AARYN

Elreth sat back in her chair and looked around the room at the fifteen or sixteen disformed that had joined him for this—three of them there whether they had leadership roles or not, specifically to tell their stories and try to win their Queen. Because they had decided, almost unanimously, to petition to become their own tribe.

Elreth didn't know that yet, but he knew she was smart enough to guess that it would at least be discussed.

She looked at him for a breath and something passed between them he didn't even understand, but it stole his breath.

Then she turned to the three who had been seated next to him since they'd arrived.

"Very well, I believe I understand enough of how this has come about.

"

Everyone shifted in their seats and eyed each other. They all knew that this was where history could—should—be made.

"Now, it's time for you to tell me what you do. And why I should not disband your secret group.

"

Aaryn looked at her sharply. They had not discussed her making threats. But he swallowed his anger. Let her hear what he had done. Let her see how these people had been failed. And let her heart lead in this. Because if it did, he was certain she would see it as they did.

"I think the first—

" he started, but was interrupted by the creak of the door behind them.

Everyone in the room turned to find the cave door swinging open and Gar appearing out of the dark behind it suddenly, his face sheepish.

"Don't mind me,

" he said.

"I'm just here to listen.

"

Elreth shot a look at Aaryn and signed, 'did you know he was coming?'

He gave her the crossed-finger form of 'no' they had created and returned his eyes to her brother. What game was he playing? He'd been insistent that he wanted nothing to do with this!

But Gar just took a seat at the back, behind the others and didn't say a word, so he turned back to Elreth and took a deep breath.

"I think the first story you should hear would be Khedyn,

" he said solemnly.

The young, male bird next to him with the terrible scarring on his face, took a deep breath and nodded at Elreth.

"Sire,

" he said.

"Thank you for being willing to listen to us.

"

Elreth nodded.

"Tell me your story.

"

Khedyn glanced at Aaryn, fear all over his face, but he smiled at the young male.

"Go on. She'll understand.

"

Khedyn took a deep breath, then looked Elreth in the eye and began.

"I'm a bird. An Avaline. The disformed among my tribe are even more obvious because most of the tasks we undertake make use of our beast forms. Except for the weavers and masters—and even they fly for travel—the birds lead a lifestyle I cannot. It makes me stick out.

"

Elreth nodded thoughtfully, but didn't comment.

Khedyn swallowed hard.

"When I was growing up I was left home alone a lot because there wasn't anything my parents could do. They had to work and almost the entire tribe worked in the skies, or travelling. There were days I could spend with my aunt and grandmother at times, but usually, except for schooling, I was alone.

"When I was twelve and starting to reach my majority, growing fast and getting stronger, I got… I got angry about being lonely all the time. I hadn't met the Outsiders yet, at least, I didn't know them as a group. So I'd started spending time with a couple Serpent young who were smaller than me, but their parents weren't… they weren't great. They were alone a lot too. We had seen each other at meals and… anyway, they were really my only friends.

"I want you to know that: They weren't disformed and they were my friends. They were lonely too, and their parents didn't help them either. I'm not trying to say that everything that's happened in my life would never happen if I wasn't disformed. But for me… that was what led to me being alone so much. And… and not having good parents. No adults to go to when things were going wrong.

"

Elreth nodded again.

"I understand. I appreciate that you see it in such a balanced way. Please, go on.

"

Khedyn glanced at Aaryn, who nodded as well, then he launched in.

"That day for some reason my parents were gone into the night as well. And I'll be honest, I thought maybe they weren't coming back. I thought maybe they'd gotten so sick of me that they'd decided to leave. I know that was stupid now, but at the time, it was very real to me. I invited my friends to the Tree House because I was afraid to go to sleep. So we were up late and there were no adults… things got out of hand.

"I got angry. My friends had seen the way some people would treat me—like they were scared of me, or disgusted by me. The way they wouldn't trust me.

"My friends started talking about how it was all my parent's fault, and now they'd left too… they encouraged me to be angry. They told me I could join their tribe if I was an orphan, and I was still young enough to believe it then. I… I didn't even want to be a serpent. I was just so desperate to belong somewhere… Anyway, I got it in my head that I should burn down our Tree House. Because then everyone would know my parents were gone and I needed help.

"

The young male winced and raked a hand through his hair, dropping his eyes in shame.

"I was just so desperate to be noticed,

" he murmured.

Aaryn could see Elreth fighting emotion, but trying hard not to show it.

'Are you ok?' he signed.

'Fine.'

"So, I threw a bunch of our books in a pile and I lit it. At first it was just like a campfire and we thought it was kind of cool. But then it started climbing the wall and I realized all my stuff was still up in my room. So, I ran upstairs to get the things I wanted from my room and when I came back down… the stairs were on fire and my friends were screaming because they couldn't get me out.

" He took a shuddering breath.

"I was trapped.

"