The Mighty SilverWing

Prologue

The SilverWing Necklace rules:

1. The Keeper must be female.

2. The Keeper must be pure without any enchantments.

3. The Keeper must be a descendant of the creator.

The dining room was coveted in red fabric. Red dining cloth, red seating covers, red curtains draping from ceiling to floor, the murky beige carpet had been replaced with the same matching red tone.

Even the servants wore red tonight.

And at every seat on the long dining table sat an important member from my family, all women and none any younger than thirty. The men were stationed in the office having a meeting of their own and while my mother sat at the head of the table, her sisters, cousins and mothers sat on either side awaiting the news that we'd all been dreading.

The news of the SilverWing necklace being passed down through another generation. The tradition was confusing for those outside of my familial collection, but to us this was a moment that every woman in my family conjured nightmares over, a moment that we knew would always happen but would pray to the primordial gods otherwise.

And today, today the necklace will be passed down from my aunt onto the first born niece of the family; me.

My mother threw me one last glance as I stood in the doorway with my cousins, twirling the itchy material of my tutu style dress skirt in my hand as though I were not trying to eavesdrop on their important conversation. But then, my mother looked towards the length of the table and cleared her throat.

"Eden is almost thirteen, I have tried to hold off on the transfer as a caring mother but the warring threats to the kingdom are becoming too great- too dangerous," she began, only to stop and take in a heavy breath. "We cannot home the necklace in the outskirts of the territory anymore with growing hostility on the border, we must act now."

"But bringing the necklace further into the kingdom will be just as dangerous for the people." My aunt, the one that had worn the damned necklace on her body for the last three decades, spoke louder at the table, giving her younger sister a hard stare of challenging nature. "Dangerous for Eden as well." The other sister added in, earning a prideful smirk from the oldest of the three matriarchs.

"The vampires will not suspect a child to be the keeper of the necklace, it is our safest option." My mother clipped back, arguing the notion of her two sisters as though she knew better than them all.

Deep down, my mother was the only one out of the three of them that never had to worry about protecting the necklace. As the second oldest daughter, it was always her responsibility to breed a daughter to take on the role as keeper from her older sister, a tradition between Aunt and Niece that has been passed down for centuries, and not a responsibility on herself to keep the necklace safe. And yet, upon the birth of her first daughter Eden, my mother became possessive over the idea of limiting her eldest child to a life of celibacy and vows.

But had to nonetheless.

"And what about when they find out the truth? Eden cannot protect herself." The eldest argued back once more, clutching the familial heirloom in her hand tightly, almost as thought she feared losing it if she let go.

My mother noticed this and brought her hand up over the table, outstretched her palm and pointed it towards her older sister. "Please Dasha, it is time to let it go." She softened her tone to deliver the final blow, the final call that my aunt's time as keeper of the necklace was coming to an end.

A role that she never wanted, that she was born into, a way of life that she has always known is now being stripped from her right before her eyes, what would come of her life now? She is too old to produce any kids, too old to marry, too old to get a job that she truly enjoys. Now that my aunt is losing the necklace, she is losing her whole identity with it.