Soul Song ~ Book One

Chapter Twenty-One

Not only were mirrored eyes beautiful, they were also sharp. Damien had no problem making his way through the inky black of the forest as his eyes cut through the dark, making it almost as easy to see at night as he did in the day. Before long, he could smell the smoke from fires in the homes of the villagers. As he approached the House of the Elders, the enormous mountain loomed ahead, like an evil magistrate, accusing him of treason. Foreboding took up residence in his chest as he trudged up the last few steps to the door. He dreaded the homecoming he would receive. While he frequently disappeared, he had never been gone an entire week. He hoped Klellen would accept his sprained ankle excuse. Before he could be seen, he started exaggerating his slight limp, just in case anyone could see him approaching.

Opening the heavy door, the stale smell of the House washed over him, instantly making him miss the wild smells of the forest. The flowers, the trees, the grass...Mirabella. The ache in his chest at that last thought took the wind out of him. He couldn't allow himself to think of her now; he needed to steel himself for what was coming.

It was late, but he knew people were awake. People like Klellen. Making his way in, the first person he saw wasn't Klellen, but the morose young woman Klellen had taken in so many years ago, when her family died from the plague. As ever, Dania was looking her usual blank self. Damien often wondered what transpired behind those brilliant green eyes of hers. His thoughts stopped short. Brilliant green eyes...like Mirabella's. Could she...? He looked closer at Dania, scrutinizing the waif- like woman who barely spoke to anyone. There was no way she could compare to his wild Mirabella. And yet...

Passing by him, Dania's movements were ghost-like. Her near-silent movements were smooth and elegant. Her eyes never seemed to see much, and what they did see, she didn't seem to care about. When her eyes lit on Damien, he ducked his head in greeting, and she returned a vague nod to him. Her eyes flashed for a moment...or did he only imagine it?

Before he could contemplate it long, he was pounced on by his anxious father.

"You are late in returning. Where have you been?" Anxiety dripped from his father. When Damien was younger, he hadn't understood the crystals the original Changed Ones wore. As he so often did, he stared at the red crystal that he now knew held some of his mother's essence in it. After meeting Mirabella, he wanted his mother back more than ever.

"Damien!" His father's voice was sharp, demanding his attention.

"Yes, Elder Garren?" Since the Change, Damien wasn't allowed to call his father anything other than his Elder name, separating them even further than his father had already done.

"Where have you been?" he hissed. "High Elder Klellen has been looking for you."

"I will go see him now," Damien answered, avoiding lying to his father.

"Yes, that's a good idea. Go. Don't be an embarrassment to me," Elder Garren responded with a slight push on Damien's shoulder.

It didn't take long to find Klellen. Alone, he sat at the long dining table, eating a meal fit for an army of kings. While the Changed Ones preferred human blood, they could also get by on animals as well, but the hunting and feeding made them ravenous. Kellen must have just returned from a hunt. Damien stifled his disgust. Everything about a Changed One seemed to be gluttonous. They preyed upon the people when they could, then upon animals when they couldn't, and then ate more than a normal human could ever swallow. Those pale bodies of theirs must use a lot of energy of every form. Damien pushed a shudder down at the thought of how his healthy, tan skin would change to match.

"You have returned," Klellen spoke without looking up.

"I was walking...in the forest." Damien tried not to fidget.