Ahh...the mighty Djinn whose powers can even trap souls and prevent their death. Impressive is it not? You thought death was a certainty? For most people that is true. For some however, well there are fates worse than death. Anyway where was I. Oh, yea, Djinn. Now that Senna has such power how could she possibly die in under a year. How could I with my measly powers, take her soul.

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It had taken Kind a week to get through all of the tests on the daggers the Queen had decided to take from the party. He was tired from the research and the extensive testing. She had been correct though. The daggers were enchanted. When Kind held one in each hand and said vanish he would disappear from sight, though he still made sound when he moved. It had only taken two hours for him to figure that out. The rest of the week had been spent insuring the daggers didn't had side effects. The Queen had good instincts it would seem. The halls seemed longer today, perhaps it was just his exhaustion. Making his way to the Queens chamber he seemed to see a figure at the end of the hall. It looked like a man dressed in black. But there was something wrong with it, it looked stretched, like a piece of taffy pulled too far. His chest started to feel heavy as if a great weight had been placed there. Stars began to appear in his vision. Kind tried to call out for help, there was no sound just a faint wheeze. Falling to the floor Kind fainted, daggers falling from his pocket.

Walking by him the figure in black touched his head and spoke. "Your journey has ended good friend. May you travel swiftly through your door." With that the figure vanished completely leaving nothing but a corpse lying in the hall.

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Senna looked at the bottle sitting on her dresser wondering how to phrase her first wish. Kind had given her some books to read to aid her in making the wishes without ending up dead, or worse. Most of the books seem to agree that the first two wishes would most likely be granted generously by the Djinn as the third wish meant freedom. However there had been cases where the Djinn had been passed from master to master without ever giving a third wish. In these cases the Djinn had stared twisting every wish it could. And so here she was. Thinking long and hard how to make a wish with few or no negative consequences.

*Knock* Startled by the sudden sound on her door Senna jumped and let out a yelp. "Your Majesty." A male voice came from the other side of the door. "Yes." She replied with a more collected voice. "Your Majesty, your presence is requested in the hall. I was sent to escort you." The man said sounding stiff, as if he was nervous about something. Senna took a final look at the bottle then said. "I will be out shortly." Rising she grabbed a robe designed for when she was summoned with little notice. It was purple and wrapped around her entire body with sleeves and a few buttons allowing her to appear dressed regardless of when they needed her.

As she made her way to towards the door a feeling of dread began to rise in her. She had never needed the robe before, in fact she had never been summoned before. Putting a hand to the door she froze. The handle was cold, far colder than it should have been in the current weather. No...no it couldn't be. The assassins had stopped chasing her, why would they come now. "Your Majesty? Do you need me to send in one of the handmaidens?" The guard said in a respectful yet questioning tone. Moving towards the wardrobe Senna spoke. "There will be no need for a handmaiden I will be out shortly." Opening the doors on the large wooden chest she quickly grabbed her leather traveling clothes. Removing the robe she hurriedly threw on the leathers and grabbed her daggers.

Only a few minutes had passed since she had felt the handle on the door. But to her it seemed to have been hours. She grabbed a few other useful items from around the room before stopping at the bottle. Should she take it? Could she use it without dooming herself? She took it despite the risk. She would decide later whether to use it or not. Making her way to the door she touched the handle again. Nothing, it wasn't cold. The feeling of dread eased a little at the notion she may have been mistaken. Opening the door she began speaking. "Now tell me why you have interrupted my sleep so that I may prepare. Also send for Kind as I wish to have his advice in whatever this matter may be."

The guard outside the door moved to attention and replied. "Yes your Majesty. Kind is dead. He was found lying in the hall this morning at the changing of the shift. The body has not been moved and we have called for a priest to inspect the body and read the rites." At that the guard turned and began making his way down the hall. Senna followed behind him feeling empty, almost hollow. How could he have died so soon. Would she never be able to have friends, family? Her hand went to the bottle in her pocket. Could it bring him back? If it was even what he had thought. She kept following the guard. Left, right, right, another left.

They were heading towards the laboratory. Kind had been working there since she had given him the daggers. As they turned the final corner she saw his body. There was no blood, he was just lying there on his chest looking as if he had just fallen asleep. Next to him she saw the daggers where they had fallen from his pockets. Around his corpse was a small group of guards and servants. Whispers could be heard from the servants while the guards tried to keep the area clear. As Senna approached the body silence fell and all the people turned to her for guidance. With a commanding voice she said. "There is no need for the servants to be here please leave this area and continue your duties. This hall is off limits until Kind has been given his rites and moved to the catacombs." Upon hearing this the guards began to usher the servants away, posting themselves at either end of the hall.

The captain in command of the night watch came up to her. With a strict tone he spoke. "Your Majesty, My name is Porten I am in charge of the night watch. I have insured that nothing was moved or taken since the discovery of the body." His armor was painted blue on the shoulders marking his rank and duty. Senna spoke barely managing to keep from letting fear claim her again. "Thank you Porten for arriving quickly and keeping the area exact. Who found the body?" Porten called out to a nearby guard to approach. "This is Robert he found the body on his final round of the castle before the guard change." The man named Robert saluted Senna and stood at attention. "Tell me how you found the hall." Senna said beginning to feel more in control. The guard began to speak.

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The Author here, firstly thank you for reading. And secondly sorry this chapter cuts off like that however I haven't fully decided where to take it from there. Thank you for being patient. Also concerning the poll I am deciding whether I should go for something a slight bit different and would like to see if that appeals to you, my readers. Any suggestions are welcome.

Sincerely , The Author