The Silver Siren (7 page)

I froze.

“
Whose sword do you die
for?” a raspy voice called out.

I turned to look at the man clothed in
black. His pants, shirt, and boots were black. His face was covered
by a black mask as well. I could see a bandolier of weapons, but
even the silver of the weapons were painted a matte black to keep
them from glinting in the sun. Four more silhouettes of black stood
behind him. I turned my head and followed the knife at my throat up
the arm to my own attacker.

He was smaller than the
others by a good ten inches, and I stared up at the mask. Like the
other man, this person’s face was wrapped with black except for the
eyes.
Oh.
I was
surprised at how much hate radiated out of those very feminine
brown eyes. My captor was female.

Kael’s strong voice answered the
question without wavering. “My own.”

“
Whose land do you die
for?” A second question came forth from the same man.

“
The land of the
free.”

“
Welcome home, brother.”
The man stepped back from Kael and withdrew his knife.

“
Alek?” Kael
said.

It took a few seconds for the woman
who held the knife at my throat to back away, and I couldn’t help
but feel her gaze on me long after I stood up. Her knife
disappeared into the folds of her clothes and her hands gripped my
forearm painfully. I knew better than to fight until Kael had given
me an all-clear signal.

I glanced over to Faraway and studied
his legs and muscles for injuries. He limped a little and had a few
cuts and scrapes but he appeared fine otherwise.

It takes more than a fall
to take me down,
he said.
I’ll be fine.

Kael and the man spoke quietly with
each other. I could see the stranger cast furtive glances over at
me and shake his head furiously. Kael’s voice didn’t raise but I
could see how angry he was. His body stiffened, his face
deadpanned, and he barely moved.

What’s going on? You’re
closer to them.

They’re arguing over
you.

Me?

Yes, it is against clan laws for
outsiders to come to the sanctuary. Ever. The one that Kael is
talking to seems to be his brother.

The woman holding my arm called out to
them in a foreign tongue. An ancient tongue. I could only recognize
a few words.

Oh. It was beginning to make sense—all
of the precautions, why Kael didn’t want to tell me where we were
going.

What Kael did is
punishable by death.
Faraway answered
back.

No. They wouldn’t kill
their own member.

Thalia, it’s not Kael’s
life they are arguing over. It’s yours.

Chapter 9

Everything became crisp, clear, finite—the sounds of
SwordBrothers closing in around me, knives being unsheathed and
raised. Words heatedly passed back and forth between Kael and his
brother. My captor’s hand pressed into my forearm. Even the sound
of my blood rushing loudly within my ears heightened. My world
stopped, froze, and all I could do was exhale. I concentrated on
breathing and watching as my fate unfolded before me.

Kael’s brother took off his hood and
they stood face to face. He was a taller, more angular version of
Kael. His features were more prominent. Whereas Kael’s hair was
dark and long to his ears, his brother’s was lighter in color and
cropped shorter. I couldn’t see the shade of his eyes, and I
briefly wondered if they turned colors the way Kael’s did when he
was angry.

I didn’t have to wait long, because he
turned and gave me the full focus of his deep green-gold fury. His
hand rested close to his knife as he gave a short bark of command
to my captor. She released my arm, and I ignored both the pain and
the desire to rub the area where she had touched me. Kael stepped
in front of me, his face once again devoid of emotion. I had no
clue what had been decided, and he obviously wasn’t going to give
me any hints.

But then he grabbed my arm and glared
angrily at the woman who had just released me. A glare that I had
been the recipient of on more than one occasion.

“
Are you hurt?” Kael
asked. His eyes met mine and then flicked away toward the tall
woman again. A second of regret flickered across his face. He
continued to watch her as she moved to speak to his brother. I
didn’t have to be a genius to figure I had just met
Gwen.

“
No. I’m fine,” I said
stiffly. “Nice family reunion.”

Kael looked back to me and
frowned.

We were moving, or rather being forced
to walk, down a narrow ledge barely large enough for a horse. Kael
walked in front of me, his head held high, though I knew he watched
his clan members warily. He was tense. Everyone was tense. My only
consolation was that I didn’t have to wear the stupid blindfold
again.

But…maybe the reason I didn’t need to
wear the blindfold was because I wouldn’t be alive much longer. My
stomach plummeted.

I wanted to ask Kael questions, but
when we had turned a corner and entered a cave, he shot me a
worried glance. All questions died on my lips, and I started to
look for an escape route. The cave was only dark for a few hundred
feet as it emptied us into a deep large valley. Lush trees and a
small winding river filled the oasis. On the far side were towering
pagodas, barely discernible against the surprising green when all I
had seen for miles was brown and parched. This was it—the hidden
camp of the SwordBrothers. We had tracked through barren lands and
shale mountains through a land of nothing, where no one wanted to
live.

But in the middle of nowhere was
life.

From the higher view point, I was able
to see the difference in the structure and design of the buildings.
Many were large, possibly homes meant to hold more than one family
with a central courtyard. They had sliding doors covered in rice
paper, which were currently opened. That must be for allowing a
cross breeze and battle the heat.

The houses were built in groupings
like the one I passed. Banners and flags of yellow and gold waved
in the air and along the streets. We turned south down a packed
dirt road, and I saw a high stone archway with two swords crossed
above it, as if in battle. Through the stone arch, I saw what
appeared to be a training arena. Bamboo mats lined the floor and
racks of weapons were displayed. I watched with interest as two
young men sparred, craning my neck to follow them. But we kept
moving.

People heard our group returning and
more gathered around to greet them. A few called out to Kael in
recognition, but they soon dropped their hand and turned away—when
they saw me. Loud whispering and murmurs followed us. We were led
into the largest house. Kael stayed close to me, even causing
others to step around him, as he patiently waited for me to enter
the dwelling.

With Kael by my side I felt secure, so
I entered, holding my head high. An old woman sat cross-legged on a
mat, a small delicate tea set before her. Her eyes were closed in
sleep or deep concentration. She didn’t move a muscle or even
acknowledge the gathering now descended upon her.

Kael was the first to kneel before the
woman. He bowed his head, touching the floor. Others followed, but
I stood there awkwardly, unsure of their customs.

Instead, I focused on the old woman.
Her long white hair, braided and draped over one shoulder, was a
sharp contrast against the light blue of her wraps. I was
fascinated by what looked like a silver sleigh bell attached to the
white and gray trim on each of her sleeves.

“
Would you like some tea?”
She spoke without opening her eyes.

I really didn’t want any tea, but
thought it would be impolite to say so.

“
Yes, please,” I
answered.

Her small arm slid forward out of her
sleeve and reached for the handle of the white patterned teapot.
She filled the ceramic cup to the brim with green tea, and I
wondered how I would drink it without spilling any. I watched the
bells on her sleeves. Her movements were not necessarily slow, just
very balanced.

Neither bell made a sound.

The woman replaced the kettle and
picked up the dainty teacup and saucer and handed both to me
without making a single bell ring.

The tea cup was warm in my hands and
the aroma was relaxing, but again I was left with the problem of
drinking it without spilling. I could slurp the top off but that
would be crude. Instead, I held the cup up in the air with
uncertainty. My own hands were shaking, and the liquid splashed
over the top of the cup. The cup rattled loudly against the
saucer.

Out of the corner of my eye I could
see Kael on his knees before the woman, his posture stiff. The
corner of his mouth made the lightest twitch. Was he laughing at
me?

Carefully, I placed the cup in front
of Kael giving him the overly full cup of tea.

Kael’s eyebrows furrowed in
confusion.

“
May I?” I gestured to the
tea pot and cups.

She nodded.

As politely as I could, I picked up
the teapot and poured two cups half full. I replaced the kettle and
handed one cup to the old woman, taking one manageable cup of tea
for myself. Kael was now left staring at the same overflowing cup
of tea that I had—and the same perplexing problem. Without waiting
for prompting, I lifted the cup took a small sip and was instantly
refreshed by the flavor.

I glanced over at Kael and his full
cup. “Is there something wrong with the tea Kael? I happen to think
it’s wonderful.”

Kael leaned forward and picked up the
small cup, dwarfed by his large hands.

He was about to attempt to take a sip
off the top when the old woman clapped her hands and laughed
loudly, her chuckle somewhere between a rasp and a
wheeze.

Other SwordBrothers joined in the
laughter.

Her shoulders shook mercilessly and
her face turned pink in color. “Stop, enough! My heart can’t take
much more.”

The laughter from the others died down
in the room, and Kael gave me a very proud look.

The old woman wiped the tears out of
the corner of her eyes and beamed at me. “My name is Alba, and
never before has someone solved the tea test the way you
did.”

“
This was a
test?”

“
Yes, everything’s a test.
If you are not constantly tested, then how will you expect to pass?
Even life is a test. Only at the end will we find out if we have
fulfilled our destiny accordingly.”

I pointed to her sleeves. “So the
bells? Are they also a test, or is that so they can hear you
coming?” More laughter came from behind me, from the direction of
the SwordBrothers.

She smiled again. “Yes, this is a test
of patience and balance. Learning to move about the world by not
disturbing it.” Her pale hands rose again, and I watched as she
spun them and intertwined her hands in a theatrical way, but one
that looked very similar to a disarming technique that Kael had
taught me.

“
Or a skill learned by a
SwordBrother to make them a better assassin?” I crossed my arms and
gave her a disbelieving look. I couldn’t help but picture Kael
learning this as a young boy. No wonder he was so
stealthy.

Alba shrugged her small shoulders.
“That too.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep
from chuckling. I could hear more stifled laughs behind me, and
Kael put his cup down and watched our conversation with renewed
interest. He still hadn’t spoken a single word, so I was beginning
to feel nervous about my situation again. Why was I
here?

Alba didn’t seem to notice my
discomfort but continued with her reading of my teacup test. “Such
interesting problem solving skills you have. It speaks much of the
way you live your life.”

“
How can the way I drink
tea or not drink tea tell you anything about my life?” I had heard
of some people reading tea leaves for fortunes but this was
different.

The elderly woman took a sip of the
tea, her smile spreading. “To fill the cup to overflowing is a faux
pas. It is considered bad manners on my part, but seeing how you
deal with the problem of the overflowing cup tells me much about
you. If you had leaned forward and sipped off the top of the cup,
then I would know you are a hurried individual, but brave. The
first to lead the charge, though prone to anger and rash
decisions.”

I turned and gave Kael a thoughtful
look. He continued to smile, silently refusing to give me any kind
of signal as to what he had done when he was first
tested.

The old woman continued. “If you had
poured off the excess, then I would say you are a spirited
individual who makes decisions based off of need rather than
thought. If you used a spoon to drink off the extra, then you are a
thoughtful problem solver. If you set the tea in front of you and
never take a sip, then I can tell you are cautious, and fear of
failure can be a major obstacle in your life.”

“
But what of Thalia’s
choice?” Kael spoke up.