Story Number 070: Feature - Poem

Seven Years of Whispers - an Avowal

It’s been almost two years 

since I arrived. 

Not much has changed 

in that time. 

Seven hundred days 

have gone by; 

Seven hundred sunsets 

I’ve missed. 

Seven hundred nights 

where no one’s thought of me – 

or if they did, 

they tried to forget.

It’s been in my head 

for seven years now. 

It used to torment me 

but I’ve gotten used to it. 

I can no longer tell 

my own thoughts from its. 

Initially it was just a whisper, 

hardly audible. 

It became louder, 

and I began to hate it. 

That’s where my memory 

becomes blotchy.

I killed someone. 

I don’t remember who.

But I remember 

the blood on my hands, 

the metallic tang in the air, 

and the sudden realization. 

I remember fleeing

 into the woods, 

and hiding till dark.

My mother was silent 

when she found out. 

She thought I’d 

seen the body and somehow 

convinced myself 

that I’d done it. 

She helped me wash 

and sang lullabies 

that night. 

I felt too old for them, 

but they helped. 

The voice was louder after that, 

but I still ignored it. 

I tried to live normally, 

like everyone else. 

I can’t remember all 

that happened next, 

but one day 

I tried to strangle my brother. 

I don’t remember any of it, 

only afterwards when 

my mother screamed his name 

and locked me in my room.

That’s when I realized 

they’d never want me. 

I’d become too much 

for them to handle. 

I slipped out the window 

and ran. 

I don’t know how long 

I lived the life of a vagabond. 

Maybe a month, 

maybe three. 

It all fades in and out 

of my memory.

Sometimes I’m not sure anymore, 

what I’ve made up 

and what is real. 

I don’t think I killed 

anyone else. 

I do know I stole 

and prowled lonely streets 

long after dark, 

like a sly old dog, 

rejected and unwanted, 

but still alive.

Eventually they caught me, 

and tied my hands 

behind my back 

so I couldn’t resist. 

They didn’t have a prison 

in that village, 

so they took me here 

instead.

My cell is small – 

I can fit ten footsteps 

along one wall 

and seventeen 

on the other. 

There’s one corner 

where water pools; 

it tastes of cold iron 

and slimy misery.

The only light I ever see 

is the flickering torchlight

on the passage wall. 

My eyes have gotten used 

to the dark. 

I enjoy the darkness now.

I’ll sit on the edge of my cot, 

staring into the darkness, 

listening to the voice 

that whispers to me. 

My only companion, 

whose presence I enjoy. 

I’m not scared of it anymore. 

When it’s quiet I’ll look 

at the mildewy wall, 

recalling all the voice 

has said and promised.

For the whole time I’ve been here, 

there’s been only

five others imprisoned. 

The fifth arrived two days ago. 

Locked up for a mistake, 

a mere accident. 

Her name’s Elira, 

and she’s seventeen. 

She says her brother 

will break her out. 

I know what she says is true.

I’ve been here for seven hundred days. 

I was thrown in this cell 

almost two years ago. 

I’m sixteen now. 

But I feel older than that. 

It’s funny

what darkness can do to you. 

Elira talks to me a lot. 

When she’s speaking, 

the voice in my head goes silent,

 as if it’s making sure 

I don’t miss anything. 

Her brother will come, 

I’m sure. 

The voice assures me he’ll come 

on the evening of the festival.

Three days.

I can wait that long.

Three days is nothing to me 

anymore. 

I sit in the corner, 

listening to Elira talk, 

and wait. 

Three days 

and once more I’ll be free. 

Elira falls silent, 

and I hear muffled footsteps 

and whispers. 

He’s come for her. 

How interesting. 

I lean back 

against the stone wall, 

and smile for the first time

in months. 

Three days early. 

Seven hundred days 

have been lost to me.

I won’t miss another.

The key clicks in the lock 

and my cell door swings open.

He’s three days early. 

I’ve missed seven hundred sunsets.

I never saw the stars 

when I was fifteen. 

But I’m sixteen now, 

and will make up 

for what I’ve missed. 

The voice in my head 

is stirring again, 

making my thirst for freedom 

like the burn 

of a scorching desert. 

I step into the moonlight. 

I’m free now. 

Indebted to those 

who unlocked my cell. 

I choose to flee 

with my liberators – 

Elira, her brother, 

and another girl, 

not quite an adult. 

They don’t speak. 

So I do. 

My words make them all stop 

and turn to me, 

eyes wide and frightened.

For seven hundred days, 

I was locked in a cell. 

For seven years, 

the voice in my head 

has whispered to me. 

I used to be scared of it. 

I’m not anymore. 

I grin at their startled expressions. 

They don’t know

what they’ve unleashed.

Story Number 068: Synopsis

Caelarion Aryndir Sylverin is an average, unimportant young elven prince who prefers sitting in the forest and taming wolves to learning the structures and rules of the elves’ governing system. Cael is happy with his peaceful life, until one day when that peace is utterly and cruelly shattered.

Cael never imagined that he would be hunted. Not for who he was, but for the quiet magic he possessed. Magic that was powerful enough to destroy if used by the wrong people.

Cael had never met a human before. He didn’t realise they were so ruthless, until the day that human scouts found him alone in the woods. They capture him, drag him back to their city, and throw him in a dungeon.

They’ve never met an elf either. But they know this much: Elves are allies with the brutal Veyari, the winged people, and won’t hesitate to help their allies by calling on their magical powers to help destroy the whole human race. 

Trapped in an underground cell, away from any kind of light or life, and surrounded by iron which can be toxic to elves, Cael only wishes to get back to his people, even if that means he can never leave the safety of the elven borders again. 

Rowan, the jailor’s son, quickly befriends the elf and realizes he needs to get his friend out of the prison. One night, Rowan slips into the dungeon, and unlocks Cael’s cell. He decides to do the same to a quiet Veyari named Talon, one of the other prisoners. Talon pushes Rowan against the wall, with the words “You probably just made the worst mistake of your life. You two are coming back with me to my clan. Don’t make a sound – you’ll regret it.”

Moving quickly and with brutal efficiency, Talon takes an iron collar from a hook on the wall and fastens it around Cael’s neck, knowing full well that the iron will make it impossible for the elf to use his magic, and that it will also slowly drain the life out of him.

Talon takes them into the forest, and forces them to keep going, at a pace neither Cael nor Rowan can hope to match. Finally, after many long days of exhausting travel, Cael and Rowan manage to escape Talon’s ruthless control.

Now, they’re on their own. Both the Veyari and the humans are hunting Cael, because they want to use his magic to destroy their enemies. Rowan is a stranger to the wilderness of the forest, and the iron collar is draining Cael’s strength quickly. Now the two friends are fighting for their lives in the forest – battling nature, fleeing from their pursuers, and trying desperately to figure out how to remove Cael’s collar.

If they slow down, they’ll be captured. And if Rowan can’t figure out a way to get Cael’s collar off… he’ll lose his elven friend to the cold poison of the iron.

November 16, 2025 General Update

    G'afternoon! I think it's about time for another update...

    

    Well. I have not exactly been able to focus my attention on just one writing project. I have been working on several, to be honest. The first is referenced as number 068. The second one that I've been working on is referenced as number 070.

    Let's start off with number 068. This story follows two teenagers - one human, and one elven - as their two very different worlds are brought together by the threat of war and utter destruction on both sides. I will be dropping the synopsis to this story at 12:00 pm on Saturday, November 22nd. Once it drops, you can access the synopsis here.

    Now, concerning story number 070. It's set in a fantasy world, with magical elements in it. It has the potential to be a gripping novel with unexpected twists and turns. I have written up a synopsis for it that I will share with all of you, as well as a poem about it. I will be dropping the poem at 12:00 pm on Saturday, November 29th. I'm actually pretty proud of this particular poem and those who I've shared it with have described it as "creepy and haunting." 😏 You will be able to access the poem here.

    The synopsis for this story will be dropping at 12:00 pm on Saturday, December 6th. You will be able to find that synopsis here.

    Thanks for reading! 

    Until next time, 

                  Rhianna