Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #22 January 2016 | Page 34

“And then what?” Kythsharra asked quietly. She met Keilara’s frank gaze calmly. “I’m serious, Kei. Sooner or later, our parents will want us to have our own home. How will you afford your food, your… your needs?” Keilara was quiet for a moment, mulling it over. She had skills, enough to allow her to make a living out of any of them. But it also meant staying in one place, and she wasn’t sure if she could. She kept feeling the Call, even after she had learned all she could from Elder Sevin. She had hoped that once she knew how to control it, to listen, that the Call would stop. But it hadn’t, and she still felt pulled. The direction was a vague east, and that was all she knew. East was the ocean. Ahila was the capital, so to speak, of the elven island. It was forbidden to leave, unless one wished to be permanently exiled. Keilara wasn’t sure she wanted to leave her family, give up all she knew, and never return. Even if she could convince the High Priestess to allow her to commute back and forth from the unknown. Oh, there were rumours of others who had been willing to risk permanent exile from the elven land, but it was so precise, so clear, that none were welcomed to return. To leave Ahila, to leave the elven people, was to invite exclusion for eternity. And Keilara was not ready for that yet. Not yet. After all, while she might not have gotten along with her father, she loved her sisters and mother dearly. “I don’t know,” Keilara admitted. She could mend and make leather, hunt, and make arrows with the best of them. Because of her skill with the Wildsong, she was able to do more than the average hunter. Oh, she could trade and barter the extra, earn a bit of coin that way. But… it meant staying in place. *I sense your heavy heart, daughter-mine,* Shadowfire whispered into her mind. *I don’t know what to do, Shadowfire. The Call...* *Yes. I can hear it through you. It is strong. It must be answered.* Keilara closed her eyes as she realized the truth of that statement. When she opened her eyes, she saw Kythsharra staring keenly at her. Despair flooded Keilara’s bright eyes as she realized her sister likely ‘overheard’ the conversation. “You’re leaving us, aren’t you?” Kythsharra asked quietly, the moonlight silvering her golden hair. Danaesy’s attention snapped to her older sisters. “What? Why?” “It’s… the Call,” Keilara said slowly. “I need to know what is pulling me. It’s so clear, so strong, I can’t keep ignoring it. What if it’s important?” “But… t-that means...” Tears bloomed in Danaesy’s dark blue eyes. “You’re leaving us. Exiling yourself. You won’t be able to return home!” “I’m sorry, Dany.” “Is it because of Father?” Danaesy persisted. “No. It’s the Call.” Keilara was firm. “Father and I may not see eye to eye, but I wouldn’t leave because of him. It’s the Call. There’s something urgent about it. Kyth, do you hear it?” “Faintly,” Kythsharra said. “But I can ignore it.” She straightened, took Keilara’s hands in hers. “It’s clear that you can’t, though. And you’re right… there’s… an urgency to it. Like a distant scream. Something out there needs to be answered.” Danaesy let out a small cry. Instantly, Keilara and Kythsharra gathered her in a comforting embrace, and together, the trio released the tears they had been holding back. The next day, Keilara was gone. 34