Free Silent Kingdom by Rachel L. Schade Page A

there!” he exclaimed, and before his words registered with me, he was gone.
    Grinning, I sprinted down the hill after him as gracefully and quickly as my clunky boots would allow. He drew up beside the schoolhouse, panting and standing apart from the clump of children gathered at the door. Gasping, I stumbled after him.
    Race me when I’m wearing shoes that fit and then we’ll see who wins, I thought, recalling all the times I had bested Gillen in races through the castle grounds and along the beach.
    I glanced over Avrik’s shoulder, my eyes skimming over a group composed of children from six years old to a few years older than me. Relieved, I noticed that no one else seemed to be armed with any sorts of weapons, but they didn’t appear surprised at Avrik’s accessories either.
    Avrik nodded and wished them all good morning, but most were staring at me with large, curious eyes instead. A girl my age, dressed in a floral print dress, scanned my oversized, faded outfit and quirked an eyebrow. I shot her a sheepish smile, but she turned away, tossing her blonde braid over her shoulder.
    “Don’t mind Jayn,” Avrik whispered in my ear. “She thinks having a wealthy merchant for a father makes her royalty.”
    Before he could say more, a young woman waded through the group of students, pushed open the door to the schoolhouse, and urged us all inside. Long black hair draped past her shoulders, and her eyes were pale blue like Lyanna’s and full of a kind light.
    Following the other students, Avrik stepped through the doorway and leaned his pack, bow, and quiver against the wall. I followed, but the teacher made me pause when she held up her hand.
    “I’ve heard about you,” she said. “I’m Ara. We’ll have to come up with a name for you I suppose, if you don’t remember yours. I heard you can write and that you love to read.” Her eyes flitted to Avrik and I nodded eagerly. “Well then I think you will get along in class well. It won’t matter that you cannot speak. Talking is often valued more highly than it is worth.”
    I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination or not, but I thought I saw Avrik turn a shade redder out of the corner of my eye.
    As I seated myself beside Avrik, I drew far more gazes than I wanted. Self-conscious, my face grew hot, but every time I turned to Ara—or Teacher, as everyone called her—I felt the knots in my stomach lessen. At lunchtime, after several hours of studying history, she told us to put our books away and invited us to join her outside to eat.
    I lifted the pail of bread, cheese, and fruit that Lyanna had prepared for me and followed Avrik out into the schoolyard. The older girls had clustered close to one another against the schoolhouse wall to avoid the cold breeze and bent their heads close together as they ate their food and chattered. One of the younger girls looked over her shoulder and caught my gaze, then turned back to whisper to Jayn. Jayn lifted her golden head and met my stare with her perfect blue eyes. She shot me a smile that clearly said: You are not welcome with us. Find someone else to sit with.
    I shuffled uneasily on my feet. The life of a royal had always been somewhat isolated for me: my world had mostly revolved around time spent with my family, my tutor, and the occasional visits, balls, or feasts with nobility, consisting of the councilmen and their families or the city and town Leaders from throughout the kingdom. I had never had to impress any person other than my father. Gillen had been my best friend, my mother had been nurturing, if demanding, and visitors respected me as a member of the royal family. As long as I strove to follow the rules of conduct for royal blood, my father had been content. Before, my mere presence had been enough to earn respect and admiration from others; now I was being judged as unworthy just as quickly.
    A stocky boy, with dark grey eyes and hair red as strawberries, approached Avrik and nudged him. “Are you