38 Umbra

"What was all of that commotion down there?" Draco heard from a smooth, accented voice.

Hearing the sound of Amira's familiar voice, Draco felt a strange pang in his chest. He didn't know why he missed this sound so much after such a short time.

"That was Draco." Sada's nonchalant voice replied.

"Draco's here?!" Amira questioned, wondering how Draco had even reached the inside of the chamber.

However, Sada ignored Amira's question, "That aside, Princess. Where in the world is your burqa? What you are wearing is scandalous!" she chided.

As Sada was seemingly berating Amira, Draco had finally reached the top of the pillar.

He tried to pull himself over the edge, but almost slipped and lost his footing when he felt an abrupt pressure land on his shoulders.

It felt as if an entire refrigerator was suddenly resting on Draco's back, and the pressure threatened to send him tumbling back down the spire.

'What's with this sudden pressure?!' Draco thought to himself as he struggled to pull himself up.

Eventually, he managed to pull half of his body up, but once his eyes landed upon Amira's figure he almost slipped yet again.

Amira was standing at the center of the pillar, and her long, silky black hair flowed behind her as the rejuvenating sea breeze passed her.

Her delicate caramel features contrasted beautifully with the blue sky behind her.

Amira was certainly as gorgeous as always, but the real cause for Draco's struggle lay in what she was wearing.

She had a tight fitting sports bra on, and it accentuated her breasts in dangerous ways. Below her waist was an even tighter pair of gym shorts that showed off her curves.

This wasn't even mentioning the fact that her outfit was damp and revealing a little too much.

Looking at this heavenly sight, Draco didn't understand at all why Sada was getting so worked up.

"Why are you so upset, Sada?" he said, slowly pulling himself over the ledge.

Sitting at the edge of the stone pillar, Draco flashed the two a tired smile, "Frankly, I think Amira's outfit is stunning."

Sada angrily snapped her head back at Draco, while a small laugh escaped Amira's lips.

Amira covered her mouth with a hand and said, "At least someone appreciates me around here."

Sada shook her head and muttered under her breath, "Scandalous."

After Sada said this Amira looked at her with a strange expression on her face, "I heard that." she said.

Draco found all of this amusing, but he had more important things on his mind, "The f*ck is wrong with the air up here?" he couldn't help but ask.

Amira looked over at Draco's figure, and she found herself sucking in a deep breath.

Draco was dripping sweat from his intensive climb, and his muscles were bulging and rippling with strength as they resisted the intense pressure of the area.

When Amira looked below Draco's waist she had to fight a blush from appearing on her cheeks.

She showed him a small smile, which Draco felt might've been slightly mischievous, and responded.

"The gravity on the surface of the spires is greatly increased." she said, motioning around her.

She chuckled, "If you think it's bad here, just try climbing one of the taller ones."

Draco shook his head and smiled ruefully, 'The gravity here is back breaking enough, I don't even want to think about what those huge ones in the distance are like.' he thought, looking at the sprawling pillars deeper into the sea.

Draco seemed to remember something important, "Wait, what's up with those disgusting sh*t snakes swimming around down there?!" he asked.

Amira's eyes widened when she heard this, "Ah, yes! Those were the Umbras."

"Don't say it so nonchalantly!" Draco exclaimed, "Why isn't there a warning sign? Those things were f*cking terrifying, I almost got eaten alive like more than once." he said, thinking back to his brief time inside of a horror movie.

Amira nodded her head, "They're certainly scary, but they're generally placid unless otherwise disturbed."

Draco shivered when he thought back to the serpentine creatures. Their long, lanky arms, and coats of human faces would surely stick within Draco's dreams for a long time to come.

"What exactly are they?" he asked, not actually sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Amira sighed, and looked out into the now cloudy-purple waters below them.

"The Umbra were at one point the immortal pets of our royal family, many thousands of years ago. Their spindly legs were once big enough to crawl across the earth and enact the missions of their masters. But, before that, there is an even more cautionary tale." she said, taking a pause before continuing.

"It is said that the Umbra were created from the enemies of our Dynasty, and that many cities and nations were destroyed in the process. This is why the Umbra were said to have been so fearsome. They possessed intelligence rivaling that of a human, but also the strength of an empowered beast."

As Amira said this, she thought back to her days within the palace's library studying with her instructors.

She spent most of her days absorbing information there, and she learned many things about her family, things that made her both proud and shameful.

"Those 'Umbra' didn't seem too intelligent to me. They were too busy tearing each other apart for me to tell, though." Draco remarked, interrupting her reminiscence.

Amira shook her head, "That's because they were cursed. Their intelligence was actually a double-edged sword, and they eventually tired of their miserable existence."

She looked at Draco, "The Umbra rebelled against our family, and as a result our founding patriarch was forced to banish them into this chamber. He stunted their brains, so now they swim around aimlessly until they are triggered by external stimuli."

Draco turned to look down at the waters, "Miserable lives indeed." he said, noticing that the waters were only just now calming down.

After Draco said this, Sada spoke up from the side, "Looks like the history lesson is over. So Princess, care to explain why the palace is under a state of khatar?"

Hearing this, Amira scratched her head awkwardly, "Oh that? Yes, apparently Father has disappeared somewhere. I suppose none of my brothers know where he is, hence the commotion."

Sada looked at Amira in shock, "Disappeared? Where could his Majesty have gone?" she asked.

Amira sighed and shook her head, "I know not, but that is not why I called you here."

She continued, "Recently my sixth brother gave me some chilling news. Apparently, one of my elder brothers is intending on kidnapping me."

Hearing this, Draco stood up from his position, the pressure from the spire seemingly forgotten.

Sada looked at Amira, her eyes grim through the slit in her robes.

"Who?'' she asked.

"I don't know." was all Amira said in response.

Draco then began to walk towards Amira with steady footsteps, his body adjusting to the gravity here as he went.

"Well, we do know that you're not safe. Is that why you're here?" Draco inquired.

Amira nodded, "Indeed." she flashed the two a small smile, "You two happen to be some of the only servants that I can trust."

Sada shuffled around in her robes, evidently shy, "You know that you mean everything to me, Princess." she said lightly.

Amira laughed and continued, "I know, this is why you are here. I need training partners that are not under the thumb of my brothers."

She gestured towards the stone pillars in the distance, "All of these spires, this entire chamber, they're all actually part of an elaborate artifact."

Draco looked off into the distance, struggling to understand the scope of what Amira was saying.

Sada looked up at Amira with interest, this was evidently news to her as well.

"According to palace records this place is called the Gravis chamber. The chamber was created for the founding patriarch's first wife, for she was described as a fierce warrior. Father gifted this residence to me, and when I discovered this room I figured that he intended for me to train in it."

Amira said all this while her captivating brown eyes looked off into the distance, and Draco had to wonder why her eyes carried such a passionate glint.

Draco began to walk around the spire, stretching out his limbs as he got used to the weight of the area.

"Well, if you're here training, so am I." Draco said reassuringly. He was actually looking forward to taking advantage of this 'Gravis' chamber.

His fight with that annoying 'Young Master' back in London made him realize how frighteningly weak he still was. Even on the way to Amira's residence Draco was constantly surrounded by beings that could swat him like fly.

Hell, just on the way to this pillar Draco was almost turned into a side dish!

Draco didn't want to always be just some servant, but he knew that if he wanted to elevate his status in the world he needed more power.

Hearing him, Amira nodded her head, grateful, "While we use the devices of the spires to train our bodies, they will also be keeping us safe from intruders. As the master of this domain, no being except for Father will be able to reach us unless I allow them to."

Sada let out a breath under her robes, "His Majesty really does dote on you, Princess." she remarked, glad to have chosen the right lot.

As Sada said this, Amira walked towards the center of the stone pillar and began to tap on the floor with her foot.

She repeatedly tapped her foot in a pattern too fast for Draco to catch, but he was shocked to see what happened afterwards.

Amira stepped back, and from where she was tapping the surface of the gray stone began to move.

Soon, a square slab of stone began to extend from the floor. The slab extended seamlessly, and once it was fully raised it stood almost four feet (1.2 meters) tall.

Atop this strange slab were two, circular holes.

While Draco was wondering what these holes could possibly be for, Amira suddenly reached out and put both of her hands through them!