Golden eyes watching our every move
Losing time without the sun or moon
Once, his life had been so quiet. Darkness filled his days, shadows his sole companions. Now, everything seems so loud, so very different. He has yet to decide if he cares for such changes. Were it not for little Merry, he might have remained a silent watcher for the remainder of his life. But he would not leave the boy alone. Not yet. For the first time in his life, he has something to live for.
But the world has changed so rapidly. And now the family he had once avoided for fear they would see the truth of his dark soul stands scattered in the line of danger. He might have lived in blissful ignorance not so long ago, but that too has changed. So, despite his desire to remain unnoticed and invisible, the heart that still beats so strongly in his chest demands he bring them home, to safety.
He could worry about the rest of it later.
Heartfire is the easiest of his remaining siblings to find. She always has been. Even as a child he had known she is not a quiet soul, and that had always been intimidating to a boy who wanted nothing more than the shrink into the shadows. But when the shadows part to reveal his sister, it is to find a woman vastly different than he remembers.
She is ill already, that much is clear. He is too late. His heart settles heavily in his chest as he peers at her through gleaming yellow eyes. There is a man with her, bloody and bone-armored, holding her almost protectively. His eyes slide over them, catching on the rounded curve of her stomach, almost painfully obvious in her too thin frame. She’s pregnant, he thinks, a hint of desperation crowding his thoughts. He hadn’t anticipated any of this.
“Heartfire,” he says softly, stepping from the safety of his shadows. The light is nearly blinding here, but he tries to ignore the way it burns his skin. She looks at him, almost startled, as though she hadn’t noticed him. There is confusion in her clouded blue gaze, and he realizes she would not recognize him. Not like this. “It’s Ether.”
She blinks at him, as though it takes a few moment for recognition to register. He presses onward though. He does not like this place. Too bright, too open, the stench of conflict on the horizon. “Please come with,” he pleads urgently, his skin itching beneath the bright chill. “We can go somewhere safe.”
ether