Page 23 of Requiem of Silence

“And you are no longer practicing your former occupation?”

Kyara snorted. “No. I never will again.”

“Well, then. Ulani believes you can help us, and though she’s small, she can be quite wise. If you can help find my other daughter, then that is really all I care about.” Her spine straightened, and she looked Kyara in the eye. “You know who took Tana? Because the constables refuse to take the kidnapping of a Lagrimari girl seriously.” Bitterness tinged her voice.

“Yes. I think I do know who took her and where they’ve gone. Does Tana have a Song?”

“No.” Ella shook her head slowly. “She said she was born without one.”

Ulani shifted beside her. Ella’s eyes narrowed.“Uli?”

“Tana doesn’t have a Song like everyone else’s, but she hassomething.”

Kyara nodded. “Do things ever die around her? Turn black?”

The girl bit her lip and shrugged a shoulder. “Grass under her feet sometimes. Plants. She doesn’t do it on purpose though.” She shot a nervous glance at her mother, who frowned.

“And the woman you saw, did Tana look like she was going with her willingly?”

Ulani nodded. Ella blinked away tears furiously. “I thought she was happy here,” she whispered.

“It’s not that,” Kyara advised. “I don’t think that Tana was unhappy, just the opposite. I’m sure that she left to try and save you.”

Ella’s brow furrowed. She swiped at the falling tears, and Ulani launched across the room to plant herself on her mother’s lap, embracing her. “Save us from what?” Ella asked.

“Have you ever heard of Nethersong?”

“No, what is that?”

“Just as Earthsong is life energy, Nethersong is death energy. There are some of us, a very, very few, who are born with the ability to manipulate it. I am one. The woman who I believe took Tana is called Mooriah. She is another. Tana may be the only other Nethersinger alive. Our ability is dangerous, hard to control. Accidents happen. It is very easy to kill everyone you love without meaning to. How old is Tana?”

“Eleven.”

“When I was that age, I hurt people I loved, too, for the first time. I’m not sure if the power is dormant before then or if there’s some other reason, but Tana was probably scared. AndMooriah preyed on that fear and convinced her to go train to learn to control it. She will take her to the eastern mountains bordering Lagrimar.”

Ella mulled over her words. “But why so far away? What’s in the mountains?”

“The Cavefolk.”

Surprise made the woman’s breath hitch. “There are still Cavefolk around? I’d thought they died off centuries ago.”

“Almost all of them did. There are only a handful left. And deep in the mountain, they have protections against Nethersong. Mooriah says a Singer can train without fear of harming anyone there.”

Ella wrung her hands together and bit her lip. Ulani lifted her head from where it was buried in her mother’s neck. “Mama, we have to go and find her.”

“Well, yes, of course. Can you take me there? If she has to train, she shouldn’t do it alone.”

Kyara swallowed. “There’s another reason that Mooriah wants her to learn to use her power. A prophecy. A war coming where Nethersingers will be needed to fight.” Thoughts of the wraith attack in the palace made her shiver, but she squared her shoulders.

“I will go and find her. I don’t know that it’s safe for you to come. The Cavefolk are… unpredictable. Neither they nor Mooriah would hurt Tana—they need her. But they don’t need anyone else.” She hoped her meaning was clear without scaring them.

Ella closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her lips moved silently; she appeared to be whispering a prayer. Kyara remained quiet until she was done. “This morning, Saint Siruna sent me a sign,” the woman said, eyes still shut. “Remember the egg with the two yolks,uli?”

“It made you sad, Mama.”

“It did, because I wasn’t sure what it meant. Now I believe I do.” She opened her eyes and appeared resolved. All uncertainty banished.

“If she has to train, fine. If she’s needed for some grand purpose, all right. But she’s eleven, and she’s my daughter, and she’s not going through this alone. I’m going, too.” Her tone brooked no opposition. Kyara sat back, impressed. It must be nice to have such a mother.

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