Swans and Silence Read online

  No birds had appeared over the trees yet, but it wouldn't take long. The forest on the edge of the village looked very dark now. The spot had grown and given the ravens free reign to come wherever they wanted out here. Evil creatures didn't stay evil for long if they left the dark region, but with this spot overtaking the village...Alric could send his forces out here all he wanted.

  I remembered the bird droppings on all the trees.

  The ravens had been here before.

  The yarn shook next to us as if someone were holding the other end and urging us to hurry. I grabbed Mica's arm and we ran faster, leaving Macon behind. Dead grass crashed as everyone fled, leaving their lives behind.

  Someone had told Alric that Mary and her remembered stories was out here.

  We reached the cover of the trees and the dread feeling only grew. The trees had gotten much thicker and dark as night. Others had died, turning into wooden skeletons. I could barely see in the gloom. The cawing got louder and the yarn glowed again in the darkness. It seemed to be getting stronger, more powerful. The bag of flowers got heavier and I forced myself to drag it along, but Mica took the burden off me and slung it over his shoulder.

  “Will they see us?” a girl asked from behind. I looked back to see the one girl talking to the elf.

  “Brie, we did this before,” the elf said. “We can do it again.”

  I didn’t know what we meant, but the yarn didn’t end up ahead. It snaked deeper and deeper into a forest that had been beautiful before. Now it was all grays and dark greens and blacks. I spotted something far to our left that was a scary bright green with red flowers and a rat scavenging through dead leaves. It glared at us with red eyes as we all slowed and walked in single file. A whole line moved behind us and I could barely see the buildings of the village by now. We were refugees.

  "I don't think the ravens will see us in here," Mica said. "I can't even see the sky."

  I looked up. The canopy was thick with almost-black leaves. Only faint light from a gray sky peeked through. I checked to see if everyone had vacated the field. Beside me, the yarn rolled up. We had reached where it wanted us to go.

  Mary was in the back, arms supported by Rae and Henry now, and everyone had left the field behind. Rae had placed her braid over Mary’s shoulder, which sparkled despite the gloom. Mary walked faster as if it were invigorating her.

  But Macon walked right behind us again.

  “Macon,” Mica said. “Go to the back and guard Mary.”

  Macon sighed, turned, and headed back through the trail. I was glad to have him away from me.

  “Better?” Mica asked me.

  I nodded.

  And managed a smile, even though the dread in my stomach was worse than ever.

  My brothers and I used to stand at the edge of that dark spot back home, daring each other to step on it. We all tried it and jumped back off again as soon as the fear hit. But this time, I had jumped in and there was no way out. I couldn't see anything light and happy anymore. The dark had overtaken this entire area in a short time. Something had happened. A powerful spell, maybe. Was anyone in the village a dark magic user?

  The cawing got so loud overhead that I almost reached up to cover my ears.

  “We’re safe in here,” Mica said, whispering in my ear as if the birds could hear.

  Wings turned to thunder. There must be thousands of them up there, all ready to peck the flesh from our bones. No one spoke, but the rustle of people huddling together followed. I looked up at the trees. The leaves were thick, like night. Wings flapped and the noise reached a peak, then calmed again as the ravens left us behind.

  The village.

  I couldn’t see it behind me anymore through the thick trunks and the underbrush. The thunder of the wings stopped as they must have landed. Then the cawing got louder again as if the birds were angry they hadn’t found anyone left in the village. I thought of the chickens and the sheep grazing in the field. I wondered if the animals would survive.

  “Ravens are stubborn, too,” Mica said, drawing closer to me. I could feel his body heat. Maybe it was because this dark forest was chilly, but it made tingles rush over my skin. “They’ll figure out that we fled and then they’ll start their search again."

  I grabbed onto the yarn ball, which floated next to me. I had to be ready to use it again. It was our lifeline.

  Literally.

  Get us farther from the ravens, I ordered.

  Once again, the yarn unraveled and shot forward.

  "What did she ask it?" Macon called from behind.

  "She can't talk," Brie told him.

  I could see some light up ahead, some forest that was still untouched by the despair, but the yarn curved away from it, keeping us under the thick canopy. It was protecting us from getting seen from the air. This magical artifact was smart.

  "She might be taking us to Alric," Macon shouted from the back. "She's making us go deeper into the dark forest. The exit is right there."

  "The ravens could see us if we go that way," the elf told him.

  "Shut up, Stilt."

  "Sorry. I forgot that you know everything." There was something dark in the elf's voice and I remembered what Bernice told me once about elves. They were okay if they were in the light region, but once you put them in a dark area like this, they turned bad.

  Mica drew up closer behind me. I imagined Macon aiming his bow at me, but bit my lip and kept going. Mica dragged the flowers on the ground. I caught a glimpse of them. They remained as white as ever, untouched by the darkness. There was magic in them, all right.

  The noise of the ravens got less and less...and then got louder again.

  And then the canopy above us opened to a dark gray sky.

  Safety! I thought. The yarn wavered next to me and changed course.

  Right into a swamp.

  Black water and green scum reflected the purple line right above it and huge trees grew from the water, their roots forming caves above the muck.

  "Oh, no," Rae said.

  I had to follow it.

  We had to follow it.

  I grabbed Mica's hand and pulled him forward. He dropped the bag of flowers on shore. We plodded into the water and it splashed around us, cold and lifeless. Others followed. It rose as we waded further in and it was cold. Deathly cold. Nothing could live in this.

  "Mica!" his mother shouted.

  I kept pulling. The water rose to my hips. My waist. Two of the women in black followed along with the elf and the one girl. Rae made a face before joining us. We were all pouring into the water like a terrified herd and people got under tree roots. Sludge wrapped around my shoes and tried to pull me down. I fought down terror as the yarn rolled up next to me head, right under the biggest tree. All around us, people disappeared into darkness. I got under roots with Mica and held my breath. The yarn rolled up again and landed in the water next to me. We had left our things on the shore, right under the clearing.

  And the ravens' wings turned to thunder again. They must have seen the trail we had blazed through the field and followed.

  Feathers rained from the sky. The black rain landed on the water, making ripples that masked our dying ones and peppering the green scum on the surface. The air got darker under the shadow of the birds. I waited for them to see the luggage and land, but ravens must not be that smart. They might only detect movement.

  I focused on my floating ball of yarn, trying to drown out the cold of the water. Trying not to think about my feet sinking into the mire. Mica breathed next to me. It was so dark I couldn't see him well, but his smell stood out over the swamp. He reminded me of a cool, breezy day in the fall. The opposite of this. Anything but this.

  The thunder faded as the ravens left, leaving one final feather fluttering to the ground. I let out a sigh of relief, even with the water rising to my chin.

  "Deja vu," the elf said, right behind me. I hadn't realized he was under this same tree with me. The girl, Brie, had hidden here too. I looked b
ack and could barely see her making a grimace.

  "It's a long story," she said.

  "And not one I want to repeat," Stilt finished. "Brie. Let's get out of here. The ravens are gone. I've seen them before in the dark region and they like to circle around a big area while they're out searching. And by the way, I'll need Rae's hair soon. I can feel the darkness working on me."

  My flowers still stood there, untouched. A single feather had landed on the sack. But then the sack fell to the side and some of the blossoms fell out. The ones on the bottom curled up and turned black.

  I rushed out of the water, fighting the mud the whole way, and I climbed out, dripping, and stuffed the good flowers back into the sack. Mica joined me and we got on our hands and knees, trying to save as many of them as we could.

  "Great," Mica said as everyone climbed out of the water. "We're all going to smell good."

  I sniffed. The swamp smell would stay with us until we found cleaner water. The dress stuck to my legs. It would take forever to dry.

  Poor Mary was shaking and leaning on Henry and Rae more than ever. Her eyes were still strong but her body weak. Mica tied up the sack with a piece of twine, sealing the good flowers inside. The unfortunate ones lay black and dead on the ground. The darkness had corrupted them.

  The cawing got further away.

  "That was close," Mica said, leaning closer to me and grinning. Behind him, everyone else slogged out of the water, dripping with scum. Two of the women hugged each other and cried with relief. Baskets had been left on the ground under trees and next to the pond's edge. It was amazing the ravens hadn't cared about them.

  "Her," Macon said, drawing closer. He pointed at me and nodded, his face serious and stony. "She tried to drown us in the swamp."

  I couldn't believe this. I opened my mouth to speak, but it was no use.

  Mica got in front of me. "She went into the swamp with us. If we hadn't, we would all be getting pecked to death right now. Trust me, that's not a pleasant way to die."

  "Actually, there are worse ways to die," Macon said.

  "My point is, Ignacia had nothing to do with this!"

  "I think she's leading us towards something bad," Macon said. "We should take the yarn and go find safety ourselves. Or better yet, another copy of that book. Or even the same one that you failed to get back from us."

  "You went after that woman with me! And we went the way you said you wanted to go." Redness rose into Mica's cheeks. "At least I did not fire an arrow at a friend."

  Something purple caught my eye. The yarn. It was rolling on the swamp water, getting closer like it was begging me not to abandon it.

  I ran over and seized it. But Macon saw. He rushed me and with a shove, I went down on the ground. I dropped the yarn and it rolled back towards the water.

  "Macon!" Mica shouted, drawing his sword. "Stop that nonsense, right now!"

  Macon was reaching for the yarn, but he stopped mid-reach. "We need it," he said. "Before she kills us."

  I stood. No one had ever shoved me before. I slogged back into the water and took the yarn, rescuing it.

  "Mica's right," Brie said, stepping in between the huntsman and me. "She can't speak for herself. Leave her alone. Go...lecture somebody, or something."

  Macon turned his stare on her. "Here's the thing," he said. "This girl shows up and our resident dark spot suddenly gets a lot bigger. Either another story is falling, or she's the cause."

  I backed up. His glare was so intense it reminded me of Annie. Macon hated me on principle. I was the newcomer. Therefore, I was suspect.

  Around us, everyone watched. Two of the women whispered to each other and Mary muttered something. The woman was losing her strength. Her fire. It had all started when she lost the book and her purpose.

  I might end up like that if I failed my brothers.

  "Mica," his mother said. "It is not the time to argue. I believe Macon might have a good point."

  Macon puffed out his chest at the fact that someone was stoking his ego. "Thank you, Ma'am," he said. "She has something to do with this for sure." He backed towards the water, tripped over a branch, and fell in.

  I had to hold down a laugh. I wasn't sure if that would undo the magic needed to save my brothers, but I wasn't taking any risks.

  But Mica didn't. He snickered, drawing a glare from his mother. Apparently, she hated any sense of fun and kings weren't supposed to have a sense of humor.

  Even Father laughed and told jokes.

  The villagers finished gathering their fallen baskets and scattered supplies. The cawing became so faint that it vanished altogether. The elf was right that ravens made huge circles.

  But that meant they might come back around.

  I held up the yarn. The girl, Brie, grimaced at it for a second. I didn't know what that meant. Maybe she had an aversion to yarn.

  I had to think. I stared at it while everyone watched. Rae and Henry had gone back still supported Mary, who panted and dripped with swamp water. The old woman couldn't handle much more of this. I had to get us to a place where these people could rest, or she was going to drop dead. Eyes stared at me from every angle. Worried faces. Feet shifted, ready to move. People slung packs up higher on their backs. I had a few dozen people here, all waiting for me to lead the way.

  All Macon had to do was take this yarn from me, and I would never find a way back to the other world. I would never get to my brothers again.

  I held up the purple ball.

  Show us a way back to that camp, I thought. The one in the other world.

  The yarn rose.

  And unwound so fast that I could barely make out the motion. It pointed into the trees, into the brighter part of the forest where they didn't grow as close together. Where there was less cover, but more light.

  People sighed in relief. "I'm glad we're not going into that swamp again," Rae said. "That was too many bad memories."

  Macon muttered something under his breath.

  And then he nodded at me. It wasn't friendly. It was the most threatening gesture anyone had given me since Annie and I had spoken.

  "Are we going to a place to rest?" Mica asked.

  I nodded and he told the others.

  "In this world?"

  I shook my head.

  "To the other world?"

  I gave him another yes, and he told the others. Mutters floated up and down the crowd. I was taking these people to a place they had never been before. To a place they had only heard of in stories.

  I waved everyone forward. I was taking them all on this journey with me, but we all needed another copy of that book. There might be one waiting for us.

  But so might Annie.

  Chapter Seven

  "Do you have any idea where this girl is taking us?"

  The voice rang out behind me. Around us, the light got long and tired. We'd been walking the entire day through the woods, only once stopping to munch on jerky and fill up our canteens and wash up at a clean, bubbling stream.

  It was Mary.

  Mica turned to her. She was walking on her own now, between Brie and Stilt. The two of them seemed to hang around her like she was a matriarch. When I thought about it, she was. Mary ruled the village she lived in. Or had. She might as well be a queen herself.

  "Exactly," Macon said from behind her. "She's taking us straight to Alric and pretending not to be able to speak."

  He walked right behind Mary. Two of the women behind him rolled their eyes. Macon clearly grated on a lot of nerves here. Even Mica's mother sighed with impatience.

  "Macon, stop being such a know-it-all," Mary said. "This girl helped go after the bandits that stole our book. She went into danger. She helped Henry when you shot him. Mica and Henry trust her and I trust them. She could have always told her magic yarn to lead them into a trap instead."

  Macon opened his mouth to speak, but Mary glared at him. That shut him up.

  "I was only asking where this girl is taking us," she continued.
>
  "To the other world. We told you already. Alric isn't there. Fable is in trouble and we need to get you out of here before he finds you."

  I nodded again, feeling stupid. If only I could just talk...

  "But where in the other world?" Mary asked. "It's just that...I haven't seen my family in thirty years."

  "I don't know. She can't tell us." Mica stepped closer to me and waved to the sack of flowers that he had set on the ground. "She needs help. It's obvious. Something's wrong. Besides, why would a dark being have an artifact like that ball of yarn?"

  I glanced at it. The purple lifeline still stretched into the trees. I couldn't see the end of it. We'd been following for hours. The way back to the other world was a long way away, but not as far as finding the starwort in the other world would have been. My feet quivered. I'd done so much walking in the last few days that I knew I was losing weight.

  "Come on," Mica said. "We need to find wherever we need to go before it gets too dark."

  We started walking faster again. At least Mica was a king and people listened to him. But this wasn't the Sun Kingdom. He was out of his league here.

  We all started moving again, heading along the line. It glowed more and more the darker it got. Rae and Henry caught up with us and the four of us walked together. None of us spoke for a long time, but Rae would give me a sympathetic look every once in a while.

  The dusk turned to black and we were left following the pale purple line into the night. Mica had suggested that none of us speak very loud so we wouldn't attract any attention. My heart raced as the last light faded and the stars came out. At least we were out of the dark part of the woods. The dark spot hadn't expanded out this far, but I thought of the village left behind.

  Mica had said a story might be falling.

  Mine?

  I was here and my brothers were still in the other world.

  It was my story to save them. I could feel it. I wanted to ask Mica how it all worked, but there was nothing I could do. Writing to him was out.