That was not half of Jayis' problem. The prophecies foretold the year when this girl was to be born. That year had come and gone. For over sixteen years, he and the few people that knew it was time, had been searching. The Prophecies said that if she was not found by the time she was eighteen then there would be no hope of saving the Worlds.
The Dark Empire knew some of what was going on. They had prophecies of their own, though not nearly as many or as complex. Five years ago their heir had broken in to the palace and copied some of the Prophecies. Although she did not copy very many she did copy the prophecy that told the year and the world that the Princess was to be born on. Luckily the Dark Empire's heir only broke into the chamber that contained well-known prophecies. There were many others. Some, were only known to rulers and their Councils. Others were hidden, only to be read by the Princess and whom she chooses to see them.
These facts were now constantly on Jayis' mind. Except for the incident five years ago, the Dark Empire had been fairly quiet. Recently they had become more active. Attacks were more common and they were paying much closer attention to earth which was not surprising, considering that was where the Princess was to be born. Jayis wondered why now? Why not when they first stole the prophecy?
"Jayis?"
Jenissa was standing just inside his doorway looking at him intently. She was one of Jayis' Council.
"We may have found something could you come to the seer's room"
"I hope it's good news." Replied Jayis.
A few minutes later Jayis and Jenissa arrived in the seer's room. His Council was assembled there. They all wore a look of hope and fear.
"The Dark Empire is on the move again." Said Jammal, Jayis, second in command. "I think they may have found something."
"Four of there creatures were sent to earth we've found out where they are going and they are after a girl that fits the description for the Princess but we'll have to move fast." Said Jammal.
"Alright Jammal, Ellen and Clara come with me lets see if they found the right girl." Jayis was fighting down excitement. This had never happened before hopefully something good would come out of it.
The sixteen-year-old girl that was causing so much excitement with the World's Council was walking home from school. She was thinking about her boyfriend and that they were going to have been going out for a year tomorrow. She was also thinking about what to get her friends for Christmas, as it was fast approaching. She was lost in her happy thoughts and did not see the four strange black creatures that had just seemed to materialize at the other end of the field she had just entered. She looked up and saw these four creatures and stopped dead in her steps. They looked like horses at first glance but they were not. There coats were black but they were dull and darker black than anything she had ever seen before. They also had red eyes and long razor sharp teeth. She wanted to scream and run but she couldn't move. They began walking towards her but she still couldn't move. The creatures were not making a sound as thy moved. One of them began to speak. They had voices that sounded like a snake hissing.
"Come with us. We can give you a great gift. We can solve your problems in this world."
They stopped walking. They opened their mouths showing their long teeth again. A black mist came rolling out of their mouths and drifted towards the girl. She tried to move but she couldn't she could feel her muscles struggling. Something was holding her in place. She continued struggling against this unseen force as the mist drifted closer. It was moving very quickly. The looked like they were smiling. A tendril of the mist touched her and sunk in into her skin. Something inside her rebelled.
" No. NO!" she whispered and then screamed whatever holding her vanished and she was able to move. She leapt backwards and stared at the creatures. The mist was gone and they were no longer smiling.
"What happened?" One of the creatures hissed.
The one that had spoken before answered. "Our leaders miscalculated. They said if this happened we should destroy her. Watch though her powers are most likely unlocked. Don't worry to much," it sneered, "she won't know how to use them."
They began advancing again, much quicker this time.
"Don't come near me!" The girl yelled. She felt something flowing inside her. Something had been unlocked inside her. She felt a comforting power, something she had been longing for. She closed her eyes and found a bright glowing golden ball of light. It filled her entire body. When she opened her eyes she could see her hands shining in the same golden colour. She nudged at the glowing ball with her mind. It moved and swelled responding to her mental touch.
The girl looked again at the creatures and concentrated on that glowing power inside her. A ball of it appeared in her hand. She threw it as hard as she could at the closest creature. The ball hit and the creature flew backwards and slammed into a tree. It scrambled to get up and slowly began to come forward. Looking inside herself again the girl found that the ball had continued to grow it was totally filling her. She called another ball into her hand and threw it at the next creature. It too flew backwards and landed in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the tree. The remaining two charged at her. She called up another golden ball and another and these two also flew back into the trees.
Just as they were getting up four people appeared in the centre of the field. Rose coloured light flashed from one of the women to one of the creatures, forest green light with golden flecks came from a tall man and grey light came from the other man and violet coloured light came from the last woman. The creatures screamed as they disappeared.
The four people turned around and looked the girl over. She stared back at them wondering if they were going to attack her too.
"Sixteen years of looking and finally some results." The man with grey light said.
"Don't look so alarmed we are not going to hurt you although those creatures may come back we should go somewhere else. Do you have to be anywhere soon?" asked the man with the green light.
The girl stared for a moment but she eventually answered. "No I don't have anywhere I have to be."
"Good, will come with us then? We have many things to discuss with you and there are many things you can tell us. Come stand over here with us."
The girl walked over to join others. When she reached them the man with the green light raised his hands and the field melted away into the green light until that was all the girl could see. Then, out of the green light a room came into view around them. It was full of crystal balls of every colour and size and there were other people there. All of them, the girl noticed, and the four she was with were wearing robes. They were all the same style and were made out of the same feathery fabric that looked like it would tear at the slightest touch. The man with the green light had on a robe the colour of pure gold. The other man that had been with her had on a robe that was the colour of silver with a ten centimeter gold trim around the edges. All the other people as well as the two women had robes that were silver with a five centimeter trim around the edges.
One of the women in the room looked up from their conversation.
"Oh Jayis!" She paused and her gaze shifted to the girl. "Is she the one?" she asked.
"I think so. We shall soon find out." Answered the man with the forest green light.
All the people that had traveled with the girl found chairs and sat down. The girl remained standing.
"What is your name?" Jayis asked.
"Rianna." The girl replied.
"Well Rianna you may be the person we have been looking for. Can you show me your magic?" Asked Jayis.
"Magic?" Rianna answered. "I have magic?"
"Yes. It's the light inside you. Call some into your hand and let me see it. Please, I want to see what colour it is and I want to try a little spell it won't hurt. I just want to check something."
Rianna considered him for a moment and then called a little ball out onto her hand. Jayis got up and walked over to her. He took her hand in his and looked intently at her ball of power. Then he focused on her and called on his own magic. Rianna thought he was looking into her. She felt a strange sensation and her golden ball glowed brighter but was still very gold. Rianna noticed once again that there were gold flecks in his green magic. They flecks were exactly the same colour as her magic. She felt Jayis' magic slide out of her body. He turned around and addressed the other people in the room.
"Her magic is not dyed and it is pure gold. I cannot see any other colour in it. There is one other thing we can do to make sure she is the one. Rianna," Jayis turned around to speak to her, "Did you notice the robes we are wearing?" Rianna nodded. "If you are the person we have been searching for then there is one for you. I want you to see if you can find it. There is a room full of them and if you are who we think you are one of them will almost seem to call out to you. Call it to you. I want to see what happens. Come with me I'll take you to the room." Jayis turned to the other people. "Ellen, Jammal will you come with us?"
Jayis lead them down a large hallway. They came to a door and Jayis stopped.
"Rianna, this is the room just use your magic and look for a robe."
Jayis took a key out of his robe and unlocked the door he ushered her into the room. Rianna looked around. Now what do I do? She thought. She closed her eyes called on her magic and opened her eyes again. There were ten robes floating in various spots in the room. They were almost clear but they had a slight creamy colour. Her gaze fell on one floating above a shelf. She tried to look away but her gaze continued to fall back on this particular one. It seemed to try to reach out to her. Rianna used her magic and called it to her. It practically jumped over to her. She turned around to face Jayis and the others as the robe settled around her. She didn't even have to put it on it just materialized around her. As she looked at it a golden colour, the same as the colour of Jayis' robe, appeared on the shoulders of the robe and began to spread down it. The edges of the sleeves turned silver as the gold colour continued to spread down the body to the bottom of the robe, which trailed along the floor billowing after her when she walked. The bottom also became silver like the edges of the sleeves. Rianna looked up at Jayis and the other two that had come with them. They looked relieved and extremely happy. Rianna knew by the look on their faces that she was the person they had been looking for.
"Alright then lets go back to the others. We have much to tell you Rianna."
Rianna followed them back to the room they had been in earlier. The other people waiting in the room looked at Rianna as soon as she walked in. Their faces became brighter as soon as she walked through the door. They all looked at her for a minute. Jayis cleared his thought.
"She is the one," he began, " that we have been looking for. Finally after sixteen years of searching but we have a lot to explain to her." Jayis turned to Rianna. "Sit down Rianna this will take a while."
Rianna found a comfortable chair and sat down as Jayis began.
"Your world, this world and many others are part of a Kingdom. We have many prophecies that have foretold of many things to come. Most of them have to do with you. You are the heir to this Kingdom. I rule the kingdom now. These people in this room are my Council. You will have a council too. You will not have to choose them, but you will have to find them. They will most likely be close friends or people who will become close friends but you will not discover them until they become close to you. I advise you to start looking now. It will most likely take you a while." Jayis paused to gather his thoughts. "There is another group of Worlds, called the Dark Empire. Its leader sent those creatures that attacked you. They two have an heir, the same age as you. This Empire has been attacking us for hundreds of years. At first the attacks were small and unsuccessful but now they are a huge force that threatens to destroy us. The Prophecies tell us that there is only one person who can keep that from happening. That person is you. They will launch a final attack that will either destroy them or us. The only thing that will save our kingdom is having you as our ruler. At that time I will no longer be alive. We know that there is at least two years until that attack although there are certainly going to be others. We need to teach you how to use your magic although you seem to have a phenomenal grasp of it already. There is a great deal you have to learn as well as special things you will have access to because you are the heir. We will have to keep your identity secret for now. Your magic won't stay gold. It will take colour all your own but it will retain gold flecks like mine is. We will be spending quite a lot of time together but for now I suggest we take you home and continue this tomorrow your body needs to adjust to the unlocked power. I can see you are tired and this needs some time to sink in. I'll take you home and come back to you tomorrow evening."
Jayis walked over and put his hand on her shoulder and the green magic crowded the room from view. They reappeared in front of Rianna's home.
"How did you know where to go?" asked Rianna.
"I checked it out earlier" Jayis smiled. Rianna was still puzzled but accepted his answer.
"I will have a copy of the more general prophecies made for you. Read them first before looking at the ones reserved for Councilors and rulers. You will be considered as one of my council until you become Queen. Get some sleep tonight your body needs it even if your mind doesn't. Goodnight Rianna."
Before Rianna could answer he was gone and she was alone with much to think about.
Rianna took Jayis' advice and went to bed. She had not realized how tired and weak she felt until he left her. Rianna spent the day at school thinking about what had happened the night before. She was surprised to find that she was not wondering how this had happened to her. It was almost like she had expected it to happen and did not know about it until now.
As he had told her last night Jayis did find a time to come and get her and take her to the place they had been the previous night. When she asked him where they were he replied they were on another World. The building was the palace that the rulers had lived in for thousands of years.
Jayis told Rianna that he was taking her to his residence in the palace. When they arrived there Rianna found only Ellen, the woman that had the rose coloured magic.
"I had a long talk with my Council last night after I took you home Rianna. We discussed how to get you accustomed to life on our World and how to teach you all the ins and outs of magic. Most people that have magic are born with it. You have a great deal to learn in a very short time. I think for now your time would be best spent with Ellen. Her strength is closest to yours and she is a teacher at the University. Eventually when you are ready I will teach you spells that have been passed on from ruler to ruler that no one else in our Worlds know. I would like to spend more time with you but," Jayis paused searching for the right word, "situations need my attention and I cannot be pulled away from them right now. Spend the as much time with Ellen as you can over the next few weeks. I will try to come around as often as I can. At the moment there is someone I have to meet I will meet you in Ellen's residence later."
He nodded to Ellen and walked out the door.
"Well." Ellen began. "He does like long speeches. Lets go over to my residence and find a good place to start."
Ellen took Rianna down through the halls of the palace and eventually to her residence. By this time Rianna was completely lost. Ellen saw the look on her face and told her she would eventually learn her way around. She pulled a key from her robes and unlocked the door.
"Have a seat Rianna would you like anything?"
"No I'm fine thanks."
"In that case lets begin."
Ellen took a seat across from Rianna. "Now call out a ball of power I want to get a better idea of how strong you are."
Rianna closed her eyes and called out a golden glowing ball. It hovered just a few centimeters from her hand. Ellen got up, walked over to her and she put her hands a few centimeters away from the sides of the ball and called on her own power. Rianna watched as the rose colour melted into her gold. She didn't know how to describe it but she felt Ellen's power enter her body and begin to flow through her. She closed her eyes and reached out for her magic. When she opened her eyes again she could see her magic glowing around her and she could see Ellen's magic mingling with hers. It reached further into her. Closing her eyes again she could see the bright glowing ball inside her mind. Ellen's power had reached there and was slowly swirling around it. Ellen's rose colour began to recede and Rianna followed it out back into her body then out through the ball of power she held in her hand. When she could no longer see Ellen's magic she opened her eyes.
Ellen was still focused on her ball of power. Without shifting her gaze she asked her what she had seen. Rianna told her what she had just seen. After describing it to Ellen they sat in silence for a moment as Ellen was still focused on the glowing ball Rianna held in her hands.
A few moments later Ellen sighed, blinked and looked up. She thought for a moment and then told Rianna what she had been doing.
"When a person's magic is new, whether it be when they are born or when they discover it when they are older, it will accept just about anything. Another person's magic can mingle with it and it will not force them out. It can also easily be fooled. You saw my magic leave yours, but because your magic is new and inexperienced, it could not sense that I had concealed my power and given you the illusion that my magic had left yours. I actually did not leave your power until I looked up a moment ago. You have a huge amount of power Rianna. A person's power continues to grow until they are about thirty and then it stays at that level. Yours will grow at a faster rate because you did not discover it until yesterday and you already have almost as much as I do. The power you have now is what people were born with in ancient times. It is said in one of the Prophecies that you will bring in a new level of power to the people one that has not been seen since the time of the ancients. I'll tell you more about them later. Jayis wanted me to tell you a little about the Council. He told you yesterday that he ruled the Worlds and we are his Council."
Ellen paused for a moment wondering where to begin. Rianna had a great power. No one had seen that level in thousands of years. Once she surpassed the Council in power there would be no one to guide her. She would have to explore her power herself while teaching her Council what to do with their power, as they to were to have the most magic people hade seen in centuries. Having no one to guide you was dangerous. For thousands of years each ruler had only had a little more power than the previous ruler so there was not much difference in what they could do, but Rianna would soon overpower her. Even though she was the weakest of all the Council that didn't leave very many people that could help her.
Ellen thought about what she was going to say and then began "When we were children we would often play together. Most of us have known each other almost all our lives. Jayis always knew he was to be ruler. Someone had told his family that before he was born. When he began searching for his Council he knew they would be the strongest people in all the Worlds until the next ruler came. That was the way it had been since the Worlds came together. In the Council, your power determines your rank. Jammal is the strongest of the Council and is Jayis' second in command. Jayis isn't normally considered part of the Council. I am the weakest of the council. You will know when you find someone what rank they are. I cannot explain that to you for that you'll have to ask Jayis. There has always been nine Council members and the Ruler as a government. Each of the Worlds has their own government that deals with day-to-day affairs. I think that's about all on that subject.
"So let me see if I got this straight." Rianna began. "You are the weakest member of the Council but you are stronger than everyone else on the Worlds."
"That's right. Now then, I think we should try some magic exercises. You need to be able to call on your magic faster than you are. When you called out that magic earlier you had to concentrate for a minute and close your eyes. Before we move on I want you to be able to call out your power without having to stop and think about it. Now try again close your eyes and see your Source if you have to."
"Source?"
"Yes, the place your power is inside you."
"Oh?"
Rianna closed her eyes and called her magic out onto her hand. She opened her eyes and looked questioningly at Ellen.
"That was better." Ellen remarked. "Keep trying until you can call it out in the space of time it takes you to blink. Then you can work on calling out your magic without closing your eyes."
They worked on this exercise for an hour until Ellen said that was enough for today. By the time they had finished Rianna could call out her power in half the time it had taken her earlier but as they spent more time practicing it became harder to shorten the time it took to call it out. Jayis came in just as they were finishing up and watched the last few trials Rianna did. He said that she was improving but agreed with Ellen that Rianna still needed to work on it.
Jayis seemed to have something he wanted to tell them, and as soon as they had finished the exercise he asked Ellen a question, which Rianna didn't hear because she was dissipating her latest ball of magic.
"Rianna, when your magic develops its defenses I think you should begin to take courses at the University. Eventually you have to have a Masters in all the subjects. It is a tradition that all the rulers have this background and I know that you will need it. Most people can only take one or two courses because each course is a four-year program. Some people have been able to challenge them. There is a spell or a test that they must pass in order to gain permission to pass into the next year and the final test at the end of four years gives them the title of Master. Rulers of the Worlds have had an ability to pass most of the tests without taking the courses; most rulers have taken ten or less years to complete all the tests at the University. Council members are also always graduates of at least two courses. The next term begins in three months. By then your inborn defenses should have begun to take shape, at least enough for you to attend the University. I did some research on inborn defenses last night. When baby with magic is born their magic grows with them and when they become more wary of strange people and places their magic picks up on this and form the inborn defenses, which are with them for the rest of their lives. When a person discovers their magic later is has to catch up and it does not take as long to form its defenses. They should be sufficient enough for protection at the University in a few months."
Rianna gathered that these defenses told the person that other people were trying to use some sort of magic on them and if it could it blocked used simplistic ways to try to block the spell. She would have to ask for more information on them later.
Rianna's days began to follow a pattern. She would go to school during the day and in the evenings she would practice magic exercises with Ellen. After two more evenings of practice Rianna could call out her magic fast enough and Ellen told her to try it call out her power without closing her eyes. That took a few more evenings of practice to accomplish. After her executrices for the evening were finished, Ellen and Rianna would talk about life in the Worlds and the things that people who had lived in the magic community most of their lives would know. Rianna found these discussions fascinating. In these chats between her and Ellen they got to know each other. Rianna also began to learn her way around the palace. She couldn't tell if the palace staff knew that she was their new Princess, she rarely ran into them anyway. Most of the areas she was learning her way around were the residence halls and the staff did not regularly come into that area. Rianna also began to get to know the other Council members but she still spent most of her time with Ellen.
Ellen explained to Rianna why Jayis and the Council didn't want her to leave the palace, at least without one of them for now. Without her inborn defenses someone could easily find out who she was. That knowledge would spread far and would cause many complications. It could even get her killed. So for now until her power had developed some inborn defenses and she could hide who she was she had to stay around the palace. That was fine with Rianna. There was so much to learn around the palace.
About a month after Rianna learned about her magic Ellen tested her again to see if her inborn defenses had begun to form. Once again Rianna had no idea that Ellen was still exploring her magic even when she had thought she had left. Ellen frowned as she refocused her gaze on Rianna.
"There should be something forming by now, but I can't see anything. Maybe we should let Jayis have a look. He would be able to tell better than I."
A few minutes later Jayis arrived and he looked at Rianna's magic. When Ellen was examining Rianna's magic she always had to concentrate on what she was doing and Rianna could see her eyes glaze over. When Jayis looked at her magic he did not even appear to be doing anything. He kept up a conversation with Ellen in a language Rianna didn't understand. She made a mental note to begin learning it at her first opportunity.
Eventually Jayis switched back to English and Rianna could understand him.
"Ellen was correct. I can see no defenses forming at all. I have an idea why but I do not think that this is the time to be discussing it. If your defenses do not begin to form soon we will have to make" Jayis paused, "other arrangements." He nodded to Ellen and Rianna and left Ellen's suite.
Rianna was concerned by Jayis' tone when he said "other arrangements".
"What did her mean 'other arrangements'?" Rianna asked Ellen.
"He means protective spells." Ellen replied. "They have not been used in centuries and none of this Council has ever attempted them. Also you would have to learn how to control them, and we are not far enough in your training for you to handle that." Ellen looked unsettled but would not say anything more about what Jayis had said. Rianna decided to change the topic of conversation.
"What was that language you were speaking a minute ago?"
Ellen began to smile as she replied.
"That was the Old Tongue. At some point it had another name but it has been forgotten. Very few people can converse in it. Many spells use it but most people don?t know any more than that. We have found it rather helpful to know how to speak it though. It has been a tradition in the Councils past for them to learn how to speak it. You will have to learn it too. Many books that only the Council has access to are written in it."
Wonderful, Rianna thought. I've tried to learn other languages before but it's a skill I don't seem to have. With these things on her mind Rianna began their night's lessons. They did not go particularly well as her mind was on other things.
Ellen began testing Rianna everyday to see if any of her defenses had begun to form. Each day Rianna could see her becoming more and more concerned. She could understand why since these defenses acted like a sixth sense, knowing when something had invaded her magic's "personal space". With each day both she and Ellen became increasingly concerned. One month later Ellen asked Jayis to check again. Again neither of them found anything.
"Well, that's it we have to try those defense spells. We have no other choice. The next term at the University starts in a month and she has to have some control over the spells in order to attend or she will be found out. Ellen, will you begin to teach Rianna how to control larger spells. When she's not here we will have to spend some time in the library looking up those spells." With that announcement Jayis told Rianna he would see her in a few days and he told Ellen to meet him later and left Ellen's suite.
Ellen stared after Jayis for a moment before turning to Rianna.
"I wasn't going to get into spell casting yet but it seems that I have to. Let me give you a bit of background first." Ellen paused for a moment and resettled herself in the large chair she was seated in. "Each person has a different amount of power. Spells are generally used to amplify magic to make it possible for some people to do more advanced magic. People who have a great amount of power like you and I do not have to rely on spells very often. We can simply make things happen just by using our power. For example, lately we have been working on calling out your magic as light so that you can see if you don't have a light handy. We do not need a spell for that but people with very little magic do. If someone with very little power tried to do that without a spell they probably just wouldn't be able to do anything. If we were trying magic we didn't know how to control without a spell we could very well die trying. Of course if you want to use a spell to call out light you can, it just takes longer. If someone who needed to use a spell to call out light tried to do these spells Jayis wants to try, they would either kill themselves or nothing would happen. I someone with average power tried those magics even with a spell they could kill themselves because it is too advanced for them. Jayis and I have never tried these magics before and we will use spells because they are from ancient times and people were much more powerful then. We could kill ourselves if we didn't use a spell. When you are at your full power you will most likely be able to cast those magics without a spell but not now."
Rianna thought for a moment on what Ellen had said.
"So the more magic you have, the less spells you will need to use?"
"Yes that's it in a nut shell."
Rianna and Ellen continued to converse for another hour or so until Rianna had to get home. Before they left a thought came to Ellen.
"Rianna you should learn how to go between the Worlds. I'll teach you the spell use it for the first few times you try it but then just use your power. I know you are strong enough to do it without a spell. This magic only works for long distances and between Worlds travel. It cannot so take you through walls so therefore it cannot take you to a different location in the same building. You must be outside to use it."
As they walked to one of the many exits to the palace Ellen told Rianna the ancient words to the spell and told her that to cast a spell all you had to do was hold onto your magic and let the spell do the work, whereas when you were not using a spell you had to guide it yourself. Ellen warned her that although the spell sounded easier, in actually was more difficult. You needed to know the words and gestures, in most cases they had to be spoken and they usually took longer to cast. Ellen also told her how to transport two people. Rianna would have to do this for her first few attempts so that incase anything went wrong Ellen could get them out of it.
"Watch how the spell works your magic, you can lean how do use this magic without a spell that way." Ellen was telling Rianna as they exited the palace from a side door in the residence area.
When they were a few meters away from the building Rianna touched her magic and recited the spell. The palace and surroundings melted away into her gold magic and then out of her magic her home came into view. She and Ellen arrived safely in front of Rianna's home.
"That wasn't bad Rianna," Ellen commented. "Tomorrow you can practice it with me when I come pick you up. I'll see you then." With that Ellen left in a flash of rose coloured light.
By the next week Rianna had mastered how to transport herself and Ellen without using a spell. Once she had successfully transported them both five times Ellen told her that she could do it by herself and Rianna was soon transporting herself to the palace whenever she had the chance.
Her defenses however continued to be a problem. Ellen and Jayis were having trouble finding a spell that would work for their purposes. All of the spells that had found were for people who's defenses were not growing properly, not nonexistent. Ellen was giving her regular updates on how they were doing.
Ellen was not telling Rianna everything though. Some things she would not understand and some others she just didn't need to know now. She had not read the Prophecies and both she and Jayis knew that she did not need to worry about her role in history just yet. She knew enough for now and they didn't have to worry her with the terrible events that were to come in her future when she wasn't even used to her magic yet. Ellen had begun teaching Rianna the Old Tongue. She would need to know some to be passable at the University. Everyone there knew what some of the words meant, even if they didn't know how to truly speak it. Rianna had a surprising grasp of the language. Usually it was hard to understand and even harder to learn. Ellen suspected it was one of the many gifts the Ancients had given her. She couldn't understand how she had no inborn defenses though. Ellen knew from the Prophecies that Rianna should eventually have some very strong defenses. There were some vague descriptions of some future events and how she would handle them and from these Ellen could see that at some point she had gained some superior defenses but that did not mean it was certain. It was anything but certain. There were so many ways for the future to go wrong even if Rianna did the best she could. In some cases if even one person died at the wrong time there would be disaster. These things continually ran through Ellen's mind as she searched for some form of spell that could be used in place of Rianna's mysteriously missing defenses.
Other than the problem with her defenses, Ellen was pleased with the way Rianna was progressing in her studies. She had mastered transportation quickly and was learning new spells and techniques on her own. Soon, she would overpower her but she would not know as much as Ellen so she still had much she could teach Rianna.
Rianna sat on the end of her bed thinking of the last two weeks. She had trouble believing it was all real. How could she be the Princess to all these Worlds? She didn't really mind. She was glad she had gone to the High School she had. She had met some good friends for a change. She had not been all that popular before. Now she was happy, she was confused as to how a girl like her could be destined for such an important role. She knew there were things that Jayis and Ellen were not telling her. She could tell it in the way they sometimes looked at her. There was a look of awe and sometimes pity and fear. They knew something they were not about to tell her. She could see it worried them. She assumed they would tell her sometime. Rianna was not about to let that bother her now. She was more concerned with why her magic was not developing properly. Rianna see her magic growing over the last two weeks. One day she mentioned this to Ellen. She said that Her magic would grow quickly for a while until it catches up to the point where it would be if she had been born knowing how to use it. After that it would continue to grow but at a slower pace. Somehow Rianna still felt empty, like some of her power was missing. When she had nothing to do an overpowering feeling of emptiness swept over her. Now sitting on her bed, Rianna found herself once again feeling empty. She had not mentioned this to Ellen but was beginning to think she should. The feeling was getting worse.
Rianna glanced at her watch. Time to meet Ellen for her night's lesson. As she left her house she pictured the palace. She disappeared in her gold magic and the palace came into view. It was a huge castle set on a hill with a tall rock wall around it. The castle itself was made of a polished white stone with the elegant towers reaching up to the sky.
She found Ellen in a somewhat better mood.
"Jayis and I believe that we have found a few spells that will work to protect you. We discovered a book nearly destroyed at the back of most restricted section of the library. It's in the strangest form of the Old Tongue that I have ever seen. I believe it is a dialect that was lost hundreds of years ago." Ellen paused. "Eventually I think that you will be better able to understand the Old Tongue better than any of us. For now though Jayis and I will work the spell and make adjustments as necessary for a while."
Rianna followed Ellen to a secluded room in the library where they found Jayis waiting for them. He glanced up at them.
"Ready?" He asked.
Ellen sank down into one of the two chairs in the room. Rianna took a closer look at where they were. She had been to the library many times with Ellen. It was a grand room, with high ceilings and long softly lit rows of books. There was a large crystal chandelier hanging in the middle of each row. Rianna thought the room had a wonderful soft feeling about it, but you would never guess that the room she was in now was even in the same building let alone connected to the grand library. This room was dull and musty and had not been dusted for many years. Rianna inspected the shelves lining the walls. Although many of the books in the main section of the library were hundreds of years old, they were well cared for and were not going to fall apart if you opened them. Most of these books looked like they would turn to dust if they were touched.
While Rianna was inspecting the small room, Ellen and Jayis were deep in conversation about the spells they were preparing. They knew they had to be careful. These were complicated spells.