The storm had broken.

Felicia wondered at the weird turn of the weather. Since when did it rain in the spring? When she mentioned it to her maid, Maryse had just shrugged, telling her that she was not a weatherwoman. That had made her laugh. Maryse and a weatherwoman, that would have been funny.

It had been a day since she had talked with her father about the affairs of the east. She had no interactions with him after that.

'Silly of you to meddle in things you know nothing of,' Maryse had mocked. 'The elders are right for a reason, you know?'

She had just shrugged. Perhaps Maryse was right. Perhaps not. But why was her father so mad at her? He had always known her nature. She was a rebel at heart. Couldn't she be forgiven? After all, her intent was for the good of Galacor. She detested The Shadow, for more personal reasons than human. There was word going on that her mother was killed by a daemon. The cause of death wasn't verified, but the claw marks indicated a daemon's talons. Felicia had harbored a great anger and propensity for vengeance since.

She stood on the balcony, watching the early morning dew settle on the green shrubs in the gardens below. The droplets gleamed a golden orange as it refracted the sunlight she was glad to be seeing after many a squally night. 'Beautiful!' she remarked, a smile on her face.

Birds chirped in the sky, some perched on the trees that grew tall in the groves to the side of the citadel. They sounded musical to her ears. In the summer and the autumn, she usually liked to listen to them sing. She had a special liking to the green parakeets, always flying around in pairs, singing and sometimes even repeating the words they heard people speak. But today, she looked around for them. Nary a sight of them she saw. She missed them, as she had done all winter. Had they come to harm because of the blasted snows? She hoped not. But something inside told her not everything was well.

Huffing and sighing, she went back into her bedroom, closing the glass doors behind her. The room suddenly darkened, only illuminated by what little light the windows half-covered by purple curtains allowed. Cold grasped her; she cursed. Only a while ago she had been graced by a degree of warmth. Now, an uncanny chill bit through her skin.

She felt her cuticle harden and a pulsing pain surged through her body, making her fall down on the marble floor on one knee. A scream escaped her mouth and her head going in circles, she fell down in a swoon.

A terrified look crossed her face as she found herself in a land full of devastation, an earth touched by the cruel fingers of The Shadow, tainted and evil. The dark waste stretched barren for leagues in all directions, save for a few interspersed puddles. They held a dark liquid in them, of a crimson kind and translucent. Some of them even bubbled as if they lay atop a hot bed. She took a step back and bumped into someone heavy. She turned around and saw a man with warts on his face, red as blood. A shriek left her mouth and she ran, her legs carrying her as fast as she could.

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The speed made her surroundings blurred and the cursed lands gave way to a field of grass where she saw an old man teaching archery to his pupil. Who they were she could not clearly make out. She made her way forward intending to ask them where she was and if possible, the directions back to her citadel at Maishire. But even as she took a few brisk steps, the twain disappeared and where they had once stood, a mist took form, its tendrils wrapping her in its cold embrace. For a while she saw nothing but white smoke. She stood amidst it, not knowing where she was, helpless and afraid, when she heard a loud twang. A bowmaster, she thought, and she was overjoyed at the thought. It must be her father, she said to herself, and shouted for his help. But none came. Neither help nor her father. The mist did not relent.

'Help!' she cried again and again. Yet only silence greeted her. She knelt on both knees, the sharp stones on the ground pricking her skin. Her body suddenly started to ache and she screamed aloud.

It felt like she was in a void. The mist had disappeared when she opened her eyes. Everything around was dark except for what looked like a door through which a beam of light popped in. Her eyes had turned red and she scrubbed them often for the skin around them had started to itch. And every time she did that, the door seemed to get farther away.

She crawled towards the door, not being able to walk. The muscles in her legs seemed to grow dry and cold, as if dehydrated.

Whispers met her ears. 'Feliciaaa,' she heard someone call out. The voice seemed to be coming from the door. Determination growing, she increased her pace.

The door seemed near. Hope grew in her as her face met the bright white light. Just when she thought she had reached the end of her dark torment, she felt claws piercing her flesh on her legs. She squirmed in pain, gasping out loud. She felt the warm blood trickle down her skin.

Kicking, she tried to push whatever it was that had attacked her away, but it wouldn't let her leave. Gathering strength, she turned to look at what had caught her. The creature was a daemon of the ancient world. It was huge, black, and horned. Its eyes gleamed red and its teeth bared themselves to her, sharp as needles. She screamed, which only made it more angry. It dragged her away from the door, the mud splashing from under her. Many screams followed as she was engulfed by the darkness.

Suddenly, the dragging stopped. She turned upside-down and saw a dark sky without stars. Her chest heaved, taking in deep breaths. She coughed; even the air in this place was unwholesome and full of dust. Her legs still pained, the blood still oozed.

'Feliciaaa,' she heard the voice again, this time louder. Her body shook as if she was experiencing some kind of shock.

Opening her eyes, she saw a white light at first, its brightness blinding her. The vision soon cleared and she saw Maryse bending over her, shaking her. Her breathing heavy, she woke up from her swoon and found herself back in her bedchambers. She felt glad to return home again.

'What happened, Felicia?' asked her maid.

She stared at her but could not get any words out. She could not explain anything that had happened to her. 'Wha...t?' she replied with a question, still shaken by the dark experience. 'What happened?'

Maryse grunted. 'That's the question I have been asking you. You were lying on the ground, thrashing the marbles. For a moment I thought you had ingested some poison. But thank the Gods, you are all right, or appear so at least. Don't you scare me like this again, woman. Princess or no, I shall throw you down the balcony should you intend to give me a heart attack.'

She smiled. 'I won't, Maryse.' She knew her voice was unconvincing, but Maryse seemed to nod.

'Stand up now and dress,' ordered her maid. 'The citadel has visitors.'

***