Shattered Silence

I feel a reckless sort of smugness at being under the king's nose. I watched the soldiers as they left Marish Town, noting their many casualties, and tracked them. They arrived last night in Basteret, a city roughly five hours south of the capital. When I heard King Mathias himself was in town to get the report on the raid, my hand itched for my bow. I could do it. I could kill him. An innocent, pretty young girl. I could easily get close enough, probably even get him alone and then send an arrow through his heart, letting him watch his own body disintegrate when the poison took hold. I wasn't worried about his soldiers; I could outwit and outrun them easily. What worried me were the Nosfilim he controlled. Soul Eaters. The worst kind of demon. Among the Others we know them as Hellspawn, choosing to avoid giving voice to their true name as often as possible. Ordinaries know them as Vetersanguin, or Old Bloods. Mathias cowers behind these beasts, using them to keep his power, all the while condemning the Others to exile and death.

I sit outside the tavern where I boarded for the night, casually sharpening my dagger on a strip of leather while these dark thoughts swirl through my mind. But my brooding in interrupted as a cloaked figure hurries past me. The frame is slight beneath the cloak, implying that the figure is a girl. I catch that tickle of shadow magic again; the same magic I felt from the soldier girl in Marish Town. Intrigued, I rise and follow her at a discreet distance. The girl moves swiftly, careful to keep her hood up. She reaches the more rundown area of town, and another figure emerges from a side alley, grabbing her arm. The girl yelps, but the old woman shushes her.

"In a bit of trouble, are we dearie?" The old woman grins, showing off more gum than teeth. I huff. Babs. A witch, though not a particularly talented one. She's good at sensing people's emotions and exploiting them. She tugs the stammering girl into the alleyway. I slip like a ghost across the street, my elfin ears picking up the conversation. Babs yanks the girl's hood off, revealing the solider girl. I arch an eyebrow. Small horns protrude from the girl's head. She scrambled to pull her hood back up.

"You'll want to keep those little beauties hidden, yes?" Babs asks.

"Yes," the soldier whispers. "I'm supposed to be meeting with the other soldiers, and the king himself, within the hour. They can't see me like this."

"Well I have just the thing. But it'll cost you, my pet."

"I only have a little money, but I can give you what I have," the soldier replies. Babs reaches into the folds of her cloak and produces a purple flower. "This will solve all your problems, dearie." She pulls the plant back as the soldier reaches for it. "Ah, ah. Payment first. You understand."

I've had enough. I draw an arrow and step into the entrance of the alley. "Now, now Babs," I say casually. "You wouldn't be trying to con this nice young lady with a fake spell, would you?"

Babs recognizes me and her withered face pales. "Ah, no! No, of course not. Keep your money, dearie." Shooting me an evil glower, Babs scoots past me as fast as her old legs can carry her and disappears. Disgusted, I lower my bow.

"You!" the soldier exclaims. "How did you know the plant wasn't real?"

"I've had run-ins with that old charlatan before." I tilt my head. "But the real question is, why is one of the king's soldiers recruiting assistance from a witch to begin with?" I slowly raise my bow again, watching her. "Is this some kind of trick you're using to capture unsuspecting Others?"

"No," she says firmly. "I-I need help. I woke up today and these...things were sticking out of my head. I don't know what to do."

She's telling the truth, Ash tells me. I return my arrow to my quiver and appraise the girl. "All right," I say finally. "If you really need help, I know just where to look."



Rowena is the most powerful witch I have ever come across. She lives on the outskirts of Basteret, in a house concealed by a warding spell. Only Others can see it. I knock once and enter, the soldier trailing after me hesitantly.

"Ro?" I call into the silence. There's the sound of a chair scraping against hardwood, and then a tall, slender woman with wildly curly brown hair and dark eyes emerges from the back room.

"Kalix," she says, smiling. "Good to see you again, so to speak." She cocks her head. "Your friend here is rather dark. Natural darkness though. How interesting."

"What is she talking about?" the soldier mutters to me, looking uneasy.

"Rowena is blind, technically," I reply. "She can only see auras."

The girl stares at me, slack jawed. "Seriously?"

"Yes, half-blood. Now I expect you want to cover up those horns with something a little better than a cloak, hm?" Rowena turns and disappears into her back room again.

"I thought you said she could only see auras?"

"She can. She simply knows other things."

We stand in silence until Rowena returns, carrying a small cauldron that's bubbling with green-gold liquid.

"I need a drop of the girl's blood," she tells me. I pull out my dagger and face the soldier. She moves to leap away from me, but elves are quicker than even a half daemon. I catch her wrist and slash the blade across her palm. She curses and shoves me away. I hold the dagger over the bubbling cauldron and allow a drop to fall into it. Rowena hums while she works, letting the contents of the cauldron swirl together as she chants a spell over a flask. I watch the soldier out of the corner of my eye. She's tense, and I can see her hand twitching nervously at her side. Wanting to draw her sword and run Rowena through, no doubt. Clearly this girl's newfound lineage hasn't totally dulled her hatred of Others. I keep my dagger in my hand.

"There," Ro says finally. She holds up the flask, now full of the colorful elixir. "Drink some of this everyday, as soon as you wake up. It will only last for twenty-four hours, then your horns will be visible again."

"What about when it runs out?"

"The flask is enchanted. When it runs out it will refill, for as long as you need it."

The soldier finally takes her hand away from the hilt of her sword and takes the flask. She backs away from Rowena and retreats toward the front door.

"I need to speak with you, Kalix," Ro says, her voice low. "There are rumors, whispers among the Others that a rebellion is stirring. The magic-born are growing weary of this tyrannical king, and are planning to stage an uprising."

"An uprising? Do you think it's really true?"

"I have had many Others come to me recently, speaking of it with hushed excitement. Some are searching for the rebels, wishing to join them. Others have asked me if it's true. Some have claimed to be a part of it already. Kalix, if the rebellion is growing as strong as some believe, then this land is quickly drawing to the edge of war."

My heart pounds at the thought of it. A rebellion. An army of outcast Others rising against the oppression of Mathias. But it worries me as well. If they overestimate their strength, or don't train their members well enough, what few Others are left in this world may perish.

"Be careful out there, princess," Ro whispers. "I wouldn't want that blazing star aura of yours to be snuffed out."

I smile and hug her. "I'm always careful. You take care of yourself, Ro. If there is a war, you're right on the doorstep here."

"Don't worry about me. Just keep your eyes and pointed ears alert. Especially around that new friend of yours. Half blood or no, she was raised Ordinary. I have a feeling this new life will take some adjustment for her."

"You have no idea." I thank Rowena for the information, then head outside to join the soldier, whose horns are now safely concealed.

"Thanks," she says gruffly. "How do you know that witch anyway?"

"We traveled together, a long time ago. We looked out for one another."

"So you trust a witch?" she scoffs. I give her a hard look. "So did you," I point out, voice icy. She opens her mouth to respond, then closes it again.

"I'm Kalix," I say, steering the conversation out of these choppy waters.

"Rune. And I should really be getting back into town. My meeting with the king is in less than half an hour." She turns to leave.

"Rune," I call out. "It's pointless going back there. You know it is. No spell can hide who you really are forever. And you should know better than anyone that if so much as a whisper goes through the ranks that you're not totally human, they'll kill you on the spot."

"You don't know them," she snaps. "They're my family."

"I know Ordinaries have been slaughtering Others without question for a long time."

Rune scowls and turns away from me, striding back into town. I don't worry about her telling the soldiers about Rowena. She would have to explain why she didn't kill her, and besides, Rowena's wards didn't just shield her home from Ordinary eyes. If an Other tried to tell an Ordinary about Rowena or her home, they would lose their voice. Among other unpleasant things.

"I'm staying at the Drunken Fish, but I'm leaving this afternoon," I call after Rune's retreating back. "You can risk going back to the barracks and eventually being killed, or you can travel with me. The choice is yours."

Rune's steps falter for a moment, but then she shakes herself and keeps walking.

Do you think she'll come back? Ash asks, climbing onto my shoulder.

"If she doesn't, I pray her death is quick when it comes," I reply grimly. Rune must be suspicious of me now, wondering why a human is so sympathetic to the Others. It's not completely unheard of; Ordinaries were harboring Others in Marish Town after all. But I can tell Rune doesn't understand. Not yet. But if the rumors Rowena heard are true, and a war between Others and Ordinaries is coming, then I hope that Rune will see that Mathias' side is the wrong one, for her own sake.