Chapter 4

It was relatively easy to enter the palace grounds as the front gate had been destroyed. Niall and Saia walked through the debris of the fallen gate and entered the large gardens in front of the palace.

"Niall, Saia," a voice echoed from the center of the gardens, "get over here!" Niall and Saia followed the voice to the central fountain of the palace gardens. Waiting for them were Estal and her friends.

"We were just about to start a game," said Estal. "We were thinking cache-cache." Cache-cache was a game where one person, the catcher, would search for others, the loose, and when someone was found they could be sent to the Cache, which was a makeshift jail of sorts. Once the catcher caught everyone, they won, but if not everyone is found, the loose win.

"We can draw wicks to determine the catcher." said Saia. Estal pulled out a box of wicks and put them in her fist. Everyone drew a wick. Niall looked around. He realized his wick was the shortest of the bunch. Niall sighed.

"It's me." Niall sighed

"Start counting then!" exclaimed Estal. Niall closed his eyes and began to count to quadriety. All around him he could hear the sound of stomping feet and giggling.

"Quadriety!" Niall hollered. He opened his eyes and began searching for his friends. He first started through the old maze as it was a pretty common place for someone to hide. Sure enough, one of Estal's siblings, Urya, was hiding behind a decapitated statue of a lord. While Urya pulled herself out of her spot, Niall noticed a figure dash out from somewhere. Niall quickly turned his head towards the motion. He could hear their moving feet. Niall sprinted out of the maze and dashed after the figure. The figure turned to the right and ran towards the palace. They dashed up the broken stairs and through the entrance. Niall followed them into a cavernous hall, its ceiling seeming higher than some mountains. Niall's footsteps echoed throughout the hall. The figure suddenly stopped.

"Come get me, Niall!" hollered the figure. Niall recognized this as Saia. Saia dashed off out of the hall. Niall knew he couldn't catch her, he had to outsmart her. Saia had always been bright but never quite as clever as Niall. Niall looked around. There were windows at the top of the walls. A fallen pillar led right up to one of them. Niall ran to the pillar and pulled himself on top of it. Through the window, Niall could see Saia running across the courtyard. He jumped out of the window and caught on a vine before hitting the ground. Niall jumped off the vine and ran right in front of Saia.

"Ha ha!" laughed Niall, "I have bested you again!" Saia stood in front of him panting. She did not laugh or even smile. Saia's eyes were blank.

"Saia?" Niall was frightened by Saia's blankness.

Saia suddenly stood up straight. Her eyes began to glow a pure white, almost blinding. Her body began to slim and she seemed to get taller. Suddenly, Saia's chest blew open to reveal a blinding light. Niall covered his eyes. He opened his fingers to peer at Saia. Out of Saia's chest emerged a woman. Her face was obscured by a fan with only her lips visible.

"Niall." a whisper.

"Niall, you have been chosen." the woman's lips moved.

"What for?" Niall was confused, he had never been chosen for much of anything.

"You are going to save this world," said the woman, "it is dying."

"The world is safe, it is peaceful." declared Niall

"Is it?" the woman grabbed his temple with her palm.

Niall's head flung back. Ribbons of light emerged from the woman's fingertips and into his eyes, ears, and mouth. Niall was transported to a dimly lit room. A man in lavish robes walked in. His face was covered and his hands were gloved. As Niall looked around, he noticed three other figures chained to the wall. They were gaunt and pale. They were elves. Another elf walked into the room.

"Thou cannot wit whither thy day will pass, my punctuality has been fluctuating as of late." said the elf, kneeling. His dark robes seemed heavy and his veil thick.

"I have no need for thy apology, Morthos, I was accounting for your delay." said the first man.

"May I begin?" asked Morthos. The other man nodded. Morthos walked over to one of the elves and plunged his fingers into his chest. The prisoner gasped. Morthos yanked his fingers out of the man with his beating heart in hand. He kneeled and gave the first man the heart. He picked it up and took a bite of it. Niall gasped. Morthos and the other men turned there heads in Niall's direction.

"Spies?" asked Morthos.

"It is possible, Satirist." said the other man. Out the man's fingers, grew a blade. It reflected no light and was dark as night. The blade flew through the air straight for Niall's head. Niall shut his eyes. He felt no blade touch his skin. When he opened his eyes, he was back in the gardens. Saia ran out of the palace and rushed towards Niall.

"Where have you been!" yelled Saia, exasperated, "We've been looking for you!"

Niall felt nauseous. He wobbled over to Saia and fell into her arms. The world was no longer peaceful, the Yendarian Empire was not safe.