Thana ran her hands along the wall of the narrow passageway. It was dimly lit by Keira's lantern, but it almost felt as though the walls had a presence of its own. As though it were breathing, living stone.

"Are these walls... normal?"

Keira glanced backwards before replying.

"Not exactly. They're made of a special type of brick. The bricks were enchanted when the castle was first built by the first ever queen, Annalise Nightshade."

"Nightshade?"

"Yeah. The kingdom is called Nightsheria for a reason. Traditionally, the queens rule. That's why Rayleigh's hold on the kingdom was always so tenacious."

Thana nodded pensively. It was an entirely different world to her. Princesses, kingdoms, fighting for power... for her, enchanted bricks were much easier to understand.

"You know what always struck me as strange?"

Surprised at Keira's sudden inquiry, Thana nearly fell flat on her face.

"Can't imagine what could not be strange in a situation like this."

Keira turned around, but she didn't even look vaguely amused. Her light eyes were shining even in the dim light, and she looked deadly serious.

"When Alex disappeared seven years ago, it seemed as though no one even remembered she existed. I asked people about her, I tried to find her myself. I always came up empty. Eventually, I think I became too curious. Diaspro came after me."

"Your voice keeps lowering whenever you say her name. Are you afraid of her or something?"

Keira stopped, and lowered the lantern. It swung gently below her face; the shadows flickering on her face made the girl look years older.

"I suppose everyone is, a little. The only person who wasn't was Alex. Diaspro is... I guess most people, looking at her at first wouldn't think she's so dangerous. She's a blonde haired, green eyed beauty. She's tall, maybe at least five ten. Her nickname used to be 'angel'. She's the real brain behind any operation Rayleigh undertakes. And she's incredibly ruthless. She does all of the king's dirty work. And it's my opinion that she enjoys doing it. She's not a demon. No, she's worse. She's human, and she likes hurting people."

Thana was silent, looking at Keira's face. She'd never even thought of that concept. Of anything being worse than a demon. She leaned against the wall, suddenly feeling uneasy. It was an odd feeling; it felt as though her heart was being plunged downwards and through her, suddenly free of any attachment to her body. And yet. She had never felt an emotion that intense or gripping, that lasted for only a few seconds.

"Of course, when I began hunting around for information, Diaspro couldn't let it slide. That's how I got this."

Keira handed Thana the lantern, and pushed her sleeve up. Thana's eyes widened. A long, jagged scar, zig-zagging downwards from Keira's shoulder down to her wrist. Her expression inscrutable, Keira shook the sleeve down again. Another feeling began to consume Thana, but this one, she recognised. It was fury at injustice. She'd only ever felt this degree of anger once before: when she had seen Emrys on the ground, lifeless. It resonated in her that it was strange to have such a strong feeling for someone she had only just met. But it was dawning on her that Keira was no ordinary kitchen maid.

"You were very close to Alex." It was a statement, not a question.

Keira nodded, her eyes cast downwards.

"Alex and I used to play together, as children. Despite the age gap, we were always close. I'm at least four years younger than her, I'm not entirely sure. I grew up in the castle, in the kitchens. I have no idea who my mother, or father is. I was completely, entirely alone. I was pushed around, shunted aside and bullied my entire life. Until the day Alex stepped in. Look, she might be a little fierce at first, but trust me, below that cold exterior is a person you know will be there for you, no matter what."

The heartfelt way Keira was describing Alex made tears come to Thana's eyes as she thought of her own best friend.

"I had a friend like that. He came with me, to this place, wherever we are, and he saved me from those guards. When I fell down the hole, I don't know where he went. He just...disappeared. He was my hunting falcon, Admetus. He was the best companion I could have asked for...other than Emrys. I miss him. I miss them both."

Thana lifted her eyes to Keira's and was stunned to see tears sparkling in her eyes as well. Attempting a smile, Keira reached over and took the lantern from Thana's hands, reassuringly brushing the back of her hand against Thana's. Usually, her first instinct would have been to jerk away, but Thana held still.

"We'll find a way to get you back to him."

They walked further, their footsteps echoing in the tunnel. Thana was beginning to notice strange symbols etched into the walls. They resembled hieroglyphs, but they weren't of any language Thana was familiar with. Running her hands along the wall again, Thana listened to the gentle breathing of the stone beneath her fingers.

"How'd you find this passageway?"

They'd accessed it from a door hidden behind one of the shelves in the kitchen.

"Alex and I used to explore a lot, as children. We found most, if not all of the castle's secrets. I haven't had much time to explore after..." Keira trailed off. "But I still remember the passages we cleared. This one leads up into the attic. Through there, we'll take the passage to the old throne room, and using the grandfather clock in there, we can try to get to the library."

"Isn't this an odd time to be going to read?"

Keira refused to reward Thana's sarcasm with a reaction.

"I want to take a look and see what we can find out about the dungeons before we go down there. It's one of the parts of the castle Alex and I never explored, and I'm pretty sure it's where she is. I'm taking no chances."

"If Alex is so strong, why hasn't she broken out already?"

"I'm sure she's tried. You don't know Diaspro and Rayleigh, Thana."

Any reply Thana might have tried to make was thankfully compensated for by Keira stopping and running her hands along the wall. She had set the lantern on the ground, and appeared to be scrabbling at the stone walls for something. Keira began scratching at the enchanted brick, searching for something. Before Thana could ask a question, Keira drew back from the wall, smiling.

"Got it. Step back a bit, Thana."

Keira placed her palms on the wall, and started shoving. To Thana's utter shock, the wall began moving to the side, vanishing into nothing. Keira was panting a bit by the time there was a space wide enough for a person to slip through. She turned to Thana and smiled a little at the awestruck look on her face.

"You're a half-demon and that amazed you?"

"Sorry, making walls vanish isn't really up my alley."

"The walls already have their own magic. I was just helping it along."

"Yes, but...where did it go?"

"It's still there."

Thana's brows furrowed and she waved her hands around in the empty space.

"Sorry, but I ain't feeling any stone."

Keira nodded, tilting her head.

"I know. How to put this...the wall is there, but it's... not at the same time. You could think of it as though the wall was never there or as though the wall was there, but you'd keep going in circles. I like to think of it as the wall being both there and not there at the same time. By thinking of it as an impossible thing, it's almost easier to understand that way."

"You lost me, Kei."

Keira blinked, a bit misty eyed.

"What's wrong?"

"Alex was the first person to call me Kei. You're a lot like her, you know."

Thana blinked, feeling uncomfortable suddenly. She found the idea of having things in common with this unknown girl a bit unsettling. Neither in a bad nor a good way. Thana bit her lip. Maybe Keira's explanation wasn't that crazy after all.

"Come on," Keira said eventually, shaking off the memories. "This goes up to the attic."

*

"How old are these things?" Thana asked, poking at an ancient stuffed bear covered in dust.

It looked more like a fussy old lady's storeroom than the attic of a castle. The only odd thing was how huge it was. The space seemed endless. It also seemed as though no one had stepped foot in there in years.

"I would be careful what I touched, if I were you," Keira cautioned, walking over to a cluster of armoires.

Thana glanced at her. The dusty wardrobes would have been quite beautiful if they were taken care of. Rich, mahogany wood. Emrys would have loved them. Blinking, Thana turned back to the bear, but her pulse skittered for a moment. The bear's head had been facing straight ahead. Now it was looking at her. She swallowed and backed away from the toy, striding over instead to a wardrobe on the other side of the room. It was different from the ones Keira was examining, in more ways than one.

The wood was black, and not with age. It was actually the colour of night, white streaks gracing the wood. Thana ran her fingers along the door lovingly. It was the type of thing she would have loved to own. She curled her fingers around the brass handle, and tugged. She was surprised when it swung easily; the wardrobe, much like everything else in the attic, had been covered in a liberal amount of dust. What Thana hadn't taken into consideration was the dust that might have been inside the wardrobe.

She coughed, waving and trying to disperse the dust cloud. When she finally opened her eyes, she realised Keira had come over to her.

"I told you to be careful," she said lightly.

Making a face, Thana turned away from her, to face the wardrobe. She blinked, and her jaw dropped open. The wardrobe could have never worked for storage of clothes, but in Thana's opinion, it had been fitted for a much better task. Hanging from nails and hooks that had been embedded in the back and doors of the wardrobe were weapons. They weren't sleek or shiny, but they were well tended for. They were by no means new, but somehow that appealed to Thana even more.

She reached out and rubbed her thumb along the wooden handle of a mace. Wrapping her fingers around the handle, she tried to lift it. It was heavy, and it would be too cumbersome for her to lug around. Her eyes flickered to the quiver of arrows, its accompanying bow lying next to it. Passing over it, Thana reached to the back of the wardrobe, and pulled out a belt. It was no ordinary belt; it was outfitted with straps and pockets. In each of those pockets was a different knife. Her eyes lighting up, Thana pulled out a few, studying them. Sharp despite being buried away for so long, the knives had an odd black mark spiralling up from the point to the hilt.

"You're looking like Christmas came early," Keira commented, as Thana eagerly strapped the belt on.

"I wonder if there's anything else I could use in here..."

Thana rummaged around a bit more, her efforts being rewarded with a sheathed sword. She lifted it up. The sheath had the same odd marking as the knives. Removing it from its case, Thana studied the blade almost lovingly. It was light, equipped with an ornate hilt and guard. It was razor sharp, Thana realised, when she ran her finger gently across the blade. Sucking off the beads of blood, she touched the tip of the sword. For a moment, the marking on the sheath glowed, bathing the room in an eerie purple light.

Thana almost dropped the sword. The room looked different now. It was as though all of the secrets of the room were being purged; hidden or in plain sight, everything was visible now. Keira tugged on Thana's arm, just as the light was fading.

"Look, Thana. The door, I see it now."

Thana saw it as well. The faint outline of a door, an old fashioned wooden one with a brass knocker, set into the wall behind the set of armoires Keira had been examining. A second later, when the violet light faded, the door also seemed to disappear. Alarmed, Thana turned to Keira, who had already advanced to the space and had found the handle.

"I got it."

"Kei, what was that just now?" Thana marvelled.

"I have no clue. But I suspect, whether we're prepared or not, we'll soon find out."

On that enigmatic note, Keira tugged the door open, and turned to Thana.

"Let's go."

(What are you all thinking so far of the developing characters of Keira and Thana? They'll be meeting up with Alex soon... Please comment, and tell me your views, what you think, anything at all will be appreciated! - Amaris <3)