Saphira and Mike helped pull Snyder up on to his feet, but the Prince felt so weak that his knees wobbled and he could barely stand. Saphira couldn't help but feel panic arise inside her.

"We should take you to see Peter," she told Snyder why gripping his forearm tightly to keep him from falling.

Snyder glanced at her skeptically. "Who's Peter?" he questioned, his voice hoarse. "Is he someone else who's going to try to kill me?" He cleared his throat as it burned.

Saphira shook her head. "No, Snyder. He's our court physician. He's going to make you better again."

Priella stepped in front of Snyder. "I think you should go see him," she told her friend tenderly. "I want to see you well! You are in no condition to travel home."

"Peter will help you," Briar chimed in.

"Saphira, do you really think that is such a good idea?" her Mother, who was still standing silently in the doorway of the cell, asked her. "You're going to bring the Dark Prince into Peter's chambers and you really think that he's not going to tell your Father? If the whole kingdom finds out..." She lowered her voice to a mere whisper. "The people are going to be overcome with fear. They will leave the kingdom if they find out that we let one- or two I should say- in. They will no longer trust your Father and I to be their rulers!"

Saphira narrowed her eyes at her Mother. "Well maybe you don't deserve to rule," she sad bluntly. "I don't see why we should have a liar sitting on the throne and wanting to lead us."

Aithusa lowered her head. She knew her daughter would never forgive her for what she and Edwin had done. "Saphira, I didn't know," she continued to whisper.

"Know what?" Snyder asked, rubbing his throat with the hand that Saphira wasn't grasping so tightly. The four teens stared at Saphira in wonder. They wanted to know what the Queen was speaking of.

"Nothing," was all Saphira answered back. "I'll deal with Peter." She was half dragging Snyder out of the cell before Mike decided to finally help her carry the weak Prince.

Snyder dragged his feet across the marble flooring. He didn't even want to lift his feet because he said it took too much energy. The stairs were a challenge to climb. To Snyder, the flights were forever long. "I need... to... rest..." Snyder could barely get out, his throat feeling like it was being crushed under something heavy.

Mike let go of Snyder so the Prince could sit for a moment and rest, but Saphira held on to him with all her strength.

"No!" she shouted. "We mustn't stop! We're almost there. Peter will help you. You must keep going, Snyder!"

Snyder closed his eyes for a quick moment. He tried to swallow some saliva that had gathered in his mouth, but found that it was extremely difficult. He knew something was wrong, there was no doubt about it. He reopened his eyes and continued to try to move along with Saphira.

Up one more flight of stairs, and the Physicians chamber was on the left. Briar ran ahead in front of them and stepped inside to warn Peter that someone was coming.

The old man had been asleep in his bed and was aroused by the sound of his door being flung open. When the servant girl, Briar, came running in, Peter knew that something was wrong. He swiftly threw on a brown robe and stepped over to the young girl to assist her.

"What's wrong, my dear?" Peter asked her as she first barged in.

"There is someone who is very sick," Briar replied. "He needs your help, Peter."

Peter nodded his head. He had known Briar for a very long time. He had even helped delivered her into this realm seventeen years ago. Peter was like a grandfather to Briar. "I will grab my medicine bag and head straight down to the village," Peter informed her. He beat over to pick up a brown satchel, his white beard dangling on the leather, but Briar stopped him right before he began packing it with remedies.

"That won't be necessary," she told him. "He's on his way here."

The minute after she said that, Saphira and Mike came stumbling in trying to keep a near unconscious Snyder from collapsing followed by a worried Priella.

Peter glanced from the boy dressed in dark clothing back to Briar. He pointed a finger at Snyder and began backing away. "No," he said afraid. "This isn't who I think it is." Peter shook his head. "This is a Dark Being!" He turned his gaze towards Priella and pointed a finger. "You are a Dark Being!"

"Peter, don't freak out," Briar tried calming him. "They won't hurt you. They're friendly." She watched as Saphira and Mike struggled to keep Snyder on his feet. "Please, Peter!" she begged. "He needs your help. He might die without your help."

After staring for a couple minutes at the dark boy and girl, he nodded his head and motioned for them to bring the boy over to the patients bed that sat a few feet from the fire place beside a table.

"Lay him there," he instructed.

Saphira and Mike both dragged him over to the bed, Snyder having completely given up on trying to walk, and placed him down gently on the soft blankets.

Saphira prayed silently that the Creator would give Peter the knowledge on knowing what was wrong with Snyder and being able to fix him.

Peter pulled up a stool beside Snyder, sat down, and began to examine the boy. He lifted his eyelids to see how dilated his pupils were, he checked his wrist to see how strong his pulse was, and he checked for a heartbeat.

Being a physician for many years, Peter quickly recognized how Snyder was struggling hard to breathe, the bruising around his neck probably very well had something to do with it.

Peter pushed on Snyder's neck ever so slightly and with every push, Snyder winced in pain. The Prince wanted so badly to tell the physician to back off and get out of this bed and tell him that he'll be fine. But he couldn't even lift a finger.

When Peter finally sat back, Saphira questioned him. "What's wrong with him?"

Peter sighed and stood up. He stroked his beard in thought. "His pulse is weak and his heart is beating slower then it should. The boys windpipes are crushed. The force from whatever put these bruises around his neck was enough to damage his throat to the point that he will die slowly if this is not fixed. Whoever- or whatever- tried to strangle him knew what they were doing. They wanted him to die this way, in pain and suffering."

Priella squatted beside Snyder on his right side. She slipped a concerned hand into his sweating palm. "Snyder, who did this to you?"

Saphira, who was kneeling on his left side, leaned in closer to hear who could have done this to him. Although, she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

Snyder drew in a shaking breath, his eyes still closed, unable to find the will to open them. "King... Edwin," he tried so desperately to say.

Saphira lowered her head as tears slipped down her cheeks. She was afraid to know that her father could be so cruel. To think that no matter who the person was, even if they were a sixteen-year-old boy, they would be that easy to kill. Did her father really think that? Somewhere deep down, was her father really all that different then who he was to her growing up?

"Is there a way to cure him?" Priella asked the old man sitting diagonal from her.

After thinking for a minute longer, Peter slowly shook his head. "No," he replied with a sigh. "There is no remedy to my knowledge that can heal him. Broken windpipes are unrepairable." Priella lowered her head down on to the bed beside Snyder. "Well..." Peter corrected himself which made Priella raise her head back up towards him. "There may be one thing." He glanced over at Saphira.

   She stared back at him unsure of why he was looking at her. Then she finally realized, her eyes growing big. "No!" she shouted in disbelief. "You cannot ask of me to do such a thing! You know how weak it left me last time."

   "What is it?" Priella asked.

   "He wants you to use your gift," Mike chimed in, catching on to the eye glances between the Princess and Physician.

   "What do you think I should do, Mike?" Saphira asked her best friend. "You were the first one I ever tried it on."

   Mike shrugged. "If you think it will save his life, then try it!"

   Saphira let out a deep breath before she extended her hands, hovering them above Snyder's chest. She tried to summon all the power she felt inside her... she wasn't even sure how to. She felt her insides beginning to tingle, but no matter how much she willed for that power to be released, it wouldn't come out. It stayed locked inside her. She pushed herself harder, squinting her eyes at the strain.

   Mike placed a hand on the Princesses back seeing her struggle. "Saphira, it's not working," he told her softly. "You need to stop before you hurt yourself."

   Saphira lowered her hands and sniffed back a sob. "He can't die, Micah! He just can't!"

   Peter lowered his gaze to the ground in thinking. "You know..." Everyone looked over towards him. "There... may be one other thing." He stood up and began probing through his books that lined every shelf and laid stacked chest high on tables.

"What is it?" Saphira asked. She leaped to her feet and began looking through the books that Peter had decided was not what he was looking for.

"I'm searching for a particular book," Peter answered as he scanned through the titles of books. "Ah-ha!" he exclaimed as he reached up and carefully pulled a book from off a shelf. Its burgundy colored cover began to fall off into pieces at the binding indicating its age and use. Peter began to rapidly scan through it.

"Here it is!" Peter said excitedly.

Saphira, Briar, and Mike all gather around Peter, but Priella stayed right by her best friends side.

On the left page of the book was the drawing of a golden chalice, its base and top covered in the reddest rubies. On the right was a page full of words that described what this chalice was.

"What are we looking at?" Briar asked, not fully understand what the picture was for.

Peter stepped out of the way. "Read for yourself," he told her, pointing down to the page.

Briar stepped around him and bent over to see the text clearly and began to read. "This chalice has the power to bring back the soul of a person close to death. Many have searched far and wide for this chalice, but few have succeeded in finding its location. The roads to the chalice are treacherous and can lead to death, but those who have found the chalice proclaim that the journey was worth it to save the ones they love." She skipped through the rest. "This chalice is called the Cup of Life."

Mike slapped himself on the forehead with his good arm. "So now were suppose to risk our lives to find something that only a handful of people have found? And for who? The Dark Prince of all people!" Mike shook with rage as he plopped himself down into a nearby chair.

"The Dark Prince?" Peter asked gazing into Saphira's eyes. She could only nod her head. "My lady," he began. "What is he doing here? Surely you know of the prophecy. That boy cannot stay here!"

"Prophecy?" Mike asked. "What prophecy? Or is this something else that we're going to be left in the dark about?"

"Micah, please!" Saphira said sternly. She sighed before answering. "I know, Peter. My parents have told me everything."

Peter's eyes widened. "You must take him from my chambers!" He shooed her away, but she wouldn't move. Instead, he began walking towards his door.

"Peter, please let him stay here," Saphira begged. "He needs rest! He can't possible make this journey and survive!"

Peter shook his head. "No, you must leave! I'm sorry, my lady."

Saphira griped the old mans hand. "Peter, you don't understand," she whispered. "Just for one night. Please let him rest just for this night."

Peter looked deep into her eyes and could see pain. She had been through so much. He nodded his head. "One night," he agreed. "No more."

Saphira sighed and smiled. "Thank you, Peter!" she said with compassion while throwing her arms around the physicians neck.

"Don't thank me yet, my lady," Peter told her, releasing her arms from around him. "You have not yet found the chalice. The boy is still dying."

Saphira nodded her head once to indicate that she understood. "Do you know where the Cup of Life is, Peter?" She expected him to say no. The book told that no one knew where it was but a few. But yet, Peter still nodded his head.

"That I do, my lady." Peter whispered the location to her so only she would hear. "The chalice is with a dear friend of mine. You will find her in the village of Eathoway. Those who searched for the chalice all looked in the wrong places. It wasn't hidden in a mysterious cavern or the ruins of a palace. This woman in Eathoway has had it for many years."

"And she will just give it to us?" Saphira asked confused.

He shook his head. "No. She will give you a trial that you must past. If she proves you worthy, she will let the boy take a sip to save his life. But if you fail... then I'm afraid he will perish." Peter squeezed her hands in his. "Do not fail, my lady."

"Understood," Saphira replied. "For Snyder's sake, I will not fail."

Peter smiled and strode out of the chamber leaving the teens behind.

Mike sat on a chair with his arms crossed. "So are you going to tell us, Saphira? Or are we going to have to guess?"

She was a little confused. "Tell you what?"

"About this prophecy!" Mike exploded. "What are you hiding from us, Saphira?"

Saphira lowered her head to the ground. She couldn't tell him. If she told him, how she was half light and half dark, how she was Snyder's twin sister, it would ruin her relationship with Mike and Briar forever.

As she stared at the ground, she didn't recognize her best friend as he slipped his warm hands into her ice cold ones. "You can tell me anything, Saphira."

Saphira closed her eyes and thought to herself, If only that was true. What should she do? Should she tell them that he was her twin? Should she tell them the truth? If she didn't know, then when? Would she lose her friends for good if she decided to wait longer to tell them? At least now they might still forgive her. She sighed before speaking up. "Snyder is my twin brother. The prophecy states that he is one day going to kill me in the future," she let the words flow from her mouth without a filter.

Everything around her stopped. Mike withdrew his hand from hers. "What?" was all he could say.

"I just found out myself," she tried explaining further. "I wanted to tell you, but I-"

"How long have you known?" Mike asked her, anger clear in his voice. "How long have you been hiding this secret from us? Don't you think that this is important to tell us?"

"Don't you think I wanted to?" she shot back. "Do you honestly think that I would want to hide something this huge from my best friend?"

"Then why didn't you tell me, Saphira?" his voice shook with rage. "I thought we promised never to keep secrets from one another. That was a pack we made as children!"

"We're not children anymore, Micah!" she shouted. "I knew this was how you were going to react. That is why I didn't tell you! I was..." She trailed off not knowing if she could finish her sentence.

"You were what?" Mike yelled.

"I was afraid that I would lose you if you found out the truth," Saphira whimpered.

Mike looked down to the wood ground. "Well you might not have lost me if you had told me sooner." He began to walk swiftly towards the door. "Let the Prince die!" he called back. "Let your precious, twin brother perish at you Fathers hands! Who cares if he lives anymore?" And then he was gone.

Saphira stood there in the center of the room, mouth agape, tears pouring from her eyes, and heart torn in two.

Briar, too, began to quietly step towards the door.

Saphira shook her head. "No, Briar, please," she begged, drool dripping from her chin. "Not you too."

Briar looked at her with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, Saphira," she whispered. "I will take him dying over losing you any day. If he's suppose to kill you as you say he is someday, then it's just best to let him die now." She placed one foot out the door before calling back, "You should have told us sooner." Then she, too, was gone.

Saphira fell to her knees and placed her head in her heads. She felt a tap on her shoulder after a few moments of weeping. She glanced up to see Priella standing over her.

"Aren't you going to leave me too?" Saphira asked her before looking back down at the ground.

Priella was silent for a second before she squatted down beside Saphira. "Snyder is still my best friend. Even though his twin sister is a Light Being, that doesn't make me hate you or not want to see Snyder healed. And I don't want to see him healed just so one day he can kill you."

"Why not?" the Princess asked puzzled. "You're a Dark Being? Why don't you want to see your Prince kill me? Your whole kingdom wants to take over mine!"

Priella grinned and shook her head. "Because it's wrong. The way my people live is wrong. Prophecy or no prophecy. You two are twins! You can't help that. You never know, the prophecy might even be gearing towards someone later on down the road."

Saphira nodded. "Yeah, maybe." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Why are you not mad at me?"

Priella cocked her head. "Do I need to be?" She stood up and extended her hand down to help her newly-found-friend up off the ground.

Saphira graciously excepted. "I mean, the others were mad at me. How come you're not?"

Priella shrugged. "I guess I have nothing to be mad about. Give the others some slack. Knowing them almost you whole life and keeping a secret like that from them really hurt them."

The Princess sighed. "Yeah, I understand that." She began to yawn right as the rays from Arie shown in through an open window.

Priella grinned once more. "It's late- well, early for you," she correct. "Why don't you try to get a little sleep."

Saphira looked down at Snyder. He appeared to be sleeping so soundly, like nothing else in the world matter at that moment. How long would he last?

"I'll sleep for a few hours," she told Priella. "Then you can. We'll each take turns watching him to make sure nothing changes.

Priella nodded her head in agreement. She was already feeling so tired.

Saphira stepped over to the bed which Peter had been laying in when Briar interrupted his sleep. She was sure he wouldn't mind. She curled up into a little ball on the bed and drifted into thought. She was so close. So close! She had wanted so badly to heal her brother. They had a solution to prevent her brothers death, but Saphira could not fulfill that task. A few tears dripped from her eyes and on to the sheets before she finally fell into a deep sleep.

Priella continued to stare at the dying prince lying before her. She caressed his hand ever so gently, resting her cheek on his knuckles. "Everything's going to be okay," she whispered in his ear, trying to give him comfort. But she knew he couldn't actually hear her. She ran her hand through his damp, dark hair. "Saphira and I will make you better. With the Creators help we will. You'll see."