The Silver Siren (11 page)

My anger didn’t diffuse at his words,
but built up in power like a volcano about to explode. He was about
to witness the full fury of the Valdyrstal Clan.

“
You’re right. You are not
the enemy, but there is a far greater enemy out there.” I pointed
beyond the hills, toward what I hoped was the city of Haven.
“Instead of hiding away dreaming of days of old and acts of honor,
how about protecting those that can’t protect themselves? The
innocents.”

People overheard me and a crowd began
to gather around the infirmary. I didn’t care. I actually raised my
voice even more. “The Septori are out there. They are a plague, an
evil that preys on the unsuspecting. They live in the darkness and
walk among us in the light of day. And we can’t find them. They are
the ones that did this to Kael and me. True acts of honor don’t
limit themselves to time of action and war, or to kings and queens,
but become greatest when the need is the greatest.”

Alek looked taken aback. But I didn’t
let that stop me. I turned to address the crowd of people walking
by.

“
I know about the creed,
about how you are bound by oath to die protecting those you have
sworn an oath to protect. But what about now, when you refuse to
lend your sword to a crown? What about the innocents? The children,
the poor, the people, whether of Calandry or Sinnendor? This
country that you have lived in peacefully for generations—you don’t
think they deserve help when help is due? When there is a common
enemy that has struck out at one of your own, you do nothing. How
can you even call yourselves SwordBrothers?”

I stared down the crowd and watched in
amazement as more than a few eyes looked away from me in apparent
shame. A few shuffled their feet nervously, but the ones I studied
were the men and women who showed no emotion at all. There were
quite a few. These were the trained SwordBrothers. Like Kael, they
hid their thoughts from me. A discussion started among the crowd
about what was going on in Calandry. Alek stepped forward and
answered some of their questions as best as he could relay from
what he’d learned from Kael. I used this short distraction to let
Alek clean up the heated mess I had caused.

My eyes caught movement by the steps,
and I looked up to see Kael and Gwen walking farther down the
street, their heads almost touching as they leaned into each other.
I felt a bubble of apprehension surface, and I could feel myself
becoming lightheaded. I couldn’t handle either the thought of being
an experiment or the idea of a lovesick reunion between Kael and
Gwen. It was time to see myself out…of the sanctuary.

I turned to leave and ran into a wall
of broad chests covered in black—more SwordBrothers. “Move please,”
I lashed out. Surprisingly they moved out of my way. I stopped,
looking up and down crowded street, unsure which way to
go.

“
Your horse is this way.”
A SwordBrother waved me over and I followed him to a stable,
keeping a careful distance. His hair was peppered with gray, his
face tanned, and I could see faint scarring across his knuckles
from years of working with weapons. He opened the door and pointed
to the back.

Sure enough Faraway was there, happily
munching away on feed. He was groomed and fed. His leg was even
bandaged from his scrape on the fall. Though I was reluctant to
give the clan any respect, they sure knew how to take care of
animals.

You’ve been awfully
quiet
, I accused. Faraway had been
decidedly absent from helping me lately and I had to wonder if once
again, he knew more than he let on. Was this his way of helping me
learn to not rely on his strength and power so much?

And you’ve been awfully
noisy in your thoughts. Maybe less talk and more eating would solve
more of your problems.

Food won’t solve these
kind of problems,
I remarked.

You’d be surprised what it
can solve.

I found his saddle and began to
prepare Faraway to leave. He wasn’t in any hurry to leave his
shelter and full feed trough.

I heard a noise behind me and spun
around to see that the same SwordBrother that had led me to my
horse was gathering a pack full of supplies. He walked over and
handed me a leather knapsack.

“
Thank you,” I said
meekly.

“
No, thank you,” he
answered back. He touched his chest and gazed at me with earnest
eyes. He looked to be about my father’s age, which in SwordBrother
years could be…who knows, four hundred? “It’s been a while since I
felt a stirring here,” he tapped his chest. “I think you leave us
with many things to think about.”

I sighed in weariness, dreading the
question I needed to ask. “Am I even going to be allowed to leave?
Or is your clan going to kill me as soon as my back is
turned?”

His eyes crinkled up in the corners.
“I think you know that answer already. The knife that kills you has
a double edge.”

I dropped Faraway’s reigns and leaned
my head against his furred neck. Of course they couldn’t kill me.
How could I have forgotten already?

“
So I’ll be allowed to
leave?”

“
If that is your wish,
then no one will stop you.”

“
Yes, I want to leave now.
Coming here was a mistake. All I’ve done is lost time when I should
have been tracking the Septori.”

It wasn’t long before I was saddled
and on the road headed out of the village, leaving Kael behind. Any
moment, they could come after me and detain me, try to imprison me
again. They probably should. If I were them, I would lock me away
in a cell and throw away the key.

But before I made it to the edge of
the village, Alba stopped me. This time she was wearing a lavender
robe covered with the same silver bells. She had a small velvet bag
in her hands.

“
Here. To remember me by.”
She held up the bag, and I had to lean down quite far to reach it.
I opened the pouch and pulled out a single round bell on a
string.

“
Thanks,” I said, feeling
disheartened and sad.

“
No, look
closer.”

I turned the bell over and noticed
that there was a small indent in the bottom of the bell, where
someone had pried open a leaf of the bell and removed the silver
ball. The reason her bells didn’t make a sound was because she
removed all of the clappers. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
It was something I would have done.

“
I’m too old for tests,
and my arthritic hands were making them constantly jingle and drive
me batty. But I wanted to give it to you as a reminder of your
choice with the tea. Like me, you find your own solutions to the
problems around you. You will find the Septori; you will find the
answers you seek. And sometimes, what you gain on your journey is
more valuable than the prize at the end.”

“
And what about Kael?” I
asked.

“
What about him?” she
shrugged her shoulders offhandedly.

I swallowed and my stomach churned
with uncertain feelings. “Will he be all right?”

“
Of course, he will be all
right. He’s the first to be bonded since we left Sinnendor.
Granted, it didn’t work out the way any of us expected it to, but
his name will never be forgotten.”

“
But he’s forced to give
up his freedom.”

“
Ask yourself what he is
gaining by being bonded to you.”

“
Not much. I’m trouble.
I’ve been nothing but trouble for him, since he’s met me.” I looked
down at the ground, breaking eye contact.

“
So what? A SwordBrother’s
been forced to do his duty and protect his charge. I’m sure he was
furious at first and quite demanding, but I can tell you that
secretly, he’s feeling more alive than ever. Truly, he will come
around. There is no greater honor for a SwordBrother than
protecting their sworn one until death.”

“
Which will be short,” I
snapped out, “with my luck.”

“
Which will be filled with
more action, battle, and love than any of us have seen in years. So
don’t be reckless and spout off about things you don’t
know.”

“
I know the Septori, and
they won’t stop until they either capture me or kill me,” I
grumbled after a moment.

“
Well then, maybe it is a
good thing that Kael must protect you. As long as you live, he is
invincible. He is the best fighter there is.”

“
I thought Alek was the
better fighter. That’s what Kael said.”

Alba shook her head. “No one’s better
than Kael. I’ve watched them. Kael fights with all the fury and
anger he holds from losing his father so young. He’s better than
Lake ever was. He doesn’t know it, but he holds himself back when
he spars with his brother. He fears that he will kill him and then
he will be all alone. He has quite a few feelings to work through.
For example, what he’ll feel when he finds that you left without
him.”

“
He’ll forget about me.
He’s already reconciling with Gwen.” I said waving off her
words.

Alba snorted. “Oil and water those
two. She’s much more fitted for Alek’s temperament anyway. Let the
girl say her apologies to Kael and that will be it. She’s been
beating herself up about it for months. But you young one—you are
like oil and Kael is fire. Careful, because the two of you can
destroy the world with your passion.”

My cheeks heated and I stuttered a
bit. “If-if we don’t destroy each other first,” I choked
out.

“
That too,” she agreed.
“But the sooner you leave, the sooner he’ll feel the bond moving
and he’ll abandon Gwen to come after you.” Alba came over and ran
her hands over Faraway, noticing the small but significant swirl
upon his chest. The mark startled her and she studied it wide-eyed.
Few noticed it for what it was.

“
I also wouldn’t count
yourself short, if I were you. It seems that there is something
special about you that attracts even the Guardians. She rubbed her
hands over Faraway’s nose and looked deeply into his eyes. “Isn’t
that right?” She gently blew into his face. He relaxed and pushed
his large head into her chest. I heard him mentally
sigh.

“
You know what he is?” I
asked stunned.

“
Of course. The Guardians
only appear in time of great need. When you are as old as me,
you’ve seen enough times of trouble to recognize one. They say the
Great One gives them to us to guide us and help us during our
trial. Their time on our land is short and purpose-driven. One day
Thalia, you will awaken and he will be gone.”

When Alba spoke those words, Faraway
started and took off up the path that led to the caves, trying to
put some distance between him and the woman who had just brought
the truth to light. The truth that Faraway had clearly been
avoiding.

I pulled on the reigns but he ignored
me and started to trot. Feeling guilty at my sudden departure, I
looked over my shoulder to where Alba was standing, but she was
gone.

We were already on our way out of the
Sanctuary, and I wanted to ask Alba more questions, but it seemed
like Faraway didn’t want me to know anything else.

Why didn’t you tell
me?
I spoke directly to Faraway
accusingly.

Anything I would have told
you would only upset you or worry you unnecessarily.

Of course I’m upset. You
are going to leave me.
My heart felt
burdened with the thought of not having him near me.
You can’t leave me.

Not yet,
he answered.
Until the
time when I must fulfill my destiny, I will always be
yours.

Promise.

Yes. Now let’s go back and
find the others. I’m in the mood for a cookie.

Chapter 12

Faraway and I traveled quickly and all through the night. By
the next day I was tired of traveling and grateful when I saw a
small town come into view. Even coming at it from a different
direction, I recognized it. I couldn’t remember the name of the
town, but when I passed the small inn, I couldn’t help but
recognize the two-story Ginger Dragon Inn. Knowing Joss and Darren,
they would have stopped here on their way to Haven. I was exhausted
and would pay the extra money to stay the night and get a good
night’s rest. Faraway headed around back and to the stables. Three
other horses were already there.

The same young boy from a year ago
came and took Faraway into an empty stall and started to brush him
down. He was taller and leaner, but I recognized the innkeeper
Bran’s oldest son.

“
Lad, do you happen to
know if Darren and Joss came through here?”

Suspicious green eyes looked me over.
“Maybe.”

I reached into my coin purse, pulled
out a copper, and flipped it toward him. His hand snatched it
midair.

“
They came by to purchase
food and speak to Mum and Pop, but they didn’t stay the night.” He
walked over to the side of the stable and put two scoops of feed
into a bucket and carried it back into Faraway’s stall.

“
When was this? How many
nights ago?” The boy refused to answer.