The Songstress

Twilight.

The setting sun draped the room in deep shadow. The air was hushed and stagnant, as though happiness and light would never set foot in there again. A pale black-haired young woman lay limp in her bed. A young man whose face matched hers sat slumped in a chair nearby. The man sighed, his face troubled as he listened to the girl’s rasping breath.

“How could this have happened? Oh, Raquel…”

“Shannon,” the girl called out to him between shallow breaths. Her voice cracked painfully, and her brother winced at its sound. “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize. It won’t do any good.” Shannon brushed away the hand she’d reached out toward him. He stood and gazed blankly out the window.

“…Shannon?”

But her quiet word went unheeded. There was little more she could do for him now.

They both closed their eyes, despair filling the room.

“Hey, Shannon!”

The door burst open and Pacifica charged in, her face beaming. She held up an extremely gaudy red dress for Shannon’s inspection.

“What do you think of this? I think it’ll be perfect!” She whipped out another dress and held it beside the first. The second dress was dark blue, and possibly even gaudier.

“But this one is really cute too! Man, I can’t decide!” She jumped up and down excitedly. “Ooh! And with a matching ribbon!”

Throughout her outburst, Shannon continued to stare silently out the window. His hand gripped the windowsill so hard that his knuckles turned white.

“Oh, but underwear won’t work with either of these dresses. That would completely ruin the effect.”

Shannon could remain silent no longer. “Pacifica…”

“Now what did I do with that makeup?” Pacifica ignored his agonized plea.

“Pacifica…” he implored again, his fingers actually making dents in the wood he gripped.

“And we’re going to have to do something about that leg hair!”

“Pacifica!” Shannon barked. She finally turned to look at him, and he glared daggers at her.

“Are you really enjoying this that much?” he snapped.

“Of course.” Her blue eyes glinted with evil glee. “Raquel caught a cold, so now you have to put on a dress and sing. What’s not to enjoy? Now take off your pants!”

The windowsill that Shannon gripped suddenly broke in two.

The Wild Horse Inn was one of the oldest bars in Taurus. During the high season, it also functioned as a hotel, but even on the off months it could draw quite a crowd. The Wild Horse Inn had several popular attractions that brought in locals and tourists alike—the most famous being a popular singer who gave concerts under an exclusive contract.

Safir Colt, the owner of the Wild Horse Inn, paced up and down in front of the inn’s small stage.

“I can’t believe Iris caught a cold! Of all the rotten luck.” He scratched his head and surveyed the women who had come to speak to him. He sighed and shook his head.

“Well, at least we still have our opening act. How would you like to be the star tonight, Raquel?” He leaned in conspiratorially. “To tell you the truth, we’ve been getting a lot of extra reservations since we announced you’d be singing for us. You have quite the reputation around town, apparently.”

Safir gestured to the now-empty dining room. Sure enough, most of the tables bore paper signs that read reserved.

“Well, it’ll be a little while longer before the crowd shows up. Why don’t you have a look around and make yourself comfortable?”

“Thank you,” answered Pacifica, acting as the assistant.

Assumedly noting his star’s silence for the first time, the innkeeper peered into his new employee’s face.

“Is something wrong, Raquel? Don’t tell me you’re sick, too.”

“No, no! My sister’s just saving her voice for the performance.” Pacifica waved a hand dismissively. “There’s nothing to worry about!”

“Good. I need to go help with preparations in the kitchen; if you need anything, just let me know.” Safir smiled approvingly, then left his new performer to prepare for the show.

Shannon sighed. “This is never gonna work.”

Pacifica burst into a fit of laugher. “Ha ha ha! Oh, say something else!”

Pacifica doubled over in her overwhelming amusement. Even Winia, who was usually so calm and composed, had to turn her back to the others and muffle her laughter. Shannon just glared.

He made an impressive woman. His tall stature and muscular frame made it a bit difficult to pass for a female, but Pacifica had done her job well—the dress she’d chosen was cut in a way that disguised his lack of curves, and a stuffed bra helped to create the illusion of an hourglass figure. A pretty scarf hid his Adam’s apple and makeup obscured his more masculine facial features. As long as the observer wasn’t looking too closely, he could definitely pass for a tall woman.

The only thing that couldn’t be disguised with clothes and makeup was his voice, which was far deeper than any woman’s. So Raquel had used a spell to make Shannon’s voice sound just like hers.

Hearing Shannon moan his usual complaints in Raquel’s high-pitched girly voice was more than Pacifica could handle.

Winia finally regained her composure as she coughed the last of the laughter from her throat. “Well, the innkeeper didn’t seem to notice anything strange,” she said as she fought to stifle her wide smile. “I guess it’s pretty lucky that you two look so similar.”

“Yeah, lucky. I’m so lucky I get to wear a dress.” Shannon pulled uncomfortably at his shimmering skirt. “Come on, this isn’t funny.”

Pacifica burst into another fit of giggles.

Somewhere between Shannon’s eyebrow plucking and leg shaving, Winia had asked Raquel why she couldn’t just change Shannon’s appearance magically in the same way she planned to change his voice.

“It’s much simpler to change sound than appearance,” Raquel had explained. “A voice is simply air vibrations created in the person’s mouth and throat. The magic I’m going to use on Shannon just adjusts that vibration slightly, making it higher-pitched.

“Changing the way someone looks is much more difficult. A single optical illusion spell, which manipulates light to create an image, only works from one angle. Fooling an entire crowd of people would take layers of illusion spells, and there would still be gaps where Shannon’s true form would be visible.”

Raquel had paused to sneeze. “Psychological illusion spells,” she’d continued with a sniff, “take care of this problem by fooling people’s minds into seeing the image I create. They’re generally much simpler to use, but I would have to go to the bar and use it on every single person who came in.” Raquel had then sneezed again and declared she was going back to bed.

None of Raquel’s explanations made much sense to Winia, but she didn’t think Raquel would cause her brother so much grief if it wasn’t completely necessary. She decided to not push the topic and simply enjoy the spectacle.

“Seriously, Pacifica,” Shannon pleaded. “Let’s just cancel this.”

“We can’t. Safir gave us an advance, and we already used it to rebuild that wall.” Pacifica scanned the room, which was starting to fill up. “And it looks like this place is gonna be packed—if you back out now, he’ll probably have a heart attack.”

“I hope everything goes all right,” Winia commented. “You still have a lot of repairs to pay for. Anyway, I’m heading back to the inn.” She lurched for the door, but Shannon grabbed her arm.

“Wait! You’re not leaving me, are you?” His eyes were wide with fear. “I’ll need help to pull this off!”

“Pacifica will be here.”

They both paused to look at Pacifica, who still had tears of laughter running down her face.

“I have a feeling she’s not going to be much help.”

Winia sighed. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but I have work to do at the inn. And someone has to take care of Raquel.”

“Don’t worry,” Pacifica declared. “We’ll be fine, Shannon.” Pacifica tweaked his nose. “No one could resist someone so cute!”

A wave of disgust left Shannon speechless. Winia saw this as her opportunity to head straight for the door.

Two mounted figures stood on a country road. Taurus’ lights twinkled in the distance.

It was strange that honest travelers would be on the road after dark. Dangerous animals, bandits, and highwaymen often roamed the wilderness for tourists. But these were no ordinary travelers, as was obvious from the quality of their mounts: chestnut horses with the power and grace of military battle steeds.

The horsemen themselves were no less impressive. The larger of the two was a muscular man of about thirty, with short blond hair and piercing blue eyes. His angular face seemed stern, yet he was calm.

The smaller horseman was a boy with a handsome face and regal bearing. Although he wore drab traveling clothes, it was easy to imagine him wearing fine attire at the height of aristocratic fashion.

The man turned to his younger companion. “The Casull siblings must be well-versed in combat if they managed to defeat the Purgers,” he murmured. “I’m not surprised they managed to beat you.”

“It’s a relief to hear you say so.” The boy ran his fingers through his horse’s mane. “Now that I’ve fought them once, I have a good understanding of their style. I’m confident I can beat them next time.”

In the darkness on either side of the path, strange eyes glistened.

“You don’t sound very enthusiastic.”

The boy shrugged. “Well, they were in a position to take my life, and they spared it. I just can’t help feeling that I’m betraying their kindness.”

Rustling sounds surrounded them from all sides. The reptilian eyes circled closer, beginning to envelop the travelers.

“You can’t allow your personal feelings to interfere with our mission. If this is going to be a problem, tell me now so I can get a replacement.”

“That won’t be necessary, Colonel Sturm,” the boy replied. “Honestly, I’m looking forward to fighting them again.”

A huge carnivorous lizard suddenly leapt out of the trees, aiming for the boy’s head.

The boy barely seemed to care. He simply reached into his coat, pulled out a shortened battleaxe, and sliced the leaping lizard in two.

He quietly watched as the halves of the lizard’s body hit the ground with a splat.

“Let’s go, Chris,” the man said as he urged his horse forward.

A second lizard sprung from the trees and onto the colonel’s back. Without turning, he pulled a black rope from his pocket, lassoed the creature, and then crushed it with a flick of his wrist.

“So that’s Luke Sturm’s famous garrote,” Chris said, obviously impressed. “I’ve always wanted to see it. Perhaps I’ll have the honor of facing it in a duel someday?”

Luke snorted. “My hand-to-hand techniques are for self-defense. A duel between us would serve no purpose—save your skills for when they’re necessary.”

Chris smiled. “I see.”

“Our current task is to observe and analyze the Guardians. This will allow us to formulate a strategy for the inevitable conflict.”

Chris slid his axe into its proper hiding place. “Understood,” he replied politely.

“The performance should be starting soon.” Winia said, while staring out the window at the Wild Horse Inn.

Raquel nodded as she swallowed a spoonful of the stew that Winia had made. “I wish I could’ve heard Shannon sing. He’s pretty good, you know. When he was a child, he wanted to be a professional musician— I’m sure he’s still a better singer than me.”

“Really?” Winia frowned. “But Shannon seemed really reluctant to sing. Pacifica kept teasing him the entire time.”

“That’s just how those two are. You know Pacifica is crazy about her brother, right?” Raquel smiled faintly.

“Mm,” Winia hummed. “No matter how demanding Pacifica is he never seems to get angry.”

It makes me kind of jealous. Winia just barely stopped herself from saying the words out loud. She swallowed, embarrassed for almost blurting out something so selfish.

Winia’s only family was her grandmother. She was an only child who’d lost her parents as an infant, and her grandfather had passed away a year earlier. She knew that her grandparents loved her, but they’d always been distant with her with, almost as if they didn’t quite know how to deal with a child so late in life.

That was why Winia was so intrigued by Shannon and Pacifica. They were always so completely open with each other, even if it meant being mean or rude at times.

“Hey, Winia?” Raquel called out quietly.

“Hm?”

“Why is it that you never ask questions?” Raquel’s voice was soft, but her manner was very direct.

Winia frowned for a moment. It was true that there were many things she wanted to ask the siblings. Who were they? What was after them? Mysterious events seemed to follow the Casulls, and yet Winia had never pressed them for explanations.

“I… I don’t need to,” Winia murmured at last. Even now, she felt that keeping a distance was the smart thing to do—she couldn’t keep her friends with her forever, so why get too attached and suffer more down the line? The last thing Winia needed in her life was more heartbreak.

“I like all of you a lot, and that’s not going to change. Isn’t it enough to know I like you?” Winia asked with an awkward smile.

Raquel just stared at her blankly.

Shannon took his place on the inn’s small stage and surveyed the large room. Every inch of the place was filled with people, to the point where audience members had to stand in the back or sit on the floor. No one yelled or fought or even murmured quietly, which was odd for a crowd that size. Instead, they sat in silence, eager for the show.

Luckily for Shannon, the expectant crowd had also been drinking steadily for some time. Their wits were just foggy enough to not see through his disguise.

Shannon cleared his throat. Scattered applause quickly escalated into wild cheers. Shannon spotted Pacifica in the crowd and tried to give her a look that conveyed all his frustration at her and the situation. She either didn’t notice or didn’t care, because she gave him a big grin and a thumbs-up.

Shannon raised his lute. The crowd fell silent.

For a moment he stood there, frozen by the prospect of so many eyes and ears on him regardless of whom they thought he was. But that tense moment passed, and his fingers found a gentle melody. He took a deep breath and began to sing.

The song he chose was an old one about a man who was forced to leave his beloved with nothing but the promise of his return. Many years passed, and the man, driven by the memory of his true love, survived countless dangers. When he finally returned to his love’s home, he learned that she’d gotten married, had children, and was very happy. She didn’t even recognize him. It was only when he left again that she went after him. But, it was too late. He was gone.

Shannon’s voice rose as the song came to a crescendo. For an unusually long moment, the Wild Horse Inn sat in complete silence.

Then the crowd erupted into cheers. Shannon could see that many of the audience members had tears streaming down their faces as they clapped and shouted.

He allowed himself a slight smile as he adjusted one his lute strings.

I guess this isn’t so bad, after all.

Hours passed. The atmosphere in the bar went from rowdy to subdued as the night’s drinking caught up with everyone. A bunch of young men around a table laughed at nothing, while at the bar, a woman had passed out right on the counter. A man in the back sang out of tune to a wall. The people who were still up and about were all doing things they’d probably regret once they were sober.

Even though the concert had ended some time ago, all of Shannon’s attempts to escape to his dressing room had failed. Every time he tried to leave, someone new would corner him and drag him back to what remained of the party. He was forced to go from table to table, accepting the drinks that were foisted upon him and brushing off any drunks who became a bit too friendly.

“Come on, Raquel! Pull up a chair and drink with us!” A man pushed yet another drink into Shannon’s hands and pulled him into a seat.

Shannon took some comfort in the fact that he was the one having drinks forced upon him instead of Raquel. Although neither of the siblings had much of a tolerance for alcohol, if Shannon got drunk, he might make a fool of himself or pass out. If Raquel got drunk, she’d probably burn the place down. Combat sorcerers and alcohol were not a good mix.

A drunk came over and put an arm around Shannon. “Damn,” the man cooed. “You’re so good-looking! Spend some time with me, sweet cheeks?”

“Oh, um, thanks, but I have to…”

Shannon pushed the man’s arm away and bolted, only to run into another drunk who groped his rear end. Shannon barely restrained himself from breaking the man’s nose.

“Oh, Raquel!” a man shouted as he ran toward Shannon. “You’re the most beautiful girl in the world!”

“Stop it,” Shannon demanded, but his protests fell on deaf ears. The man gripped him in a bear hug.

“Hey! Quit hogging her!”

“That’s right! Raquel and I already pledged our love to each other!”

“Raquel! I know if you give me a try, you’ll never give those other guys a second glance!”

A crowd started to form as more drunken, desperate men crowded around Shannon.

“Oh, Raquel, I’m a prisoner of your sparkling eyes, your soft hair, and these breasts… ah!” The young man buried his face in Shannon’s fake chest and then looked up, confused. Half a second later, Shannon hit him square in the jaw and knocked him unconscious.

The crowd of drunks roared in surprise.

Damn, Shannon thought through his mild drunken haze. I’ve given myself away. He scanned the room, hoping to find a place to run.

To his surprise, the crowd was cheering for him.

“All right! That showed him!”

“Hit me next!”

“Don’t stop! Pound ’em!”

“Kick him in the teeth!”

Although luckily no one had seen through his disguise, his attack had turned an already-bad situation worse. The crowd of admirers seemed to lose what little restraint they’d had and ran at Shannon en masse, grabbing onto him wherever they could reach.

“D-don’t touch that!” Shannon shouted as he struggled to free himself.

“Come on, there’s no need to get angry.”

“Yeah, Raquel. Just relax!”

“It’s not fair to be sober when everyone else is drunk.”

“Here you go!” Someone shoved a bottle in his mouth. Shannon looked down to discover it was Pacifica, laughing hysterically. Her face was bright red, and she gripped a half-full wine bottle in the hand that wasn’t forcing beer down Shannon’s throat. She must have not realized the wine was alcoholic because of its high sugar content.

“Pafifama!” Shannon yelled around the bottle. “Mop it!”

“Shut up and drink!” Pacifica tipped the beer into his mouth, and he was forced to chug it down.

Shannon’s vision started to get fuzzy as the alcohol moved through his body. The people holding him, sensing weakness, redoubled their efforts to grope him.

Somebody’s hand grabbed his bottom and squeezed.

It was the last straw.

“That’s IT!” Shannon roared as he twisted his body with all his might, sending drunks flying in all directions. He flipped onto his feet and struck a fighting stance.

“Face me like men, you perverts! I won’t let you lay a finger on Raquel!”

Luckily, no one was sober enough to notice Shannon’s strange comment—even Shannon didn’t seem to notice what he was saying.

The drunks who were still on their feet formed up for the attack.

“First opponent—I’m Falk, the blacksmith! I’m twenty-seven and single! My hobby is gardening! Here I come!” A young man hollered and ran at Shannon, who floored him with an elbow to the gut.

“Fat chance!”

“Second opponent—Michelle, from the bakery! I’m an innocent seventeen-year-old who’s feeling lucky tonight! Our love will bloom like a beautiful flower!”

“Your love dies!”

“Third opponent—Pacifica! I don’t really know what’s going on, but here I come anyway!”

“Dammit, Pacifica! Get out of here!”

“Fourth opponent—Randall, the doctor—”

“Too slow, old man!”

And thus the party at the Wild Horse Inn continued into the night.

Bodies of the unconscious and wounded covered the floor.

Exhausted, battered, and starting to feel the effects of a wicked hangover, Shannon staggered toward his dressing room.

“I will never, ever, drink alcohol again,” he mumbled.

“Quite a night, eh?” an amused voice called out to him. Shannon turned to see Safir holding a jug of water.

Shannon answered incoherently and took the jug.

Safir smiled an apology. “I’m sorry you had such a difficult time tonight,” he said. “Nobody meant any harm by it. In a small town like this, there isn’t much to do for fun, so people will take any excuse to party.”

“I understand that, but…”

“I know, I know. But I hope you’ll come back and entertain us again, Shannon.”

“Not in a million—” Suddenly realizing what the man had said, Shannon snapped his head up in surprise. Safir just smiled, his face the picture of content.

Oh, crap.

“I could tell as soon as you started singing. Raquel sang for me once and your styles are very different.”

Shannon spread his palms apologetically. “Sir, there’s an explanation for this—”

Safir raised a hand to stop him. “Look,” he said firmly. “The house was packed, and they loved you. You don’t have to explain a thing.”

Shannon sighed. Phew, he thought. At least not everyone feels like being a jerk tonight.

“But you’re really something, Shannon. Where’d you learn to sing like that?”

Shannon shrugged. “My late mother came from a family of court musicians. She didn’t carry on the family business herself, but she knew how to sing, so she taught Raquel and I when we were kids.”

Safir turned to where Pacifica lay snoring. “And her?”

“She was only four when our mother passed. Raquel’s been her mother since then.” Shannon chugged the water straight from the jug. After a night of performance and battle cries, his throat needed all the comfort it could get.

“Ah. Well, anyway, thanks again for performing—it’s not every day we get crowds like that.” He raised an eyebrow. “I’d be willing to offer you an exclusive contract, if you’re interested. You could even perform duets with Raquel.”

Shannon brought down the jug and panted. “Thanks,” he breathed, “but no thanks. We don’t plan to stay in town much longer.”

“Don’t you like it here?’’

“It’s not that.” Shannon paused awkwardly, not sure how to explain. “This is a nice town, and my sisters and I appreciate how welcoming you’ve all been. It’s just…” He frowned. “That’s all the more reason why we can’t stay here too long.”

“…Then it’s probably better if I don’t ask why.”

“I’m sorry.” Shannon bowed his head.

Safir patted Shannon heartily on the back. “Don’t worry about it, my boy. I’ll be sorry to see you go, but I suppose you have your reasons. But you will be around for a little while, right?”

“Until we finish paying for the repairs to the Big Bear Inn.” Shannon took another chug.

Suddenly, Safir’s expression turned serious. “Listen,” he said as his voice went low. “I have a favor to ask.”

Shannon pulled down the water jug. “What?”

“It’s about Winia. We’re in the same business, so I’ve known her for a long time. She’s had a difficult life, and because of it she’s never really gotten along with anyone. She always acts so adult-like and closes herself off. But since you and your sisters came to town, well… I’ve never seen her act so young or smile so much.”

Safir looked Shannon straight in the eye. “I don’t know why you’re traveling,” he murmured. “But when you leave, do it in a way that doesn’t hurt her.”

Shannon smiled faintly at Safir.

“I’ll try,” he promised.

In the woods outside Taurus, far from any human dwelling, an unnatural silence hung in the air. Not a single insect buzzed; not a single bird chirped. It was as if sound itself had been erased.

A voice rang out.

“I will repeat the plan of action,” it stated. There was no sign of the voice’s owner, nor was there a response.

The incorporeal voice went on. “Each team will move to their designated location and execute lockdown. Detain any man who tries to enter or exit the action zone. Await further orders from Colonel Sturm; if the order for action is not heard by one-twenty Glock, retreat from the location.”

“If the order for action is announced,” the voice continued without a shred of hesitation, “eliminate every last citizen to maintain Class 1 Confidentiality regarding the Scrapped Princess.”

Still was there no response. The words vanished into the night, becoming a part of the cold silence.

After a while, the sound of buzzing insects and chirping birds filled the woods once again—as if nothing had ever happened.