Soul Song ~ Book One

Chapter Eight

In the weeks following the massacre of the Healers, villagers poured through the doors of the House of the Elders. Whatever meagre gifts they could give, they brought and offered to Klellen. Several pledged themselves to the service of the Elders. The House's empty rooms began to fill with eager servants. The younger Elders, who had been not much more than servants to Klellen, began to enjoy this change. They hadn't been above anyone before. They continued to make their special wares, but menial tasks were relegated to the new servants. Lyla cooked less and less until she spent the majority of her days in her quarters. After what Dania had seen happen to the Healers, she couldn't stomach being around Lyla or anyone else, and spent her days in her quarters or outside.

As the villagers paraded through, Dania suffered a different kind of illness at their cursing of the Healers. No one ever spoke up, wondering where the Healers had gone. No one seemed to care. All they knew was their families were safe and the Elders were responsible.

On one of the rare occasions that the family was all together at once, Lyla sat by the fire, embroidering. They weren't dresses this time, but it still made Dania's skin crawl to watch. Lucas was sitting on the couch, drawing something on thick paper. With the way he kept leering at her, Dania assumed it must be her. She glanced down at her own embroidery in dismay. She didn't have the skill Lyla had and doubted she ever would. Klellen sat in an arm chair, not far from Lyla, deep in thought. The normally somewhat robust looking man seemed paler than usual. Dania wondered if he was thinking about what he did to the Healers. As if feeling her gaze, Klellen's eyes flicked over at her. In a bit of defiance, Dania held his gaze a moment before returning her attention to her pathetic attempt at embroidery. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him return his gaze to the fire. In, what she hoped was a more stealthy way, she raised her eyes without raising her eyelids to look at Klellen. Was it her imagination, or did he really pale a few more shades?

Anticipating Klellen's face moving away from the fire, Dania ducked, but immediately returned her gaze when she heard Klellen groan. Clutching his chest, his face lost what color it still retained, and twisted tightly in pain. Doubling over, he ungracefully fell to the cold, stone floor with a grunt.

Both Lucas and Lyla dropped what they were doing and rushed to him. Dania, on the other hand, felt no urgency. Something inside her kept her calm and disinterested. She mused that he might need a Healer, but there were none for him to have. Having heard the commotion, servants rushed to his aid, but stood back, unsure of what to do.

Dania's eyes narrowed as she watched Klellen's malady progress. Convulsions wracked his body while foam pushed its way out of his mouth. White skin turned ashen gray and his stormy blue eyes rolled up inside his head. If she didn't know better, she'd think he had the plague. But, he had stopped the plague and Elders don't get sick, right? Curiosity won out, and Dania crept over to his thrashing body. The closer she went, the stronger she felt another presence in the room. One that doesn't belong. One that was pulling strings it shouldn't have access to. Glancing around, Dania expected to see...something. Seeing nothing, she looked back at Klellen who was trying to speak through the foam dripping out of the corner of his mouth.

"What...what...have....we....d-done...P-please...help....me..."

"We're trying, my love. We don't know what to do. Please, tell us, what should we do?" Lyla asked with desperation in her voice. Dania looked at Lyla, incredulous. How could this woman care about the man who killed fifteen Healers without a thought? She had to remind herself Lyla hadn't seen what she saw. But she saw the worry on Lucas' face and wondered how he could care about this monster. One final convulsion wracked Klellen's body before releasing him and leaving him limp. Air sighed out of his lungs for one last time. Dania turned her back as Lyla's wail began. She had no pity for that creature. He was given his due. There was no other end for him.