Chapter 1: Bird Calls and Silver Claws

"Auralia Armelle Lorent!!!" Coryn echoed though the hallway too early in the morning. Auralia cringed at the use of her middle name. She hated it and the years of being the young princess' handmaiden taught Coryn just how to use it. "Get your body down these stairs or your going to miss breakfast! Remember we have places to be."

"Yeah... Yeah... I'm coming." Auralia mumbled sleepily. Forcing herself up out of her soft canopy bed she walked on tip-toes across the cold wooden floor and opened the curtains hoping the new light and fresh air of the late spring morning would wake her up a bit, but alas, it was still to early for that. "Drat! Still dark!" she muttered to no one, using her magic to light the candle by her bed. "What should I where?" Auralia yelled back down the stairs to Coryn.

"Travel clothes," Coryn answered "We can change into more elaborate ones when we reach our destination." Magically lighting a few more candles, Auralia changed into plain breeches and a shirt and got ready for the trip, packing and doing her long, light brown hair in a simple braid down her back. When she was done she stood at the doorway looking back on her room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Just as she was about to turn and leave she saw a slight blue glimmer on her night stand. 'Of course' she thought 'Of all the things to forget that would not be a good one.' Walking over to her night stand she took the dark blue starred gem, placed the gold chain around her neck and tucked it into her shirt. This was the jewel passed down though the generations of the royal family. It was called the Dyad Jewel and was suppose to be very strong magically but yet no one but the original owner, Auralia's nine times great grand father, new exactly how it worked. Still it was passed down though the family and was thought to at least bring luck. Now sure that she was done, Auralia put out all the candles with a sweep of her hand and walked out of the room.

"Alright, I'm done." Auralia called, dragging her heavy bag down the stairs.

"What did you pack in here? Bricks?" Coryn asked, taking Auralia's bag.

"Well if I'm going to be at the magic school for most of the year I can't be packing light now can I?" she responded. Coryn gave her a look before setting the bag down by the door of the palace.

"Breakfast is on the table so eat up. We have to go soon." Coryn instructed and Auralia sat down to eat.

***

A little while later they were out in the stables saddling horses for the long ride to the school. Auralia was softly brushing and talking to her favorite horse, Rhiannon, when she heard the strange call echo though the air. Questioningly, she peered over the stall door but seeing nothing she returned to her mare, thinking that maybe it was just a bird. Finally all was set and Auralia and Coryn left waving good-bye to everyone at the palace. They rode in silence for a couple of hours each with their own thoughts of things to come. Orenda's School of Magic was a big step for Auralia. Her powers had been discovered quite a while ago and she had gotten all the education she could get out of the palace healers and mages who were quite willing to tutor for a while, but now, at the age of 16, it was time for her real education to start, in magic and in dealing with other people. The actual school was not to start until the end of the summer but all the students were required to come a few months in advance so as to move in and get to know each other before beginning lessons.

"Remember what I have told you." Coryn reminded her. "You are not to tell a soul who you are. You are to go by the name Alia Malano, and I am to be your older sister, Coryn Malano, which also means I am not to do all your work. I am just there to help you out a bit. Your mother has insisted that this is the way it should be. She wants you treated just like everyone else. Understood?" Auralia nodded. This is what she wanted anyway. She hated the court life. It was so formal, proper, and especially boring. So she repeatted the name to herself over and over again in her head, nervously fingering the jewel around her neck, just as she had been doing for most of the week. She must learn to respond to this name or someone would figure out that she was princess of the small nation called Loreca. Coryn, seeing the blue sparkle between Auralia's fingers, gave her a stern look. "And absolutely no one is to see that." she added pointing to the Dyad Jewel. Auralia understood that to the fullest. She would never let it leave her sight for a second. It meant too much to her and her entire family.

***

"How far do we have left? I'm hungry." Auralia complained little further down the road.

"Not to worry, Asabi. We're about half way there and we'll stop to eat noon day meal as soon as I find a good spot." Coryn replied using her personal nickname for Auralia, meaning one selected at birth.

***

A little later on down the road they came upon a clearing and decided to settle down for the noon day meal. They dismounted and tied up the horses, or at least Coryn tied up her horse. Auralia knew for a fact that Rhiannon would not leave her side and so she left her free to graze as she wished. Soon they had set out a perfect picnic just for the two of them. After an hour or two of eating talking and laughing they decided it would be best to be moving along again.

***

It hadn't been long since they had mounted their horses until Auralia started to hear the strange noise again. It was the same one she had heard while at the palace stables. At first it was soft and she ignored it thinking maybe she was nervous about the trip and just hearing things but soon it had become louder. She could now tell it wasn't just her. Rhiannon's ears had perked up and were searching for the location of the sound. The noise seemed to be like a cry of a hawk or eagle but with a strange metallic grind to it. Now Coryn had noticed it and both humans and horses were trying to find the source. Not seeing anything and starting to get worried, both girls nudged there horses into a trot, then a canter and then a full out gallop. They were scared now. The call kept coming closer and closer and more often as the horses ran faster and faster. Soon it seemed that the call was on top of them. Auralia looked up just in time to notice and duck as an incoming bird like creature with silver claws swooped down and reached its talons out for her head. Looking up again she noticed a whole flock of huge, black, silver clawed birds going after them. Auralia yelled a warning to Coryn when suddenly one of the birds swooped down in front of Rhiannon who spooked and reared up knocking Auralia right out of the saddle. The last thing she saw as she fell toward the ground was a flying stirrup and Coryn and her horse taking off at full speed down the road. Then she hit the ground and all went dark...

"Chapter 2: Tallys"