They stared at the pile of ashes in silence until Solara brushed the remainder off the table, "She's volatile. This is more power than I've ever dealt with." She observed, her face a little ashy.

Jinon patted Solara, "You can do it. We just have to get a few more ingredients, that's all."

Solara nodded, deep in thought, "If she had been normal, when she's 16, the Spark will have manifest itself to the world. But this spark..." She looked up at Jinon, "If we try to surpress it normally, I'm afraid it'll back fire. You've seen what happens when magic is forced. I'll need dwarf stones of at least three thousand years old, and the blood of a dragon"

"So I take it that this wasn't normal." Cybelline said and then after a second, "Also, there's dragons? Just what kind of world is this?"

"There are special mages, rare and highly sought after. They have powers that perhaps can even rival the old First Bloods of the Fae and Folk." Solara said after a moment, ignoring the question about dragons, "The last one who was born, destroyed the entire of Fae." She looked at Jinon, "Their magic is so volatile that they more often than not, when igniting the spark, will die."

"And those who don't may go on to rule half the world." Jinon said. He looked her over, "Your power is hidden well, better than anyone I've ever seen. And the better for it, because should you ever decide to ignite the spark, you can probably destroy half the city with just the awakening of your magic."

"Where can we find the power gems we need?" Jinon wanted to know.

"You'll need Ancient Mage Stones. Ones that only the palace will have, but it will be heavily guarded and near impossible to get into." Solara drew up an image in red light, the tall palace with it's many turrets and red capped towers, was beautiful and foreboding.

Jinon grinned, "Sounds like fun. I---"

He stopped for a minute and frowned. Suddenly he stood up, "Solara, where is your scrying mirror?"

Solara raised her hand and a beautiful mirror rose out of it. Jinon took it, "Speak."

The image of his cat rose out of the mirror, "She has found us. She is coming."

Jinon's eyes widened, he looked at Solara. She sighed, "Go. I will take care of things here."

Jinon nodded, he looked at Cybelline, "I need to go. When things are done, I will come find you."

Cybelline looked from Jinon to Solara, "What's happened?"

But Jinon shook his head, "The less you know, the safer you are." He looked at Solara, "It looks like I was not able to hide as well as i thought."

Solara sighed, "She'll keep coming at you, time and time again. You know that. Only you can end things."

"I should go too." Cybelline stood up, "You're going back to the village aren't you?"

Jinon shook his head, "Nothing I can't handle, and nothing you can help with." He looked into her eyes, "They will be safe, I promise."

Cybelline nodded, "I'm sorry I can't be of any help." She wasn't the assassin who lived in darkness anymore, she didn't have to kill anymore. In losing that, did she also lose the right to protect the people who were kind to her?

Jinon grinned and ruffled her head, "As long as we're around, you don't have to bear that burden." Solara walked over and placed a hand on her should in comfort.

"We'll have fun. Be safe." Solara kissed his cheek. He nodded and left.

Cybelline watched in silence, Solara turned around, "Where were we?"

"Is she Jinon's ex-girl friend or wife?" Cybelline wanted to know after a moment. Solara grinned in spite of herself, "Ex-girlfriend? what a strange term."

"It means lover." Cybelline added, "Is she important?"

Solara looked at the mirror, "She is the most important person in his life, and will always be." There was something about her voice that seemed to tell Cybelline to stop asking questions.

Solara shook off the reverie, "Without Jinon, we'll have to get creative. How do you feel about going to a royal ball?"

"Depends on how much I get to steal." Cybelline grinned, "I need money to start my new life anyways." Solara laughed as well.

"The Eldest prince, Iorin is giving a ball in seven days. Once you get into the palace, we need to get you to the Royal Mage Store rooms. You'll need to find the three Dwarf Blackstones, I'll draw it out for you. These are stones that can surpress the powers of even the Fae. They should be more than enough to surpress yours for the next three hundred years. And Dragonsblood." Solara frowned, "I would go with you, but..." She looked at the floating specter of Imp, "They really can't know about my existence."

Cybelline grinned, "You practically live under their noses."

Imp piped up, "Yes, the most dangerous place is also the safest. But if Solara goes, it'll be like us waving in front of their faces, telling them that they would be idiots if they didn't catch us."

"I am tempted," Solara said, her eyes glittering, "They have so many pretty baubles."

"I'll bring you back some." Cybelline said, "So break into a palace and steal some priceless magical ingredients and a few bags of jewels. What could go wrong?"

Imp thought for a moment, "Everything? I mean you could literally die." Cybelline threw an apple through him.

-----------

The Royal Ball

"Oi! Boy!" A large soldier grabbed a boy by the shoulder. The boy jumped, visibly scared, his face was smudge with soot, his arms full of wood. The boy stared back with large grey eyes, "S-s-s-irrr?" He was in a plain brown tunic and grey hose, the smudge of soot and the smell off wood practically rolled off him.

"Kitchen's that way." The man turned the boy around and shoved. The boy seemed to trip, caught his step and scurried down the large hall towards the the brass doors. He trotted down the arched hallways, his threadbare shoes not making a sound on the red granite floor.

"Who was that?" Another soldier came up, a roll in one hand and a mug in the other.

"Dunno, too many dratted people here today." The man muttered irritably.

Cybelline walked towards the kitchen, the panic expression disappeared from her face. Instead, she scanned the long halls of carved marble. Two pages walked by her, one of them shoving her aside, "Move, impudent sludge!" He snarled haughtily. Cybelline bowed her head and muttered an apology and followed them towards the kitchen. She looked at the two well dressed pages. Red tunics over cream colored undershirts and black hose. They had the emblem of the stag embroidered in gold on their tunics. Smart little ceremonial daggers and a brown satchel hung at their waists.

The other boy laughed and patted the other page, "You're in a horrendous mood today, Restan." The other page sighed, "I have to serve a difficult master today."

"You don't mean..." The other boy's mouth fell open, "Lord Killian? He's back?" The boy whistled, "I thought he was going to be at war for at least another month."

"He killed everyone he could kill, so why wouldn't he be back." the page said glumly, he glared like the world owed him money, "He's sixteen, that's just a year younger than me. So why can he command half the army? If I was given the chance I could do as well! Must be nice to be born with with a gold spoon in his mouth."

Cybelline eyed the boy, he wore a gold chain with rubies around his waist and a diamond stud in his ear. She rolled his eyes.

"Hush," the boy shushed him quickly, "They say he's got eyes everywhere. The likes of us won't survive the likes of him."

"He's not a favorite with the queen. Or the crown prince." Restan snapped, "And he's difficult to serve." The boy groaned, "I wish I didn't have to face that war crazy devil." He sighed, "I'm going to head to the pages wing after this. Go to the hall without me, tell the master I took sick and need a minute." He grinned, "I've a bottle of mead."

Cybelline followed them into the kitchen. She studied Restan. Even though he was seventeen, he was a short and slender youth, just a few inches taller than her, he was the perfect mark.

Once she had unloaded the firewood, she followed the boys towards the pages wing. The two boy had separated and the seventeen year old was walking by himself. He crossed into an empty hall that served as a hiding place for his precious mead.

"My lord!" A timid voice sounded behind him and Restan whirled around. A boy was stood in the corner, next a niche where an anciet suit of armor stood guard. Restan squinted, the boy's face was hidden in the shadows.

"What boy?" He grunted, the boy seemed to visibly shake at the sound of his voice, and backed further into the darkeness. This irritated the older boy more. He walked up the smaller boy, ready to cuff his ears.

A hand shot out, faster than a snake. The last thing Restan remembered was a smile that froze his insides.

Cybelline tsked as the boy in front of her fell into a crumpled heap. She looked around and make quick work of stripping him. For safe measure, she stuffed her dirty, worn shoes into his mouth. Quickly, she took out some rope she had hidden had trussed him up like a chicken. Then, upon realizing that the suit of armor opened on hinges, she shoved him in and locked it back up.

His clothes were of a much higher quality than hers, she scrubbed the dust and grim from her face and slicked her hair back. In this outfit, she could pass as a new page.

She trotted down the empty corridor and into the pages wing. Finding the room where a plaque wrote, "Restan of Collingsground" she took out a key and opened it. There was only one other person in there. The boy sat up, "Yes?" He was a big seventeen year old lad, with friendly eyes and a sleepy smile.

"Lord Restan sent me here to get his money bag." She answered, "He says he needs to buy himself some good times before serving that demon of war."

The boy frowned, "He's ordering around other pages?" He pointed, "His things are there." He looked at the young boy over, "The name's Patrick. If Restan is bothering you, send him to me."

She nodded and walked across the room, opening the cupboard, she found a heavy red bag, full of coins. Carefully, she took it and placed it into her satchel along with all of Restan's worldly possessions, including his diamond stud. She looked over, Patrick was getting dressed, as he pulled the same red and gold tunic over his own shirt and hose.

"Do you know your duties? Everyone got them in the morning, but I overslept." Patrick asked amiably as Cybelline stole all of his roommate's goods. The satchel she carried was one that she had placed a small piece of magic in. Solara told her that it made the container twenty times bigger and could carried everything without her feeling the weight. Cybelline was making good use of it.

Cybelline shook her head, "I just got here from my father's fife. Just need to get this to Lord Restan now."

Patrick grinned, "Come back when you're done, I'll take you to the great hall. The Protocol Master will have something for us to do." Cybelline grinned and stood up, "Sure." She ran outside and then waited for ten minutes, exploring more of the palace but staying well out of sight. She walked back to Patricks room and found the older boy waiting for her.

They walked towards the great hall, which had been off limits to her in her scullery boy outfit. Around them servants rushed about carrying large silver trays towards their destination. Cybelline tugged at Patick's sleeve, "Is that the Mage's quarters?" She pointed to a heavily guarded gate.

Patrick shook his head and looked at Cybelline with almost pity, "That's the royal treasury." He walked her towards the east and pointed to a tower that was a little more off in the distance, "That's the mages quarters." It seemed like an older version of the palace, people in red robes were rushing in and out with the alacrity that the servants displayed. "They'll be busy tonight" Patrick observed, "The king will want a display."

Cybelline wanted to take another look but Patrick was already pushing her back towards the great hall, "I'll take you later," he reassured her, "If we don't go now, the Protocol Master will chop us into aperitifs"

"All the other pages seemed to have been assigned lords already. So why aren't you serving some lord or another." Cybelline wanted to know as they continued down the hall.

Patrick shrugged and waved his hands "Ham fingers." His fists were massive and callused, "The last time I served her Grace, Duchess Gallahan, I knocked soup, tea, and her wig onto her lap. She declared in front of the entire court that I was not fit to serve a dog. And that if I even dared to approach her table she would strangle me with her garter."

Cybelline whistled. The older boy looked at her, "I forgot to ask, what's your name?"

"Cyrus." Cybelline lied smoothly, "But most people call me Cy."

"Nice to meet you Cy." Patrick shook her hand, Cybelline's small had disappeared into his large one. She grinned up at him, "Nice to meet you too." She stopped in front of the great hall, "Wow."

Large doors, encrusted with rubies, swung open to reveal a hall that seemed to go on forever. White and gold marble floors glittered underneath the bustle of the servants in white and red. The great hall opened to the large garden outside, the grand windows draped with red, see through silk. Tall pillars support a roof that was titled in artwork that depicted the history of Dycathion. The throne was made of pure ruby and gold, sitting on a tall dais draped in damask.

"First time?" Patrick grinned, "Come on, if you dwaddle, they'll think you're a country bumpkin."

"I am a country bumpkin," Cybelline retorted and followed.

The two of them walked quickly towards the Protocol Master. He was a tall, reedy man who was writing frantically. There was another boy who was out of breath next him. Cybelline recognized the boy that had been with Restan, there was a look of panic in his eyes.

"He said he was sick sir, I don't know where he disappeared off to." The boy stammered.

"Lord Killian arrived earlier than expected, we need a page to send up refreshments and his new clothes now." The protocol master looked up, "Never mind, if you can't find him then we have to find a replacement."

Patrick frowned and looked at Cybelline, "Didn't you just see him?"

Cybelline nodded, "He said that he's going to have some fun before the ball. I think he went into the city" She spoke with such conviction that no one question her.

"Dratted boy, he's going to get a good whipping when I'm done." The protocol master cursed, he looked at Patrick and the other boy, "Lord Killian won't be pleased with either of you louts."

He looked at Cyrus and sighed, "Neither Patrick nor Olven here can hold a pitcher of water without spilling it down themselves. I can't trust them with anything, not even things they can't spill. Can you do it boy?"

Cybelline nodded. That's a really low bar. She thought to her self and looked to Patrick, who looked slightly abashed. Olven's face reddened but said nothing.

"Then take this, go to his Lord's room and wait on him." The Master of Protocol snapped and handed him a tray, on it was a load of food. Patrick picked up the other package of clothing, "Come on lad, I'll take you."