Lylie really didn't think any of this was necessary. Her ankle was working just fine after the spell, so really she should have been allowed to waltz right out of that castle and take Isa and run. After everything, she was willing to risk the journey across the desert just to get away. They'd move to Janbu, where everything was good, or at the very least, better than Ailica.

But according to Kimera, the venom had 'after effects' or something, and because of this she had to spend even more time in this infernal place. Isa visited often; apparently she'd pulled a favor from some high-up duke's son to get assignments to the healer's tower, where Lylie spent most of her time.

The few days Lylie spent in the castle weren't boring, exactly. Kimera had instructed her to rest her feet so she spent a lot of time lying in bed or sitting by a windowsill. The young seer had given her several books, but Lylie didn't know how to read, so Kimera had agreed to teach her. Well, more like insisted on teaching her. Lylie didn't think she needed the skill, but Kimera assured her it would be worth it.

It certainly wasn't worth it yet. Remembering which letters were which was easy enough. Lylie had always had a good memory. However, putting those letters to use was quite a bit harder. Why were some words spelled so differently than how they were said? Why were some words spelled the exact same but pronounced differently from one another? And why did some authors insist on using some fancy, obscure words when they could just use words everyone understood? Decoding the Ailican script was some of the most confusing work she'd ever done.

Kimera was a patient teacher, though. With anyone else, Lylie might have become frustrated and given up, or become annoyed with them and lied her way out of it. Kimera was careful to pander to Lylie's style and adapt her teaching methods to best suit the dancer. She was gentle, that much Lylie could see.

She was also incredibly awkward. She was like a walking bad luck charm. She knocked things over constantly, and scrambled to catch them before they hit the floor, which usually ended up in knocking even more things over. She stuttered a lot and talked very fast, and was spooked by the tiniest of things, like a bird in the rafters or the crackle of a torch. Lylie was pretty astounded; had someone so clumsy really managed to save her life with hands like magic? Surely they must have been two different people; identical twins, perhaps. Either way, she was grateful, however unlikely it seemed.

There was one thing that bothered her beyond all words, though. The fact that they could never be alone. Some guard or servant or palace employee always had to be with them. The rest of the healers came in and out of the tower, but a guard was always watching Kimera from the corner of the room or from the shadows. They rarely spoke to her, just monitored her with unclosing eyes.

Lylie thought at first that Kimera was a criminal, and she'd been put under watch to make sure she didn't break any more laws. However, Kimera had explained that she had to be with someone constantly in case she should deliver a prophecy.

"I'm someone," Lylie had protested. "Why can't they just leave you with me?"

"Apparently, they don't trust you," Kimera had replied.

"I have no idea why they wouldn't trust me," Lylie had said.

Lylie felt bad for her, honestly. It was clear that she was so fidgety because she was used to eyes always being on her, never leaving, never giving her a break. If it had been Lylie, she would have fled Ailica long ago. Kimera must not have been able to get away with anything. And how did she sleep? Was someone watching her even then? Creepy.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Kimera asked Lylie, shaking her from her thoughts. Lylie had been trying to read a book by herself, and it was quite frustrating. She would rather go on a walk, yes.

"I thought I was on bed arrest," Lylie said instead.

"Well, that's to let the spell set," Kimera said. "But we still have to exercise the new tendon, otherwise it'll end up stiff and sore. Come on, get up." She grabbed Lylie by the forearm and tugged.

"I'm getting up, I'm getting up," Lylie groaned, standing. She had no trouble doing so, which always came as a surprise to her. Her ankle had definitely been paralyzed when she'd tested it, and she didn't tend to put much faith in magic, yet it had worked wondrously. As though she'd never been injured. "Where are we going?"

"Just around. I would say let's hit as many stairs as possible, just to stretch the tendon a little bit-"

"You are always talking about that, Mera. this will be good for the tendon, that will be good for your physical health- do you ever just want to do something because you'll enjoy it?"

Kimera blinked. "What?"

Lylie shrugged a bit sheepishly. "I mean, you never seem to do anything for fun. Just for health. Don't you think you should just, I don't know, unwind sometimes?"

Kimera's eyes darted to the side, shooting a glance at the guard in the corner of the room, with his eyes glued to her. It was only for a split second, but Lylie caught it. Of course she couldn't unwind. She couldn't relax. She couldn't take mental-health days or do things just for her. Because she could never catch a break.

"I think we should take a walk outside," Lylie said. "Get you some sun. You're too pale, and that can't be healthy."

Kimera chuckled softly, averting her eyes. "Okay. We'll go outside."

They both got up and made their way to the door to the gardens. However, the loud footsteps of the guard behind them were not lost on Lylie. When they reached the foot of the stairs and emerged into the hallway, Lylie whirled around to face him.

"What-" Kimera started to ask.

"Can you leave us alone?" Lylie asked loudly and discourteously.

The guard, who probably hadn't been expecting to be addressed, gave her a sour look. "Sorry, little miss, but I have orders. The seer isn't to be left alone."

Kimera pursed her lips. She was probably used to being addressed as just 'the seer', an object or a tool to be used by the king.

Lylie realized in that moment they were the same, in a way. They were both objectified, just in different ways. Lylie was objectified for her body, for the way she could move and the way she was forced to present herself. Kimera was objectified for her abilities, the unique gift she'd been given and never allowed to return. These were the only things that made them worth something to the king, or to most people. They were generally thought of more as things than people. The only difference was that while Lylie fought back against this patronization, Kimera had started to think the same way about herself.

"I'm right here with her," Lylie said. "She's not alone."

Kimera said shyly, "Lylie, it's okay-"

"It's not!" Lylie protested. "You're obviously uncomfortable and I think it's stupid that this guy-" she gestured at the guard, "-doesn't get that."

"I have orders," the guard said dryly.

"Yeah, dumb orders." Lylie would ordinarily lie her way out of this situation. She'd yell about some shadow in the corner and when he looked away she'd bolt. She'd tell him she felt sick and when he averted his eyes to let her retch her guts out she'd run. She could even tell him a new guard would be there soon so he could just leave right now. But she couldn't lie, not really, because even if she could get away she doubted Kimera would be able too as well. Even if she could, Lylie doubted she would.

She opened her mouth to argue with the guard even more when someone cleared their throat from a little further down the hall. Everyone turned to see Jasper, the prince, walking towards them slowly.

"Excuse me, but, um," he said softly, "I can keep an eye on them."

"Sir, I, um," the guard stammered, obviously not expecting a royal to interrupt them. "I'm sorry, sir, but I-"

"Hey, don't worry about it," Jasper assured him soothingly. "I'm the prince. You can trust me. I won't let them out of my sight."

The guard hesitated a moment longer before nodding curtly and walking away hurriedly.

Jasper gave Kimera a quick wink the second the guard was out of sight and walked down the hall, taking the door to the servants' quarters and pulling his hood up over his face.

Lylie and Kimera were finally alone.

"Oh, wow," Lylie remarked. "He's nothing like his sister."

Lylie was grateful for what Rosalind had done, sure. But that didn't mean she forgave her for putting her in that position in the first place. And she certainly didn't forgive her for threatening Isa, even if Isa had never been in danger. Rosalind had made it clear that Lylie was under no obligation to forgive her, which was good, because Lylie had no plans to. However, Jasper was obviously the calmer and more quiet of the two. He'd apparently helped with the healing procedure, and Lylie liked him quite a bit better.

"W-Wow," Kimera said. "I... guess he trusts you more than that guard did."

"Well, I mean, come on," Lylie said, "What are the chances that you are going to deliver a prophecy in the next few minutes, huh?"

"Close to none," Kimera admitted.

"Then let's not worry about it." Lylie took her hand and led her out the door following Jasper, but turning towards the dead bushes and empty fountains that made up the garden. "Let's just have a nice walk and deal with the consequences later."

❂

Jasper had never attempted something like that before. He knew Kimera had to be with someone always, and he knew that she didn't like it, but he'd never tricked someone into leaving her alone.

But then, she wasn't alone, was she? Lylie was with her. Everything was fine.

He took the stairs down, ready to leave the castle. He'd promised Alkemena that he'd come to see her that day, and the next. He didn't make any promises after that. He had two days left.

He hadn't told anyone. He knew that if other people knew he was planning to die they would try to stop him, try to convince him to keep holding on. But he would not be convinced. If he had to, he'd thrust his own sword through his stomach, but in the end, Rosalind would be queen. He would make sure of it.

The door to the outside was in his sights. His steps sped up, as though his legs could tell how close he was to freedom.

A guard stepped into his path.

He paused in front of the woman, a confused look on his face. Guards weren't usually posted in the scullery or servant's quarters- it was one of the reasons he used this exit. So why was she here?

"Your majesty," she said, nodding to him. So she knew who he was, even with the hood. "The king wants to see you."

So she was here for him. She knew he would be here. Which meant his father knew he would be here.

"What does he want?" Jasper asked.

"I suppose you'll have to find out," she replied.

Jasper looked at the door wistfully one last time before following her back up the stairs. What did his father want? How did he know where Jasper would be? Was it a lucky guess?

Or had someone been telling him things?

Jasper cursed mentally. He'd known he should have been more careful, but he couldn't exactly tell Alkemena that, could he? Then he'd have to tell her the truth. And he couldn't do that. Had some villager seen them and reported them? Had some guard caught him climbing over the wall? There were a thousand different people who might have said something. However, it was unlikely that anyone would have recognized him as the prince. So who on earth could have gotten close enough to see who he was.

Sendar. Sendar was right there.

But he wouldn't tell anyone, would he? He'd promised. And as far as Jasper knew, he wasn't about to break that promise.

But maybe Jasper didn't know as well as he thought he did.

He followed the guard up stairs and through hallways until they found themselves in front of the doors to the throne room in the east. They were heavy and hard to push open, and behind them was a dimly-lit room with a high ceiling and curtains over the walls. There were no windows. It was like walking through a door from day to night.

Jasper's father sat on his throne, looking grim. He knew his father didn't like the throne room any more than he did; it was stuffy and depressing. But it did make for a good show when he summoned someone inside, and never failed to intimidate people, which is why the king tolerated it. Was that why the king had brought him here? Was he trying to intimidate Jasper?

"My son." The king held up a hand, beckoning Jasper closer. He didn't want to obey, but he didn't see another choice. "I've been hearing some strange things. What do you have to say about this?"

"Strange things?" Jasper repeated, feigning ignorance. So his father did know something, but he'd have to try a little harder to figure out what. He didn't know what his father knew, and didn't want to admit to anything he didn't have to. "What does that mean?"

"I think you know exactly what I mean," the king said, crossing his legs. "People see things all the time, Jasper. And when they're smart, they come and tell me about it."

Jasper narrowed his eyes at his father's flippant tone. He seemed laid back, relaxed, but the things he was saying were certainly not of a relaxed nature. He should be furious. He should be foaming at the mouth. What was his game?

"You're going to have to be more specific," Jasper said. "I'm afraid I still don't know what you're talking about."

"And sometimes people see things, and they don't tell me," the king continued. He waved a hand at the guards on his right, and they disappeared behind one of the curtains. "But word will reach my ears whether they will have it or not."

The guards emerged from the thick curtain with a limp form between their arms. Jasper's eyes immediately flew to him, hearing weak whimpers and sensing pain. The man's head hung down and his dark hair was over his face, but Jasper recognized the deep purple clothing of the Redious family.

"Sendar," he whispered. He turned back to the king. "What the hell is this?"

"People who see things and don't tell me about them don't deserve to see at all," the king said harshly. The guards dropped Sendar at the foot of the elevated throne, and he coughed as he hit the floor.

Jasper didn't care what his father had to say about it, he rushed forward to help Sendar back to his feet. However, he nearly fell backwards at what he saw.

Where Sendar's eyes used to be were two blackened holes, as though someone had taken a hot poker to the poor man's eyes. They probably had. The skin right around his empty sockets was charred and blackened, and the areas around those blackened parts were red and bleeding. The blood rushed down his face as if he were crying red tears.

"I'm sorry, Jasper," Sendar gasped, reaching out for the prince whom he couldn't see. His voice was broken and weak, hoarse from screaming.

"Shh, shh, lie still," Jasper said softly, scanning Sendar's face. His healer's eyes searched for some way to fix this, to help Sendar, but as far as he knew not even magic would be able to heal this. "Sendar, I'm sorry, this is my fault-"

"Yes, it is!" The king roared suddenly, leaping to his feet. Jasper looked up at his father, whose eyes raged in the torchlight. He could not hide the fear on his face. However, he did not leave Sendar's side. "What is her name, Jasper? This peasant girl who you care about so much?"

"Father-"

"You are a disgrace!" the king fumed, stepping down from the dias. "And do you know what the worst part is? I want you to succeed me Jasper, because however useless you are, your sister is a hundred times worse than you. The only reason you are alive right now is because she is the alternative."

"Don't say that!" Jasper yelled, becoming angry as well. His father could yell at him all he wanted, but he would not hear insult to Rosalind. "Rosalind is a thousand times better than you have ever been or will ever be!"

"You are a disrespectful, shameful brat," the king growled through gritted teeth. "And you need to be taught a lesson."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jasper stood, being sure to lay Sendar gently on his back. "You think you can scare me? What will you do? Hit me?" He opened his arms and offered his face. "Go on, father. Hit me. And explain to everyone in the court why I'm black and blue in the morning."

The king scowled. "I think not. No matter how hard a blow, nothing will get through your thick skull. You don't listen, Jasper, you don't listen to anything but that big heart of yours. Well, let us see just how great having a big heart is."

The king opened his outermost robe and pulled something out of one of his many pockets. No, multiple somethings. He held in his hands thin vials of water, each filled to the brim with clear, cool liquid.

"Wait, what-" Jasper caught on quickly, and instantly regretted his words. "Wait, father, no don't-"

The king took one in his other hand and hurled it against the ground. The vial shattered and the water was absorbed into the carpeted floor. Jasper leapt forward, not caring that it might seem as though he was groveling at his father's feet. He took the glass shards in his hand, as if he could save the precious water that everyone so desperately needed. That vial could have cured someone of sun sickness. It could have saved a child's life.

"That's one," the king said cruelly. "For you, because you didn't tell me."

"Father," Jasper begged. "Please, stop."

The king smashed another. The glass nearly flew into Jasper's face, but he flinched back to protect his eyes.

"That's another, for her, because she is a criminal and deserves the arena."

The king smashed a third. "That's for him-" he gestured violently at Sendar, "-because he is a lying rat and a dishonest schemer."

He took the last five in both hands and thrust them all around him, glowering as they shattered around the two royals. "And those are for all the time you wasted with her, disgracing your family and your royal duty."

Jasper felt tears at the back of his eyes, hot and clamoring to be set free. He didn't care. His father knew he had won. He let himself cry at his father's feet, admitting defeat. He shook with ever gasping breath, wondering how fate had conceived something so cruel. It was as if all his worst fears had been realized.

"Clean this up," the king said to the guards, who stood silently by the throne. He turned back to Jasper, looking down his nose at the weeping prince. "If you even look at her again, I will have her killed. For every second you do not spend training for that fight, I will smash another vial. If you leave the palace premises, I shudder to think what I will be forced to do."

"I'm sorry," Jasper wept, a hand over his eyes. "Please, just don't do this..."

"You are going to kill your sister!" the king howled. "And I will not have excuses or distractions! I am your father and you will respect me!"

The king spun on his heel and stormed out of the room.

❂

Alkemena waited for hours. She lingered by the streets around the palace walls, unable to see over them but knowing Jay would have to come over one of them sooner or later.

Where is he? she wondered. He'd promised to come see her again, since apparently work had been letting up as the arena fight drew ever closer. Which meant it made no sense that he hadn't come out yet. She wasn't sure she wanted to go into the palace to look for him, because she ran the risk of getting him in even more trouble if she did so.

So she sat on the rooftop, trying to keep a watchful eye on any possible exit point, but instead zoning out as time went on and on. Hours passed, until she was sore from sitting on the stone roof for so long.

He hadn't come out.

She worried, but ultimately knew Jay could handle himself. If he didn't return to her tomorrow, then she'd take action. But until then, she could trust him.

❂

There was no headstone. Kiara would be buried in an unmarked grave. It saddened Rosalind, but she understood.

With the current situation in Ailica, corpses could not be left to rot in the sun and potentially cause a plague. The burial was quick, and hardly anyone attended. Hardly anyone knew her, after all. She'd had no family that they had known of.

The Ailican burial process was simple. The corpse was burnt, the bones given to the smiths and jewelers and the ashes given back to the sands from which they had come. Usually the place they had been buried was marked with a stone or label of some kind. Kiara had no money to afford a carved headstone, but Arcanus had broken the spearhead off her spear and put it in the ground instead. He knelt in front of it now, running his finger over the edge. If he wasn't careful, he'd cut himself. There was a furry little animal on his shoulder. Rosalind didn't know where it had come from or why Arc had kept it, but it seemed very attached to him and she wasn't about to ask questions.

Rosalind had insisted upon attending the makeshift funeral despite Raven's request for her to stay in bed. She hadn't known the tiger keeper well, but Raven had, and she wanted to be there for him.

Even now, standing so stoic and stiff, Raven's eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. He'd likely been crying all night, but Rosalind hoped the burial would give him some closure.

"She died helping everyone," Rosalind assured him. "I'm sure that's what she would have wanted." She was leaning heavily against him since she still wasn't used to balancing on one foot. She had a cane in one hand, but her arm had ached after leaning on it for so long. She much rather leaned against Raven, who was soft and didn't seem to mind.

"Even so," Raven said grimly, "She didn't deserve to die. She was the best of us."

"I think she would beg to differ," Sethos said from Raven's other side. He had come late but come nonetheless. "She always envied you for your connection to the tigers. She thought you were the best of the best."

Raven chuckled sadly. "She had a funny way of showing it."

Sethos pat his shoulder. "She's better off, Raven. You'll realize that soon enough."

Raven nodded to him as he walked away. After all, he had a family to attend to, and he hadn't visited them in days, or so Raven had told Rosalind. Raven had been ignoring his duties as tiger keeper for too long, and it was time he took some responsibility for his animals.

"So what now?" Raven asked quietly.

"We wait for the drought to end," Rosalind answered. "Zar and Aslan are trying the snake venom right now. They'll come through, I know it. After all the trouble we went through to get it, that snake venom better work." She bit her lip. "I don't know what I'll do if it doesn't."

"Then we better hope it does," Raven replied.

❂

Aslan held the small vial in his hand, clutching it tightly. There was so little liquid, so little venom that they had gotten. It swished like a black, toxic residue at the bottom of the glass.

"Are you going to pour it in?" Zar asked from behind him. Aslan stood with his bare feet in the water, not willing to risk spilling it into the sand and losing it. Zar had refused to get wet, so he still stood on the shore.

"Kiara died for this," Aslan said hesitantly. "What if it doesn't work? What if we don't have enough?"

"This is just a test," Zar said. "If it ends up working, we can go get more venom. But we need to know if it does something."

"We need to know if Kiara died for nothing," Aslan corrected him.

"Well, that's a rather negative way of putting it, but I suppose so," Zar admitted. "We'll never know until you pour it in."

"I just-" Aslan still hesitated, never pouring no matter how far he let his hand dip. "I can't do it. We have nothing else if this fails. The arena fight is in two days. And we have nothing else to try. Everything's been done."

"Well if that's true, then this will work," Balthazar encouraged him. "Just pour it in before I push you over so it spills anyway."

Not wanting to be pushed into the salty water, Aslan tipped the vial and watched the venom slip like oil from the rim and drip into the pool. The black droplets fell like a sickly rain. Aslan prayed. He didn't know what he was praying to, but he needed something to happen.

He was let down. The venom fizzed as it hit the surface in a small bulge of bubbles, before sinking into the water and dissolving, joining all the other liquids as a part of the Oasis.

Zar and Aslan stood still, as though frozen, for a few more moments. Perhaps the reaction was delayed? Perhaps it was too small to see at first? Perhaps they wouldn't know until the next day? Aslan was willing to stand here all night if it meant bringing back the rain.

"Why didn't it work?" Zar whispered under his breath, just loud enough for Aslan to hear. "That should have worked. It was the last thing. It was the last chance we had."

"This isn't fair!" Aslan shouted, kicking at the water. It splashed and sloshed, spilling into the sand and dragging itself back to the pond. "Why do we have to go through all this trouble because some stupid king decided to be a dick? Why is it that the only one who doesn't suffer is the one whose fault the suffering is?"

"That's often the way of the world," Zar said cynically. "Those with enough power can shift the consequences of their actions to the shoulders of the ones who least deserve it."

"Why do we have to fix it?" Aslan cried. "Doesn't he see that this will catch up with him eventually? One day, when the people have had enough, all the guards in the world can't protect him."

"If that day should come, I doubt they would want to," Zar said. "The peasants aren't the only ones angry with the world and the king right now. He's making a lot of enemies."

"Well then, they better start doing something," Aslan replied solemnly. "Because I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Word Count: 4733

Character Appearances:

Lylie Jasmal by eli-z-le

Kimera Relicem by me

Jasper Vastatio by EstelElfstone

Alkemena Irving by TheShortBosmer (briefly)

Rosalind Vastatio by sofififlowers

Raven Blackthorn by ghostofwolves

Aslan by dr0wning_in_w0rds

Balthazar Evander by Cynarr

Also Featuring Appearances From:

Sendar Redious by Dire_Redheart

Kiara Altaica by TheExplosiveCyborg (mentioned)

Arcanus Regis by WaferWhale (briefly)

Sethos Kosey by SincerelyLoki (briefly)

A/N: And thus, Chapter 10 was completed. Hopefully you enjoyed, leave a vote and a few comments (or more than a few if you feel like making my day) and point out mistakes, please. I'm sorry I'm making you all suffer but I'm actually NOT that sorry, muahaha! We've only got about two chapters left in this story, so be prepared...

My question for this chapter is: Favorite song/artist?