Let me tell you about our Seasonal Markets. For three days at the end of the season, Lapide becomes a hotspot for everyone who wants to sell something. The normal stores are closed for the three days and replaced with booths and stands all throughout the city. Everyone can have a booth to sell whatever they want (unless it's illegal) for a reasonable price (all approved by the Council and my mother). There's everything from swords to spice to music and crafts. It's a great way to bring everyone together and have some fun.

This year was going to be a first for everyone for one reason: the Terpolites were joining us.

Now, you're probably thinking that's not a big deal, but if you know anything about the history of the God Worlds, then you'd know it's a major deal. The Lyriumians (my people) and Terpolites have been enemies since time began, possible even before that. Now, well, they're not.

See, after the downfall of Enliatu and the freedom of the Terpolites (long story), my mum and Tara made a peace treaty until the new holder of Naka's power could be found. After my aunt came into the picture, she and mum made a new peace treaty. We now have trade, exchanges, people going back and forth between the planets. It's pretty darn impressive. Mum and aunt Xix even have meetings every now and then to keep things in check. You'd think everything would turn out okay, right? Well, the true road to things like peace and acceptance is a very long and very rocky one.

My friends and I spent the week helping everyone set up their stands. It was fun. I won't lie, we did learn a lot from chatting with everyone – both Lyriumians and Terpolites. The only problem was we were some of the few people who actually helped the Terpolites. It was so awkward. I mean, how are you supposed to act when your arch enemy since the beginning of time suddenly has free access to your world, your people, your produce? A lot of people were not happy. And when the people aren't happy, it's my mother's fault. At least, according to them it's her fault. It isn't really. People just don't like change. It's a thing. I try not to think about it too much.

Anyway, everything (eventually) got up and running without any major issues or street brawls breaking out so we called that a fairly good week. Everything got set up. The people (mostly) sorted out their differences. There weren't too many squabbles about who should have what stand-slash-booth or where. Honestly, all things considered, it was uneventful. Not much to report on there.

Well, not until the first night.

The Seasonal Markets go for three nights. Most people go on the first or second night. The third night is a bit of a 'you get what you get' situation. Anyway, onto the first night.

It started out fairly simple: my friends and I getting ready for a long night out. Though you don't have to get dressed up or anything, me, Imogene and Maddie thought it was a good excuse to glam up a bit. Because why not? The guys weren't too happy about having to wait for us but they really should have known better by that point. And I have to admit I looked pretty swish in my bright blue jeans, knee-light brown heeled books, pale pink crop top, and ankh necklace.

My friends and I walked the waterfall path up to the Lapide Lookout, taking the stone circle lift down into the city (because why take the stairs?) and made our way into the heart of the city. It was lit brightly with fire, Faelights and light crystals. Seasonal flowery decorations hung everywhere. Honestly, all our hard work had paid off. The city looked absolutely gorgeous.

We had intended to walk around all the stalls together, but Imogene took one whiff of some delicious scent and was off following her nose toward Starlight Plaza, Isaiah trailing behind her (someone had to keep Im under control). The rest of us shared knowing looks and went our own way, calling out to Isaiah that we'd meet up later in Visionary Palace

Myself, Maddie, Sky and Troy found ourselves in Crystal Square. I should probably explain the three plazas, huh? Okay, it goes something like this:

Starlight Plaza is the front-most plaza on the western side of the Najima River. It's really close to the docks. I mean, it has to be. Starlight is food central! Not only is it where all the trade from around the world (and from others) arrive, it's where all the food-related stores and best restaurants and cafes in the city can be found. Starlight Plaza is quite literally Food Reyai.

Crystal Square, also in the western side of Najima, is a smaller plaza right behind Starlight. Clothing and shoe stores, jewellery, fashionable weaponry, technomagic gadgets, crystals. It's got everything you could need for a day out shopping. The only problem is that everything is such good quality, it's easy to overspend. Maddie and Sky could tell you that much.

And finally, Visionary Palace. The biggest of the three plazas. The Artist's quarter. Theatres, studios, stores filled with paints, pencils, fabrics, smelting, creation classes, seeds, flowers. The entire place is always busy with everyone working on their latest projects. It's the plaza most say it's easiest to get lost in, and you can't blame people for saying that. It really is massive.

Okay, back to the story.

Everything was going great. By the end of a mere half hour, Maddie and I had bought an unhealthy amount of things in Crystal Square, and we weren't even halfway through it yet. Sky had bought less but it was clear he was enjoying himself. He kept asking me and Maddie to "hurry it up already!" so we could get to the technomagic stands at the other end of the Square. Troy was doing his best to pretend he was bored because "I don't get shopping" but I caught him looking at a few things. With a bit of a push—and some help from my access to the Royal Vaults (tell no one)—he, too, was carrying bags.

Eventually Sky's nagging became to much and we begun to move faster. And by that I mean he ran off with Troy chasing after him. The dude really loves his technomagic. It's almost scary how much he buys. On the other hand, Maddie and I had bought five bags of clothes as well as two or three smaller bags with weapons, so we couldn't really judge that much. Of course, compared to other people around us, our shopping was fairly tame.

Maddie had dragged me to another weapon store specializing in elemental-themed weapons when a familiar voice called out my name. I turned to find Leo and Nikki walking toward us. Nikki was wearing her usual excited grin as she walked well ahead of Leo. Leo, on the other hand, looked a bit exhausted as he carried an unhealthy amount of bags.

Nikki kissed my cheek and asked, "Having fun?"

"Much!" I laughed. "Though clearly not as much as you!" I said to Leo.

He gave me the flat look he always does when unimpressed. "One of these bags is mine. The rest is Nikki's shit."

"Such a gentleman, you are. Carrying your lady's things like that."

Leo gave me an icy glare that would have made Isaiah proud. "You're hilarious, Hathor."

"Ooo, full name." I nudged Maddie with my elbow. "I think someone's lost the spirit."

"Uh-huh," she replied distractedly, eyes not leaving the fan section of the stand.

I shook my head with a smile. "Don't mind her. She's in the zone."

Nikki laughed. "You girls have fun. I've still got a few more stores I want to hit. Chiao! Come on, Le!"

As he walked past, Leo gave me his pleading eyes and mouthed 'save me'. I shook my head and waved. He chose to date Nikki, he can deal with her bad shopping habits. I know better than to get involved with that. It's like trying to get between my mum and a pretty-looking sword. You just don't do it.

Maddie suddenly let out an annoyed sigh. "I can't decide, Hathy! They all look so good!"

I glanced down at the fans. Honestly, I'm not a fan person. I never quite understood how one fights with a fan and have never had a talent for it. And, quite frankly, they all looked the same but in slightly different colours. "I don't know," I said. "Go with the one that feels right."

"They all feel right," she whined before turning to the store owner – a Nightwalker man. "Any suggestions?"

He and Maddie started an in-depth conversation on all the different types of fans. Within about thirty seconds I got bored and pulled out my phone. I must have scrolled through Trex for a good fifteen minutes before opening the chat group with my friends and beginning to type.

Me (Photon Princess): Heads up, all. Maddie has a fan obsession.

Troy (Silver Wolf): Knew I shoulda stuck around.

Isaiah (Ice Boy): Compared to Imogene, I believe Maddie is tame.

Imogene (Hot Bitxh): You know I'm part of this group 2 right?

Ice Boy: Oops.

Sky (Boss Genius): I can't believe it took her this long. She's an Air elemental.

Photon Princess: Honestly same.

Silver Wolf: U no she'll read this later rite?

Hot Bitxh: Obs

Ice Boy: Of course.

Boss Genius: We don't hide our shit talking.

Photon Princess: This is concern, Sky, not shit talking.

Boss Genuis: Same thing really

"Are you guys shit talking me?" Maddie asked.

I quickly closed the chat. "Course not, Mads. How goes the fan hunt?"

"I've got it down to two." She pointed at two identically shaped ones. One had a pale green pattern decorating its silver surface while the other was painted entirely in a darker green shade. "I'm pleading toward this one—" she pointed at the silver-and-green one— "but I'm not sure about the quality. This metal isn't as strong as the other."

The owner of the store's face lit up with a grin. "Ah, but it is." He leaned forward to say in a mock whisper. "I've been playing with the smelting shaping and cooling processes. Both these metals will last you a Lyriumian lifespan!"

"Unless hit with a better-quality weapon, right?" I asked.

"Of course," the Nightwalker man said. "That is a risk one always takes in combat. I can assure you that this baby can take one hell of a beating!"

He and Maddie started talking about the creation process of the fans. I found myself back on our chat group.

Boss Genuis: I just got this awesome feature for my laptop. Epic deal. Totally not nerding.

Hot Bitxh: Ooooo do tell

Boss Genuis: You're not interested.

Hot Bitxh: It's called being a good friend sky geez

Ice Boy: I would rather talk about computer contraptions than the ten-pack of nail polish Imogene has bought.

Hot Bitxh: RUDE

Boss Genius: When we start travelling after school this thing lets me be compatible with most systems we come across! Been trying to find one of these for three years!

Silver Wolf: Thats all?

Boss Genius: The f do you mean 'that's all'? Do you have ANY idea how useful this thing could be when working with alien systems?

Silver Wolf: Nope

Hot Bitxh: Nuh-uh

Boss Genius: You guys suck.

"Troy and Maddie are giving Sky a hard time for being a geek," I sniggered.

Maddie couldn't help her own smile. "We really do love him, don't we?"

"Of course." I turned back to her. "How goes the fan decision?"

"We're close," she said, "but Ozuel had to go help another customer quickly."

"Ozuel?" I asked.

"The owner."

"Ah."

"Apparently he's been in the business for five hundred years?"

"Is that all?" I asked, surprised.

"I know, right! You'd think it would be for longer with this quality."

For a shy person, Maddie really does get excited easily. I found myself looking at the name of the store running this stand. "Hey, isn't Phoenix Creations that place you were looking at doing that blacksmith workshop in?"

"Yup!" she exclaimed excitedly. "So pumped right now."

Have I ever mentioned Maddie loves to learn? I was about to say some sort of joke about that thing when I realised her face had fallen. "What is it?"

She pointed behind me. "Turn around."

Curious, I did so—

Only to find myself with a blaster in my face. I looked at the blaster then to the very angry person holding it. "Bit rude," I said.

"Shut up!" the Lyriumian woman demanded. "You're going to do exactly as I say, bitch, or I'll shoot everyone here!"

"Then why are you pointing this thing at me?"

The woman didn't answer. Instead she said, "You will renounce your allegiance to Ixasis in front of everyone and swear to never use your power again!"

Well, that was a bad idea. Kayla had told me as much at the start of the semester. "I can't control it," I told the woman. "I didn't ask for this power. It came to me, not the other way around. I'm sure you know what happens when both Lyriumians and Terpolites don't use their powers—"

"I don't give a shit!" she screamed. "People like you are what make this land unsafe. Swear to never use your power again or I will shoot everyone here!"

I looked around. There were a lot of people. It would be a bad idea to do something stupid like go for the gun. Yes, I'd survive the encounter but, unlike certain other family members, I didn't want anyone else to get hurt in the process. What was it with people these days?

My phone was still in my hand behind my back. I tapped the screen four times with my thumb. My phone quietly buzzed. Hoping the woman hadn't heard it, I asked, "What are you trying to do, exactly?"

"Stop the likes of you from destroying the lives of many."

I tilted my head to the side. "By destroying the lives of many?"

The woman blinked her wide purple eyes and, for a moment, she lowered her blaster. I thought she'd see reason. Then the anger returned to her and the blaster was back in front of my face as she screamed, "Shut up! Shut up! You're trying to stop me from doing the right thing!"

He fingers tightened on the trigger. Knowing I couldn't move fast enough to stop her, I waited for the familiar pain of being shot to overcome me—

"Whirlwind!"

The woman was blown from her feet. All around us, stands were torn to shreds. Windows of stores shattered as produce crashed through them. Buildings creaked and groaned under the strain of the wind. The people dropped to the floor, waiting out the local hurricane that had overtaken the area out of nowhere. The wind dropped as suddenly as it had come.

"Wow," Maddie said from behind me. "This thing is awesome."

Everyone looked at Maddie. She was holding the silver-and-green fan. She'd been the one to call out the attack. I honestly had no idea her wind magic was that strong. Clearly no one else had expected someone so young to come with that much of a kick.

Maddie handed coin to the stunned owner of the stand with a cheerful, "Thank you!" She took a moment to overlook the rest of the area. "Ah." She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that, everyone."

Attention was quickly taken back by the woman who had threatened me as she stumbled to her feet. Out of everyone, she had taken the most damage. Bleeding and bruised, she reached for her blaster.

"What. The fuck. Happened?"

The woman's had froze inches from her blaster at the familiar voice of the newcomer.

My mother and the entire Court of Lyriumia stood on the edge of the disaster Maddie had caused. The rest of my friends were right behind them. They hurried to myself and Maddie as my mum stormed over to the woman.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Thanks to Mads."

"You did this?" Isaiah asked her, unable to hide his surprised.

Maddie crossed her arms nervously. "Yes?"

"Your power is quite impressive."

Maddie let out a relieved breath.

Mum grabbed the woman, holding her firmly by the arm. "And what, exactly, were you trying to do to my daughter?"

Despite her obvious fear, the woman stood straight. "She is a threat to this world that must be stopped."

Mum groaned. "Is this about the Time Magic thing again? Really?" Still holding the woman, she turned to address the crowd. "If anyone has a problem with the fact my daughter has been chosen by the Gods to be the Vessel of Time, have the guts to take it up with me. I am the only one with the power to do such things like banishment or Freezing and if you want me to do those things to my own daughter, you better have a fucking good argument." She pushed the woman to Leo and Jay. "Get her out of here."

"I think that's enough excitement for one night." Nikki sighed loudly, dramatically. "Why does someone always have to ruin a fun night out?"

Her words cut the tension hanging in the air, the people quickly expressing their displeasure at being interrupted (again) by some idiot who thought their beliefs were more important than the lives of everyone else.

"Are you alright, Hathor? Maddie?" Carmin asked, her son, Blaze, held firmly in her arms.

"Yes, we're fine," I answered. "Maddie gave that woman a good whacking."

"You did this?" Dan asked Maddie as he looked around at the damage. "Wow."

Maddie grimaced. "Thanks?"

"Did you use that fan?" Zoe snatched it from her hands, openly ogling at the craftsmanship. "Who made this? It's incredible!"

Maddie pointed at the Nightwalker man who was starting to put his store back together. Zoe handed the fan back and went to talk with him.

"I must say," mum said as she and Colt came to join us, "I wasn't expecting to get a distress call from you until you were back at the Academy."

"Amneris," Colt chided.

"She's fine. You don't need to 'Amneris' me."

Colt sighed, knowing better than to argue. Instead he asked, "What did she want from you?"

"She threatened to kill everyone here if I didn't quote 'renounce my allegiance' to Ixasis and swear to never used my power again," I answered. "Not that I can use it now anyway . . ."

"They're getting more paranoid," Nikki said quietly under her breath.

Mum elbowed her. "Not in front of the kids," she hissed back.

"We have to tell them," Carmin countered. "If more people come after her for this power, she must know why. The full story, Amneris. All of it."

Mum sighed. "Fine. Tomorrow. For now, we should help clean up."