Shattered Silence

There is fire. The scent of burning flesh fills my nose, choking me. Screams ring in my ears, making my head pound and waves of evil magic roll across me in an acid wave, churning my stomach. I reach the entrance to the secret tunnel and run through, just like my mother ordered me to. Ash rides on my shoulder, urging me to keep moving forward, even though I am blinded by smoke and tears. I can't decide which stings more. When I exit the tunnel I look back, and something inside my heart breaks, splintering the fragile organ into a million little pieces. The Greenwood is ablaze. My home is crumbling to ruins. And the bodies of my people are strewn carelessly across the ground like discarded toys. I scream and start to run back, but Ash stops me, tugging gently on my hair and reminding me what my mother told me. But I don't care. They're dead, they're all dead and I am alone in the world.

"Kalix." A voice whispers through the darkness, cutting into the haze of my nightmarish memories. I can't wake up, and thrash in bed, trapped in the past. A cool hand presses against my forehead, and finally the dream fades and my eyes open. I find myself staring up at Lathan. I sit up and scoot away from him, glaring. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to just barge into someone's room?"

"I'm a dream daemon," he says with a shrug. "We often visit dreamers, and yours was particularly strong." He pauses. "That was the day Mathias wiped out the elves, wasn't it?"

I nod, slumping back against my pillows. "Today marks exactly one hundred years since they died."

Lathan studies my face for a moment. "I was ten," he says finally. "My father was away, and the soldiers came to our home. Mathias hadn't known about my mother being a siren, he only sent them there for me. My mother was exceptionally powerful, but they used a Cuff as a sort of tranquilizer. They tortured her, and took turns-" he stops, but the silence speaks for itself. I swallow back bile and shudder. "They made me watch it all," he continues. "And then they were going to cut off my wings. They started to, but my father arrived then. He killed them all and we fled. I understand your nightmares, Kalix."

"I wish you didn't." I'm caught off-guard by this side of Lathan. Normally he's infuriating, although the children and other warriors love him. But I have never seen him so serious and solemn before.

"Did the pull of my nightmare wake you?" I ask, feeling curious.

"Dream daemons rarely sleep," he says. "Goodnight, Kalix. Your dreams will be better now." He vanishes with the sound of rustling feathers. I sleep a little more, and the memories stay away now. I rise in the morning and go in search of Tristan. I find him in the dining hall, talking to Rune. I narrow my eyes. My brother may have no trouble with it, but I cannot bring myself yet to fully trust Rune. Her hatred of us all is rooted deep, and I have noticed her sneaking and skulking through hallways. And I've noticed that several times in the last two weeks she and Tristan have gone missing at the same time. I have a feeling that he's escorting her past the wards. The idea makes me nervous; I know Rune is searching for a means of escape. There is no way she would sit here quietly, surrounded by the beings that she despises so passionately. But she will not use my brother for her own means.

Today I follow her when she slips away into less used areas of the keep. I catch up to her near the underground lake and call her name. She turns, looking startled.

"I need to speak with you," I say. I can tell that she wants to make some excuse to get away from me, but I plunge ahead before she can say anything. "If you're planning on betraying this rebellion, or simply finding a way around the wards to run away, then stay away from my brother. He trusts you, and he cares for you. If you lead him to believe there is something between the two of you when there is not, or if you run back to your king and tell him about this place, you will be hurting Tristan. I can't let you hurt anyone here, but I especially can't let you hurt him. I will not let you hurt him. I lost my brother for a century because of that monster who wears the crown. I will never let Mathias harm him again. Maybe you don't care if the rest of us die or become victims of the Cuff, but if you care about Tristan at all, you will consider your actions carefully. I want to trust you, Rune. I want you to understand. But I cannot forgive you if you break my brother's heart or send him back into Mathias's clutches. So whatever foolishness you're planning, reconsider."

"Well, well. So it is true." I spin around and find myself face to face with a tall, thin man with a bald head and unnerving black eyes. I step back. Zorak, Lord of the Serpent Shifters. The man who can transform into a venomous cobra that's sixty feet long. I take another step back.

"You truly found her. I'm impressed, Jeremiah." I only now notice the daemon standing a ways behind Zorak. "An elf," the Serpent Lord goes on. "And not just any elf. The lost princess of a forgotten people."

Anger shoots through me and I step forward, unflinching now. "A noble and courageous people," I spit. "Don't you dare insult their memory by dismissing them in such a manner, belly crawler."

It's a shame that Tristan isn't here to diffuse my fiery temper with his easy manner and charm, but Zorak simply laughs at my outburst. His chuckle sends gooseflesh up my arms. "There is spirit in this one," he says. "A noble to the core."

"Do not mock me on the anniversary of my family's murder," I snap. "They deserve better than your arrogant disrespect."

"No disrespect, my dear. I only meant that your royal lineage is most evident. It is a shame that you will be unable to ascend the throne you so clearly deserve."

"Zorak, we have business to attend to," Jeremiah interrupts, giving me an apologetic look.

"Of course, Jeremiah," the Serpent Lord replies. He bows to me. "Until we meet again, Your Majesty."

His walk reminds me of a slither as he leaves with Jeremiah and my skin crawls. Rune watches me with an expression I can't quite decipher as we stand in awkward silence for a moment. I don't know what else to say, so I leave. I spend most of the afternoon brooding in my room. Tristan comes to collect me for dinner. I pick at my food, stirring it around my plate instead of eating it. Tristan keeps up a steady stream of cheerful chatter with the others at the table to make up for my silence, and I notice that Rune is sitting at the end of the table and hasn't touched her food either. I briefly wonder that she's thinking but my wonderings are interrupted as Lathan appears beside the table and sets Rune's sword sheaths in front of her. She eyes them and then him. "Why do you have my swords?" she demands.

"We made some modifications."

Looking somewhere between outraged and panicked, Rune pulls her swords free. The blades are now a smoky black and gray-gold color.

"They've been adapted," Lathan explains. "They can now transform into shadow with you, and still remain as sharp."

"Thank you," Rune stammers.

"Thank my father. I said it was a bad idea," Lathan states bluntly. "Mathias poisoned you against us pretty well. Furthermore, the wards designated to keep you inside have been removed. The choice about when you leave and whether you return is yours alone now."

Rune stares at him. "Why?"

"Father claims that he does not wish to become the very monster he's fighting. He will not keep someone prisoner here."

I catch Lathan's eye and he gives me a look that clearly conveys he disagrees with his father. I smile faintly in return. I can understand Jeremiah's reasons. Lathan leaves then, and conversation slowly resumes, although now there are a few whispers about what Rune is going to decide to do. Tristan shushes everyone who mentions it, deftly changing the subject. A child's excited voice cuts through the hushed conversation, and I glance over to see a small shapeshifter child staring eagerly up at Rune.

"You're a shadow daemon?" the little girl asks. "That's so cool! I change shape too. I can turn into a wolf," the girl says proudly. "Well, kind of. I'm still learning. My parents died so they're not here to teach me but the other shifters are helping me. What's it like turning into a shadow? It must be amazing." The girl's eyes are wide and shining and Rune looks bewildered. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

"I'm Hanna, by the way. You're Rune, right? The other shifters talk about you sometimes. Usually they argue about you actually. The hawks and eagles and falcons think you're dangerous but most of the cats and other wolves don't think so." Hanna appraises Rune carefully. "I don't think you're dangerous," she declares, like she's the leading expert on the subject. "It was nice meeting you Rune." Hanna breaks into a radiant smile and then scurries off to join her fellow wolf shifters, leaving Rune looking somewhere between uncomfortable and amused. After dinner Tristan and I wander aimlessly.

"Is your arm feeling better?" I ask him, gently touching his wrist. He nods. "It still pains me from time to time, but the healers are working on it and it hardly bothers me at all anymore."

"Or perhaps you're just distracted by Rune," I tease, shoving his shoulder. He flushes. "Rune is good company," he says defensively. "It's been a long time since I had a friend."

"Friend?" I arch an eyebrow at him.

"Still sticking your nose into your big brother's business, daeda amarae?" He ruffles my hair and I scowl, ducking away from his hand. "I'm not a baby," I retort. He laughs. "You'll always be my baby sister."

"And you'll always be an annoying brother." We smile, falling back into our old argument, and I am glad that despite everything, Mathias was not truly able to take my brother from me. We have wandered close to the entrance of the keep, and the wards shiver. Hayden and Ardor stagger inside. My heart sinks as I realize that Hayden is injured. He's bleeding profusely and his face is white as a sheet and covered in a sheen of sweat.

"What happened?" I cry, racing towards them.

"We were attacked by Knights," Ardor gasps. "He's been stabbed. We lost the other humans that were with us."

Footsteps sound on the rock behind us as Tristan drapes Hayden's arm over his shoulder and helps Ardor carry him.

"Let me through!" Tuulikki shoves to the front of the gathering crowd, clasping Hayden's face in her hands.

"We need to get him to the healers," Tristan says gently. I take Tuulikki's arm and pull her away. She sinks to her knees on the floor, and I fall with her, keeping my arms around her shoulders.

"He's going to be all right," I tell her. "He'll be all right." I realize as I look up at the ashen, worried faces around us that I'm saying the words as much for myself as for them.