Darkness Rises

Chapter 2

I fell backwards with a yelp and the room I was in fell silent. I pushed myself up and looked around, thirty eyes pressed in on me.

Crap, I was in the High Lords meeting. I fell to my knees and bowed my head, this was not meant to happen.

"What are you doing child?" One of the males asked.

"Decorating the cake Sir," I whispered, my voice sounding too loud in this quiet room.

"You made this?" A dark-skinned male asked.

"Yes Sir," I whispered once more.

"This is your master baker?" The High Lord of Autumn asked my master.

"Yes Father, she is." Master replied.

"But she's only ten," he snapped back.

"She is thirteen father," master replied calmly, glaring at me. "You can stand Jasmine," he added.

I rose to my feet but kept my eyes lowered. I felt a talon poke against my mind, I let out a squeak, snapping up my forgotten mental shields and whirling on the Night Court.

The High Lord was looking very surprised, and I lowered my eyes once more. Why did I have to add more details to the cake, then this wouldn't have happened.

Then I remembered my mother's warning, if I was ever in the same room as the High Lord of Night, I could never look at him, if I did, he would most likely kill me. Well I was dead.

"You are dismissed," master said, and I turned to leave.

"Wait," the High Lord of Night said, and I stopped.

"Your cake, would you tell me what made you do it like this and how you know so much at such a young age?" He asked with a small frown.

Damn, I knew putting Night last was a bad idea.

"Master told me that I had to make a cake with seven layers, one for each court, the only rule was that Autumn had to be at the bottom." I took a breath.

"I did it in the order that made the most sense, the seasons in order then Dawn Day and Night like the map. My mother taught me everything I know," I whispered once more, knotting my hands behind my back.

"Did your mother help you with this?" The female next to him asked.

"No Miss," I replied.

"I want to talk to you after this meeting, be in our rooms when we are done," he commanded, and I bobbed a curtsy before leaving.

I ran back to the room I share with Amelia and flung myself on her, sobbing. She sat on the bed with me in her lap. Ever since my mother had died, she had taken me in, at twenty one she was only eight years my senior but neither of us minded.

"Whatever is the matter?" She asked me.

"I was finishing off the cake when it was transported into the High Lords meeting, so I went with it, the High Lord of Night was there, and I think he saw my eyes because he has asked me to be in his rooms when the meeting finishes." I sobbed.

"It's ok, you don't know that for certain," she said calmly.

"But I looked at him, he tried to poke around in my mind, and I freaked out, he's going to kill me." I couldn't stop my tears.

"Come now, dry your eyes, I'm sure he won't kill you, he will have liked your cake too much," she said with a small smile.

"If he does, will you burry me next to mother?" I asked softly.

"Of course I will, but don't fret about that," she said with a frown.

"I don't even know where the Night Court's rooms are," I said as I dried my eyes.

"Come on, I'm assigned to their rooms while I am here, so I'll show you," she said with a small smile.