Here's my new story "In the Dark". I hope you enjoy it! Back cover: Not sure if you'll like my story? Read the back cover! In a clan that shares everything, you wouldn't think a secret could be hidden. You wouldn't think a traitor would go unnoticed. You wouldn't think they're anything less than great friends. But this clan holds dark secrets that have been hidden since the beginning of time. The power to uproot those secrets lies within the clan. In this clan, both heroes and villains will be left in the dark. Prologue: In a land ruled by færies, humans are considered the lowest of the low. The færies have tried time and time again to kill off the humans, but each time they were unsuccessful. Eventually the majority of the færies dismissed the humans as a minor risk and were, for the most part, correct; humans were a minor risk. But some færies continued to see the humans as a threat. Most of these were royal færies, and they were concerned for their empires. But assassin færies also saw the risk. But assassin færies views on things were a bit more extreme than those of the færie royalty. They believed all beings but færies must be exterminated. This included pixies, sylphs, nixies, angels, warlocks and shape shifters, as well as humans. The assassin færies lived in secret. Their duty is to protect the royal family, and the royal family is the only ones who know about the assassins. Often assassins are sent out on missions to kill off a human clan that has grown too strong, to retrieve goods stolen by the humans, or to act as a spy in a human clan. Assassin færies have the ability to hide their wings. Their wings can fold until they are flat against their back, making it appear that they have none at all, this makes blending in with humans much easier for them. Assassins did not succeed in killing all humans, but they did do major damage to warlocks and shape shifters. In fact, it was rumored that there were none of these species left. At first the magical beings stayed as far away from humans as they could, believing them to be trouble, but as their numbers dwindled they realized and alliance with the humans was crucial to their survival. It was most common to see nixies and sylphs in a clan, because angels prefer to go their own way, pixies have barely anything to offer a clan besides a little bit of magic; and as it was mentioned before, warlocks and shape shifters were nearly extinct. The clans are rarely more than thirty people, and normally no less than ten. Occasionally the human clans will fight amongst themselves, but are mostly united by their ultimate goal- destroy the færie empire. Chapter one, section one: Cail walked silently through the palace, his boots not making a sound on the polished stone floor. He had timed his entrance so he would be walking by the treasury just as a guard left it, and sure enough, as he reached the door to the treasury, no guard stood beside it. It was a door similar to all the rest he had found down that hall, but if his sources were correct, (which, they usually were) this was the treasury. Cail put his hand on the brass door knob and attempted to open the door. The door was locked, as he had expected. Then Cail pulled out his greatest weapons- his lock picks. One wouldn’t think a sixteen year old such as him could do anything with the small tools, but Cail had been thieving since he was a child, it was something that came naturally to him. The door opened and Cail slipped in just as the færie guard walked past. He smiled and walked into the treasury. Immediately he knew something was wrong. A thick black fog prevented him from seeing more than a foot in front of him. Either he was expected, or, someone had gotten here before him, and neither option appealed to Cail. He slowly walked forward, crouching low to the ground. A few feet in front of him, something was glowing, it penetrating through the dark fog. The fog also seemed to be coming from the glowing object. As he got closer, he saw that the red glowing was coming from a gem on the hilt of a sword. He had been correct; the fog also came from the sword. It was only after these observations that he noticed the sword was attached to the hip of a girl, who couldn’t be much older than him. Cail stepped further back into the fog, as to not be seen. Cail needn’t have worried; the girl had her undivided attention on a small cup. The cup was so tiny it easily fit in her palm; it was studded with diamonds around the rim and made of pure gold. The cup was worth a small fortune, but that wasn’t why the girl was interested in it. It was rumored that if you drank from the cup you would gain spectacular magical powers. A cup like that, anyone would want to get their hand on it. Coincidently it was what Cail wanted to get his hands on, it was what he had come to steal. And now she had it. Cail watched as the girl spun around and said: “Come on Marissa, this is it, we have to leave now.” She tapped the crystal on her sword, it stopped glowing and the fog began to clear. The sword was huge, but it looked as if it was cut out of a bigger sword. It had ragged edges, and it would hurt a lot if he got stabbed. The girl tossed her red-brown bangs out of her face and grabbed the other girl, Marissa’s, hand. Tucked safely in her other hand was the cup. Realization swept over Cail then. He had never failed his clan before, and he wasn’t about to start now. The air began to, well, ripple around Marissa as if it was water. Cail leapt out of the shadows just as they began to fade into the air. He grabbed at the hand the girl had the cup in, just before they disappeared entirely, taking him with them. <^>
Chapter one, section two Julia woke up from an exciting dream of sword fighting. Julia had the skill to remember her dreams, and occasionally they came true, but she didn’t try too hard to remember this one, because she saw Sam and Marissa on the floor. She shrieked and ran over to them. “Oh my gosh! Are you two all right!” she screamed at them, lifting up her dark redish-purple dress and running over to them. “I’m fine-“ Sam was cut off. “Oh no, you’re not all right! You’re leg is bleeding!” “My sword cut me when we fell, I’ll be fine; it’s just a scratch.” Sam said, glancing at the four inch hole in her distressed blue jeans. Blood soaked around the edge of the hole, Sam didn’t blink her dark brown eyes at the sight of this wound, she had suffered much worse. “That sword of yours is too big for you! You at least should get a sheath for it instead of just letting it hang there! Cassie, get out of bed and make that magical healing paste of yours!” “For the last time, it’s not magical; it’s just a normal healing paste.” Cassie said rolling out of her bed. “I don’t care if it’s magical or not, just make it!” Julia said, on the verge of hysteria. “Fine, just don’t freak out when I don’t get it done in three seconds. Last time you did that you held a sword to my throat.” Cassie warned Julia. “I said I was sorry!” Julia exclaimed getting her emotions under control, “Bri, you do realize it’s Sam on the floor here bleeding to her death, right?” “So what if she’s my twin, that doesn’t mean I have to be concerned for her.” Bri says, still half asleep. “I am NOT bleeding to death, it’s a small scratch!” Sam protested. “See, even Sam agrees with me, she doesn’t care if I’m hurt, I don’t care if she’s hurt.” Bri muttered. “Hey!” Sam said. “What? Bri taunted, smoothing her red-brown hair that matched her twins, “Did I hurt your feelings?” “Even if you did you wouldn’t care, remember? You don’t care if I’m hurt.” And in answer to her sister’s smug grin she added, “And no you didn’t hurt my feelings.” “You guys!” Julia shouted, “Even if the world was coming to an end you’d be arguing. And stay right there Sam! You’re in no condition to move, right Dalisay?” Julia asked Dalisay, who’d been the first to wake up. “Actually, I think Sam is fine,” Dalisay said in a soft voice that almost sounded like a child’s, “But what I’m wondering is who that is.” Dalisay lifted up her dainty and tanned arm; she pointed to the back of the room, right to where Cail was sitting.