Kel landed on one foot, wings still outspread. She could feel Darien's mixed envy and admiration. Kel didn't bother to restrain her delight as she left the stage. Lillian, one of the younger members of the Mercy, shot her a glance of pure envy. Kel could feel her emotions through the Mercy bond as easily as reading a book. Lillian, sensing Kel's emotions, gave her a spiteful look and whispered something to her twin. Kel deliberately caught Lillian's eye and then turned casually away to face her partner Darien. Lillian had been annoying both of them lately. Darien rolled her eyes and smirked slightly at Lillian's anger. "She deserves it; she's been such a little brat lately," Darien said as she tossed her white-blond hair over her shoulder. "The Empress was impressed," Darien added. Kel's delight mixed with triumph. Darien narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Just wait until next time." Kel laughed easily. Darien was her fiercest rival and her closest friend. "We're on duty in the next few hours," Darien warned. "Make sure you're ready." Kel didn't need the reminder. She would rather die than disappoint her Empress.

Kel carefully kept her face impassive as she received her orders. She understood the necessity, but part of her still felt sick. She could sense Darien's carefully hidden disquiet. Twenty minutes later, a woman glared at her with angry, terrified eyes. "Come with us," Kel commanded. She kept reminding herself that this woman was a traitor. She should count herself lucky that she was allowed to live. Despite the lessons that had been drilled into her, Kel still hated the thought of having to torture a woman just for questioning the Lady Araceli's judgment. Kel quickly shoved the thought away. She was a member of the Empress' Mercy, a royal guard. She had been trained to obey, and never to let personal thoughts interfere with duty.

Fear, horror, and anger made Kel's head spin as she watched her partner pace around the room. Suddenly, Darien grabbed a vase of flowers and threw it into the wall. "Darien…" Kel began. Her partner interrupted. "How could they do that? How could they condemn thousands of people to death?" Kel had no answer. "I'm not going to keep this a secret," Darien said flatly. Kel stared at her in shock. "Darien, they'll try you for treason! Weren't you listening in there? Araceli wants us dead just for knowing! And what good will it do?"

"Justice," Darien replied, her voice flat and cold.

"Justice, or vengeance?" Kel questioned.

"Does it matter? My child's father is dead because of a war that they started! Why should I care about Araceli's pride?"

"At least wait until the baby is born, Darien, please!"

Kel looked at her partner pleadingly. Part of her agreed with Darien, but she didn't know what good it would do. She could only hope that she could convince Darien to change her mind. Finally, her partner sighed. "I'll wait until then." Kel nodded in relief.

Darien left abruptly, saying she needed time to think. Kel leaned against her bed, feeling cold inside. Darien was one of the most determined people Kel knew; she would never change her mind. Kel didn't know what to think about their discovery, but she knew that if Darien went ahead with her plan, Empress Cjarsa would call it treason. Kel would be ordered to execute her best friend, the person who mattered most to her. And that was one order Kel could never carry out, even though it would mean her death.

Ten months later…

Kel trembled from exhaustion as she landed. She desperately needed a place to sleep. She had flown without pausing for six days. Finding an old, apparently abandoned shack, she lay down. She was so cold and tired. Folding her Demi-form wings around her in a attempt to stay warm, she instantly fell asleep.

Kel's eyes opened suddenly at the small sound. Her wings snapped behind her back as she reflexively drew her knife. A girl, probably about thirteen, stared at her in shock. The girl took a step back, raising her hands. "Who are you," she asked, voice soft and wary. Kel was impressed despite herself. The young sparrow was obviously no warrior, but she didn't let her fear overwhelm her. Taking a deep breath, Kel slowly lowered the knife. "It's all right," she said carefully. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"You're a falcon. The only falcon that ever comes to our lands is Syfka, and she always goes to the Keep. Why are you here?"

Kel sighed, debating what to do. "I'm exiled from the island. I was exhausted and needed a place to sleep." The young avian bit her lower lip gently. Apparently coming to a decision, she said "Do you want something to eat?"

Kel blinked in surprise. The girl was either amazingly brave or incredibly stupid. "I guess," she said slowly. Being in a strange land seemed to have a deleterious effect on her ability to think. "Wait here," the young sparrow said.

Within a few minutes, she returned holding a bag of food. An older woman, a raven, accompanied her. Kel instantly felt nervous. An adult was not likely to be as sanguine about a stranger on her land as the teenage sparrow. As she took a closer look at the raven, Kel thought that she looked familiar. To her surprise, the woman addressed Kel in the falcon language. "My name is Valene. Who are you?" Startled, she replied. "La'Kel'jaes'oisna wimheah ona'saniet. (1). The woman raised an eyebrow. "Indigo Choir, and of the Empress' Mercy. What are you doing here?" Kel wasn't sure what to say. She had given her title out of habit and courtesy, but she hadn't expected it to be understood. She knew that she might be walking into more trouble, but she was too proud to lie. "I am…exiled from the island. I was so tired last night; I just wanted to find shelter and sleep. I apologize if I scared your daughter."

"She's my niece," the woman answered absently. Kel carefully reached to hear the woman's thoughts. Valene was running what she knew of falcons through her mind. The Mercy were the judges, executioners, and royal guards on Ahnmik. They had powerful magic and were trained from childhood to fight. If this falcon wanted to harm them, nothing they could do would prevent it. No falcon would ever harm a child, so Erica was safe. "I will bring some supplies to you," Valene said suddenly. Kel nodded, surprise leaving her momentarily speechless. She really needed to pull her thoughts together. She had to convince this woman not to tell the Tuuli Thea about her. If Syfka knew she was here…the thought made Kel feel sick.

Kel took the food and blankets gratefully. "Why were you exiled," Valene asked. Kel debated what to say. "I can't answer that; it would be too dangerous. If any of my people find me here, and they discover that I told you, they could kill you. I will not harm anyone in your family, your queen, or your people. I just want to stay alive." Valene was silent for a moment. "If you swear to me that you will not harm my queen, the royal family, or my people, I will let you stay here and keep your presence hidden." Kel was struck silent in amazement. No falcon would even have considered hiding a stranger and concealing the knowledge from the Empress and her heir. Unconsciously straightening into a soldier's ready, she swore "I will not harm the Tuuli Thea, the royal family, or the avian people unless I have to defend my life." That was as close as she could get. Valene nodded her acceptance. "If you'll come with us, you may sleep in Erica's room. She can find you some clothes and blankets." Kel was grateful beyond measure for the raven's kindness. She walked behind the two avians. Erica dropped back to walk beside her, smiling shyly at Kel. Kel smiled slightly in return.

No, I'm not making this up. I found her title in Snakecharm-I apologize for any misspellings. I know the meanings of the title from Falcondance and Ms. Atwater-Rhodes' website The Den of Shadows.

I don't know when the next update will be, I have quite a bit of work coming up. I will write more when I can.

Thanks to axbrokenxsmile for reviewing my story. Please keep reading!