2 Singing Like a Nightingale

After another few days, Elena finally allowed someone to leave and find Helena. The chosen one was Charlotte Coberry. As a shapeshifter, she was the one most likely to survive if she encountered Hunters. She was also, however, one they would take great pleasure in killing.

The rest of the Karsans carried on with their daily lives while they waited for news - Dalisay included.

Despite this, an air of tension hung around them. The Karsans found that the lanterns in the hallways and rooms, lit with a special fire that changed colours to match the most felt mood in the room, were mostly red, purple, and black.

Our main group, Dalisay, Elliot, Kiara, and Marla, were currently in their Defence class, taught by Philip Brown.

Everyone naturally paired up with their usual partners. Elliot and Marla were together, their weapons able to do well against each other. Kiara fought against Maria Gable (a thirteen-year-old psychic who also happened to fight with knives). The asshole Marcus was practising against his vampire friend (Castan), while their other close friend (Andrea - a witch) fought Tomas (the second eldest of the students, 19). The two youngest in the class, Daniel (Sound elemental - like Kiara - 12) and Noah (Unknown, 10) were obviously paired with each other as well.

And yes, I gather that this is a lot of names to take in and remember, but you will be reminded of most of them later on either during their deaths, or their miraculous escapes.

The final three, Dalisay, Kelly Brown, and Violeta Lansky all used weapons that couldn't exactly be used in close-combat.

They positioned themselves at the back of the large cavern, behind the pairs so that they wouldn't accidentally shoot them.

Dalisay put her arm-guard on and picked up her bow. Kelly, the eldest of all the students at 21 (she didn't exactly go to lessons though, just combat ones), had collected a quiver of arrows for the two of them to use. While they both started practising - each taking a shot, and then Kelly correcting Dalisay - Violeta stood slightly to the side of them, crossbow in hand.

Violeta didn't have many friends. She found that the fact that she did not like talking - she rarely had much to talk about - meant that no one particularly enjoyed spending time with her. That's why, when I said 'not many', I should have said 'one' friend.

Andrea Ros Torres was Violeta's favourite person in all of Siége. Andrea had noticed her loneliness and had decided to take Violeta under her wing. This had worked out well for both of them - Violeta had an older witch she could learn from, and Andrea had an adorable side-kick that loved and adored her.

This friendship, however, had further alienated Violeta from the rest of the Karsans due to the fact that Andrea was extremely close friends with Marcus, and therefore not a particularly nice person. So when Andrea's personality and views started rubbing off on Violeta, everyone silently agreed that they would stay away - any conversation they could have had with Violeta would've been ruined by the person she had grown into.

So there Violeta stood, slightly to the side of Kelly and Dalisay so as not to get in their way, her crossbow carefully aimed at a target.

She could hear bits of Kelly and Dalisay's conversation floating her way. The words angered her.

"Yeah well, there's nothing I can do to change what happened…"

"You don't know what happened. No one will until Miss Coberry comes back with news." Kelly's soft voice reassured.

Dalisay sighed deeply and almost told her about looking into the past. Almost. Telling someone would make it real. And so she just raised her bow once again, and shot a bullseye for the third time in a row.

Violeta though, was annoyed by what Kelly had said. Of course they knew what'd happened. Obviously The Hunters had found her and slaughtered her where she stood! What else could have happened?

She thought about how if her mother had been killed by the Karsans - not that she had one - she would be jumping at the chance to join Marcus, Castan, and Andrea in trying to take them down. At least they want to do something about it!

Violeta shot a bolt in anger.

~*~

Miles and miles away, in an uninhabited area of forest, a daughter is standing next to her mother, awaiting orders.

The two had a rather strange appearance; they both had dark almost fur-like skin, large eyes with barely any white, and a pair of deer's ears. The two were Hunters.

The mother, Gagh Onomia, was their leader. She stood up straight, her eyes void of emotion. A rough sound was coming out of her mouth, her tongue making weird movements in order to speak her language. These strange sounds were being directed at another, younger, Hunter.

Jagh Hermia, her daughter, stood patiently beside her. She anxiously waited for her mother to finish giving Lagh Fhel Nania orders. Gagh Onomia had called her into the main room. She had something important for her daughter to do.

The strange sounds stopped. Lagh Fhel Nania left.

Gagh Onomia now directed them at Hermia, "You are to go to the last of the isolating cells. We have an important prisoner you have been assigned to watch and care for. Go."

Hermia galloped off. They hadn't had a prisoner for ages - she wondered what had changed her mother's mind on her mission to kill all the Karsans.

Hoping her mother hadn't gone soft, she strutted through the hallways made of branches and light green leaves, before reaching the darkest part of the place. The bright leaves faded away. The branches got darker. They winded around each other, twisting and turning into uncomfortable positions that made it hard for them to grow. The number of armed Hunters and Siense (knowing humans) increased. Their swords glinted in the slithers of moonlight. Tips of deadly arrows could be seen poking out of quivers.

Finally, roots of trees emerged in the ground, holding the gaping hole together. The guarding Hunters nodded respectfully at Hermia and straightened their backs, not wanting to look like they were slacking off in front of their future leader. Hermia started carefully down the uneven, dirt stairs.

No lights shone in the underground prison - an advantage for the Hunters and a disadvantage for everyone else. Hermia's large doe eyes, where the pupil was already naturally made for night, increased further in size. Hermia could see perfectly. She strode down the suffocating hallway. Stone doors to each side loomed over her. She stopped.

Hermia had reached the final door in the hallway. The Hunter unclipped a string of heavy keys from her waist and unlocked the door. Then she waited.

After almost half an hour, the clunky door was opened. A middle-aged woman was shoved into the room, and collapsed on the ground with a shout.

A similarly aged man was standing in the doorway. Gegh Harry Green sneered. "Give it a day or so, you'll be singing like a nightingale." The second in command nodded passively at Hermia before slamming the door behind him.

Hermia stood uncomfortably. She hadn't quite been told what to do after the prisoner arrived. She knew she had to care for her well enough that the woman die before they got information, but she didn't know how to do that. But it was what Gagh Onomia expected of her, so she would do it.

A soft, sniffing sound reached Hermia's perceptive ears. After a moment of confusion, she realised the Karsan was crying… and it was getting louder... and louder… and lou- Hermia coughed uncomfortably. The crying stopped. The two spent the next few minutes in the silent darkness.

"...I can't see in the dark." A weak sound creeped out of the Karsan's mouth. "...Where am I?"

Hermia frowned. Was she allowed to answer this? "The Hunter's Alaskan Headquarters… Prison level."

Hermia saw the Karsan's head shakily nod.

It's head stayed pointing to the ground. "And are you a Hunter or Siense?" A sense of danger played on the edge of the Karsan's tongue.

"Hunter."

There was a moment of silence. "... I'm a Time Elemental."

Hermia shifted her weight. Was it normal for Karsans to talk to their capturers? "Okay."

"My name's Nguyễn Helena… Everyone calls me Emma though."

Hermia stayed silent. She was sure that she shouldn't be encouraging the creature.

It seemed to be persistent though, "I have a daughter." The Karsan's voice broke. The sobbing started again.

~*~

Dalisay sighed. Zara, a red fox and her familiar, curled around her neck as she laid on the ground. Elliot was laying down beside her, his leg bent. His hands gently swatted a small robin bird from his hair. It squeaked. "Sorry, Eyrs."

They'd been like this for a while, and remained this way for a while longer.

Elliot stared up at the bird flying above him. Talking to his best friend had been a dangerous thing to do recently, but he thought he should at least try. "I managed to lift a backpack today."

Dalisay smiled. "That's good."

"Yeah...", Elliot agreed. His eyebrows furrowed. "It was light though."

Dalisay groaned (although she was grateful for the distraction from her thoughts). "Oh my gosh, stop diminishing your achievements! It's good that your telekinesis is improving!"

"Yeah, well… My mom doesn't think it's all that impressive."

"Well, your mom can fuck off then, can't she?"

Elliot chuckled, but let it fade away. "...She's right, though."

"No, she's n-"

"A backpack! So what?"

"Elliot," Dalisay turned her head to face him. "A year ago you could barely lift a fork."

"Yeah, and I should've been able to do that when I was eight, not sixteen."

Dalisay shrugged. "Everyone's different."

"Did you know that Maria can lift a chest of draws now?"

Dalisay sighed.

"She's thirteen!" Elliot exclaimed, Eyrs complaining of his complaining echoing in Elliot's mind. "I won't even be able to do that when I'm twenty!"

"So? Like I said, everyone's different." Elliot opened his mouth, but Dalisay carried on talking. "I mean, my mom can see into the future really easily and I-" She realised what she'd said. The two fell silent. Their familiars joined them.

Elliot took a deep breath. "We don't know she's dead."

Dalisay stared at the ceiling. If she was going to tell anyone what she'd seen, it was Elliot. "...Yes we do."

"Timi-"

"I looked."

Elliot looked at her, concern written all over his face. "You shouldn't have done that…"

Dalisay turned her head away from him. "I know."

~*~

Charlotte Coberry had returned… With the supplies, and without Helena. The Karsans knew what this meant.

They gathered in the largest cavern in the system, right at the back. Racks of unused and used candles lay against the jagged stone walls. Names had covered the entire available space - the floors, ceiling, walls…

The Karsans silently flooded in. They grabbed a candle. They kneeled. In a picture of depressing beauty, the cavern was lit up as match met wick. Dalisay lit her candle, and they stayed in silence.

People silently confessed to everything they wish they'd had the chance to say to Helena. Low mutterings sat around the Karsans.

One by one, the mourning Karsans rose, blowing out their candle and leaving it where they stood. By the time hours had passed, only Elena and Dalisay were left kneeling.

With a swift, tearful blow, Elena finally let her candle go out. She wiped her eyes, stood up, and left the room.

Dalisay stayed. She still had so much to say. And she still needed her mother. She needed her help with everything - the fact that simply talking to someone terrifies her, her troubles with sleep due to her seemingly never ending worries and made up threats, her dyslexia… and with the fact that she wasn't quite ready to let another parent go…

But she had to.

Tears flooded the floor below her. This was the final goodbye. She blew out her candle. Helena's spirit was finally released to the heart of the Earth. Dalisay slowly stood up and retrieved a small carving knife from the corner of the cavern, then moved over to an empty space on the walls. She began working away, forever engraving Nguyễn Helena's name into Karsan History, joining the many others that had come before her.

Then she left.