Silva arrived back at the castle later that day. It took a good rest of the day to find her horse. She was exhausted, mentally, and physically. She needed time to think, to regroup. Otis was up to something, and it had to do with the royal mortals. She barely parked her horse in the stables when the guard came up to her. "The king and prince wish for your audience," He said.

"Now?" Silva snipped. She wasn't in the mood to deal with them. The guard nodded and showed her the way to the throne room. Barlo hopped off her shoulders and started walking down the hall.

"If you need me, I'll be taking a well-deserved nap," He said and bounded away, his tail flickering high above his head. Silva sighed and followed the guard to the throne room where Prince Alec and King Frederick awaited her. She stood by the foot of the chairs; her eyes kept sharp on the royals.

"Yes?" She said, "I am very busy at the moment. What cannot wait?" The king narrowed his eyes at her, clearly irritated by her attitude. Prince Alec cleared his throat and relayed about the visit by the mysterious woman. When he was done, Silva frowned. "I see," She said, "and you believe her?"

"We are not sure what to believe." Alec told her. "Who is she? Do you know her?" Silva flicked her eyes on the prince.

"Yes, I do." Silva admitted. "She is the lead wiccan of the sisterhood I was a part of growing up... she is also my mother." That last statement caught Alec off guard. No wonder the woman looked like her. "As I had told you some time ago, creative differences had led me to leave and practice my own magic."

"Such as Dark Arts," the king deadpanned, making Silva flicker her eyes to him. Both holding one another's stare.

"As such," Silva didn't bother to hide it. "But my study of the Dark Arts is not what you think. I don't dabble with the forbidden arts... clearly my mother thinks I do, but that is family rivalry for you." When the king and prince did not respond, Silva continued, "now, if you plan on throwing me out, do so, if not, I shall return back to my work." Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heels and disappeared down the hall, back to her room, that feeling in her stomach remaining.

They never did tell Silva to leave, but they remained wary. A month passed, Silva continued her work in helping when needed, but kept to herself most of the time, trying to figure out Otis's plan. She would conduct a spell that would allow her to see anyone and anyplace, but every time she tried, Otis was always one step ahead of her, interfering with her magic. The spell would backfire by exploding out of the bowl she normally uses and creating a huge mess in her room. Silva confirmed this to be Otis during her last attempt, a wraith shot out of the bowl towards her, screeching.

She quickly grabbed her dagger and swung at the wraith. Instead of fighting back, the wraith allowed her to kill it. As she did, she heard her brother's laughter in her head. That same laughter she could never forget. She knew then that she would just have to take a step back and let Otis show himself. The feeling in her stomach came and went. It was like he was taunting her.

By the end of that month, the castle was buzzing with excitement. The king and prince were throwing a ball that night, to celebrate the birth of their kingdom. Chefs cooked and prepared food. The smell of their endless cooking wafted through every corridor of the castle, causing the staff and residents' mouths to water. Servants decorated the throne room with ribbon, wreaths, banners, and flags with the kingdom's coat of arms on it, and more candlelight than the room needed. They prepare it for guests by setting out the food and drinks out on the table in a buffet style.

Soldiers patrolled their given sections, and footmen awaited by the gates for the guests. The sun was going down which meant that the party was about to begin. Prince Alec took a quick look at himself in the mirror, adjusting his suit before leaving his room and going down the hall. He stopped short at Silva's room where he could hear her muttering to herself. He poked his head in the open door to see her hunched over a book, flipping through the pages, muttering, "no, no, no," every so often. Alec gave a soft knock on the doorway.

"What is it?" She said without looking up to see who was there.

"The party is about to start," he told her. "And every member of our court is invited." Alec took a step into the room. The room was in familiar fashion as her cottage in the woods. Potted plants hung from the ceiling, the tables were stacked with books and covered with jars and vials filled with herbs and other liquids. A cot sat off the side where Silva often had her patients sit. A fireplace was blazing at the corner of the room where he saw Barlo sleeping on a wooden chair next to it. His green eyes could be seen through the slits of his eyes as he was in between sleeping and waking up. There was a doorway on the other side of the room where it led to Silva's sleeping quarters.

Silva silently closed the book and stared at the prince. "And why should I care about some party?" Alec shrugged.

"I just thought to ask, that's all," He told her. "Instead of being cooped up in here all night, you could rewind down at the throne room. Eat, drink, be merry for once." He grinned at that statement. Silva's eyes pierced through Alec's, her stare flickering unamused. She then opened her book again and said,

"If I have a free moment, I may stop by." Alec grinned wider and bowed.

"I look forward to seeing you there." Silva waited until the sound of his boots disappeared down the hall. She closed her book and sighed.

"You're not seriously considering going, are you?" Barlow asked , stretching out on the chair.

"Maybe," She replied, drumming her fingers on the book. Barlo got up and jumped up on the table beside her.

"Why?" Silva looked down to meet his eyes.

"Because I feel him closer than ever. He's out there, stalking, waiting. And knowing my brother, this is the perfect time to strike. I want to be there to stop him." Barlo whacked his tail on the table.

"How can you be so certain?" His green eyes narrowed.

"Not certain, only hopeful."