A/N: Sorry for such a span between chapters, but I had to get my ideas for this chapter organized. This chapter might seemed a bit rushed, but I tried to get as much information in as I could. Thanks to all my reviewers, and here's Chapter 8!
Disclaimer: This is Tamora's Pierce's world. It belongs to her.
Silence and Shadows: Chapter 8
"So, I suppose you would like an explanation?"
Both girls stared as Shyam Alden as if he was insane. Of course they wanted an explanation! The Shang Wolf settled into his chair, facing the twins. Both girls seemed to be in shock, but the shock was wearing off, and they were eager for more information. He had taken them to his private chambers, in order to discourage eavesdroppers.
At the eager expressions on the princesses' faces, he chuckled to himself, but quickly sobered as he told his tale.
"You really are princesses," he began, "and it is true that your parents are King Francis and Queen Aminia. Your true titles," he told them, "are Princess Keianna Aceline, and Princess Kaelyn Aceline."
"Wait," Kei interrupted, puzzled. "How do you know all this?"
"Because I was there," came the reply.
"What?" This was Kaelyn, green eyes inquisitive.
"I served as the resident Shang Warrior in the Tyran court at the time of your birth," Shyam told them, "and your parents took me into their confidence early on. They were not the most conventional king and queen," he told them, chuckling slightly. He cleared his throat and continued his tale.
"When you were born, the court was in an uproar. They had never had twin princesses before, and everyone wondered if your parents would name you joint heirs. It had never been done before in the court's history, and everyone waited for the decision. After many heated debates with their advisors, the king and queen named you joint rulers of Tyra, when the time came. That was when disaster struck." The Shang Wolf's eyes grew shadowed as he remembered what had happened.
"What happened?" Kei asked, eager to know.
"Someone tried to kill you both," Shyam told them, grave. "Someone stole into the royal nursery in the dead of night and tried to kill you. The guards posted around your cradles stopped the man, but he managed to escape out an open window before they had a chance to capture him."
He looked up. The twins were staring at him, eyes wide, horrified.
"What happened them?" Kaelyn asked in a whisper, almost afraid to know.
The Shang Wolf continued. "Your parents were afraid that someone would try to murder you again, so they decided to hide you. They took you, separately, to different countries, to different courts, so you would be safe, until you could discover who you truly were."
Silence greeted these words, and he took them as his cue to continue. "They took Keianna to Tortall, to be adopted by a noble family there," he said, nodding to Kei, who looked surprised, "and they took Kaelyn to the Copper Isles, were they had friends." Kaelyn looked up, surprised at this information.
"But," Kei asked, "how did they know we would find each other again and find out our heritage?"
"Your pendants," the Shang Wolf replied, and instinctively, both girls reached for the silver chains that held their pendants. They pulled them out: gold and green, blue and black. "Both are symbols of your parentage. The Tyran coat of arms bears a sitting black cat on a field of gold and blue, but your pendants also help you find each other."
Puzzled looks greeted him, and he elaborated. "Those pendants are spelled, so if you come within close contact with each other, they will begin to heat up." Both girls looked at each other, comprehension dawning as things began to fall into place.
"Also," Shyam continued, "your pendants will alert your twin if you are in danger, or sick, or need help. But most importantly, they contain your Gift."
"But," Kei protested, "I don't have the Gift. I was tested, when I was little, and they couldn't find anything."
Kaelyn shook her head in agreement. "I was tested also, and they didn't find anything."
The Shang Wolf smiled a small, sort of secretive smile. "These pendants," he said, indicating the cat figurines, "were spelled to contain your Gift until you came in contact with your twin. Once in contact, the Gift would begin to enter you, little by little, until you retained it all, as you had when you were born."
Kei shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense. Why would our parents hide our Gift in our pendants once they hid us?"
Shyam stared at her, and then said frankly, "Your parents hid your Gift, knowing that if you could seem as normal as possible, without any distinguishing traits, you had a better chance of living."
Kei seemed subdued by this, and sat back in her chair, contemplating this new development in the story.
Kaelyn asked eagerly, "Are our parents still alive?"
The Shang Wolf's hazel eyes seemed to become shadowed again, and he answered sadly, "No, Princess, I'm sorry. Your parents died twelve years ago."
Kei's head snapped up at this news. "How did they die?"
Shyam shrugged. "I don't know," he answered. "That remains a mystery, but your cousin, Prince Namir, has taken the throne under the title King Namir."
Kaelyn stared at him in horror. "He took the throne?"
The Shang Wolf nodded solemnly. "He took the throne, which you must win back."
"Win back the throne?" Kei asked incredulously, "but we have to get back to Corus!"
"Not anymore," the Shyam told her. "You have a duty to your parents, and to your country to take back the throne from the imposter they call king."
Kei shook her head. "It just doesn't seem possible."
Kaelyn looked thoughtful. "But we are the heirs…"
Kei shook her head violently. "No, we're different people now."
The Shang Wolf looked between the two. "I'll leave you to your thinking," he said, and with that, he swept from the room, leaving the two princesses alone with their thoughts.
"This is insane," Kei muttered after Shyam left. "What do we know about ruling a country?"
Kaelyn looked at her, green eyes thoughtful. "I can't believe we're twins, and heirs to the throne."
Kei grinned slightly, and nodded. "We had just gotten to know each other, too."
Kaelyn nodded. "I don't know why I hadn't noticed the similarities between usbefore."
Kei nodded absently, but she was studying the black cat figurine in her palm. The sapphire eyes glittered up at her, seeming to challenge her. "I wonder…" she murmured, and then she closed her eyes, concentrating hard, as she had before.
She was rewarded by Kaelyn's gasp of wonder, and her eyes flew open. There, sitting in her palm, was a small ball of blue fire. She looked at Kaelyn, the surprise, joy, and wonder evident on her face.
Kaelyn contemplated the golden cat figurine in her hand, so like Kei's. Unsure what to do, she concentrated on a ball of fire growing in her palm. She looked up from her concentrating to find a small ball of fire in her palm, like Kei's, except this one was green. She looked over at Kei and gasped.
Her sister seemed to be absorbed the blue fire as it streamed down her arms and pooled into her palms. Traveling from her palms, the fire streamed to the middle of her breastbone, where it pooled into a bright blue light.
After all of the blue fire had disappeared, Kei looked up at Kaelyn and grinned. She touched her breastbone lightly. "It's all here," she whispered in wonder. "My Gift. It's back, and it feels wonderful." She grinned even more brightly, and nodded to Kaelyn.
"Your turn." At her sister's prompting, Kaelyn concentrated again, and now she felt the green fire flow down her arms to her palms, and then to her breastbone. She felt her core forming, and she could feeling the fire pooling into the core, into her essence. It might have been hours, it might have been seconds, and then it was over.
Kaelyn looked up at Kei, grinning just as broadly. She felt the same wonderfulness, and she now remembered that familiar feeling of her Gift from long ago.
"So, about taking over the country from our cousin…" Kei began, and Kaelyn grinned, feeling daring and knowing exactly what her twin was talking about.
"Let's go," she said, and headed for the door.
Later, Shyam Alden heard the pounding of hoofbeats on the packed dirt of the courtyard, and as the noise receded, he looked out the window in his library. He watched the gray mare and the black mare grow smaller, and he grinned. They were going back.
A/N: Good? Bad? Not enough information? Too rushed? Tell me what you think by pushing that button down there! Keep an eye out for Chapter 9, in which we find out the boys' reaction to this impromptu trip.