Disclaimer: I do not own any books in the Kiesha'ra series or the characters within; they belong to Ms. Atwater-Rhodes.
Kel opened her eyes and stretched her muscles. Standing up, she walked to the bathing room. She scrubbed her hair, thankful to get all the dirt out of it. She pulled on the clean clothes Erica had given her and tied her hair back. As she returned to the room, Erica was waiting for her. "Breakfast is waiting," the sparrow informed her. Kel followed the teenager into the dining room. Erica remained mostly silent throughout the meal. "How do you know my language?" Kel asked Valene. The raven seemed to consider her answer. "I began learning the language when I traveled in serpiente lands. I improved my skills when I studied on Ahnmik for a few months. Although momentarily distracted by the mention of the serpiente, Kel's memory caught up with her. "I remember seeing you now." The raven smiled wryly. "Aunt Valene says the serpiente and the falcons were one people once," Erica piped up. Kel looked at the girl, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, I know," she said dryly. "We do study history on the island. Although the fact that my ancestors were distantly related to snakes isn't something I usually care to think about."
Erica looked down, slightly hurt at Kel's sharp tone, but amused nevertheless. Valene shot Kel a look of exasperation, reproof, and understanding. Kel suddenly felt like a chastened child. Irritated, she excused herself. She didn't want to think about the serpiente now. Back in Kel's room, she paced restlessly. She had never felt so out of place. She studied her reflection in the mirror, irritated by the vulnerability in her face. Silvery blue strands fell across her face. Dark violet eyes were shadowed by pain. Suddenly the horror of the past few weeks caught up with her, and she fell to the floor, shaking. Her partner was bound in a prison of her own making; her Empress had declared her a traitor. She could never go home. Kel clenched her fists, fought back tears, and stood up. Splashing her face with water, she stretched her limbs as though preparing to fight or dance. When she had calmed down, she went back to the living room and apologized to Valene. The raven gave her a quick look of sympathy and understanding. "Why don't you and Erica go for a walk so that she can show you the property?" Kel could sense vague apprehension coming from the raven. She wondered what was wrong.
As they walked, Kel asked Erica if there was a problem. "Oh, my father and brother are coming today. Aunt Valene wants to speak to them before they see you."
"What will they say?"
"Aunt Valene will probably convince them to stay quiet," Erica answered hesitantly. She shrugged. "Both of them are soldiers in the army. One of the soldiers in the Royal Flight, Andreios, used to serve in the same flight as my brother, Harlan. Andreios saved his life once." She smiled a bit. "Harlan talks about him a lot."
Their conversation drifted from one subject to another. Finally they returned to the house. Valene introduced Kel to Erica's father Brenson and her brother Harlan. They eyed her warily, but did not object outright. Kel spent the rest of the evening talking with Harlan and Erica. She suspected that Harlan was there mainly to keep an eye on her. He was much less trusting than his sister.
Over the next two days, Kel enjoyed watching Harlan and Erica tease each other. She couldn't keep herself from feeling slightly envious. Kel's position as a royal guard had prevented her from developing strong ties with her sister. Although Kel had loved her sister dearly, she had known the other members of the Mercy better. At that thought, Kel's pain and grief at the loss of her best friend and partner struck her again. Compounding that loss was the sense of being irrevocably bound to the Mercy, but forever exiled. If she did see them again, her death would follow-slow and painful. She slowly realized that Harlan and Erica were watching her, uncertain whether to speak or remain silent. She had no idea how to explain. Abruptly, Harlan stated that dinner was probably waiting. He and his father had to return to the Keep the following day.
Months passed. Kel and Erica grew to be close friends. The young sparrow teased Kel in much the same manner as she teased her brother. Kel taught Erica some self-defense lessons in case she needed them. For the most part, she avoided talking about her past, although she occasionally told Erica about a prank that she and Darien had pulled off. Thankfully, Erica was too well-mannered to pry. Erica often talked Kel into playing hide and seek or tag in the rain. Usually bored to tears from restlessness, Kel often agreed. When she argued that no sane person would ever play in the rain, Erica argued that that was an even better reason-who would see them? Laughing and joking, the girls ran into the house. Kel's heart contracted when she saw Valene sitting on a couch, holding her head in her hands. "Aunt Valene," Erica said tentatively. The raven looked up. Standing, she walked up to them and took Erica's hands. "Erica," she said softly. "Harlan died on the fields." "No!" Erica screamed. Shoving her aunt away, she ran to her room. Seeing the helpless look on Valene's face, Kel ran after Erica. Not bothering to knock, she walked in, sat down next to Erica, and pulled the young girl into her arms. Erica started to fight her, crying. Kel let Erica wear herself out, then held her. Erica sobbed without speaking, clutching at Kel. "It's not fair, it's not fair," Erica muttered. "I hate this war."
"It'll be OK," Kel said gently. "It'll be OK. The sun will rise tomorrow, and life will go on. It will still hurt. You will still miss him. But eventually things will get better. (1).
"You promise?" Erica said tentatively.
Kel's throat closed up. She could not make that promise. The magic running in her veins, twining through her spirit, prevented that. Feeling helpless, she stood up and walked away, not wanting to see Erica's face. Valene strode into the room where Kel was, face pale with fury. "How could you do that? How could you just walk away?"
"I can't make that promise, because I don't know that things will get better! We're in the middle of a war, Valene, you know that better than me. We could all die! I can't make that promise; I don't know the future!"
"She's only a child; she needs hope! Would it have killed you to make that promise?"
Kel looked away, unable to face her, hating her helplessness. "Maybe," she whispered. Valene stared at her. "I am a falcon," Kel stated softly. "Our magic binds our words, our actions. They create bonds to hold us to this world. I could bend the truth, twist it, turn it, but it must be the truth."
"Ahnmik turns all vows true, all lies apparent, and the written word as blood in stone," Valene said softly, as though she were quoting (2). Kel nodded shortly. "Just so," she replied. Both of them were silent. Kel stared out the window, but her eyes didn't see the rain. "I will…try to help her," Kel said finally. Her mouth twisted wryly. "Sometimes I feel like I'm centuries old, and sometimes I feel like I'm not old enough."
"It's called growing up," Valene said dryly. "I'm grown up," Kel protested instantly. Valene murmured, "Whatever you say," and left the room. Sighing, Kel left to go see Erica.
As the months passed, Erica began to heal. Her eyes were still shadowed by grief, but she slowly started to smile again. Kel walked in one afternoon to find that her favorite shirt was missing. She knew that she had washed it. Hearing someone singing, Kel followed the sound to find Erica trying to scrub a stain out of Kel's shirt. "What are you doing with my shirt," she demanded. Erica gave her a guilty glance. "I just borrowed it for one day; we went to the market at the Keep." Kel remembered that, she had spent the hours reading some of Valene's books and practicing fighting forms. "And," the falcon prompted. "And I spilled grape juice on it," Erica said in a rush. "I thought I could clean it before you saw it." Kel picked up the shirt. "It's…purple," Kel sputtered. "You ruined it!"
"It's not ruined, just grape-colored, like your eyes," Erica answered. "Just leave it like that," she added. "It would probably match your eyes and hair."
"My hair has blue streaks, not purple."
"Blue, purple, same difference. You could be a grape falcon."
Deciding that there was no verbal response to such stupidity, Kel grabbed a pillow and threw it at the sparrow. Shrieking, Erica promptly returned fire. Valene entered ten minutes later to find the two girls in the midst of a pillow war. Catching sight of the raven, Kel blushed as she set down the pillow in her hand. "I suggest you abandon the idea that you're grown up," Valene said dryly. Erica fell over on the floor, giggling. Kel sputtered in protest, then left the room with as much dignity as she could.
Kel dodged a tree branch that Erica aimed at her. They often walked through the trees around their home. Both of them loved to sit by the river nearby and talk. Suddenly, Kel heard a slight noise. Instincts honed by years of training screamed a warning. She motioned Erica to silence, then listened intently. She spun to her left to see an armed serpent emerge from the trees. Yelling at Erica to change shape and fly, she attacked the intruder. Startled by her appearance and by her apparently suicidal charge, he offered little effective resistance as she disarmed him and stabbed him with his own blade. Several more serpiente stepped into the clearing, ready to fight. The next few minutes were a blur. Kel looked around and realized that all the attackers were dead. A soft sound caught her attention. She realized that Erica lay on the ground, unmoving. Kneeling next to her, Kel could feel the life leaving her friend. Forgetting all caution, Kel closed her eyes and summoned her power, trying to heal Erica. Opening her eyes, Kel realized that she had failed. Erica's still body lay limply in her arms. Despair and exhaustion swept over her. Lifting Erica's body, Kel took wing and flew home. Valene met her at the door. Confusion and shock on her face changed to grief as she took in her niece's lifeless body. Kel could not speak. She lay Erica down, walked past Valene, and collapsed on her bed. She did not want to be here, she did not want to see Erica's lifeless body in her mind. It seemed as though everything she loved was falling away. As a lock of hair fell across her face, she frowned at the sight. It was the wrong color. Standing up, she looked at her reflection in the mirror-and saw Erica. Erica's face, hair, and eyes had replaced Kel's. She suddenly realized what had happened. A sound at the door made her turn; Valene had entered the room. Kel somehow managed to find her voice. "Serpiente attacked us. I fought them, but they hurt Erica before I could kill them all. I tried to save her…" She could not finish. Sitting down abruptly, she covered her face in her hands. "Kel," Valene said softly. Kel shook her head and stood up. Grabbing a vase, she threw it into the wall. "I don't even know why I'm even trying," she said bitterly. "I lose everything I love, everything I value. And it's not like any of this will last," she said half hysterically. "The Mercy will come. I don't know when, but they will come. They will take me away, and try me for treason, and execute me. Maybe I should just go back and save them the trouble."
"Don't…you…dare!" Valene's harsh, pain-filled whisper stopped her. "Don't even think about that!"
"You don't understand," Kel began.
"No, you don't understand," Valene cut her off. "I have lost too many people. Too many friends, too many family members. I have lost my nephew and now my niece; having them was the closest I ever came to having children. I will not lose you too!" Turning away, Valene took a deep breath. "Stay here," she said quietly. Kel stared at her in shock. "You can stay here as Erica. That would give you an identity; you could walk outdoors again without having to fear being found." Kel looked at her, not sure what to say. "I know the concept of force-changing," Valene stated. "I know what happened."
"Valene, she was your niece, and Brenson's daughter. I can't just pretend to be her." Valene took another deep breath. "I will help you, so will Bren. I don't think you realize just how important you have become to us. Please, Kel, don't do this to me. I can't lose you too." Kel was silent. Taking a sparrow form would destroy yet another link to her past. She had the sudden feeling that she was standing on a cliff, about to make a blind leap. Darien's laughing face suddenly filled her mind, a memory of some teasing dare she had tried to talk Kel into. 'Just close your eyes, breathe, and jump" she had challenged. Kel suddenly felt as though Darien and Erica stood by her side, waiting for her decision. She jumped.
(1). 'The sun will rise…things will get better." This line was taken directly from Snakecharm.
(2). "Ahnmik turns…blood in stone." This line was taken directly from Snakecharm.
I had an unexpected amount of free time, so here's your update. The next chapter will include Kel's joining the Royal Flight.