Laryana

VII Memories Laryana stalked through the forest. The trees were already beginning to green again, and it wouldn't be long before it was finally summer. Carefully she avoided making the leaves rustle under her feet. She could see the trail right in front of her. Her hunting skills had gotten a lot better, and rabbits were no longer enough for her. Now she wanted to try something bigger. Her father had forbidden her to go so far east, but there was nothing but small animals in the immediate vicinity of the village. Here in the mountainous forests of the east, however, there were deer, and some claimed even elk. The fact that her father was likely to be furious when he learned that she had disobeyed his orders didn't matter much to her at the moment. After all, she was an adult, right? She brushed a strand of hair from her face that had come loose from her braid and continued on her way, eyes steadily on the ground. A sound made her listen up. Silently, she reached behind her and

VI Truth "You are an Elhar," Laryana stated. The naësaru threw back their hood and removed the cloth that hid the lower half of their face. A woman's face emerged from beneath it, and unlike Laryana's eyes, hers showed not the slightest hint of red. Her white-blonde hair was tied into a short braid, and her ears were pierced by several silver rings. Her delicate figure seemed almost fragile, yet she was a tiny bit taller than Laryana. "And you're not a Cruem. I'm not sure exactly what you are, though." She tilted her head to the side and let a scrutinizing glance sweep over the small group. She noted without comment that Derim had drawn his sword and was still holding it indecisively in his hand. Ameres was tactful enough to make his daggers disappear again, but he returned her scrutinizing glance with suspicion. The girls looked furtively back and forth between her and Laryana. When the Elhar's eyes reached Taram, she paused for a moment. A strange expression came to her face,

V. Heart Laryana wandered through the night forest, her ears always pointed in the direction of the small camp. She didn't want to get too far away, but now she needed a little distance. Her eyes wandered aimlessly through the darkness, casually noticing all the little details: the fallen leaves, the small plants fighting for a tiny patch of sunlight among the trees, the tall tree trunks ending in broad crowns with the bright stars flickering between their branches. She heard the rustle of tiny animals crawling all over the cold ground, heard the whisper of the south wind in the branches, the call of an owl. She tried to focus on it all, but she couldn't stop individual images from flickering in and out of her mind's eye, only to give way to more memories. She squinted her eyes and rubbed her forehead. No, she couldn't blame Taram for this. True, he possessed that innocent questioning nature, that burning curiosity without any subtlety, and many more awkward questions were sure

IV. Deception "You shouldn't be wandering around in the woods by yourself." Aya turned slowly. The expression on her face seemed almost defiant. "I can't sleep anymore. And sitting around until the sun comes up is not something I want to do. I just want to go for a little walk." "Your brother would kill me if I let you go." Ameres tilted his head to the side. "At least he'd try." "Then come with me." Ameres hesitated. His gaze wandered to the sleeping figures. As usual, Laryana slept a little apart. They had been taking turns with the night watch for three weeks now, and thankfully they had been quiet nights so far. Still, he was sure she slept far less than he did, and so he wanted to give her every minute she could get. "I don't want to go far. If there's anything wrong, you'll hear it." Ameres gave in. Although it was still dark, the birds were already chirping. Interested, the naësaru kept looking for them. "I love the birds singing," Aya said. Ameres smiled. He was sure

III. Family "You've changed a lot." Laryana winced. She had been concentrating on the sounds and smells around her. Now she gave Ameres a dark look. "As I recall, the last time we met was when I was human, and that was many years ago. Of course I've changed!" "That's not what I mean. Yes, you're not that girl anymore. And you cut your hair." Automatically, Laryana stroked the back of her neck. "I don't mean your appearance, though," Ameres continued. "When I met you back in Travahel, you were full of fear, but even more full of strength and courage. Even in that grim place, I saw you smile more than once. Now I see coldness and anger." Laryana closed her eyes. When she finally began to speak, it sounded like she was having trouble keeping her voice under control. "I had hope then, too. I had a promise that I believed in. I thought that maybe one day I would return to my family, maybe even bring them to Nisirta." She laughed bitterly. "But you're right, I was a girl then, and a

II. Past When Saria awoke, she didn't know where she was at first. She turned her head and her eyes fell on Derim, who was lying on a blanket and sleeping. She sat up. Gray, rough-hewn stone walls surrounded her. Of course, the silver mine! Again she looked at her brother. She hadn't seen him sleep like that in a long time. Almost peaceful. Quietly she rose, so as not to wake her siblings. There was no sign of Laryana. Indecisively she looked around. Finally she turned towards the exit. It couldn't hurt to get some fresh air. The sun was already shining brightly, and Saria was blinded for a moment. Hoarfrost still lay on the grass in front of the mine, and even the air was still crisp with frost, despite the clear sky. A strange noise, a kind of knocking, caught her attention. Saria frowned. She knew that sound. It had always sounded similar when the men in Dorn had practiced archery. A little unsure if it was wise to stray from the mine, she stopped in front of the entrance

I. Red Tired, Derim looked to the horizon. The sun was already low, soon night would fall. For a while he stared at the faintly shimmering semicircle, as if he could stop it from sinking by sheer force of will. Unease gripped him as he realized the light was already fading. They could not run from the night. He ran his fingers through his hair and turned his gaze to the east. A vast plain lay before them, few trees. Few places to hide. At least they could finally leave the forest behind, at least for a while. For the past few weeks, every shadow had seemed like a harbinger of death to him. How he had watched for every single ray of sunlight that had found its way through the dense branches. But they would have to walk some more. The small hill he was standing on rose above the trees that were still ahead of them. He estimated that they would be walking for another half hour or so to get out of the forest. Still, it was perhaps best to find a place to hide for the night, for at