The Silver Siren (32 page)

Fenri only smiled. “It looks like
you’ve had plenty of time to think as well. But just so you know, I
can’t stop thinking about you, Meja Tigyr.” He pulled a shocked and
crying Syrani into his embrace and kissed her full on the
mouth.

I couldn’t help but smile. It would
take awhile for Syrani to learn our tongue and to realize that he
just called her Little Tiger, which was actually fitting. I looked
away and started up the stairs, trying to give them privacy as they
made up and poured out their hearts to each other. Fenri was right,
this might very well be the last night they truly did have
together, so it shouldn’t be wasted being angry.

And if we did all survive, they could
very well be the first of a new generation, Denai and Siren living
harmoniously together. Oh, how that would be a world worth living
to see.

I found a servant in the halls and
told them to find Xiven for me and tell him that I would be in the
upper tower room. The young boy promised he would immediately
search him out.

Exhaustion slowly crept up my body and
began to weigh heavily on my eyelids. I hadn’t slept in over
thirty-six hours, and I knew that I needed to sit before I
collapsed. My father and Gideon were preparing for an invasion. Any
moment, Xiven would come and we would spend hours trying to find a
way to save Siobhan. I might only have a few moments to
myself.

I rubbed my arms as I took
the stone steps slowly. Once again I was filled with loneliness.
Fenri said he had many hours to think over who was right for him,
and I too had spent many hours thinking over my future. Joss and
Kael. As much as I tried to tell myself that Joss was the more
stable of the two, I couldn’t help but know that I was lying. I
needed Kael like I needed air. I wasn’t whole without him.
Everything started and ended with Kael. He was there in the prison
with me, he was there by my side saving me, training me, guiding
me. He was always there, and now he was always
here
. I touched my chest and felt my
heart speed up just thinking about him.

I turned left down the direction Fenri
had come and found Siobhan in the fourth room. Exhausted, I pulled
up a chair and sat next to her bed to wait. To watch her sleep. No
one had cleaned her up, so I took a bowl of water and did my best
to get the dirt and grime off of her. When I was finished and I had
brushed her hair, I laid my head on my arms at the edge of her bed.
I tried to close my eyes and scan for Kael. But I couldn’t. I was
now surrounded by more Sirens. My gifts were muted once again. I
could feel them, just beyond my reach. It was difficult, but I
navigated the obstacles faster.

Then Queen Lilyana’s words came
rushing back to me just as I was about to pass out from fatigue. If
I could reverse what was done to me, would I give it all up for a
chance to be normal? Before, I had said yes without a doubt. But
now…I didn’t know if I could.

Chapter 31

The
knocking at the door didn’t surprise me—I was expecting it. But I
wasn’t expecting Portia to come barreling into the room and wrap
her arms around me in a desperate and undignified hug.

“
I knew you would come
back. I knew that you cared,” Portia said.

“
Xiven,” I interrupted.
“Have you seen Xiven? My cousin. We need to try and save my
cousin.”

She pulled away and a frown appeared
on her face. “No, I haven’t seen him since yesterday.”

“
What about Prince
Sevril?” I was now fully alert. This was not what I was
expecting.

“
No. He didn’t come down
for dinner last night or for any meals today.”

“
Then who’s going to help
Siobhan?” I cried out, letting my worry and frustration ring
through my voice. I knew we couldn’t keep her unconscious forever.
She would eventually wake up on her own. And then, Cirrus could
kill her.

“
She’ll be fine. But we
need to discuss you and your future.” Portia admonished me, but I
just ignored her. Whatever she was going to say wasn’t
important.

No one understood my concern. Siobhan
was me. If they couldn’t help her, then what chance was there of
ever saving me?

Loud footsteps rushed down the hall
and one of the Elite came in with a worried expression on his face.
He spoke quickly and quietly to Lady Portia. His shoulders
straightened and he turned to give me a onceover before he spoke
aloud.

“
They’re here,” he said
stiffly.

Portia let out a little scream of
fright, pulled up her skirt and ran out of the room. I ran after
her. I watched as Portia ran down a hall away from the front door.
I left my cousin and ran to the main hall, where I saw that a small
selection of weapons had appeared. I watched as servants and anyone
willing to defend the castle began to assemble themselves for
battle. My throat constricted when I saw a young boy of ten or so
pick up a sword much too heavy for him.

I immediately pulled it out and tossed
it onto the table. I grabbed a shorter, lighter sword and handed it
to him. He gave me a defiant look and I couldn’t help but raise my
voice at him.

“
You won’t be able to
handle the larger sword. It’s too heavy and not balanced right for
your arm length. Speed is your ally. Hiding and attacking from
afar. Only engage in hand-to-hand combat when cornered. Do you
understand me?” Next, I handed him the smallest of the crossbows,
one that I knew he could load as well as a quiver of
arrows.

“
Yes, ma’am,” he said
before darting off to what I hoped was a good hiding spot. He
seemed relieved that I didn’t deny him his right to defend his
home. I should have told him to run to the woods and not come back.
I took it upon myself to make sure that the household staff was
properly outfitted with weapons. It didn’t matter how much
convincing I did. The head cook wouldn’t choose any other weapon
other than the meat cleaver. The same with the older boys. They
took up stations using scythes and hoes. Each person chose a weapon
they knew and were comfortable with over something that was
foreign.

I couldn’t help but feel a mixture of
pride for their willingness to fight and sadness. This day would
end in a lot of death.

For myself, I found a bow and a quiver
full of arrows. Next, I chose a knife and began to work on my
dress. It had long since been destroyed by my foray through the
woods and riding. I sliced the dress off at the knees and cut long
slits up the sides, so it resembled a tunic. My riding boots,
thankfully, were high and would offer some protection.

I went out to the courtyard and met my
father and his men; they were preparing to go with King Tieren to
meet the army. Bearen and Fenri were already mounted. I had
convinced my father to take Faraway into battle instead of his own
steed. There was no one I trusted more to take care of my father if
things went downhill. Faraway would protect my father since I
couldn’t. Even now, I could easily spot Faraway’s gleaming white
coat with Bearen’s large form riding next to Gideon. Everyone’s
faces mirrored the same grim expression.

Keep him safe.
I shot to Faraway as he rode proudly
on.

I will take care of
him.
I promise
.

Syrani came and stood by me. As the
men rode toward the gate, she reached forward and gripped my
arm.

“
I’ve never been so scared
in my life,” she confessed. “This is nothing like the arena.” She
gently led me toward the stone steps to go to the wall where we
could try and watch the armies meet.

“
I know what you mean.
There is no safe zone. We can and will die in battle.” I gave her a
reassuring squeeze. “But I think you might have an advantage here.
There’s a whole lot of earth, and you’re very strong.” I
encouraged.

“
I am strong. I’m one of
the strongest Denai ever born in earth,” she said confidently.
Syrani’s blonde hair was braided and tucked under her cloak. A
stray wisp kept getting blown about by the wind. She tucked it
behind her ear again.

I could feel her anxiety.

“
But I’m not as strong as
you. I felt it, in the arena, your power. When you were under the
earth, I could feel you start to give up. But then I felt a sudden
surge of power burst forth out of you, and you counter-attacked.
Are there more like you? Out there?” She nodded with her chin to
the approaching army.

“
Oh, stars, I hope not. I
don’t think I’m strong enough to face others like me.”

“
You’ve changed since the
arena. If anything, you’re stronger,” she argued.

“
There’s a barrier here.”
I snapped back, suddenly irritated. “It makes it harder for me to
use my gifts. Unlike you.”

Syrani spun to face me, her nostrils
flared in anger and a heated spark flashed in her eyes. “The only
barrier is in your mind.”

Noise below drew my attention to the
courtyard. Troops ran back and forth, calling each other to arms,
to the gate. I followed the army of Sinnendor, their black banner,
with a silver wolf flying high in the sky across the field as they
met the encroaching army. I could easily pick out my father, who
looked like a giant surrounded by his own retinue of
men.

I saw hundreds of approaching horses
and a division of riders wearing a color that I wished I could rid
my mind of—red. In front of the army was a large group of ground
soldiers, dressed in browns and red, armed with swords and shields.
Something glinted toward the front of the army, and I craned my
neck to see if it would flicker again. There! A lone rider covered
in a robe wore a silver hook-nosed mask, and perched on his
shoulder was the largest black raven I’ve ever seen.

My body ran cold and my hands started
to shake, but only for a minute as my fear was replaced by anger.
We had a score to settle, and I was determined to watch him die.
Preferably by my own hand.

After all, it would be fitting for him
to be killed by his own creation.

The Raven and his army marched down
the hill, and I watched as King Tieren, dressed for war, rode out
to meet the much larger army.

I couldn’t help but wonder if King
Tieren was in his right mind at the moment. I could see Gideon’s
white head riding close to the King, keeping him protected and
flanked. Both armies pulled up to face each other and stood firm a
short distance apart, unmoving. King Tieren and Gideon spurred
their horses forward, and the Septori parted so that the Raven
could come forward and greet the men.

Words were exchanged and King Tieren
pointed his hand back the way the Raven had come. It didn’t take
much to read his body language.

The silver mask glistened again as the
Raven tossed his head back and laughed. Desperately, I wanted to be
able to hear what they were saying. It didn’t seem to be going in
Tieren’s favor as I saw him raise his sword to attack the
Raven.

“
Please,” I whispered.
Wishing, hoping for the sword to strike true—wishing that the Raven
would be no more. But it was Tieren whose sword stopped midair and
fell from his fingertips. I gasped as Gideon’s sword flashed out
and sliced through Tieren’s midsection, fatally wounding his own
king.

Red flowed from Tieren’s side and I
could see his body tilt toward Gideon, a shocked expression on his
face. He fell forward to the ground and stopped moving. I couldn’t
tear my gaze away from the ghastly scene.

Gideon killed Tieren!

The Elite turned on Gideon, just as I
realized that he was being controlled by a very powerful Denai.
Gideon turned his horse, his face a blank and confused mask. His
men fought for their lives behind him. Gideon sat frozen upon his
horse like a statue as the Elite were cut down one by one. A quick
arrow into his torso released Gideon of whatever spell he was under
and he slid from his horse.

“
NO!” I screamed in fear
as Sinnendor’s army was quickly overrun in the mass confusion. I
lost sight of my father.

Faraway! Get him
out!

But he wouldn’t answer me.

The Elite fought bravely but were
disheartened by the quick death of their king and the apparent
betrayal of their own leader. The Septori rode forward, pressing
Sinnendor back toward their gates.

“
VAAALDYRRSTAL!” The cry
echoes through the valley. My father bellowed the battlecry once
more, holding his sword high in the air, calling his men to him.
“For Valdyrstal we ride; for Valdyrstal we die!” There was a surge
of energy and the mass confusion that was a leaderless army
regrouped under Bearen Valdyrstal. My father does not give up
easily. I watched Faraway bravely carry my father into the fray.
Twice, I saw him preemptively sidestep a sword strike, keeping
Bearen just out of reach of his attacker’s sword. I kept holding my
breath, but it seemed that Bearen and Faraway were a formidable
team.

Thalia, we can’t run
away,
Faraway finally answered.
We are needed here. He is needed here. Please
forgive me.

I
understood
.
I
didn’t have to like it, but I understood. If Bearen ran now,
everyone would follow. There would be no leader and we would lose
before we barely began.