"I want that creature, that Solstice. I want it, I want it killed and I want to drink of its blood and absorb its knowledge," a black haired woman said, she sat on a thrown of skulls in a castle of torture. "I want to hair its screams for mercy," she went on, rolling a small obsidian ball between the slender fingers of her left hand. "I want to smell its fear, DO YOU OR DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND ME!"

The soldiers before her throne shook in fear and nodded. "Yes your majesty, we understand," the captain quavered.

"Good, make sure you do," the woman made a dismissive gesture and turned her attention to the small obsidian ball. "That little shit will never get the Zenith Key to Lyra's capitol," the woman laughed out loud, sending her soldiers scattering every which way in fear. "I will always be queen!" The woman smiled crazily and the obsidian ball she had been playing with fell from her hands to land with a gut wrenching 'crack' on the floor.

Pale blue eyes snapped open in terror and Solstice crawled onto Kaolin's chest, breathing harsh. "Kao-Kaolin.I scared." Solstice whispered softly.

Kaolin sighed, equally as soft, and wrapped his arms around Solstice's small body. "It was only a nightmare Solstice, only a nightmare, and nightmares can't hurt you," Kaolin replied, stroking Solstice's back in lazy circles.

Solstice jittered in the morning, it jittered until its teeth made clicking noises in its mouth and Kaolin was finding it terribly hard to control the urge to tell Solstice to shut up, when he rose to do so he was kicked out of control by Toben who gave him the proverbial 'finger'.

"Solstice, come here, hmm?" Toben asked; patting his lap from the chair he relaxed in. "Come here and tell me what's wrong hmm?"

It was like having a cat suddenly jump into his lap; Solstice was there so quickly, still shaking.

"Nightmare I had!" Solstice whispered urgently. "Woman with black hair and ball thingy and saying that kill me must they had!" Solstice began to babble, its words harder to understand by the added shaking.

"It was only a nightmare Solstice, tell you what, when you're scared or need me or Dien just touch me here okay? I'll explain the situation to Dien later, how about that?" Toben placed Solstice's hand over his crotch, with no sexual intentions. It was the only way he knew to get either him or Dien out very fast.

Later that day while they were seated on cushions in Dien's room, for Dien had emerged in rush, they ate lunch, a grand affair where Dien was concerned and he tried to explain to Solstice the different meats on a magically chilled bronze platter, the various kinds of fruits and breads on a separate platter and the three types of drinks he'd asked for.

"That's turkey; it's kinda like chicken, same type of bird rather, remember chickens lay eggs, so do turkeys," Dien said patiently, watching as Solstice tried a slice of turkey.

"Does that mean turkey's go cluck, cluck as well?" Solstice asked with wide innocent blue eyes, it'd watched Dien avidly as he'd tried to imitate a chicken; finally Dien had just shown it a book with a chicken in it.

"No, turkey's go gobble, gobble," Dien replied, showing Solstice a picture.

Solstice peered at the picture and giggled. "It's even uglier than the chicken!" It cried in delight, clapping its hands.

"That's a mango Solstice, very messy, eat that as dessert and than you can have a bath." Yes.a bath meant washing Solstice's hair and Dien relished every second he got to touch the fine silky strands, it was like cat fur.

"Mango." Solstice giggled. "I full anyway! No more eat!"

Dien laughed softly, oh Solstice was a character! No other master he had ever had, had been so full of life, so innocent to the tortures of life. Solstice was different; Solstice was something to be treasured because like all precious things, it could disappear.

Dien blinked, trying to see through a sudden haze of black, it was like looking through black silk, no.because black silk didn't have blotches in it. Oh.that's what was happening.

Dien sighed softly. "Solstice.Dien's going to sleep now.can you call the servants.clean the room?" Dien whispered before the world went black and he spiralled into nothingness.

"You're a slave now, boy," The woman said savagely, Kaolin looked up here with wide amethyst eyes and huddled in the corner of the small room, velveteen stuffed kitten held in his arms.

"You're a slave, worse than a slave, even lower, you're a Key, do you know what a Key is boy?"

Kaolin stared at the woman; she wasn't like his mummy at all, or like Air or auntie Fira. She was dark, not in pallor but in presence. She had long black hair, black cruel eyes and a cruel twist to her mouth, she was also tall.

Where was Air? Air had told him she'd look after him if anything bad happened like what had happened to his parents. He was only 10, he wasn't old enough to understand why he was hated by this woman, he just knew she wished him ill.

"Well, do you? Speak up! I can't hear a word you say but for your whimpering!" The woman yelled, raising her bejewelled left hand threateningly. "I'll speak slowly. Do. You. Know. What. A. Key. Is?"

Kaolin swallowed sharply and nodded his head. Of course he knew what Keys were, prized slaves. He'd read a book about it, and worse yet, the strange people in his mind knew what Keys were too, perhaps better than he did.

"Good, than you know where you're going, this makes my victory all the more sweet." The woman laughed darkly and left the room.

The queen glared at her personal guards, anger sparking in her eyes. "You are telling me that you cannot find it?" She asked in a dangerously low whisper. "You are telling me you cannot find a magically inept creature?!"

Her guards quaked in fear at her rage as she swept down the corridors of her dungeons; they followed meekly behind, trembling and jumping at the slightest sound.

"If you cannot find it how can I kill it?" The queen asked, her voice levelling out as she slowly calmed down, though this did not relieve her guards any, they knew how dangerous their queen was. She had successfully disposed of the entire Nihon line, the original rulers of Lyra, the country she resided over.

"Begging your pardon ma'am, but it would seem the elements have grouped together in the hopes of protecting what they created," The captain of her guard stuttered, fear in his eyes.

"I DON'T CARE IF THEY HAVE! IT IS YOUR DUTY TO FIND IT!" The queen yelled, turning on her captain, murder glinting in her eyes.

"Please your majesty! I'll get to it!"

"See to it that you do," The queen replied silkily.

Fire growled angrily and threw the spell book to the ground. 'For fucks sake Water, we are not mortals! We are elements, do we not wreak havoc on mortal kind, why are we pouring through spell books written by mortals?!' Fire asked, standing up and striding around the small room the elements had been confined to for the past month.

'Fire, relax, we need to do this, we need to find out what she-.' Water tried, only to be interrupted by a calm voice, the voice Air.

'He is right Water; shove all your books were the sun does not shine,' Air said, his voice like the calm before the storm. None of the elements had actually seen Air get angry, well except maybe Fire, but even he wasn't sure of the boundaries one had to cross for Air to get furious.

'I have had it up to here with reading books, parchments and scrolls; I have had enough of watching and reading, let us interact!' Air's voice rose considerably, as his anger began to peak. 'The only reason Solstice and the boy have not been found is because we go behind your back and keep enchantment spells upon the palace!'

Water gasped in surprise, she had thought they would have consulted her about all this, and the fact that they hadn't left her feeling betrayed.

'Oh don't give me that look! I am sick of this! A month of pouring over worthless old books has finally gotten to me! I am taken action whether or not you give a shit, I am Air! This world would not be inhabited without me, it would not be inhabited without all of us, as an element I am enforcing my right to do things without your permission!' Air stood up and walked from the room, leaving the other elements in complete and utter silence.

Fire watched Air leave, with a speculating expression. 'You do understand that he is entirely correct on this issue, I am going to join him, don't give me that expression Water, this is one time where you are entirely wrong,' Fire got up and left the room, followed by Earth, who cast Water and meaningful look.

Water knew she was just prolonging the inevitable but could she really be blamed? She didn't want Solstice to experience the troubles of mortal life until it was learned enough, of course that was practically impossible. They would be waiting years for that to happen.

With a soul wrenching sigh, Water exited the room and went off in search of Earth, Air and Fire, to apologise and perhaps help them if they wanted her to.