7 ~6~

At dinner, Lucian gave me half of his baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and Twine like last time.

"So, your siblings?" I asked the two of them.

"Half siblings" Corrected Fraya, glaring at her brother. Lucian just shrugged in response as he shoveled mashed potatoes into his mouth.

The tension between those two was thick and uncomfortable. Fraya seemed to hate Lucian with a passion, and Lucian didn't seem to care.

I took a bite of some of my chicken and washed it down with some mango milkshake flavored Twine before anyone said anything else.

"We need a summons" Said Fraya.

"Don't be ridiculous sister," Lucian rolled his eyes as he took a swig of his Twine. "You really think Lord Ladon is just handing out summons without any good explanation as to why someone would like to cross into another Province?"

Fraya gritted her teeth at her brother.

"Fine" She snapped, "What do you propose?"

Lucian took another bite of mashed potatoes before shrugging, and saying, "I say we make a run for it?"

Fraya scoffed. "Yeah, like that would work. We'd be bound to get caught"

"Not with me around" Lucian grinned. "I know every possible way in and out of headquarters. I can get us around without being noticed"

"How could you possibly know all of the entrances and exits of headquarters?"

Lucian shook his head. "I don't like cages"

"Funny," Said Fraya sarcastically, "You'd think an animal such as yourself would be used to them by now"

Lucian stood up, obviously irritated, and stormed out of the hall.

Later that evening the three of us met in the Right-wing common room at around midnight after everyone else had gone to bed. We went over the Pros, Cons, and Risks of what we were about to do.

Lucian and I sat together on the floor, guarding the door, whist Fraya sat beside the fire in a pretty sky blue chair.

"I don't think either of you, understand how dangerous this is!" Fraya scolded as she flipped irritably through a book titled: Queen Ember Bane, The Wise.

"What I don't understand," said Lucian, "Is how your reading at a time like this"

Fraya shut the book, with a loud snap! And glowered down at her brother from the chair she was seated in beside the fire.

"Like it or not, we still have a project due in two weeks"

Then she fixed her stern gaze on me.

"You can't possibly be thinking about the project now," I said.

I gained a sudden interest in my fingers as her gaze turned piercing.

"Fine!" I finally snapped. "The project is due in like, what...Fourteen days? We'll be back by then-"

"You can't possibly know that..." But Lucian quickly faltered as his sister's gaze turned ice cold.

"Alright," He said. "Fine. Fourteen days, we'll manage"

I heard him mutter something under his breath that sounded an awful lot like, "I hope" But I decided not to pass this information on to Fraya.

"Well," Said Fraya, getting to her feet. "I matters are settled-"

"Sit down, little sister" Lucian teased. Then suddenly he was serious again. "We haven't settled anything yet"

Fraya fell back into her chair, irritated and exhausted.

"We won't last the night without..."

Fraya and I were both at the edge of our seats, (Not that I had a real seat. You know what I mean).

"What?" She said.

"Without a Charm" Lucian finished.

Fraya leaned back against her seat. Torn.

"He's right" She finally said.

"What!" I cried.

"Ivy, we will leave beneath the shadows. And monsters, worse than any Cabin Troll lurk in those same shadows. Without a Charm by our side, we'd be dead by dawn"

Ivy knew they were right, she was also torn.

That night, sleep didn't come easy. Her mind was reeling on the possibility of her having to claim a charm.

It was something she never saw herself even thinking about a few hours ago. But now it was all that was on her mind.

No. She wouldn't. She could never hurt an animal; not even if her life depended on it.

Her mind continued to race for a few more hours. And before she knew it, she was sloshing through the damp, dark passageways underneath headquarters.

"Are we almost there yet?" Fraya complained.

"Nearly," Lucian assured the both of us.

The passage was glacial, I could see my breath misting with every word.

The only sounds illuminating from the dark tunnel, with the crack of the silver flame that danced upon the torch that Lucian stole from the dining hall, and the running water that trickled down the stone wall. Some drops freezing mid-drip.

Suddenly, Lucian stopped dead in his tracks.

"What is it?" I asked.

He pressed an ear against the icy wall. "We're here"

He then took a step back and ran three fingers along a ridge between two onyx bricks.

And before either of us knew it, the bricks began to collapse, giving way to the lantern-lit stables.

Artemis seemed to recognize me right away. I made my way over to her as she gave a little Winnie and nudged my shoulder with her nose.

"Animals..." Fraya muttered under her breath as she climbed onto her Mare.

"Unless you'd rather walk sister..."

Fraya gave him a dirty look.

Lucian and I mounted our horses at the same time, then we were off.

"Remember," Said Lucian, once we reached the forest's edge. "We need charms. So don't be afraid to...Ya know...Defend yourself"

"Yeah," Fraya scoffed, "Way to sugar coat it"

Then the three of us sped through the forest, leaving the manor behind for now.

But as I watched it sink further and further behind shadowy soldiers of the forest, there was a tinge of homesickness. Like pins and needles. It felt more like a home than any place in the first world. Now I was leaving.

But I'd be back...