lumina, please,' I repeated once more, 'I am no princess. Have you heard any of the news yet?'

The elder shook his head. 'Not yet. We were waiting for you to begin. This news is intended for your ears, after all.'

I nodded, my lips pursed. My hands were sweaty with tension, my heart pounding painfully at the thought of the Sapphire district up in flames.

Please no, I prayed silently, if there is a God, if there is anyone listening...

'What did you find?'

The girl, who was closest to where I stood, spoke first, without hesitation.

'The Sapphire district is now under the King's control.'

At her words, a part of me sighed in relief. Under the King's control, after all, was not up in flames.

But my face did not betray the emotion that the other Exchangers did; they paled, and glanced at one another. Steely I continued with the questioning.

'What else?'

'He is telling the citizens that Lord Fabian was a traitor, charged with treason.'

If possible, the Exchangers paled further. I felt my hands clench, and unclench, and with my next question, I forced my voice to remain steady.

'And what, pray tell, is the price of treason on Angelica?' 

The girl suddenly looked scared, and for the first time, hesitated on her report. 

'Execution.'

I let out the breath that I had been inadvertently holding. 

'And what of Fabian's people? His household?'

'They say Fabian was the only one that escaped, my lady. The rest are being questioned, and are also due to be sentenced.'

'Due to be? They are not already?'

'The King at least pretends to have a fair system, my lady. But it is only a pretence.'

I felt my control drain away with the feeling that was plummeting to my feet. Scarlett flashed into my mind; I had let her be captured. 

Will you let her be killed too? A sly voice spoke at the recesses of my mind.

'When are they due to be sentenced?'

'Next week,' the boy spoke up, when the girl paused, 'at the Ruby district. They are to hold a trial.'

'A trial sounds promising,' I said, confusion tinging my voice, 'are you certain that they will be sentenced to death?'

The Exchanger council looked solemnly at me. Walsh simply nodded, and my heart fell. Exchangers were nothing if not truthful. 

'Who takes this trial?' I demanded, a feeling of fury, stirred by the sly voice, was rising. Walsh looked surprised.

'I believe the Ruby Prison leader,' he said, 'but they say nobody has ever seen his face, but no matter who is sent into that room with him, they confess to all the crimes they are accused of.'

Whilst the Angels around me continued to look terrified, I felt my eyebrow twitch. The Ruby Prison! I had heard that name before; hadn't Fabian spoke of it, when Arianne had been captured?

'I don't believe it,' I said, sceptically, 'there's no way everyone's guilty. Isn't anyone found innocent?'

Sadly, none of the friends for were innocent, in the King's eyes. But that didn't mean he hadn't tried to sentence those that were.

'No, my lady. Not if I remember correctly.'

'I have no doubt on your recall,' I said darkly, 'but I do doubt the fairness of this country's judgement system. How easy would it be to infiltrate the Ruby Prison, do you think?'

The Exchanger council exploded into the greatest discussion they had ever experienced. And there were many opinions to be had.

---

A while later, driven by rebellious fire, I raced back to Fabian's room to voice the news. The meeting had gone on for longer than I had anticipated, no thanks to my stirring. But, finally, it seemed that I would be making a move on this unfair justice.

And I wanted Fabian to know; I had a feeling that he would be overjoyed. Of course, he probably wouldn't be awake yet. But if he was...well, even if he wasn't, I was sure that I would still tell his unconscious state. 

As I neared the doorway, I heard voices, and stopped dead. A low murmur, and laughing, was coming from within the room. A man's voice, and a woman's.

I knew the man's voice like no other. I had hoped to hear it, every day for the previous five days. Fabian's voice, musky and tired, came from the room.

And the female voice? I felt my irritation spark for the first time at Kirsten, and charged into the room.

Fabian was still lying in bed, but to my immense anger, Kirsten was knelt by his side as though she hadn't moved in days. She clutched at his arm, holding the cloth I had meticulously soaked in her manicured hands. I could feel every inch of my body crawling with the desire to yell and throw things, and I had no idea why.

'Lumina!' Fabian called, 'It's nice to see you -- goodness, you look like you haven't slept in days.'

My lip twitched.

'I haven't,' I snapped curtly, crossing my arms. Kirsten gave me an innocent stare.

'Where have you been? I would have thought you'd have been at Fabian's side.'

If only it was acceptable to strangle this girl, I thought dizzily. Instead, my glare would have to suffice.

'No, we're not like that,' Fabian said jovially, and I saw him move to sit up. 'She has no obligation to me. She made that quite clear when she took my power and jumped off my balcony!'

If I flinched, I hid it well. 

'I'm sorry,' I said, 'I didn't really understand what I was doing. I still don't, I mean. Did you get your power back?'

'The day after. When I woke, the wind had returned.'

I nodded. I had guessed as much, from having the same feeling of the wind disappearing when I had also awoken. It appeared that I couldn't Steal things in my sleep.

'I'm sorry,' I said again, sheepishly. Suddenly, my bare feet, dirty from my recent lack of self hygiene, were extremely interesting. 

'I can't believe you can control the wind,' Kirsten was saying, 'It's so brilliant.'

'Yes, well...I guess...' I noticed how Fabian's eyes had drooped; he must still be tired. But when Kirsten continued to speak, and him act like he were in a trance, my irritation snapped back.

'You...what are you doing?' Fabian's question was directed at Kirsten as his hand reached limply for her face.

I felt Kirsten's power flare, and my hate intensified. In one snatch, I took her power away, and I saw the girl's confidence slacken, her shoulders droop, and thankfully, I saw Fabian awaken.

'Lumina!' he said again, more brightly this time. 'What just happened? I can't remember...'

Kirsten's annoyance was evident as she rose haughtily. 

'I'll be back later,' she said sweetly to Fabian, 'to nurse you.'

I tried not to gag as my eyes bore into her until she left the room. 

Gods! If only I had Valkyrie's power. I could have stopped her in an entirely different manner.

'What's got you all riled?' I heard a chuckle, and I realised that Fabian was laughing. 

'Nothing,' I lied, feeling my cheeks tinge pink. I turned away so he couldn't see as I perched at the end of his bed. 

'Your wings have grown,' Fabian said softly. In response, they fluttered, abashed. I wanted to tell them off for betraying my excitement.

'And my hair,' I said, showing him the ridiculously long plait that Sakura had painstakingly done for me earlier. I noticed Fabian's was notched into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck, which gave me strange impulses I didn't feel like addressing.

'It's very different,' he agreed. 'You seem like a new person. A whole, confident, different stranger.'

I looked down, wondering what he saw. I saw what I always had; a girl that blended in with the shadows, a thief. Now, a dark angel. Even my black wings testified to that. 

Although Kirsten had taken to wearing bright Exchanger attire and jewellery, my own clothes were some of the ones I had brought from Morwena's bath house. I wore slim, black trousers that splayed out at the bottom in ruffles reminiscent of a mermaid's tail. A baggy red shirt, with ribbon to do up the front, slumped loosely over my disheveled frame. At my hips, I carried a utility belt of the Opal, medicines from the Exchangers, and my dagger. 

'I feel like me again,' I said, with a shrug, 'I'm not a nice person. I'm not her.'

Neither of us had to ask what I meant by her. 

'I can see that,' he said, 'I...I think I always saw it.'

....

A/N....sorry to end it there! Sorry for the slow update. I meant to get this out faster, but the week suddenly shot by. As I write this, I'm supposed to be completing my research project, not thinking about angels.

But angels are sooo much better to think about. It's so hard to concentrate my mind on university. Especially when Wattpad and pinterest exist, both of which fuel my imagination more than textbooks.

Image is another Pinterest, and -chuckles- I like to think that it's Lumina despairing over Fabian calling her a stranger. Or plotting to kill Kirsten. Which do you think?

How do you think Lumina will react to Fabian's half-confession? What did you think of Kirsten trying to seduce Fabian? :')

And moreover.....PRISON RIOT!!! :D

VOOTEEEE Larissa xxx