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- kitty_coolness_123
- Scratcher
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Walkers Chronicles Story
Prologue
THE FIRST THING I REMEMBER ABOUT WHEN AVERY AND CORYN CAME TO OUR HOME IS THE SKY-WALKER THAT FELL FROM THE SKY.
My older brothers and I were out watching the Sky Kingdom fly over our fields. I was six, and we sat there, just watching the battle take place overhead. We witnessed the fall of their kingdom and, when a Sky-Walker launched out over our field, trying to escape–it was noon at the time–he was shot. He fell down from his flight path, right towards us.
Stunned, we sat there and watched the Sky-Walker fall. When he got close to us, a light emanated from one of the eggs he held. It was midnight-colored, with stars of white scattered all over it. That was Avery’s egg, we found out when they hatched. The second egg was sunlight-colored with midnight swirls that resembled wings or feathers: Corynn’s egg.
The light slowed their descent down until he landed softly on the ground. The Sky-Walker was a male with a slender body and soft red hair. An arrow stuck out of his back, and he was clutching their eggs.
My eldest brother, Koros, pulled the eggs from the Sky-Walker’s arms and handed them to me. “Those people who are attacking the Sky Kingdom will want to destroy these eggs. Get them to the house quickly and be careful. I’ll search this Sky-Walker’s body for any identification or anything that explains the eggs’ purpose. And go get Dad.”
I immediately obeyed his orders and ran towards the house, clutching the eggs tightly. The midnight-colored egg began to glow gently as I closed in on the house.
I bolted into the house and ran right into our mother, who was talking with her sister on the holo-com. “Mom,” I asked, “where’s Dad? I need to talk with him. Hi, aunt Jasmine,” I added.
“One second, sis,” Mom said to aunt Jasmine. “Okay, Mysteria. Dad’s out back. He’s got a big surprise for you out in the stables.”
“Thanks, Mom!” I called, racing to the back door. I sped out through the open doors and towards the stables, where Dad and a black yearling were fighting over going into the stables. The horse kept rearing as he struggled to get it into the stables.
“Oh, hi, Mysteria!” Dad called. The horse whinnied loudly and broke out of his hands. It trotted over to me as I hurried over. Dad saw the look on my face, as well as the two eggs I was carrying. “What’s up?”
“A Sky-Walker fell from the sky with these eggs.” I held out the two eggs. “He died in the sky, and the midnight egg kept it and the other one from breaking when they landed. Koros told me to go get you while they looked for who he was and what the eggs are supposed to be for.”
“I’ll meet you back at the house with your brothers. Happy birthday as well. Horse is yours.” Dad raced into the stable and grabbed his horse, Mieka. “Stay inside with the eggs and protect them as well as you can. I’ll make sure that your brothers get back to the house with the identification and explanation things. As soon as things settle down in the Sky Kingdom, we’ll try to figure things out and what we’ll do with the eggs.”
He quickly got onto his horse and spurred her into a gallop. He raced off in the direction that I had come into the house from.
My father and older brothers returned an hour later, when one of the eggs started to show signs of hatching. It was the sunlight-colored one with midnight swirls, and it had started to crack.
Out popped a small Walker foot, just as the door opened. Then came a second foot and a pair of fists. Finally, the egg broke completely open, exposing a small blonde baby with midnight wings, wailing. He was so small, probably weighing only four or five pounds, and his small midnight wings were wet with the remaining ooze of the egg’s contents, desperately in need of being washed. His face was scrunched up with his cries, but we managed to calm him down.
His name was Corynn Shadownight, and the other was Avery Starshade. Avery didn’t hatch until about two weeks later, and we didn’t realize that she was hatching until Corynn had bawled loudly in the middle of the night, waking up the entire family. We all rushed into the bedroom and watched, amazed as the egg glowed brightly and suddenly split cleanly in half, an even brighter light coming from the gap. The outline of an infant showed itself as the egg lay itself down and Avery stayed hovering. Her wings spread out, as white as moonlight and creating a stunning image of a raven-haired infant angel.
Mother picked her up as Avery lowered and washed her up. Avery bawled, but calmed down after a time, once her wings were completely washed. It was as though she had wanted to be cleaned, that she wouldn’t stop her crying until her feathers were all glossy with water and not with the remainder of the egg’s contents.
Years later, when they were about five, they had to leave the house and disappear into the forest when Corazian soldiers came looking for them. They knew that at least their eggs had escaped five years prior, and they came upon our family upon suspicions that we were holding them. We sent them into the forest for safety, for fear that they’d be killed on the spot if their wings were ever made visible.
The two troublemakers didn’t return until a few days later, when two Sky-Walkers returned with Avery and Corynn asleep in their arms. Their names were Morikai And Kusano, and they had apparently been living in the forest after the day we found Avery and Corynn’s eggs to avoid the suspicion of the Corazian soldiers and to keep watch over the young duo, as they had known the fallen Sky-Walker. Father admitted to knowing the men and letting on about Avery and Corynn to them. From then on, Avery and Corynn were allowed to travel between home and their place, especially when soldiers came to the house.
Avery and Corynn have always helped out, and there have only been occasions when they haven’t, those being either in hiding, on ‘adventures’ with Mori and Kusa, or when Avery’s come down with one thing or another.
Avery was afraid of magicks, though it was her glow at night that gave way to her knowledge of the magicks within her, and she could perform spells that even those with at least a small amount of magicks couldn’t do, subconsciously. She’d do magic without even being aware of it. And I could only use magic to lift and move things, unlike anyone else in the household.
Now I’ll let the Narrator do their job and tell their story. Welcome to the world of Walkers…
Chapter One: ‘Spell’ing Disaster
“I THINK WE JUST GENDERSWAPPED,” AVERY WHISPERED, STARING AT CORYNN, WHO HAD ONCE BEEN A HANDSOME BOY. In reply, Corynn screamed at the sudden physical change on his body.
“How are you not freaking out?” Corynn asked, staring at the now handsome Avery. “You’re not tired, are you?”
“I’m tired. And I’ve wondered about what we’d look like. It’s all meh to me.” Avery shrugged. “I want to go to bed at home.”
Corynn stood and pulled Avery to her feet. “Then let’s go.”
Together they returned home and went to bed without the household knowing until morning.
“Good morning,” Avery mumbled, waking up to the sight of Corynn as a girl leaning over her with his wings in a dome over the two of them. “Did you switch out our clothes? You’re wearing one of my dresses, so I assume so.”
Corynn folded his wings and stepped back to allow her past him. Avery slid out of bed and gave him a peck on the cheek before stretching out her own wings. The tips touched Corynn’s cheek, which caused him to turn away, blushing. “I switched out our clothes, yes. And will you stop doing the wing-tips-cheek-peck thing to me every morning?”
“I like seeing you blush. And now you don’t need to leave my room while I change.” Avery replied, removing her clothes and slipping on a new shirt, pants, and outer tunic. She pulled on a pair of socks and boots, then stood, facing Corynn. “Think I should probably brush out my hair?”
“Let me,” Corynn replied, taking the brush from her. He ran it through her hair, smoothing it out. “Your hair is really soft and silky.”
“Like my feathers?”
Corynn blushed furiously, tightly gripping the brush. He was glad Avery’s back was to him. “Sure. How do you make your feathers and hair so soft and silky?”
“I make sure to keep my feathers from getting too dirty and clean them every night. You know how much time I take to preen them in the evenings.” Avery replied. “And my hair’s just naturally like this.”
“So that’s your secret. Maybe I should start doing a better job of cleaning my own wings. What do you think?” Corynn handed the brush back to Avery. “Will you brush out my hair?”
“Sure. But your wings are so dark it doesn’t matter what gets on them. Just make sure you get rid of mud or anything that will stink or make your feathers sticky. If you don’t do that, then your feathers won’t have a good sheen to them.” Avery said, brushing through Corynn’s now long, wavy golden hair. “I have to keep my feathers clean because they’re white. Everything stands out on mine.”
Avery walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a short cloak, one that reached to her waist and went no further. “I’m starving. Let’s go get some breakfast.” She pulled Corynn out of the bedroom and down the hallway to the kitchen, where the rest of the household, their adopted family, sat eating breakfast. “Good morning,” she said, her deeper, masculine voice causing everyone to turn and stare at them.
“What happened to you two?” Koros finally asked as the two sat down at the table. “You’ve… er, changed. Not that it’s bad, just…”
“Amazingly strange?” Avery replied. “I don’t want to speak of it. Ask Corynn later. When I’m not at the table with him.” She started to eat, already having heaped food onto her plate.
“Yeah…” Mysteria looked Avery and Corynn up and down. “Are we sure they’re not just faking being each other? Open up your wings, both of you.”
Avery and Corynn obeyed, unfurling their wings. Avery’s were white, pristine and devoid of any other color, like always. Corynn’s were midnight black with a good sheen, as though he had recently cleaned them. Suddenly, Avery pulled her wings back in, elbowing Corynn, as though a soldier were spotted through the window.
The entire family turned to look out the window, and, sure enough, there was a Corazon soldier walking up to the house, unexpected and unseen. Avery and Corynn could not leave, which meant that they had to keep their wings hidden.
Avery pulled the half-cloak she had decided to wear around her shoulders and pulled her bangs over her eyes, hoping to remain unnoticed. Corynn flipped his hair over his shoulders in hopes to prevent his wings from being seen. At least he could hide them behind his hair, but Avery had nothing but the half-cloak to hide her own, and, if even a single feather fell out from underneath it, she would surely be taken away to be killed.
Koros looked at their father as he stood to open the door for the soldier. His scarred and blinded eye peered out from under his long bangs, catching Avery’s eyes. She had never noticed it before.
“What brings you to our farm, m'lord?” their father inquired, stepping back to allow him through the doorway. “Searching for men to join the army?” His question stunned Avery, but then she remembered the rumors of war on the horizon with another kingdom, Alutius. It was unavoidable, which worried her.
Avery knew that she might be the one they picked to go and become a soldier, as she was both of age and now a male. She was prepared in combat, but she despised fighting, as it often brought bloodshed and that fact alone terrified her. There was a reason, but she never wanted to think about it. Corynn was never to mention the incident, as he didn’t know what she had done, for fear that it would make him fear her. That could not ever happen, for they were mates from the time they first officially learned each others’ names. And so they were not siblings, but mates. Someday soon, though, she would lay an egg like their own, not give live birth, but only after they broke the curse. Her eyes flickered between the soldier and their adopted father in nervousness, awaiting the notice of herself.
“Koros,” said the soldier, “It’s been a couple of years now. How’s your eye?”
Koros sighed and stood from the table. Avery continued eating, but watched his reaction. “It’s better, but it will never see again.”
Koros was about thirty, and still lived with the family. Years prior, he had been recruited at twenty to join the army. Apparently, he lost vision in his right eye due to a sword catching him as he fought. It ruined his chance of being a soldier, but at least he could return to assist his family at the farm. Although, he was not married, and he swore he’d never do so, so as to keep assisting at the farm until everyone else had married off, or until he decided it was time to stop. Avery admired him for it, but knew that she could never do so, as her own time had already come to become mates with Corynn.
Avery waited to be noticed and started to think about what had happened that night…
Chapter Two: Winged Soldier
AVERY STARTLED OUT OF HER THOUGHTS AS THE SOLDIER ASKED ABOUT HER. She glanced up him, her bright blue eyes flashing in surprise at the question. “What about him?”
“Pardon?” Avery asked, not moving. “You want to… see what I can do? And see if I would be a good soldier?”
“I would hope you’d be good. You are of age, so I need to see if you’re good enough for the army of Coraz. Perhaps we could see now,” he insisted, answering Avery’s question in a way she didn’t enjoy hearing. Her mind raced. “And you’re a member of this family, even if you’re adopted. I would assume you are constantly in good health, and you look as though you have a good frame for a quick fighter. Are you light on your feet?”
“He has a tendency to catch fevers, although not often enough to cause worry. He’s quick and good, but he does not always choose to follow orders or rules. His mind rules his actions, but so does his heart, which can cause issues. There is no issue, but he does not like the thought of bloodshed. Very nimble, and a surprising strength to his small frame. He has his own sword, found in the fields a few years ago, which he uses and cleans regularly. Avery knows how to take care of a blade, and was taught by me,” Koros replied, smiling smugly at Avery. “His wits are often better than most, but he lacks the ability to see through a bluff. Although, he has begun catching onto them, as of late. He learns fast, and can read and write, as well as does stunning mental arithmetic. The extent to which he performs, scholar-wise, is quite laudable, and he performs well enough in fighting skills that he envies even the best swordsmen in the world. Thus his fighting and mental capacities are near-perfect and something you may like.”
The soldier nodded, seeming to like what he heard. “I’d like to see for myself how well he performs today, before I make any hasty movements towards taking him as a soldier. Now, does he show any magical abilities beyond that of common folk?” He looked at Avery, thoughtful. Avery stared at Koros, a stung expression on her face. Koros seemed not to notice, but she knew better. He was broadcasting her power so that maybe she would be safe within the soldiers and they would begin to trust a Sky-Walker, although hidden well. “Any strange magicks?”
“Visions of the future and premonitions would be the strange magicks. As to the magical abilities, though, he is quite better than anyone in the household. Since we live so far outside of the city, though, we have not sent him to be tested in the actual strength of his magic, nor have we taught him anything more than we can. But due to a, er, magical mishap, he’s been afraid of his own magic. Far as we’re concerned, let’s say powerful magicks.” Koros gave Avery a wink, which did not help her disbelief.
“What sort of magical mishap?” the soldier asked.
“Something that’s mentally and emotionally scarred me since it happened,” Avery answered, standing abruptly. “I don’t want to speak of it. Nor do I want to hear it spoken in my presence.” She stared at the floor as she walked to the door. Opening it, she announced, “I’ll be outside while you talk about it.”
The door shut behind Avery and she did a quick flit to the roof of the barn. Everyone would assume that she had taken the ladder and rope, since she had, on the side of caution, gone onto the side nobody could see from the house. It would give her both an advantage and let her see when they’d come out. Doing so also meant that she felt more comfortable and could sit there and think until she had to go down. She knew how to get from the roof to the hayloft of the barn so as to seem as though she had climbed up, since she could climb down perfectly safe without using her wings.
After a few minutes, she heard Corynn calling for her, over by the house. Avery waved towards the house and called back. The soldier and family all turned to look out at the barn, where she had been lying on the roof. She slid down onto the post that stuck out from the hayloft door and slid down the rope to the door. From there, she swung through the door and ran to the ladder and clambered down, finally exiting the doors and ran to the house. She was barely out of breath, being in good shape.
“I’m ready to go,” Avery said, giving a small bow to the soldier.
“Where is your sword, boy?” he asked in reply, unsheathing his own sword. Corynn hid a smirk behind his hand, knowing what Avery would do next to have the element of surprise.
Avery held out her hand, raising it over her head, then brought it down to her side, the sword materializing in her hand from a cuff on her wrist. “What do you think of that?” she said, getting into a ready position.
“Impressive. But are you ready mentally?” he countered, doing similar. Avery watched his body closely, knowing that he could very well give clue to his very first attack upon her. She ignored his comment, knowing that it could be meant to distract her, if she hadn’t already prepared herself while on the roof of the barn.
Avery flashed across the space between them and feinted to his left, then fell back to her original position, trying to see how her opponent fought before actually fighting him. It was her own way of testing their skill and demeanor. Her mind flashed through all possibilities of attacks against herself, and she watched with flashing blue eyes as he stood his ground, waiting for her to try a real attack.
Avery stayed her hand until he attacked her, slow enough to make her seem as though a blur through the field. Her cloak fluttered behind her and flew away as she fought, her own movements a blur as her opponent tried countless times to wear her down. Avery’s mind stayed in time as she calculated his speed and strength, so as to make sure she won the spar. Finally, she brought an attack that would force him to submit.
As her blade touched his throat, pinning the soldier to the ground, Avery caught her breath. “Submit?” Avery inquired, a serene expression settling on her face.
“I submit.”
Chapter Three: Becoming a Soldier
AVERY RELEASED HIM, DEMATERIALIZING HER SWORD BUT STAYING WARY, IN CASE OF A COWARDLY BACKHANDED ATTACK IF SHE TURNED HER BACK TO HIM. The soldier stood and offered her a hand in congratulations. “Very stunning swordsmanship,” he commented as Avery took his hand. He suddenly tugged her forwards and flipped her over his shoulder, releasing her as she launched into the air.
Avery flipped midair and landed on her feet, crossing her arms and cocking an eyebrow. “I expected something like that,” Avery whispered to Corynn, who stood next to her, staring. “Fun to do, unless you’re the one getting hurt by it.”
“That sword you have - is it a Sky-Walker blade?” the soldier asked, slightly stunned at Avery’s reflexes.
“I guess. We found it in the field a few years ago and I decided to try using it. Is that a bad thing?” She shifted her weight to her left heel, cocking her head at him. The finding tale wasn’t true, as she had been given it when she turned eleven because of her true inheritance as the heir to the Sky-Walker Kingdom’s throne.
“No, just… interesting. You wield it with skill and speed. No wonder Koros spoke so highly of you. He’s right.” Koros gave a smug grin. He knew he was, and wasn’t afraid to act smug about it.
Avery sighed and shook her head at him, thinking that he was far too confident in her abilities, since he was the one who taught her most of her fighting skills. But not all of them. Some of them, she learned from Morikai and Kusano while hanging out with them in the forest over the years.
. . .
Avery stared out at the changing landscape as she traveled to the city. Soon fields became villages, which then became a large city, surrounded by a siege wall to defend the capital city of Coraz, Na’vira. Her thoughts wound back to what had brought her to going into Na’vira to train to become a soldier. She sat back in the cart, waiting to arrive at the tent in castle grounds to meet her new commander.
“We’re here,” called Koros, startling Avery as the cart stopped. Avery glanced over the top at him, nodding. She jumped out and grabbed her satchel. It held her papers saying where she was to go and who would be her commander.
Avery grinned nervously as she walked to the tent with Koros leading the way. She was wearing a crisp white shirt, dark pants, and light brown leather boots, well-worn and still in good condition. Her black hair had been loosely tied back, hair still falling out of the cloth strip she had used to tie it.
“Morning, Manai,” Koros said to the man in the tent as they entered. He was the only available man, the others working with other recruits to get them to where they needed to go. “Avery Starshade is this young man,” he added as the attendant opened his mouth to ask the question he was prepared to answer. Avery nodded politely, nervous about what she was going to be doing.
“Ah, young Avery. I’ve heard great things about you. Let’s see your papers,” the man replied. Avery pulled them out of her satchel and handed them to the man. After shuffling through them for a couple of minutes, he gave a low whistle. “You’ve got a lot of good remarks, so you’re going with the group that’s fighting with our ally, Azzen. You’re going to be under the command of the crown prince there, as well. They’re leaving tomorrow, so you need to get your supplies. Go with Koros to the Armory, and if you don’t have a good warhorse, go to the stables to get one. Especially if it’s one of the horses that pulled your cart here.”
“I have a good horse. He doesn’t like anyone but me, so I’ve been letting him roam. Give me a second and he’ll be here.” Avery replied, not before giving a shrill whistle. Almost a minute after, a paint war horse came trotting into the courtyard and brushed against Avery’s open hand. “Hey, Arach-teine,” Avery said, smiling. His name was Dragon-fire in the language of magic, that of the Sky-Walkers.
“A fine horse indeed,” replied Manai, smiling mischievously at Koros, who returned the smile. “You’d do well to know how to ride with a saddle, boy,” he added, noting that Dragon-fire didn’t have a saddle.
Avery nodded. “I normally don’t ride him with a saddle, but I do have his tack in the cart.”
“Take care, then,” Manai replied, returning to his station to take the next boy and guardian.
“Well,” Koros sighed, mussing Avery’s hair. Avery gripped his hand and pushed it away from her head. “What?”
“You’re making me feel like a little kid,” Avery muttered under her breath, turning her head away from Koros.
“To me, you’ll always be a little kid. You’re so young right now, and I definitely don’t want to see you die in war. You have a world ahead of you, and I might never see you alive again, Aves.” Koros replied, looking up into the sky. Avery glanced to see his expression, which was saddened and serene. “Promise me you’ll return alive, if at all. And remember, it’s your duty to survive, and to help those around you survive this war as well. That’s the only way to survive a war. Keep those around you alive, and they’ll do the same for you.”
“I promise you that,” Avery consoled, putting her hand on his shoulder. Her larger hand still looked small compared to Koros’, and even smaller when he gripped it and nodded at her.
“Good. Now let’s go to the Armory before all of the good armor and shields for men your size are gone.” Koros ruffled Avery’s hair once more and they hurried to go get her armor and a good shield.
After getting the armor for Avery, the two of them went to the tent for those heading out to Azzen in the morning. Avery quickly changed her clothes into the uniform for soldiers in the army, a white tunic with long sleeves, a tight-fitting leather jerkin, dark breeches, and a light leather belt. She pulled her hair out of the short ponytail and tied the ribbon around her wrist.
“How do you think you’ll fare once out in the open? Especially with war on the horizon for you. You’ll have to kill to survive, and for others to survive with you,” Koros warned, sitting down on the cot next to hers.
“So, are you coming along?” Avery asked in reply.
“Yes. But I cannot fight. I’ll be helping in the medic tent, as well as the cooking,” Koros grinned.
“How did you lose the sight in your eye?” Avery stared at the ground in front of her.
“I was a little too late to block a blow to my eye, and I was slashed across it in battle. You’ve never noticed?” he added, giving Avery a questioning look.
“You’ve always hidden your eyes with your bangs. I didn’t notice until yesterday, when that soldier came to recruit.” Avery shrugged, then lay down. “We have a long day of riding tomorrow. I’m going to get some sleep.”
“You going to be fine without Corynna?” Koros asked as he watched Avery turn away from him.
“I’ll figure out what I need to do without her later, when I need to have my dreams captured, and the premonitions spoken of.”
Chapter Four: Riding to Azzen
AVERY WOKE UP EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, READY TO GO. Her hair had been pulled back in a tight ponytail, still messy, but good for riding. The ribbon had been changed to a uniform scarlet color, to show her loyalty to Coraz in any way possible.
Quickly, she saddled Dragonfire and scarfed down breakfast, which was more food than any of the other recruits and soldiers.
“My,” said an older soldier, setting a hand on Avery’s shoulder, startling her, “you sure have an appetite, boy.”
“Um, thanks?” Avery replied, glancing at him. Her blue eyes flashed expectantly as the soldier smiled good-naturedly. “I’m Avery.”
“The name’s Coram,” replied the soldier, sitting down next to her. “You must have a good build and impressive strength to go with that appetite, Avery. Tell me, do you fight well?”
“As well as any good sword fighter, maybe better.” Avery shrugged, returning to her food. “I’m not entirely sure, since I’ve never attempted going head to head to one. Just something people have commented to me.” She glanced up at Coram.
“Modest, you are,” chuckled Coram. “How do you fare against other weaponry, or even using them?”
Avery cocked her head to the side and slightly back, looking up and thinking about it. After a minute, she looked back at Coram. “I’ve never tried other weapons. Nor have I fought against another weapon besides another sword. Do you know of any way to learn before we must fight?”
Coram grinned mischievously. “Perhaps, Avery. I have friends here that are accompanying us to Azzen who are quite skillful with their weapons of choice.”
“I’d like to meet them before we head out.” Avery replied, finishing her breakfast, turning her head to face the entrance. “What kinds of weapons do they typically use?”
“You’ll see when we stop to make camp tonight. Will you ride with us or with the other new recruits?”
“I’ll ride with you. It will be nice to have a traveling companion. And I’d like to talk with somebody other than all of the other recruits. You probably have a lot more wisdom than they do.”
“True. I’ve had more battle experience, but you might know stuff that I don’t. We’ll see how much you know tonight. For now, it’s time to leave for Azzen.” The two of them left to their horses, Dragon-fire trotting up to Coram and his steed. Coram grinned at the sight of Avery’s handsome horse.
Everyone in the train of soldiers and the rest set off eastward, towards Azzen, their neighbouring country. It would be many miles, and would take them about a month before they could arrive at the capital, where they would join ranks with their ally in the impending war.
Avery and Coram spoke for much of their ride, enjoying each others’ company. Avery would often ask him strategical questions, and see if he could solve them and compared their solutions. Coram was surprised at her solutions, and found them oftentimes better than his own.
“You think up some amazing strategies, Avery. You should be a strategic advisor one day.” Coram sighed, shaking his head. “You are a wonder to behold, boy. How much magic do you know?”
“I know most words, not all. I don’t like using magic, though.”
“Why not?”
“Bad past with it,” was all she replied, turning her head away from him. She didn’t want the memory to rise back up on her. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t ask anything else about it if you don’t want me to,” Coram consoled. “You wanted to meet my companions, earlier, correct?”
Avery nodded, turning to face him once again. Dragon-fire nickered gently as she nudged the horse into a trot.
“Well, these are my companions coming up to us,” Coram said, indicating five riders coming up to them, all ages between the pair’s own.
“Well-met,” a man in his early twenties called as the group approached. “Coram, you didn’t tell us you have such a young companion with you. Who is this young boy?”
“Avery Starshade,” Avery replied, dipping her head in greeting. “Well-met.”
The group made introductions, each taking a turn to shake Avery’s hand.
The first man - the one who had asked Avery her name - introduced himself as Kadence. He had long blonde hair tied back and bright blue eyes. He didn’t look as though he had shaved recently, as he had the beginnings of a beard coming in. He still looked quite dashing and had a rough, yet clean, exterior.
The second was about thirty, and introduced himself as Anais. His close-shaven hair and clean face made him look like a no-nonsense kind of man, which, as Avery learned, was the exact opposite of his demeanor. And he was built like a bear. Albeit cuddly, but a bear nonetheless.
The third man introduced himself as Sokkan. He was in his mid-twenties, and was clean-shaven. His hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, and he had a joking demeanor. He tried to act serious, but it was evident that nothing would ever go his way, and his demeanor generally made everyone laugh.
The fourth man was a familiar face. Avery had seen Noah often enough that he was a familiar friend of the family by the time she had turned twelve. He was now twenty-three, and Avery knew he was good with the sword, knives, and a bow. His dark brown hair was often found with pieces of straw nestled within it, as he worked a farm himself. He hunted often, which was why he was so skilled. He’d also spar Avery, while Koros was gone, every day to keep the two of them at top skill. Avery knew how good he was, and was pleased to see he was there as well. He may not have recognized her, but she’d explain things to him later, when they were in private.
And finally was a man she had seen only twice in her life, whose name was Gedric, a renowned fighter who had visited the farm twice when she was younger. He was in his late thirties, older than most, yet younger than some. He was an amazing fighter, and Avery faintly remembered once dueling him. It did not end well for her, as far as she could remember. Gedric was a kind man, and she knew he had felt bad for doing whatever had been done to her a few years back.
“You can’t possibly be the Avery I know from back home,” Noah whispered to Avery, giving her a somewhat stunned look. “But you’re the same age, height, everything, except for your gender. The Avery I know is a girl.”
“I’m exactly the Avery you know, just a boy version of myself. I’ll explain more in private, and prove my point for it later. It’s a little embarrassing.” Avery gave a nervous smile to her older friend.
“Magic gone wrong or a curse?”
“Curse. Corynn’s gender swapped, too. He goes by Corynna for now. And since my name’s gender-neutral, I get to keep my name the same.” Avery smiled slyly. “And he’s not too pleased about it, either.”
“I don’t feel jealous for him, but I’m a little worried about your swordsmanship. You were so used to your normal body that I doubt you’re used to the male body at all. And how come you’re so calm about it?” Noah furrowed his brow, slightly stunned.
“I actually pondered about the topic. It’s not that weird, to tell the truth,” Avery brushed her long bangs out of her eyes. “I actually partially temporarily prefer this, but I know I’ll miss wearing dresses eventually.”
Chapter Five: Combat Lessons
AVERY SAT NEXT TO THE FIRE THAT NIGHT, WAITING TO SEE WHO WOULD DECIDE TO HELP TEACH HER FIRST. As it happened, Noah decided to volunteer to help her with archery. He happened to have an extra bow, “In case my usual one broke,” as he explained, handing Avery his bow.
Avery took the bow and held it up with her right hand, arm straight as a rod. Then she took an arrow from Noah and nocked the arrow on the bowstring and pulled it back towards her cheek.
“Good form. Are you sure you haven’t practiced using one before?” Coram called out. Avery made a face at Noah, still trying to line up her arrow and the target before she let fly.
“Good. Now breathe out just as you let the arrow fly,” Noah whispered.
Avery did as he instructed, and the arrow flew true into the target with a solid thunk in the bullseye. Avery took another shot, and hit just next to the first arrow.
“How’s about a moving target?” called Gedric. He was issuing a challenge for her and Noah to do.
“You want to make the hay bale move?” Noah retorted. Gedric stood up, same as Anais, making good on his part. “Fine, I’ll get set up. Aves, whoever can hit the target in the bullseye while it’s moving and, or, makes a split arrow wins the challenge. If you win, I’ll do whatever you want me to do, but if I win, then you’ll have to dance to my fiddle, or do whatever else I want. Fair?”
Avery thought about it for a moment. “How about we’ll be each other's personal slave for a day, whoever loses?”
“Sounds good to me.” Noah and Avery did a double handshake, to make sure there was no backing out of the challenge. Then Noah strung his spare bow and got ready for Gedric and Anais to sent the bale rolling along.
“Go!” Gedric called as Anais shoved the hay bale along. Avery got ready and nocked her arrow, pulling it back to her cheek. She lined up the bullseye, then set her aim just in front of it, making up for the speed at which it was rolling along. She let fly just after Noah, and watched as it hit the first arrow she had shot and split it down the center. Noah’s just barely hit the bullseye, and Anais stopped the bale so that they could free the arrows and see who actually won the competition.
“Avery wins it!” Gedric called to the group. “Dead center split.” Avery and Noah retrieved the arrows from the hay bale target and removed the paper they had been using for the target practice.
Avery grinned. “I won’t use you as a slave tomorrow. But there is something I want you to do…”
. . .
The following morning, they set out once again. Their group was talking animatedly, telling their own stories.
Kadence had been telling a story about how he and his twin sister used to get into fights all the time over the most stupid things.
Avery was enjoying it, but she wished that Corynn could have been with them to talk with her. Funny how you never notice something until it’s not there anymore. But there was no use wishing. She would have to talk to him when the war was over and she was back home. But for now she’d be able to at least talk to Noah. He’d have a ton to tell her, and she could tell him about certain things, besides about her wings.
And, besides, it was fun being around Coram and the gang. They at least had something for her to do. And it included strategies and fighting tips, as well as the fact that they gave her a lot of stories to laugh with them over.
“Okay, I have a question for you guys,” Avery proposed, finally speaking up.
“What’s your question?” Kadence asked as the group turned to look at their youngest member.
Avery toyed with her messy hair, trying to fix it back with the ribbon she had currently tied around her wrist, without leaving stray pieces of hair sticking out oddly. “So, I was thinking about something Kadence had said, and it just made me think. Do you guys have anyone waiting for you to return home after the war? I mean, like friends or a girl?” She shrugged. “I’ve got my family waiting for me back at home.
Kadence laughed. “My sister and my wife.”
Most of them were already married, or had someone in mind to marry, if they made it back from the war. But not Avery and Noah. They had friends back home, and Avery had her adoptive siblings all waiting for her to return.
“You know, you probably have someone to speak with about the war, once we return home,” Noah commented, pulling his horse back to align with Avery and Dragon-Fire. “Especially since Corynna’s waiting for you. She’s gonna be desperate to see you in one piece, right?”
“Yeah. She’s gonna be wanting to take my head, though. All because I was perfectly healthy when that recruiting soldier came to the house.” Avery grinned. “So, do you have someone waiting for you to return back home? Besides your family and mine.”
“Your adoptive sister. I proposed to her the other day. Remember?” he asked with a sly grin. “She’s really quite a specimen to behold.”
“She’s a person, not a cow,” Avery groaned. “And really, what made you fall in love with her?”
“Her personality,” Noah replied with a dumbstruck lover’s smile.
“Her looks, more likely than not,” Avery snapped. “You just like her because she’s a pretty face. Just like any other boy I know. Especially because you’re always around us at home. So why did you want to marry her?” She frowned at Noah, who had lost concentration on what she was talking about. “Hey, love-sick!” she called, slipping her right foot out of the stirrup so she could kick him in the calf. “Bozo! Welcome to reality,” she added, catching him by surprise with her kick.
“What was that for?” Noah questioned, snapping back to the present.
“Lover-boy,” Avery taunted, slipping her foot back into the stirrups. “You’re in love with my sister. That’s just plain disgusting.”
“No, it’s not. Besides, you’re in love with Corynna, aren’t you? That’s worse, falling in love with your own adoptive sibling.” Noah smirked.
Avery tried to come up with a witty comeback, but words failed her. “That’s different. We’re not related in blood.”
“Well, that’s the same case with me and your sister.”
“I don’t care. We might be friends, but it doesn’t mean that you can just marry my sister on a whim.”
“You’re not blood relations. Besides, you two are like ten years apart. Now, you and Corynna might be related through blood, though. Especially if they found you together at their doorstep. Think about that for a moment” Noah smirked at Avery.
Avery gawked at him. “You have got to be kidding me. Noah!” she cried as he sent his horse off on a gallop, away from her and Arach-teine. “Get back here!” Noah didn’t turn back to look at her as he galloped off.
Immediately, she sent her horse racing after him, down the road, past the rest of the group, which was practically leading the moderately-sized army that was going down to Azzen from Coraz. The ribbon in her hair flew off behind her, releasing her shaggy black locks. As they chased after one another, Avery tried to work a capture spell that would make Noah stop and come back to her, but it bothered her, thinking of using magic. Resorting to magic was not what she wanted to do.
After a few minutes of playing chase-on-horse with Noah, Avery finally gave up and made Arach-teine turn around and meet back up with the group. She’d get him back when they set up camp for the night.
After a few minutes, she finally saw the group, but Noah was already there, resuming the conversation with the rest. They were crossing a bridge, which Avery hadn’t noticed in her run, and she decided then and there that she would try to prank Noah with the river.
“Tog, uisge,” Avery muttered, pointing at the river, “is fearthainn air a ceann.” The phrase translates to “Lift, water, and rain on his head.” And so, river water lifted up above Noah’s head, and dumped. After a moment, Avery stopped the rain with a simple command. “Sguir,” or stop. With that command, the water stopped and simply dropped onto the bridge or back into the river. Avery laughed as Noah shook himself off, watching him from a distance.
“Avery!” Noah shouted, leaping off his horse. Avery trotted her horse over acting quite pleased with her prank.
“So, feel clean?” Avery jested with a jeering smile
“Deataich,” Noah muttered, leading his horse forwards. He handed the reins off to Gedric. The water in his clothing and hair evaporated, leaving him quite dry. “That wasn’t cool, Avery.”
“You deserved it,” Avery haughtily replied, sliding off of Arach-teine.
“No, I didn’t,” Noah retorted, scowling at Avery, who walked right up to face him. “But you deserve this,” he softly said, stepping past Avery with a shove to the small of her back.
Avery tumbled into the river, thrown off guard. Spluttering, she emerged from the river and charged out, running towards Noah with her arms wide open. Noah had gotten off the bridge and was walking his horse forwards, towards Arach-teine.
“Raahhh!” Avery cried, tackling Noah in a bear hug. Noah barely budged, and turned his head to glance at her, not amused with her attempt. “Oh, come on!” Avery shouted, storming off towards Arach-teine. She hopped up into the saddle and continued on.
“Aren’t you going to dry yourself off?” Noah questioned, swinging up into the saddle of his own horse.
Avery ignored his question and set Arach-teine into a trot.
“You’re gonna catch cold,” Noah warned.
Still, Avery ignored him. So what if she got a cold? She was still going to ignore him. Even if it went against her own wishes to stay healthy, she would ignore him.
“Weak constitution?” Coram asked, sidling up to Avery on his horse.
Avery shrugged, a noncommittal response.
Coram looked at Avery, who glanced back towards the rest of the army, not far behind their group. “Isn’t it a Magician Primor thing?” he asked.
Avery nodded. “Yeah. I’m pretty good most of the time, and I don’t catch things like normal, but I’m susceptible to fevers. That’s about it, though.” She looked over at him. “Most people don’t get it, though, since they only have the commonplace magicks, not the strong ones like I have. Magic comes easy to me, while some people hardly have enough to even lift a boulder, let alone a whole mountain range.
“And it doesn’t help that I haven’t even been officially tested, either. My family just can’t take me down there and I can’t go alone with Corynna, because I’m a little easy to distract. I’ve gotten better about it, but they don’t want me disappearing on her, since she’s always the one watching me, instead of the other way around. I love her for that, but it can get kinda annoying when I’m supposed to be watching her do something, and I just want to take care of what I went to do.
“We’re always bickering about magic, and how the words are supposed to be said. She’s always been strict about how I’m supposed to be saying them, and she always gets onto me about my pronunciation, but it’s not like she knows them any better than I do. Both of us were taught them by a neighbor, and we’ve found Sky-Walker books in the strangest places, so we’ve figured out more through translating it ourselves. And that’s about what all we do with it, but I have no clue how she knows more than I do when we worked on translating those books together. Besides, it’s not like she’ll ever really be able to use them, since she can hardly use any sort of magic.” Avery ranted.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Coram hushed, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “Hold up. You’ve found Sky-Walker books?” He stared at Avery, who was calming herself down with a steady breath. “How?”
Avery nodded. “Yeah. Corynna and I did. We were just wandering around in town when our adoptive dad was selling things at market. He sent us off to look for whatever we wanted, and we happened on a book stall that had a whole bunch of Sky-Walker books. And a guide to translating the runes that the Sky-Walkers used. It’s actually a pretty interesting story, truth be told. We bartered for several books, including the translation one. We spent the whole winter working on translating those books. I still have one that we never finished translating. Copied it down and hid it in my stuff so she wouldn’t find out.” Avery gave Coram a conspiratorial smile, eyes glinting brightly in the afternoon sunlight.
“You’re adopted?”
“Yup. Found us on their doorstep, and they took us both in. Corynna a little before me, though.” Avery was following along with her given reply in case anyone asked about them and what they were doing with their family. Most asked if they were foundlings, which, on a strange technicality, it was true. More accurately, they randomly came to the family when the Sky kingdom fell to Coraz.
“So, more accurately, a foundling?” Gedric asked, coming up on the other side of Avery. He glanced at Avery, who shrugged. Her clothes and hair were still dripping. “I would suggest drying off.”
“Eh, I’m fine, for now.” Avery waved a hand in denial. “It’s nice enough out here that I’ll dry out quickly. Besides, I’m not always dry at home. Corynna’s always trying to soak me. Including buckets of water on the top of a door. I let her do it, because she’s a bit older, and she prefers making me soaked over getting soaked as well. I have my own defenses against her, too. So don’t worry. I can dry off without a spell.” Her blue eyes glittered brilliantly as she grinned at them. Her black hair suddenly blew into her eyes when the wind picked up from just behind them. “I lost my ribbon, didn’t I…?” she asked, grabbing for the wild strands. “Oh, well…”
“Do you need something to tie back that tangle?” Kadence asked.
“I’ll worry about it when we stop for lunch. My hair needs to dry, and I like brushing it out before I tie it back, anyways. Thanks,” Avery added, remembering her manners, “for the offer. I may just take you up on it later on here.”
Chapter Six: Advisor to Rallian
THEY HAD ARRIVED IN AZZEN SOONER THAN EXPECTED - ONLY BY A WEEK. Sure enough, Avery had ended up catching a cold about two days’ travel away from the capital of the desert country, and didn’t seem to be doing very well. She was almost constantly swaying in the saddle, fever-ridden, but refused to go see the medic tent. She’d fall asleep on Arach-teine, but somehow managed to stay in the saddle as she rode along. Almost the entire group had started to worry that she was going to hurt herself for going without asking for something to help her cold.
“Avery,” Noah warned, spotting Avery sway tiredly in the saddle. “You should go see the medics. Now, or I’m taking you there. And you won’t enjoy it if I take you down there.”
Avery blinked at Noah, a bit confused for a moment. “Koros is down with them. He’s going to kick my rear if he finds out I’m not making sure to go down there to him. And I don’t want to bother him. He’s probably getting busy with sorting remedial stuff. I don’t want him to go worrying about me now…” Her blue eyes were dull and glassy and she seemed to droop in the saddle.
“Would you rather I go see if he has something to help your cold, then?” Noah asked. “So you don’t have to bother him yourself.”
“If you want to. He’s prolly gonna ask you to slap some sense into me, too. Don’t hit me too hard if he asks, though. I probably deserve it, too.” She sighed and straightened in the saddle, trying to make herself more alert. Her hands were shaking as she pulled her cloak tighter. “Guess I just want to be in the sunlight, rather than in the shade of the wagons. It feels good out here.”
“I guess it would. You were always outside back at home, huh.”
“Yep. During the winter, I’d stay outside as long as I could before my fingers could start getting numb from the cold. Everyone else stays inside until they absolutely have to go out. Not me. As long as I can stand up while I’m sick, I’m good being outside when it’s warm.” Avery grinned stupidly. “I get in trouble for it, though…” she trailed off, staring out at the horizon.
For a long minute, the two of them rode in relative silence.
“Are you-?” Avery didn’t stir, so Noah took that moment to gallop back through the military caravan, towards the medic wagon.
Almost immediately, Noah spotted Koros, who seemed to have been waiting patiently for the him to come.
“Avery?” Koros asked knowingly. Noah nodded. “She - he’s messing with a cold or fever, right?”
“Yeah.” Noah knew Koros was still used to calling Avery a girl, since that was what she really was. Beside the fact that she was genderswapped, there was really not a lot of difference to her.
“Not falling out of the saddle yet, is he?”
“Nope.”
“But he fell asleep on you, I assume.” Koros held out a small blue pouch of dried herbs. “This is what we usually give him when he’s sick. It works fairly well on Mister Stubborn.” He tossed it to Noah, who caught it. “Put it in boiled water and make sure he drinks it while it’s still hot. It’s a sort of tea.”
“Will do. Do you want me to do anything else?” Noah pulled up even with the wagon.
“Slap him on the back as hard as you can. Or boot in the small of his back to knock him over. Just be careful of…”
“I know. Will do.”
“Wait, you’ve seen…?”
“Yeah. I have. They’re pretty cool.”
“Deities…” Koros rubbed his temples. “Well, get going.”
Noah saluted Koros and sent his horse back to the group at a gallop. He quickly caught up with them, and held up the small blue pouch. “I’ve got something for Avery. Courtesy of his brother, Koros.”
“Please tell me that we’re stopping soon. My nerves are frayed because of him,” Gedric groaned icily. “I’m so going to kick his rear when we stop.” He was staying close to Avery so that he could catch her if she fell from Arach-teine.
“Don’t go too hard on him, though.” Coram warned. “I don’t think he’ll be really up to it, Gedric.”
“I won’t. It’s a figure of speech, anyways. I’ll mess with him when he’s healthy.”
“At least he doesn’t get drunk,” Kadence offered. “Or drink, for that matter.”
“No. And thank goodness for that. I don’t think I could handle him like that. He’d probably be one of those who can’t hold their liquor,” Gedric agreed. “Avery’d be sick as a dog if he drank, I bet. He’s such a lightweight.”
“We’re not supposed to really drink a lot anyways,” Coram interjected. “We all know that.”
Everyone agreed without a moment’s hesitation. Avery wasn’t going to ever get anything he shouldn’t have or deserved.
A couple of days later, when they’d been in Azzen for a day, Avery still hadn’t completely recovered from her cold, and had been sent to the Azzen medics to see if they had any ideas as to what to do with her. She had been asleep for a fairly decent amount of time, too, which was a little worrisome. Most of the medics agreed that if she didn’t wake and if the fever did not break soon, there was a chance that Avery could die, or may never wake up. But Avery was a fighter, almost everyone knew from just watching her practice every day. She wouldn’t ever give up.
As it happened, the crown prince of Azzen had asked if there were a man who would be a good strategic advisor. Avery was suggested, but, since she was still sleeping, they were a little afraid to say who exactly she was. Regardless, he found out and went immediately to Avery’s bedside, where he found her still asleep. He waited for around an hour, and Avery finally stirred, curious as to why he was there.
Avery blinked, staring at her visitor. Neither of them spoke for the longest time, Avery mainly because she had been sick, and the prince in surprise that she was not what her companions thought she was. He could sense that there was a feminine air to her, and that, through seeing her eyes, that she was not a Land-Walker. But there was another reason he knew. Only a Sky-Walker would be able to use the cuff that he spotted on her wrist.
“You are a Sky-Walker,” he observed, breaking their silence. Avery boggled at his observations.
“Prince…?” Avery asked, giving him a nod as she sat up in bed.
“You may call me Rallian.” Rallian replied with a smile.
“Forgive me for being a bit curt, but why are you here? Or, more accurately, why are you visiting me?” Avery questioned, not at all repentant about questioning Rallian, especially since she, too, was royalty, although from a fallen kingdom.
“You are a good strategist, from what your companions have told me. I’ve come to see if they speak the truth,” Rallian explained. “But, first, your name?”
“Avery Starshade.”
“Well, then, Avery, would you care to play a game of chess against me?” Rallian gestured to a chess board set up on the bedside table.
“You’re on.” Avery was already up for a game of chess against Rallian, despite having just awakened and recovered from being ill with a cold and dangerous fever.
“So soon?” Rallian questioned, tilting his head in a taunting way as he pulled his chair into position on the other side of the small table. “You’ve only just awakened, and your fever has just broken. Do you think it is wise?”
“We’ll just have to see, won’t we,” Avery implied with a sly grin.
“Have you ever actually played chess before, Avery?”
“No… But I have played something similar,” Avery admitted, running a hand through her shaggy hair. “You’re the more experienced one with playing it, so why don’t you start,” she instructed, gesturing to the board. As it was, Rallian had the white pieces and Avery had the black.
“And you can figure it out by observing?”
“Yes.”
“Alright…” Rallian conceded, moving a pawn.
“Only forwards, no diagonals. Can only take one at a diagonal, though,” Avery observed, moving her own pawn.
Rallian nodded and moved his next piece, a knight, forwards. “And a knight?”
“L-shape. Two vertical, one horizontal space.” Avery maneuvered another pawn, out of the way of a rook.
Rallian nodded before moving a bishop diagonally across the board, taking Avery’s pawn from her first move. “Bishop?”
“Diagonal. I assume the tower-”
“Rook.”
“Rook would move in only a straight line.”
“Correct. A queen can move anywhere, but the king can only move one space at a time. If I capture your king, then I win. But if you can beat me and capture my king, then I would like to ask you to be my advisor,” Rallian offered. “I have one more condition, though. I won’t do anything to you like the Corazians will, especially if you tell me honestly as to what you are, and show me that distinguishing feature that sets you apart.”
“Deal.” Avery offered her hand, which Rallian shook.
“Now, let us continue our game.”
The game was over within minutes. After Avery had figured out the gist of the game, she had figured out a strategy that would end the game within a short period of time, implying that she was still trying to figure out the game while completely outmaneuvering and outthinking Prince Rallian. Rallian was surprised at how quickly she had beat him, when he had thought he was going to beat her.
“How?” Rallian questioned, staring at the board, where his king was rendered useless. Avery didn’t reply, but unfurled her wings instead. “Sky-Walker royalty, Avery?”
“I guess. Probably, since my magic’s like what they say the royalty’s is like. But I’m not entirely sure,” Avery admitted, folding her wings once again.
“Wait,” Rallian uttered, holding out a hand. “Your wings are white, like snow. There’s something strange about that, though. Most Sky-Walker royalty don’t have pure white wings like you. Is there something different about you that might explain it?”
“There’s a song-prophecy thingamabob that talks about this, I think. Hair like onyx, wings like the purest mountain snow, eyes as blue as the summer sky and the ocean paired as one, or something like that,” Avery offered. “I think that’s what the song talks about. Corynn and I found a book that has those lyrics in it. Actually, I think I have my copy of it in my bag. Could you hand it to me?” She pointed to her satchel, which sat on the floor, next to Rallian.
Rallian handed it to Avery, who opened it up and pulled out a new-looking black leather- bound book. Opening it to a page covered with messy handwriting and multiple sketches in ink, she pointed to a passage. “I might not be able to write neatly, but it works for me. I haven’t finished translating it all yet, but I can read the passage for you, if you’d like.”
“I have a question before you read it. Who exactly is Corynn?” Rallian asked, glancing over the page, then looking Avery in the eyes.
“My mate.” Avery tried to look away.
“Then are you both males?”
“No.”
“Then what are you and Corynn?”
“We’re mates. I’m female. Normally. But we got cursed, and now we’re genderswapped,” Avery hurriedly explained. “And then I got recruited because we didn’t know that there was a Corazian soldier coming for recruitment until it was too late, so I got recruited, and now Corynn’s home with the rest of the family, and I’m stuck with having to fight in this pointless war because Land-Walkers are really stupid and don’t think before they speak and decide to insult someone else and cause wars, or even their greed for land, and it drives me batty.” Avery’s tone changed as she spoke, becoming more rushed and irritated-sounding.
“Calm yourself, Avery,” Rallian interrupted.
Avery startled, staring at Rallian.
“Good?” Avery nodded. “Now, can you read the passage to me?”
“Alright. When the castle has fallen, and the Archipelago abandoned, a queen will come forth from the land. Hair as black as onyx and the deepest night; wings as white as new-fallen snow; skin tanned like wheat; eyes like the sky reflected on the ocean’s surface. She shall call back those of the sky from the peak of Wingtips, and bring about a new age of revival. And she shall be known as the Savior of Sky for ages after.” Avery looked up from the page. “That’s essentially it.”
“The description sounds like you,” Rallian pointed out.
“I know. The one thing is, I don’t know any of those locations. No non-magical map can find it, let alone keep up with its constant movement across the sky, and I have no clue as to what the Wingtips are. Maybe they’re a name for the highest peaks in one of the kingdoms, but I’m not even sure of where those are. Or maybe it’s the name of the Archipelago. Either way, I’m not sure how to find it. Although, most of the Sky-Walkers I know back at home, only two of them, though, all say that there’s a special stone that every Sky-Walker finds when they come of age that will always guide them back to the Archipelago. They even have their own.” Avery grinned. “Morikai always tells me that I need to just wait and see where my own stone calls me to, but I really want to know where the Archipelago is at. And Kusano just ignores me when I’ve asked him about it. It’s like he doesn’t want me to know about the castle and the Archipelago. But, honestly, I just really want to find out. It would be really interesting to see what it’s like, living up in the sky, off of the land below, watching the scenery constantly changing day to day, all year long.
“Maybe it’s a beautiful place, especially from what they’ve reminisced to Corynn and me. But, when you think about it, the fact that it ‘fell’ to the Corazians, you kinda have to think that it’s just plain fallen apart. Or maybe the survivors have come back and are fixing up the place in an attempt to erase that sad part of our history. Either way, I’m really curious about what it’ll look like, and what it’d be like living there. Mori and Kusa told us about it, but being told about it isn’t enough. I want to see it for myself.
“I want to fly there, see what it’s like, live there. My thoughts always wander to it in my free moments, and I always imagine it differently. It’s a beautiful place in my dreams, but, since I didn’t hatch until after the war, or battle, I won’t ever get to really know what it’ll be like when I get there some day. Sure hope it’s not a ruin when I get there, but I doubt it. Especially if nobody will dare try and fix it up.” Avery sighed. “I just wish I could actually have lived there when I was little.”
Rallian set a hand on Avery’s shoulder. “You’ll get to see it someday soon. But probably not until after the war is over.” Avery nodded. “I’d like to see it, myself, some day. But probably not for some time. For now, just concentrate on surviving and helping your fellow fighters, no matter who they are or how biased they are, to survive. We are not here just to fight over land, but to honor our ancestors and protect innocents. This is a worthy cause, and you have joined it just by having been chosen through fate to fight alongside us. Are you with me, or do I have to drag you into war kicking and screaming?”
“I’m not a child anymore. And I’m not afraid of what comes next. I will stand by you,” Avery replied, not at all irritated. She was more relieved than anything that Rallian would speak to her with kind words, rather than shout at her to ‘man up’ and other nonsensical and gender- biased phrases directed towards her. “But I want you to know that, if something happens to me, and I get called to my stone in the midst of battle, that you will do your best to guard my back. Be my wing-guard, and I will be yours. We will be each others’ shields in this war, and in every battle, no matter what happens between us.”
Rallian shook Avery’s hand. “That, my friend, is a sacred promise. I will not break it, nor will I ever purposely break it.”
“Wingtips,” Avery shouted, lifting Rallian’s hand above both of their heads.
Rallian called the same, locking eyes with Avery, grinning. Avery returned the grin, determined to follow through with every word she had said.
“Now, I have a quick question for you,” Rallian finally said as Avery slipped out of the bed and stood, stretching.
“What’s your question?” Avery asked. She glanced down at her clothes and realized that she was in her bedclothes. “By the way, I should probably change into my uniform again if I’m going to be leaving here.”
“I brought something other than the Corazian uniform for you. It should suit you better than the soldier’s uniform, and it’s based off of the traditional Sky-Walkers’ clothing,” Rallian suggested, pointing at the foot of the bed. “I think you’ll probably like them better.” He left Avery alone in the room to get dressed. “I’ll be just outside the door. We can go get lunch. You’re probably starving, too, huh?”
Avery quickly changed into the tunic and jerkin provided, and was surprised at the airy, silk-like feel of the fabrics. When she put on the breeches, she was surprised that they felt similarly, but were made slightly thicker, perhaps to hold up to potential wear and tear. Over the tunic was the jerkin, which hung down to her knees, while the tunic much shorter. The jerkin was split at the legs to provide for ease of movement, and both had holes in the back for her to slide her wings through and fold underneath a cloak. After she had gotten dressed, Avery pulled on her soft deerskin boots and her cloak, using a silver winged brooch to hold the cloak.
Avery walked out of the room and closed the door behind her, grinning to herself.
“To your liking?” Rallian asked, spying Avery’s grin. Avery nodded. “Good. I’ll send more to you before we set out to the war front. I have something in mind for you, using this. Do you think you could help raise morale?”
“In what way are you thinking?” Avery asked, spinning the cuff on her wrist.
“Do you think you could follow through with something that you don’t really believe in?” Rallian replied.
“If you mean dressing up and hiding my identity, flying about and fighting alongside everyone else and raising their morale in that way, I’m not sure that the Corazian soldiers will really appreciate that I’m doing it. There’s a chance that they may try to shoot me down in the middle of war, Rallian.” Avery frowned, looking at Rallian. “But it might make them stop and think. If even a single survivor Sky-Walker will stand by them in war, they may change their mind and decide that perhaps their king was wrong in destroying us. But there’s a chance that there are still those who believe that we are a danger to their people, even the small amount of survivors on our world. Coraz’s crown was paranoid that my people would be their downfall, and that we could destroy them with a single attack using magic. They were wrong, since we didn’t truly put up a fight against them.”
“And if they realize that they were wrong and decide to fight with the ‘Masked Sky- Walker’, then the tides may turn,” Rallian implied. Avery thought about it for a moment. “Just think about it, Avery.”
“I get that you want me to do this, but what if that’s the wrong thing for me to have done, and it ends up getting me killed instead?” Avery asked, a little worried. “I will be your responsibility, Rallian, and I don’t think you want to let on that you know who I am, in case they get suspicious. There’s a chance that, if they find out that it’s me, they will turn on us.” Avery stared Rallian in the eyes, determined to make him see her point.
“You cannot think about that now. You’re under my protection. Avery, I know that this might scare you, but I want you to follow through. Something might change.”
Avery stopped him. “I have thought about it. And it doesn’t scare me. It’s a terrifying thought. If I lose control of my magic in war, and shatter the enemy, I don’t know what I’ll do. I just don’t think that I can completely hold it back.”
“You mean War Magic?” Rallian queried.
Avery shrugged. “I’m not sure. It’s the reason I don’t necessarily like fighting, nor using my own magic.”
“How did you figure it out?”
“Corynn and I were really little - around four or five - and we were playing hide and seek with Mori and Kusa. They were supposed to be searching for us, and we decided to hide together. Corynn decided he was going to take a nap, and he’s a deep sleeper. But about five or ten minutes after he had fallen asleep, there was this big ol’ monster that came out into the clearing where we were hiding near. I think it smelled us, but I know it decided to go after us. In fear, I blasted it with some magic that knocked it back. Mori and Kusa found us then.
“I was utterly terrified that it was going to kill both Corynn and me, and Mori and Kusa, when they tried to attack it, the monster just batted them aside, heading for me. I guess I managed to grab Mori’s sword, but I swung it and hit the monster, which just made things worse. I got batted to the side, and hit a tree, but I managed to stand, and then I guess I used War Magic then, because there was a bright flash of light as I swung Mori’s sword down at the monster, and the next thing I knew, it had gone ‘splat’ in a bloody mess. I wouldn’t even move, and Kusa picked me up and Mori took Corynn, who was still sleeping, and took us back to their cottage in the forest.” Avery stared at the ground, wringing her hands. She bit her lip, trying to keep her nerve.
“It’s alright. You’re safe now, and you know you can better protect yourself. And you know now what you can do to keep yourself calm, right?” Rallian set a hand on Avery’s shoulder. “Your past can’t hurt you now, Avery.”
Avery took a shuddering breath. “Lunch?” she asked with a weak grin. “I’m starving. You?”
“Let’s go eat,” Rallian agreed.
Chapter Seven: Adrian
TO START OFF THE WAR AND BOOST THE MORALE OF THE SOLDIERS, AVERY DECIDED TO GO WITH RALLIAN’S SUGGESTION AND DRESS IN THE COS- TUME AND ARMOR HE PROVIDED FOR HER TO WEAR AND DRESS AS ‘ADRIAN’. Not that Avery really wanted to do it. But she wanted to at least make a lasting impression for this war, and the only way to do that was to dress up as ‘Adrian’, the Sky-Walker who would aid them in the war.
“You look good,” Rallian commented, stepping inside of the tent. Avery’s back was to him as she fixed her mask.
“You think?” Avery questioned, turning to face Rallian. “I’m not looking forward to this, Rallian. You know I’m not.”
“Well, at least you look the part, even if you don’t want the part,” Rallian retorted.
Avery sighed. “You’re not the one doing this. I am. And you’re not like me. Rallian, you don’t understand it.”
“I may not understand, but I know that this will help.” Rallian held up a flag that bore both the standards of Coraz and Azzen. “What do you think? Will it work for you?”
“What am I, your standard-bearer?” Avery sardonically replied, snatching it out of his hand. “It works.”
“You know, if anyone else knew who you were and what we had planned, then they’d think that as an insult. I, on the other hand, realize who you are, so I won’t ever take you out for that.” Rallian smirked at Avery, who tugged on the mask, trying to adjust it so it would sit better. “Need help?”
“I’ve got it, Rallian,” Avery snapped, finally getting the mask in the right position. “I’ll see you later, okay.” She flipped the hood on her cloak up over her head. “I’ve got to get to a strategic place, so I need to scout out where to hide and then fly out from when you give me the signal. The Alutians are ready to start the war, right?”
“Right. They haven’t sent out the signal for war, yet, but we’re ready on the off chance.” Rallian picked up a dagger that Avery had set aside. “Are you sure you don’t need this?”
Avery plucked it out of Rallian’s hand and tucked the dagger into her boot. “I’ll take that. Now, I’m leaving.” She stalked out of the tent and dashed off to the back of the army.
Making sure that there was no one to watch her fly off from the camp, Avery leapt into the air and flew off.
Since it had been a while since she’d last flown, she was a little wobbly as she flew, and had to take a moment to practice a hover, then her various maneuvers: barrel rolls, dives, and others. Most of them were defensive, but there were a few that she could use as both an attacking and defensive maneuver.
For the next few minutes, Avery stayed up within cloud cover, watching for the signal that Rallian would send at the moment she were to come and use War Magic. Avery’s mind was whirling, and she took a few deep breaths to steady her nerves. This was going to be the hardest thing she’d ever done yet. Bringing up the War Magic was going to be something she hated for the rest of her life, even though she needed to do it. War Magic was so destructive and dangerous that she wouldn’t dare try using it unless she were on the ground and not facing allies who could be killed in the blast.
Suddenly, Avery picked up the sound of war horns. She glanced down at the scene, and saw the two armies trying to meet in the middle, men banging on their shields with their weapons and singing an old ballad. Azzen and Coraz had the high ground, which was a strategic ace, and it allowed for Avery to use the blast and hit more in towards the valley. Especially since she had to use War Magic to defend the pass from the Alutians. Alutius was their neighbouring country, bordering both Azzen and Coraz to the west. Azzen was the harder one to get within, but the easier to defeat of the two, which was where they concentrated their attack. They could have attacked Coraz, but the Corazian army was quite formidable, and hard to attack. They were the easier of the two to enter, but there was the Plains of Korsu, which were nearly inhospitable, and quite dangerous, even to the experienced Corazians who lived there.
Despite the dangers of the Plains of Korsu, there were many who still lived along its borders, like Avery’s family. They lived on the border of the Plains and the Dark Forest, which surrounded much of the capital. Na’vira was was strategically placed directly between those two to protect the country’s core. On either side of the narrower part of the Plains sat the mountains. One range was shared by Azzen and Coraz, and was called the Mage Peaks. The Corazian range was called the Stormcatchers, well named because it blocked the worst weather from the southern part of the country, which allowed for longer farming periods, and more plentiful harvests. The northern half of Coraz was shielded by nothing, which meant that Alutius could take Northern Coraz without the Corazians ever learning of it. But since there were the dragons and their riders, most of the information about whether they were still safe or not was always known almost immediately.
Nestled high within the peaks was the Dragon Training Grounds, which meant that anyone who could forge a bond with a dragon was allowed to train and learn there. Not that Avery minded it. She could fly out there and back within a week, which was about the same amount of time that it would take a dragon - which was at least twice, if not three times her size. Despite her small size in comparison to a dragon, she was faster than most of them. The only ones that would actually be able to possibly catch her were the ones that were smaller and more lithe, built for flight. Those would be able to capture and kill her, if it weren’t for her extensive knowledge on dragons and about how to work with one. As well as the fact that she had already bonded with one in secret. Not even Corynn knew about it.
Avery’s dragon was far too young to be ridden, and she had found it when a storm had struck the area and sent it flying. It crashed down in the forest, and, when Avery had gone out to search the forest for any harmed animals and see what the damage extent was, she discovered a small hatchling dragon. In secret, she raised it and nursed it back to health until it was able to fly on its own. If she wanted to, she could call it to her side, but she wouldn’t do it until it was old enough and large enough to be ridden.
Since she was waiting for the dragon to grow old enough to be ridden and trained, Avery kept the fact that she existed hidden. Most people would think that those who find a hatchling would normally immediately go to be trained, but, in Avery’s case, she was a girl, and girls weren’t allowed to learn how to ride dragons. The thing was, Avery had a way of concealing her true gender nature from people, if she so chose, which was rare, so she could have decided to pose as a boy so she could actually learn to be a dragonrider. But, with the fact that she’d been maturing when she found the dragonet, it meant that she couldn’t fake being a boy, especially if they did the normal interrogation training and stripped her down to humiliate and demean her. Not that she really cared if anyone saw her naked or not, she’d just rather not be known as the weirdo Sky-Walker girl that wanted to learn how to ride a dragon in the dragonrider class of Coraz.
Avery flashed down to the ground in a steep dive heading towards the scene. When she was only a few feet from the ground, she unfurled her wings and stayed in a steady hover as she materialized her sword. With a deep breath, Avery drove into her magic and searched for the War Magic that cried for blood.
Yelling out loudly as she swung her blade, Avery slashed the air, sending a shockwave as sharp as a sharpened sword directly at the Alutian army.
Some of them realized what was about to happen to their fellow soldiers, and dove for the ground as the rest around them were sliced in two. Those who survived stood and ran away from the army, fearing that Avery would make a second strike at them, just as the Corazian and Azzenian armies came upon the carnage. Majority were appalled at the sight of all of the lifeless bodies, and others were surprised that there was a Sky-Walker that had killed the Alutian majority of the army attacking them.
Avery hovered there, trying hard not to lose her lunch out of disgust. A single tear rolled down her cheek in silent remorse for having taken so many lives. As Adrian, she had to look tough to the other men, but her feminine side wanted desperately to sit and weep over the loss of life.
“Who are you?” someone finally asked, staring at Avery. She blinked, trying to register the question.
“Adrian,” she replied with a deeper voice. “My name is Adrian,” she announced, holding up the combined standard flag. “I fight for both Azzen and Coraz, but belong to no one.”
“A mercenary, then?” asked another man.
“No. I fight for others who must defend the innocents. Until my home kingdom is repaired, I will fight with others,” Avery replied.
“Let’s hear it for Adrian!” a trio of voices called, starting a wild chant that roared across the bloody battlefield.
At the chant’s apex, Avery flew up higher into the air, then off towards the camp. She was headed back to the tent she had started from, so that she could quickly change back into the tunic, jerkin, and breeches that Rallian had given her only a week before, when they had come up with the plan.
Almost immediately after she had landed, Avery’s stomach lurched, and she gagged. Rallian had a healer waiting at the tent in case something like that would happen. Quickly, the healer helped Avery stagger towards a bucket just inside the tent. Avery quickly ripped off the mask barely before she vomited into the bucket.
The healer stayed with her and rubbed her back as she vomited, waiting for Avery to stop so that he could help her change. Only Rallian, the healer, and Avery now knew the truth, and this healer was to be her personal healer. He could only work on Avery, and could only assist her until Avery was willing and ready to reveal herself to the entire army.
“How do you feel now?” the healer asked as Avery finally lifted her head, wiping the vomit from her face.
“Not great,” Avery grunted, taking off her vambraces and breastplate.
“You’re not going to be sick again, though, correct?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Good.”
Together, the healer helped Avery change back into her preferred clothing and hid her Adrian items in a special trunk, which only Avery and Rallian could open, since they had the only two keys. The keys were a set of magical crystals in the exact same shape, and each was specified to the trunk, opening only it.
“You’re almost skin and bones,” observed the healer.
“Always have been, always will be. And I prefer to say that I’m lean, or at least slender,” Avery agreed. “There’s a lot more power to this young bag of bones’ strike than you’d think.” She gave a sly grin, pulling back her hair into short ponytail.
“You prevented a lot of unnecessary deaths,” Rallian commented, walking into the tent. Avery yanked on her cloak, trying to hide her wings as she folded them back up.
“Stars, don’t pop in like that,” Avery groaned, pinning her cloak shut.
“You say it like it’s a bad thing,” Rallian mused, handing Avery a small crystal charm.
Avery paused and looked at the charm. “What’s this for, Rallian?” she asked, returning her gaze to the Azzenian prince.
“I’ll explain its purpose tonight. For now, though, put it on the necklace with your key,” Rallian replied, not really answering Avery’s proposed question.
“That’s not an answer. Also, by preventing unnecessary deaths on our side, I caused a lot of horrible deaths to the Alutians. How is that any better?” Avery questioned, irritated with Rallian’s reply. “Single-handedly, I killed thousands. What about those innocent thousands? They may have been forced to fight. Why should I have ended them? Families will despise me for doing this to their husbands, lovers, fathers, and brothers.”
“They will despise Adrian, not you,” Rallian replied.
“No. I will despise myself for this. I shouldn’t have agreed to it. I’m not going to kill senselessly.” Avery scowled. “My mind will break me.”
“No,” Rallian replied, “it won’t. Avery listen to me.”
Avery rounded on Rallian. “No, you hear me out. Senseless violence isn’t the way. I don’t care how many times we have to try to make a treaty with the Alutians, but that’s the better way of handling it. Everything could depend on whether someone’s a good diplomat or not, but that’s the thing. You’re an idiot if you’re too dense to see that and try it.”
Rallian was calm as he strode towards Avery. “I have tried it many times. My father, as well. Every time, the messenger or diplomat we sent was returned immediately. But not whole. No, they were cut to pieces. They are the senseless killers.”
“Then how do you explain the good that came from me killing them? Doing this makes me no better than them. It makes us no better than them.”
“Avery. Just hear me -” Rallian started, just as Avery pulled her hand back.
Avery slapped Rallian’s cheek. Hard enough to leave a bright red mark in the shape of her hand. Rallian froze and slowly raised a hand to his stinging cheek.
With that, Avery stormed out of the tent, fuming. Rallian didn’t even notice her leave until the healer set a hand on his shoulder.
“Avery left, your majesty,” he said, holding Rallian back from storming out after Avery. “Don’t. He needs time to himself.”
Chapter Eight: Mourning the Murdered
AFTER AVERY HAD LEFT THE CAMP, SHE FLEW OFF TOWARDS THE ALUTIAN CAMP, NOT REALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO WHERE SHE WAS HEADED UNTIL SHE HAD LANDED. Soldiers immediately surrounded her, aiming their spears and crossbows at her.
“Who are you?” asked one of the soldiers, who was dressed up in better armor than most of the other men around him. He was their king, Avery realized.
“My name is Avery. I want to apologize for what I did to your men.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
Avery dropped to one knee and bowed her head. “I mourn with you today on the deaths of many of your men.”
The king lifted Avery’s chin to look at her face. Seeing true remorse for her actions, he released her. “It is forgiven. You have no need to mourn, unless you are the one my men called Adrian. Please, stand.”
“I am he,” Avery replied, standing.
“You are not like what my men said you were like,” the king mused.
Avery nodded. “War like this doesn’t happen by chance,” she replied. “Why do you attack Azzen and Coraz?”
“They stole what was precious to my people. The God Charm. Without it, our country will become overrun with changed animals and plants.”
“What does it look like?” Avery questioned, absentmindedly fingering the charm around her neck.
“An aquamarine crystal in the shape of a dragon, like your own…”
Avery stared at the gem around her neck. “This?” she questioned, taking off the necklace. She held it out for the Alutian king to take.
“Hold it for me. I cannot hold it without its power affecting me. Nobody can, except for one of the crown of the Sky-Walkers’ blood.” The Alutian king pressed Avery’s hand closed around it. “You are unaffected by it. Now, why do you come here at such a time?”
“What do you mean?” Avery was a little shocked by his question.
“Sky-Walkers despise war and killing others without a just cause. You have War Magic, which you used on my men. Why do you fight?”
“I cannot look like a coward among the Land-Walkers I know and must fight alongside,” Avery replied with a scowl. “I’m forced to fight, in a way, and there’s no way to get out of it other than to fake my own death. Even then, I will not do it, because I am not one to hide while people are dying.”
“Then where were you when the kingdom fell down around your ears?” someone asked from behind Avery. “You must have been there when it fell.”
“I hadn’t even reached my hatch-day when the kingdom fell.” Avery turned to face the source of the voice. She was surprised to see a man who was around Mori or Kusa’s age, barely changed since sixteen. His eyes seemed much older than his young body, which was a common sight among Sky-Walkers. They aged at half of the speed of Land- and Water-Walkers. “Not even my mate was hatched.”
“Then you have no idea of what the sorrow feels like. The anniversary of the Fall is so terrible.”
“I know I can’t mourn the Fall like you, but I know what it’s like to fear another Fall. One of the soul. My own being is influenced by fear of falling to Corazians who wish to kill me,” Avery replied. “You can’t know what it’s like living within enemy territory, fearing being found out and killed by those who surround you on all sides. There is no safety, except for the Dark Forest. Flying during the day could mean discovery near the Dragon Training Grounds. Flying at night is safer, but there’s no way to find your way home if you can’t see a thing in front of you. Not even the fields are safe.”
“Then you know the fear.”
Avery paused.
“And you are our queen.”
Avery stared at him as the Sky-Walker knelt before her.
“I’m not your queen,” she insisted, trying to figure out what was going on.
“You are. There is no denying it.”
“I don’t even know how to lead people. How can I be your queen?” Avery protested. “I’m only sixteen. There’s no way I’m your queen.”
“The prophecy-song.”
“No, no no no no no…” Avery whispered, stepping back.
“When the castle has fallen, and the Archipelago abandoned, a queen will come forth from the land. Hair as black as onyx and the deepest night; wings as white as new-fallen snow; skin tanned like wheat; eyes like the sky reflected on the ocean’s surface. She shall call back those of the sky from the peak of Wingtips, and bring about a new age of revival. And she shall be known as the Savior of Sky for ages after,” intoned about twenty of the soldiers.
“You are our queen, no matter what you may think or fear.”
“I am a man, right now.” Avery replied.
“Your manly guise has been falling the moment you held the God Charm. You are a woman.”
“Corynn,” Avery breathed.
“Your mate?”
“I need to find him,” Avery muttered. Then she repeated herself, even louder than before. “I’m sorry. I need to find Corynn.”
“Wait!” called the Alutian king. “You must return the God Charm to its rightful place.”
Avery froze. “I need a guide.” She looked around at the crowd around herself, trying to look for a volunteer.
“I can take you,” said the first Sky-Walker, from before. He stood and saluted the Alutian king, unfurling his wings as he did so. “Follow me, my queen.” He flapped hard and launched up into the sky.
Avery snapped open her wings and launched into the air, following after the Sky-Walker male. As she flew, she observed just how much she had changed since the curse had been placed. Now that it was shattering, Avery realized just how much she had missed her own generous curves and long feathery hair. If the curse was breaking on her, then perhaps it was breaking for Corynn. But if it wasn’t, then she would have to resort to seeing if the curse would break with a kiss she willingly gave him. Perhaps she should send him a letter and ask, in the Runes whether the curse had broken or not. Or maybe just hologram him. That would be the simpler option, and that way Corynn could actually understand what she was asking, since he could barely read her messy handwriting.
*Add in to Scratch…*
Whether Avery hologrammed Corynn or wrote him a letter, she’d almost immediately find out. By hologramming him, she’d instantly be able to see whether the curse was broken or not, but by sending a letter, she might get the wrong question answered, because he’d have to guess exactly what she had intended to write him about. Because of that reason alone, Avery decided that, at the next opportunity she had, she would try and hologram Corynn at home and find out from him whether the curse had broken on his end or not, since they were struck with the same curse.
As Avery flew, she became acutely aware of a curious feeling in her abdomen, as though she were… ready to lay an egg? She quickly called to the other Sky-Walker, who immediately paused and hovered in place so that she could catch up to him.
“What’s the problem?” he asked.
“One, I don’t even know your name, and, two, I think I might be ready to lay,” Avery blurted.
“Lay? Now? You mean to tell me that you and your mate really… mated?” he questioned, ignoring Avery’s first question and immediately focusing on her comment.
“I think so. Unless you know what a female feels when she’s about to lay, I think that’s where I am.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me…” groaned the male Sky-Walker.
“I don’t kid. Or, at least, I don’t always kid. Right now, though, I’m being serious. Just wish Corynn were here. He didn’t even know that I was fertile yet. Then again, neither of us knew it. Now we know.” Avery couldn’t help but ramble, panicked about the egg and the fact that there wasn’t another female nearby to help her out. “Are there any female Sky-Walkers you know of nearby? I think they’d be able to help me. It’s my first egg, too.”
“Oh, stars above. Follow me. Quickly. Ol’ Anna should be able to help you out. She was an Assassin for the King before the Fall. She also worked with Laying-Mothers, and was one herself,” explained the male Sky-Walker, diving down at an angle. Avery followed just after him, concerned and relieved at the same time.
“What’s your name?” Avery asked as they dove down towards a small cottage below. “I’m Avery Starshade.”
“My name’s Faolin Falkner,” Faolin replied, snapping open his wings for the landing. Avery followed suit.
“I like your name,” Avery commented. “It fits you.”
“So does yours. The ‘Star’ part at least. You’re starry-eyed, is what I mean. Not at all shady. And Avery’s good for your personality. ‘Ruler of the Elves’ or ‘Wisdom’ also fits you, since you’re kinda whimsical anyways. And I think you have a mark of wisdom beyond your years.”
“Wisdom for warfare, maybe. Wisdom about life… Eh, not so much.” Avery shrugged as she folded her wings. “Honestly, I’m not really all that wise, Faolin.”
“Childish, yes. But wisdom comes with age. Being in your youth might mean that you don’t know any better now, but when you get older, it means that you’ve learned from your mistakes and have moved on with your life.” Faolin led Avery to the door of the cottage, helping her awkwardly up the stairs as she stiffly hurried after him, trying to adjust to what was happening inside of her body. “All of us have been like that at one time or another. Some take longer to learn the lessons life gives us, while others learn from the mistakes made by others in the past. You might be one who learns that way, and it might be that you learn from every mistake you make, but we’re all in the same boat, in the end.”
“I guess you’re right,” Avery agreed.
Chapter Nine: Egg in the Satchel
IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE THE DOOR OPENED FOR AVERY AND FAOLIN. They were immediately greeted by a female Sky-Walker who appeared to be in her early twenties, though was most likely around two hundred or so years old.
“What seems to be the problem here?” she asked as she opened the door.
“Egg.” Avery let slip.
The female Sky-Walker startled and stepped back from the door. “Hurry in, then. Let’s get you comfortable. And, Faolin, go get some sheets and a towel. We’re going to need it.” Turning to Avery, she asked, “Is this your first?”
“Yes.”
“Just a warning, it’s going to hurt. And it’s going to feel really awkward. The more eggs you lay in the future, the easier it will be. Now, let’s get you into the guest room and change you into a simple shift,” Anna said as she led Avery down a short hall to a guest room. “Faolin will not be present when you lay. Males normally don’t care for watching the females when this happens, and he’s no exception. It’s far too messy for a man to handle watching. Now, a hatching, on the other hand, is less messy, and they can handle cleaning the hatchling up, as long as they’re gentle.”
“How messy?” Avery asked, hesitant to go through with it.
“Not… messy, per se. More like it’s… an unpleasant sight to watch. Honestly, there should be a better term for it, but, until it’s created, we just have to deal with the poor connotation. My apologies,” she added, closing the door behind them, before she worked to quickly get Avery out of her clothes, “but we really must hurry before it really starts paining you, so don’t fret if I’m rushing you.”
“How much is it going to hurt?” Avery questioned, lifting her arms so that Anna could pull off her tunic and toss on the shift.
“Enough that you may cry out. Especially with it being your first time. Your body hasn’t adjusted to being an adult, and it will take some time to get used to laying eggs a few weeks after mating.” Anna smiled gently, and led Avery to sit on the bed.
“I think I mated over two months ago. You see, my mate and I were put under this curse two month ago, and I was turned into a boy while he was turned into a girl, so I couldn’t lay until the curse broke, then. And it started breaking about a half hour ago, so…” Avery trailed off, staring past Anna. Her eyes turned glassy.
“Whoa, stay with me. Don’t tell me you’re a Seer…” Anna groaned, realizing what was happening with Avery. “Oh, stars above, no.” Anna forced Avery’s stiff body to lay down and get into a proper position, before going to gather the towel and blankets from Faolin.
Faolin noticed Anna’s expression. “What’s wrong with princess Avery? Is she alright?” he questioned, handing over the items.
“Did you know that she’s a Seer?” Anna queried.
“No.”
“The old queen was a Seer. I believe that my patient is exactly the same. Her mate would be a Recorder. Do you know the teleportation spell?” Anna replied.
“Yeah. You want me to call her mate here? Right now?”
“A Seer cannot be without their Recorder during a vision. If their Recorder isn’t there, then problems arise, and the Seer cannot escape the vision without losing a great many of their years.” Anna explained, leaving to return to Avery’s side.
“I will teleport him immediately. She had a note addressed to him in her satchel. I didn’t mean to peek around, but I was looking to see if there were a large enough space for her egg to sit so she can still travel.” Faolin admitted.
“Quickly, Faolin. She needs her mate now.”
Faolin hurried into the living room and set up a teleportation circle, placing the runes for Corynn Shadownight in the center. With the right words, Corynn was immediately teleported into the living room, laying on his stomach while reading a book. He glanced up, a little confused at the sudden scene change.
“Uh, hi?” he asked, closing his book around a ribbon. Corynn was back to being a boy, which was good, otherwise it would have been more awkward between the two.
“Your mate is princess Avery, correct?” Faolin asked as Corynn stood.
“If by princess Avery, you mean Avery Starshade, warrior and idiot mate of mine, then yes,” Corynn retorted sarcastically. “She hasn’t gotten herself into trouble again, has she?”
“She is laying her egg at the moment. But she needs you to help her. You are her Recorder, right?”
“Right. Where’s Avery at, by the way?” Corynn looked around at his surroundings. “Down that hallway, I assume?”
“Good. He’s here,” Anna said, stepping out into the hallway. Corynn immediately hurried over. “She needs you to Record her vision.”
Corynn’s wings were already open by the time he knelt down at the side of the bed and made a dome with them over both himself and Avery’s head. Almost immediately, his consciousness crossed over to Avery’s safe mental spot, and Avery allowed him access into the vision she was currently within. With a single feather, the vision of the future was recorded, and Corynn was released back into his own body, and Avery awoke.
“How do you feel?” Corynn asked.
Avery blinked. “When did you get here?”
“Just now. And now he needs to leave the room because he shouldn’t be watching.” Anna interrupted, pushing Corynn out of the door. “I’m sorry, but you have to go. Talk with Faolin for now.”
“Wait. Just… Avery, this is our egg? You mean that I’m going to…?” Corynn questioned as he was shoved out.
“Yeah. I guess so. I didn’t even know about it.”
“What?”
“So, you didn’t know about it in the first place?” Faolin asked, walking a stunned Corynn back to the living room.
“No. I mean, we were stargazing, and I don’t think either of us made a move on the other, so I don’t know how she’d, well, you know.” Corynn rubbed his temples. “And she didn’t really like me trying to give her kisses, while she’d just brush her wings on my face and give me a peck on the cheek. It doesn’t make sense. Honestly, I’d be surprised if it’s really my kid.”
“So, she didn’t like you showing the affection in the same way that she always did it to you?”
“I don’t think she did. She’s kinda a mystery. Hard to read sometimes. Avery’s always a bundle of energy, but she has that little bit of herself that she hides from me all the time, which kinda bothers me,” Corynn admitted. “She just kinda keeps her dark side hidden from me all the time, and it’s a little irritating that she’d hide something.”
“Girls are confusing,” Faolin agreed.
“And scary. You’ve never seen Avery when she’s in a bad mood. Now that’s scary.”
“What, she blows up?”
“Worse,” Corynn replied. “You know how she’s always perky, right? Well, that perkiness goes into her bad mood in a scary way. She gets all up in your face, and just pouts. And when you try to ask her what’s the matter, she give you this really angry glare that makes it feel like she’s wanting to burn you to a crisp. But it feels like she’s tearing your soul in half, and I always want to know what’s wrong and why she’s all angry with me. Then it turns out that it’s not me that she’s angry with, but someone or something completely different. Like, she’ll get all angry when something goes wrong, or when she can’t find something important, or someone decides to take her special things, which includes our books; she’s really into them, and there’s no way to keep her from sitting there all day, reading the book. If you interrupt her while she’s reading, she’ll also give you the deathglare.”
“So, her energy goes into a deathglare?”
“Not always,” Corynn objected. “Sometimes, she’ll suddenly just throw something, ideally a pillow, but it’s usually a clod of dirt, since she’s outside all the time.”
“And it hurts?”
“Like the dickens. She’s got a really good arm. And all of her strength goes into a throw when she gets mad. Her aim is really good, too.”
“She got you in the groin?”
“Once is enough. And, she did it while both of us were on the move, and from a distance, at the same time.”
“From behind you?” Faolin grinned
“I turn around for one moment, and she nails me.”
Faolin couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed so ridiculous that, Avery, a girl, even, could nail someone so hard like Corynn described. It couldn’t be possible.
“I’m serious. She’s got a really strong arm. Have you seen her fight, or felt her throw a friendly punch? Those hurt, even when she doesn’t mean for them to. Avery can’t control her own strength.” Corynn added.
“And, emotionally, then?” Faolin prompted.
“Surprisingly enough, she’s pretty strong, even when she seems to be in a weak moment. Her heart’s not exactly on her sleeve, if you get me.” Corynn implied.
“So, hard to read at times?”
“She conceals her feelings pretty well, sometimes. There are moments when she’s lost in thought and there’s no way to know exactly what’s going on inside her head. Avery’s emotions might seem obvious, but there’s a way her voice adopts a different tone when she’s acting a enthusiastic or happy-go-lucky. It’s hard to know if she’s really feeling the emotion she’s showing.”
“And you’re her mate for what reason exactly?” Faolin queried.
Corynn shrugged. “For one, I’m a Recorder, and she’s a Seer. The second is that we grew up together. Third is that I really like her a lot, or I guess you could say that I am and always have been in love with her.”
“Not good enough for me. Is it because she’s super beautiful?”
“Um, no…” Corynn blushed and looked away.
“Oh, so it is that. Thank you for telling me, Corynn.” Faolin grinned shrewdly.
“Faolin, don’t take it like that. Her personality is really what I like. Honest to goodness, it is,” Corynn tried, to no avail. Faolin wasn’t taking it.
“You lie,” Faolin called, getting in Corynn’s face. Corynn leaned back in his chair to avoid physical contact.
“I don’t. I really do like her personality.”
“But you were saying that it is hard to really know what she’s thinking. That is really contradictory.”
“You’re contradictory.”
“Brilliant comeback,” Faolin sardonically replied. “Now, what about her looks?”
“Shove off.”
“No way. You have to tell me.”
“Why should I?” Corynn blurted. “There’s nothing to say.”
“Her hair? Her eyes? Her…,” Faolin pantomimed a feminine figure with a sly grin. “Or what about her wings or her face?”
“None of it. All of it. I don’t know. I can’t pinpoint what I like about her.”
“You’ve got to have something,” Faolin insisted.
“Fine. Her wings are really soft, like her hair, and they’re always super clean. Satisfied?” Corynn sighed, clearly irritated.
“Not really. Now, what else do you like?”
“Her positivity.”
“And…?”
“Really? Have you no respect?”
“Not for you, no. For princess Avery, yes.”
“And you don’t think that’s weird…” Corynn mused. “You’re really messed up.”
Faolin shrugged.
“Okay. I’m not talking to you anymore if you’re just going to be asking me about what I like about Avery. It’s annoying and rude.” Corynn crossed his arms and looked away from Faolin.
Suddenly, an agonized scream pealed through the house, as though Avery were in pain. Corynn and Faolin jolted and leapt out of their seats and started towards the guest room where the sound had come from. It was silent, until Anna came out of the room, the faint sound of Avery gagging in the background. Something was wrong with Avery, and they wanted to know what it was.
“What happened?” Corynn asked, blocked by Anna.
“You don’t want to go in there right now. Neither of you do. Now, can you both go get some water in two large pots. Boil one, and put the other in a cooling spell. Ice cold, please. I need to clean up something.” Anna insisted on them getting out of the house for some reason, and it bothered Corynn.
“Why can’t I go in there? Did something happen? Is Avery going to be alright?” Corynn pressed.
“The egg is fine. But there’s a mess of blood and vomit. Avery got sick just before she laid, and I don’t want you in there. Cleaning it up is my responsibility, and neither of you will be able to handle it.”
Corynn frowned, but went with it. “Wait. If there’s a mess of blood, is there something wrong with her?” he paused.
“Nothing I can’t fix,” Anna said, somewhat confident. “Hopefully.”
“What do you mean, ‘hopefully’?” Corynn questioned. “Is she going to be alright or not?”
“She’ll survive. That’s a promise. Now, the water.”
Corynn and Faolin quickly returned with the two pots of water. Corynn’s was boiled, while Faolin’s was freezing. They handed both to Anna, who had just finished cleaning up the room, and swapped the egg to Corynn.
“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Faolin said, trying to comfort Corynn. Corynn didn’t reply, but stared at the egg-his egg-in his hands.
“Do you really think so?”
“I do. Just believe in her. She has to make it.”
Corynn looked Faolin in the eyes.
“I hope so.”
Chapter Ten: Survivor’s Will
BY MORNING, CORYNN HAD ALMOST LOST HOPE THAT AVERY WOULD SURVIVE THE NIGHT. According to Anna, it wasn’t the fact that she had laid the egg, but that Avery had sustained a magic-caused internal injury that couldn’t be healed. She wasn’t sure if Avery would survive or not, but it seemed like she may pull through. For the time being, Avery couldn’t do much, and Corynn feared the worst.
When it seemed like Avery had kicked the bucket, a glow suddenly enveloped her, not unlike when she had hatched. A mysterious echoing voice filled the room. “The end is only the beginning. When the worst seems to come, then shall the angel rise. She who dies in this moment lives in the next. Her end has not come, for the beginning of a new life brings to life one that would end at the Giving. For to give one’s life for another, to atone for the deaths of many, to Give life to others, is the greatest gift, and, as such, is the Gift to the Giver. They shall not die until their heart is shattered and they willingly give all that is their own.”
Corynn fell to his knees as the light faded. The room was silent for a long moment, before Avery’s voice reached Corynn’s ears.
“Am I dead?”
Corynn looked up. “Avery!” he cried, leaping to her side. “You’re alive!”
“I… I thought… nevermind. Corynn, I’ve missed you so much.” Avery hugged Corynn’s neck in a loving embrace. “I didn’t think that I’d miss you as much as I have, and now that I think about it, I realize just how much I really have missed you. Stars, I wish that I never had to leave home, but then I wouldn’t have had this experience. I’ve learned something new during the past month.”
“Avery,” Corynn started.
“Let me speak, please. I just want to say that war is an idiot’s sport and that, once the kingdom is rebuilt, I shall not participate in one unless I know it is for a good cause. War is not for me, and I do not want to be part of it again. My War Magic is too strong.”
Corynn was silent for a moment, thinking. “But if war comes to our doorstep, or to that of our allies?”
“Then I will do what I must.”
Chapter Eleven: Returning the God Charm
AVERY HAD RECOVERED COMPLETELY, AND IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE THEY WERE ONCE AGAIN ON THEIR WAY TO THE ALUTIAN TEMPLE. She hadn’t even paused to rest once, and was carrying the egg in her satchel, wrapped warmly in an enchanted wool blanket, which would keep it at the correct temperature for the embryo within to fully develop.
“Slow down, will you, Avery,” Corynn called into the wind. He had been falling farther and farther behind for the past fifteen minutes, and it was starting to get on his nerves. “I can’t keep up, and aren’t you tired yet?”
“If I slowed down, then the Alutians might be in greater problems than if I didn’t.”
“Well, aren’t you getting tired going at this speed. We’ve been flying since dawn, and it’s almost midday, and we haven’t eaten since then,” Corynn insisted.
“Well, I’m in a lot better shape than you are, for one thing,” Avery retorted, not slowing.
“And why is that?”
“I fence and spend a lot of my time roaming around and flying.”
“When we shouldn’t be flying about,” Corynn added.
“And that’s why I’ve always flown in the clouds and flown without you complaining and worrying about me. It gets on my nerves.” Avery glanced back at her mate, and realized just how far he’d fallen behind.
“Well, you should be more concerned.”
“I am. Just not in the way that you are.”
“Don’t give me that fluff.”
“You know it’s true,” Avery insisted, slowing down enough for Corynn to come even with her so that their wingtips almost touched.
“And…?” Corynn prompted.
“And… what? What do you want me to say?”
“What are you concerning yourself with?”
Avery sighed. “For one thing, not about all of the stupid things that you worry about. There are some things that you worry about that are important, but you’re a really bad worrywart and it’s not good for your mental health. Just go with what happens in life, and you’ll be fine. Don’t worry about everything. That’s just going to hurt you. And I really don’t think that you should be worrying about one of those things. You know what I mean, too. Don’t deny it.”
“And the other things?”
Avery looked away.
“Avery…”
Avery folded her wings for a dive, seeing their guide, Faolin start for the ground. “I’ll tell you when we land, okay?” She closed her eyes, sensing her plummet towards the ground below as the air pressure changed around her and the sounds of forest life grew louder and louder. As soon as she knew she’d reached treetops, Avery snapped open her wings in a landing position and set her feet up for a landing, opening her eyes so she could make sure that she wouldn’t hit a tree on the way down.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Avery felt a tug on the God Charm around her neck, pulling her in the same direction as Faolin was leading her. Closer to the temple now, Avery could sense the magical connection that the Charm around her neck held to its rightful place. She pulled it off and held it out as they entered, and, spying the pedestal where it would have sat, Avery removed the string that was tied around it to make it into a necklace.
Her hands trembled as she set the crystal charm into the stone, not sure what would happen when it was placed back in its rightful place. Funny, she mused, how this makes me think of myself while I return it. I am out of my rightful place, just like the God Charm, lost from my true home. How sad that this is the reality I must live. That I, a Walker of the Sky, a cloud- hugger, am stuck on land, doing what the Land-Walkers must do. Doing what they cannot do themselves. Alas, there can be no alternative, and there shouldn’t be. I have learned from them what I must, and have experienced things that I had never dreamed of, war being one of them, laying my first egg and nearly dying. How different the two! Lives innumerable taken in exchanged for a single life more precious to me than anything, something I cannot leave alone, not without feeling my own heart torn in two. My lover feared losing me, and I fear ever losing him, for if I did not have him, where would I be? He tears my heart when we are separated, she reflected, settling the stone into the pedestal. Nothing perceptible happened, but she could feel change above herself. The times are changing, but I do not want to change what I must, for I fear the changes I may be forced to make. Keep me strong; keep my mind on what is best, whatever may come towards my path. Guide me in all that I do.
The group walked silently out of the temple and into the changed forest. It no longer felt hostile. Rather, it felt like a new place, friendly and full of life, despite the fact that nothing seemed changed.
“You did well,” Faolin said, settling a hand on Avery’s shoulder, and Corynn’s, next to her. “The Alutians will be happy that their God Charm is back where it belongs.” He gave an almost imperceptible apology. “I’m sorry about this, my queen.”
And with that, everything went dark.
Chapter Twelve: Betrayed
AVERY JOLTED AWAKE. Something had happened that she didn’t understand. Faolin, kidnapping them? What had he done to them? Something was wrong here. She was gagged, bound, and blindfolded, and it felt like they were moving at a high speed. Perhaps in some sort of SpeederShip from the Technologic planet. By the faint humming of the warp engine, she knew that they were travelling at extremely high speeds, towards one of the worlds. Which one, she didn’t know. But wherever they were headed, it wasn’t good.
“So, you’re awake,” said an unfamiliar voice. “Let me remove your blindfold.”
Rough hands removed the blindfold from her eyes. Avery blinked hard, clearing her vision from the bright lights that dazzled her eyes.
Before her stood an impeccably dressed man, accompanied by a pair of uniformed young teenagers. One was a boy with dirty blonde hair, part of his hair still long, the other shaved short. The other seemed to be another boy, but Avery could tell that they were really a girl, just through seeing the way she held herself and by her body language. She had deep red ringlets, cut in the same style as the boy, and her green eyes were slightly unsettling, as one was pale as though blind, and the other as dark as an emerald. They were both from the Technologic planet, same as the man. But they seemed wizened by time, somehow, imperceptibly different.
“Now, Candidates, which of you did your research?” both of them dipped their heads. “Both of you? Well, which of you can tell me the specifics about young queen Avery, here?” he asked. “Speak up.”
“Sky-Walker, secondborn to the Crown of Stars, but singular heir. Elder brother still lives, and was neighbor during childhood,” said the girl. “She did not know it, judging by her expression.”
The girl didn’t know just how right she was. Avery was utterly shocked. How did they manage to gain this information, and where did they get it from in the first place? Did someone have tabs constantly on her? And why would Faolin have betrayed them to these… Techies? Why did they want her?
The boy spoke up. “Raised by humans, never truly knowing her true place in the Sky Kingdom, even with the aid of her elder brother and the former royal guard,” he added. “Which leads to the fact that she’s involved here in some way, sir.”
The man gave a queer smile towards the boy. “That, Candidates, is correct. And your job is to keep an eye on her, and make sure that the queen of the Sky does not leave this cell, no matter what. Once I have left the room, you may remove the gag, and shackle her. Keep her in a position where she cannot leave from, but allow her to be able to move. You know what you should do, so do it.” With that, he turned on his heel and left the prison cabin. Which left Avery, Corynn - who was currently still unconscious - and the two Candidates. None of them moved until they heard the lock click behind the man.
Once they were sure the man was gone, the two Candidates set to work removing their gags and Avery immediately made her move.
“Why do you follow his orders?” she forcefully inquired.
“We have to. There’s no way around it, unless you’d rather we practically use society to kill our families by failing to become top Candidates,” murmured the girl. “I apologize for what we have done and what will later happen to you. If we could stop it from happening, we would, but we don’t know how.”
“What are your names? You already know mine,” she added as an afterthought. “Because of your… internship?”
“Not internship, no. It’s more of a… competition? Something like that,” replied the girl. “My name is Isadora MaKellan, but you have to call me Iz, Candidate MaKellan, or Isadore. The other Candidates know me as another one of the guys.”
“I’m Felix Dixin,” answered the boy. “Izzy and I have been friends for most of our lives, so don’t worry about her. I’ve watched out for her for years.”
“’Cept for that one time,” Isadora retorted quietly. “I still have headaches from that, and you know it.”
“It wasn’t my fault, you know. You’re kinda clumsy, and that’s what got you hurt. At least I got your parents and they took you to the hospital. I didn’t know what to do then, and I was totally flipping out,” Felix tried.
“You two are lovers,” Avery mused as Isadora shackled Avery’s ankles into slots in the floor. “And I’m guessing that you won’t let me walk around very far, nor move my hands any further than needed.”
“We have to. And we’re not lovers. Just… childhood friends. That’s all.” Isadora was a bit rough with the shackles as she released Avery, seeming to lose her temper at the older girl’s blunt comment.
“That’s the same way I felt about Corynn and my relationship with him. I never could admit it to him, but I was utterly smitten by the time we were put under a curse recently that reversed our genders,” Avery calmly replied
“Wait, so you were a boy originally?” Felix blurted.
“No, I have always been a girl. The curse broke a couple of days ago for us.”
“And you realized your feelings for him because of the curse?” Isadora asked, seeming more curious.
“No,” Avery replied. “It was because of a conversation I had with an old friend of mine. A sparring partner. He had admitted to having a crush on my adoptive sister, and that he had recently become her betrothed. They’re wedding once the war between Coraz, Azzen and Alutius is over, as long as he can make it back. Talking with him made me realize that I really was in love with Corynn, and that our old friendship had bloomed into something new. Things change, and we change with them. Our feelings for one another change, and with it, comes either love… or hate.” She sounded bitter as she said the last word. “Hate is such a strong word, with such a horrible meaning.” Sighing, Avery held out her wrists for Isadora to shackle. “I do wish that the word had never been created. It’s such a dark thing to say. “Hate this,” she added, “but nothing I can really do about it, huh? Helpless just like you both are, as you cannot fight unless you want your families shamed, and I cannot fight because I am out of my element and am shackled to the interior of this ship.”
“And you’re telling us this because…?” Felix prompted, finishing shackling Corynn. “Also, here’s your baby,” he added, handing back her satchel, which still held the egg nestled safely within it.
“Thank you,” Avery said, reclaiming her satchel, checking the egg to make sure it was still warm within the blanket, which it still was. “I was telling you this because, although neither of you wish to admit it, as it is quite an embarrassing topic, you are lovers. Even friends become lovers, and you cannot prevent it. Just like I couldn’t have prevented my betrayal to your hands unless I had seen it coming.”
“So, nobody can prevent the unavoidable.”
Chapter Thirteen: Felix and Izzy
AVERY IS SOMETHING ODD, IZZY MUSED AS SHE AND FELIX LEFT THE PRISONERS’ CABIN OF THE SHIP. She’s nothing like they say she is. The information we were given said that she was extremely irrational and a jokester. I think she’s changed since the last time the informants gave the information about her to the Proctors.
“She’s not like the information said. Did she randomly get wise for some reason?” Felix whispered, echoing her thoughts.
“That’s what I was thinking, Felix. Something about her changed between now and the last time the information on her was given to the Proctors. Everything we read said that she was brash and irrational. Kinda like a boy. But she’s got this air to her like she’s seen and heard much more in a matter of a year than we can in a whole lifetime. I want to see if we can get some of that energy that they said about her to show itself. Any ideas?” Izzy looked over to see Felix’s wide grin. “Don’t give me that look.”
“What look? The goofy grin? I’m doing it again, aren’t I. Well, she can’t be too far from the truth, the way you blushed when she said that stuff about friendship turning into love. I blushed too, ya’ know. Heck, who wouldn’t blush?” Felix tried to regain his composure. “I know you like me. There’s no denying it, ’cause I like you too.”
“The only person who won’t blush at words of love is the person who hardens their heart and guards their innermost secrets,” said their Proctor, rounding the corner. “You two should have learned that already. Sky-Walkers have the strangest abilities, and you know it, now. Females know the ways into the heart and how to win someone over to their side, even if they do not realize it.”
“Sir,” Felix and Izzy started, bowing.
“Don’t apologize. This is a learning experience for you both. Your job now is to make sure that they have all the necessities they need, and make sure that they do not escape. We’re almost to the SpacePort,” he added, turning around to march them both. Izzy and Felix exchanged glances.
“Sir,” Felix started.
“You may speak your mind freely. Both of you.”
Felix nodded. “I think that our prisoner is in need of one necessity.”
“And what is that?”
“Food and water.”
“That’s two necessities. Not one.”
“I’d consider them one.”
“Well, then. Go get some for them and wake up the male if he isn’t already awake.”
Felix nodded. “Right away sir.”
“Very good. Iz, go with him. This is a joint assignment for you. You cannot avoid speaking with and listening to them. It is a learning experience for the two of you Candidates, and you do not want to miss a moment of what your fellow Candidate learns, otherwise he may soon outrank you.”
“Are the other Candidates doing something similar?” Izzy asked.
“Yes. They are.” The Proctor did not turn to face them as a door shut between them.
Izzy and Felix turned to look at each other, thinking the exact same thing. I’m going to free them when the opportunity arises, no matter what happens to us. I don’t care if I can’t gain Perfect Candidate status. I will free them.
And, surely, with that, they made dinner for Avery and Corynn.
Chapter Fourteen: Waking Corynn
STARS DO NOT COLLIDE FOR NO REASON, AVERY CONCLUDED AS SHE SAW THE TWO YOUNG TEENS RETURN TO THEIR PRISON. There is always a reason for the stars to come together. And, this time, the reason may be for these lost teens.
“I wasn’t sure if I remembered correctly about Sky-Walker metabolism. You guys need more food than what we’d eat in one sitting, right?” Felix asked as the two entered.
Avery nodded, but did not reply, deep in thought.
“Well, we brought you guys food. And is he up yet?”
“No, and I know how to wake him up, if you would unbind my wings.”
“How do we know you won’t try to escape after we free your wings?” Felix snapped. “I mean, really. In how many books we read do the prisoners escape because they were smarter than their captors and said they wouldn’t escape if they were left unfettered for a small moment?”
“You don’t,” Avery softly replied, staring at the ground.
“Then why should we free your wings? You might use them to smack us and knock us out so you can steal what you think might free you and then take over the ship so you can just fly it back towards your home and send us through the airlock.” Felix scowled, trying hard to seem menacing. Evidently, it wasn’t working, because Avery didn’t seem very well intimidated.
“I’ll let one of you keep watch over my egg, until our arrival, if you let my wings be unfettered. I won’t dare make a move if I know you have it in your hands. Just… don’t unwrap it. The infant inside will not survive for longer than an hour outside of the warming charm set on the blanket I have it wrapped in.” Avery held out the egg and unwrapped it so they could see that it was still in there.
Izzy took it and nodded. Felix untied Avery’s wings.
True to her word, Avery woke Corynn and folded her wings back in, using her wings to cover up what she did to wake her mate.
“Where’s Faolin? I wanna give him a piece of my mind.” Corynn blurted, jolting upright, ready to fight. “Wait, who are these two?”
Avery hid a smile behind her wings. “Meet Iz and Felix. They’re our captors.”
Corynn seemed to wilt as he realized their situation. “Oh no. No no no, this cannot be real. I’ve gotta be dreaming. Avery, tell me I’m dreaming.”
“I’m sorry, Corynn.” Avery bit her lip.
“Um, we just brought some food for you guys. And some water,” Felix offered. “Sim food, but still food.” He picked up two of the four trays sitting on the floor. “It’s not much, I know, but it’s what we have.”
Corynn huffed and refused to take the offered food and drink. “You’ve probably laced it with some sort of sedative.”
“I don’t care if there’s a sedative or not; there’s no way we can escape, so, even if there is a sedative, I’ll still eat it.”
“Irrational,” Corynn snorted.
“Likewise,” Avery retorted with a smirk as she took one of the trays. “You’ll starve yourself.”
Izzy finally spoke up. “If you two are lovers, then why do you argue like this? Shouldn’t lovers not argue?”
“Oh, we argue on a lot of things we don’t disagree on. We just don’t resort to fisticuffs because we agree that we won’t ever truly agree on everything. Magic’s one of those things. I have strong magic, but Corynn’s is only in his wings. Luckily.” Avery grinned at Corynn’s stunned try at a retort.
“What do you mean by that?” Felix asked, sitting down opposite the pair. Izzy followed suit and handed Avery the egg, which was immediately placed back into the satchel where it belonged.
“He is my - actually, I should just let you two wonder that for a while. I shouldn’t reveal all of our secrets to you.” Avery cocked a brow with a sly smile. “You’ll just have to wait until I reveal it to you before you try figuring out what we really can do.”
“So secretive to us. We’re in the same position as you guys.” Felix sighed. “I can tell you guys a secret in exchange for that one?”
“Sorry, but no can do.” Avery smiled, fingering the electronic collar around her throat.
“Now I’m really curious.”
“Why don’t you two tell us about yourselves. I’ll see about telling you two more about myself that you may not know later. Perhaps when I feel good with it. But not right now, because your intentions aren’t known to me.” Avery started to eat the food provided, but hesitated after the second bite. “Ugh. You were right about sim food. It’s utterly fake.”
“Sorry ’bout that.”
Avery laughed.
Chapter Fifteen: Arrival
THE PROCTOR’S ‘YOU’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO LEAVE’ SPEECH ECHOED IN AVERY’S THOUGHTS. Honestly, Avery knew she wouldn’t be able to leave. She didn’t need people to tell her what she already knew. There was no way of getting past that. Yet, it may have been directed more towards Corynn, who was trying to fight them all the way to the downshuttle to the moon’s surface. This moon was entirely comprised of metal, she soon realized as they went down below the surface.
“Where are we going?” Avery asked, watching through the viewports.
“To the base’s laboratories,” replied the Proctor. Avery seemed to shudder at the words. “Where you will be staying for the time being.”
“Thanks for the new home,” Avery moaned in an irritated fashion. “It’s such an awesome thing. You going to try experiments on us, I suppose. Might as well say what it really is; tell me if I’m right or off my rocker. I’m suspecting my hunch is right, though, and that I’m not off my rocker, eh, Mistah Proctah, sir. Not that I mean anything rude, but you were pretty rude taking us away from the Heart.”
“You are correct. My Candidates did not tell you, did they?”
“All on gut instinct. Plus a dream. ’Sides it’s not hard to predict what you’d do, since you’re from the Technological Planet. It’s an easy-to-understand concept, predicting your captors’ movements. Aside from that, I think that there’ll be a lot involving magic and how to remove it without killing the owner, isn’t there? I bet this is something that no normal person in the star system even knows about because it’s so confidential.” Avery seemed quite smug as the Proctor’s expression darkened. “I’m hitting the right nerve, then.”
With that last comment, the Proctor hit a button on his tunic, concealed as a button, that sent a signal to Avery’s collar. The collar automatically tightened around Avery’s throat, choking her. She scrabbled at the collar, trying to breathe, but to no avail. After about long enough for Avery to hold her breath, the collar loosened and she gasped.
“I hope that will make sure you do not try this again,” the Proctor warned. Felix and Izzy silently watched as Avery rubbed her throat with watery eyes and Corynn helped her to her feet. “The next time will be worse.”
“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” Avery muttered darkly, settling a hand on the satchel that sat at her hip, where her egg was nestled warmly between books and spare changes of clothing.
“Are you alright?” Corynn whispered, settling a gentle hand on Avery’s shoulder. She nodded. “Why did you go and do that?”
Avery grinned, a weak yet defiant move.
“To prove a point and make my voice heard. He wasn’t going to answer me anyways, so why not annoy him to make these two see what I mean? I’ll be fine. It just startled me. I didn’t expect that to be what these collars do.” She shrugged. “There’s no way we can escape without help, so might as well bring someone to our side.” As she spoke, her language switched to that of the magic language, which was hard enough to understand without her odd lilt adding into it. “They will help when the time comes. I know it.”
“What,” asked the Proctor, “are the two of you discussing?”
“ ‘Just a little bit of magic and a flick of the wrist,’ ” Avery replied with a smile, “ ‘and the world turns but a twist. For what is magic but power and surroundings in this hour, where nature enlists with a grim sort of defiance, and a sparrow moves a hawk into alliance?’ ”
“A riddle?” the Proctor inquired.
“More of a poem than a riddle. Something I’ve read, I believe,” Avery said in a thoughtful tone. More like trying to distract you from what our initial conversation was about and to dissuade you from harming me once again. It’s a good thing they had half a mind to leave my sword on my wrist, but I shall not use it until the time comes. “Really something quite trivial, if you know the real translation and where it comes from.”
“ ‘For what is a willow but a daughter’s hair that shall billow, in the winds and the reeds, where time recedes?’ ” Corynn replied. “Another part of it that you forgot.”
“Ah, The Heart’s Change,” Izzy replied. “I read that one during my free time. But I don’t recognize the first few lines that Avery said. Where were those from?”
“A Sparrow’s Ally,” Avery replied.
“Enough with the poetry. Keep silent,” instructed the Proctor. “We have arrived.”
Chapter Sixteen: Experimentation
AVERY AND CORYNN WAITED IN SILENCE AS THEY WERE TAKEN THROUGH THE VARIOUS TESTS AND LEVELS OF SECURITY. Corynn was surprised to see that the cuff that Avery always wore, which was really her sword in its natural form, had never been removed from her left wrist. How odd that they’d just assume that it was a harmless bracelet that sat around her wrist as a form of decoration, without ever trying to check it for the strange ability to switch forms.
He and Avery were taken to separate cells, far away from each other, so they were out of view. This disturbed both of them greatly.
To either side of Avery were Water-Walkers, one a seemingly blind male and the other a blue-haired female. Neither one of them seemed pleased to be there, and neither was Avery. But there was absolutely nothing any of them could do. Besides, the most that any of them could do at the moment was sigh and sit there in their glass cells for observation.
Avery seemed to be at home in the cell, from the moment she was locked inside, which surprised their captors and Corynn. He assumed that she was showing defiance by showing that she had been in worse scenarios, which may or may not have been true, and that she wanted him to try and do the same, which was easier said than done.
“Why has she not tried fighting this?” asked the first of the three scientists as he observed Avery lay down to take a nap. Her wings were folded neatly against her back, obvious to the casual observer. “Most fight the process, but why not her?”
“Perhaps she has just given up,” offered the second
“Perhaps.” replied the first. “Or else she is faking it so that we do not know what she is planning.”
“Perhaps it is something else. Didn’t group Qeaz Three-Alpha say she had an egg she claimed to be her own?” replied the second once again. “Maybe she does not want to see harm come to her unhatched young, so she refuses to fight in fear that it may be harmed.”
“I do not think it is any of your theories,” the third finally said. She was a stately woman, brilliant in the field of psychology. “There is something about her that we cannot possibly understand now, and cannot hope to ever claim to understand. She knows something that we do not, and we will not learn from her by causing any unnecessary damage to her psyche.”
“We will just have to see. Do you want to take care of the examination today?” asked the first. “Since you are a woman, I mean.”
“Are not the actual doctors able to do what I would need to do?” retorted the woman.
“It’s just that they’re not women, and none of the women doctors are here today. It’s their day off, Natalya.”
“So why am I still here at work? Wouldn’t I have my day off today?”
“I- uh,” stammered the first, taken aback by her words.
“You did not think it through, did you? Nevertheless, I will do it once she has slept for half an hour. That is all the time she will need. She needs to be alert and in top form.”
“Surely she would be awakened by now?” asked the doctor, Natalya, seeing that no one had disturbed the female Sky-Walker’s rest.
“She only just fell asleep. The Sky-Walker apparently was having some difficulty getting comfortable, and finally pulled out a stack of cloth tunics from her satchel to make a pillow while she rested,” stammered tha assistant, clearly startled.
True to the startled assistant’s word, it seemed as though she were now sleeping, although somewhat fitfully.
“I would like to consult the Proctor of group Qeaz Three-Alpha on whether she was allowed time to sleep before their arrival, or if he used a sedative on her during the first half of the flight.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The assistant immediately opened a hololink to the Proctor on his comlink, which he wore on his wrist.
“Qeaz Three-Alpha Proctor, did your subjects have sedatives or get rest before arrival?” Natalya promptly asked, before the Proctor could officially answer.
“Sedatives during the first part of flight. The female woke from them early, but both were given equal amounts. The male’s lasted the correct amount of time, but hers wore off quickly, much faster than we expected,” the Proctor admitted. “She is really quite a surprise, and I think you’d like to know that she is the heir to the Sky-Walkers’ kingdom. Or, at least, was the heir. Her brother is still back on the Heart Planet, so he can inherit the kingdom in her absence.” The Proctor seemed smug about this, which seemed only to irritate the doctor.
“Stealing away a ruler is not the way we work, Dahmjon,” she growled. “But you leave me no choices, do you?”
“Nice doing business with you. You know how things work with us. Doing an illegal thing leaves us with doing what we must to keep this project afloat. Even if that means stealing away the named heir while the other wonder what has happened. Who knows, she may be the secret to success here.”
“Did she speak in riddles at any time, by chance?” Natalya asked.
“Now that you mention it, she did. Both she and the male, actually. You should really ask my Candidates. Iz knows what they were talking about.”
“Reciting poems, I would assume,” the doctor muttered. “Do you remember which one she recited?”
“Some strange oddities called The Heart’s Change and The Sparrow’s Ally. Ring a bell for you?”
“I’ll have to inquire about it, then. I’ve heard of them, but have never thought to read them. They hold some significance to the Sky-Walkers, for some reason, but that is all I know.”
The doctor was tempted to close the link abruptly, but something about what he had mentioned made her pause. “Iz, you said?”
“Yes. Candidate Isadore MaKellan. He prefers to be called Iz.”
Isadore Makellan, doctor Natalya’s mind echoed.
“Thank you for the information. Please send Candidate MaKellan down here as soon as you can.”
With that, she cut the link and returned the comlink to the assistant. “How long has she been sleeping for, at this point?”
“Thirty minutes, ma’am.”
“Good.” Doctor Natalya opened the door and stepped quickly into the glass cell. As soon as she was inside, she sent a signal to Avery’s collar, which sent a bolt of electricity coursing through her body, startling her awake. “Good morning,” she said as Avery struggled to her feet, wobbling like a newborn fawn after the jolt of electricity.
“What was that for?” Avery groaned, folding her wings back.
“Come with me. It is time for your examination to see if you are in proper condition for the course.”
“Wisecrack question: Who’s learning what from whom?” Avery fell into step beside the doctor.
“I’ll answer you if you’ll answer my own question.”
“Shoot your arrow and we’ll see how far it flies,” Avery replied.
“Pardon?”
“Figure of speech. Let’s hear your question.” Avery shrugged with half a grin, leaning towards non-apologetic in tone.
“I was told that you had recited parts of poems to your Candidate captors. I also observed that you were not fighting. Your poems had some significance to you, and your reason for not fighting the system must have reasons. What are those reasons?”
“If you’re just assuming that I was giving up, it’s wrong. I don’t have to tell you if I don’t want to, and I don’t want to. Now, if you’re curious about the poems and the lines I recited for them, they were fairly important to me and Corynn. By the way, if you’re going to be experimenting on me, might as well get to know my name. I’m Avery Starshade,” she offered with a grim smile of determination.
“You did not answer my question,” pressed Natalya.
“Must I?”
Natalya’s glare was all it took.
Chapter Seventeen: Examination
AVERY SIGHED AND RELENTED AT THE DOCTOR’S DISGRUNTLED NOD. “Fine. The lines were ‘Just a little bit of magic and a flick of the wrist, and the world turns but a twist. For what is magic but power and surroundings in this hour, where nature enlists with a grim sort of defiance, and a sparrow moves a hawk into alliance?’ And the other, which Corynn replied with was ‘For what is a willow but a daughter’s hair that shall billow, in the winds and the reeds, where time recedes?’ Really nothing that went together well, though.”
“Alright, and the significance?”
“Magic isn’t controlled by science, but by the surroundings it is within and by the changes of the willpower of those who decide to wield it. I was sorta trying to make a point there, and Corynn ruined the effect I had for saying it by adding in that line from The Heart’s Change. He tends to do that a lot on me, but I don’t really mind it. And if you really must know why I haven’t fought, it’s because I’d like to not get my butt kicked and see Corynn hurt. Because he’s pretty important to me. Mates, you know. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them, either.” Avery gave a pathetic smile, vying for agreement, or at least some way of knowing that they had some similar ground that she could pull towards her advantage. The doctor didn’t give her what she wanted.
“Now I’ll answer your question, since you ever so politely answered mine,” the doctor replied. “We are learning the fundamentals of magic from you and the fellow magic-users, since no one on our world has magic. And we are also trying to figure out how to gain magic from you all.”
“That’s kinda messed up. Why can’t you use your big brains and think about marrying magic-users instead of using them in experiments?”
“Because it doesn’t work.”
“Maybe you have magic but it’s just locked up because you live on a planet that’s basically got nil plant and animal life. Your planet is about dead, you know, what with taking up the surface and putting up settlements in place of them. That’s probably why your magic’s all dried up, too,” Avery replied. “Have you ever stopped to think about that?”
“No…”
“Thought so.” Avery nodded. “You have to look at it the way we magic-users think about it. Magic revolves around the life surrounding us, not just humans and pets, but the plants that thrive around us. That’s why we don’t try and populate the entire planet until there’s almost nil plant life. If anything, we allow plant life to be part of where we live, because if they thrive, magic thrives. Just ask anyone.” Her vibrant blue eyes gleamed with satisfaction that she knew better than the doctor did.
“Your theory still holds a lot to ask about. You know that, don’t you.”
“Actually, it doesn’t. Have you ever thought about why nobody ever travels here, but everyone travels everywhere else? It’s not because you guys are uber hostile, but that nobody can sense the magic that they like to use in everyday activities. Not that you guys aren’t uber hostile, but it makes a whole lot more sense to me.”
“I’ll have to look into that more,” the doctor relented. “For now, though, let’s do the exam.” she opened a door to a clean office-like room. Several slim instruments sat on a counter, and a large scanner drone hovered in the corner, ready to set to work. “Sit down on the cot. Strip down and put this on,” the doctor added, handing Avery a clean sleeveless white tunic that was uncomfortably short with a thin cloth belt to hold it all together.
“No pants?” Avery asked, holding it against her chest to see how it would fit.
“Put it on.”
“Alrighty, but I’m just gonna need something to create holes in the back for my wings. Folding them inside a shirt isn’t comfy.”
“The holes are already there. Just put it on.”
Avery relented and pulled on the tunic, surprised to find wing holes that were just a tad too narrow for her wings. “Ruffle my feathers, why don’t you…” she grumbled, tying the belt around her narrow waist. She folded them carefully, trying to get them into a position that wasn’t awkward with the narrow wing holes pressing uncomfortably on the muscles at the base of her wings. “Mmnn. Darn it.”
“Does it fit too snugly?”
“Kinda. At least, around my wings, it does. The holes are a smidge too small.”
“Well, you’ll have to deal with it until I’m done with your exam.”
“And why does it seem so short? Short tunics bother me,” Avery added, pulling down on the bottom of the tunic.
“You have long legs, I’d assume.”
“Is it bad if I just realized that thanks to this stupid tunic?” Avery retorted inquisitively. She frowned and tugged on the tunic again. “I never wear tunics this short. They have to be to my knees or longer. Maybe it’s just a Sky-Walker thing, but I like the long ones. And what’s with no pants, anyways? Are you trying to embarass me because I made you realize that you guys were doing wrong in the first place, but you already knew it so I just made it all the more obvious for you?”
“Minimal clothing means a better scan. Lay back on the cot so the drone can perform a scan.”
“Scanny scan scan,” Avery muttered, laying back as she was scanned by the drone. “Scantily clad for a scan. Scanomatic for a scan apiece. ‘Scan the seas for our enemies. Bind their hands and take their lands, find the treasure, built on pleasure, and destroy it - forsake it. A storm ahead, you shall all be dead, lest the sun sets before the day rests. A moon before the stars align, a warrior faint, a heart benign. And from the stars I send a child, a son, a daughter, of Earth, of Sky, of Water. A son from the Water, a daughter of Sky, a king of Land and an Elf of High; a lord of Ice, a sailor of Sand, a maiden of Rivers, a child from each shall make a stand. And before them all, standing by the star, a Heart bound shared by them all. Protect the Water, the Sky, the Land, and the Elf of High; protect the Ice, the Sand, the Rivers, and when they come, as one to stand a testament.’ ”
“Where is that from?” the doctor asked, looking up from the results from the scanner drone.
“What, that passage? From one of my books. Don’t know what the name of it is, but I’ve been working on translating it, and it talks about that. Corynn doesn’t even know about it - cause I stole the book from him - and the only reason I recited it was because of the word ‘scan’. You know, ’cause of the ‘scan the seas’ bit,” Avery tried to explain, sitting up. “Working on my using the runes and reading them.”
“But, tell me, are those the exact words?”
“Purdy sure they are. If they aren’t, then I don’t know where else I’d have gotten them from. I remember stuff that’s kinda relevant, and then forget about them until one of the randomest words from it get mentioned.” Avery shrugged. “So, what does the scanner say ’bout me?”
“Very strong magic, somewhat weak constitution. Otherwise, perfectly healthy. Fat levels are extremely low. Large amount of muscle mass and higher muscle density. Hollow bones that are stronger than that of humans, higher metabolism, and better eyesight. Larger, more powerful lungs and heart, nitrogen carrying bodies in the bloodstream. And… a second set of eyelids? What’s that about?” the doctor asked, finishing reading off the scan results.
“First thing, I’m what we call a Magician Primor back home, which explains the weak constitution. Second thing, Sky-Walkers are basically better off than normal people with travelling to other planets in the star system because of those things. Thirdly, yeah, I have two sets of eyelids. Kinda like birds. Or cats. More like birds, though, since they’re clear. I could win a staring contest if someone didn’t know that I have that second set of eyelids. It’s really useful, and a perfectly normal and common thing for us Sky-Walkers. Fourthly, personally, I wish that I didn’t have the Magician Primor constitution, because I get sick with fevers, and I have to be careful with them, but I hate not being able to go outside whenever I want with them.” Avery sighed. “Aside from that all, that’s my explanation. Hope it sated your curiosity, ’cause I’m done talking.” With that, Avery shut her mouth and stared at the doctor, trying to be as unsettling as possible as she closed her clear inner eyelids.
“Will you not do that?” the doctor finally asked after about fifteen minutes of consulting her notes. Avery didn’t reply, so she sent a mild shock through the collar that she hoped would force Avery to stop staring at her, which didn’t necessarily work. Finally giving up, she put the drone to hover constantly in Avery’s face. Avery kept squirming to keep the doctor in her line of sight until the doctor finally gave up with even doing that. “What do you want? A sweet to make you stop? Being able to see the results for yourself? What?” Again, Avery gave no reply, still staring at the doctor. “My name?”
Finally, Avery blinked normally as she nodded a reply. “All of it and none of it, actually. I just wanted to see if you’d get why I decided to stare at you. You failed at it.” She swept a lock of her black hair over her shoulder.
“Fine. My name is Doctor Natalya Brisiki. And I’ll give you a copy of the results in a little bit. I can also send for a sweet, if you’d like. Just so you stay quiet and stop staring at me like that. I can’t get any work done with you doing that to me.”
“No sim food. That stuff’s disgusting.”
“Then you’ll have to starve.”
“Have any real fruit? I’ll eat that.”
“I’ll send for a Parinak or two. Have you ever tried one?”
“Nope.”
Dr. Natalya smiled. “I think you’ll enjoy it.”
“Maybe.”
Chapter Eighteen: Avery’s Star
AVERY SLEPT FITFULLY THAT NIGHT, HER STOMACH AND MIND IN TURMOIL, POSSIBLY AS A RESULT OF EATING AN UNFAMILIAR KIND OF FRUIT THAT DR. NATALYA BRISIKI SUGGESTED. She felt nausea roll over her as she tried to lay still on the cell’s hard floor to sleep, forcing her into a fitful sleep when she finally succumbed to it, clutching her still-wrapped egg.
When she finally awoke, it was to the sound of blaring alarms. Her stomach twisted painfully in protest as she moved into an upright position to see what was the matter. It took her whirling mind a precious minute to figure out exactly where she was and what was going on outside her glass cell. Beside her sat a now empty glass cell, the front shattered by some unknown force. The Water-Walker boy next to her had broken out. But why? And how?
Despite her curiosity, Avery’s body took priority, and she finally curled back into her original position on the floor, only to have been yanked off the floor by a strong and firm grip.
“Get up,” grunted the rough voice. “Roll call.”
Avery stumbled out of her cell and out into the hall, where the other “prisoners” were already lined up. There were whispered rumors on who had escaped, and it seemed as though none were willing to give up how, even those who had watched the escape happen.
Once all of them were lined up, Avery saw a young Water-Walker being marched roughly to the line, centered directly in front of Avery. Sure enough, it was the blind boy from yesterday upon her arrival. His hands and feet were bleeding, possibly from the glass that was still there, shattered on the hallway floor just behind the line.
“Do any of you know what happens to those who attempt escape?” asked a strange- looking human woman, whose aging process seemed to have been unnaturally halted for a time. “Anyone? How about you?” she asked, looking directly at Avery, who still held her egg, clutched tightly in her arms. Avery’s eyes widened. “Yes, you, with the egg.”
Murmurs echoed through the hall, unsilenced as the woman waited for Avery’s reply. “Joint or singular punishment, I’d presume,” came her tentative reply, almost silent.
“Repeat yourself. Louder this time.”
“Joint or singular punishment in public view for a lesson,” Avery tried again, louder, this time trying to further state her initial reply.
“A clever one,” laughed the woman at Avery’s reply. “Yes, you are absolutely correct. Now, which one would you think has more impact?” Her question was still directed towards Avery.
“A joint punishment means that everyone knows what happens if one toes the line, leading to hesitation from the entire group. A singular person would have to be crazy if they wanted to see their fellow prisoners punished when they were at fault, while a singular public demonstration of punishment would still lead to hesitation, but still allow for those who would rather they themselves be harmed if they failed at their escape to keep their conscience clear. I do not like either options, though. Joint punishment has more impact on an individual scale,” she admitted, looking not at the woman, who was now scaring the wits out of her, but at her egg.
“And if one would take that most precious to the wrongdoer?” prompted the woman.
“Total hesitation for fear of harm of that or whom they love. But if that which they really love is not what they claim, then it holds no power over them, as they can lie about whatever or whomever it is they love.”
“Look at me,” instructed the woman. Avery hesitated for a split second, but pulled her gaze upwards, towards the woman. “What is it that is most precious to you?”
“My Mate and the Heart and Nature.”
“Choose one.”
Avery bit her lip. If she said Corynn, then she would have to worry about him being harmed. If she said the Heart or Nature, then they could not harm them, since they had no control over either of those, but would leave them to still choose Corynn. She was trapped. Avery’s mind screamed for her to run, to try and avoid choosing, but a single stanza from a piece she had read a long time ago came to mind. ‘ “Choose one,” it crowed, and with that it flew. “Choose one, or the one you love will fade, and the one you lied about will die. Choose one and you shall stay in one piece.” “Choose one,” echoed another voice. “A star will die, but another will rise in its ashes. Do not fear the crashes of the dark. For its path is only chaos, and thine mind will cease to be. Choose that which is right, not which is wrong, and you shall be greatly rewarded.” ’
“ ‘Choose one’,” Avery whispered, locking eyes with the woman. “ ‘A star burns brightly in the night, but are you not the one of fright? One, I fear brings to mind all my fears to me bind. I shall stand with the stars and hold against your farce. For all you want is my fear, yes, to harm all I call dear,’ ” her eyes burned bright with defiance. “If I choose either of the ones you cannot control, you will take the one you can control and still use it against me. Even if I choose the one you can control, it leaves me frozen between the lines of submission and defiance. I apologize: ‘I cannot choose what I hold dear, not if you’ll use it to instill in me fear,’ ” Avery finished.
“ ‘Your eyes deceive you, and so does your mind’ ,” the woman echoed. “ ‘Your fallow eaves leave you only harm, little sparrow.’ For to me, you are just that, ‘Sparrow’. Hide behind your angelic wings and your sparked and twisted poetry, but you cannot hide forever. I am the hawk that hunts you and all the secrets you hide.”
Avery straightened as best she could with her aching stomach. “But even the sparrow can ally with the hawk, if only the right one comes by.”
“Shock and Choke,” instructed the woman, walking away. “I want to hear the sparrow scream before she is Choked. Then Choke the rest until they are too weak to try.”
Avery’s body was in agony as electricity coursed through her whole body, every nerve on fire with pain. Ungodly screams issued forth from her throat, tearing it raw as they echoed through silent hallways. Everything went black as the pain in her body faded to the vise around her throat, the pulse in her chest, and the warmth of the egg pressed tightly against her aching abdomen.
Chapter Nineteen: Recovery
THERE WAS ONLY DARKNESS. That much, Avery knew. Her body felt like it was on fire, burning intensely. Her throat was raw. So raw it hurt to even take a breath. She could feel blankets, soft and warm over top of her aching, burning body, and a cool cloth clinging to her forehead. Someone was humming a song, or perhaps it was recorded music. She didn’t care, and didn’t want to know. It was soothing.
Avery lay in the bed, unmoving, not thinking, only listening to the singing, ignoring her body and the pain that she felt. Suddenly, the singing stopped, and Avery could hear footsteps coming closer to her head.
“You are awake?” asked a startlingly familiar voice. Avery took a moment to place it. Dr. Natalya Brisiki was at her side.
Avery didn’t move or make a sound, afraid that the movements or creating sound would cause more pain to her body more than she already felt. Slowly, though, she opened her eyes, which slowly adjusted to the bright lights of the hospital-like room she was now in. Once again, she was laying on a cot, this time covered with blankets.
“You must be in a lot of pain. It was a lot of nerve damage, you know. The elf almost gave up on trying to fix it, but then you started showing signs that your body was, ever so slowly, taking what she had to offer with the limited amount of medical equipment that was provided specifically for the elf to help with. Don’t try to move or speak. Your body’s taken a whole lot more abuse than anyone else that was in the punishment. They about killed you, you know.” Avery blinked her inner eyelids, then her outer ones in acknowledgement. “I need to give you a stronger sedative to help you rest up and recover. But first, I need you to drink some water and this that the elf made specifically for you.”
Where, Avery mouthed.
“Where is she at? The elf may not be able to use magic, as elves don’t use magic - I’m not sure why she was chosen in the first place - but she’s able to help out with healing. Elvish medicine is really quite fascinating. Right at the moment, though, she’s giving a list of things she needs in order to make some more for you to the suppliers. She didn’t have all the ingredients she needed in the first place, either,” Dr. Brisiki replied.
What me, was Avery’s next mouthed question.
“What happened or what’s wrong with you?”
Both.
“Do you remember lining up because of a single escapee?”
He here?
“Yes. I had to remove shards of glass from his hands and feet. Luckily for him, the cuts weren’t too bad, but he has to stay here for a few days while he heals.” Dr. Brisiki said. “Anyway, you got the worst possible Shock apparently because of what you had said to Lady Vika Rone. Something defiant that she did not like, and she apparently wanted to ‘hear the Sparrow scream’. She’s now referring to you as ‘Sparrow’ because of The Sparrow’s Ally. I could hear your scream all the way down in my office, and you know how much sound gets down there from the cells. The walls are soundproof, same as the doors, and I could still hear it with the door shut, and rumor is that your scream even reached the floors above and below us.
“You also jerked about so much from the Shock that you hit your head quite hard, almost like a seizure, according to the elf. She was one of the closest to you, and she immediately leapt to hold you down so you didn’t harm yourself and your egg. It’s perfectly safe, and your Mate made sure that it was set into an incubator equal in temperature to your own core. He’d apparently read up on it and also asked someone about the care of an egg and how long before it hatches.
“The damage to your nervous system is quite extensive. It’s a miracle you even survived the Shocking, let alone are currently recovering from it. I’ll have to keep you sedated until you’ve recovered completely. You’ll also have a nasty bruise around your throat for the time being, as it’s directly underneath and around your Passive Collar. It about choked the life out of you, as well. Your punishment was far too severe. You didn’t deserve it, at all, and nobody’s willing to try and do what you did now. It’s not a good thing, per se…”
Avery’s eyes scanned the doctor’s face. Worry lines creased her brow as she looked away from Avery’s face. Suddenly, Avery felt utterly exhausted, ready to rest. Her eyelids fluttered shut as she breathed in deeply. Her mind was cloudy, exhausted, unable to fully function correctly as she lay there on the cot.
Suddenly, she felt a cooling sensation of water being poured down her raw throat. It soothed the burn for a little bit before another liquid was distributed, bitter and somewhat gag- worthy, but she downed it, nonetheless. After that came a sweet liquid, bringing the calm relief of dreamless sleep…
Avery later awoke, days later, perhaps weeks, even, to the sensation of someone’s voice calling her awake. Time was of no circumstance to her in the state she had been within. Her eyes fluttered open, and she turned her head to look for the source. It was odd to her, the amount of time she called days perhaps being weeks on end for this place, and that the potions of sorts that she had been given in order to help guide her body back to its original state of health.
Her eyes settled on Corynn, who sat on the cot next to her, holding their egg. What a funny thing, to think of it as their egg. How long had it been since she had last opened her eyes? Hours? Days? Weeks? Months, for that matter?
“Good,” Corynn said, “you’re awake.”
“Why did you need me awake?” Avery rasped, her voice soft from disuse.
“The egg’s hatching.”
“How long…?” she asked, spying Dr. Brisiki walking over with a tray of food and water, as well as two oddly-colored glass bottles.
“Three weeks,” came not the doctor’s reply, but the reply of a woman who stepped out from behind Dr. Brisiki. She must have been the elf. “I was worried that you would not heal completely, but you’ve made a full recovery. Will you allow me to perform a quick examination? You will not need to move yet, but I want to be sure that your body is completely ready for moving around once again. Especially with your egg hatching. You’ll have your hands full with it and the Course.”
“Alrighty, then. Let’s get it over with,” Avery agreed with a nod.
With that, the elf created an orb of blue light the size of a large ball and guided it along Avery’s body. She went through the full color spectrum and nodded. Avery noticed that she was wearing glasses that had many different colored lenses. The elf, seeming to sense Avery’s curiosity, explained. “I’m what we call a Light Guide. We create light, which I used, paired with these glasses, to see your body on an atomic level. You’re perfectly healthy, but I’d advise getting actual sleep in as soon as possible. Don’t go too fast or you’ll deteriorate your recovery and I’ll have to force you to take it slow.”
“Corynn?” Avery asked, sitting up in the bed. She held out her hands. He realized what she was gesturing for, and promptly handed her their egg. Avery’s keen eyes spotted thin cracks spider-webbing across the egg’s surface, and felt the tiny, tentative movements of the infant inside, trying to break free. Her instincts told her to gently tap the very top of the egg. It would break down the center and release the infant nestled within. “May I have a towel? It may be a little messy when the egg breaks.”
“I’ve never seen a Hatching,” commented the elf as she returned with a clean towel. “Do you need a tub of water as well?”
“Actually, I do. Warm. And soap. She’ll need a bath as soon as she hatches. If she’s like me, she won’t like dirty wings,” Avery replied with a smile. “By the way, I don’t think anyone here has ever seen one, to be honest. This is our first. Corynn and I are only sixteen. That’s our age of maturity. Only then am I able to lay. We also Mate for life.”
“The infant is nowhere near the same amount of time that human gestation takes. You’re saying that it was laid about three months ago, or conceived around then, at least. Wouldn’t the infant within be a preemie?”
“No,” Corynn corrected, shaking his head as he stood. “Three months is all it takes, from conception, to laying, to hatching. I’ve asked about it, as well, and that’s what I’d been told. Earlier than three months, the infant will not survive for long without having to be in an incubator. Later than three months, it’ll be stronger than those who hatch at precisely three months.”
Chapter Twenty: Orchaeda
THE ROOM WAS SILENT AS EVERYONE HELD THEIR BREATH, WATCHING AVERY TENTATIVELY TAP THE PEAK OF THE EGG. With a soft crack, the egg split cleanly, the newborn tumbling neatly into her mother’s lap. It wailed, its small red face scrunched up. Avery kissed its brow, which immediately made it cease its wails and look into its mother’s eyes. Sure enough, her prediction was correct, and it was a baby girl, perfectly healthy, except for the fact that one wing was slightly smaller than the other, as though it had not completely developed.
“Her eyes,” Corynn commented as the elf gave the infant a quick bath and Dr. Brisiki put a diaper and a clean blanket wrapped around her.
“Orchaeda,” Avery replied. “We should call her Orchaeda, or Orchid, for her eyes. They’re exactly that color, if slightly muted.”
“Orchaeda Starshade,” Corynn muttered. “I like it.”
“Orchaeda it is,” Dr. Brisiki declared, carefully handing Avery the now clean newly hatched baby girl. “I need to send a message to the suppliers for baby clothes with wing holes and diapers. Essentials for taking care of infants and - do you need anything specific for yourself?”
“Not that I can think of, no…”
“Then I’ll send the message. This has never happened in my course of work, you know. A subject having a child, that is.” Dr. Brisiki left the three. “No escape attempts, you hear?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” came Avery’s sarcastic reply.
“What I wouldn’t give for a bit of your wisdom and wit,” mused the elf. “By the way, what are your names, and why did you do what you did a few weeks ago?”
“Avery and Corynn Starshade,” Avery replied, “at your service. What’s your name?”
“Seraphina Vroas.”
“Nice to meet you,” Corynn and Avery chorused.
“Now, the reason I did what I did three weeks ago? That’s a great question. What Lady Shocks-a-lot said to me rang a bell and made me think of some epic poem from home that I’d read. It’s been a long time since I read it, but the stanza was relevant to my situation. Not that I actually recited the bit that came to mind, but it was in my head. I’m surprised she even read or heard of it.
“They went like this: ‘ “Choose one,” it crowed, and with that it flew. “Choose one, or the one you love will fade, and the one you lied about will die. Choose one and you shall stay in one piece.” “Choose one,” echoed another voice. “A star will die, but another will rise in its ashes. Do not fear the crashes of the dark. For its path is only chaos, and thine mind will cease to be. Choose that which is right, not which is wrong, and you shall be greatly rewarded. Choose one.” He turned to the demon and called in reply, “You are off on my heart yet nigh. A star burns brightly in the night, but are you not the one of fright? One, I fear brings to mind all my fears to me bind. I shall stand with the stars and hold against your farce. For all you want is my fear, yes, to harm all I call dear,” he replied, standing up against his fear. “I cannot choose what I hold dear, not if you’ll use it to instill in me fear,”. ’ To that she replied with a couple of lines from The Sparrow’s Ally, which I returned the courtesy of.”
“So you were bantering with an epic poem?” asked Seraphina.
“More or less,” Avery replied, brushing her fingers gently through the soft black down of Orchaeda’s wings. The infant slept soundly against her chest, listening to her strong heartbeat. “The stars look down from on high and see this daughter to where I call from Sky,” she whispered, inaudible to everyone except for Orchid and herself.
“I have a question,” Corynn said, sitting next to Avery on the cot. “Why did you do it exactly?”
Avery sighed. “You know me too well. I did what I did because it felt like the right thing. The first thing was that I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I couldn’t let her hands fall on you, Corynn, because of my words. The second was that I had absolutely no clue as to why she had chosen me to answer her question, which still bothers me. I don’t like the ideas that I do have about her reasons for choosing to call on me and make me answer her questions. Either it was because I was directly in front of her or because she had heard from someone about what I’d already said and-or done, so she wanted to see if it was true. Or perhaps she thought I was weak for some reason and would be meek in my reply, which I was to start out with. When she’d realized I wasn’t all that scared, or, at least, putting on a brave face, she got irritated with me.” Avery shrugged, shifting into a more comfortable position. “Something irritated her about me, and I don’t know or even want to know what it was.”
Corynn and Seraphina were silent for a long time, pondering Avery’s points. While they thought about her words, Avery awkwardly dove into the food that had been brought for her, not caring whether it was fake or not.
“Slow down, you’ll choke,” said the doctor, finally returning to the room. Avery glanced up and froze, the fork halfway to her mouth. “Pause for a minute. You need to take the medicines that she made for you before you finish. One of them’s not going to taste very good,” she warned, opening one of the bottles, a turquoise color with a thick amber liquid that sloshed inside.
“I’ll take the worst first, then.”
“I would suggest plugging your nose for that one. The smell alone could make you gag, and you don’t want to know what’s in it,” Seraphina warned. “May I?” she held out her hands, offering to take Orchid for the moment.
“Hand her back to me when she starts fussing, if she starts fussing,” Avery replied, giving her daughter to the elf after setting down the fork. She shifted once again to a cross-legged position and held out her hand for the bottle. Plugging her nose, she chugged the liquid, almost gagging as she finished it, the flavor not unlike charbroiled garbage and the gag-worthy memory of an accidental mouthful of blue snow, the texture like a chunky amber slime. “Blue snow,” she coughed, eyes watering. “Bad memory.”
Everyone seemed confused for a moment at her comment.
“Blue snow - wait, you mean that one time…? Oh, geez, Avery. That was bad,” Corynn laughed. Avery stuck out her tongue, snatching the second bottle from Dr. Brisiki.
“That one should taste much better,” Seraphina commented with a laugh as Avery popped the lid and quickly chugged the pink syrupy liquid.
“Much better,” Avery agreed with a sigh. “So, what were each supposed to be for?”
“The first was to heal your nerves the rest of the way, since I wasn’t sure if they were all quite all online yet. The second was to try and ease some of the aches in your muscles that you’re going to feel the moment you set foot on the ground,” Seraphina explained. “By the way, what was that comment on blue snow about?”
Chapter Twenty-One: Blue Snow Story
AVERY RELENTED WITH A SIGH OF OBVIOUS DISDAIN FOR THE TOPIC, CLEARLY NOT WANTING TO RECOUNT THE EMBARRASSING TALE. “Before I start the story, there’s a little bit of background information you should know about us. Corynn and I were raised farm-style, so we hardly had any true education, aside from whatever we read and such, and we read a lot. But it isn’t just that. We were almost always in nature, and winters were… odd. Especially one winter. And that was because of the winthrux migration when we were, what, eleven or twelve? It wasn’t too long ago, actually. Winthrux have blue urine,” she explained, blushing. “So, if you’ve heard the expression ‘don’t eat yellow snow’, blue snow’s even worse. Not that it’ll harm you, since it’s used in potions, but, by itself, it is disgusting. Get where I’m going?”
Almost everyone was about ready to burst into laughter. It may have been a funny story, but it was a source of embarrassment for Avery. She stared at her lap, more than a little embarrassed. “It’s not that funny. Corynn might think it was, but it wasn’t. It was disgusting, and now you’re just making fun of me because of it.”
Corynn snorted, laughing all the more. “You don’t know… just how funny that was!” he gasped between fits of laughter. “Your face!”
Avery stood and stretched. “If you guys can’t keep a grip on yourselves, I’m going to walk off with Orchaeda.” She made her way over with slightly wobbly legs and took her infant daughter from Seraphina before settling back down on the bed in her preferred position. Once the laughter had finally died down, she continued with the embarrassing story. “So, Corynn and I were tracking the winthrux, just to see what they looked like, since we’d missed the last migration. And lo and behold, there was one waiting just behind us, tracking the two of us. And behind it was our adoptive older brother, Koros, waiting until we’d realized that we were being followed by both the winthrux and him.
“So, Koros decided, because we weren’t being observant, to spook the winthrux by throwing a blue snowball at its rear end. And it bolted. We about were trampled by it, and, in our efforts to get away, knocked wings and I landed right in between the two paddles. I had to hold on for dear life to try and stay on there, because my wings and cloak had somehow gotten tangled together, and I couldn’t fly. But then the winthrux made a sudden stop once it reached its herd, and I flew right out of its paddles, directly into some blue snow. Face first.”
At that, everyone else burst out laughing. Avery’s cheeks and ears burned from embarrassment, and she was sure they could see the bright red color rising to the surface of her skin. “It’s not that funny,” Avery protested, scowling as fiercely as she could with a baby in her arms and her cheeks burning a bright embarrassed red. “ ‘Stars collide and cities fall, while the gate destroys the wall. Barriers shattered, I stand alone, among the stars and the planets I call my own,’ ” she muttered. “I really shouldn’t have told you all the story…”
That was lousy of you, Corynn. You made them want to hear more of it, she mentally grumbled. Orchaeda stirred, opening her violet eyes to look into her mother’s face. It doesn’t mean I don’t love you, though. But I don’t like what you do to me. Maybe I deserve it, though.
Perhaps she did…
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Course
THE FOLLOWING DAY, AVERY WAS WOKEN EARLY WITH THE REST OF THE “PRISONERS” IN ORDER TO START HER FIRST DAY IN “THE COURSE”. She wasn’t exactly happy with the idea, either, since she had just finished her recovery from that horrible Shocking she had been given. The bruise around her throat was still there, but a faint testament to what she had to endure only a few weeks previous.
“Morning,” Avery whispered cheerfully to her neighbors. Might as well get introductions over with and get to know my neighbors, she concluded. Orchid peered at the two Water-Walkers that they were between, violet eyes glittering.
“You were the one who spoke at my capture,” said the male Water-Walker, disdain evident in his tone.
“I apologize for what had to be said. Keep in mind that I got it worse than you did, though.”
“You made the situation worse with your words,” he retorted.
“You were already in pain from the glass embedded in your hands and feet from your escape,” Avery reminded him. “I, on the other hand, was given the highest amount of electricity possible without killing me, and I still have the bruise around my throat from the Choking. What you got can’t compare to the agony of every nerve burning.” Avery paused. “I didn’t want to speak, and what that woman wanted was to harm me individually. Apparently, she didn’t like the thought of an intellectual that could bash on her so subtly that everyone but her realized what I was really saying, if they knew the context. My words obviously held a truth she evidently didn’t like. Maybe because I explained something that they’ve never been able to figure out on their own in such few words that it irritated her. Dr. Brisiki may have spoken of my idea to someone who transferred my words to her and made her want to bash me for the reason that I spoke a truth she didn’t want out.”
The Water-Walker was silent as they walked in a line. His hands touched Avery’s folded wings, sending a shiver down her spine.
“You’re blind, aren’t you?”
“Aren’t we all?”
“In some way or form, I guess we are.”
The Water-Walker nodded. “You’re from the Sky,” he observed, running a hand through the feathers of Avery’s wings. “And you don’t like it when people touch your wings. They’re really quite soft.”
“Owl-like feathers. I can do silent flights.”
Avery peered at his face, trying to determine his expression’s origins.
“Your hair, I assume, feels the same way, if you take such good care of your wings,” he mused, removing his hand from Avery’s wing after smoothing down the ruffled feathers. “After all, one who takes such good care of their body must be able to take care of such a little one even better than themselves.” He carefully extended a hand towards Orchaeda, who reached a tiny hand from within the blankets towards his fingers. She gripped tightly and cooed softly. “A kind child.”
“I’m Avery, and this is Orchid,” she offered. “What’s your name?”
“Rykor.”
“Excuse me, but may I ask you a question?” asked the female Water-Walker in front of them.
“Shoot your arrow and we’ll see how far it flies,” Avery replied. “Go ahead,” she added, realizing that it really was an odd expression to those unaccustomed to her replies.
“That is a strange expression, but I’ll go ahead, then.” The female nodded her head. “My name is Koaara. I know that not only have you been absent for the past three weeks, but that you constantly carried or held a satchel or an egg. You were never pregnant, but is that your child that you hold in your arms?”
“Orchid is my first. We don’t have live births, but hatch from eggs.”
“That explains it,” Koaara nodded. “Thank you.”
Avery got her breakfast and sat down with the rest of the “Prisoners” at one of the tables. Orchid looked around the table, wide-eyed. The variety of peoples there was surprising. High elves, Water-Walkers, her, Orchaeda and Corynn, magical peoples, and the single elf Seraphina. No wonder she didn’t truly feel out of place here. Almost everyone had magic, and all of them were stuck in the same situation as she was. None of them could escape, and all of them had magic that was being sought by those on the Technological Planet. And apparently it was totally an illegal thing that posed as perfectly legal by hiding this controversial topic behind the organization’s flawless front. How pathetic and childish that they’d do this to innocents in the hope of gaining their own magic.
Regardless of their surroundings, Avery dug in and ate breakfast, trying to avoid the synthetic taste as much as possible.
After breakfast, Avery was taken to her own exam room, which seemed to be an annoyingly large space turned into a labyrinth for her to get through. Her wings were bound, and Orchaeda held onto by Dr. Brisiki.
“Okay, what’s the purpose of this? To see reaction time?” Avery prompted irritably as she was marched into the labyrinth. “Memory?”
“You’ll find out as you go along,” answered one of the scientists from inside the booth high above her. “For now, assume you’re a mouse in a maze. Your goal is to get to the center and back without backtracking. You’ll find out what will happen if you make a wrong turn if and when it happens.”
“Map glance allowed, or is it constantly shifting about?” Avery replied.
“Your time starts now,” the scientist replied, interrupting Avery’s thoughts.
“Okay… So it’s a shifting maze. Let’s get this over with.” Avery stormed off into the maze, making sure to glance down every turn, and hop when she wasn’t sure whether the end was dead or continued on. Twice, the walls shifted on her as she got closer to the center, blocking the path she was set on and opening up a new one for her to follow. Once, she had to turn around and immediately felt the shock from the collar zip through her body. Her nerves hated it, and immediately shut down for a moment. As soon as she could get up and move, she continued on her way. Apparently her nerves couldn’t take electrical shocks very well anymore. She’d have to be careful next time.
Once she reached the center, she spotted a buzzer. “Do I hit the buzzer and continue?” Avery called to the booth.
“Choose for yourself.”
“I ain’t choosing the buzzer. I’d rather just jump it and go,” she replied, racing out another opening, as the one she’d entered through had closed. Once she passed through the corridor, slight pressure began building in the collar, tightening around her throat. “Come on,” she grunted, speeding up. This time, she didn’t hit any obstacles, luckily, but was slowly losing the ability to breathe. The moment she reached the end, the pressure around her throat ceased, and she came to a stop. “Next time, I’m going to make you wish you didn’t do that to me. Be prepared for a horrible song, people,” she muttered darkly.
Avery smoothed her tunic, then ran a hand through her hair, which had, surprisingly, gotten tangled in her run.
“Somehow Orchid knew when you were being hurt. She fussed when you were shocked and the entire run back,” Dr. Brisiki said, handing Orchid back to her mother. “She was not watching. We were in the hallway.”
“Sometimes a mother and child’s connection can not be separated.”
Chapter Twenty-Three: Three Months
THE DAYS FLOWED INTO WEEKS, THE WEEKS INTO MONTHS, AND IT SEEMED AS THOUGH TIME HAD PASSED SO LITTLE, AS THE TRIALS GREW MORE AND MORE HARMFUL AND MORE STRESSING. Orchid was starting to walk by the time the final trial of the Course came, which made things difficult, as she was proving to be quite quick and extremely sneaky. All Avery needed was for Orchid to wander off, and she’d be screwed. Luckily, she had Corynn and Seraphina there to help hold onto Orchid during the final trial, as well as every other prisoner present to watch what happened to her, as a sort of demonstration of Lady Rone’s power over their large group. It would most likely result in the ultimate loss of her own magic, and perhaps her own life as well. She was the only one of the other “prisoners” to have passed every trial. So now she was going to lose her own magic and her own life. Why? Because the scientists and the entire corporation had become so corrupt that they decided to steal magic in order to use magic.
Now, Avery was standing before the very woman who called her Sparrow. Lady Vika Rone. What a cruel twist of fate, Avery mused.
“You stand before me, to give up your magic. You cannot fight back, or you will be killed. Let me take your magic, or will I have to kill for it?” Lady Rone hissed, circling Avery. Avery did not move, nor reply. There was no need. Lady Rone knew what Avery’s reply would be. A single line from the Sparrow’s ally. Or perhaps from an ancient epic. “You should be afraid. Very afraid.”
“I stand before you,” Avery called loudly, so that everyone present could hear, “as a testament. Despite my terror, I am not afraid of you. I am not afraid of death. And I am not afraid of what you may do to me. No, my fear lies elsewhere. With those I leave behind. With those who must witness this violence. My life may be short. It may be long. I may lose my magic, or lose my life, but, verily I am free. I still have my mind. And until you kill me, I still have the breath in my lungs. My life may be in your hands, but it will never be truly dictated by your hand until I give it willingly to you.
“No. I am free. The stars seek shelter within the blackness of night. But their light is what keeps them safe. Not the darkness of night. But of their lives and where their beliefs stand. And I stand not with the darkness, but with the light of which I come from. My death may be meaningless to you, but my life has value to those who have seen it as testament to the light that lays dormant inside of every single one of us. Those who choose to embrace the darkness will only be weaker than that of the light. Yet those who cannot embrace their own light, but that of others, will be no better than those who embrace their own darkness. My heart tells me to stand. And this is what I shall do. There is no heart among us who has not tried to embrace the light within, but find it too frightening. No heart should ever fear the light that shines from within themselves.
“I will not deny my own fear, but I deny that which you have chosen. I will not follow your path. And I will never bow to your power, for it has made your soul weak.” Avery’s eyes were proud and defiant. “I may be the sparrow to your hawk, but this sparrow has wings of light, and I have a sharp beak.”
Lady Rone’s eyes were hard as she held up the spear. “Then you will not feel this when I kill you,” she snarled. Avery’s collar sent a shock through her body, forcing her to her knees as her body fought hard against the electricity that coursed through.
Avery did not scream, knowing full well that it was what Lady Rone wanted to hear. Her mind was set. Magic flowed through her, healing the tormentous agony that came with the shock, strengthening her. In that moment, Lady Rone attacked.
Pain made Avery gasp. Blood spattered the floor as the spear was sent through Avery’s gut. Spots danced before her eyes as she gasped for breath. Magic was sucked from her veins before the spear was pulled out, glowing brightly. Avery’s magic flowed around the wound, healing it, strengthening her body. This would be the only time that she would ever feel pain from Lady Rone. Forever. Her eyes blazed as she straightened.
“How queer,” mused Lady Rone, tasting the blood that flowed down the spear. “I thought I would take more magic than that with the wound.”
Avery’s expression was calm as she separated her hands, the electricity that kept the cuffs together broken. Her motions were like water as she took up various stances and slowly gathered more and more magic. Corynn immediately knew what she was doing, and yelled for her not to do it. It was a last resort, used to vanquish those who wish ill on them, all while losing her magic for at least a decade. She would be useless until her magic returned, and there was no way she’d be able to recover enough to do a thing once she used it. It was a sacrifice to the Great Father Spirit, who would keep a hold on her magic until their covenant was fulfilled within the set amount of time.
Avery did not hear him, or at least did not acknowledge his words. This was her choice: to sacrifice her own magic for the safety and freedom of everyone in the facility. Nothing would stop her from it, either, and could not.
“What is she doing?” whispered many different people, watching Avery with amazement.
“She’s sacrificing her magic to save us,” Corynn whispered in reply to the other prisoners’ questions. “Today is when we gain freedom. And when Avery loses her magic to our Great Father Spirit. For how long, though, I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you how long, or how much of herself she’ll lose with her magic, but I know she’s giving it all up to save us all. There’s no way to stop her once she’s set her mind to something.”
“She’s unstoppable, then.”
“Almost.”
Chapter Twenty-Four: Sacrificing Magic
“WHY AREN’T YOU STOPPING HER?” SCREAMED LADY RONE, WAVING HER SPEAR WILDLY. “Lock her hands together!”
“They are ma’am!” cried a frightened worker. “They’re at full strength, and still not working!”
“The readouts say the same things!” agreed another assistant. Three others voiced their agreements.
“Magic levels are rising from her. The sensors are going nuts! Something big’s happening!”
Something big indeed, Corynn mused, watching his mate pensively. Orchid fussed and reached towards Avery. He absently rubbed her palm, something that he had found soothed Orchid for a time.
“Come on, Avery. You can do it,” he muttered.
Suddenly, magic in the form of a bright blue light burst forth, initially surrounding Avery, then flooding the whole building. Before them, all of those who had wished them ill dropped dead. Everyone else was untouched, but utterly surprised at the sight of all the lifeless bodies surrounding them.
Avery stumbled forwards, towards the group and fell at Corynn’s feet.
“Someone, carry Avery, please. We need to get out of here. Now!” Corynn called, taking charge of the surprising situation. “She’s going to be too weak to walk, let alone stand, and I have Orchid.”
To his surprise, a group of men came to his aid and two of them picked Avery up, before they realized just how lightweight she was. One of them took Avery, careful not to touch anything that Avery would find as an offense to her femininity. Their chains were broken, and the collars fell to the ground as they ran, letting them go free on their way to escape to the ships, where they could flee to their respective planets.
As they ran along the corridors of the empty ships, Corynn noted that Avery seemed to be regaining consciousness. That was a good sign, he hoped. Hopefully it wasn’t losing her voice, maybe just not being able to hear, or, better yet, see. But he just had to wait for Avery to completely regain consciousness.
Beside him ran the man who carried Avery, and to his other side ran the blind male Water-Walker. He seemed to be having some difficulty finding his way around, so Corynn gently offered a wing to help guide him.
“Here, let me help you,” Corynn offered, sticking out a wing for Rykor. “I’ll guide you where we need to go.”
Rykor brushed up against Corynn’s wing. “Thanks, but I won’t need it for very long,” he huffed.
“I doubt you will,” Corynn agreed. “But until we reach the ships and you’re on the right course to your homeworld, there’s no way I can let you not touch my wing.”
“Your mate is quite brave,” Rykor observed. “Sacrificing her magic like that will not be easy on her, that’s for sure. Does she depend on it?”
Corynn smirked. “I think she would have preferred to not have any magic in the first place, if I’m being honest.”
They turned a corner, and were greeted by the sight of the ships that were not yet being boarded.
“What world do you live on?” Corynn asked.
“Heart.”
“Let’s head back together, then,” Corynn said, stopping to guide Rykor up the platform. “So, are you also from the Heart, or do I need to drop you off on another world?” he asked the other man, who carefully set Avery into a seat and buckled her in.
“I’m from the Mystery. My family’s probably given up on finding me. Lyseeros Colony, Lykros City, to be exact.”
“That’s a little out of our way, but we can manage.”
“Glittering Wilds,” said Seraphina, stepping into their shuttle. “And there’s two more, one from Ocean and one from Desert. There’s enough room for all of us, and we should quickly check for supplies, especially if we’ll have to stop at one of the planets for supplies. This will take a week or so, you know.”
“We can go with it,” came Avery’s quiet reply. “They should come along, anyways. There’s no way anyone else would take them. Besides, everyone from the same worlds are taking the same group of ships so that it’s easier for them.”
“Thank the stars,” Corynn breathed, relieved.
“With my magic goes my vision,” Avery said, as though she had read his thoughts. “I won’t be blind until we get home, but my sight’s going. It won’t be back until my magic is returned to me.”
“How long will it be gone for?” Corynn asked.
“Seventeen years.”
Avery was given skeptical looks from everyone as Corynn brought the ship up and they started out of the ports and towards their first stop: the Desert Planet.
“How do you know?” questioned the girl from the Desert Planet, who was around thirteen or fourteen.
“There is a precision to a magic-binding covenant. Those within it know the parameters of the covenant. It’s impossible to break, but can be taxing for those who give up their magic to form it. They want to use magic, but they cannot because they have none.” Avery fingered her sword cuff, tracing the runes on it.
“In my case, I’m not affected by it, exactly, because I don’t use it very often. If I did, then I would be in a much worse state. I’m still Magician Primor, just without the magic.” Her eyes glittered mischievously as she changed the cuff into a sword and started to polish the metal. “I rely on my mind and my strengths, not on magic that may or may not be reliable in my case. That’s why I’m not as tormented at the moment with the loss of my magic. I never used often it in the first place.” She ran the cleaning cloth along the blade, then changed the sword back into the cuff with a flick of her wrist.
“Why would you sacrifice your magic for us?”
Avery smiled gently. “It was the right thing.”
Chapter Twenty-Five: Introductions
NOT EVERYONE WAS SURPRISED AT AVERY’S REPLY. At least, not Corynn. If he had the same amount of magic that Avery had, then he would have done the same thing. Or, at least, he hoped he would have. There was no way to know for sure unless he were faced with the same choice.
“But why?” Seraphina pressed. “You didn’t have to.”
Avery shook her head. “If we were to ever leave that place, it was the only way. No one was going to help us, and the only other way to escape was to die, and that isn’t something I’m willing to see happen to everyone. So, I gave up my magic for our collective freedom.” She ran a hand through her long black hair and unbuckled from the seat of the ship. “I’m going to see if I can try taking a shower. I need to get out of this bloody tunic.”
“Take Orchaeda with you, please,” Corynn pleaded. Orchid walked over to her mother, grinning as she arrived. “We’re going to talk about some things that aren’t necessarily for hatchlings’ ears.” He ran a hand through his hair, turning the seat to face his Mate. “Orchid doesn’t need to hear it, at least.”
“Discussing who sleeps where?” Offered the girl.
“That,” Corynn agreed, “and some other things.”
Avery shrugged and took Orchid’s hand, walking off to the sleeping quarters of the ship. There were enough rooms for everyone to sleep in their own bed, but there was only one bathroom. The water was also recycled as they used it, which was a convenience she was not quite accustomed to.
It had been a few months since her last shower or even a bath, and she hadn’t changed out of her tunic in even longer. The good thing was, she had still brought along her satchel, which, luckily, still had all of her things untouched by any hand but her own. Everything within it was a convenience for her, as she hadn’t expected them to still be there after she had started the Course. She was still a little miffed about it, too. Especially since everything that had happened either injured her or nearly killed her.
Avery started at the sight of her own reflection in the mirror as she undressed. She almost didn’t recognize herself, and it didn’t help that her vision had already started to fade. Her eyes were paler, slightly deeper-set, and her cheeks had gone gaunt.
Her skin wasn’t as soft as she remembered, and her hair and feathers had gotten dirty over time. At least she had been able to preen her wings, but having to see her feathers in this state distressed her; they were discolored and she felt dirty seeing them that way, as though the color change meant the destruction of her own purity. Raven black hair became tangled and greasy over time, and it bothered her to see that her ribs could be seen as plainly as day. This wasn’t right. It wasn’t the way she was supposed to look, and there was no way she would let it go through.
After a full examination of her body, and a quick wash of Orchid, with special care to Orchid’s white feathers, Avery took her own shower, taking time to do her full-on cleansing of both wings and body. Luckily, she always had her cleansing oils for her wings, and her soaps were perfect for using on Orchid. After the shower, she would smell and look much better.
To Avery’s pleasure, the discoloration of her wings was almost immediately erased with a hard scrub and two usages of her special oils. She felt much better as she got dressed in a clean tunic, loose and long, and braided her hair before picking Orchid up and carrying her on her hip to the rest of the group.
“You clean up well,” mused Corynn.
“I had my things with me. Don’t think I’m not prepared. So, introductions?” Avery changed the subject, sitting back down and settling Orchid in her lap. “I’ll start. I’m Avery Starshade. This is - ”
Orchid piped up, saying her own name for the first time. Although she had been talking in full sentences for a couple of weeks, she had not yet said her own name. “Orchid! I’m Orchid Starshade!” she cried, excited and grinning.
“Corynn Starshade,” Corynn said, smiling at his Mate and hatchling.
“Seraphina Vroas.”
“Chieftess-in-Waiting Arya of Kyursae,” said the girl. “Not that I want to be that in the first place,” she muttered, whether to herself or to everyone, nobody knew for sure.
“Finnskan Digram,” said the man from Mystery. “You can just call me Finn. Or Digram.”
“Prince Rykor,” said Rykor, standing. “My gills are drying out. I’ll be right back.”
“Do you need any…?” Avery offered, starting to stand.
“I think I can find my way just fine, thank you very much,” Rykor retorted. “I’ll just be a couple of minutes.”
Ignoring Rykor’s comment, the last person spoke up, a man from the Ocean Planet. “Zen Xycas.”
Seraphina spoke up. “Now that we have introductions out of the way, does anyone need any patching up? I can take care of any injuries that you have.”
Avery held up her hands in mock surrender when everyone turned to look at her. “I healed with magic before I traded it in, so don’t look at me.”
Avery looked at all of her new companions. Or, at least, temporary ship-mates until they returned to their own homes.
Arya was small for her age, from what Avery could tell. With her short blonde hair and darker complexion, she seemed somewhat out of place in the ship. Most likely, she was used to living in the higher temperatures, and not as used to the air conditioning of the ship. Her dark red eyes were almost brown, but fierce, and she seemed to radiate anger for having to be where she was. Or perhaps her position in life.
Finn was average in every aspect, and looked like he probably came from the last planet in the system. His hair, skin, and eyes were pale, like ice, although he was taller than most of the inhabitants. He was lean and handsome, and quite friendly.
Zen was hard to place. His features were constantly shifting, but there were a few things that didn’t change: his black hair, pale green eyes, and porcelain skin. It was a common thing for those on the Ocean world, though, and wasn’t uncommon to see from time to time when there were tour groups back home on the Heart. Although, the last one she had seen was much older, and a great seer who gave them the book she carried.
Almost as though to break her train of thought, Rykor chose that moment to throw an item at Avery. She caught it, and set Orchid to follow Corynn to the bathroom.
“What’s this?” she asked Rykor.
“For later. You’ll know what it’s for when the time comes.” Rykor refused to elaborate, and Avery didn’t press him for answers, knowing full well that he’d explain on his own terms. At least, she hoped he would.
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Desert Planet
IT TOOK ONE STANDARD DAY CYCLE UNTIL THEY ARRIVED AT THE DESERT PLANET. Arya had been waiting impatiently for them to dock and pay for it and was clear that she knew her way around.
“So, where does your tribe live, currently?” Corynn asked for Avery, who was temporarily occupied with a tough piece of translation in her book.
“Halibas city is the closest to our valley. From Halibas, we’d have to take a small sailing craft around the peninsula and go into the cove. Then there’s a short trek from that location.” Arya paused, collecting her thoughts before continuing.
“There are Water-Walkers that live in the ocean near our home, and along the peninsula. Depending on the distance you wish to travel in order to accompany me home, it could take a few days. If I had help with asking some of the Water-Walkers that live nearby, it would take less time.”
Avery and Corynn exchanged glances, knowing what the other was going to say.
She looked around at the group that had decided to accompany her to the surface; everyone was there, mostly for tourism opportunities. Avery, on the other hand, was there mainly to try and find a book she’d looked up on the computer’s systems that was said to be held by Arya’s tribe.
“Once we get to my tribe, I can see about asking my father if you could see the text,” Arya added.
Avery nodded her thanks and returned to working on the translation. Finally, she bit her lip and set down her quill.
“Corynn, what’s ‘loisg urchair’?”
Last edited by kitty_coolness_123 (Jan. 4, 2019 03:09:53)
- @kitty_coolness_123
Writing profile: @_WinterStory_
Side account: @ChronosKeeper
“Not all those who wander are lost.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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Walkers Chronicles Story
“Fire a shot,” came Corynn’s distracted reply.
Avery jotted it down. “Right now this passage’s translating to ‘A king’s throne torn down, an heir to the lost crown. The terror flares as the city burns; the angels fire a shot’, and I’m assuming that the next part of that line is… well, I don’t think that’s right. Wait a second. Okay, now I’m confused. Look at this,” she held up the book for Corynn to read.
Corynn took the book from Avery’s hands.
“No,” he said, looking over the runes, “it was right. It says ‘A king’s throne torn down, an heir to the lost crown. The terror flares as the city burns; the angels fire a shot into the cairns.’ It’s just pronounced weird.” He handed the book back to Avery. “I was wondering where you had this one, Aves,” he commented.
“I wanted to work on translating it.”
“Without me.”
Avery bobbed her head. “More or less. I needed something to do during mealtimes. I’m pretty far, but I’ll be forced to stop before we get home, what with my vision going out like it is.” She sighed and closed the book, then recapped the ink and dried her quill. “At this rate, I’ll be blind in couple of weeks.”
“You’ll have to rely on me, then,” Corynn replied, completely serious.
Avery laughed. “I don’t care if I have to rely on you to be my eyes. I’ll still be able to do my own thing.”
Avery jotted it down. “Right now this passage’s translating to ‘A king’s throne torn down, an heir to the lost crown. The terror flares as the city burns; the angels fire a shot’, and I’m assuming that the next part of that line is… well, I don’t think that’s right. Wait a second. Okay, now I’m confused. Look at this,” she held up the book for Corynn to read.
Corynn took the book from Avery’s hands.
“No,” he said, looking over the runes, “it was right. It says ‘A king’s throne torn down, an heir to the lost crown. The terror flares as the city burns; the angels fire a shot into the cairns.’ It’s just pronounced weird.” He handed the book back to Avery. “I was wondering where you had this one, Aves,” he commented.
“I wanted to work on translating it.”
“Without me.”
Avery bobbed her head. “More or less. I needed something to do during mealtimes. I’m pretty far, but I’ll be forced to stop before we get home, what with my vision going out like it is.” She sighed and closed the book, then recapped the ink and dried her quill. “At this rate, I’ll be blind in couple of weeks.”
“You’ll have to rely on me, then,” Corynn replied, completely serious.
Avery laughed. “I don’t care if I have to rely on you to be my eyes. I’ll still be able to do my own thing.”
- @kitty_coolness_123
Writing profile: @_WinterStory_
Side account: @ChronosKeeper
“Not all those who wander are lost.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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