ALEK AND I SPENT THE day in the stables, where Loushka and the other griffons bunked. We watched in amusement as Daron and Sian play fought.'I wonder what he said to her?' I said.'Never mind that,' Alek interrupted, 'Go on with the rest of the movie.'I exchanged a glance with Loushka and she did her husky laugh, as I tried to recall what happened next. 'Okay, so where were we? Oh! That's right. Indy has to rescue his father from a Nazi occupied castle.'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade had always been one of my favourite movies and it was fun to recall it. Loushka made a very comfortable seat for the two of us and she enjoyed the story too.'What's with those strange machines they keep waving around? The ones that make noises?' Loushka asked.'Those are guns, a form of weapon they use on Earth. Compared to swords, bows and maces, guns require very little knowledge. Just point in the right direction and shoot.''Convenient.''Sometimes too much.''I like his whip. It's alm

IGNATIUS WATCHED THE OTHERS MOVE away, then turned and stared at the glowing door.'Here!' Rashid handed him a shirt. 'Use this.'Ignatius nodded and wrapped the garment around his hand then moved close to the door, flinching at the heat. In a quick motion, he threw the door open and charged in. He stopped short, and for the first time in decades felt the icy spread of fear.Catherine writhed, naked on the bed, her face contorted in agony. Her normally porcelain skin unrecognizable. When she lifted her head to scream again, Ignatius dived behind the dresser.The pain from both the sound and heat felt nearly unbearable, but the sight of the Princess in her true Elemental form rendered him silent. The figure on the bed terrified him. Flames rippled beneath her skin, and her hair was a mass of molten strings. Everything around her burned.Panting in fear, Ignatius tensed his muscles, waiting for the moment she drew a breath. When she did, he lunged forward with Rashid's shirt stoppin

THE ROOM ROCKED AND I jolted in surprise, gulping a sob. Kassie squeezed me gently.'Shhh. It's okay. We're on one of the ships.'Those words stunned me and the tears stopped. I lay there, the darkness adding to the numb sensation that spread throughout, fogging my mind.'Breathe, Cat.' Kassie gave my shoulder a light shake and I nodded dumbly, not realizing till then that my lungs burned for air.Are we really sailing South? It didn't seem fathomable. How could we leave without Alek? How could he be dead? I could still see his navy eyes, creased in amusement when I teased him before he left. His scent from the pillow beside me only increased the strange detachment. With my eyes closed, I could see his hands on my skin, feel his lips on mine.My heart beat a strange, hollow drum within the cage of my chest while the realization began to hit, each thud jarring my body as the horror set in.Jenviet had ripped him from me, torn my soul in two while she gleefully tortured him. I whim

I TURNED TO SEE KASSIE at the edge of the bed, her hair a tangled mess of curls and hazel eyes regarding me with concern. Ignatius squeezed my foot and I turned to him.'I'll have some food brought in?''Yes,' I slid a hand down from my knee and gave his hand a light touch. 'And thank you.'His eyes looked warm, sympathetic and he gave a minute nod then stood. 'It was my pleasure, Your Highness.'Kassie half fell off the bed in her haste to get down and I heard the door close behind Ignatius before my friend's arms closed tight around my shoulders.'Okay, I'm telling this 'cause I love you,' Kassie said in a teasing tone. 'Wash, now! There's a bucket and cloth in the corner. Go on, I'll look out the window and catch you up on what you've missed.'Rolling my eyes at her I stood with a groan, the feeling of pins and needles running through my stiff legs and numb backside. A chair screeched when Kassie shifted it to look out of the window. I stripped off the shirt and pants, wonderi

I DID GET SOME COMFORT in the familiar faces of those joining us from the General Guard and the Centaur Cavalry and the allies provided a fantastic distraction. Not knowing what to expect, it fascinated me to be able to put names to faces. Ignatius introduced me to the Draoths, who were the sailors on this ship. I caught a fleeting expression of surprise from the Lieutenant when I greeted the men pleasantly, and wondered why, but let the thought go and greeted the next Draoth in line. Their skin was smooth and hairless, dark green on the backs of their arms, legs and head, while their underside and faces were a lighter tan. It looked similar to the skin a dolphin hadthick and hardy. Their dark, nearly black eyes were somewhat disconcerting and so too was the flash of pointy teeth when I greeted another. Then I realized what surprised Ignatius.Were we speaking another language?It only registered when I turned to speak to Kassie then back to the line, a subtle hum in my ears before I