Starling Rise

Chapter 5 Part 2: Never the Same

The Celestulus took him. The Celestulus took him . . . Eris couldn't tell if the roaring in her ears was from the blaze in the fireplace or from the utter shock spreading through her. Her legs suddenly felt weak, and she crumpled to the floor. She couldn't think. Couldn't move. Mother hurried over and, with some effort, carried Eris over to a chair. She then began removing the girl's heavy outdoor clothing.

"I asked the Defiants to keep you as long as they could, to protect you from this . . ." Mother choked, closing her eyes for a moment, tears still trickling down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry. We should've . . . been more careful with you children. Kept you better hidden. I . . ." She covered her face with her hand.

Eris could barely comprehend what she was hearing. Her mother's words seemed to blend together and echo around in her head. "They couldn't have," she whispered hoarsely. "Imani said . . . You'd be safe. The certificate . . ."

Mother lowered her hand and took a shaky breath. "We showed them the birth certificate. At first they seemed convinced Willet was our only child and were about to leave. But one of them kept looking at him--" a sob escaped her, "and suddenly he said that he recognized Willet. That he'd seen him in the woods with a girl. You. He then demanded that our farm be searched."

Eris couldn't breathe. Khal. Memories of his gleaming white hair and wicked silvery eyes flashed through her jumbled mind.

"They tore apart the house and barn. The one who recognized Willet started torturing Father, demanding that he tell him where we were hiding you. I begged him to stop, but he swung his sword at my head. If I hadn't pulled back in time . . ."

Mother swallowed, her fingers rising to brush the scar on her forehead. Eris stared at it in horror.

"Because Father refused to tell them the truth they . . ." Mother's bottom lip trembled. "They cut off his hands, Eris. He . . . he can't work anymore."

Eris buried her face in her trembling hands, trying to hide from this horrid nightmare. It was too much. "No . . . No. This can't be happening. It's a bad dream." Her breaths came out in ragged gasps and she felt lightheaded.

"Here." Mother grabbed a small bottle off the table and poured some of its contents into a spoon. "Swallow this. It will help a bit."

Eris did as she was told. The liquid tasted foul and burned all the way down, making her cough. Mother handed her a tin cup of water, which she gulped.

"The Celestulus then decided that since we had a child hidden away somewhere, they would take Willet," Mother finished quietly. "They also took all of our crops instead of half. We had no choice but to sell the farm and all the animals. The money allowed us to afford this place--" she indicated the room, "some supplies, and Father's doctor bills. But we're almost out of money, so I'm going to have to find a job here in the village." Her eyes met Eris's. "You're going to have to take care of Father while I'm gone. Can you do that for us, Eris?"

Eris's head had stopped spinning, but her heart felt . . . Gone. Like there was nothing left in her chest but a deep, painful hole. She swallowed, her throat still burning a bit. "Where is Father?"

Mother glanced at the only other door in the room, directly across from the fireplace. "His . . . arms are mostly healed. But inside he is still very broken. He needs a lot of rest." She straightened, brushing a few strands of Eris's hair off her forehead. "You're going to have to learn how to cook, replace Father's bandages, and give him his medicine. It's not terribly hard, and you're a big girl now."

It was all happening too fast. Eris tried to think straight. "So we're going to live here now. In the village."

"Yes."

"Does that mean I will have to buy food from a shop?"

Mother nodded. "I don't want you hunting alone during the winter. Too dangerous."

Eris rubbed her eyes. Suddenly she was so very tired. "Okay. I'll learn how to do whatever you need me to. But after Father is better can we try to find Willet?"

Mother wearily ran a hand over her hair. "I've already asked the Defiants to look into where they might have taken him. In the meantime--" she gave Eris a weak smile, "we must keep busy." She went to one of the barrels and pulled out several blankets. "You'll have to sleep on the hearth for now, but as soon as I find work I'll buy you a cot."

Mother spread the blankets out on the floor in front of the fireplace, layering them on top of each other. "Tomorrow I will show you how to take care of Father and cook some simple meals. Then I will look for jobs. For now, you just get some sleep, okay?"

Eris nodded, forcing herself to stand and walk over to the pile of blankets. Mother noticed the pouch still clutched in her hand. "What's in there?"

Eris handed it to her, then lay down, curling up on the blankets. "Mother."

"Hmm."

"Will things ever go back to the way they were?"

Mother didn't answer at first. "It's hard to say, love. But I don't think so."

Eris shared into the fire, images of the Celestulus from the woods rising in her mind. She imagined him hurting Father, cutting Mother, and dragging her brother away, all with that cruel mirthless grin on his narrow snake-like face. Her blue eyes darkened as all her emotions clashed into one consuming hate-fueled rage. Yes, she would take care of Father and learn from Mother. But once she got old enough, she was going to find Khal. And she was going to kill him.