Sunkissed Feathers & Severed Ties

by Kellie Doherty

  “Are you feeling tired?”

  Arias shook her head no.

  They made their way to the medical chambers in silence, twisting through the hallways and without meeting anyone’s gaze. Their packs clanked softly in the large stone walkways, and their boots echoed in reply. Arias was a stranger here, but the Moon Knights were used to strangers asking for help. Perhaps they thought Misti was simply leading her to Aramet’zil Vivia.

  Misti knew they should go to her, especially since she had a letter in her pack that denounced her as a Moon Knight, but she had to keep the pendant from affecting anyone else. Arias kept looking around while they walked, exclaiming at the littlest of things—a piece of ornate weaponry on the wall here, an impressive set of pure gold armor there—but Misti hardly noticed. She’d seen it all before.

  Finally they reached the medical chambers. Sighing with relief, Misti shoved open the wooden door. A large glass-fronted cabinet filled with an array of colorful glass jars and clay pots covered one wall, rows of beds took over the other, and a window at the far end let in the light. A door by the cabinet led to the supply room, which Misti knew was filled with books, scrolls, alcohol, needles, thread, and an assortment of other supplies. They kept the most potent pain medication back there, just in case the Divus healers got overwhelmed and couldn’t get to the sufferers the moment they were brought in. While some other races chose the medico path, Divus were the most drawn to it, their Blood crafting perfectly suited for that line of work. In fact, three Divus medico, wearing green robes that stood out like a beacon against their pale skin, greeted Misti and Arias with a quick touch to their shoulder as they arrived.

  “Pyrosa,” one said. Misti knew the word was a Divus greeting, but she translated for Arias in case she didn’t know. The word meant hail in their tongue. Arias squeezed her arm in response. One reached them before the others, bright brown eyes flitting over Misti’s form, concern etching lines deep into his face. Misti took a deep breath, preparing to tell him what happened, pointing at the Blood pendant attached to her skin.

  But before she could do any of that, the pendant throbbed. Once. Twice. Three times. Misti cried out, reeling back as it burned her skin, and she bumped into Arias. She put her hand over the pendant, trying in vain to keep its strange power inside. Glaring white light shone through her fingers, and the man who had come over to help sank to the floor with a thud, eyes closed and mouth hanging open. White blood dribbled from his ear, staining his black hair.

  “No!” Misti shouted. Not now!

  Arias moved around her, ignoring the shouts of the two other Divus. She knocked Misti’s hand aside, and a burst of crafting encircled the orb once more. A cage, just like before, but not as bright. Her eyes had a hard glint in them as Misti backed away, out of the room, staring at the medico who lay unconscious on the floor. I should’ve let her do that before. She couldn’t see around the other two Divus who had encircled him, couldn’t tell if he was badly hurt or if he was even alive.

  “Stay here,” Arias muttered, then turned to the Divus.

  “Attack!” One of the medico, a man with short blond hair and yellow eyes, had risen to his feet, eyes wide with fear. His voice rose higher. “Attack on the medico!”

  Attack? Misti was about to correct him when Arias intervened.

  “Wait,” she said, putting out a hand to calm the frantic man. “It wasn’t her fault. The pendant around her neck did it.”

  The man seemed beyond reason. He pointed at Misti. “She burst in here, didn’t say a word, and nearly killed Risha! Guards!”

  Before Misti could say anything, guards appeared at her side, giving her an alarmed look and putting their hands on her shoulders.

  Misti stared at the medico, imploring him, “My name is Misti Eildelmann. I’m a Zil in Met’zil Zarious’ guard, and I’m not trying to attack anyone. I’m trying to get help.”

  “Please, she really is.” Arias stepped between them, putting herself in between the orb and the medico.

  The guards let her go. The medico who had been blasted by the orb still lay on the floor. A third Divus crouched beside him, hand on his arm, eyes glowing white. Tendrils of white glowed beneath his thin skin, the crafting following his veins and flowing into the unconscious man. Misti moved as far away from them as possible, sitting down on a bed by the window. The guards tried to follow her, but Arias stood in their way. Silence filled the room, spreading like fog.

  “You shouldn’t come too close. There’s a powerful and dangerous object in this room that might be fatal to anyone near it.” Arias’ quiet voice banished the silence.

  The guards paled and backed away. “Should I get Vivia?” one of them asked.

  Misti recognized him as Salri, a bald, green-eyed Zil. “Yes,” Misti shouted from her corner. “Get Vivia, and get a Vagari and a few Elu, too. Bring them back here.”

  “Immediately,” Arias said.

  The guards disappeared, and Misti turned her attention back to the unconscious man on the floor. The Divus helping him, a man with striking black hair, shook himself from his crafting and sat back, breathing heavily. The unconscious Divus opened his eyes once more. Relief surged through Misti. He’s awake. Moon above, he’s awake.

  “Risha, are you okay?” The blond Divus rushed to him, pushing Arias to the side in his haste.

  The man blinked a few times, as if trying to clear his head, and turned to his companion. His voice came out cracked and old, like a tree moving in the wind. “I’m fine, Mar, I’m fine. Thanks to Piffre.” He rested a hand on the black-haired medico, who had his head now buried in his hands. “I am still tired, however, and so is he. We should rest.”

  “But what about…” Mar pointed to Misti. She straightened under their gaze.

  A frown deepened the lines on Risha’s face. “We help all those in need, especially our fellow Moon Knights. However, I suspect this will not be taken care of easily.”

  Misti breathed a little easier. Mar nodded and helped Risha and Piffre out of the room and into the spare chambers across the hall. Misti watched as they shuffled away, pushing her panic down. The medicos were used to long hours of crafting. Having one fall so quickly, and the other get so exhausted trying to raise him, was a bad sign. It meant that Risha was near death, so near Piffre had to give up most of his own life-energy to fix him. A small and terrible part of her was grateful that it had happened here, in the Moon Knights’ medical chambers. Not that she wanted it to happen at all, but if the pendant had unleashed its power on Arias, or Dylori, or Dis, or even on her while they were running, there would have been nothing they could do to stop it.

  Mar returned and crossed over to Misti with quick, sure steps, ignoring Arias completely. “I’m sorry for the panic earlier. This is my first night, and I hadn’t expected such activity.” He tapped the white sliver of a moon sewn into his robes, marking him as brand new in his chosen field, and then bowed with a hand resting on his forehead. Misti recognized it as a northern gesture of apology, which also explained the rough northern lilt in his accent, sharper around the edges than others here in the east.

  “It’s not a problem, Medico Mar, but please, could you help me?” Misti pointed to the pendant on her chest. “This pendant—”

  “We should wait for the others to get here,” Arias interrupted

  “I can handle any medical situation,” Mar said, in a way that suggested he was reciting a line he wasn’t certain he believed himself.

  “Except for this one, evidently, since you panicked before,” Arias replied, giving him a pointed look.

  Mar blushed to his ears, a brighter white color rising fast over his pale skin. “Fine.” He bowed to her. “My name is Mar Marios, by the way.”

  Arias gave him a small smile. “I’m Arias Silverstone, dabbler.”

  “Pleased to meet the both of you,” Mar said.

  Before anymore could be said, the doors to the medical chambers opened and five people spilled inside, four of them talking over one anoth
er in an attempt to be heard by the fifth. Misti recognized her immediately, Aramet’zil Vivia Lariasio, the commander of the Moon Knights in this region and a formidable Elu in her own right. Dressed in a striking blue outfit that wound around her body and carrying a curved blade at her side, she strode into the room, already frowning. Her blonde hair fell gracefully down her back, tucked behind her pointed ears, and her blue eyes seemed to glitter in the pale light.

  Misti’s gut clenched and the letter from Met’zil Zarious seeming to grow larger in her bag beside her. Two other Divus followed, clad in flowing green robes, as well as a Vagari in black. The fourth member of their party was Dylori, who rushed to Misti’s side, concern clear on her face.

  “You okay?” Dylori placed her hand on Misti’s knee. The gentle touch calmed Misti, and gratitude rushed through her, burning away some anxiety.

  “The pendant went off again. A Divus got hurt and another one had to heal him up, but while doing so, he also got weak. Very weak,” Misti replied in a rush. Even though she welcomed the gentle pressure and comfort, she guided Dylori’s hand away. “It’s not safe. Arias put another cage around it, but we don’t—”

  “Excuse me,” came Vivia’s gruff voice as she and her entourage approached the bed. “Could you bring me up to speed, please?”

  Heat coursed through Misti’s cheeks. “I’m sorry, Aramet’zil Vivia, I didn’t mean to ignore you.” Misti told the story as fast as she could, aiming a glance at Arias when the Moon crafting came up. Arias filled Vivia in on the crafting she had used, her explanation filled with technical jargon and slippage into the Eluian language that made Misti glad she had come. Each race knew the intricacies of their crafting so deeply it would simply baffle the others.

  When Arias had finished her explanation, Vivia turned to Mar. “Will the others recuperate?”

  Mar had shuffled to the back of the room, eyes down out of respect for Vivia. He bowed. “Y…yes, with some rest and food they’ll recover. It’ll just take some time.”

  Another Divus entered, and Misti finally looked at the three new medicos standing in the room. Each of them had a full moon sewn into their green robes, signifying they were the most experienced in the building, probably in all of Amiin. Misti’s stomach dropped at the sight. Everyone except Mar outranked her, and she didn’t quite know how to feel about it. Grateful, yes, but also intimidated and more than a bit worried. She wasn’t a Moon Knight anymore, and Vivia’s tone sounded harsh. If these people can’t help me, who can?

  “These are Maylar, Sineko, and Lari. They are friends of mine from Cahoma.” Misti nodded to each of them as Vivia introduced them, and they gave a deep bow in return, touching their fists to their foreheads.

  A pang had sliced through Misti’s heart at the mention of Cahoma. So many people here were from the north that it gave her pause, thinking about Char’s letter she had received. Guilt weighed her down, curling her shoulders forward.

  “We will do our best to aid you, Zil Eildelmann,” Vivia said. “But first, we must examine the orb. Please sit still.”

  The next few hours passed with little success. The medico spent some time examining the orb, penning down the crooked circular symbol on it, and discussing their options. Apparently, the symbol was of Ponuriah, but none of the expert medico here had seen or heard of such an item before. They threw ideas back and forth, but Misti hardly heard them.

  Her stomach opened into a sucking pit while they talked. Ponuriah, the goddess her parents worshiped. Would they know more about this pendant? No, the symbol they had used—a bent line—was different than the crooked circle on the orb. Maybe Vagari worship was different than Divus worship.

  It made sense the Blood pendant was connected to Ponuriah in some way, since some of the banished ones tended to do their vile deeds in her name. For some, it was true worship of the ancient goddess; for others, simply a cop-out for their own vicious souls and actions. She wanted to tear the pendant off her skin, throw it into the whirlpools of the Aluriah Ocean, and never hear from it again. Banish it, like the banished ones.

  The medico broke the cage surrounding the orb in order to study it further, but as soon as they did, the pendant pulsed, flashing white, and two fell unconscious. The metal burned against her skin, but Misti gritted her teeth and took it. The others were in more trouble than she was. Her heart sank at their failure.

  With Dylori’s help, Mar quickly dragged the two unconscious medicos out of the room. “Did you feel anything before the pendant activated?” Dylori asked when she returned, eyes narrowed in concern. She put her hand on Misti’s leg again, the weight soothing.

  “Yes.” Misti fingered the chain hanging around her neck, tears blurring her vision a little from the pain. “It pulses. Burns.”

  “Do you think it will happen again?” Vivia had moved closer, hands raised in case she needed to use her crafting. Arias had done the same.

  “I…I don’t think so. I think it’s done now. It’s not…pulsing, anyway,” Misti said. The burning slowly faded. “But maybe keep your crafting at the ready if you try anything else.”

  “We will,” Arias said, her voice tinged with bitterness. “I should’ve created a shield earlier.”

  “We both should have.” Vivia frowned and motioned the rest of the group closer, and they moved onto their next plan of attack.

  The remaining full-moon medico—Lari, a bald man with near-white eyes—clutched Misti’s shoulder as he called up his own Blood crafting, giving her his strength. Warmth surged through Misti’s body, skittering across her skin and heating her core. The warmth settled in her wrist, across her forearm, and pooling by her side. The suncreature attack. He lifted her shirt a little to unwind the bandage there, removing the thread and stitching it up with his crafting. He did the same with her forearm and wrist. She felt stronger than she had in nights.

  The Vagari in black loomed over her. She couldn’t discern his bloodline from his outward appearance. “The name’s Hiru. Now hold still,” he muttered.

  He pointed his dagger at the pendant, its twisted blade hovering close to Misti’s neck. Misti held her breath, wanting to turn away but forcing herself not to. Please let his aim be true. Panic shivered through her at the sight of a blade so close to her neck, and at the thought that the pendant might hurt Hiru. She gripped the sheets tighter.

  Lari nodded and Hiru shoved the dagger forward. It hit the orb with a soft crack and slipped off, but Hiru didn’t let the blade touch Misti’s skin. Misti gasped, expecting the pendant to go off, expecting the Vagari to fall. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead and his tan skin had a slight greenish tinge, but nothing happened. Hiru arched a dark eyebrow at her and let out a sigh, rocking back on his heels. Misti glanced down at the pendant. It hadn’t been damaged at all, the symbol still intact and the metal surrounding it still fused to her skin.

  “Well, on to the next plan, I guess?” Misti said, her voice shaking, lifting her gaze to the others and biting her lip. Happiness and confusion warred through her mind. The last time someone had touched the orb, they’d been knocked unconscious. Why hadn’t the orb attacked now? A thought struck her like lightning—because the dagger is metal, not flesh, perhaps? But before she could form her ideas into words, she noticed Vivia’s slight nod out of the corner of her eye. A moment later, Lari grabbed for the pendant, eyes still glowing white.

  “Wait!” Misti cried, too late.

  White light filled her vision, pain scorched her chest, and yells filled the air. Before Misti could blink the light away, the agony had already subsided, faster than ever before, replaced by an exhilarating coolness. The light finally waned, and Misti gaped at the sight before her. Dylori and Mar were huddled by the door, partially obscured by the blue haze of a Moon shield cast by Vivia and Arias. Both Lari and Hiru lay sprawled on the floor, white and orange blood dripping from their ears, eyes, and mouth.

  Misti slipped from the bed, kneeling on the floor beside the two men. She put two fingers to their necks, d
esperately hoping for a pulse, a twitch, anything. Lari’s pale eyes stared at the ceiling, seeing nothing, but Hiru’s sightless gaze was on Vivia.

  I killed them! Misti gasped and rose, shuffling back onto the bed, but she couldn’t get far. The Moon shield had cut her off from the rest of the room, keeping her penned in the corner with the two men she had killed. No, she corrected herself, the pendant killed those men. They were trying to protect her, and they died doing so. She should’ve done more, should’ve protected them somehow. Maybe absorb the pulses somehow instead of allowing them to expand outward, however it did. Or simply refuse to let the knights close to her since she knew from the mother-daughter at the Vagari village it needed proximity. A Moon Knight is supposed to keep safe those innocents around them, not kill them. I should have done more. Her eyes prickled with tears and her throat constricted.

  “They’re dead,” she choked out, panic filling her. She stared at the Moon shield, remembering the first time they had tried it and how Dylori and the others had fallen unconscious. “That shield won’t help. The shield won’t—”

  “It’ll hold,” Arias said, her soft voice carrying to Misti and quieting her. Arias tilted her head to Vivia. “She’s much more powerful than I am.”

  Vivia’s eyes blazed, with anger or sorrow, and she gazed at Hiru for a long moment before turning to Misti. Taking a deep breath, she spoke slowly, each word sharp as a shard of broken glass. “You’ll have to stay here until we can figure out what to do with you. Thankfully we have an auxiliary chamber with medico supplies. For everyone else’s safety, we’ll keep you under lock and key.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Misti’s lip began to tremble, but she caught it between her teeth. She ducked her head, both out of respect and so the Aramet’zil wouldn’t see the tears now falling down her cheeks.

  “Zil Eildelmann,” Vivia said gently, “we will make sure this thing is taken care of, here or elsewhere. The Moon Knights always protect one of their own.”

  Shame burned Misti’s ears, and she pulled out the sealed letter from her pack. Her vision blurred. “Actually, ma’am, I’m not a Moon Knight any longer.”