Sunkissed Feathers & Severed Ties

by Kellie Doherty

  This time, she didn’t draw the power into herself. She let the power ripple outward, welcoming the white light and the accompanying wave of euphoria. When the pulses stopped, Misti blinked a few times, clearing her vision and her mind. She looked around, but the suncreature had utterly vanished. Nothing remained, not a tooth or a scale or a pile of ash.

  She scanned the sky, half expecting a writhing, hissing suncreature to fall from it. A bubble of laughter escaped her at the thought, but when nothing fell, she scanned the salttrees. Nothing there, either. She rose to her feet. Could the suncreature have burrowed to safety? It was fast, but nothing had been fast enough to escape the death-wave thus far. She didn’t know for sure, but she had a strong suspicion that the pendant had finished the creature once and for all. She laughed again and kicked some sand into the air. Finally, something good had happened because of this orb.

  But worry took over just as quickly. She didn’t know how big the death-wave had been. Was I far enough away from camp? She rushed over to the outskirts of camp, looking for any signs of trouble, but her friends hadn’t even awakened during the fight.

  She went over to Zora first, relief flooding through to her find Zora breathing easy. Misti went to Dylori, but her loud snoring proved her to be alive. Misti guided a lock of dark hair away from her forehead. A braver part of herself took over and she leaned down, giving Dylori a soft peck on the cheek. Even that chaste kiss, while Dylori slept unaware, sent shivers through Misti. Disbelief shivered through her, too. She’d always wanted to see what kissing Dylori felt like. Now she knew. And she also knew her feelings for Dylori had blossomed into something more than a crush. Something much more. I have to tell her, the braver part of herself urged. Not now, the quieter part replied, let her sleep. But soon.

  Tearing herself away, she checked on Arias and Dis, finding them both sleeping deeply as well. Everyone was fine. The suncreature had been defeated and the pendant had been activated and everyone was fine. Joy, impossible and amazing joy, filled her, and it took all she could muster to not shout in celebration. She watched over them for a little longer, bandaging her arm and scanning the horizon. Morning would come soon, and she felt happy to greet it. It took her a long time to realize she wasn’t angry anymore, wasn’t even annoyed.

  That morning, Zora refused to eat, and Misti decided to do something about it. Arias and Dylori were weaker, sure, but they were both smart enough to fill their bellies when they needed to. Zora, however, wasn’t, and she quivered with hunger.

  Thankfully, Misti was in charge of making their first meal. They had exchanged meat and cheese for safe passage on the outskirts of Laidly Grove, and the Nemora had gifted them a few water plants. Misti was grateful for the Nemora’s kindness, even though she hated the taste. Pulling out the yellow jaho she had gathered from the Myceli Nemora, she crushed them into the mush of vegetables. Not the most palatable thing, but she hoped the slimy texture and sour taste of the underwater vegetables would hide the bitter flavor of the herbs. Yellow jaho has healing properties. It’ll make them strong again.

  The vibrant herbs had disappeared into the mush before she realized what she had done. Her sister had begged for those special plants. Without them, their parents could die from the sickness. Misti winced at the thought, guilt finally settling on her. In a way, she had just sentenced her parents to death after all.

  When she gave the breakfast to her friends, slipping some of the vegetable mixture between Zora’s clenched teeth and coaxing her to swallow, she saw that some of their strength had returned. Zora was even well enough to attempt some flying, and the others, while dazed, seemed to be walking more easily. Misti allowed herself a small smile. At least she had done right by them. She gave some of the mush to Dis as well, remembering how even his strength had been affected during their panicked flight to Amiin.

  As they walked, Dylori’s gaze drifted to Arias. “What organization do you work for?” Her words came out rushed, her southern dialect stronger than ever.

  Misti shook her head. Even in their dazed state, Dylori’s curiosity never wavered.

  “You’ll never know if you keep asking me.” Arias waved Dylori’s question away with one hand and scratched Dis on his shoulder with the other. Her voice came out slow, a gentle melody full of the western lilt. “If Vagari can communicate with beasts, why don’t you speak to suncreatures?”

  Dylori huffed. “No one has ever succeeded. Some have tried, but they were never the same again. My sunbaked great-grandfather was one of them, and he was empty after. We just weren’t meant to communicate with them. Misti!” Dylori shifted her gaze to Misti now, shaking herself a little. “That mush tasted bitter, just like jaho, but I thought you sent them to your sister last crescent. How did you find more?”

  Misti’s chest tightened, but she realized she couldn’t lie to her friend again. “I didn’t send them to Char, Dylori. I couldn’t.”

  “You didn’t?” Dylori blinked slowly at her and frowned, as if coming out of a strange dream. Then, as if slipping back into one, she turned away and looked up into the sky, muttering, “That’s an odd way to treat your family.”

  “Yes,” Misti whispered, thankful Dylori wasn’t in her sharpest mindset and didn’t want more details. “It is.”

  Chapter Twelve

  MISTI SAT DOWN NEXT to Arias, who tended the fire while Dylori slept. They had decided to rest for a little while, mostly to aid Arias and Dylori out of their dazed state. “You told me once that I could come to you to get a reality check. Is that true?”

  “Always.” Arias set down the stick she was using to stoke the fire and turned her full attention to Misti. “What’s the matter?”

  Misti bit her lip. She had decided earlier to tell Arias about her family, believing that she could be trusted with her secret since she had secrets of her own. Besides, Misti had been mulling over this for too long and needed a reality check. Sleep pulled at her, but her guilt gnawed at her, keeping her from resting. She scratched the itchy bandage on her arm, thinking about the unceg fight the night before. How she had harnessed the pendant’s power. Maybe easing into the bigger conversation with a smaller one would be better.

  “I killed a suncreature last night,” she whispered.

  “What?” Arias yelped, than clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes darting to Dylori’s sleeping form. “What kind of suncreature was it? No, scratch that, how did you kill it?”

  “It was an unceg. I killed it.” Misti felt a grin tug at her lips even as she lifted her sleeve to show her bandaged arm. “But it got a hit on me. Painful as anything, but it’s better now. Just a few scratches. The unceg glowed really bright! I think that’s why the suncreatures don’t attack at night…because they glow.”

  “You’re injured.” Arias’s gaze had locked onto the bandage. She frowned. “I must have been in too much of a haze to notice it.” She pulled Misti’s arm to her and slowly began to unwind the dirty bandage.

  Misti bit her lip, wondering if she should tell her about the vegetable mush. She decided against it for now. Now that she had started this smaller conversation about the suncreature, the larger one about her parents loomed over her, forcing her to continue. “Dylori, too. You both seem better now.”

  “I am,” Arias replied lightly, though wrinkles around her eyes betrayed her surprise. “Why do you think this suncreature attacked at night?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m glad it did.” At that, Arias jerked her gaze up from the bandages but Misti continued before Arias could interrupt, “I’m glad because I…I used the pendant.”

  “The pendant.” Arias narrowed her eyes, the bandage only halfway off. Her eyes shimmered in the glow of the fire. “How?”

  “I let the pulses…out…I guess. Instead of absorbing them, I let them go. And the suncreature just…vanished. Destroyed, I guess. And it didn’t hurt me, either. Or any of you, obviously.” Misti’s words had gotten faster and faster as she spoke, her excitement bleeding through.

 
Arias leaned forward, gripping Misti’s hand and smiling. “That’s incredible. I can’t believe you discovered how to control it.”

  “Me neither,” Misti replied, smiling so broadly her cheeks hurt. It felt good to tell someone how she had won the fight. The group had seemed much better today, but their dazed state left little energy for conversation. Most of the time they had stared at the sky or the sand. It was unsettling to Misti, but not as unsettling as their weakness had been.

  “You do seem much better, and it seems like the rest of us feel better,” Arias whispered. They sat in silence as she finished unwrapping the cloth. She eyed the scratches, then pulled out a small jar from the pouch on her belt and lifted the top. A strong, sour scent filled the air, mingling with the fire smoke. The jar was filled to the brim with some kind of greenish slime Misti had never seen before. Arias winced at the smell.

  “It’ll help, I promise,” she murmured, dipping a finger into the jar. “It’s a poultice my mother uses.”

  She dabbed the poultice on Misti’s scratches. It stung at first, but then a pleasant coolness replaced the stinging sensation and Misti sighed in relief. A Divus could’ve healed the cut in a heartbeat, but she was grateful for Arias’ aid. Besides, from the lack of Blood crafters in these parts she’d have to get used to healing by herself. Arias wrapped a new cloth around the scratches. The soft crackling of the fire, paired with Dylori’s snoring, nearly lulled Misti to sleep. The feather-light touches of Arias’ hands helped, as she finished tying off the bandage.

  “The wound isn’t deep, but you’ll want to keep it covered. To keep the sand out.”

  “Thank you.” Misti withdrew her arm.

  “Worry not. And I appreciate you telling me about the pendant and the fight.” Arias gave Misti a shrewd look. “But that’s not what you came to talk to me about.”

  Misti tensed, her happiness fading and her guilt returning to the surface. “True,” she confessed.

  Arias gave a slight nod. “So, tell me. What’s bothering you?”

  How can I tell Arias about my family? Where do I even start? Misti scratched her arm again, to give herself time more than anything. Zora padded over to her side, curling up in her lap, so Misti scratched her vulnix’s back instead. Her added warmth and weight made the pull of sleep even more tempting, but Misti had to keep talking.

  “I gave you three the yellow jaho I was supposed to give to my sister…I gave it to you even though my sister wanted it to cure my parents’ illness.”

  “So you’re saying that your parents have the mayla fever. Your sister didn’t just want to have the herbs on hand.” At Misti’s nod, Arias went quiet for a moment, staring at Misti, as if thinking on her next words. “Seems like a strange decision, one I wouldn’t have made myself, although one I’m thankful for.”

  “Yes, it would seem strange to people who don’t know. And no one knows, so it probably looks strange to everyone.” Misti stumbled over her words, her tongue tripping out of fear. Her throat tightened, and suddenly she wished she hadn’t eaten earlier, for it desperately wanted to come back up. It had dawned on her over time that even though she hated her parents for being what they were, for doing what they did, she still loved them in some way. She had protected them all these seasons in keeping their secret safe because somehow, she cared for them.

  Arias tilted her head. “What aren’t you saying?” She reached out and gripped Misti’s hand, giving her a reassuring smile. “It’s all right. You can tell me. I’m your reality check, remember?”

  Looking in Dylori’s direction to make sure her friend slept, Misti decided to take a page out of her book. The best way to do this was bluntly.

  Misti took a deep breath and looked Arias in the eyes. “My parents are sun goddess worshippers.”

  The lines around Arias’ mouth tightened. “And they haven’t been dealt with by the Aluriahian Law?”

  Misti shook her head. “They’re still living in Northtown with my younger sister and brother. As far as I know, no one else knows.”

  “Well, certainly other worshippers know. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were part of a group in Northtown.” Arias didn’t let go of Misti’s hand, but she cupped her chin with the other, leaning into it. “That’s why you gave us the yellow jaho instead of sending it up to your sister. You’re conflicted about them.”

  Misti gave a light chuckle. “Conflicted isn’t even half of it,” she murmured.

  Arias nodded and squeezed her hand. “How long have you known?”

  Relief rushed through Misti. She hadn’t been quite sure what kind of reaction she’d get. It was the first time she’d told anyone other than her siblings. Arias’ reaction, questioning but not judgmental, was the best she could hope for. “Since I was sixteen, nearly seventeen. I discovered them in the middle of some kind of ritual where they killed a bunch of animals, including their own vulnix, to complete it.”

  Arias gasped. “That’s horrible.”

  “Yeah, I had to live with them for one more season after that before I was old enough to go out on my own.”

  “That must have been difficult,” Arias whispered. Her grip tightened, and she put her other hand on top of their clasped ones.

  “It was.” Misti had tried hard not to think about the season she spent with her family after she found out. She had nicknamed that time the “daylight season,” because of the way everything had come to light, but now that seemed childish. She didn’t want to remember that time, but Arias had been kind and understanding thus far, and the truth fell from Misti’s lips.

  “I discovered all sorts of things about my parents that I didn’t want to know,” Misti said, her words coming faster and faster. “Like how they’d been sacrificing beasts for decades and how they had a hidden shrine to the sun goddess next to our family room. How they’d been building up to that moment in the shed, killing their own companion animals, for seasons. It was supposed to bring them closer to the sun goddess. I finally noticed the things in our home that were for her honor, like tiny sun pendants hanging from the daygems. They were right under my nose, and I hadn’t noticed until then.”

  Misti’s breath seemed to leave her, but Arias waited, as if she knew Misti had more to say. Now that this massive secret had been revealed, it felt like a weight lifted from her. The conversation sparked another memory of her father talking to her late into the morning, telling her the reason why he worshipped the sun goddess.

  She took another breath and barreled on. “Apparently my father was religious when he was very young, brought up worshipping Aluriah actually, but when he got older he had a fight with a wyvern. It had happened during the daytime, and he nearly died, but he managed to tame it enough to keep it from killing him. He used too much crafting, and suffered from headaches for a long time after, but he lived. The fact that he survived twisted his faith to Ponuriah instead of Aluriah. Because it happened during the daylight hours, he thought Ponuriah had saved him. My mother converted soon after, following in my father’s footsteps. She didn’t seem passionate about it, not like my father, but she sacrifices animals in the sun goddess’ honor so she must believe in some way.”

  Here Misti paused again, but again Arias stayed quiet, watching, waiting. Keep going, she told herself. Be quick. “They tried to convert me. Many times. They wanted me to join them in their rituals. To complete some kind of bloodbath so I could be reborn in the sun goddess’ light. I think they tried so hard because I was the eldest…but they tried to use my siblings against me, said they’d kill Char and Danill’s vulnixes if I didn’t join them.”

  Arias scooted a little closer. Their knees nearly touched now. “Did they ever—”

  “No, and if they ever had I would’ve…well, I don’t know what I would’ve done, but it wouldn’t have been pretty.”

  “That’s a blessing,” Arias murmured.

  “Yes, I thought I had called their bluff when they said that. Thought I had the upper hand for a little while. But then I caught them with Zo
ra.” Memories flooded her mind, welling fast and thick, and for a moment she couldn’t speak.

  Her siblings were at school, but Misti had completed her advanced lessons and was trying to figure out what to do next. Zora had wanted a snack and snuck away when Misti was studying, and now Misti wanted something to eat, too. She wandered into the kitchen and saw her parents crowding around Zora. Blood pooled beneath her tails and dripped off the knife in her father’s hand.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Misti roared, throwing herself on top of Zora’s limp form and pushing her father’s knife away.

  “You have to be saved, Misti.” Her mother approached her, hands raised. “We’re only trying to make you see the light.”

  “Zora has to be sacrificed in order for you to see the way,” her father said in a gentle tone, the same one he used to read to her with when she was a child. “In order for you to understand.”

  “You’re…you’re both crazy.” Misti gathered Zora up in her arms, dipping into her crafting and healing the gaping wound at the base of her tails. It took a lot out of her, but she was young. Slowly, slowly, Zora began to wake up. Misti backed away from her parents, fear tightening like a vise around her heart. “You’re both crazy!”

  Her father was by her side in an instant, gripping her arm. “We are your parents, Misti, and we’re not crazy.”

  Her mother stepped forward, a soft smile lightening her features, the same one she used to give Misti when she came home with good grades. “We’re only trying to help you, Misti. You’re our eldest child, and as such you must be a role model for your siblings. You have to see the light, so they will see it, too. It will do so much good for you.”

  Misti tried to tug away from her father’s grip, but he tightened his hold. “I don’t want to see the light,” she snapped. “I don’t want Char or Danill seeing the light, either. You’re killing beasts, you killed your own companion animals, and you hurt Zora. How is that right? How is that good?”