Page 145 of Requiem of Silence

Kyara knew instinctively she had to wrench it away. She could not allow the burden to fall to a child. She reached for the wildcat tethered to her power.

“Find her dragon,” she whispered, and the beast took off into the darkness.

The ancient Song was coalescing, its mist of energy taking on an avatar form and reshaping itself into some kind of large fish.The animal floated in the darkness, needing no water, but looking far deadlier than she realized a fish could be. Sharp teeth elongated as the creature opened its mouth. A shark.

As Kyara set her sights on it, a storm began. Chilly winds battered her, attempting to separate flesh from bone, even if she had neither in this in-between place. Some instinctive knowledge took hold and she knew she had to capture and control this avatar in order to master its attached Song. It needed to become a part of her.

She was shaken like a rag doll by an intemperate toddler, smashed across invisible rocks by vicious waves. She could stand her ground no longer and sank to her knees, fearing that this wouldn’t work at all. The Breath Father had been right and this was all too much for her.

He’d said she would need to be worthy, otherwise the death stone would be more dangerous than an army of wraiths. The battle to control the beast before her was certainly more intense than fighting the dead had been.

Exhaustion made her sag, but a cry in the distance—Tana’s cry—caused her to rally. She braced herself, pulling forth the dregs of her energy and tried again. With every ounce of strength she possessed, she finally wrenched control of the ancient Song, bringing the creature to submission.

From out of the darkness her wildcat raced back, with Tana’s dragon avatar on its heels. Then, shockingly, Mooriah’s raptor plunged down—all three racing straight for Kyara. She braced herself for impact, squeezing her eyes shut.

An icy coldness overtook her that was soon chased away by an unendurable heat. Whatever was happening felt like it was tearing her apart.

And then the storm ended.

She gasped, opening her eyes to a new vision before her. An avatar hovered in place, one with a wildcat’s paws and head, raptor talons, the body of a dragon, and the shark’s tail and fin. The cat head opened its jaws wide and let out a roar. Fire escaped from its throat, illuminating the gloom. Kyara nearly stumbled from the deafening bellow and the heat.

This was a chimera avatar made of all the Songs of the Nethersingers linked, combined into one, and under Kyara’s control.

She really was a goddess of death.

The beast lowered its head, glowing eyes regarding her with a modicum of respect. Then it winked out of existence, back to the fight in the real world. Kyara was only vaguely controlling it now, relying on her subconscious and the avatar’s instinct for its mission and penchant for gobbling up Nethersong.

Tana’s cries sounded from farther away. Kyara gathered herself and stumbled in their direction.

Darkness closed in around her, but as she moved toward the sound, a powerful light source bloomed. She felt more than saw it—or rather, she sensed its energy. As her awareness of it grew, it lit her from within and Tana became visible, not so far away at all. She stood turning in circles, shouting for her father.

“Papa! Where is he?” she screamed.

Kyara took a step toward her, but the girl slid away. “I’m going to bring him back,” Tana said, tears streaming from her eyes. “Like how you brought back Queen Jasminda. I need to bring my papa back.”

That’s when Kyara realized they were in the World After. Was that where the heart of the Mother had lain all this time? It was a quick thought. Even quicker came the notion that Tana’s father’s spirit was already in the Living World. He wasn’t here any longerto be brought back. She didn’t get a chance to put this into words before Tana raced away, disappearing into the darkness.

Kyara gave chase, calling her name, but the World After did not follow normal rules, and as quickly as the girl had appeared, she was gone again. Kyara was only a few steps behind, but still lost her in the gloom. There were no footsteps to follow, the sound of her voice died out, and no path or trail made itself known. The girl had disappeared and Kyara was alone.

Only she wasn’t. There was the light—or rather, the sense of light. And a voice calling her name. She stopped at the sound, so familiar.

Standing very still, she listened to the music of a child’s voice—not Tana, but a girl of her age. A girl long dead. A girl she had killed.

Out of the surrounding shadows a small figure took shape.

“Ahlini?” Her friend glowed from within, the same as Kyara did, only her glow was much brighter. She was the source of this light that didn’t seem to exist, but did.

And unlike when she’d seen Ahlini before in those dreams, the girl’s eyes were clear. The dark brown irises meeting white. No longer blacked out by Nethersong—she no longer looked like one of Kyara’s victims.

“Ahlini, why are you here?”

Her friend smiled beatifically. “I’m here to show you the Light.”

As she spoke, the darkness lifted, and the light emanating from Ahlini became a brightness that overtook everything. It was as if Kyara was inside of something bright and beautiful and peaceful. Inside peace itself.

“What’s happening? What is this place?”

“This is the Flame,” her friend replied.

---