This city of Vayle was much bigger than anywhere the siblings had ever lived. It was market day, and the streets were filled with the hustle and bustle of goods and money changing hands.
Leaving behind the horse tied off to a tree, the pair entered into the wonder of the crowds. The women here wore shorter tunics and adorned their hair with ornate braids and colored ribbons. Silver had only ever seen these fashions when a traveling caravan had come through town on the way from Lakyle to the capital of Burke.
'We must have traveled further than I thought. The people here looked healthy and well off.' This area was prosperous, unlike the borderlands. It was strange to Silver to think these places existed in the same country.
The young man searched wearily for a food stall. At last he spotted a bakery set back from the main thoroughfare and soon he and Haven were sitting, munching on loaves of bread, and trying to decide their next move.
"That rich nobleman is giving out coins and candy to the children again," a man near them said to the neighboring stall. Silver froze. 'What did he say?'
"He always seems to appear around market time. Where does he come from?" the woman in the next stall responded.
"No clue," the male shopkeeper answered.
"I wouldn't mind if he threw a little money my way!" The woman said with teasing eyes as she placed her hand on her hip playfully.
"Better money than a tomato." The man joked. They both laughed and went back to work.
Silver took to scanning the crowd and spotted a group of children gathered around a well-dressed nobleman. He was nearing if not past middle age with just a hint of gray around his temples. Sure enough, he was passing out candy and coins while a couple of armed guards stood watching. His face was open and kind, and his eyes reflected the benevolence in his heart.
Mulling over the options in his mind, Silver wondered why the man was being so generous. 'What does he get out of it?' In the end, it did not matter. The pair was badly in need of money.
'Better freely given treasure than stolen. Perhaps…'
Haven tugged on his cloak. "I am done eating," she announced. "Can I go play?" Her cherubic expression caused Silver to pat her on the head gently.
"Of course, sweet sister, but first can you go up to that nice man over there? He's giving out candy and treasure."
Haven's eyes lit up. "Candy? Wow! I will be right back." She popped up from her seat and darted two or three steps before stopping. Instead of running through the crowd, she spun around and wrapped her arms around her big brother's neck. "I love you so much," She crooned.
Silver hugged his sister back. "I love you too, little one. Always and forever."
"Always and forever!" She repeated. Releasing her grasp, she headed into the crowd and toward the nobleman. Silver stood and watched as she joined the group of children. Before long it was her turn.
The man turned a compassionate smile on the little girl and spoke. Despite Silver's excellent hearing, the din of the crowd drowned out his words. Haven responded and the man spoke again. After a moment, he tilted his head in concern and bent down to Haven's level.
'Something isn't right. He didn't speak to any of the other children this long.' Silver took a step into the busy street to rescue his sister. He was so preoccupied with the events across the way, he didn't see the large hand cart heading straight for him.
For a moment everything was a blur. The wagon knocked Silver off of his feet as potatoes and carrots whizzed past him and pelted his body. "Oh dearie, I am so sorry. Are you all right?" A familiar voice called out to him.
The old woman helped lift Silver off the ground before she started to reassemble her vegetable cart. Silver looked at her in shock.
"Hanna? What are you doing here?" Silver asked. He quickly helped reload the cart.
"Smelling the roses—What does it look like I'm doing?" The old woman's eyes rolled to the sky as she replaced the last vegetable. "I have produce for sale just like every other cart in this whole crowded place!"
Ignoring the outburst, Silver looked over across the street and tried to wave Haven over. She may not remember Hanna, but the woman had saved them both more than once. It was then he realized that the crowd around the nobleman had moved on. The nobleman himself was missing and so was Haven. A deep fear rushed into Silver.
"Something wrong?" Hanna asked.
"Haven!" Silver called, forgetting his own rule about not saying names.
"Haven, where are you?"
Hanna placed her hand on Silver's arm. "Now wait a moment young man…" Silver shrugged her hand away and rushed headlong into the crowd.
'You fool. Haven's safety was not worth a few coins.'
"Haven!" he called again. There was no answer. At the end of the street Silver spotted a large carriage. He pushed through the knot of people to reach it, but just as he was coming even with the rear, the coach took off.
The two soldiers, who he had seen earlier, sat atop the roof and eyed him suspiciously. He stopped. What if he'd made a mistake and Haven wasn't in the carriage? No he was sure the nobleman had taken her! She would have returned otherwise. The carriage gained speed and ran down the road away from Vayle.
Quickly the Guardian edged away from the road and back to the copse of trees. When he reached them, the horse was missing. In its place stood a little old woman.
An anger boiled in Silver as he spat out the words, "Hanna! Where is the…"
"I let the horse go back home." She said calmly.
Her bright smile was present, but her eyes were a mix of hope and sadness. Silver turned to leave. He would chase the carriage on foot.
Hanna called, "Wait!" Silver involuntarily froze. "We need to talk," she told him.
Every muscle in Silver's body wanted to ignore her and pursue the carriage. It was gaining ground on him every moment. Instead he faced the old lady and furiously threw back his hood.
"He has taken Haven. That nobleman has taken her and I have to go after my sister!"
"Do you trust me?" Hanna asked innocently.
"No!" Silver answered before he could think. But it was true, this woman was mysterious at best.
Hanna arched her brow. She was amused by his answer, but not offended. "I shouldn't be surprised you, a human, don't trust a Fate. It is why most of my kind is gone after all."
Silver snorted in derision. "A Fate?"
"Yes."
"You?"
"Yes."
Silver momentarily forgot his plight and stared at the woman before him. "But you're so…old."
"You saw the story of the world in my eyes. Did you expect the fates to be young?"
Silver looked down at his feet. "Yes," he answered finally.
"Fine," Hanna said. A light radiated around her and enveloped her. Silver closed his eyes tightly against the glow. "Silver, I choose you," the same tinkling voice from before invaded his ears.
When he opened his eyes a beautiful young woman stood before him. Her face was smooth and flawless. Her skin was so translucent it was tinted with blue and still seemed to emit a hint of the light that had shown before. Her face was otherworldly and past beautiful; it was breathtaking.
The only thing that suggested the identity of the person that had stood there before was those colorless eyes. They remained fixed on him and as mysterious as ever. Silver was stunned.
"You called me? You…"
"Yes," Hanna answered, "to all your questions. I've been guiding you since I pulled you from the river. You and Haven have been under my watchful eye."
"Haven! We need to find her." Desperation entered Silver's voice once again. "You are a Fate! Surely you have a way to locate her quickly."
"I know exactly where Haven is. She is somewhere you cannot go. She is somewhere I will not let you go…for now." Hanna's voice was kind but firm. She knew the anger Silver was capable of. The intervention she had made was difficult, but she hoped Silver would see reason.
"You cannot keep me from my sister. I will find her. I will go to the ends of the earth to seek her out." Silver drew his knife. "Tell me what you've done with her."
Hanna laughed and the sound of tinkling bells rang through the air. "If you intend to hurt me, boy, you better do it now. Your knife will get no information from me." Then in a softer tone she added, "I know this is hard. You've done well, but Haven's path leads her down a different road from you at present. You are both destined for greatness. My boy, you have to trust me."
"We've already established that I don't." Silver sheathed his knife and stared daggers at the Fate.
"I don't want greatness. Fate or not, I will find my sister."
"I promise you will one day. I will make sure of it in due time. But if you seek her out now, I will block your path at every turn. Now please, go home."
"No," Silver screamed as he turned to leave. 'I won't give up so easy. I won't let Alexis and Gareth down. They trusted me too much for me to let her go like this. I must try.'
For over three years he searched out the little girl. He overturned every rock, searched every nobleman's house and even combed the countries of Lakyle, Bratumil, and Marek looking for his sister. He'd find a possible lead here and there, but at the end it would always come to naught. Hanna would show up in these times and would urge him home once more. He'd refuse and vent his anger before she disappeared as mysteriously as she came.
The last time he had seen her, he had told her, "I never want to see you again."
"Go home." She nearly begged him. "You are needed there."
"I have no home. I never should have been born! I have no reason to live." Silver's voice was broken. The thoughts he had harbored deep in his heart had finally surfaced.
A tear trickled down Hanna's cheek. Silver had had no idea that Fates could cry. "Many before you have had such feelings. It has never been true. Hold onto hope. Better days will come. Please."
The pleading in her voice pierced Silver. While he would not admit it then, he felt there was a truth to her words. He couldn't give up on this life just yet.
"Fine." Silver responded at last, "I will go home, but not because you have told me. I have nowhere left to search."
The Fate nodded and raised her hands in surrender. "Then I will leave you alone if you wish it. I hope you will not miss me too much," she said with a sad smile.
'I won't.'
"Goodbye Silver."
"Goodbye Hanna." 'And good riddance.'