3Prologue: Silvre
My world consisted of whispers and pitying gazes. A closed world, a cage as leaden as the iron clouds of the snowstorms outside.
In the airy hallways and wide open spaces of the Caverns, there was no place to hide from them. Echoes rang from every corner and even the softest tones clashed in my ears. I ignored them as best I could, chose the least walked paths with my head bowed, and tried to look as if the persistent drones of sounds did not trouble me.
I was heading for the exit. Whereas the Caverns were full of unwanted pity, the world outside was mercifully pitiless, so I escaped there as often as I was able. I drew closer to one of the huge marbled columns that marched along the halls holding up the unseen ceiling, slowing down from my full length stride to peer around the last one before the corner. There was no guard in sight, just as I predicted. They would be all down in the greater dining hall, celebrating the newly formed Pairs with the rest of our people. I shook my head to banish the thought and swiped away my tears before going up to the side door.
Unlike the ornately carved main gate, the side door was just a smooth stone slab, cleverly blended into its lintel and frame to hide its presence. To the world outside, the whole wall of the Way to the Heart was just a normal rock face, covered in snow drifts. I touched it lightly, whistling a note I wheedled out of my cousin. The stone rumbled open and dustings of snow blew past me into the warm entryway, melting instantly from the heat. I slipped out, touched the stone again to have it closed, and breathed deeply. The cold felt delicious against my bare skin, and I shook out my hair to wrap myself in them.
I imagined Sigdrom's reaction if he saw me like this, standing outside in the freezing climes. He would have a fit. The dresses one was required to wear for the Ritual were made for the heat of the Caverns, a wispy material that barely protected the body against anything.
I was wearing only that, and fur-lined boots.
But the cold was the furthest from my mind then. I have failed in the Ritual yet again. I was still the 'girl' deserving of the pity everybody I passed thrown my way.
The Great Hearth was full today, the day of the Joining Ritual where all boys become men and all girls become women by finding the other half of their Songs. All the eligible children who have turned thirteen or older converged for the annual joyous Ritual, and afterwards the celebrations lasted for three days and three nights. From the furthest corners of the Serene Mountains they came, and yet from all those people there was no one for me. I Sung my heart out, called for someone to complete the other half of the Song within us both. But no, again there was no half to complete me. I was still just a 'girl' at the end of the Ritual.
I told myself that he will surely find me one day, it was not strange to participate in the Ritual for a few times before you are formed into a Pair, and yet…
This year make for the third time I have failed to find my other soul.
I got the sudden urge to tear out my hair. Why was it that I have to be born this way? Who ever heard of a daughter of the Goddess having silver hair? Sometimes I wondered, maybe my other half does not want us to find each other. Perhaps he knows that his other soul was an abomination, a disgustingly powerful abomination like me, because he knows that in the end, he was not needed. Perhaps I was destined to be alone forever, to be used by the Priesthood, used by the very love I have for the people in this place I protected.
"Silvre, there you are!"
I turned at the sound of my name, startled to find how far I have walked from the Way in my depressing thoughts, so far that I could not even see the rock face any more. I quickly took a few steps toward the man running up to me, nervous to be so out in the open, who on coming closer I recognized to be Sigdrom.
"Sigdrom, I –" I began to say, before he all but swept me up and crushed me against his chest in relief. I could hear his pounding heartbeat even through all the layers of clothing he must have thrown on, as hurried as he must have been to find me gone from the Caverns, and I felt a twinge of remorse.
He let me down slowly as if he was afraid I would fly off again, and stared into my eyes. "I know what you are feeling, but really these walks of yours are getting to be more dangerous than ever. I will have to strangle the guards who left their posts after this, celebration or no. Silvre, Silvre, what would I do with you? You know that those barbarians may come at any moment! That is why we need every able Pair and you, who do not need one, are even more important that ever!"
I felt my eyes welled, but my remorse disappeared as soon as I heard his last sentence, and I looked down quickly to hide a scowl behind my hideous hair. I love my handsome older cousin, but at times his words rang too true. Perhaps it was because I was thinking along the same lines mere moments before, but I could not help but feel angry at this 'special' treatment, as if to hammer the fact home to me that I was different, and always will be.
Before long, he let up on his lectures and sighed, as if to say that was enough for today, and took my hand in his gloved one. "I am glad nothing bad had befallen you at least. Come back inside Silvre, I know you are depressed but at least you can do that inside, where it is warm and guarded."
"Yes, Sigdrom," I obediently followed after him as he began to lead me back by the hand, "I am sorry to worry you so, cousin. It is all I have been doing lately is it not? Imagine, the youngest ever bishop of the Priesthood running after a mere girl like me. Sigdre must be worried about us both."
"She is as worried as I am about you, Silvre," he said as he glanced back at me. As if he read my thoughts, he added, "You will find him Silvre. Never think otherwise." and squeezed my hand to comfort me, like when we were mere children again.
The sight of his silver hair, several shades darker than my own, shining in the rare wintry sunlight, was the last I saw of my homeland before a suffocating dark descended on me.
My hand was wrenched away from Sigdrom's and I finally gained enough presence of mind to scream out. Time seemed to slow, but I could do nothing, nothing but to let myself be captured. Someone large swiftly pinned my arms against my sides and kicked my legs from under me. I felt the coarse fabric of the sack over my head tightened its hold on my throat as I fell forward. I distinctly remembered the disgusting smell of it, sweat and dirt and metal. In the dark as I was, I felt the presence of several people before me where there were none before. There were sounds of shouting in front of me, words in a coarse language that must have been the barbarian's tongue, and the sound of someone Singing a Spell in the distance. I realized that Sigdrom must be trying to fight, even though Sigdre, his Pair was not there. I tried to scream for him to get away before something hard cracked against the back of my head and real darkness swamped me.
A/N: A bit of an abrupt beginning, but I hope this chapter sets the tone for the story. Thanks of reading!