*sigh* Sorry it's been so long since I updated... I blame a combination of exams, unsuccessful job hunting, and severe writer's block...

Anyway, I'll try not to leave it so long between updates again (I swear I've said that before...) and hopefully you'll forgive me and leave me a nice review! ^_^

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the Shiners, or Belisaere, or even Anstyr and Nehima's names.

Arael awoke to find herself lying on the floor of a pine forest, with her cloak wrapped firmly around her. For a moment, she just lay still, staring up at the branches of the fir trees that criss-crossed above her, and tried to remember why she wasn't in her comfortable bed in Belisaere. Slowly, as the crisp winter air woke her properly, the memories came back: impulsively deciding to leave Belisaere, her encounter with the Hrule, Dyrim and Mosrael rescuing her, Dyrim flying her here…

She sat herself up and looked around, one hand going to her head to remove the numerous pine needles that had become entangled in her hair during the night. No-one else was in sight, but Arael could hear voices coming from somewhere nearby. She got to her feet and started walked towards the voices, which were unmistakeably Belgaer's and Kibeth's. She climbed over the trunk of a fallen pine tree and saw them sitting by a small fire with Dyrim, Mosrael and Ranna, who all looked half-amused, and half-annoyed.

'Kibeth, of course you need to skin them!' Belgaer was saying in an exasperated tone. 'Humans don't eat the skins.'

'I've eaten one with the skin on,' Kibeth replied, 'and it hasn't done me any harm.'

'You're not human,' Belgaer retorted. 'Look, give them to me and I'll skin them, and then I can cook them.' She reached out and grabbed one of the six dead rabbits – evidently the cause of this dispute.

'You can't cook, though,' Dyrim commented.

'Neither can you,' Belgaer answered shortly, holding the limp rabbit by its neck and inspecting it to see if there was any obvious way to skin it. 'Anyway, how hard can it be? All you do is heat it up for a while.'

'They taste fine when they're raw,' sighed Kibeth. 'And when they have their skins on.'

'You're not supposed to eat the skins!' exclaimed Belgaer.

'Good morning,' Arael said, deciding to interrupt this little argument.

'Morning?' Mosrael repeated, as they all turned to look at Arael. 'You're a little late for morning, aren't you? Midday was several hours ago.'

'It was?' Arael asked, both surprised and amused. She had never slept into the afternoon before.

'Are you hungry, Arael?' Kibeth asked, moving the remaining rabbits further away from Belgaer, who was now trying to take another. 'I'm trying to cook these for us all, but Belgaer seems to think it's necessary to skin them first.'

'It is!' Belgaer insisted.

Arael couldn't help but laugh, and both Kibeth and Belgaer looked at her, puzzled.

'I just find it rather amusing that two of the most powerful Free Magic beings in existence are arguing over how to cook rabbits,' Arael explained.

Dyrim, Ranna and Mosrael burst out laughing, and Kibeth and Belgaer looked at each other in a slightly embarrassed way.

'None of us have ever cooked anything before,' Belgaer said. 'We've only recently been introduced to eating.'

'I know,' Arael replied, sitting down between Dyrim and Mosrael. 'You do need to skin them, by the way.'

'As I said,' Belgaer said, grinning triumphantly at Kibeth, who reluctantly handed the rest of the rabbits over to her. 'Now, Arael, do you have any idea how to actually skin these?'

Arael shook her head. 'I've never cooked anything either.'

'Give them to me,' said Ranna, sketching a few Charter marks that formed a small, silver knife. Belgaer handed one of the rabbits to her, and watched as she made a small cut with the blade and started to pull the skin off.

'Where did you learn that?' Dyrim asked in amazement.

'I have been around humans for a lot longer than you have,' Ranna replied, without looking up from the rabbit. 'Can I have the next one, please?'

'Arael is human,' Belgaer pointed out as she handed another rabbit over. 'And she had no idea.'

Ranna paused in her work and looked up innocently. 'Anstyr asked me to accompany him on a couple of his hunts, and we always took whatever we killed straight to the kitchens when we returned. I saw it done then.'

Arael raised her eyebrows, half in surprise and half in suspicion, but no-one else commented on Ranna's explanation. A few minutes later, all the rabbits had been skinned, cut up, and cooked over the small fire, the pieces skewered on thin sticks. Arael tucked into hers eagerly, the smell of cooking food reminding her that she hadn't eaten for almost a whole day. It was only when she had finished that she noticed someone was missing.

'Why didn't Astarael eat with us?' she asked.

Dyrim shrugged her shoulders. 'She didn't want to.'

Arael frowned, and wondered if they had actually asked Astarael at all. From the tone of Dyrim's voice, it didn't sound like it, and that led Arael to wonder why. Astarael was sitting on the same branch she had been on the previous night, and Arael glanced up at her for a moment. Why was it that she seemed so apart from the others?

'There's a stream just over there if you wanted to wash,' Dyrim said, as if she was deliberately interrupting Arael's thoughts. 'We chose this place quite well, didn't we?'

Arael nodded, and then headed over to the small stream a few metres away. She dipped her hands into the water and splashed it on her face, completely unprepared for the shock of cold that came with it. Then, after drying herself with her skirt, she returned to the fire, where the others were deep in a hushed conversation.

'Should we tell her?' Kibeth whispered.

'Of course we should,' Mosrael whispered back. 'We can't just get up and leave without saying anything.'

'We'd have to take her with us anyway,' Belgaer pointed out. 'We can't leave her here on her own.'

'She's listening,' Dyrim said, a little louder. She turned around to look at Arael. 'Mosrael needs to tell you something,' she said, and Arael was worried by the seriousness of Dyrim's voice.

Mosrael also looked at Arael as she explained. 'I've just had a vision that means that we all need to go back to Belisaere,' she said, clearly unwilling to explain further.

'Why?' asked Arael, although she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. It didn't sound like it was going to be anything good.

'Mosrael said she has Seen three Free Magic sorcerers attacking Belisaere with a group of Hish,' Dyrim said simply.

'What?' Arael exclaimed, visibly paling. One Free Magic sorcerer was bad enough – she had heard tales of past, hard-won battles with such people – but three at the same time? Defeating them would be impossible!

'Don't worry,' added Mosrael. 'Trust me: I've Seen it. We will go there and fight them ourselves. They won't stand a chance.'

'Hold on,' Ranna interrupted. 'If we all go to Belisaere, what will Arael do? We can't take her with us and get her involved in this fight, and we can't just leave her here alone.'

'We could take her with us,' Belgaer suggested. 'We could take her to the palace, so she'll be safe, and then we can wait outside the city's walls and sort this out from there. That way, the humans don't have to be involved at all, and no-one will get hurt.'

'Except for those sorcerers,' Kibeth added.

'Yes,' Belgaer agreed. 'Except them. I don't think I'll ever understand why humans ever thought it would be a good idea to practise Free Magic.'

'Neither do I,' Mosrael said quickly. 'We need to leave now, or we won't arrive in Belisaere in time. I think we do, at least.' She looked up at the sun through the branches of the fir trees. 'It was nearing dusk in the vision, so we may have a little longer.'

Dyrim looked over at Arael, who had been unusually quiet. She was staring into the dwindling campfire, but Dyrim knew the girl's mind was not on the dancing flames. 'I think we should leave now. It will be better to get to Belisaere early that it will to get there late.'

Everyone agreed with that, and then things started moving quickly. Within only a few minutes, the fire was extinguished, and they had all left the forest. Dyrim took on her eagle form again, and gestured for Arael to sit on her back, as she had done the previous night. Arael did so, though she was still distracted by thoughts of what could happen if they didn't reach Belisaere in time.

'None of that will happen,' Dyrim assured her, turning her head to look at Arael in a way no real eagle could. 'Now, hold on tight.'

With that, she flapped her powerful wings and took off into the air, the others following close behind. The air was colder that it had been on the ground, but neither that nor the still-unfamiliar feeling of flying could stop Arael worrying. No-one said anything – at least, nothing that Arael could hear – for the majority of the journey, and after almost an hour of flying, they were directly over Belisaere. Arael looked down and saw a mass of red-clad figures – unmistakably the royal army – assembling rapidly into several neat lines.

'It looks like they already know what's coming,' Dyrim said, surveying the area. 'Arael, you need to stop them marching out to face these sorcerers. Tell whoever is in charge – Anstyr, I suppose – that we will sort it out. Where is Anstyr likely to be?'

'In the palace, probably,' Arael replied nervously. Convincing Anstyr not to send the army out would be easier said than done, especially when the suggestion was coming from his slightly reckless younger sister, who was likely to still be in trouble from the previous day. Still, she would at least try.

Dyrim began to swoop smoothly down towards the palace, aiming for the south-eastern tower, which was conveniently unmanned. She hovered steadily and waited until Arael had climbed off her back, then winked at her.

'Everything will be fine. I promise. Now, be quick!'

Arael nodded and ran down the spiral steps of the tower, then along the empty corridor and down another flight of steps, heading for Anstyr's study. That was where he was most likely to be, she decided, only just dodging a couple of maids, who both stared at her as she ran past. Arael assumed that their stares were due to her windswept and rather dishevelled appearance, but there would be time to tidy herself up later. She began to mentally rehearse what she would say to try and convince Anstyr not to send the royal army out. Her first ideas did not sound nearly as persuasive as she needed to be, and she was so engrossed in thinking up something else that she ran straight into someone coming the other way down the passage.

'Sorry, excuse me,' Arael muttered, trying to continue on her way to the study, but the person she had collided with suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.

'Arael! Thank goodness you're alright! Are you alright? Oh, you have no idea how worried we have all been!'

Arael rolled her eyes as she recognised the voice as her sister's, and she tried to push herself away, but Nehima refused to let her go.

'Nehima, I need to speak to Anstyr,' she explained quickly.

''Where have you been?' Nehima asked, clearly paying no attention at all to what Arael was saying. 'What happened to you?'

'I have only been gone for a day,' Arael answered, finally succeeding in escaping from her elder sister's embrace.

'I know,' said Nehima, her voice becoming slightly quieter. 'But… but we thought you were dead…'

'What?' Arael exclaimed.

'Anstyr sent the scouts out to track you with their dogs last night,' Nehima replied quietly. 'They followed your trail to a forest a few hours away, and then the dogs apparently smelled Free Magic, and your trail ended. The scouts said they found some of your blood on the grass too, and they came to the logical conclusion.'

'Oh,' Arael said, a little guiltily. 'Sorry. I um… I didn't mean to worry you like that, but–'

'I'm just so glad you're alright!' Nehima interrupted, hugging her tightly again. 'I didn't want to believe it, but you know what the area around here can be like at night… I don't know how many people heard talk about the scouts' report last night, but Anstyr hasn't formally announced it yet. But what happened to you? Where were you?'

'I can explain later,' Arael replied. 'Right now, I need to talk to Anstyr quickly.'

'I don't think you will be able to,' Nehima answered, lowering her voice even more. 'He is currently getting the army ready to defend the city against three Free–'

'I know what's coming,' Arael interjected. 'Nehima, you know as well as I do that the army can't fight Free Magic. We don't know how.'

Nehima sighed sadly. 'I know that, but nobody is willing to just stand aside and let this sorcerer take the city.'

'He is not going to take the city,' Arael said firmly. 'Please, let me go. I need to talk to Anstyr right now!'

She finally managed to pull away from Nehima and carry on running down the corridor. If Anstyr was already with the troops, she had less time that she originally thought. Nehima shouted after her, but did not follow, Arael was relieved to see. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to add her typically sceptical comments when she was trying to convince her brother.

She raced down the remaining steps, and out of the palace, ignoring anyone who turned and stared at her as she passed them. The city streets were empty; clearly, a warning had been given earlier, and everyone who was not in the royal army was hiding in their homes. It was strange to see the usually-bustling city completely empty, but Arael was glad that there were no crowds to slow her down. The only sounds she could hear were voices coming from the main square, where the army was assembling, and Arael used them to find her way through the maze of streets until she saw the tell-tale sea of red and gold surcoats.

Anstyr was, predictably, at the front of the lines of soldiers, seated on his best horse and talking to Jored, the captain of the royal army. Arael rolled her eyes at the sight of the very rules-conscious captain, who was all too much like a male version of Nehima. As she approached them, Anstyr stopped talking in mid-sentence, forgetting what he had been about to say, and Jored stared at her – probably more in disapproval than amazement.

'Arael!' Anstyr exclaimed, quickly dismounting and hurrying over to hug his sister. 'Thank goodness you are alright.' He paused and let go of her. 'I am eager to hear exactly where you have been, what happened to you, and why you think it is acceptable to make us all worry like that, but it's going to have to wait for now.'

'Anstyr,' Arael interrupted. 'Don't go out and fight those sorcerers.'

The king held up a hand to cut her off. 'I know why you are saying that, sister,' he said, lowering his voice. 'But I have to defend my city and my people.'

'You don't have to send these men out. You know they will just die,' Arael replied. 'And the city is defended.'

Anstyr folded his arms across his chest. 'By who?'

'Um… the Bright Shiners,' Arael answered, bracing herself for the inevitable comments about her stupidity.

'The what?'

'Ranna and her sisters...'

Anstyr stared at her in disbelief. 'Do you honestly think I am going to entrust the safety of my city to six Free Magic creatures?'

'Can't you just trust me?' Arael asked. 'They said they would defeat those sorcerers and their Hish easily.'

'You have been with them, haven't you?' said Anstyr sternly. Arael knew she didn't need to answer that. 'Go back inside, Arael. I don't want you getting hurt,' he added, re-mounting his horse.

'Why won't you trust me?' Arael asked, not moving from where she stood.

Anstyr looked down at her. 'Experience.'

Arael scowled up at him. 'Isn't there a chance that I might be right?'

'Yes,' Anstyr admitted, 'but I am not willing to take that chance.'

He started to walk his horse forwards, but Arael stepped in front of it, blocking its path. 'But you are willing to send these men out to their deaths? You know you can't fight Free Magic creatures, and they know it too.'

'They also know that it is their duty to protect this city,' replied Anstyr firmly.

'I have already told you!' Arael protested. 'They don't need to!'

'And I have already told you that I will not entrust the safety of my city to a group of Free Magic creatures!'

Before Arael could continue arguing, one of the guards on look-out duty nervously cleared his throat and looked down from his position. 'Um, Sire?' he said. 'You may want to have a look at this.'

As I said earlier... please review! :D