by D. E. Morris
“How can anyone really be prepared for this?” He squeezed her a little tighter. “I don't feel right letting you go in there unprotected.”
“Connor, I can't breathe.” His arms loosened and when she pulled back, he looked at her with a sheepish smile that made her press a hand to his cheek. “You can't always be my knight in shining armor. I'll be fine.” Turning her face, her concerned gaze went to Mairead where she stood with Badru. “Besides, it isn't me you should be worried about.”
“I heard her last night, too. Do you think this is still a good idea?”
Lilia shook her head. “Whether it is or not, there's no talking her out of it now.”
Badru was quickly learning the same thing as he pressed one of Mairead's hands in between both of his own. “It is not too late to change your mind.”
She smiled up at him, her veil not yet fastened and her affection for him genuine. “Thank you, Badru. You have always been kind to me, but there is no turning back now. I must do this.”
His sigh was almost quiet enough to go unheard as he handed her the gloves she'd brought. “Perhaps it is because I know you are dear to Ashlynn and also belong to my Element, but I feel a small bit of responsibility for you, especially here when you are so far away from those under whose protection you usually fall.”
Mairead kissed his cheek before fastening the veil across her face. “Thank you.” He helped her with her gloves and she took a deep calming breath. “Any last words of wisdom?”
“Be as observant as you can. Lilia is skilled in asking the right questions whereas your talents lie in gleaning information in between the words that are not spoken. Use that gift. Do your best not to draw too much attention, but try not to fade into the background, either. You want Rhiamon to pay attention to you, just not too much. Above all else, she must not find out you are a Gael or your life may be in danger. That means all skin below your chin must be covered at all times because that is where it is easiest to tell you are not simply another human.”
She touched the injured side of her face over her veil. “What about here?”
“You were lucky. You did not suffer the same fate as Elas and there is no scaling. If you choose to remove your veil, you should be safe, but leave it around your neck as a scarf as a precaution.” Badru was gentle as he framed her face with his hands and made her look at him. “Do not fear, for He has redeemed you. He has summoned you by name; you are His. When you pass through the waters, He will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. You are precious and honored in His sight. Do you believe that?” Despite her head being captured in his grasp, she nodded, making him smile. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before nodding at her in return and letting her go. “Good, because it is all true.”
Kyo came in from outside with a large satchel full of baked goods. “I just saw Eira. She said now is a good time to head out. Apparently, the boy at the gate is an idiot.”
Lilia's brow wrinkled. “There was an old man there the other day. What happened to him?”
Kyo only shook his head. “Gate keepers come and go. We pay them little mind these days.”
With only a slight look of hesitation, Lilia gave Connor one more hug before hurrying to Badru to give him one as well. She surprised Kyo by showing him the same affection, though it brought a wide smile to his wrinkled face and he gladly returned the embrace. “Please thank Gerwyn and Eira for everything. Hopefully we will see you again in a day or two. Take care of these two for us.”
“They're in good hands with me,” Kyo promised, giving a bow of respect to Mairead as she passed him on her way out. Once the door was closed behind the girls, all three men watched them make their way down the street from inside the kitchen, hidden behind a partially closed curtain. They were silent as they stood there, each of them lost in their own thoughts and anxieties over what could possibly happen over the next few days, observant until they could see Lilia and Mairead no longer.
Lilia kept moving her shoulders and arching her back as she walked, making little motions as though she had an itch she couldn't scratch. For a few minutes, Mairead let it go, knowing it was an adjustment for her to be walking around without her wings. All Volarim could will them away at a thought, just as they could fully transform into the creatures they were linked to, but Lilia was one who was rarely seen without her wings showing. They were beautiful and she was vain. She loved the compliments and the looks, even if most of them went ignored especially now that she was courting Connor, but they were as part of her every day attire as her gowns and her jewelry. To walk around without them was surely an adjustment.
“You have to stop,” Mairead finally whispered after they'd turned down two more streets.
“What?” asked Lilia, genuine confusion on her face. In answer, Mairead mimicked the motions Lilia was making, causing the younger woman to recoil in horror. “I wasn't doing that.”
“For the past five minutes, that is all you have been doing.”
“Why didn't you say something?”
“I was hoping you would stop on your own.”
“How can I stop doing something I didn't know I was doing to begin with?”
A young woman looking at feathered barrettes outside a shop nearby turned at the rising sounds of the argument. Both girls gave her as genuine of a smile as they could muster before linking arms and walking on.
“I'm sorry,” Lilia offered when they were away from the woman. “I'm nervous and I don't like being without my wings. I feel naked.”
Mairead squeezed her arm. “I know.”
“Are you not nervous at all?”
She chuckled quietly. “Of course I am. Terrified might be more accurate.”
“Then why don't you show it? Must you be so stoic all the time?”
Mairead looked to the side as though she was taking in the sights of the town around her. “It is for the better of everyone that I am, trust me.”
“And they say I'm the dramatic one.” Lilia looked ahead and lifted her chin. “There, just down over that ridge. See the hooded figure standing by the mountain pass? Just beside him is a gate. You can't see it yet, we're not close enough, but that's the way up to Rhiamon's village.”
Mairead followed her line of vision and tilted her head. “That is all there is keeping people in or out?”
“After the stories we heard last night, I doubt they even need that much. Come on.” They separated from one another to continue on, keeping their eyes on their target. It was impossible to see a face under the large cowl over the head of the person at the gate, but the tall posture gave away the fact that it certainly was not an old man. “I'll do all the talking,” Lilia volunteered quietly before they were too close to be overheard.
Unable to help herself, Mairead glanced at her companion with a smirk. “You always do.”
Lilia's nose lifted. “For the sake of our mission, I will ignore that.” Her eyes slid to her friend, narrowed. “For now.” Before Mairead could respond, Lilia increased her pace to walk ahead. She approached the hooded figure at the gate with confidence and the same smile that always seemed to get her whatever she wanted. “Hello,” she greeted before she could even see a face. “Goodness, you certainly are tall.” The man stood well over a foot above her and turned at the sound of her voice, revealing a face that had her pausing to flutter her lashes. “And young, too.” She held out her hand, taking in his square jaw, thin beard, high cheekbones, and ice blue eyes. “My name is Lilia.” When he said nothing and only looked at her hand, she slowly lowered it and glanced back at Mairead, who had paused to watch. “Ah, well, my friend and I would like to visit your village.”
“No.” He returned his gaze forward, his face hidden once more by the cowl.
Undeterred, Lilia took a few steps to the side so that she stood right in front of him. “I'm sorry, perhaps I should have introduced myself in another man
ner. You see, I am a friend of your mistress, Rhiamon. Well, I wouldn't say that we're friends, more like acquaintances. It is quite possible you've heard of me. Apparently I am something of a celebrity in this town. I'm the girl with the wings.” His eyes moved to her back, making her stammer. “Well, I mean, not at the moment. I didn't want to draw attention, you know.” Teasing, she said, “If you ask nicely, I can show them to you.”
Mairead resisted the urge to hide her face in her hands.
“No,” the young man repeated, a hint of humor in his voice though his face remained expressionless.
Lilia's lips came together in a pout. “What is your name?” He looked at her, one brow lifting as though asking her if she expected him to answer, making her narrow her eyes. “I was told that I was welcome to return any time I felt like it, but I am not feeling very welcomed at the moment.” He tilted his head to one side to crack his neck, then fixed his attention on something in the distance over her head. “What do you want?” Lilia fumed, “proof?”
“Do you have any?”
The unexpected question widened her eyes before causing a slow grin to stretch her lips. “So it does speak in complete sentences. How lovely. Shall we start over and try a civilized conversation?”
He inhaled, losing patience, and looked at her once more. “Unless you can show me some sort of document – a pass, a note, an invitation, something like that with Rhiamon's mark on it – you will stay on this side of that gate. Is that clear?”
“Well I don't have anything like that. She gave me nothing but her word, but if you want to run up there and ask her yourself, I would be more than happy to wait.” She crossed her arms. “Go on. You're wasting daylight.” When he didn't budge, Lilia sighed and looked around. “All right, well then I shall be forced to wait, and don't think I won't. My friend and I will be sitting on that boulder right over there. Won't your face be red when Rhiamon comes down that mountain and sees that I have been sitting out here all day? Come along, Mairead!” She turned on her heel and stalked away. Mairead following dutifully behind at a reluctant pace.
With a loud huff, Lilia planted herself on the nearby boulder and flipped her hair over her shoulder. By the time Mairead joined her, she was fuming. “Calm down,” Mairead cautioned in a low voice. “The last thing we need to do is cause a scene.”
“I want to get in and get out. How dare he turn me away? Rhiamon was practically begging me to stay. If she knew how I was being treated...”
Mairead considered her friend. “If I did not know any better, I would think you were flattered at being wanted. Do not let your ego get in the way of this, Lilia.”
“Don't be ridiculous.”
“What is ridiculous is sitting out here in the summer sun all day. She may not even come into town and we could be waiting on her for naught. Perhaps it would be best to try again tomorrow. I know Eira had her opinions of this boy, but he clearly is not a boy, neither is he an idiot, so she must have been mistaken. We can try again tomorrow.”
“We need to get in,” Lilia insisted. “Mairead, the longer we wait, the more people are in danger.” She turned so that her back was to the man and kept her voice as quiet as she could. “Don't you see? This is the first time in my life that I have been asked to be a part of something so important. This isn't fetching the right dress or entertaining the right noble. I'm doing something...something...”
“Heroic?” Mairead looked down with a nod. “I understand.”
They sat in silence for a moment, both of them mulling over different plans but neither of them coming up with anything that would truly work. Eventually, Lilia asked, “Do you trust me?”
The question made Mairead's stomach tighten, but she answered, “Yes,” in honesty. She watched in question as Lilia stood, taking note that the man at the gate didn't even look their way. At least, not until a white light gathered around Lilia's body. His eyes moved in their direction and as his head was just beginning to turn, Lilia's body was enveloped in the light. She chirped merrily at him in her bird form before zooming up and into the mountains.
“Hey!” he cried, jumping as though he could have grabbed her in midair, but he was woefully too late in his attempt. With a mixture of shock and anger, he turned to Mairead. She only gave him a small shrug. When she realized he was about to run up the path after Lilia, she held out a hand in an attempt to stop him.
“Do you think that is wise?”
“What do you mean?” he growled. “Your friend just flew right past me! I have to try to stop her.”
“Unless you can outrun a bird, I suggest you stay here. Otherwise you will only get there long after she has arrived and end up looking like a fool. Better to save face and act as though you had no idea she even bypassed you.”
His jaw jutted forward, his fists clenching at his sides. With one more scathing glare thrown toward Mairead, he returned to his post and set his sight forward, angry and so still he could have been a statue.
Lilia flew as fast as her little wings would carry her, fearing somehow that the guard at the gate would capture her and it would all be over before she knew it. Soon enough, she realized how foolish her worries were. She slowed her frantic pace enough to look behind her, finding no one there at all but other birds on their way to their own destinations. With a victorious laughing chirp, she headed up the mountain path, staying low above the trees just in case she needed quick cover for any reason. The journey to Cynefin was much quicker this way than it had been on foot; it wasn't long before she could see the rounded hills in the distance crowned by the ringstones, then the village itself.
Just as before, there was the normal ebb and flow of activity that Lilia had witnessed when she'd been there just a few days earlier. She landed in one of the trees by the entrance of the town to watch, curious to see if anything would be different with no visitors about, but it all looked the same. Over by the stream there was a group of people, both men and women, with baskets of linens they were washing. The men had their robes off and wore only their trousers which were rolled up to their knees. The women's sleeveless, flowing dresses were hitched up by their waists, exposing their legs up to their knees as well as they did the washing together.
In another area, some were taking care of a garden that was flourishing with tall tomato plants and fragrant herbs, with row upon row of various fruits and vegetables. A group of young children was being led through the garden by a woman who looked to be in her thirties, teaching them about seedlings and soils as they carefully picked their way in between plants and gardeners.
Some women sat in the sun spinning wool into yarn on a spindle while others embroidered beside them, or painted and drew. There was even a woman among them that looked to be weaving wire as she sat and conversed with the diverse group of artisans. It all appeared so blissful and harmonious, not at all the way she saw Altaine on the rare occasions she visited the capital city, and certainly not the way the castle operated. It was a far cry from what she pictured after the stories Eira told last night as well. This all seemed...well, she reminded herself, it seemed perfect, and that was why so few ever left. It was meant to keep people from wanting to leave. If it was a utopia they searched for, they would be hard pressed to find something closer anywhere else.
Leaving the group behind, she flew on to see what else she could find. It was the sound of children's laughter that drew her to another corner of the village, one she had glanced before when she'd flown about during her short excursion under the cover of darkness. It was tucked away, not hidden, but not all together out in the open, either. The area was small and circular, dug into the ground with logs set into the earth in tiers like a mini amphitheater. Children, thirteen girls and one boy, were scattered across the seats, all paying rapt attention to the woman standing below. As Lilia settled on a branch to listen, she realized it was Rhiamon, and she was teaching some sort of a class. The way the woman moved, even the way she spoke about divination, something of which Lilia cared to know very little
about, was enchanting. She found herself wanting to know more if only to hear Rhiamon continue to speak. She hopped down to a closer branch and must have made a little too much noise or the sun caught her feathers just right, because suddenly, Rhiamon looked up and directly at her.
Lilia froze, a cold chill rushing over her. Surely it was all over now. Rhiamon would call her out and she would be rushed upon. She could possibly even be killed. There was a light of recognition that was unmistakable in the older woman's face, yet the smile that spread across her lips was not one of malice, but one of warmth and greeting. It was as though Lilia was a long-lost friend who had come home after a long journey.
“Children, it seems we have a visitor today. How many of you saw the lovely young woman with the pretty wings who came to see our village the other day?” A few hands raised, but not many. “Her name is Lilia Arterberry, and she is of a race known as the Volar. Does anyone know what that word means?”
“It is an old Alybaenian word,” said the boy. “It means, 'to fly.'”
“That is correct,” Rhiamon crowed. “Though they now have their own language and used to be part of Siness, the first Volar rulers were Alybaenian.” She pointed up to where Lilia was perched. “Now, can anyone tell me what kind of bird Lilia has turned into?” This time, several hands shot up, but Rhiamon pointed to a little girl up front.
“A yellow breasted starling.”
“Very good.” With a waggle of a finger, Rhiamon called Lilia down from the tree. “Girls with pretty wings make for bad spies.” Perhaps she should have continued to be cautious, but the environment was welcoming and Lilia didn't feel as though there were any immediate danger about. She jumped from her branch and fanned her wings, flapping a few times to keep herself from dropping too quickly. When her feet touched the ground at the bottom of the small arena right beside Rhiamon, the familiar light surrounded her tiny body, growing as she did and enveloping her until it blocked her out completely. When it disappeared, she was standing there in her human form. The children fidgeted in their seats, making excited exclamations as Rhiamon looked on, pleased. “Is all right of the children take a closer look at your wings?”