The wind blew across the landscape and the boy was standing completely still with his eyes closed. His black hair blew across his face and he took a deep breath. He looked as though he were listening for something.
"Aha!" He took off at a run for a small group of trees and then flew upwards, his black wings stretching out behind him.
"Gotcha!"
The girl sitting in the tree frowned. "No fair Rhys! I felt you looking in my head."
"Then get a better shield," he said haughtily.
She stuck her tongue out at him before jumping off the branch she had perched on, letting her wings glide her to the ground. Her brother followed her down.
If he hadn't been taller than her, they'd have been mistaken for twins. The only difference between them besides their height were their eyes, hers a bright green while his were a deep violet color.
"Come on, we're going to be late for dinner and you know how Father is," said Rhys lightly.
The two began to walk back towards a cabin that sat alone on the side of the mountain. The sun had started setting and cast long shadows onto the ground. Rhys stopped as he watched a shadow loom in front of him. He stepped sideways to protect his sister before he heard her giggle.
"Myrrh! Knock it off!"
"What's wrong Rhys? Are you scared of the shadows?" she teased him.
He punched her in the arm.
"Ow," she muttered. She punched him back.
"Didn't hurt," he taunted her.
She ignored him and went back to playing with the shadow in front of her. She was good with the shadows, bending them to her will, letting them slide along the ground to her feet and wrapping it upwards until she nearly vanished in it.
"Are you sure you're a daemati?" Rhys asked his sister.
She shrugged. "I don't like playing with people's heads. I don't like what people are thinking most of the time. The shadows are more interesting."
"Huh. Maybe you're a shadowsinger," he said thoughtfully.
"Doesn't matter to me anyway," she said sadly.
"You know you can't go. Girls aren't allowed."
"That's a dumb rule. I can fly as well as you can and I'm just as strong as you."
He raised his eyebrows at her.
"Close enough," she muttered.
"You know Father wouldn't let you even if you could go."
She frowned.
"And remember what Mother said," Rhys continued. "Girls are powerful in their own way."
She stuck her tongue out at him again before turning away from him to look at the sunset.
He slipped inside her head, letting comfort flood into her head. He really would miss having her around. She was the only person who really understood him.
"I'm going to be all by myself, Rhys. What am I going to do?"
He pulled her into his arms and sighed.
"You'll have to make some more friends," he told her simply.
"Nobody else understands though."
"I know," he sighed and hugged her tighter.
"Rhysand! Myrrh! Come inside!"
Their mother's voice called to them from the cabin. He let his sister go, laughing as he realized that she had wrapped them both in shadows. She let the shadows go and watched as they floated back to where they belonged, outside of her control again.
They walked to the cabin together and their mother met them with a hug.
"There you are. Come on, it's time to eat," she said cheerfully.
The siblings sat down on the bench in front of the table and looked over the meal hungrily. Both of them glanced over at their father, quietly assessing his mood. He looked unhappy. Without a word, their mother handed them plates of food and they began to eat. The room was silent and nobody wanted to speak.
"When does the boy leave?" The gruff voice of their father broke the silence.
"In two weeks," their mother's reply was quiet.
"And how long do you intend to stay?" he asked briskly.
"I'm not sure. It depends how long I need to stay."
The tone of their mother's voice told them that this conversation had happened before. They exchanged a careful glance, wondering where this was going.
"Three weeks," came their father's gruff reply.
"It may take me longer," began their mother but she was cut off abruptly.
"I SAID THREE," and the two jumped as their father roared at their mother.
Their mother glared at their father. It could never be said that she didn't stand up to him. Their relationship was like fire and ice though, light and darkness, where their parents fought angrily and rarely seemed to agree on anything. But they were also mates and bonded to one another. What may have once been a loving relationship had seen its trials through the years and now there was little love. The two were too different. But they were still mates and drawn to one another through what the siblings thought was a sick twist of fate.
Rhys glanced at his mother and she nodded, telling him to go outside. Clearly this conversation wasn't done and Rhys wanted his sister out of the cabin for it.
"Come on Myrrh," he whispered.
She slipped off the bench and followed her brother outside, the two siblings wandering away from the cabin.
"How did they ever manage to have us?" wondered Myrrh aloud.
"Cauldron know," replied Rhys.
Rhys had often wondered how his parents had managed to have two children so close in age and then have that relationship vanish. He also often wondered if he and Myrrh weren't part of that reason.
He stopped as his sister sat down on the ground and seemingly plucked a shadow off the ground to play with. He smiled at her and then let his gaze drift upwards to the stars.
"Someday, we're going to live in a beautiful place," he whispered to the stars. "No fighting, no anger."
Myrrh glanced up at her brother and smiled.
"And if I ever meet a shadowsinger, I'll let you know if that's what you are."
She giggled at him. "Sure Rhys. If you ever meet one, let me know."
"Hey! You never know. I'll be powerful and in control of a great army some day and I'll meet all kinds of people. I'm sure I'll meet one somewhere along the way."
"Right. Like you're going to meet another daemati."
"Well, ok, hopefully not but shadowsingers aren't as rare."
He sat down next to his sister and put an arm around her and rumpled her hair.
"Hey!" she said, brushing his hand away.
"You know I'll always be here for you right? No matter how far away I have to go. I'll always protect you." He pulled her close to him for a moment before letting go.
She smiled at him. "I know."