// Yrephae: I-ref-ee //

Alex was shivering. He had never felt
so cold in his life. His insides hurt. He felt like a stranger in his own body. They gave him several clothes and blankets and yet he kept on shivering. Everybody had seen him change into a werewolf. He could deal with it. All that mattered was Isadora. Where would she be? What had the werewolves done with her? The fear made him shake worse and he felt so hopeless.

He could hardly remember the night before. He was drinking in a tent, trying to keep away from the moon. As the night had neared, he could feel the difference in his body, the way his wound healed too quickly and his heart sped up near the moonlight.

What a strange thing it was, that the touch of something so gentle as the moonlight could invoke something so violent inside of him. Suddenly, he had wanted to know for sure if his fears were true, if he really would shift. He exited the tent only for a minute, and nothing happened. Then he heard Isadora's voice and went back in.

After that, everything was mostly blur. He could only remember spasms and pangs of pain throughout his body. He had fought one of the werewolves, he guessed, as that would explain the claw marks on his hands and legs. The wounds were already fading and he could hardly feel their sting.

The Eytaria and trolls had restrained him after the werewolves were gone with Isadora. He woke up hours later on a bed in a small room he didn't recognize. The room only contained the bed, a table with two chairs, a door and a window overlooking the mountains.

He was questioned many times by several people, and he repeated the accounts of the last two days giving as many details as he could. Fortunately, they didn't consider him as a criminal for either crossing the fences or accidently getting bit and turned into a werewolf. But none of those people knew what to do with him, or about his sister. "We are looking into it" - was the only reply he got when he inquired.

They let him speak to his parents, who were beyond consolations. He felt completely broken and guilty seeing them like this. Just last night they had so much hopes in their eyes, and today there was just grief and anguish. It was all his fault. He could never forgive himself for this.

He sat in despair after they left, not knowing what to do. He prayed to Terrana and Nidiana, the goddess of health and protection, to watch over his sister and bring her back home.

Around dusk, the door reopened and a man, who had questioned him earlier, entered followed by two other figures. One was a middle-aged woman in a green and golden suit. She had light brown skin, dark eyes, a serious face and braided hair tied neatly in a small bun. She looked like someone of authority, someone from the capitol. She came and sat on one of the chairs.

The other figure who entered the room was not human. About 6 feet in height, with gangly limbs, a pair of antlers like the branches of a tree over his head, long sharp nails, green hair like leaves and eyes entirely blue and reflecting like water, was an Yrephae.

Alex held his breath upon seeing him. He had never seen an Yrephae before, and he never dreamed of being so close to one. Although the Yrephae, beloved children of Terrana, behaved and talked similar to humans, their features and manner gave a disconcerting appearance.

The creature's blue pool of eyes took Alex in, and he could see his own face looking back at him in them, all disheveled and dirty. The Yrephae extended his long arm and smiled wide with all teeth, sharp and feral. The action was so unsettling that Alex simply stared at those hands.

The creature withdrew his hand and cleared its throat. "Alexander Sallow, isn't it?" His voice had a slight underlying tone like water rushing over rocks. Alex nodded.

"Well, quite a drama you have caused. I'm Jakov, Chief of the Southern Yrephae Unit. This is Niv, from the Council of Diplomatic Affairs." He pointed towards the lady, who dipped her head an inch in reply.

"You do realize that werewolves coming into our territory and biting one of our citizens is an international affair? With the treaty between us and Luna already being so fragile, well, wars have been started for less."

Alex nodded again. He thought Luna and Terricia had been in good terms lately. At least the creature, Jakov, wasn't here to condemn him. They were taking the matter seriously. "Any news about my sister?"

The lady spoke up, "We used tracking spells but they ended somewhere near south-western coast of Solarae. Our guess is that they either travelled out of the territory of Merehalm, or used some strong protection spells to cover themselves."

"You guess?" Alex muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Look, dear child, we have officials, Eytaria and the Yrephae units included, looking for her. We are doing our best."

"In the meanwhile," the Yrephae continued, "we are actually here to discuss about you." Alex realized that Jakov's eyes rippled like water, as they kept glaring into him.

"What do you mean?" He, of course, knew what Jakov meant. It was going to come sooner or later. He was really hoping for later.

"I meant, by now everyone in the continent, especially the Lunars, have found out about last night. Quick little thieves. They have already laid their claim on you. Which, unfortunately by law, is their right."

If his heart wasn't pounding loud enough already, it was now probably audible to everyone in the room. "You want me to go to Luna? To leave my parents in this state while my sister is still missing?" He tried to glare back at Jakov, but he couldn't meet his eyes. So, he glared at Niv instead. "Not us, them. We would rather you stay with us till the matter is sorted out. We have decided to take you to Acidalia for an official hearing from the Queen. That could cause some delay, and we could better handle this situation. Your family has a home in Acidalia, newly acquired, I believe?"

"Yes. Are my parents alright with this?"

"Yes, we talked with them earlier. Be ready by dawn, we'll leave by portal," Niv said. They both began to get up from their seats and move towards the door.

Alex started before they could leave, "What if I turn again? I don't know how to control my shifting. I could end up hurting someone."

At this, Jakov moved closer to the desk and leaned towards him. He was few inches closer to Alex' face. Alex wanted to throw up, upturn the table and run away, anything but look into those maddening eyes. He tried hard to keep himself together. Jakov grinned wide and said slowly, "Which is why I'm here. Sleep tight pup, and stay away from the moonlight." And then they all left.

Alex was suddenly reminded of two things. One, that he would be soon presented in front of Queen Nephelae in the next few days, the most powerful Eytaria in all of Terricia.

And the second, the thought only coming into his head after Jakov's last sentence, that the werewolves and the Yrephae were mortal enemies. And he was soon to be surrounded by a lot of them.

He closed the window, drew the curtains over tight, and slept covered in as many of the blankets and clothes he had. Yet, he shivered all through the night, until the next morning.

Ivory was floating. 

He felt so light as he drifted along through an unknown space. He could hear the soft, gentle voice of a woman humming. The voice came from all directions and he could not point out its source. The voice changed abruptly to a sharp, startling sound. His name was being called out again and again in a panicked voice. "Ivory, Ivory, please. Wake up!"

He woke up with a jolt. His head was pounding, and it took him several minutes to clear his vision and make sense of his surroundings. The room he was in was very dark, lit by a little bonfire near him. As he touched the stony surface behind him, he immediately realized he was in a cave. His hands were manacled by the peculiar metal chains that are used to capture the Eytaria. Chains that wrapped around the fingers so as to limit their movements.

He pulled at the chains in vain. "It's not coming off. I tried for hours," Isadora said from near him. He could only make out the shape of her body; the silver in her eyes and similar chains wrapped around her hands glinted in the dim light. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm okay, but you have been passed out for several hours. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he replied, though his forehead felt sticky with blood. It did not feel too bad though. "Do you know where we are?"

"I heard the werewolves talking about 'too much wind' and the place being 'too hot'. They said they were off to get some seafood. So, I guess a coast in Solarae?"

"No, I think that would be too risky." He stayed silent for a moment, listening to the wind rushing from the far opening of the cave. But what caught his attention was the absence of any trace of the scent of magic. The honey-like scent was almost entirely constant in all of Merehalm. "I think we are in the Abandoned Isles."

"Oh. I thought it was...cursed?"

"No. That was only a lie told by our dear monarchs to hide their great failure. They lost a lot of soldiers and civilians alike in these isles, back during the Great Wars, in their ego and lust for power. They killed the remaining few to prevent anyone from telling the truth. Perhaps this place is haunted by their ghosts.

"Oh, dear! That is terrible. How do you know all of this?"

"I guess some people made it out with the truth still. But very few people actually know this. Back in my tribe, I think only a dozen people know."

"Your tribe?"

"Yeah...," he hesitated, "The Ossa Tribe of the North of Luna." He wondered what his chief would say about their situation. If they both got out alive, he was in for a long, heated lecture.

"Are they going to kill us?" She asked suddenly, interrupting his thoughts.

"Well, not you at least," he replied. He did not know what else to tell her. He truly didn't know the werewolves' actual intentions. But he knew a way to get them out of this unfortunate situation. He needed to only focus.

"What do you mean? They probably want to kill me first. You know, for killing their kin, right? But I have been thinking, why haven't they done it already? Why haven't they taken their revenge on me yet? What are they planning to do with me? With us, I mean."

He had almost forgotten about the fact that the girl didn't know anything about her actual identity and why the werewolves were after her. She still thought this was about revenge.

"Isadora, there's something important you must know-" Ivory began but was interrupted by incoming footsteps and voices. "Ah look Vorcan, the little spy is awake," said one of the four werewolves, Azak. He added more wood to the fire which blazed up, brightening the cave. Ivory could see all of their faces now. They had smears of blood on their hands and a wild gaze in their eyes. They were carrying several objects that Ivory could not identify. They looked at Isadora with sheer hatred, but their looks at Ivory were mixed with a hint of curiosity.

Azak and Marlin sat down beside the fire and placed an empty cauldron over it with the help of sticks. Azak began grinding a bunch of what looked like bright-red seaweed. Marlin took out three of those obsidian stones that he had seen Vorcan use to open up the portal. He dropped one of them into the pot and a sizzling sound came out of it, followed by thick, dark smoke. He kept the rest aside on the ground.

"What are you -" Ivory began again but was interrupted this time by Vorcan.

"Shhh," Vorcan hissed. The voice echoed throughout the cave producing a sinister effect. The alpha bared his teeth at him. "I will be asking the questions here, little spy, and you will be doing the answering. Tell me, who are you? And what exactly is your connection with the girl?" His indicated pointedly towards Isadora.

He began telling them the truth, leaving out several important facts. Hiding the truth wasn't the same as lying.

"I'm Ivory Havenash from the Ossa Tribe," he said, trying to sound as brave as he could, "And I'm here to find my mother's killers, the Jakahrta tribe."

The werewolves looked at each other hesitantly at his last words. A silent conversation seemed to pass between them. Ivory was glad for the momentary dramatic pause as he began working on his chains.

The chains were designed by Solarae Metalworkers. It was a perplexing piece of metal, but not without its flaws.

One of the first lessons the Eytaria received in magical training was how to focus their magic onto their hands. To feel its power wash over their minds and into their fingertips. Magic was similar to creating a story. Each hand and finger movement creates the letters and words of the story, and your intention determines the plot. Restricting the hand movement prevents the Eytaria to use their magic.

The majority of the Eytaria need their hands to do magic, but there were a tiny, very small number of them that could just use their minds. With a lot of practice, training, and one of the goddess's blessings, the most powerful of the Eytarias were able to obtain this gift. They couldn't be bound by any mortal-made chains.

But Ivory had a special gift, passed down by his father's side of the family. If he concentrated hard enough, he had the rare power to control magic with his thoughts. It was a challenging and unpleasant experience. But this was a survival situation, and it was his only way out.

"What do you know about the Jakahrta Tribe?" Vorcan asked.

"That you work for them, don't you? And if you are right about who the girl is, then the Jakahrta Tribe killed her parents too. On the same night as my mother. I overheard you talking about her which is why I approached her. To ask her for help."

"Killed my parents? You know who my real parents are?" Isadora asked, thoroughly confused, and visibly horrified. He cringed inwardly; what a way to tell someone their parents were murdered.

"Yes. Your parents and mine were old friends." Vorcan laughed, a short mocking laugh that filled the cave. He said, "Well then you are in luck. The Jakahtra are themselves coming to see you in some time. You can crib about your dead parents to them soon."

This took Ivory off-kilter, and he lost his focus on his magic again. His mother's assasins were coming to him. He had thought about this moment for years. How he would face the Jakahrta and make them pay for what they did to his mother. But he had to take the girl far away from them before they arrived. He had to be patient.

"What will you do with me?" Isadora asked.

Vorcan glared at her. "Sadly, we cannot kill you just yet. Not with that power inside you. But once the potion is ready and we take it out of you, well, Marlin is dying to taste your blood.

"What power? I'm Nylias. I don't have any power."

At this Vorcan looked at Marlin who said, "I know what I saw. If you don't believe me, here," he threw one of the obsidian stone at Vorcan, "test it yourself."

Vorcan picked it up. He walked to Isadora and bent down towards her, looking her straight in the eyes. Ivory could see that she tried her best to not look away. "What are you doing to her?" Ivory asked.

Vorcan ignored him and placed the stone at the centre of Isadora's forehead. Isadora winced in pain and tried to shake off her head. But Vorcan held her head steady with his other hand.

There was a momentary tremble around the cave. Ivory felt it in his heart, a ripple of magic. But there was something wrong with this type of magic. Something different. His own magic could not recognize it. The strange aura of that magic surrounded Isadora. It was not a visible, tangible thing. But he could feel it. And it was strong. Very, very strong.

They were not wrong about the girl. And perhaps all the rumours he heard about her were true after all.

"I think that is enough Vorcan," Marlin said. Vorcan pulled his hand back and tossed the stone back to Marlin. The strange, dark pulse of magic died down and left Isadora panting to catch her breath. A strand of her long hair turned silver-white. Just like Ivory's hair. It fell over her shoulders and she looked at it in disbelief.

"You see, that is but a glimpse of your power. It is not even your power, it is stolen. And it needs to return back to its original owner."

Isadora reverted something back to him, but Ivory had stopped listening, for he was finally able to dive inside that part of his mind that controlled his magic. He yanked at it like a thread and finally grasped it. Then, as if turning a key into a lock, his magic clicked into place.

He felt the rush of magic flow in his blood, hot and excited. The chains shook and the cold metal converted into a fuzzy, loose rope and his hands were free at last. Luckily it was quiet enough that no one noticed.

Without wasting a moment, he dove at the obsidian stone beside Marlin.

// Broken Sleep - Agnes Obel //