Silver Rose

For All Eternity

She heaved air in and out of her body as she climbed up the hill. The sun was setting and the lavender grass gently blew in the breeze. She had to reach the top before the last rays sunk. She noticed a blond Fauye who sat cross-legged on a boulder. He stared out at the scarlet sun. She stopped a moment, wondering why he was wasting time by doing nothing. He turned his head and his gray eyes looked into hers. Surprised by the sorrow that swam in them (and afraid of it), she smiled at him and gave him a jerky wave of the hand. He smiled back and the sadness faded like the sudden end of a summer’s storm. She breathed. As if a spell had been broken, her feet slowly, awkwardly began to move again. For a moment she moved like a statue that had just been given the ability to walk. The darkening sky reminded her of why she’d come, and she resumed climbing with greater ferocity. Upon reaching the top, she immediately began grabbing at the rays of sun. Her fingers slipped through the pink light. Frantically, she tried to catch a bit of sun until she was out of breath. As the sky darkened, she collapsed in exhaustion. She’d come here everyday for a month and hadn’t caught a single piece. She should give up; she’d never catch one.

“The trick is to let the light come to you.” The Fauye she’d seen sitting on the boulder now sat down next to her. He held out his right hand, closed his eyes, and spoke words so softly she couldn’t understand. Then one pebble sized drop of light fell down from the sky as the sun disappeared. It gently landed in his palm. The hill lit up in the presence of the sun drop’s brightness.

He took her hand and let the drop fall into her palm. She squinted. Awe washed over her. She held a piece of the sun.

“You can chase the sun for eternity, but it will never be caught,” he said. “But if you love the world as much as it does, it will give you a gift. That is all a sun drop is.”

She rolled the drop around in her palm watching the light swirl about them.

“I’ll keep it forever,” she whispered.

“You can’t. You have to give it back.”

“Why? It’s mine.”

“It’s not yours. It belongs to the sun and you must give it back.”

She closed her hand over the drop determined to keep it. The inside of her hand began to burn. With a yelp, she let go of the drop. The tiny ball of light flew away to the west lighting up the landscape like a lantern as it went. She held her hands. Tears filled her eyes from the pain and the loss of the sun drop.

“Let me see your hand,” he said.

He placed her hand in-between his own. His touch hurt. She began to pull away when a golden glow encircled their hands. The pain abated until it disappeared completely. He let her go. Her hand felt good as new.

“You’re a healer,” she said looking up at him.

He nodded. She looked away into the darkness that surrounded them. He was just a lowly healer. She had hoped… but no. She stood up. He did the same.

“What’s your name?” He asked.

She didn’t want to tell him, but he did heal her hand.
“Kyrin of the Polante-Gnight.” She lifted her chin and began to descend the hill.

“I’m Serio of the Madid.” He followed her.

She wanted him to go away. She hoped she never saw him again. They reached the bottom and she walked in the direction of her home. He kept in stride beside her.

“Why are you following me?” She blurted out suddenly.

“Because there are some stars that once grasped must be held onto forever.” He said taking her hand.

She stared at him in shock. He shouldn’t be talking to her in such a way. Her family could move mountains. All he could do was heal the ill. What kind of skill was that? She only wanted more power. Serio could not provide that. Besides, her family would never approve… and neither would she. She pulled hand out of his.

“Don’t you ever come around me again, Serio of the Madid. Or I swear I’ll make your life a living hell.” She threatened.

Then she left him in the darkness confident she’d never see or hear of him again.


If only I’d known, she thought to herself as she regained consciousness. She’d fallen asleep. She didn’t know how long, but somehow she was in her room, in her bed. She rubbed her left hand over her tired eyes. These past few days were nothing but a blot in her memory. She dreamed of Serio over and over. How his hair shone like honey in the sunlight, the warmth of his hand against her cheek, his laughter, his love. It was all gone. A tear slid from her eye into her pillow. What would happen to her all? She sighed and rolled over. Something pricked her clenched right palm. She sat up and opened her hand. A glass shard lay partially embedded in her skin. She bit her bottom lip as she pulled out the piece. She looked at the dried blood on the glass.

After her first encounter with Serio, he seemed to pop up everywhere she was. She couldn’t rid of him. It took years, but she finally agreed to go on a picnic with him, alone. She admired his persistence. He knew what he wanted and went after it until he got it. If there was anything Serio had left behind it was his will to keep trying. Hadn’t she vowed never to give up again? Yet here she was wasting precious time. She threw back the blanket and shakily stood. Lanquor may think he can extinguish the humans inside the Wall and steal her victory, but she would find a way. And when she did, she would destroy him.

The resolution gave her so much pleasure she smiled with bubbling delight and mirth. Her stomach growled mightily. First she would eat a big breakfast, and then get to work. Her plans set for the day, she stretched out her stiff limbs. She would have—

“Ow!”

Something pricked her palm again. It was that same shard. She thought she got rid of it. Shrugging, she was about to toss it aside when it began to glow dull green.

“What’s this?” She asked out loud.

“My Lady Kyrin.” The shard said.

She squinted at the glowing piece of glass. Now this was something new.

“My Lady Kyrin… All is not lost. There are ways to finish what you have started.”

Fresh blood seeped from the hole the shard had left in her palm. The red blood turned black in the green glow. She would not take on a new partner. Not after Lanquor. But anyway to get an upper hand was at least worth hearing.

“I’m listening,” she finally said.

After all, she reminded herself, it was Serio who said once you grasp the star you must never let it go…

I will hold on for all eternity, Serio. All eternity.