Clashing metal roused Mist. Though Elena covered her daughter's ear, the babe's eyelids fluttered open. Elena's pounding heart reminded her that she needed to leave, but she stayed, stooping into the crib until her hair fell across Mist's cheek. Elena ignored her hand's trembling and cupped it tightly around her mouth to guard the secret she intended to share. Untarnished skin cushioned her lips as she whispered Lillia's song. The melody flowed from her like water, soothing her shattered nerves. It had brought her here, and would send her away.
The last note dropped from the air. The rhythmic breath of sleep took over, cuing Elena to straighten. Chills swooped in when she rose. A goodbye hesitated on her lips, but before she could release it, a scream heralded her from her home. She slipped out without tarrying.
Another cry split the air. Elena snapped the door shut. Though she knew Mist was tucked away, panic seized Elena when she heard the latch. She froze, unable to pull away. A shout shattered the moment. She ran without looking back.
Chaotic sounds signaled Elena toward her goal. Shrieks erupted from one side of the slaughter, but nobody responded; their opponent took the bite of steel as his voice. For all the consciousness the killer possessed, the sky itself might have pierced the victims.
As she sped up, Elena's toe caught something. Slamming her palms against the gravel, she tried to push off of her heel, but her foot slid against a slippery substance. Blood invaded her senses. She yanked her head up before she could see who she'd tripped over and dove down the street.
She kept her gaze forward to stop the landscape whizzing past from feeding her nausea. Her lungs heaved to reclaim oxygen. If her aching muscles hadn't told her otherwise, she would have assumed that her legs had been yanked out of their sockets. They whipped below her as if melting into the air. Her feet felt too solid in contrast, jarring her as they smacked the ground.
Hair clung to Elena's sweat-drenched face. Humidity settled around her like a steam bath, clouding her mind and casting the village in a dream-like blur. One thought, clear as heron song, cut through. She felt for him in the storm she flew through, following the corpses he'd left like a trail of crumbs leading to him. Elena's trained ears recognized a harmonic grunt. It soothed her even now.
She turned a corner and saw him, her castle standing ground in a siege. Armored strangers littered the streets around him, but they weren't the only ones trapped in the moat. Shopkeepers, carpenters, friends of Elena joined them. She choked back a cry. He wouldn't recognize her voice, and if he noticed her before she could wrench the medallion away, it would be too late to save him. She bit her tongue until it bled.
A dozen corpses stretched in her way. She couldn't afford to trip, but looking down churned her stomach. Stepping carefully would zap precious seconds, so Elena tried to navigate while sprinting. Vertigo threw her. She choked in gasping breaths and struggled to keep her head above the currents, seeking her one rock among the crashing waves. His back, her wall, caught her eye. For a second, it carried her elsewhere.
He'd been away for work. She was taking the bread out of the oven when she heard a knock. She'd been anxious over some now-trivial matter, but wiped away her frown. It wouldn't do to greet him with frets. In rain and snow, he waited outside for her to prepare her best smile before welcoming him in. Summoning it now, she opened the door and embraced him. She removed his coat. She ushered him in. She sliced him too much bread.
A scream yanked her back. While her mind reeled, her lips fought to remain upturned, but horror gripped her as she located the voice. It belonged to a youth she had taught to bake. Clumsy but earnest, she'd thanked Elena even when the bread burnt. Now, she cowered under an impending axe. The girl's lips curled thinly around her gaping mouth. Her gaunt face disappeared behind a back that filled Elena's vision. The waves churning around her lost meaning. She'd reached her rock.
She placed a hand between her love's shoulders. For the first time, her touch didn't soothe him. He turned. Blue fire licked Elena's chin. She reached through it.
She grabbed the medallion just in time. Her husband was an efficient killer.
Elena's fingers clutched bronzed metal. Evidence of the artifact's chaotic energy lay strewn around her, but as she held it, she found peace in the hymns only Lillia and she could hear. Flames tinged her blurring vision with sapphire. Darkness bled into the blue like ink. She fought to focus on her husband's face, stretched with horror that assured her he'd returned.
She saw him standing in the doorway. She smiled up at him. "Welcome home," she said. Her voice sounded like an echo through water.
Strong arms enclosed her. The warmth she leaned into dulled the pain that Greil's blade and expression had wrought. The groans in her ear were unintelligible. Greil was too stricken to speak, so Elena filled in the gap, murmuring forgiveness she hoped he would absorb. Rationality slipped from her words, but the seconds slipped faster. She used every moment she could grasp.
"I sent Ike to play. He should be back any minute," she croaked. The stench of blood hit her nose. "The bread's out of the oven," she said. That smelled so much nicer. "I know you'll say I gave you too much, but you'd better eat it, or Ike will scarf both loaves. Don't you go sneaking any to him, don't think I don't see."
Greil's grip tightened, bringing Elena back to the present. She mustered a smile. "Don't let Mist forget the song," she whispered. "And don't let her stay up too late, you know…she'll…"
The last word dropped from the air. Greil's warm forehead pressed against Elena. It was the last thing she felt before she left him.
Blackness took her. Only the feeling of being cradled remained. As sensation crept back, feathers tickled her face. A familiar melody caressed her.
"Thanks for welcoming me," Elena murmured. She curled into the voice and slept.