The Power Of Three Shall Rise ***SAMPLE***

Chapter Three

Audrey's P.O.V.

I knocked on Edith's door before entering and closing the door behind me and locking it. Edith was tying Erma's shoes while Erma was fixing her necklace dad gave her.

Seeing it, it matched her birthmark in the photo too. It was almost a full moon, it seemed to be shrunken in around the left and right side. And Edith's necklace matched her photo as well. A waxing crescent.

Dad gave all of us those on my 13th birthday and told us to always keep a hold of them and our bond would never falter. The necklaces were meant to be a symbol of our connection to each other and meant to always remind us of that.

Maybe that was the moon goddess's clue. Maybe that with the futuristic group picture of us was her way of telling me we had to stay together, that we had to always stay loyal to one another and never let our bond dissipate. It was time to fill them in on my dream-walking and my plan.

"I told you this morning I was dream-walking," I said sitting next to Erma.

"Yeah, what was it about?" Edith asked, passing me a detangling brush to do Erma's hair.

"Well I think mom is planning something bad for us and the moon goddess is trying to warn me about it," I said as I gently worked out the tangles in Erma's hair.

"What do you mean?" Erma asked.

"I don't know everything for sure all I know is she left me a note saying don't trust anyone and there were also these pictures," I explained as I began braiding her hair to the side.

"What was in the pictures?" Edith asked as she sprawled out on her bed.

"Us in all four of them. One was a group photo of us but we were all older I mean Erma had to be at least 13 in that photo. And the other 3 were baby pictures of each of us. In each picture mom was looking at us with fear like we were some kind of monsters. Each of us also had a birthmark matching the necklace dad gave us 3 years ago."

They were both quiet as they soaked in the info I just gave them. Edith was probably trying to figure it all out as much as I was but Erma was probably just happy to know mom might actually be afraid of us for once and not the other way around.

"So what's your plan for today?" Edith asked, breaking the silence.

"Glad you asked sister. We're gonna play along with her little 'happy family' game today. Erma I want you to gather any and all info you can about what she's really up to today. And Edith I want you to do what you do best, sneak around and see if she left any clues in her room about what she's up to and don't get caught," I told her.

"And what about you?" Erma asked me.

"Well it is my birthday so I'm assuming part of her plan will be some fake birthday party and she'll be suspicious if she doesn't see me much so I'll keep tabs on her and dad. Play the 'good obedient' daughter until we figure out what's up. I'll squeeze whatever I can out of those gossiping kitchen maids since mom is never careful what she says around the servants. One of them is bound to know something and as soon as we know what's up we'll figure out what to do."

We all nodded in agreement at the plan. Edith put on her best innocent face and went downstairs with Erma for breakfast. They'd buy me some time while I find some weakling in this castle to tell me the truth.

I went all the way down to the first floor where the servants quarters were. Once I was down there I knew whose room I was going to.

All the way at the end of the hall I could hear her sobbing. Mom must have used her dominance on her again. She loved doing that so much. It made me sick to do it but sometimes it was necessary when servants were too scared of my mother to willingly tell me what I needed to know.

The only good thing about mom doing what she did to Anita already, is it meant she wouldn't want it done again and would tell me what I needed to know more easily.

I went to open her door but it was locked. If mother came down here Anita would have been beaten for locking her door. She forbade servants from ever having that much privacy so by breaking her lock I was doing her a favor. I pushed her door open with no effort. Startled, she jumped and screamed.

"Ugg," I groaned, closing her door. I didn't need her drawing attention so soon. If anyone caught me questioning her we'd both pay.

"Anita tell me what you know and this will be over quickly and painlessly," I stated coldly.

She shrank into her bed, "Please no more pain I can't take anymore," she whimpered.

I felt bad for her but I needed to know what she knew. I let my dominance out just enough to have an effect on her. Even though it wasn't enough to hurt her she started crying again.

"Tell me Anita, what do you know," I growled softly. I didn't want to scare her but she needed to know I was serious and would cause her pain if I needed to.

"All I know is she wanted the chefs to prepare you and your sisters a legitimate special dinner," she cried, not looking me in the eye. She was hiding more.

"Tell me everything Anita," I growled firmly letting more dominance out.

"Okay, okay," she sobbed. I didn't reel in my dominance yet, she needed to spill first.

"Before I knocked on her door I heard Aaron telling your mother he'd spike your meals with something that would make you sick just for her to stop you from eating it and test it on a servant to gain Erma's trust and create a rift between the 3 of you. She has some kind of plan they were already discussing before I got to her room. That's all I heard though I swear," she sobbed.

Finally after I got everything she knew I reeled my power back and left her room not sparing a word to her. Normally I would thank her and apologise but after the moon goddess's warning I wouldn't spare any feelings or kind words to those I can't trust and I just don't know if I can trust the humans in this castle. They're all too afraid of my mother to be loyal to my sisters and I. It was time to join my sisters and our 'dear mother'.