Then There was Silence

Trigger Warning: This short story contains depictions of gore, death, violence, and self-harm/ suicide mentions.

The fire was what everyone believed had taken my life. Rumors skipped around the townsfolk; they claimed my sisters had survived the blaze, albeit just barely. Raven became the villain when she couldn’t save me, but saved Lyric. She'd even "risked her life" to do it. She’d been scared and, when her ability had been triggered, had shapeshifted to hide the ugly marring.

But the day I plunged that dagger into Raven's tattooed collarbone- everything clicked into place. The satisfaction coursing through my veins was invigorating; I had finally gotten my revenge.

Lyric, my other sister, stood amidst the chaos, her expression a mixture of disbelief and horror. She didn’t suspect it was me, Amina Darkholme, who had dealt the fatal blow to her beloved Raven. Instead, her sage eyes brimmed with a sense of betrayal, pointing fingers toward her supposedly "deceased" friend, Novalynn Castenelli. It was almost poetic in its perfection. I had managed to shift the blame onto Novalynn, and in doing so, I had crafted a twisted masterpiece of deception. Everything had unfolded just as I had hoped. Everything was perfect.

The best part about it was that Novalynn hadn’t been dead then. When I first faked her death, her husband had mourned her loss. He went to Lyric and told her that Novalynn had died a heroine. I kidnapped Novalynn and brought her to my planet. Where I ruled, not she. I easily mimicked Novalynn in her looks and abilities. That was my power. Mimicry. Lyric soon figured out that Novalynn wasn’t dead, and Lyric came looking for her.

But all she found was a nearly dead elf. An elf that, if the poison had worked, would be nothing but a mere corpse. I needed to kill her. I had to. It was my only chance to get Lyric to understand. Which brings me back to Raven’s death.

I relived that moment constantly. My first kill. You never forget your first, my father once told me. They matter more than your last. My father wasn’t talking about murder. He’d been talking about robbery. What he was talking about didn’t matter. All that mattered was the principle of the words. The first kill was always the most important one. I relished watching the blood drip down her perforated chest, watching her gasp for air as Lyric tried to save her. Watching her form flicker back and forth from the image of herself she’d created, and the scarred person underneath.

I loved hearing Lyric’s sobs; hearing her wish her life had been taken instead of Raven’s, you know, the basic stuff. But Ezra’s reaction was priceless. When he found out that “Novalynn” had killed that monstrous queen, he sought to kill me. Which was adorable, as he’d just started dating dear, sweet Lyric. That was fine with me. I had better things in mind. Like Novalynn’s husband, for example.

Kane didn’t deserve Novalynn. He deserved better. And I was free, and young, and naturally beautiful. Unlike that, Novalynn. She had to be “tortured” by Raven (before I killed her, of course) to make Kane like her. Or maybe he liked her before, I don’t really know or care. I knew, however, that Kane was mine.

So, I killed Novalynn (in front of Lyric, of course) and forced Kane to marry me. He loves me, or so I hope. I guess I should mention that Novalynn had twin daughters: Allegra and Melody. I named them. She would’ve abandoned them if she had the chance, so I “adopted” them into my family.

But it wasn’t enough.

I needed more.

I needed revenge.

I’d been starved of it for too long.

I remember clear as day what happened. The day I poisoned Novalynn. The day her other friend, Katarina, killed her. Shot her through the chest with a poisoned arrow. Ha! I laughed as I watched the scene unfold. I was just a young teenager. Supposedly powerless against the realms. I sure proved them wrong.

“Amina! Can we talk?” Kane’s voice called to me.

I set down the vial of poison meant for Kane. I could still kill him, even if he were a vampire. “Of course, my love.”

Kane came into the room and sat on a wooden stool. I moved behind him and began massaging his shoulders. He needed to be relaxed for his death. He shoved my hands away. “Don’t, please.”

I nodded. “Of course, my love. What is it you wanted to talk about?”

He shifted uncomfortably. “Us. Our marriage is falling apart.”

I laughed. “What in the realms do you mean, my sweet? Are you not enjoying the palace I’ve given you as a result of my royalty? What about the girls? Surely you wouldn’t-”

“Amina!” His cry broke through my rant. “They’re my daughters. They’re Novalynn’s daughters. They are real elves with real feelings!” Kane stopped short before he added in a softer voice, “I never wanted to marry you.”

I moved towards the vanity where the poison lay. “Lies! You lie to me! You told me you loved me, that I was all that mattered to you!”

Kane put his head in his hands. “I never told you those things. You took what mattered most to me. You abused and murdered Allegra because she looks almost identical to Novalynn! You imprison innocent elves and humans alike.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, poison hidden in my hand. “What does that matter? I thought that you thought I was an incredible leader! And now, you criticize me! How could you?!”

His laugh was dark. “How could I? How could I?! You ask that when you kill everyone! You take, but you don’t give. This is not my fault. Marrying you was the worst mistake I’ve ever made.”

I turned my back on him. I faced away. I couldn't care less about what that man felt for or against me. “Then you’ve given me no choice.”

Before I could uncork the bottle, a sharp pain raced through my body. Warm, sticky blood flowed down my torso as Kane withdrew the long dagger from my side.

“You took everything from me, and I won’t let you take anything from anyone else ever again.”