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E I G H T

If Cressida became Queen, the black castle would be the first thing to go. She would paint the cold, ancient Kingdom in flowers and beauty. It was a thing of wonder that none of the previous Queens who had been an Earth had thought to destroy the consuming darkness. Based off the aesthetics, Callisto appeared to be best suited to rule in a Kingdom made of night.

Callisto, who had also shown up with a human companion, leaving Cressida to be the only one who had not. No, she had just brought Bellatrix, who was company enough. But was she expected to bring a friend? Yes, it did leave her without an escort, but there was no place she went that Bellatrix would not go, too.

She eyed the window again, but not at the view. She looked at the small drop resting below the glass. Unsurprisingly, all buildings in the Kingdom's version of the House of Earth were built low to the ground, most no more than two stories. Earths did not like being far above the ground; they preferred to be closer to the solid ground.

Which made sneaking out all that much easier, she thought with a grin. Cressida slid the window open, the hinges not making a noise. She grinned, and swung one leg outside.

Bellatrix released a warning growl, suddenly awake and alert, tracking her Companion's movements. Cressida shot a warning look towards the wolf over her shoulder, silently challenging her to do something. Bellatrix returned the glare.

"I'm already halfway out the window, Bella," pointed out Cressida cheerfully, "there's no point growling at me."

A thick vine weaved up the short side of the building, coming to a rest at Cressida's window. She placed a foot on it, then a hand.

Then, she let go of the window ledge.

Cressida's hand burned as it slid down the leafy vine, but she ignored the pain. It was a short fall to the ground, a fall slowed by sliding from the vine. But it was still a fall, and her knees popped with the impact. Wincing, she straightened herself, and walked away from her chambers, from the House of Earth.

And towards the House of Wind.

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Security was very relaxed, Cressida noted as she slipped unnoticed into a small throng of Winds milling around. As she dodged between couples and small groups, no one seemed to realize that she was a Queenling.

Not that she minded. It was relaxing to walk around with other persons without being silently judged or reprimanded or praised. Relaxing to look at persons, and not have them stare back at her in either awe or hatred. It was even relaxing to not have Bellatrix trailing behind her, growling at everyone.

Cressida was invisible.

But, despite her newfound ability to eavesdrop on the others strolling around her, no one seemed to know where Callisto was staying. And if they did, they were not talking about it. No, the general gossip was about the Queentide that would begin tomorrow.

After an hour of failed eavesdropping attempts, Cressida found herself at the base of a tall tower, away from the bustle of the House. The light was rapidly growing more dark as the Sun began its full descent.

There was nothing alive here. No plants, no animals. Just bare isolation and cold, dark stone. It gave Cressida chills just standing there. Chills, and the foreboding sense that someone was wrong.

She frowned, and looked up at the tower. There was a light coming through the window, in whatever room must lie up there. It was too large and too out of place to be a house. If anything, it looked like it was a watchtower, or part of the Castle.

Cressida grinned in the fading sunlight as it dawned upon her. After an hour of fruitless searching and wandering, she had found her sister.

But how to get up there?

The tower was much too tall to climb, even with assistance from the vines she could conjure. And, it would attract attention from the House. There was no visible door Cressida could see.

Cressida smiled, and felt a twinge of respect for Callisto. It was smart of her to do this, isolate herself high enough that she would be untouchable during the Queentide.

But it was not the Queentide, not yet.

She flicked her long hair over her shoulder, and closed her eyes. Callisto had arrived with a falcon Companion, and, despite the Companionship bond, all animals seemed to listen to Cressida.

She focused her attention to the tower. Though her eyes were closed, she could still see, but not in the normal sense. Everything was black, except for life. Cressida looked past the small brown pinpricks that were bugs flying in the air, and past the cold, nonliving stone.

Inside the room, there were two large lifes. One was unmistakably human, though there was something off. The life was dark, much darker as the blackness in which everything was swimming.

Cressida has seen many different colors of lifes. Yellow, brown, red, as well as colors that were not even visible to a human eye, colors that existed only in a life. But she had never seen one so dark, darker than black.

Even worse, the life was tainted. Not sick in the physical sense, the sick that she could easily heal. No, this sickness was deeply rooted inside the mind.

Callisto was insane.

In some form or another, there was something very twisted inside Callisto's mind, something that stained her very soul.

Cressida's stomach turned, her legs suddenly feeling weak. But she forced herself to skim over Callisto's life, and onto the next one. It was smaller, and belonged to a winged creature, the color a gray of polished stone.

Come to me, she thought, casting the silent voice like a net in the direction of the gray life.

From behind closed eyelids, Cressida watched the gray life fly out the window. She opened her eyes, and saw the bird descend. Without thinking, she held out her arm, and the falcon dug its claws into her skin as it rested.

Cressida laughed loudly. Within seconds, Callisto leaned out the window, glaring at the ground below. Her gaze only intensified as she recognized Cressida.

With the hand that was not currently supporting a bird, Cressida gave a mocking wave. "Did you find that you are missing something?"

Harsh winds slammed into Cressida, and it took all the strength in her body not to fall. "I doubt that you want to kill me," she screamed over the winds.

They abruptly stopped. Cressida blinked, her eyes dry from the wind. Callisto's falcon readjusted on her arm, content to stay there.

"I doubt that you want to guess what I want," Callisto purred from high above, her dark eyes boring holes into Cressida. "Why did you come here?"

"Not to kill you, if that is what you think I want. Come down here."

"Release my falcon before I kill you," was all Callisto said, possessing the audacity to look bored.

Cressida rolled her eyes before giving her sister a vulgar gesture. "Come down here and get him."

A dangerous glint was visible in Callisto's dark eyes. Cressida merely grinned wickedly up at her, revealing the fangs that she rarely displayed.

A sharp gasp passed through Callisto's clenched teeth as Cressida retracted her sharp fangs. Such a dangerous card to play...

But she did not have a choice. Cressida was here for a plan much bigger than merely irking her sister. She had to learn everything about her eldest sister, to see if there was any chance at all she would be willing to lay down the chance of the crown.

And now, Cressida had to learn something more. She had to see if the insanity curled up inside Callisto was curable.

Or if it could give Cressida an advantage in the Queentide.

author's note
sorry for not updating in a while! school just starting, and i'm getting double the workload that i did last year. hopefully, updates will start evening out as i balance all my schoolwork.

-marlene young