..::The Spark::..

[Dominique Ampria]

This was not a good thing at all.

Dominique Ampria hated the position she was in. Perching on the edge of her seat, she squeezed shut her eyes against the shooting pains in her forehead and inhaled audibly, clenching her fingers over the rounded arms of her chair. Knuckles white, a pulse jumped visibly on her neck, throbbing with the thickest blood imaginable. Dominique could feel it oozing sluggishly through her veins, straining and pulling in an attempt to maneuver through the tight roadways. Being slightly darker-skinned, the strain was difficult to actually see, but the purple smudges that decorated her eyes like shadows displayed just how weary the Queen of the Witches actually was.

"Dommy, you need to be brave."

Opening eyes of the earthiest brown, Dominique half-heartedly followed the swooping flight of her daemon Mankustrap with her gaze, the robin much more solemn than usual. He always had something cheerful or suggestive to tease her with, but in this moment, neither of them had energy for that, and Mank sensed his counterpart's distress nearly as much as his own. War was closing in around the necks of the Enara clan like a slithering noose, and there was no escape. What frustrated the Queen was the fact that she would personally have to be the executioner.

"I'm not afraid, Mankustrap. I'm just tired."

The verbal admittance took the last bit of energy out of her, and at last she seemed to collapse, her head hanging on her neck as though it weighed too much. Drawing her legs up to her chest, she curled into the body of her seat and pouted softly, mulberry lips forming a frown that creased her brow and darkened her already dusky eyes. All of a sudden, she was a little girl again, wearing the clothes and the responsibilities of somebody far older and more capable than she. Though lines had prematurely scratched into her face, she had never looked more lost and small before, and Mankustrap fluttered down onto her shoulder, nuzzling against her cheek with concern.

"It'll be alright! Tantomile will help you get through this, just like always."

At his words, a transformation took over the queen so suddenly that he whistled and jumped into the air, frightened by her abrupt movement. Sitting ramrod strait, her emotion was still warm on her face, causing a faint flush to color her cheeks. Her eyes, though, were hardening like the coldest of glaciers, and she glared in irritation, quickly trying to deny her distress.

"I don't need Tantomile to fix my problems for me! I'm a Queen, and this is my burden. Not hers. I'm hardly a child, Mankustrap, and I don't need or desire to be mothered!"

Flying far up and settling on a shelf made out of pine wood, he balanced carefully on it and tittered away, a flame from one of the many candles illuminating the cave, lighting up his dainty features. Beady black eyes swiveled in irritation, and he clicked his beak to show his temper.

"I didn't say that you needed to be mothered! I just think that we might like a friend, that's all."

Dominique sniffed, and perched on the edge of her seat, just like before. Regretting her moment of weakness but grateful that only Mankustrap had been witness to it, she rolled back her shoulders and put on her mask. Staring strait ahead, one who had no idea what battles she fought behind her steely gaze might actually believe that she was impenetrable. This facade was one that she was expert at portraying, and Dominique settled into her role immediately. Nobody would see her crack or falter. She was a Queen.

But oh, this was not a good thing at all.

[Tantomile Rush]

"Fix your dress, Mila."

Tantomile shrugged and examined herself in the small hand mirror that hung around her neck, looking directly at one critical blue eye. The pupil was dilated, but the color was smooth and soothing, like a pool of unruffled water. Something inside of this eye whispered a tenderness that normally never saw the light of day, yet as pale lashes fluttered over this speck of kindness, they brushed it away like dust in the wind.

"What's wrong with my dress?"

Though she answered Coricopat, it was obvious that she was still absorbed with the image in her little mirror, and the wolf growled low in slight irritation.

"I didn't realize that you were so superficial, Tantomile."

Twitching, the calm interest on her face turned volatile in an instant, and she snapped the brass instrument closed, holding the circular, palm-sized mirror against her heart as though it were precious to her.

"You know very well that I am nothing of the sort, Coricopat."

Tantomile's voice lashed through the air like a whip, and it cracked so matter-of-factly that Coricopat's ears flattened against her head. The gigantic black wolf could see that her Mila was in a mood, and though Coricopat often took special aims to control their connected consciences, she could feel the pain and anger pulsating from her other half. What most people did not understand about Coricopat's Tantomile was that the woman was extremely vulnerable to emotional attack, and that she hid her weaknesses by furiously attacking her "opponents". Always keen to fight, Tantomile's quick temper was really just a cover for what she really felt: sadness.

"Don't forget, my Mila. I know you. Why do you think about Alex tonight? Queen Ampria has requested your audience, yet you remain unfocused and bitter."

Wrinkling her nose, Tantomile held her silence fiercely, like a dog with its teeth sunk into a rotted piece of meat. There was really no gain in holding her ground on this point, but her pride hurt, as well as her heart. The mirror was warm in her hand, and her thumb ran back and forth over it lovingly. Sighing, she turned her back to the ebony daemon and breathed,

"I'm sorry, Coricopat. I don't mean to. And I'm done with her now, anyways. Alex is just...just a memory that I'm having a hard time getting rid of."

Loping forward, Coricopat butted her head against the back of Tantomile's leg, rumbling in her deep voice,

"Don't get rid of her, Tantomile. We love her. But right now, you need to put Alexandra's mirror away. I know why you look into it so often: You think that maybe, if you look long enough, you'll see her face instead of yours. Isn't that right?"

Something on Tantomile's countenance changed; she looked confused, and her eyes were watery. Almost as though she were about to be sick, her peachy complexion paled, and she looked like she had swallowed an ice cube.

"Don't be ridiculous, Coricopat. You can't bring back the dead by staring into a looking glass."

Dark, luminous eyes focused steadily up at Tantomile as she said these words, and Coricopat knew that the Witch was lying through her teeth. However, she said nothing more on the subject. Instead, she gripped the edge of Tantomile's midnight blue dress in her mouth and gently straitened it out, grooming her partner calmly the way an aunt or an older sister might do. While Coricopat worked, the little mirror found its way inside the front of Tantomile's dress, and the metal chain that held it was unremarkable against her pale skin.

"Thank you, Cori."

Nodding thoughtfully, the black wolf took a step back and observed her Witch. Tantomile looked haunted, no matter how much she tried to hide her instabilities. But, then again, the blonde Witch always carried an appearance of dark absoluteness, and this was no different.

"You're ready."

So they began making their way towards Queen Ampria's private abode, weaving through the trees towards the large cave where Dominique made her home. It was a fast walk, especially with Tantomile's brisk way of stepping, and all too soon they both stood at the mouth of the shelter, dirty yellow light wavering over them like night-ghasts.

"Queen Ampria?"

[Dominique Ampria]

At the sound of Tantomile's distinctive voice, Dominique looked up from her lap and saw the tall, willowy blond, standing framed in flickering light near the mouth of the cave. Behind her was a black shadow, too big to be allowed yet at the same time, more welcome than anything else. Coricopat's yellow eyes shone like orbs of buttery moon, and Mankustrap let out a squeak of joy.

"Look, there she is now!"

As he spoke, little Mank zoomed over to the wolf, who had liesurely strode into the brighter, firmer circle of lumination surrounding Dominique. Coricopat smiled, a strange sight to see because her teeth were so very dangerous-looking, and the confident robin alighted upon her smooth-furred shoulder at once. Dommy felt the strong springs of affection splurging forth from her daemon into her own heart, and it was strange, because as she looked away and locked eyes with the sedate Tantomile, she felt a cool uncertainty, not companionship.

"Tantomile, thank you for coming. Please, have a seat."

Gesturing towards a chair against the wall of the stone shelter, Dominique's brown gaze never left the other Witch, observing her carefully for any sign of emotion. Tantomile was an expert, and showed none. However, Dominique was desperate to find any sort of break in her second in command's decour, and she focused unceasingly, ignoring the fact that Mankustrap had practically sunk his little claws into the back of Coricopat, clinging on to the unflinching wolf for dear life.

[Tantomile Rush]

Nodding, Tantomile crossed the room and grabbed a wooden chair, one of the many lined up against Dominique's cave wall. It was almost as though the Queen had frequent visitors, and therefore needed numerous seats to accomodate them all. Tantomile knew better, however; Dominique invited only a select few to her home, and nobody else was allowed inside the large chamber.

"Have you recieved new information?"

Setting the chair down, she took her place in it stiffly, uncomfortable with the rigid back but saying nothing. Behind her, Coricopat whispered something softly in her lustrious voice, and Mankustrap chuckled.

[Dominique Ampria]

"Not exactly."

Dominique shifted, and her eyes flickered over to the quietly chatting pair of daemons, both of which looked enormously pleased with themselves. Unlike Tantomile, Coricopat was slightly more open with her emotions, opting to smile and laugh frequently as opposed to the dark solemnity of her counterpart. Still, a smile was rare, and it intrigued Dominique to no end, especially because she felt that she and Mankustrap's relationship was quite different. The little robin was her brother of sorts, cheerful to a point of being an annoyance and impossible to override. He was everything good and fun and exciting, impulsively loud. Coricopat, on the other hand, was oftentimes just as mysterious and unreachable as her partner. Between the two of them, a darkness hung that was undeniable, serving to be both beautiful and strange.

"I've made my decision."

[Tantomile Rush]

"Not exactly."

A glow from the candles shimmered across the light pools of Tantomile's gaze, and the clear blue glowed magnetically in Dominique's direction. Though the toffee-skinned Queen undoubtedly meant to disguise her unease, Tantomile could sense it just as easily as a wolf could sense its prey. Dark brown eyes skittered between Tantomile and their daemons, yet the blonde resisted the desire to switch her attention to the "happy couple".

Part of her knew why Coricopat was so overjoyed to see Mank...the wolf hardly ever had a friend to talk to, mostly because Tantomile avoided others at all costs. Plus, Mankustrap really was quite an engaging fellow, and he always displayed immediate excitement whenever Cori walked into his sight. The two were great friends, if Tantomile was being honest with herself. And she wondered why a stone-cold block was still standing so resolutely between her and Dominique.

"I've made my decision."

Brown eyes were back on hers, and Tantomile leaned her head to the right, face almost impassive. Calmly controlling her expressions as best she could, Tantomile realized that this might be one of the most important moments in her life. Something in her bones knew it. So she made sure that she breathed as regularly as possible, unaware of Coricopat's sudden stiffness, or the way the black wolf became consumed with Domnique. Both daemon and Witch stared intensely at the Queen, and yellow moons became identical to blue lakes.

[Dominique Ampria]

At first, Dominique had hoped that Tantomile might prompt her further, perhaps question her and dig deeper into her words. But the Queen should have known better: the Witch across from her was reknown for her mysterious silences, and Tantomile gave her nothing but complete and undivided attention. No words escaped from her pink lips, and both Coricopat and Tantomile were so entirely interested in her that Dominique felt discomfort.

"Are you familiar with the prophecy?"

Though Dominique felt uneasy under the sharp edge of her clan sister's gaze, she took care to conceal her own feelings. Voice deep and soothing, Dominique Ampria looked and acted the part of a fearless Queen well.

[Tantomile Rush]

"Of course I am."

Tantomile resisted the urge to add, who isn't? and instead settled for polite silence following her initial statement. From behind her, Coricopat ignored Mankustrap's attempts to tug at her ear, sitting upright quietly and refusing to remove her unblinking gaze from Dominique. This beating around the bush irritated the icy Tantomile, but she knew that the topic was difficult for her Queen to discuss. The prophecy, as it happened, was a complete catastrophe, as far as peering into the future went.

It spoke directly and obviously, unlike so many other prophecies that chose to be translated, and it was very clear about its subject: Aurora Polaris had a daemon, and his name was Sirion. The Witches had quickly learnt that she resided in Oxford, not unlike various other children her age...but there was one major difference: Sirion was the key component to life as they knew it. And both he and his counterpart were about to be thrust into a journey that would trump all others of the past, fought over by every major power that their world had to offer. There would be death. And sacrifice. And war.

And this was the moment where the Witches chose a side. Tantomile just hoped that it would be the right one.

[Dominique Ampria]

Tantomile's voice, permanently rendered soft and sweet in tamber, was nevertheless harsh at this point, and Dominique remembered how straight-forward this Witch could be. Squaring her shoulders, she rose to the unspoken challenge fiercely.

"Then you know that there is only one option for me to take, don't you?"

Gravity fell on Dominique's words so heavily that she almost sounded murderous, and for the first time since this conversation had started, Coricopat's ears twitched, Mankustrap falling motionless at once. Knowing that Tantomile would respond to her words with more silence, Dominique plowed forwards without waiting for the blonde's input.

"Our entire means of existence will be rendered apart if the child Aurora Polaris and her daemon Sirion do not complete their mission. The prophecy spoke of all-out war, and no matter what we do, eventually we will have to stand on either side of it. To save time, I'm making that choice now. Undoubtedly, there will be those vultures and devils who'll try to stand in the pair's way. It is only logical to presume that they will face hardships and nightmares only time and fate have dreamed of, and without our assistance, they will surely fail. At all costs, we must protect Aurora and Sirion. And that is my decision."

[Tantomile Rush]

Inside of her, something burned and bubbled, struck by the spark of Dominique's passionate speech. Suddenly cold blue eyes melted, and flames made them roar with uncontrolled intensity and power.

"...they will face hardships and nightmares only time and fate have dreamed of..."

Tantomile thought of the Magesterium, and of Alexandra. She thought of the horrors of mankind, the feverish need that all men posessed to hunt and destroy. The Magesterium wanted to capture time, dominate free will, and own all that was beautiful and young. All males were such, with very little exception. And Tantomile knew that it would be men whom she would have to tangle with. Men with crowns of self-created power and wants. And she was so ready to fight them that her excitement showed on her pale features: Pink patches brightened her cheeks, light eyebrows rose, and blue eyes shone emphatically.

"At all costs, we must protect Aurora and Sirion. And that is my decision."

Meeting Dominique's brown eyes, Tantomile found unrelenting determination, similar to her own. And for the first time in ages, the Ice Witch Tantomile Rush smiled.

There would be war.

"We need to call a council, Dominique."

The use of the Queen's first name was not accidental, and Tantomile made sure to pronounce it kindly. She felt closer to the darker-skinned witch then she had in a long time, and she was perfectly aware this time of Coricopat's own pleasure at the friendly title. Mankustrap twittered loudly, and Cori barked playfully, startling even her counterpart, who was not used to such loud outbursts from the normally solemn creature.

[Dominique Ampria]

Jumping at the sound of Coricopat's mighty bark, Dominique returned Tantomile's surprising smile with a half-grin of her own, standing up to meet an excited Mankustrap, who zoomed towards her with shimmering black eyes.

"Tomorrow evening, we will. And it will be decided then whether or not we employ the aid of the Gyptian King, Ezekiel. I believe that an alliance with his people will prove crucial if we wish to triumph in this battle."

[Tantomile Rush]

At the mention of Ezekiel Faa, some of Tantomile's adrenaline rush lost its momentum. She had heard of the man before, rumors of his lioness daemon reaching even her removed ears. It was said that he was a righteous king, strong, brave, loyal, and worthy of his title. In her eyes, however, he was nothing more than an impulsive man with power. He'd shed blood before, and the red tint of the deed tainted his reputation.

"Are you really sure that's necessary? The Gyptians will probably decline the offer to fight with us, and even if they don't...they might prove to be cumbersome in the long-term."

[Dominique Ampria]

"With their command of the waters and trade, how could they possibly be more of a problem then an asset?"

As Dominique spoke, she stroked Mank on the top of his head with a gentle finger, looking away from Tantomile's suddenly petulant appearance. The blonde Witch knew reason when she heard it, and Dominique's suggestion made perfect sense, even to her prejudiced ears.

[Tantomile Rush]

Desperate to find something flawed with Dominique's reasoning, Tantomile's rebuttals became petty.

"Well...their customs are very different than ours. They require certain considerations that may eventually wear upon us. They're a very aggressive group of humans, Queen Ampria. They are much too focused on shedding blood, a trait which is evident even in their supposedly civilized King. Have you not heard of the deaths that he is responsible for?"

[Dominique Ampria]

"What deaths are those, Tantomile?"

Raising an eyebrow, the calculating look that Dominique shot at her blonde-haired subject made the situation perfectly clear: the tables had turned, and while before Tantomile had been the one in control, now Dominique held the reigns. The brunette was obviously enjoying herself, however...barely able to keep her half-smirk from making a second cameo appearance, Dominique watched as Coricopat began to pace behind Tantomile, tail so low that it was nearly between her legs.