31 Shadow in the Water

Year 901YC, twenty-three years earlier

THE YOUNG PRINCE clutched his sides in wheezing laughter, as the flock descended upon the breathers. The men atop the open guard tower shouted and ducked as the black feathered assailants swooped low over the battlement. Archers had peppered several of the crows with arrows to no effect. His golden-haired sister giggled beside him and lost concentration for a moment. Several birds dropped towards the ground before she regained control.

Threadfin thought it hilarious, as the men ducked and screamed, and he clapped his hands. Finding ways to terrify the palace guards was great fun.

Seated together beneath the apple grove in the palatium gardens, brother and sister sheltered from a light rain in their cloaks. Not that they felt the cold, but it was unpleasant getting wet. The rain drops pebbled the water of the garden pond. Aiyana had been collecting dead crows for over a month, hiding them until she had enough. Several of the birds were rotting, feathers matted clumps clinging to hollow bones, as they fluttered about the tower. The guards screeched in terror. It was a good day.

‘Where’d you get that from?’ Threadfin asked, pointing.

She raised her hand to show off the gold ring, while keeping an eye on her birds. There were silver wings in the centre. It was beautiful. ‘Grandfather gave it to me. He said it was a signet ring, worn by rulers. Father has one, but his has a full angel on it. Grandfather said it means I will rule one day.’

‘Can I get one?’ asked Threadfin.

‘What have you done?’ interrupted Sarscha, their older sister who’d just turned fifteen. She strode through the rain in a dark purple cloak. Her hood blew back in an errant breeze to reveal tresses of silver blue hair and a stern face.

The crows fell, landing without a sound on the wet grass feet away.

‘Aiyana Mayala Todralan. What, in the name of the Holy Spectrum, do you think you are doing?’

‘Don’t full name me, Sarsch,’ the younger sister snapped, getting to her feet, ‘and you shouldn’t call on the Spectrum like that. It’s bad luck. Anyhow, you’re not our mother, no matter how you like to act it. You have no say over me.’

Threadfin drew his knees under his chin and hugged them tight. Fights between his sisters had become normal, but he’d never grown used to it. They weren’t fun and Sarscha scared him. Why couldn’t she let them have a little fun? ‘The guards never saw us,’ he said, in defence of Aiyana. ‘We were careful. It’s just a joke. Everyone likes jokes.’

Sarscha didn’t acknowledge him. She rarely did, though Threadfin couldn’t understand why. Instead, she focused her anger on Aiyana. ‘Have you any idea what would happen if they knew you were behind it? This is the fifth time, Aiyana. You are eight years old now. You cannot behave this way.’

‘Go on, tell father. It’s what you always do. Go on, tell him.’

‘Don’t think I won’t,’ snapped her sister towering over her, fists on hips. ‘It’s about time father introduced you to your Darken. I don’t know why he’s delayed it, but it’s about time. Someone has to keep you from trouble.’

‘You’re not supposed to know who my Darken is,’ said Aiyana, matching her sister with her own fists on hips, and glaring as hard. ‘That’s against the rules. I know because grandfather told me. He told me all about them. Anyway, I don’t want one. I’ve got, Fin. He can be my Darken.’

‘Father has already chosen her, but he’s kept her from you. She is already one of your friends. Don’t worry, only he knows who it is. You’re the one who breaks the rules around here, not me. I’m sick and tired of your antics. You must grow up.’

‘Someday Fin here will be imperator. Then I can do whatever I want and you won’t be able to stop me. You don’t even look at him. Talk to him. Talk to our little brother.’

Threadfin jumped when he heard that, and shook his head to deny any part of it, either the first or the last bit. He had no interest in ruling. He’d watched from the shadows and all he’d seen was his father bullying people. No, he didn’t want to be that. He didn’t want Sarscha talking to him either.

‘I am the eldest,’ she snapped, confirming how scary she was, ‘and I am talking to you. Why do you try to hide yourself?’ She brushed at Aiyana’s golden hair with a sneer on her face. ‘You hide, as though you are ashamed. Well, you should be.’

‘The son always follows the father,’ said Aiyana firmly, tears in her eyes as she spoke, while Sarscha’s eyes widened in shock. ‘You will never be imperatrix. Father loves me more than you, and you know it. I am beautiful and I am normal. You’re too correct, too proper as father calls it. I would rule before you, but Threadfin is next. A viral imperium and you will have no place in it.’ Aiyana screwed her eyes shut then, crying, as she frowned hard.

Threadfin had heard the word, viral, before, but he didn’t understand what it meant, just that it referred to both of them. She didn’t like talking about it. She liked pretending she was like everybody else. Aiyana was good at pretending.

A girl appeared with green-tinged skin and blonde hair. She materialised behind Sarscha. The child held a switch and she struck the older girl hard on the bottom, twice. Sarscha whirled angrily and struck the girl who faded into mist with a mischievous smile.

‘That’s it,’ said Sarscha in a cold voice, whirling back to face her sister. ‘I’ve had enough of your filthy tricks, and your venom. Perhaps a cold bath will help calm you.’ She lunged for Aiyana who’d just opened her eyes in time to yell.

Sarscha dragged her by the hair towards the shallow pond. Threadfin leapt to his feet. ‘No,’ he yelled. ‘We were only playing. Please, don’t.’ He ran after them, terrified. ‘She didn’t mean it. We were playing.’

Fear thrilled through him. It felt cold and unpleasant but Threadfin never felt cold. He was different that way, like Aiyana. Maybe that was what the word meant – not being cold. He didn’t like Sarscha drowning their sister. He ran to the edge of the pond, bordered by a low brick wall that came to his knees.

Sarscha stood in the water and was dunking Aiyana’s head into the pond. Aiyana was thrashing as her older sister pulled her head out for a few seconds, then dunked her back in. ‘This will teach you respect, little sister,’ Sarscha snarled. ‘You are both freaks. This is how we teach freaks manners.’ Aiyana’s pretending was going wrong too. Her face had turned grey, her eyes sunk in her head, and bald patches replaced her hair. He knew she couldn’t drown, not like other people, but their sister was still hurting her.

‘Stop it,’ Threadfin yelled, but his older sister didn’t hear, or perhaps didn’t care. She was always bullying them. They never hurt anybody. They just liked playing together. This wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t they all just leave them alone?

Awkwardly, he climbed on to the wall and knelt on the edge of the pond. Despite all the ripples and splashing, he saw his shimmering reflection. The other Threadfin looked darker as though he was nothing but a shadow. The shadow smiled.

Threadfin touched his face, but he knew he wasn’t smiling. He was too upset. The thrashing continued. A thought occurred to him. The shadow in the water could help. He reached down and touched the disturbed water with his fingers, willing the other Threadfin to help. He didn’t know what he was doing. He just did it. He wasn’t angry anymore. Instead, a coldness surged through him. He reached deeper into the water, to his elbow and then he felt it, Sarscha’s leg.

He looked up and saw Sarscha out in the middle of the pond. He couldn’t be touching her, but he felt her. She was staring about her now, holding Aiyana out of the water. She looked confused.

Threadfin reached in deeper, with both arms, careful not to fall in. Behind his sisters, the surface of the water rippled as two shadowy arms emerged. He grabbed hold of Sarscha and pulled her backwards. She let go of her younger sister and fell into the water with a screech. He felt his fingers clutch Sarscha’s neck and squeeze. She struggled, splashing, and tried to scream. He didn’t want to hurt her, just to stop her, but the finger’s continued to squeeze. He yelled in fear at what he was doing, no, at what the other Threadfin was doing.

With a final cry, he pulled his arms from the water. Realising what he’d almost done, he felt terrified and colder than ever. Aiyana was standing there, looking normal again. He called her name and she responded, wading towards him. He helped her out just as Sarscha found her feet, spluttering and glaring.

‘Freaks,’ she cried, staring at Threadfin for once. ‘Father will hear about this. He won’t stand for freaks on the throne!’

Threadfin knew that she was right. He was different, a freak. He didn’t know what the word meant, but he knew it wasn’t good. It had something to do with the other Threadfin in the water. He didn’t like him, no, not at all. The other him was scary, and he didn’t care if he never saw him again. In fact, he made a promise to himself he never would.

They ran towards the palace with Aiyana crying, ‘I’m not a freak, I’m not. I’m beautiful, I am!’

Threadfin had a feeling and glanced upwards to a palace tower. High above, he saw a figure peering between two merlons.

He couldn’t see his father’s face, couldn’t see if he was angry. He didn’t know what it was he’d done, couldn’t explain it. It scared him, but he’d had to help Aiyana. He’d saved her.

It was all that mattered.

He ran indoors, hand in hand with his sister, trying to soothe her, ready to face whatever punishment was to come.