"Why can't anyone find them?" Seth screamed. Falk looked at the Dawon, raising a dark eyebrow. He was sitting on the ledge of a cave, overlooking the sea as it glittered in the morning sun. His mother would have some sage expression for this, some wisdom as she combed out Falk's sister's hair with an ivory comb. Fengge, don't forget to buy a lily today. Something like that.

"I assume you're talking about Zammi Coatl, her son and the Selkie?" He inquired. Seth snarled at him, showing his teeth.

"Who else would I be talking about, Falk?" Seth snapped, his hands balled into fists. "They're battle masters. And if the rumors about the boy's father are true..." Seth shook his head.

The zhenniao just shrugged, unconcerned. Battle wasn't his area of expertise. The rigors of strategy meetings, planning battles suited Falk much better. Seth had ridiculed him for it before, but Falk didn't really mind anymore.

"They probably are being blocked by something, Seth." Falk deadpanned. "A natural barrier maybe."

"Where are natural barriers?" Seth demanded. Falk rolled his dark eyes.

"Everywhere. Where ever there is a source of powerful magic. An old Silver Land, a Druid ceremony gone terribly wrong, so on and so forth." Falk listed, ticking them off on his fingers.

"Like a massacre?"

"Why is everything about death with you? Yes, it can be a massacre point, but also a point of a pivotal ceremony, like here." Falk sighed.

"So, we have to find them by tracking where we can't see." Seth replied. Falk thought about it for a second, shocked.

"That... was more poetic then I give you credit for."

"Oh shut up." Seth grumbled, but Falk saw a hint of a smile on his face. Then it turned serious. "Send my best trackers to find the boy. Every barred place in the world."

Falk's eyes glinted dangerously and he stretched out his arms, poisonous green feathers forming on his arms, catching the sunlight. "As you wish, my King."

***

Dani blinked, his mind connecting the pieces. "That actually makes sense now. She said a lot of things that I understand now, knowing that."

"Yeah." Amber rolled her eyes. "It probably does."

"What else do you know about Zaza?" Dani questioned Amber.

"She's- wait, Zaza?" Amber looked at him, her orange eyes crinkled with amusement. "You actually call her that?"

"It there something wrong with that?" Dani bristled. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"No, there's nothing wrong with it, but it's funny. Anyway, other things I know about Zammi." Amber tapped a finger against her chin. "She's a demigod, although no one really knows of what. As far as we can tell, she's kept it an open secret, so she could deny it at any time." Dani was confused why she would have to deny it at all, but didn't say anything and just listened. "She was involved in a progressive movement that ended once she left to become Advisor."

"She told me that." Dani said. "Dra said that she was a pretty good leader."

"Still is." Amber said. Right. Amber didn't know about Dra yet.

"Not anymore. She was replaced." Dani grumbled. Amber's eyes widened in terror.

"What?" Amber gasped, suddenly in front of Dani, her hands on his shoulders. "What did you say?"

"Dra replaced Zammi as Advisor." Dani said. "It makes sense. She opposed Seth, so he replaced her."

"This is really bad." Amber said, her horror evident on her face. "At least with Zammi, I knew she wouldn't crown him. But with a different Advisor... wait, how do you know this?" Amber shook his shoulders.

"Before you woke up, Zammi was here, just to give us some news and other stuff." Dani said. "I don't think she's coming back, so I didn't want to get your hopes up."

"She must have thrown up a few illusions to protect us from the humans here too. She's a strong Mage. But back to her being replaced." Amber ordered.

"Yeah, Dra's the Advisor now." Dani was going to say 'And she crowned him' but seeing the look on Amber's face, decided against it. She was already stressed out enough. "So we have to help her too."

"She crowned him, didn't she?" Amber demanded, her stony with disappointment.

"I didn't say anything." Dani objected.

"You didn't need to." Amber huffed, and turned around, walking away from him. "I can see it on your face." Dani felt a sudden protective urge towards Dra. She hadn't meant to be Advisor. Surely Amber could see that.

"It wasn't her choice, Amber. Surely, you've figured that out by now. She was forced to do it." Dani explained to her, trying not to sound like he was pleading with her.

"Does it really matter anymore? This means that someone is going to have to kill Seth." Amber looked upset, her forehead crinkled.

She looked genuinely upset that she would have to dispose of Seth. It was like she hadn't killed a little girl only yesterday because she'd gotten in their way, Dani thought. "So?" He blurted out.

"So what?" Amber questioned, confused.

"Why would killing Seth matter?" Dani questioned. "It didn't seem to matter yesterday. You were practically begging to be in the bloodshed."

"That was yesterday." Amber stated calmly.

"Morals don't change overnight. Believe me, I know." Dani snapped, becoming impatient with her.

"Neither do traditions, and look what's happening now." Amber snapped back. "We're in the middle of a hostile takeover."

"As I see it, we've passed the hostile part now. And I think it's mostly your fault, Amber. You have been participating in a system that doesn't allow people from the 'lower'" He put the words in air quotes. "courts, a chance in your world. So, tell me again, why should I help you?"

Seemingly lost for words, Amber sat down again, and shivered. It wasn't cold, though Roanoke Island was balmy compared the wet weather of Northern Ireland. Amber rubbed her arms. Dani sighed.

"Never mind. I can go get you some clothes."

"You have money on you?"

"Not a lot, but I'm assuming that you'll have a solution for that." Dani said. It wasn't necessarily true, because he could still access his debit card with the number, but he didn't want to do that.

"I have nothing right now." Amber spread her arms. "And as you so astutely notice, I have no clothes."

Dani felt heat rush on his cheekbones, and crossed his arms, trying not to give in. "Fine. I figure something out." Amber smirked, like she knew he would cave.

"And Dani?" Amber called as he turned around. "You should help me because I can make the changes you want, to make our world a better place."

Dani wasn't sure he believed her. After all, the only thing he'd ever seen in terms of action was killing a child and arguing with his mother.

"Okay." Dani said and walked away.

***

There wasn't much to do while Amber was sleeping. When Dani got back to the place that they'd been stranded, she was asleep. A bag of leggings, shirts, and other things that Dani had gotten, she was passed out, her skin over her. Dani decided to take the watch, to make sure that none of the angry Silver Mages would show up without them noticing.

"Nothing better to do." Dani muttered, and settled himself close to Amber. The night was still balmy, but Dani felt a cold chill ruck through him. Like someone was- "Amber." Dani hissed, and the sleeping girl made a grunting sound.

In the distance, there was a whining sound, like dog. Dani remembered that Amber said something about illusions that Zammi had put up, but Dani wasn't sure it would work. Grabbing a large branch that was close to him, Dani hauled it on top of them, trying to cover the most of them.

"This is stupid. We should start looking for them in the Silver Jungle." One voice said, and it confirmed Dani's suspicions.

Silver Mages.

"But one of the leviathans said that they saw a seal coming this way." A second voice countered. "Plus, they wouldn't go back to the Silver Jungle. They don't have any protection there anymore."

"You really think those imperials," the word was said like a curse. "Would think anything was coming for them?"

"Well, after the zhenniao attacked Madah, I think they would be smart enough to not go back to the place they come from."

"Just let the qiqirn do its job." The first voice said. "Let it go."

"No. We won't be able to get it back if we do."

"Well, it's giving me the fits, so I don't care if we lose it."

"Seth will be mad if we do." The second voice rebuked. "We don't want to see him mad, that's what Ariel said."

"Ariel can shove it up her ass. I don't give a damn."

"Don't tell Ariel that."

"Just let the damn thing go." The first voice snapped.

"Sometimes I think you're almost as bad as..." The second voice trailed off. "Never mind."

"Ugh, you are useless." The was a thud and a yelp the first Silver Mage presumably kicked the thing, the qiqirn.

"That's a Silver Mage! I can't believe you!" The second voice yelled, and there was snarling. "I don't know what you camazotz do, but that was unacceptable."

"We just have to guts to do what you dullahan don't do. And it's just a galapado." The camazotz snapped.

A huffed breath of anger, most likely from the dullahan, before it spoke again. "I am going to take this qiqirn back to the court so it can be healed."

"No, you're not. Look." The camazotz hissed, and they both stopped talking. "It found something."

Dani started to shiver, a coldness coming over him. He started to shake, even though he wasn't cold. There was a whining near his hiding spot.

"Good job, qiqirn." The first voice said.

"No, don't!" The dullahan yelled and there was a howling. Running paws struck the earth, and the whining stopped as the qiqirn ran off. One of them, the dullahan, Dani supposed, cursed. "You fool!" It raged. "You can't say the name of qiqirn or else it will get scared and run away!"

"I thought it had to be successively!" The camazotz whined, sounding like the cross between a screech and a hiss.

"No!" The dullahan snapped. "It doesn't matter!"

The footsteps receded, but Dani didn't move for a very long time.

Hi! Not really much to say, other than the question of the day!

Oh, and please remember to vote, comment or share this story! Let's be all espresso, no depresso today!!

QOTD: What's your comfort food?

Mine's apples.

C.J out!!