For the first time after waking up, my head feels foggy. There's a dull ache throughout my entire body. What happened? I'm forgetting something, aren't I? It's something important, but I can't fully grasp the idea.

And then I'm dropped onto the ground. "What the hell? Damnit, that hurt!", I cuss and shout. The Dark Angle stands above me, having just dropped me onto the ground. Now I'm wide awake! Was he really carrying me? When did I fall asleep last night? Six holds out my spear to me, and I take it with a slight glare. So much for it being at my beck and call. He just seems to like to ticking me off. Although, it still doesn't show any emotion. Part of me says I should be more bothered by the fact that it was carrying me, but the thought isn't as unsettling as it should be.

"Kelini!", a voice calls out to me. I hadn't even had time to look around, but when I do, my stomach drops. How did Six know where to go!? He just dropped me smack dab in the middle of my home village. More then that, at least 15 other Zemrlt are peeking at us from around houses. I didn't think much passed getting here. Now I have the King's puppet standing over me. But that voice. When I was falling, I never thought I'd see my Sib again. "Six, stay here", I hurriedly gush, scrambling up and heading towards one of the houses. The Dark Angle doesn't follow me.

    "Rainya!", I shout. My older sister comes barreling from her spot next to a house, almost tackling me to the ground. "Oh my god, I-I didn't know what to think w-when you didn't come back. And then I couldn't see or call you-", Rainya stumbles over her words. "I know. I'm ok", I stop her. The two of us are clinging tightly to each other. She's the only family I have left. My eyes are a little watery, but it's not often that Zemrlt pride will let me cry. It's no secret that Zemrlt can temporarily see dead family members. But what's not as well know is how blood relatives can almost 'call' to each other. It's like instinct screaming in your head to run straight at wherever the call is coming from. The problem is that it only works at a short range. I used to ruin Rainya's games of hide-and-go-seek.

"So, what exactly happened?", Rainya sighs, letting me go, "And why is the King's shadow standing in our home?". Very few Zemrlt are tall, but Rainya is just a few inches taller then me. Her features are also a little softer and her eyes are chocolate brown. Her hair isn't shaved like mine, it just falls down her shoulders in a black wave. "Well, I ran off a cliff, for starters", I playfully smirk. Rainya gives me a glare at that. "Typical, you're always finding some way to get into trouble, even at a banquet!", she jeers. My sister is no warrior, but she can show her teeth when she needs to. She's more protective and less outgoing then me. Rainya's level head is what got her one of the leadership roles in the village. She helps keep things running smoothly. Zemrlt names are all based on rank. Although one syllable names have been wiped out with all our royalty, Rainya's name used to have three syllables like mine. Criminals' names are changed to four syllables, and everyone is born with three. When a Zemrlt has children with another hybrid, their name doesn't have to follow the pattern.

     My sister and I step back from each other when a familiar voice calls out. I spin around and stand straight when our village leader comes marching towards us. "Kelini, you're back!", he smiles, not upset or cautious with the Dark Angle being with me. All our royalty may have been wiped out, but we still have to have some leadership. Donnel is probably the coolest old guy I've ever met. He's a little older then my dad would have been, but he doesn't show it. Donnel's hair is starting to gray, and he has an ornate spear strapped to his back. There is no doubt in my mind that he can use it.

Donnel grabs my chin, moving my head side to side and looking for scratches on me. He's a little overbearing to absolutely everyone who says hello. "I'm fine, Donnel. I'm still in one piece!", I smile, batting away his hand. "How come you didn't meet up with your captain? Frenaris hasn't left his house since they came back without you", he scolds me. I didn't even think about that. The three of them must have been crushed. No one takes death very lightly around here. "It got a little crazy after the explosion. Did Frenaris tell you his side of things?", I ask. Donnel nods and motions for me to continue. And I do. I explain to Rainya and Donnel about how I ran off the cliff by accident, leaving out the part where Six kept me from freezing to death. A few others are listening in while I speak.

"I'm not sure how the King made it, but he listens to the person who's wearing this", I finish, pulling out the engraved gemstone. "666?", Donnel mumbles. "I think that's its name? I really hope that there's not six hundred of him", I joke. The red crystal still pulses like a heartbeat in my hand. Six is still standing still in the middle of the street. "The King must of had it in his pocket or something", Rainya muses, "Do you think I could hold it?". A little part of me is immediately against the idea. What if she asks Six to do something dangerous? Then I mentally slap myself. This is my Sib, I trust her with my life. I'm not even sure the Dark Angle can get hurt.

I move the loop of the necklace over my head and hold it out to my sister. Almost instantly, something warm comes up behind my back. Six hisses and growls loud enough to make the three of us jump. He bears his teeth at my sister. Without thinking, I turn around and slap his cheek. It's only hard enough to get the message across. "Hey, don't do that! Rainya wasn't even doing anything", I snap at it. Six recoils like a child being scolded by their mother. He backs up a few feet before stopping, staring with its indifferent stance. "Heh, I don't think it likes me", Rainya uncomfortably shrugs. "It's never done nothing like that before.....", I trail off. Was Six going to hurt Rainya? It's a bit like I was the one slapped in the face. The Dark Angle could really be dangerous. Donnel's stance has shifted slightly in reaction. "Kelini, you need to make sure it doesn't hurt anyone", he starts, "Keep it here until everything blows over. We can't give it back to the King, but someone else can attack now that he's vulnerable. The Zemrlt don't need to get involved". His voice is more guarded from Six's outburst.

"Yes, Donnel. I won't let that happen again", I quickly say. I brought Six here, so I'm responsible for him. Getting it away from the King was worth it. Not that I did it on purpose. Donnel gives me a reassuring smile before leaving. He probably needs to talk with the other higher ranking Zemrlt in the village. The others are also dispersing to their various tasks. Rainya sighs while turning to me again. "Well, I have some work to go do. You won't get in trouble while I'm gone, right?", she asks, daring me to say otherwise. "Yes, I'll be fine. No more cliff diving", I smirk. "Good, then you can go clean the chicken coop", she smirks right back. "What!? Can't I go hunting or something?", I protest. "It's going to be dark in a few hours. No time for that", she shouts over her shoulder, leaving me with the misery of chores.

     I guess this is what I get for staying out too late. My gaze falls to Six, and I get the distinct feeling that it would be smirking at me if he could. "It's not funny!", I frown at him. More imagined laughing. I huff and turn around to start waking over to the chicken coops. The Dark Angle is right on my heels. In a strange way, I'm glad that I don't have to be alone while scooping chicken crap. Those things are pure evil once they grow up. How strange is it to be doing something so normal with the King's puppet at my back?

The chickens are not pleased to see me. The feeling is mutual. I grab a shovel, starting to dig up all the hay that has been hardened by crap. Six just stares at the chickens who stare right back. He's gonna get spurred at this rate. We don't need twenty dead chickens on my watch, no thank you! I set the shovel up against the side of the coop before looking around. A small shape chooses that exact time to run by my feet. "Ha! Gotcha", I cheer, scooping up the baby chick. It's a little late in the year for eggs to be hatching, but we have about five chicks in the coop. "Six, open your hands", I tell him. The Dark Angle slowly cups his hands, almost like he's questioning me. I put the chick in its hands and watch. Six's gaze moves down to he chick, and he does something that I didn't expect. He moves one of his fingers and pets the chick's back. Well what do you know? Looks like the King didn't create a completely evil weapon. Six holds his chick, and I continue scooping out the dirty hay. Home sweet home.