The Brother's Keep, Four-Novella Box Set: The Brother's Keep

By Tessa Stockton

Four brothers have fallen to darkness, each cursed for all time. Possessed with unique powers, they lure, charm, and sometimes unleash a fury to destroy.

Four maidens venture out, each vulnerable and alone. Risking everything, they set out in search for answers to end the evil sourced from the brothers.

The quests challenge the lives and minds of the maidens as they question motive. Are they still trying to save their people from harm, or futilely redeem heartless beings for the sake of love? Because somehow while daring, their hearts are stolen in what could be the quickest path to destruction, the greatest betrayal of all.

The Brother's Keep is a compilation of four allegorical fantasy-romance novellas written from a Biblical worldview. Each novella focuses on one particular brother and one maiden in a specific domain. Along the way, meet Lily of the Valley, Bright & Morning Star, Promise the King, and The Messenger; characters vital to these young women who find themselves lost in the keeps of alluring yet unscrupulous brothers.

This volume includes:

Novella 1 ~ Wind's Aria

Elected as the Songstress, Aria takes her place on the sacred platform to sing before every dawn. As long as she does so, peace and abundant life belong to her people. One morning, amidst a strange wind that brings with it a curse in its eerie howl, Aria loses her ability to make music. But the encroaching death that transpires isn't her biggest tragedy. It's that she adores the cause of her blunder, for he's a magnificent winged creature who's stolen more than her voice.

Novella 2 ~ Sea God's Siren

An accident left Syrena blind and only the sea god Dagon can bring her healing. But the cost of abiding in his aquatic prison in exchange for sight proves more than she bargained for.

Novella 3 ~ Tree Lord's Oracle

Arekel becomes the chosen of her world to stop the Tree Lord menace from expanding his domain of Deadwood. Embarking on the fretful task, the young maiden learns that she alone holds the key to destroying the Tree Lord's malevolent heart. There's just one other problem. She's fallen in love with him.

Novella 4 ~ Ice Dancer's Hold

A beautiful slave named Sasha holds the hidden power to destroy Master Kilian once and for all, along with his reign of terror. Instead, she openly sacrifices herself, silencing her own authority, deep within his arctic fortress. The question is, why? Now, among the confusion, evil prevails.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Creative Purpose Publications
• Release date: Dec 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393429616

Tessa Stockton

Tessa Stockton is a speculative fiction novelist, freelancer, and editor living in the United States. She is a former professional dancer.

Book preview

WIND’S ARIA

The Brother’s Keep Series, Novella 1

To Heidi, a songstress in my life

1

The Voice

(Song of Songs 2)

Nightingale lee, Nightingale sung

Melody sweet as spring just begun

If ever we meet, ‘tis true I belong

My voice, my heart, my all you have won

He stilled the current and listened with intent as he had since the first time he’d ever heard the voice. At the same point every night, just before the striking of the dreaded sun upon the earth, she sang. The melody drew him, tortured him. Captured by its strange flow, like clouds streamlining the great expansive sky he governed, he moved closer to the sound. Careful to keep hidden, he watched her.

The pale girl’s lips parted slightly at first but then, as if lost in entrancing song, he watched the passion grow within her. Her mouth opened wide.

He flinched.

The peculiar melody she produced – better than the howl of his channel storms – haunted him. To whom did she sing? What horribly fortunate being did she sing about night after night? And why did it trouble him so?

Wisps of air flicked and zapped about him. Then he grew agitated by his hair, gone wild, whipping his face, distorting his vision of her.

That’s when he knew his master drew near. He soon felt his presence at his side.

Thisp!sssss. You waste your time, boy! I gave you the endless plains to oversee. The despairing winds need propelling.

With no disrespect, master, I am overseeing them.

Though given great power along with the splendor he had so thirsted for by the serpent, the master’s scream in his ear made his wings nearly buckle.

Yes, bow in my presence, you insolent boy!

He fell from the cloud cover and hit the ground with such force he gasped to fill his lungs.

The serpent slithered on top of him, pinning him face down. He said in a seething rasp, "You claim you have control over your territory – the province I gave you – yet these people, the Meleyans, hold a pocket of civilization untouched by the winds I bequeathed you to govern. And deep within these palisades at the center of your so-called plains!

Peace loving, garden growing, believers in the eternal one – yet they haven’t even seen him! Thispsssss. You failed. Failed to claim these people for my expanding den!

I’m sorry, my master. I have wasted time. I will do better. The pain in his chest intensified. What must I do? He clenched his teeth.

What distracts your mind; possesses your interest, other than me?

That voice, he wheezed. The voice of the girl who sings.

Only the voice?

Eyes wide now and body quavering, he couldn’t deny there existed something else that compelled him...except he couldn’t put his finger on what that was. She wasn’t an ugly girl, but she didn’t possess great beauty either. Great like his, that is, the kind that deserved his attention, and yet...

He feared to verbalize any of the matter to the serpent.

That girl is a good-for-nothing waif that should already be claimed and burning in your brother Firebringer’s lake, the evil one spat.

He sensed the serpent’s bent scrutiny in that unfortunate moment. The silence meant that Master was thinking, planning, devising. Then he felt the pain diminish.

Stand to your feet.

And so he did.

I know how to bring an end to the Meleyans’ merriment, put a stop to their blinded beliefs, and cast away that predictable ghastly screech from the throat of that scrawny-necked girl-soul.

Afraid to speak, he awaited the answer, of which he trembled with dread to take delivery.

Although he always did what his master demanded without question, this time he winced over the commands and hoped his flinch went unnoticed.

Don’t make the same mistake as your youngest brother, the serpent warned. If you do, I will seek and destroy you.

How much time do I have?

Drive the despairing winds. Because of your mindless distraction, boy, they have slowed near the bothersome mountains of blue where your youngest brother once lured. Souls are somehow being freed from the channel cells. Make haste and blow your fiercest gale to tighten the column and force them back into the continual loop. We cannot lose more by your stupidity. That is your first task. Then, two nights from now, come back here and take care of this nonsense.

The slurping reverberated in his ears until the sound disappeared completely.

Gaining composure, he fluttered his cumbersome wings and restlessly took to the sky again, increasing in elevation. He lingered in vapor and cast a furtive glance on the Songstress with hair the color of a tawny field fox.

Her singing filled his head. The music lured, yet stung.

He desired to hear more, yet at the same instant urged the torment to stop.

Clamping hands over his ears, he let out a moan. A cry that coupled with the air he stirred, drowning her out.

2

Error

Aria’s throat seized before she finished the song. She shuffled as apprehension rolled through her. She lifted her eyes to the sky, distracted. Aria tried to finish, but—

There. She sensed it, again.

No—she heard it this time. She was sure. A sort of hollow groan, torturous, spawned by bottomless sorrow. The sound pricked her heart.

She coughed and glanced down at the pendant hanging around her neck. Taking the necklace in her hands, the white emblem of the Sacred Flower etched into the crimson stone radiated, making her palms sweat. She tried to focus. She had to finish.

Voice shaky, she continued the song where she’d left off, hoping nothing would come of her mistake, and completed the melody at last.

Aria huffed, irritated at her error, anxious of consequences. Then she pondered that strange sensation she’d first experienced more than a fortnight ago. It had reoccurred since. In fact, the awareness had increased, happening more often now.

When she took to the platform that overlooked her beloved city of Meley, with all of its torchlights flickering, winking at her even from the great height and distance from where she stood, that peculiar feeling swept over her. It seemed as if eyes watched her every move. A shifting and uncomfortable presence loomed.

The breeze caressed a few strands of hair. Aria let go of the pendant and pressed the flyaway stalks, orangey like her grandmother’s, down pat.

Her vision drifted skyward. There, against the darkness, she could almost see a sable silhouette in the shape of a man take form. With translucence, the amorphous wisps remained indistinct, ominous.

She shivered after a gust of wind struck her out of nowhere. Then a massive shadow, darker than the night itself, and like a great bird with a giant wingspan, circled over and again until, finally, away.

Aria shook her head. She must have imagined it. Night had not let up. Birds still slept. Darkness enveloped the land and skies so that she couldn’t see well outside of the sparkling city.

Tightening her poncho, dyed the color of red earth clay, she wrapped it, and her arms, about her girth. She shrugged and then stepped down. Aria glanced upward once more before she made her descent. Not knowing why, the momentary glance seemed risky.

Preferring to keep the matter to herself, Aria wondered if she shouldn’t tell someone. After all, it was a small mistake. Her people would forgive her. She had no reason to fear.

Did she?

She never had before. But she’d never experienced that acute foreboding sensation either.

And she had on no account ceased mid-song. The one task in her life that mattered and proved crucial to the Meleyans. They looked to her for the favorable blessings of the Sacred Flower. She was their Songstress, the chosen communicator of the Sacred One.

Ever since she turned of-age to accept her calling and take the place of the one who served before her, she’d climbed the network of stone steps carved from the very walls of the palisades. Deep in the night while her people lay in slumber, she took the designated position on the uppermost rock shelf and sang.

From there, her voice drifted over the city. The anthem covered the land and her people with the sweet balm of peace, life, and growth that channeled through the sacred gift of the melodic chords handed down to her from generation to generation.

Why would things be any different? A simple mistake is all it was.

I have no need for concern. Aria began muttering aloud her thoughts, hoping to feel assurance in the course of the act. I shall speak with Chimna. He will tell me my worry is for nothing.

She descended the system of staircases that deposited her at the placid lake’s shore. Mist that had settled over the water swirled in its preparation to rise as morning began its introduction.

Aria carefully stepped into the lightweight boat; its pointy bow directed toward the heart of the city, then grabbed an oar and began paddling.

At the gray of daybreak, she reached the other side and docked at Chimna’s round cottage. The glow of amber light reflected through the round-paned, latticed windows, making the details of the dwelling that Aria found so quaint more discernible, and she could see the spiral roofline easier now that the sky began to lighten. She released a sigh of relief, and then questioned that itself. What made her so uncomfortable? Did she fear that much? She never had reason before, and yet...

After tethering her boat, she stepped onto the dock, brushed her blue pantalets, and pulled the length of her sagging boots back up over her knees. Making her way down the dock, she stopped at Chimna’s waterside door and raised her fist to knock, but the door opened before she made the first rap.

Come in, come in, Aria. I have breakfast all ready and set on the table.

Oh, but I—

Sit down, sit down. He guided her onto the short, cushioned stool facing the low, round table. Let me pour you a piping cup of black hickory....that’a girl... The steam rose from the heavy clay mug that Chimna himself had turned on the potter’s wheel.

She really wasn’t in the mood to eat but one thing Aria understood about Chimna, he rarely took no for an answer. And as he piled her plate until it heaped with dougeys, breads stuffed with spices, topped with sweet curd and roasted golden chestnuts, her mind succumbed to her tummy telling her the time to eat had indeed come.

It wasn’t until her dent on the plate’s halfway point in the mouthwatering breakfast that Aria suddenly lowered her utensil, remembering the sensations she’d had earlier while on the dais. Her chest tightened, stricken with that uneasiness she was not accustomed to, and she prepared for a confession.

Is something wrong with the meal, Aria?

No...I—

Oh-Oh-Ohhhhh! Chimna grabbed his head.

What is it? Alarm burst through Aria’s bosom.

I knew I didn’t get all of the shells clean off those nuts.

Aria sighed as Chimna jumped to his feet.

Don’t move a muscle, I’ll fetch you a fresh plate and will make sure this does not happen again.

It-it’s fine. The breakfast is perfect. It always is. You know how much I love your cooking. Aria wrestled with him over her plate of half-eaten fare. Let me keep it, please.

Nonsense. I’ll not have the Meleyan’s appointed Songstress eating slop. Not under my roof. He won the tug-of-war and then sent the plate crashing across the room, food splattering the walls.

Shock coursed through her. She stared at his back as silence pervaded. She’d never witnessed Chimna with a temper.

She rose and tiptoed over to his sulking frame, placing her hands with gentle ease on his sagging shoulders.

Chimna, w-what...?

I’ve always tried to be strong for you. I promised your father I’d take good care of you and foster you well.

And you have, Godfather. Aria wished she could see his face, but he kept it hidden as he stood in the shadowed corner. She heard...she heard crying. Faint sniffs followed by a wiping of the eyes with his own fists. Chimna?

Ah, I bet you think I’m being silly. He pulled a handkerchief and blew his nose that sounded more like the blast of a jig’s horn at the opening night of the Sheaves Festival.

No, of course not. She searched his countenance when he finally turned to face her. Worry must have crossed her face, much as it did her heart.

Don’t fret, child. It is nothing.

But, Chimna, she pleaded, what troubles you so?

Dreams.

Dreams?

Only dreams. You see, it’s nothing. His shoulders rose and fell.

"Dreams are not nothing, Chimna."

Nothing for you to be concerned about. Now sit, eat. He urged her back to the table, set another mountain of food in front of her, poured black hickory to the rim, and motioned for her to hurry and lift her utensil. Then Chimna looked away.

It was the sense of loss in his eyes that disquieted her spirit. She picked at the golden chestnuts before she refrained from breakfast entirely. It really was a fine meal, Chimna. I simply can’t find room to take another bite. You tend to think I’m much heartier than I truly am.

She rose to clear the table. He stopped her mid-reach.

Leave the mess. You know how I like to clean up and finish the chores. It gives me something to do.

She leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on Chimna’s forehead, then left the cottage with nothing but the sound of the door’s click and the roaring silence.

3

Twilight

Upon entering the stables , a draft of air laden with the tang of hay filled Aria’s nostrils, bringing with it nostalgic memories of her dad placing her on the back of a horse for the first time. Day after day, she entered and experienced the same. She inhaled deeply, never growing tired of reminiscence, thoroughly taking pleasure in it despite the confusion that clouded her mind.

Unlatching the wide band of iron, she swung the door open and led Dunjra, the big black, from his stall.

Hey, boy, how are you? she cooed while stroking the black’s elongated face. Tethering him to the center post, Aria removed the horse’s shoes one-by-one and then trimmed his hooves. Taking her time, she thought about Chimna, and she considered his dreams. What did they tell him? Why did he seem so distressed? She’d never seen him that way and his behavior troubled her more deeply.

She began heating the kiln. Once the coals turned orange, she extended the clamp into the fire, heating the metal until it grew supple. Then she began hammering away, shaping, reshaping, to fit Dunjra’s hoof. Once satisfied, she tossed the shoe into a bucket of cold water. Sputtering steam rose and then thinned to nothingness.

Aria shivered, remembering the chilling draft that had covered her like a suffocating blanket, making her throat clench.

She tried to shake the foreboding feeling that seemed to come more readily, and continued with her task. Making three more shoes like the first, she began securing them onto the equine’s hooves.

Crouching, with Dunjra’s leg positioned between her legs, she’d driven the last nail in when she heard Chimna’s voice.

Why do you insist on doing the work of a blacksmith? You are The Songstress and shouldn’t be doing such labor.

Aria produced a small laugh. Because I enjoy it. Always have.

Mmm. It’s your father in you, I suppose. He chuckled.

And have you forgotten my mother completely?

Ah, she has been gone the longest but she is not easy to forget. He winked. I remember when she shod a horse a time or two, yes indeed, Chimna admitted. A strong woman in every sense, unlike most Meleyan females. He mused pleasantly. She enjoyed man’s labor, much like you. He stared at the rafters. And how you must miss the both of them. They’ve been departed for some time now.

I do. Of course I do. She glanced again at her godfather. I will see them again one day. You will, too. She pointed to him with the hammer she held loosely. That is the promise of our Sacred One.

She smiled but the gesture felt puny. A tinge of guilt pricked her conscience. You haven’t done such a bad job at parenting. She winked at her godfather, causing him to blush, as she untied Dunjra. And your bashfulness is sweet. She bent and kissed Chimna on the cheek while she led the horse toward the access. Perhaps the troubles of the morning would evaporate and therefore she had no need to fret.

Here, let me help. Chimna threw open the doublewide doors.

They both froze.

Dread raged through her bosom. Where’s the sun?

Grayness had not lifted from the land.

In all my days I have witnessed the rising of the sun. B-b-but I don’t see it now. She strove to control the panic in her voice.

Perhaps you finished on the dais sooner than usual, and it is still too early for the sun to ascend? he offered, but his response sounded weak.

No, she said with uncertainty. Could he be right? She led Dunjra out the doors. The horse shifted his massive frame, raised its head into the air and snorted. He pawed the earth, twitching his ears back and forth, and snorted again, clearly agitated.

Aria climbed onto Dunjra’s back with swiftness and circled as the horse jigged, anxious to be off. She studied the bleak sky.

Be careful, my girl.

She glared at him sharply. You have never told me to be careful before. Have you forgotten my skill with riding? She didn’t mean to snap, but his comment stunned.

Chimna closed his jaw tightly as if he tried hard to refrain from speaking more than he should.

Everything seemed different, off-kilter. Aria disliked the odd sensation, the sensation that some sort of change had occurred. The awareness was nearly tangible, the forecast imminent. It didn’t feel good.

Hup! She spurred her heels into Dunjra’s flank and sped away from the stables. Her heart raced fast and she felt the beats, like the thudding of the horse’s hooves on the street, as she drove Dunjra past the rows of houses, the markets, and the thriving gardens.

Aria whipped to the wide perimeter of the great lake. Leaning forward against the horse’s neck, they climbed the mountainous hillside, leaped boulders, and scaled the sharp incline of the palisades until she trailed to the path near the top. Stopping at a high point, she and Dunjra gulped air to recover from the speeding frenzy. The big black snorted and she peered as far as she could see, but the endless plains were just that – endless. Not to mention dreary and barren. And with that view stretching on forever she sighted no sun.

No sun.

Where is it? How could she lose sight of it, their life-source? Her heart thudded as if it would jump right out of her chest.

On the highest trail, Dunjra plodded and Aria sat atop his back, bewildered, searching. She cupped her eyes and strained. Glimpsing farther out past the region belonging to the Meleyans, the shadows loomed even darker. Like a thick spill that spread, dispelling the source of hope.

Oh...oh, she muttered, fear stabbing her bosom. What has happened? Guiding Dunjra around before she finished the thought, they began to make the return trip to the city of Meley. Suddenly careless and forgetful, she struggled to stay on Dunjra’s back and the horse thrashed about over the terrain. Aria felt as if she lost all sense of control. She fell off and hit her back against stone while Dunjra trotted a few paces forward before stopping. Though superficial, the cuts hurt.

Aria rose with stiffness, brushed the dirt and pebbles off, and stepped to retrieve the rope dangling from Dunjra’s headstall. Sore, she remounted using the aid of a boulder and tried to concentrate on riding until she reached the stables.

Jumping from the black’s back before coming to a halt, Aria pushed on Dunjra’s tall hip to keep him moving. They jogged through the double-doors and she guided him back to his stall. In a quick reflex, she pulled the headstall off and shut the enclosure, forgetting to thank Dunjra for the ride as she always did.

Down the system of steps and paths that led throughout the multi-leveled tributaries, spray from the arrangement of thundering falls dampened her skin more than the perspiration that now dripped off her face. Aria knew she would find Chimna in the gardens maintaining the complex irrigation system from their abundant water sources.

In a race around a bend of copious bushes to find him, she suddenly froze when there he stood not twenty paces away. Aria’s heart about stopped as she lost the will to tell him what she’d done. Disappointment would spread across his face and she didn’t want to see it.

With a tentative step, she drew near. He was whistling calmly. Instead of the sound easing her conscience, the warbling vexed her more.

He looked up. My dear girl, back so soon?

Chimna...I...

She glanced down at the toes of her boots. Tears swamped her eyes.

Well, what is it? he questioned.

Aria could hear the concerned tone in his voice, which didn’t help.

With words coming out little more than a peep, she muttered, I have something to tell you.

4

Confession (of sorts)

Chimna dropped the hoe and closed the gap between them. He cupped her face with his plump, warm hands. Then he noticed her clothes, soiled.

What happened to you? He released Aria and examined her.

It’s nothing, I—

Nothing! Did you take a fall?

Aria looked away.

Answer me.

Yes, Godfather, I fell from Dunjra’s back. She hated to admit it.

I told you to be careful.

She sighed. I know, I know.

Then he leaned back and assessed her more. That’s not like you. How did it happen?

Aria shrugged. In my haste to get back, to find you, I guess. Her answer sounded weak and she knew it.

Why such urgency then, when you knew where I would be?

Aria felt her jaw drop as she searched for words. She wagged her head as if that would help spew them out, getting the dreaded confession over with. The-the sun, she gasped. It’s nowhere to be seen. I searched the horizon as far as my eyes would take me across the endless plains.

What has happened, I wonder? Chimna’s chin rose as he looked to the gray sky, searching. What does this mean? He sounded lost in thought, while Aria swallowed hard against her throat that seemed to seize. Chimna turned to her in a way that made her jump. Aria, did you do anything different?

That’s when she couldn’t help the tears from streaming. She started blubbering so much she couldn’t talk.

Aria, what have you done?

The shock in his voice didn’t help. She fell against his chest and sobbed, soaking his shirt. At last, she pulled back, cupping her hands over her mouth, wanting to hide the shame somehow.

What, girl? I can’t hear you through your hands. Chimna pulled them away from her lips.

I got distracted.

What do you mean you got distracted?

Just that! I got distracted. I don’t know how. She huffed. Chimna, something has changed. But I could feel the shift coming before it happened. For a while now, it has felt as if I’ve been watched. And-and I felt a cold wind, and-and I thought I saw something. She began hyperventilating. I stopped singing, she whispered.

You what?

Her stomach dropped and she felt ill.

Just for a moment, though, she said. I finished the anthem of the Sacred Flower. She tugged on Chimna’s sleeve. I did it, I-I completed my duty.

Her godfather’s wide eyes seemed frozen and he didn’t appear as if he heard her anymore.

Chimna, I finished the song, she wailed. Okay, so I made a blunder! Why would the sun be so unforgiving? Have I made that great of an error?

Child, he muttered softly, I do not know. Perhaps, perhaps this will last only for a time and things will return to normal. His grave expression lightened a bit and Aria found him gazing into her face.

I’m sorry, she mumbled and hung her head.

He gave a heavy sigh. You must announce this at the opening of the festival tonight, he said very carefully.

She cringed.

People should not be kept in the dark. He paused. Aria?

She understood that he wanted her to answer, to agree. Aria could only nod.

Okay then. What is done is done, he puffed. Hopefully we can somehow correct your, he cleared his throat, "our mistake. He reached and patted her on the shoulder. Prepare your explanation to the people."

Yes, Godfather.

Aria slipped away like slow-burning oil. She felt hot and knew her faced must have turned scarlet. Her tummy felt queasy and she dragged her feet as she retreated to the privacy of her cottage to mope, and then to figure out what she would say to the people – and how she’d express it.

She slammed the door before falling onto her knees, clutching the pendant of the Sacred Flower. Her lips trembled as she tried to form words. She wanted pardon but felt too ashamed to even attempt to utter the phrase. Help me, please... When that expression slid out, she stood and paced. Glancing out of the round-paned window, Aria saw that the sun still did not show its face. Instead, a dark grayness smothered Meley. She wished she could go back in time and redo her morning ritual. She didn’t want to face the Meleyans and have to admit to them that she’d done something unthinkable.

Moving back and forth across the living area, nerves got the best of her, until the gray of day disappeared and a normal night began to settle. A knock made her jump and the weighty pendant swung down from the grasp of her hand. She hesitated before opening the door. Had that many hours passed already?

It’s time, my girl. Have you prepared your confession?

Confession. The word itself sounded so revolting. Did she dare admit to Chimna that she hadn’t figured out what she would say? That she’d wasted the day away, anxious and fretting.

She didn’t say anything but followed him out of the security of her shelter and onto the circuitous path to the gathering place of the people.

There, in the center of the largest courtyard adjoining one of Meley’s chief harvesting fields, stood a stage erected for musicians and performers. As usual, the band prepared to play, the governor of the city stood ready to speak, and the player of the jig’s horn anticipated executing the commencement blast, but the crowd seemed more restless than normal. Folks gave fleeting glances to the sky around them and Aria knew they questioned the turn of events. Why would they not? They’d had the privilege of the sun’s presence every day of their healthy, abundant lives.

Until now.

Aria’s stomach flipped.

They appeared to carry on the programs as they would at any festival, but before all got underway, Aria knew they expected her to sing a ditty of blessing for a favorable party, also part of the commencement. That came first. She always welcomed it, but tonight proved different. She had such a desire to run and hide and deny that she’d had something to do with the sun disappearing. It took everything to pretend that all was as it should be.

As her shaky legs moved forward, betraying her forged optimism, Chimna mumbled that she needed to speak before she sang. Could this get any worse? She worried about the inevitable disappointment of the people. Yet, perhaps...perhaps if she just got the confession over with, then all would return to normal.

The minutes in taking a position on the center stage felt like years. She cleared her throat.

Umm...

Aria stared at Chimna. Gravity covered every line of his face, yet she detected no reproach. His eyes, ever twinkling, held only love for her, in spite of what she had done.

After taking a deep breath, Aria spoke so fast that people didn’t catch on at first.

What? asked one.

What was that she said? asked another.

The governor, looking confused, solicited Aria to repeat her blessing.

No, no, it’s not a blessing. You don’t understand. I’m trying to make a statement.

Then state what you will, and do so loudly so the folks in the back and the elderly can hear you, the governor demanded.

Aria sighed. In as succinct a manner as she could, she said, I lost my focus... Glancing at different faces, her eyes felt as if they’d bulge from the sockets. She fought from hyperventilating right there, in front of everybody. This morning, I-I was interrupted...and I stopped. That’s why the sun didn’t greet us today. That’s why we sit in a cover of darkness. Aria couldn’t prevent the tears falling from her eyelids. I stopped singing the Sacred Flower’s song before its proper time of conclusion.

Gasps ricocheted throughout the crowd.

Aria cowered.

You didn’t finish the song and so left us and our plants, our life, in darkness? the governor asked, eyes widening.

But I did finish! I was distracted only for a moment.

Still, this has never happened before. Are you weak, girl? What has our Songstress so preoccupied?

She didn’t have the answer to that. She shook her head and started to back away.

Wait! The governor held his palm up at her. You must not make this your folly again, do you understand?

I do, she whispered.

Murmurs continued to course through the crowd.

She opened her mouth to say more, but the governor, in his obvious disapproval, wouldn’t grant her the opportunity.

We will talk about this later, he said. Not now, not here. He lisped the command in her ear. You should have come to me first.

Aria, taken aback by the hostility that came from Governor Talx’s dark eyes, looked pleadingly at Chimna who could only shrug his shoulders.

Sing, the leader ordered. Let’s get on with this prance and dance nonsense.

She stepped forward again into the full view of the crowd. I’m sor—