Page 117 of Requiem of Silence

They’d need a chisel to get through it and maybe a few strong workers. Or Earthsong. Zeli’s power was depleted, likely for the rest of the day, but there were others who could help.

“Do you think the obelisk is behind here?” Varten whispered.

“It must be,” Zeli replied, allowing herself to hope.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Hidden places still need light.

Make sure your secrets get the

brightness of the

sun

to occasionally

subdue the melancholy.

—THE HARMONY OF BEING

Ella Farmafield kept a tight hold of her daughter Ulani’s hand as they wound their way through the stalls of the night market. The little puppy, Raven, trotted along at their heels, tongue hanging out. Benn wasn’t too far behind with Tana; they had stopped at a trinket stand, where the girl was picking out another sparkly bracelet that Benn would no doubt buy her. He couldn’t deny either of the girls anything—case in point, the puppy of mysterious originthat now lived in their home. Luckily, the creature had been created already housebroken and was not prone to chewing. And he was fiercely protective of the girls, which Benn appreciated.

Ella found her husband’s indulgence of the children sweet, but was wary of the nightmare of raising children spoiled rotten by their father. Though that seemed an unlikely outcome—neither child asked for very much, and the likelihood of them truly becoming spoiled was slim. If her eldest daughter wanted a case full of inexpensive costume jewelry, it would probably do little harm.

Ulani tugged at her hand and Ella realized she hadn’t been paying attention and had inadvertently led them toward a street corner where three Elsiran women held a silent protest. No, it was actually two women and one mannequin clad in Sisterhood robes with scraps of cloth tied over its eyes and mouth.

The Sisterhood had been in upheaval since the revelation that the Goddess had hidden the True Father’s escape. It hadn’t even been common knowledge that the two were related, much less siblings, much less twins. Many didn’t believe it, calling the reports lies, but there were plenty who did and were disgusted by the news. Temple attendance had plummeted and more and more Sisters were taking part in these silent protests.

One of their vows upon joining the order included a prohibition on speaking against the group, and so they made their displeasure known silently. Just that morning, Ella had read in the newspaper that the High Priestess was still urging patience, stating that the Goddess would return and explain Her actions and in the meantime, all believers needed to band together in prayer during this time of need. But how long were they expected to wait?

Ulani was particularly sensitive to criticism of the Goddess, and so Ella veered them away, crossing the street, closed to traffic for the market, to avoid the women. Except on this corner a smallgroup of young men had gathered, and silence was in no way required of them.

“Free Zann Biddel! Free Zann Biddel!” The shouts were largely drowned out by the noise of the crowds doing their shopping. But it wasn’t their words so much as the props they held that made Ella grow tense.

Instead of picket signs with slogans painted on them, these men carried the symbols of Elsira—carved wooden fishes as long as their forearms and tree branches representing the tree and the fish of the nation’s seal. And if those branches and heavy wooden carvings looked an awful lot like weapons, well… she wasn’t the only one who’d noticed.

Most shoppers gave both groups of protesters a wide berth, which made the already crowded streets even more so. And this was the last night market of the year—the temperature had dropped over the past few days—winter was here.

Raven yipped, feeling either Ulani’s tension or her own and Ella turned away.

“Miss Ella!” a voice called out. She grinned to find one of her customers hurrying toward her.

“Berta!” she exclaimed, wrapping the woman in a hug when she reached her. “How are you? How’s the baby?”

“Wearing me out, as usual. A bit colicky, I’m sad to say, but it’s to be expected. The others all were, too.” The round-faced woman was several years older than Ella and had recently had her third child. “And who is this?” she asked, beaming down at Ulani.

“Benn and I have adopted, this is Ulani and her sister there is Tana.”

Berta smiled. “So precious, and quite a change for you, isn’t it?”

“You have no idea.” Ella knew that becoming a mother would bring trials and tribulations, but living in an underground cave fora week while an ancient shaman taught her daughter to use her death magic had not once figured into her plans. Of course, she didn’t mention any of that to Berta.

“And this vote, how will it affect your family?” Berta’s question had been heavy on Ella’s mind ever since the vote was announced.

“I wish I knew. I can’t even vote, not until my citizenship comes through, but Benn cast his today—for unification, of course.”

Berta nodded. “It won’t affect us too much as foreigners, but I do hope the thing passes. Every day going back home to Fremia looks more and more appealing.” She shook her head.

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