A/N: I'm back, and thanks to all my reviewers! Sorry for taking so long to update, I've been busy. Here's chapter 5, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: This belongs to Tamora Pierce, not me.

Silence and Shadows: Chapter 5

Something large and soft pressed against Kei's face, over and over again, insistently. Kei swatted at the thing, half-conscious, but when the nudging was followed but something rough being passed over her face, Kei gave up on sleep. She sat up, and almost immediately slumped back down, the stinging pain in her arm jolting her back to reality. She brushed her long black hair out of her face as she was nudged one more time.

Blinking, she was confronted with a large gray nose being shoved in the middle of her chest, and soft dark eyes gazed at her. Kei grinned and wrapped her arms around her horse's neck. Whisper nudged her again, and Kei laughed, scratching her horse's nose. The mare backed up, and Kei sat up, trying to ignore the pain in her arm. She pushed herself into a squatting position, and placing one hand on Whisper's back for support, slowly got to her feet, fighting dizziness.

Once on her feet, Kei was distracted as a golden blur leaped for her shoulder and proceeded to groom her face and hair with her tongue. "Tacy," Kei murmured, drawing the cat away from her face and cuddling her. The golden tabby purred, green eyes glowing. Still stroking Tacy, Keianna looked around. This clearing was no different from the other one she had escaped, and there was no sign of her new captors.

A deep snort made Kei jump and whirl around, wary at this disturbance. She relaxed slightly as a small group of horses came into her view, tethered to the trees at one end of the clearing. All three horses watched her, and Kei watched them, assuming these were her captor's horses. One of the horses looked familiar, and as Kei walked towards them, she was sure that one of the horses was her brother's.

"'Zee?" She asked in disbelief, moving slowly up to the horses as not to frighten them. The bay stallion snorted, and shied as she reached out, but calmed under her familiar hand. She stroked his head, pushing his forelock back in order to see the white star that marked his brow. Certain now that it was her brother's horse, Keianna crooned, "Ohanzee, how did they get a hold of you? Did they take you away? Where's Alec?" The stallion just stared at her, relaxing under her soft caresses.

Moving away from the bay for a moment, Kei inspected the other two horses. There was a chestnut stallion that eyed her for a moment before grazing again, and a black mare that watched her, ears pricked. A nudge in the back brought Kei's attention to her own mare, who seemed to be eyeing her reproachfully. Kei realized with surprise and dismay that Whisper was still tacked up, and she hurried to undo the saddle, ignoring the pain in her arm as she worked.

Quickly checking her saddle bags to make sure her hidden daggers were still there, Kei found that they daggers she had lost were cleaned and there also. She quickly donned them, making sure she was well armed. Sliding the saddle off of the mare's back, she placed it on the ground before undoing the bridle and slipping the bit out of Whisper's mouth and reins over her head. Free, Whisper dropped her head to graze as footsteps alerted Kei to the fact that she had company. Gathering Tacy in her arms, she slid back into the foliage, keeping still. A figure appeared out of the trees across the clearing, carrying a bundle of firewood to feed the fire that was growing dim.

Turning his back turned to her, busy feeding the fire, Kei fingered the dagger hilt at her belt, ready to pull it out. As the man turned, Kei choked back a cry—her captor was Jamal of the Copper Isles.

Kaelyn was busy washing her breeches and shirt out in the stream not far from the camp when Alec joined her. He watched her for a moment, a amused smile on his face and she grimaced, imagining what she must look like: black hair tumbling out of her bun in twenty different directions, the breeches and shirt that she was wearing at the moment travel-worn and dirty, green eyes tired. Alec's smile widened, at she twisted around to look up at him.

"What?" she asked, slightly defensive. Alec knelt down at her side, and taking the wet shirt from her, helped her to her feet.

"I was just imagining what my older sister would say if she was forced to wash her clothes," Alec told her. Kaelyn, remembering the older girl from the ball, shivered.

"In the Copper Isles, we were taught to take care of ourselves," Kaelyn told him, suddenly defensive. She stroked Amaya, who had found the familiar perch of her shoulder after a short hunting excursion.

Alec nodded. "I can tell," he said, grinning. "I imagine that your childhood would have been interesting."

Kaelyn grinned at him, green eyes sparkling. "Well, it was never boring when I was growing up," she admitted. She was about to tell him more about her life in the Copper Isles when her cat pendant's eyes glowed green. For once, her pendant rested on top of her shirt, not beneath it—it had fallen out as had she leaned over the stream and she had forgotten to tuck it back beneath her shirt—and so Alec noticed. The pendant grew hot again, and for some inexplicable reason, just like before, Kaelyn knew that Lady Keianna had woken up and was in trouble.

"Your sister is awake," she informed Alec, who, a moment before, had been staring at her necklace in confusion. At this, he looked up, blue eyes hopeful, and turned in direction of their camp. Kaelyn's next words stopped him in his tracks.

"She's in trouble," she told him, and Alec spun around to stare at her, blue eyes fearful, as Kaelyn nodded solemnly. Alec turned and fled back in the direction he had come, fear added speed to his step as he raced to save his sister from whatever danger she had gotten herself into.

Kei watched Jamal from the shadows of the trees as she chewed her lip, trying to decide what to do. She couldn't attack him, that was for certain, but she needed to know where her brother was. She didn't have to kill him; she could question him. In the end, desperation to know where her brother was won out over infatuation. Kei slid out from behind the trees and silently walked forward toward Jamal. His back was turned; he was once again tending the fire. She was about to slip her arm around his shoulders and place the dagger at his neck when he turned.

Brown eyes met blue, wide in surprise and shock. He looked at her, and then the blade, brown eyes almost fearful. Kei lowered the blade slightly, uncertain, and he made to take the dagger out of her hand, but she jerked the dagger out of his range, lifting it again. His brown eyes narrowed, and she knew that he was going to try something. A sharp intake of breath behind her made Kei hesitate, and Jamal's eyes left her face and focused on someone behind her, looking almost relieved.

Kei spun around, blade raised against this new threat, but she gasped as she saw who was there. Blue eyes wide, the dagger slipped from her grasp as she stared at her brother. Alec stared back at her, blue eyes shocked, brown hair mussed, as if he had been running. He was breathing hard, but his voice was quiet as he said her name. "Kei…"

That sound floated in the air between them, and suddenly Kei flung herself across the space to embrace her brother. He was solid and real and smelled like Alec. As his arms wound around her, wonderfully tight, Kei felt, for a moment, that she was home.

A/N: So, did you like it? I know, kind of short, but it'll get more interesting as time goes on, I promise! Please review!