Shattered Silence

My dreams are often filled with fire and blood. It's been nearly a hundred years to the day since King Mathias sent his demon pets to massacre the forest elves of Sevainelle. Mathias had destroyed many of his perceived enemies this way, reducing entire cities to ash and ruin. I had been thirteen years old, young even by human standards. I was an infant to an elf's mind. The memories come in an unrelenting wave today, so close to the anniversary of the destruction. The clouds overhead are dark to match my thoughts.

Kalix, you mustn't dwell. You're going to create a thunder storm again.

Ashira's voice pierces through my brooding as she lands daintily before me. "You shouldn't be flying around in your normal size," I retort. "Someone will eagerly shoot down a dragon if they see one. The prize for a hide is high."

Let them try. No arrow is a match for me. Ashira snorts delicately. Dragons are not known for being humble creatures. Ashira is my familiar; my magical companion. Her head reaches just above my waist, her body roughly four feet long from nose to the tip of her tail. As far as dragons go, Ashira is incredibly small. She has the ability to shrink herself even smaller, appearing no larger than an insect. But Ashira is a special dragon. She is an anáil airgid; a silver breath. She breathes bolts of lightning instead of flames. I wave the storm clouds away with a flick of my wrist, causing almost translucent crystalline streaks to form in my silvery hair. All elves possess magic to some degree, but some are born with special powers. I have control over the elements. Ashira has spent the last hundred years helping me hone my abilities.

The tiny dragon stares up at me with her unblinking quicksilver gaze. You should put your glamour back on. We're not far from a small mountain town.

"And here you are flying around out in the open," I say, but I do as she says and don the enchanted brooch that hides my elfin appearance. My starlight hair turns a sun-kissed brown. My ears lose their delicate point. And my eyes, normally half blue and half silver, turn a simple hazel color. I purchased the glamour from a wood witch after I fled my home and wandered aimlessly in the mountains, as far from humans as I could get. It was law in Sevainelle that any magical being or person possessing magic of any kind was sentenced to death. Such was the legacy Mathias had built. Ashira and I survived just fine in the wilds, but it would be nice to have a hot bath and a proper bed.

"You'd better shrink, Ash," I warn. She huffs, but her violet-black scales ripple, her delicate wings fold in, and soon a miniature version of Ashira is hovering in front of my nose.

"Come on, dragonfly," I tease. She perches on my shoulder and we set off for the mountain town.



The tavern is full of thugs, mercenaries for hire, and exiled, fringe-dwelling types. I pay the innkeeper for his finest available room and hustle up the stairs. Small mountain town, indeed. We're just beyond the pass that leads into the bigger cities. The capital city itself is not far from here. I keep my brooch close, and lock my bedroom and bathroom doors, shoving the armoire in front of the door as well. Just in case. I spend a long time under the stream of hot water, lathering and scrubbing until my pale skin is pink. When i finally feel clean, I step out of the bathroom and fall onto the bed, still wrapped in a towel.

Put some clothes on, Ashira says from her place on the pillow next to me.

"When did you turn into such a prude?" I don't move, my arm thrown over my eyes.

I am not a prude, Ash replies, in a very prudish tone. But I don't like the feel of this place and you should be prepared to leave at a moment's notice.

I sigh and force myself up from the comfort of the bed. I rummage through my belongings and don a long tunic that doubles as a night dress. It's not even dark yet, but I crawl beneath my covers.

We should leave first thing in the morning, Ash says as I close my eyes.

"Sure thing, dragonfly. But tonight I'm enjoying comfort." I'm asleep before Ash even finishes rolling her eyes.

I plan to disappear back into the woods, maneuvering my way around any other towns or villages, but a conversation at the bar stops me dead in my tracks before I reach the door.

"I heard there's to be a Raid on Marish Town," a burly man says. "Mathias is sending in soldiers and a few hired assassins to do a sweep. There's a rumor going around that there are traitors harboring monsters. Mathias wants a mass execution."

Monsters. It's one of many derogatory names people throw out to describe inhuman beings. I feel sick. Marish Town is not that far from here. I'll have to pass through several other towns to get there, which makes me nervous. But as an elf, I can sense other magic users nearby. Maybe I could find the alleged "monsters" and warn them, before Mathias' men get to them. It's a huge risk to take. If Mathias knew there was still a living elf, and one with elemental magic no less... I shudder. He would send out an entire legion of daemons to rip me to shreds. I stand in the middle of the room, frozen, while people jostle past me, cursing. Ashira pokes me in the cheek with her tail from where she perches on my shoulder, and finally I make my feet move. I stand outside the tavern for a time, looking first at the rugged mountain forest to my right, and the pass leading towards the cities on my left.

This is a very dangerous idea.

"I know," I whisper. "But it's so rare that I come across any other magic users. And dozens of them could die."

It could all be nothing more than a rumor, and the only magic user they find is you. But I can feel Ash trembling excitedly on my shoulder. She thirsts for justice as much as I do. I cast a final glance towards the woods, then turn in the opposite direction and head for the path down the mountain.