Chapter 7

The Night Before

Keira’s shadow drew long as the sun set as she walked toward her family’s manor house. She heard the idle chatter of the villagers around her: A large Üna-vek was yelling at a small Non woman for knocking over a pile of lemons that she was putting away. One of the young guardsmen getting an earful from a higher-ranking officer for abandoning his post for a few moments.

All of it seemed to accentuate the empty pit in her stomach and the throbbing of knowledge at the back of her mind. The usual bright colors of the trees seemed muted and dark, enclosing their embrace on her dire mood. What if I become the great destroyer he fears? What if I am destined to become the Nightmare Without End?

She reached the large iron gate and rested her head against the cooling metal. She closed her eyes, breathing in the coolness of the coming night, letting it still her mind. Then with a drawn-out irritable tone, “Stanley. Gate.”

The old man sauntered over to the lock and the gate swung open with a screech of metal on metal. He looked over her ragged countenance, “Long day Miss Silverlight.”

She didn’t look up as she entered the grounds, “Just close the gate,” Keira said curtly.

“Yes, Miss Silverlight.”

“Keira?” She heard a familiar voice shout from a distance.

She looked back to see Solomon approaching the gate, a pleading look in his eyes. On the one hand she wanted to jump at the chance to be with him, but on the other she didn’t want to burden him with everything she had just learned. She looked down at the ground and decided. “Not tonight. Goodbye Solomon.”

He shook the gate and shouted her name, she heard Stanley pipe up, “You heard the little Lady, of with‘a lad.'' He continued to evoke her name unmoving from his spot on the other side of the gate.

“You may be a guardsman but I can still have you arrested for trespassing.” She lost track of the confrontation as she closed the front door behind her.

Entering the hallway its interior, colored by the setting sun peeking through the stained glass of the door. She climbed the three flights of stairs to the solitary blue door that lead to her loft. Her room, while spacious, was sparsely populated with furniture. A small writing desk and chair for doing research on certain spells and practices. A few unopened books laid there with a folded note, no doubt from Leon.

Her large floor to ceiling wardrobe stood in the corner, inside she knew still sat her clothes from years ago that no longer fit her. She got to her bed, its warm blue blanket inviting her, as she fell on to its feathery surface. Her back and chest ached from her beating earlier, Keira closed her eyes for a few moments, the soft bed and fluffy pillow embracing her.

What seemed like a minute later a one of the Nons knocked on the door. She knew it was a Non because they all knocked the same way, three soft raps on the center of the door. She shouted through the covers, her head buried in its warmth, “Go away!”

A few moments later the knocking continued, sighing she peeled herself off the bed and opened the door. On the other side was a Non-Girl wearing the standard brown pants and grey shirt of all the village House-Nons.

“What?” Keira said rudely.

“Dinner will be served in a few moments.” She said quietly, her eyes darting to the floor.

“Tell them I’ll take it in my room. I want to be alone.” Keira spat, and slammed the door.

Harwin

Harwin sat up in his chair in the dining room just outside the main hallway and listened. He heard Keira shouting at one of the Nons on the floor above him, “Tell them I’ll take it in my room. I want to be alone.” Her door slammed shut, it’s sound clamoring though the house.

“Sounds like Keira’s in one of her moods.” Said Harwin.

“Oh Win, she’s just stressed about the Ascension tomorrow,” Comforted Sophie, “like we all are.”

He knew the reason for that last remark. Even though she had agreed to keep the details of the council meeting secret, he couldn’t help but feel the anxiety in her voice. It mirrored his own feelings, he worried that the spitefulness and rage that her training had brought out of her would manifest as a dark seed during her Ascension.

Footfalls descending the stairs pushed the thoughts from his head as the young Non approached him, “I’m sorry Master Silverlight but-”

Harwin cut her off with a wave, “I heard, please go back to your duties.”

She gave a small bow and walked through the small swinging door into the large dinner kitchen. Harwin could hear the clink of kitchenware, and the idle chatter of the Nons on the other side of the door as she passed through. A moment later she reappeared with a stack of white dishware and commenced with setting the table’s other settings. Six in total.

While he never liked the way the Nons were treated in the village, the system had allowed the warlocks to survive here for centuries. All he could do is treat the Nons under his protection with respect and dignity. Under his care they all had adequate living spaces and only as much work as they were physically capable of.

While in his service, Harwin allowed a variability of freedom within the confines of the Manor. Although he wondered if it didn’t feel like a prison to them, never allowed to leave, always told what to do and how to act. The train of thought inevitably turned to Keira and her fate, if she failed the Ascension she could end up working in his home rather than just living in it.

The arrival of his son Zane shook the thoughts from his head, standing to greet him and his wife, Caina. He was in his usual white shirt and black vest, which was normal evening attire of the common villager. She was in a long dress made of red sunsilk, a rare fabric on this side of the world. He took the pair of them in an embrace, “You don’t come home enough.” He said releasing them from the hug.

“Well we are on the other side of town, after long days patrolling the outskirts it sometimes seems a task just to get simple housework done.” Zane said pulling a chair out for his wife.

“What about old Jeffery and his son, the Nons we sent you after you moved out?” Asked Sophie.

Caina answered, taking her seat, “Well at first they were a blessing, but as you know old Jeffery has a horrible joint affliction. The medicines aren’t working anymore so his son has to split his duties between us and his father.”

“Perhaps we could spare a few more for your household?” Asked Harwin.

This time Zane piped up, his thin body sliding into a chair beside his wife, “Oh no, we can barely afford to feed the four of us on the salary we make on the patrols.”

“How about you send Old Jeffery and his son back to us, and we replace them with only one Non. Would that ease the tension?” Sophie asked.

The couple seemed to consider it for a moment, and Zane said, “Old Jeffery would get better care back here. If they wish it we’ll send them back.” Harwin’s chest rose with pride, I’m glad he’s still treating his Nons as the people they are.

“Great, now that’s settled let’s eat.” Harwin said gleefully, motioning to the servant at the door he disappeared into the kitchen.

“What about Leon and Keira?” Asked Zane.

“Leon won’t be joining us till later and Keira, if you didn’t hear the commotion before, has refused dinner.” Harwin explained dryly. Zane rolled his eyes and got up from his chair heading toward the stairs.

“It’s no use son. She can be quite stubborn when she gets like this.” Said Harwin, knowing that Zane’s absence from the household the last few years had thrown some distance between the siblings.

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Said Zane mounting the stairs up to Keira’s loft.

Keira

Keira had buried her head in the wool pillow on her bed, maybe I should just run away. Run away before my ritual, no one would know that I came from a warlock village if I didn't have a brand.

She buried her head deeper when she heard a series of hard knocks come at the door. “Go away!” She shouted into the pillow. The knocks came louder. Clearly it wasn’t one of her father’s Nons at the door. She didn’t care who it was, and she curled up on the bed.

Suddenly the door burst open with a mighty push, she looked back toward the door. Standing there was her brother Zane, his hand outstretched, the green traces of the telekinetic spell disappearing around him. His long legs and boney body crossed the room quickly to her bed. Scooping her up with one arm he placed her over his shoulder with a single movement.

Pressing up off of him to breathe she protested as they reached the door, “Zane put me down this instant.”

“Well apparently the baby needs to be fed.” He said cheerfully.

She grabbed either side of the door jam as they passed the threshold and pulled back, throwing him with her legs. He tumbled into her room and sprang to his feet assuming a fighting stance. His dull blue-grey eyes staring her down.

“Oh, ho-ho, a bit of spunk now that Hella isn’t here to protect you.” He taunted.

“This isn’t going to be like before you left, I’m a lot stronger and tougher now.” Keira said swinging her legs and letting go of the top of the door jam. She landed in a perfect stance just as Torok had taught her. She ran and slid attempting to take out his legs.

He jumped over the attack and slapped her in the head. His hand ruffled her blue hair. He tumbled to the door and leaned out and said, “You might want to start without us, this might take a second.”

Before he could recover she had crossed and grabbed him by the scruff of his collar. She punched him twice in the face before he threw her off back into the room. Keira skidded to a stop the rug underneath her sliding on the shiny wood floor. She looked back at her brother and noticed he was making a grasping motion with his hands. Suddenly the rug underneath her feet began to move as he used a telekinetic spell to rip the rug out from under her.

Keira landed on her back hard, causing the ache in her back to return. She rolled up on her side and gave Zane a fierce stare, “Hey, no magic!” She yelled.

“No closed fists.” He said, raising one blonde eyebrow. A long time ago they had made rules for these interactions, no magic, no insults, and no closed fists. Now that they were older, she found it harder to hold back. Years of cruel combat training had made Keira reflexively use all her skills.

“Fine,” She stood back up and raised her hands with open palms this time. He took the same stance with open hands at the ready.

He closed the distance and threw a jab at her face. Keira slapped the punch aside with a chop to the elbow joint and countered with a backhand to his jaw.

Zane trapped her arm and threw her against the door jam. The sharp edge ramming her in the small of the back, a soft groan escaped her lips. Pushing off the wall Keira kneed him in the soft tissue of his side.

Making a knife of his hand, he stabbed her ribs to no effect. She blocked it, giving ground she was forced on to the landing outside her room. Breathing heavily, Zane charged at her with a feral left to her chin.

Dodging quickly, she slapped him in the ear and punched him with a few rabbit punches to his kidneys. He countered by using his superior height to wave her arms out of the way and turning her around into a headlock.

“Well this is a familiar position,” Zane said. In fights in the past it was his signature move, depriving her use of her arms.

Unlike those times though, she had the benefit of experience and training. Noticing the stairs before her she cast a protection spell on herself in her mind and kicked her legs forward. Tumbling the two of them down the stairs.

The spell protected her from the brunt of the damage, cushioning her landing. Zane released her halfway down the stair, and they landed apart on the floor below. Keira scrambled to her feet, Zane whimpered in a heap at the foot of the stairs. He must have instinctively thrown up a protection spell as well because he was on his feet a few moments later.

They both smiled and stood ready to continue the fight. At that same moment, Leon had joined them on the long landing that separated one stair from another. Noticing the tumult that was ensuing, he raised his hands and came between them.

“Now you two will stop this,” Leon ordered, looking back and forth at them both with an angry expression. They both lowered their hands and straightened their clothes, “Good now if you're done acting like ungrateful children, let’s eat.” Leon chided as he entered the dining room.

They both gave a quick glance at each other and smiled. Zane had known exactly what she needed, a good fight to break her out of her funk. As they approached the doorway he wrapped his arm around her and whispered confidently, “Next time, sis.”

“Oh, I almost had you, what makes you think I won’t win.” She replied.

“Because next time you’ll be a warlock, and I won’t have to go easy on you.”