Page 31 of Requiem of Silence

Deny, refuse to comply.

Close eyes against the tyranny

you cannot bear to be.

You will not mirror that which you

don’t see.

—THE HARMONY OF BEING

Varten raced to catch up with the distant figure he was certain was Zeli. Though she had such short legs, she was speedy when she wanted to be. It took him the length of two entire corridors before he reached her as she entered an unfamiliar narrow chamber in a part of the palace not much trafficked.

The lighting was dimmer here, the walls and decorations older. This place must be deep in the heart of the building where it buttedup against the mountain. He reached out to touch her shoulder and she shrieked and spun away, clutching something to her chest.

“I’m sorry,” he said, holding up his hands. “I didn’t mean to scare you. But you were running so fast.”

Her normally vivid skin tone was ashen; she looked almost as scared as she had this morning. He had the urge to comfort her and bring her in for a hug, though she was so squirrelly he wasn’t sure she’d appreciate the gesture. As it was, she looked at him with shaking, fear-filled eyes.

“A-aren’t you supposed to be at your birthday party?”

“It was a bore. You didn’t show up.” He grinned, but her expression didn’t change.

“I’m on a mission from the Goddess,” she stammered.

“A secret mission?”

She frowned and looked around the empty hallway then down at the bundle in her arms. She seemed… lost, and her expression made him determined to give aid in whatever way he could.

“You don’t have to tell me. How about I just walk alongside you, like a guard, while you finish your mission.” He lowered his voice. “If a wraith shows up, they can take me and you can run for help.”

This seemed to startle her. “You think they’ll come back so soon?”

He shrugged. “Even if they don’t, I’ll need to practice guarding people if I’m to join the army.”

“You want to join the army?”

“Well, I need something to do. Papa wants me to finish school first, but he’s not around to teach me anymore and Jasminda has better things to do. I’ve never been to proper school anyway, and I wouldn’t know how.”

She considered, then started walking again, a little moreslowly. He fell into step beside her. She was still hunched over her bundle, which, now that he was able to get a closer look, was a book.

“I’ve never been, either,” she said. “To school. Though my mistress taught me to read and write, mostly to amuse herself.”

“The Goddess taught you?”

“No, my former mistress. I grew up on the estate of the Magister—he ruled our city and its territories. His daughter and I were the same age, and I was her personal servant.” Pride rang in her voice. Varten wasn’t surprised. She seemed to take her job very seriously.

“So what is it that you have there?” he asked, motioning to the object she clutched like a safety line.

“Are you sure no one will miss you at your party?” She eyed his formal suit dubiously.

Varten shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it over his shoulder. “It’s my party. I should be able to take a break from it if I want to.”

She looked at him like he had a cat on his head. “This is for the vault.”

He rubbed his hands together. “Ooh, the vault. I’ve never been to the royal vault before.”

Zeli shrugged. “It’s not much to see. Metal doors half a pace thick. Lots of locks and combinations.”

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