A Song of Silence

Chapter 103: Stagnancy in the Dark

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I stormed into the throne room, a look of determination on my face. The last time I had been here, it had just been my father and I in here, but now the throne room was flooded with assassins and onlookers alike. As I stormed in, their eyes all went to me and then, to my lightning hand. Mouths popped open in amazement while other eyes widened in fear. Nobody had ever seen anyone make a limb out of their power. No doubt they would be even more surprised when they learned it functioned almost as a limb as well.

Karasi stood at the top of the dias, next to the throne, in a beautiful, pink, ballroom gown. It practically matched her hair and was the center of attention as soon as someone entered the room. She decently marked a new era for the guild, that was for sure. Next to her stood Melanie. She would be a good healer for Karasi. She had completed her training and I had taught her the recipe to care for Karasi. She would take good care of Karasi when I was not around.

Still in my bloodied battle suit with a dagger strapped to my thigh, I walked towards Karasi. The people in front of me parted and quickly got out of the way as they took in my bloody, bruised exterior. A look that said, 'don't fuck with me right now' and everyone around me obeyed that look.

When I reached the dias, I slowly ascended it until I reached Karasi. She spoke first, quietly, so that nobody would hear our conversation, "Took you long enough to figure it out."

"You knew Azazel was going to tell me about it?" I ask.

"I knew he might. My visions aren't always as spot on as I'd like them to be. I knew he was thinking of telling you, I just didn't know when." She responds. "We made a bet on how long it would take you to learn how to do it. Congrats, you learned faster than any of us and you earned me a few coins from the bet we made."

"You bet on me, really?"

She gives me a disapproving look, "You would have done the same and you know it."

I shrug my shoulders," True." Greeting Melanie warmly, I gesture for Karasi to sit on the throne before I turn around to address the crowd in front of us. They stare, silent and waiting for what is to come next. "Attention everyone! As you have probably heard, I intend to give up my right to the Guild throne in favor of my younger sister, Karasi SightSeer! A BloodMancer has already confirmed the validity of her claim to the throne! Any contest to this claim will be dealt with by me. Anyone wishing to fight Lady Karasi will have to fight me first." Some in the crowd visibly pale at the sight of my bloody clothes and the reminder that if I can beat my father, then I can surely beat them as well.

Slicing my hand, I kneel before Karasi and say, "To you, Lady Karasi, I defer my right to the Guild throne and hereby swear my loyalty to you."

Karasi rises from the throne, "I accept your deference, Lady Aerilynn and ask that you rise." I do as she asks.

"May i crown you?" I whisper to her. Her eyes shine with inner delight at the suggestion. I hadn't seen such delight in her eyes since I had told her that we might be sisters. She nods quickly and resumes her seat on the throne. I quickly bandage my hand and take the crown from Melanie's hands. It is a simple spiral of silver gold and pale jewels. The crown is light and fits nicely on Karasi's head. Once it is on her head, I turn away and announce, "May I present, the new Lady Assassin, Karasi Sightseer!"

Almost as if it had been practiced, the crowd kneeled in front of Karasi and I followed suit. The entire crowd kneeled in reverence towards their new lady and I couldn't have been more proud. "Rise," Karasi said, her voice quiet, but firm. She was calm and collected even with the events of the past few hours. The crowd slowly rose from their kneeling positions and looked to Karasi, their new leader, expectantly. Within a few moments, she had taken charge and started issuing orders. I quickly faded into the shadows, just where I liked to be, and escaped the room with a quick goodbye to Melanie. Melanie would make sure Karasi would be taken care of, while Karasi could defend herself from what I had taught her. All would be well, hopefully.

I slipped out a side door and made my way back down the maze of hallways towards the front door of the keep. Nobody would likely miss or remember me after this. Any historian would note that I had given up my throne to a more peaceful ruler and I was perfectly fine with that. Nobody ever truly liked being forgotten, but I had been in the shadows all my life, it was no great stretch to be in them further. It didn't take long to traverse the bustling city and make it outside the city gates. Hoping she was still out there, I whistled for Millie loudly and waited. It didn't take long for the horse to come trotting up to me. She had stayed and waited for me, even though I had set her free. I embraced the horse and saddled her up.

Once mounted, I turned around and took one last look at the city that had taught me much and had once been my home, but now belonged to my sister. It was not a fate I would have predicted all those years ago when I had left for the first time, but it was a fate I was glad had occurred. Kicking Millie into a trot, I finally turned my back on the city that had caused me so much pain and allowed it to be made anew by one of the women that I trusted most in this world.

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All had been quiet these days. I had returned to the small cabin that could not be found on any map and made it my home once more. Millie grazed on the green grasses and I trained and did whatever I liked in my spare time. I had an exceptionally long amount of that, so I did what I liked, when I liked. My injuries had healed and my lightning hand was as functional as it would ever be. I could use it just like a normal hand, but when I grew tired, my focus waned and the hand would disappear. It was still a strange thing to get used to, though. I would wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, grasping for a limb that was no longer attached to me.

The worst thing about it all was not the loss of my limb, but the stagnancy at which I now lived. I had no risk, no enemy, no purpose of any kind. I had absolutely fucking nothing to keep me going, to keep me glad that my life had not ended all those weeks ago in the colosseum. I had done everything too keep myself busy and maybe entertained, but my mind kept wandering towards boredom. Not even keeping my hands busy kept the creeping stagnancy from creeping into my bones. It was what I had feared would follow my fathers death.

As fae aged, they grew stagnant as all things did. As time moved on, it took your youth and your life with it, but also your will until one day, you were ready to leave this life. Some fae took their lives before it came to its natural end, while others gathered the courage to wait until nature took them in due time. The stagnancy reached all fae eventually, but it usually hit when fae were closer to 800 years of age, not my age that was half of that. It always set in though, and I could feel it in my bones. In my very soul. It was as if my lack of purpose had finally led to the thoughts, why keep going. Why keep trying at all. I had not the cowardice to take my own life, but I knew this stagnancy was not something I could do for another four hundred years.

I packed up my things the next day and headed towards the male I had been avoiding for weeks. With any luck he would not be angry and turn me away.