CHAPTER 14

A set of soft black eyes belonging to a kind, dimpled face watched through the leaves and vines as the family mourned. It was an accident—she hadn’t intended to intrude on such an intimate, sacred rite. Now she couldn’t look away, and she struggled to interpret all that she had seen.

Strands of deepest black hair fell into her eyes as she shifted on the branch. She swept it away without thinking and continued to gaze at these strange, wonderful people.

Recently, she had often taken to finding a comfortable branch, high in the trees, where she could watch from a distance. She hadn’t yet built up the courage to speak to any of them. She knew her brother had worked on the blue-haired girl, Tovi, and she fully expected him to win the contest. He would do anything for His Majesty, and BiBi loved him so much that she had no desire to work against him and seek her own victory.

BiBi was the newest and least experienced Master on the Council, and she held a dark secret. From the first moment she had spied the Adian people, the treehouses, and the peaceful river, she had been captivated. She returned to these trees over and over again, watching them work and play and fish and laugh.

She couldn’t understand the way her heart seemed to explode and contract at the same time when she spied on this totally foreign life. She was curious to be sure, but hungry was probably a better word for it.

That morning she watched as Silas left the treehouse in a rush, followed by a parade of Adians entering the house. Eventually Silas returned with Tovi. BiBi had quietly crawled closer to the bedroom window. She could see a little bit, and she could hear everything. When the sweet old man disappeared, BiBi had to cover her mouth so that she wouldn’t gasp aloud and draw attention to herself.

When Tovi burst through the door, BiBi froze in panic. She was so close to the house and easily visible. But, Tovi didn’t seem to notice. Silas came out next, and the strangest thing happened.

He made the briefest eye contact with BiBi, and then his head swiveled to his right. His voice rang out, but somehow not from him. His voice, as clear as day, came from below. BiBi looked down, and she could see Silas trying to speak sense into Tovi. “Think, Tovi. You know deep down,” she heard him say.

She shook her head violently. Was she dreaming? Silas stood just a few yards from her, and at the same time he was on the ground down below. She heard his voice, but the Silas before her hadn’t opened his mouth. Yet.

Then, the Silas in front of her spoke into the woods. He was stern and demanding. “Come face me, Megara. Now.”

The foliage shuffled and another weapon emerged. Just like BiBi, Megara had pitch black hair and eyes. But that is where the similarities ended. Megara was so skinny that she looked frail and sickly. The bones of her face protruded at severe angles, and her broad, evil smile looked like a horrible slash across her face.

Silas squared his shoulders toward her, and Megara’s smile faltered just a fraction as her eyes narrowed. “What do you want with me?”

“You are not permitted any closer to this home today.”

She cackled. “Not permitted? Like you could stop me. This family is ripe and ready for the lessons I could teach them. Death and misery lend themselves quite well to the finer points of Wisdom, don’t you think?”

“Go back to the mountain. You are not to come any closer,” he said again, his voice staying even.

She laughed again as she took a stride toward the tree house, but she sprang back and howled in pain just a moment later. Her spiteful glee vanished, and her normally dead-white skin reddened just a bit. She pushed her hand forward, and once again she cried out, pulling her hand back in close and cradling it as if it hurt very badly.

She pursed her lips, shot an angry glance toward Silas, and disappeared into the trees.

BiBi’s mouth hung slightly open as she watched the exchange. Very little of it made sense to her. But one thing was clear: there was much more to Silas than she realized.

“Sir, do you want me to leave, too?” she asked shyly. Down below, Tovi had run away toward the ridge, and the other Silas was speaking to several Tivka family members and villagers.

The Silas in the trees approached her, putting his hands in his pockets and smiling kindly. “No, BiBi. You can stay. Stay as long as you like.” His attention felt like the purest of gold. His voice brought her peace that she didn’t understand. “There will come a day in the not-too-distant future when you will not feel safe on the mountain. When that time comes, I want you to remember today and everything you saw here. And I want you to come back. For now, stay and watch, and store these things deep in your memory.” And suddenly he was gone.