Silent As The Moon

Chapter Thirteen

"We're here," Wyn announced, placing her foot on the snowy white ground. Lyrik blinked, scanning the area with her silver eyes.

"Took long enough. Where exactly is here, though... And why do you have blood on your shoe?" The area surrounding them was just a pine forest and lots of snow, as well as a few animals here and there. But there were no people.

"Where is everyone?" Kael turned his head to look around. Wyn stepped forward, her feet crunching on the snow.

"Deathkeeper, there's been blood on my shoes for months now. Sure you've only known me- well, travelled with me- for a little while, but you seriously haven't noticed it before? My shoes are literally white. Deathkeeper and reporter- don't you see the houses through the trees?"

Lyrik squinted hard and gasped. "I do! Are they made of the same wood?" she looked to Wyn then shook her head. Ugh, don't let her see weakness! "Never mind; of course they are."

"Yeah, duh, and they have the snowy pines around and on to- oh, dammit! First you have to swear to never tell about my village. Dammit, dammit, especially you, Princey-pants. And reporter. I guess deathkeeper is fine since she can't tell anyone." The girl smirked, "But deathkeeper, you've gotta swear it anyways."

"I swear, unless this place is just full of criminals, I won't tell anyone about it."

"No, you've gotta swear with unconditionally." Mykel scowled.

"Seriously? And what if I don't?"

"Then I've gotta get rid of you," Wyn explained matter-of-factly. Mykel laughed, but Lyrik didn't. Then there's nothing you can do to me if I don't swear to do whatever. 

"Well, I don't mind but can I say in my report 'somewhere in the Snowlands'?" Kael asked. Wyn shrugged and told him, "Sure, but say it was in some snow field or something. Don't mention any forests. And say my name is Ri or something, don't tell them I'm Wy-Wyn." Mykel visibly narrowed his emerald eyes.

"Fine. I won't tell anyone." He gritted his teeth and threw a punch at a tree, singing its bark.

"And no leaving marks of where we were!" Wyn snapped. The prince growled. "Deathkeeper?"

"I'll promise if you tell me about deathkeepers," Lyrik offered. The younger girl curled her lip, then sighed.

"One thing. Or nothing." Lyrik thought for half a second, then nodded. "You can communicate with some of the dead, but there are restrictions."

Mykel and Kael's jaws dropped.

"What restrictions? How do I do it?" Lyrik inquired further.

"I told you one thing. I can tell you're one to keep you word, so promise." How?

"I swear I won't tell anyone about this place. Not that I can."

"The reason you kill things when you touch them, and your hand passes through animals and humans, is because of your anger. You have to let go of that. Desperateness erases it sometimes," Wyn said. "Now let's go."

Lyrik trudged after her quietly, stunned, moving her feet through the high snow.

"Stop," Wyn whispered suddenly, freezing the group's feet to the ground.

"But the village is right there!" Mykel snapped. "Why must we stop when we can go right in?" Wyn scowled.

"Because you can't. We're in the Snowlands- everywhere has protection, traps, some sort of thing blocking people from getting close. You can only get into my village if we want you to be in it. Now shush and wait for them to come. When they do, I'm talking, got that?" Kael nodded, his eyes sparkling.

"Why can't we move forward?" Lyrik asked. Wyn shrugged.

"You can. Tell me if you want to go and I'll unfreeze your feet. But it's not my fault if they take you and throw you to some giant snow tigon."

"Okay then," Mykel muttered, "I'll definitely go out there knowing that." The group was silent for a minute, and then a woman dropped from a tree branch, landing on all fours. She resembled a cat, with spiky white hair and yellowish-brown eyes, especially her pose.

"Who are you? How did you find us?" the woman demanded, moving to stand on two feet, brushing snow off her pants. Lyrik heard an ominous click.

"Fen, it's me," Wyn said, brushing her hair out of her face. The woman narrowed her eyes.

"Why did you return? No- why did you leave? And where's Cynth? Who are these people?" Fen asked, glancing at the little group.

"Cynth..." It was the quietest and most unsure Lyrik had ever seen Wyn be, even if they'd just barely known each other for a day or two.

"What happened?" Fen asked sharply, grabbing Wyn's shoulders.

"Bronwen happened."

"Bronwen?" Mykel cut in. "You mean the leader of the Scarlet Council?" Fen frowned.

"Do you not know what Council means? There're several leaders, but she's the worst one. The leader of the leaders, if you mu-" she stopped suddenly and backed away. "Wynter, you brought the Prince here? What is wrong with you?"

"He swore not to tell- and he'll give us homes and clear our names if I helped him get around the Snowlands."

"That's... stretching it a bit," Mykel mumbled. 

"I know you can. But either way, it's for this lot. I don't like houses. What I want is for you to get rid of the Scarlet Council. That way I don't need to live in a stuffy neighbourhood. Oh, and you'll help me find Cynth. He was probably taken by the Scarlet Council."

"Taken? What did you do?!" Fen demanded. "And I know your 'sensing aura' thing, are these people keepers?"

"Prince-pants is a firekeeper, Deathkeeper is a deathkeeper- obviously-, and Reporter is a blankkeeper."

"You mean I'm not a keeper," Kael said, his eyes looking dull for a second, and then brightening. "Well, at least I don't have to go through years of training!"

"You brought a reporter here?"

"He also swore. So did Deathkeeper."

"We're getting Cynth back," Fen declared. "The four of you are coming with me. We're going to see Syrn."

A bit short, sorry about that. 1037 words. What do you think of the chapter? Any feedback? Sorry about taking forever to update- I had a bit of writer's block but it's gone now! So any guesses or comments? And hey, did you catch Wyn's name?

- Herd