The Rise of the Songbird

Chapter 5: The Mystical Garden of Song

   The branches rustled around her, startling Rose awake. How could you fall asleep? She tried to sit up but was met with a splitting headache. Groaning, she forced herself against the back of a tree, still consumed by brush. Great Rose. How are you going to get home now? And what about Noah and Jacob? What if- she froze midthought at the sound of whistling.

     "Liam! You gotta come inside for breakfast in 20 minutes! And pick some wild berries while you're out there." Rose jumped at the woman's voice. Close by, a groan escaped a boy. Rose gasped as the boy came into view through the branches. The boy came to a sudden stopped and looked around, eyes searching the bush. She cursed herself and tried to move further away while avoiding dry leaves.

     "Oh! Hello, there!" Rose whipped her head around to find the boy peeking through the bushes, his eyes resting on her. "Woah, I'm not going to hurt you. Don't worry. Just come out, okay?" As she shook her head violently, she shrunk back, only to find she had reached the edge of the brush. She shot to her feet and searched widely for an escape path. Arms grabbed her and pushed her against the tree, drawing a shriek from her. She thrashed, trying to free herself but her body was still weak, her muscles sore. Gasping, she gave up and found herself staring at a set of round, hazel eyes. She slowly relaxed as a sense of calm washed over her. The boy in front of her looked to be about 14, two years older than herself, with freckles scattered across his nose and gangly limbs.

     "That's it," he said, letting go of her. "I'm Liam."

     "I'm Rose," she answered slowly. "I, ah- I'm sorry if I hurt you. I've just had a pretty rough few hours."

    "It's all good. You, however, do not look good. A pretty girl like you doesn't deserve to look this beat up. May I ask what happened?"

     "It's nothing." She tried to cover up her scratches with her sleeve, but it was too torn to do much good.

     "Well, I'm going to assume it had something to do with the fact that you are a songbird. Am I right?" Rose's eyes flew up to him, panic filling her. "Before you freak out," he said quickly, "I only know because I am the descendant of one. Lemme show you our garden. I promise I'll tell you everything there, ok?" Liam held out his hand, and Rose slid her hand into his. They walked quietly for a little bit, still hand in hand. It felt natural. Comfortable. It didn't feel flirty or anything- just like she had known him all of her life.

     "My mom and I have lived here all my life," he began, filling the silence. "You see, my mom used to work at the palace. She was a gardener. With her songs, she would be able to grow the most amazing plants in a matter of seconds. Oh yeah, she's the songbird parent by the way. Because I have her blood, I can sense when others are Songbirds or Shadow Doves."

     "Shadow Doves?"

     "You don't know? They are basically songbirds that have gone bad. And they live off of songbird's souls. So they're pretty bad. My mom can go into further detail later, though. Anyway, so my mom kinda tried to go against the queen while she was pregnant with this cutie," he points to himself, grinning, "and got banished. But since she had me in her tummy they cut her some slack and gave her some seeds. What they weren't expecting her to do was to find a way to remove the mask and sing to the seeds. So now, we have this!" As if on cue, two beautiful glass doors swung open, revealing a mesmerizing garden filled with flourishing plants of all kinds. Blooming flowers climbed high, their vines wrapped tightly around the structure. The morning sun streamed through, bathing all of the beauty in its radiant light. It felt- enchanted. Magical. Every branch, every leaf seemed to glisten with magnificent charm.

     "Liam, I... I don't know what to say. This is- breathtaking."

     "You have it too. With enough practice, this would be easy," Liam said, gesturing to the garden. He turned back to her, his eyes twinkling with an emotion she couldn't place; like curiosity, amazement, and a sort of satisfaction all wrapped into one. Rose was stunned silent. Her eyes drifted to the scene around her. She was capable of this. A sense of pride built up in her at knowing her kind could be so strong.