Blazing Shadows

Chapter 5

Ignoring her brother's yells, Lillianna mounted her mare and galloped towards the castle, unaware of her surroundings. Blood pounded in her ears and she could feel her heart throbbing, fury still possessing her. There was one goal in her mind, and one goal only. All those years of suffering the ways of her overbearing father, rebelling only in the slightest of ways, like the black dress at the party, flashed before her eyes. As far as she could remember, her father never wanted her opinions, never included her in any of his plans - she'd never felt like she belonged. Julian and Crystal had been her only friends at this imprisoning castle. And of course, the snakes. But then, her dear father always had them killed. Even when she'd been merely six years old, her father had had Slyther - she always named her snakes- killed, right in front of her. She still remembered that dreaded day.

She'd been lying on her purple bed, reading, with Slyther wrapped around her short body. She was annoyed with the snake - he'd been constantly bothering her, wanting her to play with him. But it was the middle of the night and she was tired. She just wanted to finish her book in peace and then go to sleep.

"I'm tired, Slyther, we'll play in the morning. Promise," she tried soothing the snake, pushing him away from her book. But since Slyther was as stubborn as his little friend, he nudged the book, sending it flying out of Lilliana's hands and onto the floor. She cried out in annoyance, slapping him on the head. In retaliation, the snake's forked tongue flicked out, tickling the girl's neck. Giggling, she unwrapped Slyther from around her, setting him on the bed. As she bent down to pick up the fallen book, a hiss filled the room. Turning around, she saw Slyther's forked tongue flicking in and out, body poised to strike.

"Slyther? What's wrong?" she asked, nerves taut with apprehension.

That was when the door to her bedroom flew open and the one and only Lord Ayres marched in, a silver dagger in hand. Lilliana's face turned white, fear consuming her. Her father's face was red with fury as he raised his hand at his only daughter, not for the first time. She cried out as her head snapped to the side with the force of the slap, her cheek stinging.

"How many times have I told you not to bring these dirty snakes in the castle, Lilliana?" her father spoke through gritted teeth and with a forced calm. When his daughter merely stared at him mutely, he glared at her, "What are you staring at!?"

That was when he felt something cold wrap around his neck and a menacing hiss sounded in his ear. With growing horror, Lord Ayres slowly turned his gaze downwards, turning white with fear. For there lay the snake, coiled around his neck, fangs extended and poised to strike. As the snake reared back, another hiss filled the room, this one more powerful and even more frightening. With shaking knees and growing fear, Lord Ayres wrenched his eyes away from the dratted reptile and towards his young daughter. Her blue eyes glowed with power and her teeth were clenched.

A slight hiss erupted from the reptile and Lord Ayres' frozen brain processed the scene before him, as the snake miraculously uncoiled from around his neck and as its fangs retracted.

Now that the threat had gone, it was as if all his previous strength and anger came rushing back to him and raising the silver dagger, he brought it down, plunging it into the snake's hissing mouth.

And the scream that erupted, had definitely not been his.

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Lillianna forced the memories away, furiously wiping away the tears that fell from her eyes, wetting her cheeks. This was not the time for self-pity, not the time to reminisce. She had to stay focused on her plan. Reaching the castle, she dismounted, quietly handing Onyx to the guard beside her. As he led her mare away, Lillianna climbed the stairs, heading directly to her room. Entering it, she strode directly to the cupboard in the very corner of her room.

The small, brown cupboard didn't seem to fit in the otherwise expensive, luxurious room. Standing in front of it, she studied it for a moment then raised a long-fingered hand, resting it on the smooth, brown surface. She closed her eyes, forcing her mind to relax. It was only a second later, that her hand, the one touching the cupboard, started glowing with a strange, yellow light. The glow soon transferred from the hand to the cupboard, enveloping it whole. If someone had come in the room at the moment, they'd have been met with a very strange sight. They'd have seen a beautiful young teen with black hair flowing down her slim back and a glowing hand resting on a small brown cupboard that was steadily becoming larger and blacker, as if a glamour were being removed from it.

When Lillianna opened her eyes, it was to see the black cupboard towering over her. She removed her hand as the doors silently swung open. Even though she had seen them a thousand times, the contents of the majestic cupboard never failed to amaze her. Even now, she could feel the same joy rushing through her as her eyes took in the organized assortment of glittering weapons before her.

Bows, arrows, swords, daggers, staves, and even those mortal inventions called guns, lay before her, gleaming attractively, as if calling out to her. Reaching forward, she picked up a small knife that lay on a purple cushion of its own, and stroked it fondly - her first ever weapon. Her brother had gven it to her on her fifth birthday and since then, the only presents she received were weapons. Not that she was complaining.

Carefully placing the silver knife back in its place, Lillianna turned her attention to the very back of the cupboard where a small, lone box lay on a shelf. It would have been very inconspicuous had it not been for the glow that enveloped it. Very cautiously and almost gingerly, she picked up the box and slowly, she swung open the lid. It was all Lillianna could do to not shut her eyes against the blinding light that immediately attacked her face. With an almost loving sigh, she carefully extracted the dagger that lay within. It was almost exactly like the one that she'd given to her brother for his eighteenth birthday. The only difference was that this one was far more powerful and much...darker. Julian's dagger had been pure light. Lillianna's though...

She had added a touch of darkness to her own weapon. Secretly, of course. The power to talk to snakes and control them was bad enough; if her father got to know that she did dark magic too, she'd be thrown into prison, stripped of all her powers, princess or not. No one knew, though, and Lillianna knew her secret was safe.

She smiled, stroking the dagger almost lovingly - once she was through with him, Lord Ayres wouldn't know what hit him.