A/N:

As I mentioned before, this story is my sole priority until it's completed!

No other updates for other stories. Two and a half years is RIDICULOUS for a completion time…

This is only half done, too…

Ugh, well, Astrid, let's get it rollin'!

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Chapter 10: Precious Voice

It had nearly been a week since Faron had left my home with his newfound 'mission'.

I hadn't heard or seen from him.

I was worried. He hadn't so much as sent the messenger boy with a letter.

I paced in circles around my living room, barely noticing the light bulbs flickering dangerously.

Glancing at the clock for the umpteenth time, I sighed. It was nearly two o'clock in the afternoon.

I'd been pacing for almost two straight hours.

My resolve solidified at that moment and I grabbed my cloak from the hall closet.

The deep blue was a stark contrast to the creamy white of my gown.

Leaving my feet barefoot, I wore only the three gold anklets that signified my rank and left.

The familiar path of my childhood seemed to take no time at all as I headed for Faron's family home.

Falcon's lived with their parents until the day they are properly mated. The ritual being significant in showing the different stages of life.

Having no parents or relatives to call mine own, I was the only known Falcon to live solitary.

As another life ritual, Falcons always remained in the same home. It never moved, but changes could be made to the inside. As a general rule, Falcon's did not move homes. Something about disrupting the stability of life.

I didn't care. I wasn't sure I even believed it to be true, but followed the customs in order to be able to live comfortably.

After a few short taps on Faron's front door, his mother answered.

"Astrid! What brings you here? I haven't seen you in years, child."

I smiled warmly. I'd always loved Faron's mother and had even sometimes wished she could have been my own.

My smile faded quickly, however, my concern overpowering it.

"I'm looking for Faron. Is he home?" I tried looking past her, subtly, into the house.

Her lip trembled, "No, he's not. He hasn't come home since he left for your house four nights ago. I had hoped he was simply staying with you for a while, but a letter of explanation never came."

I felt the blood drain from my face, "I last saw him five nights ago. That means he never made it to my house that night. Where was he that day? What time did he head out?"

His mother shook her head, "He'd been at the archives doing some sort of research. He was rather… odd when he came home for supper. He left immediately after eating saying it was urgent that he speak to you right away."

My frown deepened, "What has he gotten himself into?"

She blinked, "What do you mean? Do you know something about what could have happened to him?"

I shook my head, "I'm not sure. Thanks for your time, Lena."

Turning from her, I set out at a dead run towards the archives.

Once there, I went inside and began looking over the different scrolls and books of records and general information. I wondered where Faron would have looked and did my best to recall our conversation.

Fire… burns… no injury…

"May I help you?"

I jumped as a caretaker came around the corner and caught me off-guard.

"Sorry," I smiled, then frowned, "Perhaps you can help me. A high ranked guard, Faron, was here a few days ago. I need to know what information he may have been looking at."

The caretaker frowned and turned up his nose with some arrogance, "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say. That is restricted knowledge."

I stamped my foot, making my anklets jingle. His eyes slowly drew down to the number of the golden rings and he swallowed thickly.

"Beg your pardon, ma'am, I did not realize to whom I spoke. However, I'm afraid I have already been given strict orders not to divulge that specific information."

My eyes narrowed, "That specific information? Why would that be?"

The caretaker shrugged, "It is not my place to question a direct order."

Direct order? Those came solely from the Chairman himself. What information could Faron possibly have seen that the Chairman would not wish anyone else to see?

I smiled, "Very well. If not the specific information, then could you please direct me to the section he was in?"

He frowned in discernment, "Normally, I would say no, but I offended you before, so I will make this one exception."

I bowed my head, "Thank you. I will remember you for your kindness today."

This brought a smile to his lips, "Come, this way, ma'am."

The caretaker led me into the far corner of the archives and finally pointed to a single bookcase, "He was particularly interested in this shelf," he winked, "This is our secret, no?"

I grinned and placed a finger to my lips, "Upon mine honor."

We exchanged bows and he left me to browse in peace.

The fifth book in had me frozen in place.

"The Full History of the Phoenix Clan".

Could this be it?

Could this be the information that Faron had sought?

I pulled the book off the shelf and started reading.

The beginning told of the gift that came from the gods.

Most of it told of different members of the clan and their achievements.

After that, however, the Falcons started entering into the history.

"It had been many centuries since Falcon's had been allowed to set foot in the Land of Ash, the island where the Phoenix lived and named for the beautiful rebirth of every Phoenix.

The Falcons saw what the Phoenix clan had been blessed with and were stricken with jealousy.

The Falcons soon began teaching their hatchlings to fear fire, and, a few generations later, that fear fueled the beginnings of a war."

I frowned at the inside of the spine between two pages. It was obvious that several pages had been torn from the book. But, why?

I looked at the next page. It was newer and the handwriting was different from the rest.

It was old, but still not as old as the rest. I read what it said.

"The war lasted for generations and was brutal. However, it ended peacefully with a treaty between the two clans.

No more would the Falcon clan and Phoenix clan step foot on each other's land. Let the jealousy and the rage die with the currant generation and give birth to love and toleration.

The treaty lasted and the Phoenix clan flourished until one day it was found that they had become extinct.

No one knows the true reason as to why, but it will forever be remembered as a tragedy and a true loss to the many and great Demon Clans."

My eyebrows furrowed together. Something was off about this and it made me realize: History had been rewritten and was still being kept a secret.

Why?

If Faron was missing because of this, there was only one place he could have been taken.

It gave me chills to even think about visiting the dungeon I'd once been kept, but I needed to find Faron.

The prison guard stopped me at the entrance.

"I'm here to see Faron Talonheart." I announced.

The guard shook his head, "No visitors allowed."

I lifted an eyebrow at him, "Even to a Third Rank?"

He dropped his eyes to my ankle and stared momentarily, "Even to a Third Rank."

My lips pursed together as I thought.

Finally, "You could perhaps convince me to let you in," he said.

My eyes widened at his lecherous grin, "No way."

He shook his head, "Just a kiss."

"Fine," I relented, "but only on the cheek."

The guard shook his head, "Nope. Lips. Just a peck is acceptable."

Rolling my eyes, I leaned forward, "Alright, a peck. That's it."

Taking two steps towards him, I stood on tip-toes to reach him and placed my lips to his.

Before I could draw back, however, his arm snaked around my waist and held me in place.

Angrily, I waited patiently for the guard to release me.

When he did, I glared at him, "That was more than a peck. Now let me through."

He eyed me thoughtfully, "No. I don't think I will."

"What?" I asked incredulously, "I did what you asked!"

he shrugged and grinned, "Sorry. Orders are orders. A little ol' kiss doesn't change that."

I growled out, "You tricked me."

The guard laughed, "Naw. I only manipulated you a bit."

"You know, maybe if you let me through, I won't tell anyone how you defiled a Third Rank." I smirked deviously.

He snorted, "Yeah, right. All I have to say is that you were willing."

I pouted, "Oh? And who do you think they'll believe? A poor, innocent Third Rank lady?" my pout turned to a cunning grin, "Or a low ranked guard who has little to no voice in the Community?"

The guard gaped at me before glaring at me, "You wouldn't dare."

I lifted an eyebrow, "Oh? Wouldn't I? I don't know. I'm pretty desperate to see my friend in his cell."

He wavered, but then his glare hardened, "Do your worst, but I will not abandon my duty."

I smiled warmly, "You have honor. I appreciate that. Don't worry, I will say nothing of the sort. I never truly intended to."

The guard relaxed, "However," he tensed again, "Now I am forced to act. I did not wish to lay a hand on you."

He stood defensively, "You can't hope to win in a battle against me. The upper class has no training in hand-to-hand combat or weaponry." He pointed his halberd at me.

I placed my hand gently on its tip and softly caressed the blade.

Quietly, I said, "And that is where you underestimate me. Did you know our physical strength is reflected in the strength of our voice?"

The guard barely had time to react as I sent a current of electricity through his solid metal weapon.

In seconds, he lied unconscious on the ground.

I stared at him momentarily, "I told you I didn't want to do that."

I rarely needed it, but Faron had taught me how to fight when we were kids. He taught me everything he could. I hated violence, though.

I frowned down at the felled guard, "I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you someday.

Gingerly, I stepped over him and opened the door to the stairs that led down to the prison cells.

I lifted the hems of my cloak and gown and made quick work of the steps. Plunged into darkness, the only light came from mounted torches placed at random intervals on the walls.

Another guard awaited me at the base of the steps.

"Well, if it isn't Lady Astrid." I shivered. This was the guard who'd been ordered to clip my wings.

A sick and sadistic male, he had not been kind.

"You're not supposed to be down here."

I spread my wings in challenge.

Wingspan was usually a show of magical endowment and my wings had always been larger than the average Falcon's.

Very few Falcon's in history could compete with my wingspan. Females especially were generally smaller to begin with, but even males had a hard time competing.

This guard, however, was not intimidated. He grinned maliciously and spread his won wings.

"I accept your challenge, girlie."

I glared at him, "You would do well to remember that I am a prisoner no more. I am not limited nor am I drugged."

His smile dropped, "Is that a threat?"

"No." I smiled regretfully, "Only a warning."

He laughed, "You shouldn't be so confident, Lady."

I frowned, "Neither should you."

This time, he frowned, "I'm a soldier, trained from childhood to fight." He lunged for me.

I floated easily over him, using the air beneath my wings to propel myself.

I grabbed the butt of his metal weapon, the same as the other guard's.

"There is one difference between you and I," I said.

The guard chuckled, "And what's that, princess?"

"You may have trained your whole life to fight," I paused, "But I've spent most of mine learning to survive."

"Heh. I don't see how that will help you here." He yanked his weapon from my grip and swung it in an arch towards me.

My eyes widened in surprise, but I deftly dodged the attack. My feet made light steps across the length of the halberd.

Landing as a feather behind him, I placed my palm at the base of his bald head, "Game over."

Before he could dodge, I sent a jolt straight into his brain, knocking him clean out.

I wasn't happy. For some reason I was being forced to fight my way to Faron.

I was beginning to wonder if he'd stumbled upon the pages that had been torn from that book.

"Faron?" I called out, "Faron, are you here?"

"Astrid? No, you can't be here! You have to leave!" Faron's voice reached me in the dark.

I raced towards the sound. Faron sat on the floor, his knuckles white as he gripped the bars.

Once he was in view, I stumbled backwards.

"Faron! What happened to you?" I scrambled across the ground to him and placed my hands on his. "What did they do to you?"

His face, neck, and arms were covered in bruises and abrasions. I assumed they covered his chest and back as they obviously continued under his shirt.

Faron shook his head, "No, they'll take you, too. They did it once, they'll do it again. Please, you must go before they realize things are amiss."

I grasped his shoulder, "Faron, what was written on those pages? The ones missing from the history of the Phoenix? Is that why they're doing this?"

His eyes widened in fear, "How do you know about that? You shouldn't –" he broke off in sobs, "No, Astrid. Not you, too. Not you, too…"

"Please, Faron! There's not much time! You must tell me what you know!" I lightly shook his shoulder, "Help me to help you."

Faron's body shook as he stared at me through his tears, "I will tell you, but you must promise to flee this place and you must repeat naught a word to anyone. Flee Mesiphia, Astrid."

I stared at him in shock.

"Promise me!" he yelled. I flinched and nodded.

"I promise."

He took a deep breath, "Our ancestors destroyed the Phoenix Clan. The war ended with mass genocide, Astrid. They received help from a few outsiders using bribery and… and just slaughtered them."

I couldn't breathe. No way. There was no way.

Faron shook his head, "Supposedly, the Phoenix princess was hidden among us by the King and Queen. I think they foresaw the murders, but could do nothing to stop it. The princess was not hatched at the time, but her parents were able to spell her to appear as a Falcon."

I couldn't move as I absorbed what Faron was telling me.

"Astrid," I jumped at the sound of my name, "You must find the hidden princess. Find her so she may have her vengeance."

Faron's eyes were hard and demanding, but he was suddenly overcome with a coughing fit.

Blood splashed on the damp ground of his cell and a burning anger mobilized me.

"Faron, I will find her and I will flee Mesiphia with her until she has the ability to take her revenge."

I stood to leave, but Faron grabbed my hand.

"The Council was formed to protect this secret. They are the only ones left who know. They are your target. Destroy the Council."

I nodded and once again tried to leave, but Faron held fast to my and.

"One last thing. Ash. Ash is how you will remove the spell that conceals her." Finally, his hand slipped from mine, "I love you, Astrid. Always."

I swallowed hard, "I will not leave you here. We will flee together."

There was no reply from him, so, swallowing my tears, I ran out of the dungeon.

When I emerged from the door, Raldon stood waiting for me.

Guards I hadn't sensed seized me from both sides.

The Chairman glared down at me, "What did he tell you? If you know something you shouldn't, there will be repercussions."

I glared at him, "I don't know anything. Neither does Faron. Let him go."

Raldon smiled cruelly at me, "No, I don't think so. Unfortunately, I cannot imprison you. People would notice your absence, but they care not for a lowly guard."

I struggled in the hold of my captors', but their grip only tightened. Raldon's gaze held mine.

He bent down and caressed my cheek, "You have such beautiful blue eyes. So bright and…electrifying. It would be a shame to take them. Clipping your wings didn't work last time: yes, I know all about that, my dear. We can't remove your wings; that would raise questions." He paused in thought, still rubbing my cheek with his filthy fingers.

His hand suddenly paused as his eyes caught the glint of the blood ruby on his pinky ring.

"Of course, there is that." Raldon cackled, "Hold her down."

I was suddenly forced onto my back and I struggled harder against their grip. I reached for my power, but my panic kept me from grasping it.

Raldon bent over me and shoved his ruby pinky ring in my face, "I shall take the one thing that is most precious to you."

I froze. How could he know about Hiei? There was no way. Tears sprung into my eyes. No.

No.

A scream tore from my lips in rage. Raldon's eyes widened as a sharp wind surrounded us. He held up his ring and it glowed like a beacon.

The soldiers were thrown off me on a jolt of electricity as it flowed through my veins, my power protecting me in my anger.

I stood and spread my wings as I glared at Raldon.

I screamed in silence. I grasped my throat.

Where was my voice!

My wings faltered, but then I noticed Raldon as he watched me with a satisfied grin.

He caressed the ring on his finger.

That ruby held my voice, I was sure of it.

My rage reached a boil again.

I lunged for Raldon, but his guards had recovered and they took hold of me once again.

I struggled as Raldon wagged a finger in my face.

"Ah, ah, ah. If you don't behave, all I have to do is destroy this ring and your voice will be lost forever."

Shock grasped my nerves and I went lax in my captors' arms.

I would lose my voice forever? Without ever being able to say 'I love you' to Hiei again? To say… that I'm sorry?

"That's more like it. Don't worry, I'll still let you sing at the solstice."

I jolted. I'd been without my voice before. A voice wasn't the only way to communicate.

Slowly, I lifted my eyes to him and grinned.

The confident smirk slid from Raldon's face.

I didn't need my voice.

I broke free of my guards and charged Raldon.

His skin paled as I came face to face with him.

I narrowed my eyes. I should have killed him for what he'd done, but my conscience told me it wasn't for me to take revenge on the Council.

I struck him in the face and took to the sky, fleeing to my home until nightfall.

There was a foreigner, just one, who lived on Kinnar for as long as anyone could remember. Being allergic to sunlight, she only came out at night.

Her name was Mystique Malli and I hoped she could help me. Perhaps she knew of the war and what happened.

I locked myself inside my house and lit a fire in my fireplace.

By the time the fire died down, it was already dark.

From my cellar, I retrieved a burlap sack and began shoveling in the ashes.

I coughed as some of them flew into my face in my haste.

Once done, I closed up the sack and ran out the door.

Since it was dark, I didn't worry about being seen flying alone.

I quickly found Mystique's solitary home on the edges of the island amongst the trees.

I landed just feet from it and ran the rest of the way.

Firelight lit the inside of the small cottage, so I did not hesitate to knock sharply on the door.

There was movement inside before the door was flung open.

I hesitated as sharp blue eyes glared down at me. Her short silver hair was shoulder length and choppy, red strands framed her face. Beneath her left eye was a black teardrop tattoo. She wore all black and was around the same height as Hiei.

"May I help you?"

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A/N:

Aaaaaaaand, the rest is for next time! Bwahahahaha!

Oh, how I LOVE cliffhangers!

If you will take the time to remember a certain contest I had in A Falcon's Spirit, there were three winners: YusukiShredder (Maykuh the Butterfly), Unolai (Jaiden), and Shadowess88, whose character is Mystique Malli.

Unfortunately, there was no place for Mystique in the prequel, but I knew I would need her for the sequel. So! Here, she is finally introduced!

Please review and send cookies, as always! ^^-