Visha

"Come on! We need to go!" Sky was saying, the timing finally dying die enough to where I could hear again. And oh boy, was there a lot of noise.

The street has been flooded with people. Several Masters tried to move the carriage or whatever was left of it to get to the Emperor. My head darted in every direction trying to make sense of it all, but I just couldn't there was far to much smoke and screaming for me to understand. My knees knocked together, as I tried to stand.

"We need to get back to our horses," Sky said snapping me out of my haze. This was no time for me to loose my head, we needed to get out of here. I leaned on her for help, as we started walking away.

As we finally got back to our horses, and started riding back to the palace, Sky kept looking over at me. "What?!" I finally asked her.

"I can't believe you would do that! You nearly killed yourself."She scolded me, like she was my mother and I was her child.

"That wasn't me!" I shouted back at her, "I'm not stupid enough to nearly blow my own head off," I had been doing things like this for the last 5 years, I wouldn't be stupid enough to get myself killed.

"Oh," She quipped. "Wait that means someone else is trying to kill the Emperor," She squeals practically jumping up and down.

"Really?" I mock her, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "Now come on we need to get back to the palace before something worse happens," I groan, before ridding off away from Sky.

By the time we had gotten back to the palace the chaos was in full swing. Everyone was panicking about the potential attack against the Emperor. We lept off our horses and led them into the stables before rushing back into the palace to try to find Brea and figure out what we can do. As I looked around the corridor trying to find Brea in the sea of servants and Masters.

"Ow!"

"What?" Sky asks coming to stand next to me.

"My face hurts for some reason," I tell her as I slightly touch my cheek only to flinch back from my own touch,

"That's probably from that huge gash on the side of your face," Sky points out, getsering to a mirror near me. I hurriedly run over to it and begin to inspect it, damn, how did I not feel this sooner? I slowly open and close my mouth trying to look at the severity of the wound, it couldn't have been that bad I mean it was only slightly bleeding.

"Oh Raven! What happened to your face?" Brea said worriedly, as she rushed over to meet us. She grabbed my face and brought it up to hers as she turned my head to get a better look at my face.

"What's wrong with my face?" I tried to ask but it came out all jumbled with the way she was holding my jaw. "Don't even go there." I bite out before she can say whatever snappy comeback just popped into her head.

"Oh yeah, that is a nasty looking cut." Sky finally chimed in.

"Can you let go of me now?" I growled out, not liking her touch anymore.

"Oh sorry, are you girls alright? Now I feel bad about making you two go out for me." Brea sighs, guilt washing over her features.

"We're fine." Sky answered for the both of us as I massaged my jaw.

"Speak for yourself," I grumbled out,  before turning to look back into the mirror. "Now what the hell happened?"

"Yeah, well apparently someone tried to kill the Emperor, luckily for us though he never leaves the Palace so he wasn't actually in the carriage that exploded." Brea explained.

"Yeah we know, how else do you think I ended up in this situation?" I sigh in a duh like tone while gesturing at my face.

"You know sarcasm doesn't really go with what you're wearing," Brea snaps. "Now go clean yourselves up, dinner has already been served so I don't require anything else from you tonight." Brea explains before brushing us off. Odd

Later that night, I couldn't stop pacing. Sky had already gone to sleep and I was stuck, awake and alone thinking about the events of the day. The bomb, and now this red letter that was waiting for me just underneath my pillow. Which meant that even our room wasn't safe from prying eyes, and that anyone could have excess to it even when we weren't here.

A bright red letter...

With every urge, I had to look at the letter, I had to refrain myself who would drop off a letter this late at night ? Some people- Sky particularly, may call me paranoid even psychotic at times, but I was always on edge and always out on guard. It wasn't how I was first raised, but after my mother died I was jumpier than a jack rabbit.

Especially in the palace, I mean, it was easy not to be. There were people, creatures everywhere and they would love to harm us. And while Sky was better at giving off a carefree attitude, according to others, I look like I had just been to a funeral. That or I just witnessed a puppy getting murdered.

I was never a dark person when I was a child. I loved life, I loved the meadow and I even loved school. I love you, my mother. But after she passed and made me realize how dark the world truly is, and no matter what darkness will always swallow the light.

I hid the letter away. Meaning to read it when I got back tomorrow night, right now I was off to go seak with Brea about something I noticed in town today.
Only I was in for an even bigger surprised when I open the door I was shocked, nearly stumbled back, trying to get away from the master currently standing at my door.

Quickly riding myself, and bowing, not meeting his eyes . My heart rate beginning to increase my palm sweating. What have I done this time?!

"Are you Raven?" a dark voice asked.

"Yes." I answered simply, I tried to will my voice to be strong, but it came out shaking nonetheless.

"Follow me." He said,

Oh crap.

We walked down the corridor and I tried to size up this particular master, perhaps I could take him. I mean I've taken down plenty of master before, and I had no doubt I could do the same with this one. He seemed smaller than most other, and frankly I could have mistaken him for human if it wasn't for his horns the stood straight up out of the side of his head.

We had taken several different stairs by now, and I'm pretty sure we had passed the dungeon by noe and were now walking underneath it. I could practically hear the moans and screams of pain coming from above us. Next up was a creepy tunnel, I wasn't sure where this master was taking me but I was pretty sure it was gonna be my doom.

"In here," He said in a gruff voice, as he slowly opens the door. The hinges scream in protest as I walk through it. The definitely didn't fit into where it was located, the wall were a stunning red with a beautiful pattern decorating it. Red velvet furniture, was everywhere. And at the center of it all was a small dinner room table covered with lots of fascinating looking foods.

An older women, with little streaks of graying hair sat alone at this table, seemingly waiting for me. "Please come have a seat." She say gesturing at the open chair in front of her.

I walk over and gingerly sit down in front of her, and quietly question what the hell have I just gotten myself into.

"So did you enjoy my little show in town today?" The woman asked slowlyingbuttering a piece of bread on her plate.

"That was you!?" And once she nodded to confirm my fears I explored." I nearly died!" I began shouting at her if I was even a centimeter closer to that cared my head would've been blown off. And playing around with my life isn't something I take lightly.

She began to chuckle at me, at my little outburst. "And now you're laughing at me..." I said pressing my lips together, waiting for either an apology or some sort of explanation.

"Forgive me for laughing, but I figured you would've been fine with dying."

"Why would you think that!?" I burst, my eyes going wide with horror.

"Well, you must know that masters dont go down easily, and so you must be comfortable dying for this cause especially since you work in the palace."

I stutter for a response before sighing and rubbing my hands over my eyes, "What. Do. You. Want?" I grit out.

"My, my you have quite the temper on you, perhaps I've made the wrong decision. Though that rarely ever happens, are you hungry perhaps?" 

"Wrong decision for what?" I scowled completely ignoring her food related question, no way would I be touching any of this food. Poison wasn't a hard thing to come by.

"Oh that's right, that's why I called you here. You see you and I share the same goal to destroy the Emperor."

I looked back at this women, sixing her up and down. This time I actually took the time to really look at her. She was dresses rather smartly, pearl earrings and a matching necklace. This all pointed out the fact that she was very well off and had a substantial amount of power behind her.

"But why would you call me? Why not my accomplice?" I ask, wanting to know exactly how much she had been paying attention to me. She must've been the one who left the letter in my room earlier tonight. Now i'm really regretting not reading it sooner.

"Oh we don't expect her to much use to us, I mean after all you were able to get close and alone with the Emperor on your first day." She complemented.

"Have you really been keeping tabs on me? Geez get a life," I scoff.

"Are you going to help us?" She asked- more like demanded...

"Do I have a choice?"

"Touché, we'll be in touch dear. Have a nice night." She said and waved me a small goodbye.

I hurriedly got up and practically ran out of that creepy room, the master form before wasn't waiting for me thankfully. I rushed back to my room as quickly as I could without being seen, I couldn't tell what time it was but I knew that if I was caught outside my room a punishment would definitely be in store for me.

"Hey have you been awake all night?"

"Is it morning?

"Yes,"

"Then I've been awake all night." I sigh before I walking over to our closet and putting on my clothes for the day, hating that I wouldn't be getting any sleep until tonight.

"Oh so I think I know who was behind the attack in town day," I say offhandedly.

Sky tunes and stares at me with squinting and eyes, "it was you wasn't it?"

"No! Apparently we're not the only humans plotting to take down the emperor," I tell her, thinking I'd found something big until she responded with, "Duh!"

"No need for sarcasm, I didn't know and then last night I was quite literally forced to meet with her. Whoever she was, cause now that I think about it she didn't give me her name." I explain.

"Oh right, I keep forgetting how old you are. Sometimes I swear you were born middle aged and just get closer to your real age each year." Sky jokes.

"You don't seem to be concerned,"

"Well they are no threat to us," She scoffs.

"That's cause you weren't threatened by them in the  middle of the night," I bite out.

"Alright moody Judy, come on we've got breakfast to prepare."