Abreigelle blinked slowly, tossed aside her blanket, and rose to her feet. Holy hells, that was annoying. Where was that noise coming from...the window? Dawn was close enough that the room was just bright enough to see.

"Lenore?" Light suddenly burst from the bars of the cellar's window. If she had snapped, and decided to break Abreigelle out, it could only mean more punishment for their family. Didn't she understand that?

More vivid light flared, pulsing in rhythm with the sound of metal grinding...and then sharp pops. Glowing purple sparks fell like stars, only to be extinguished by the wet cellar floor.

Snap! the bars loosened and were pulled away from the damp window frame. A boy's head peeped out, his long jet-black hair fell around his face, framing his sharp features. That is definitely not Lenore. With a flourish, the boy tossed the metal bars aside and hopped into the room, landing on the floor as lightly and as gracefully as a dancer. A long black cloak trailed him, flapping down in on big swoosh. He looked about twelve or thirteen, but there were many scars on his exposed arms, and on his neck, which could only mean that he had been held at sword-point, more than once obviously.

What the hells? The kid was human and yet she could have sworn that a disc hovered right over his hand just a moment before.

But he is human! That's not possible! He didn't have the pearlescent skin of the Rvyni, and he was not colorless like the Neureans. What the hells... Abreigelle backed up, her eyes wide with shock. Who was this kid?

The boy didn't say anything to Abreigelle as he strutted past her and began rummaging through the wooden crates and barrels. His face twitched in concentration as he tossed aside various objects, searching. Apparently he had other business down here rather than to break her free.

This was insane.

A silver bowl clattered to a stop at Abreigelle's feet. Hesitantly, she picked it up and set it on top of another pile of rubbish. If Lord Varner came down here and saw a mess... "Are you looking for something?" she asked, concerned.

The mysterious adolescent shook his head, and grunted, turning over an entire box of old books. Was he some sort of thief?

"Please stop." she begged. He was going through everything...and getting closer to her personal stash of valuables. If he accidentally ruined any of her stuff, it would shatter her--some of the things she'd collected over the years were priceless. Abreigelle felt a surge of anger. "That's enough!"

She lunged for the boy's shoulders, but he slipped nimbly out of her grasp and backed up towards the wine barrel—the exact place where her stash was hidden. Abreigelle clenched her sweaty fists.

But the boy seemed amused. He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes, which were strangely silver against the dark tone of his skin. "Is there something here you don't want me to find?" His voice was mocking, causing Abreigelle to wrinkle her nose in fury. You dirty bastard.

He seemed to read her body language, smiling. "Ahhh..." Then he closed his eyes briefly, looking like he was feeling for something.

Suddenly, the boy grinned wickedly, and, still looking at her, pulled up the cloth of wine bottles in the barrel and set it on the floor. Her stash was exposed. He knew.

The thief's hand plunged into the barrel. Abreigelle expected him to be more destructive, but he was searching slowly, carefully. After a moment, he froze, and slowly pulled out a piece of rounded glass...a disc memorite.

That piece of glass brought back painful memories...about things she wanted to forget. Things that had made her heart ache and burn. What did this kid want with it?

Blissfully, he held the memorite aloft, watching the dim light pass through it, studying the patterns of glyphs on its surface. He nodded, apparently satisfied. What was the special thing that he saw in it? To her, it looked just like any other memorite.

But if he broke it, or decided to take it, her promise would be in vain. This was not acceptable. She had to do something. Abreigelle would have been angry if she wasn't currently being suffocated with fear. This was no ordinary thief. Words she had heard last week echoed in her mind. An Eternity Disc was stolen...it was snatched by a human child. Eternity Disc...

Her words, intended to be threatening, came out with a stutter. "Is...that what you came here for?"

The boy's gaze shifted to her, his smile not fading, but growing even deeper. He raised his eyebrows excitedly, and instead of answering her question, the boy asked: "Is this yours?"

"Yes." she said immediately, but it was not entirely the truth.

"Then, no. This isn't what I am looking for." He slipped the memorite into his vest pocket and then crept closer to her. "Actually, Princess, I am looking for you."

He leapt, and Abreigelle didn't even have time to scream before he gagged her and bound her hands and feet.