On Wings of Air (Earth and Sky Book 1)

by J. L. Griffin

  Strix squawked again, and there was no mistaking the fact that Skye was trying to suppress a smile. By this time, however, he was safe from scrutiny, as Wisteria had turned her back on them. But as she was walking away, Wisteria delivered a parting shot.

  “Remember that you have not deceived me, Skychild. I am certain that your forked tongue is merely being held in check and has not yet been beaten out of you.”

  When Wisteria turned a corner in the garden path, Tierra turned an eye toward Skye and was met by a bland expression in return.

  “Skye, whatever your thoughts are concerning Wisteria, they cannot be any worse than mine. You do not need to act unaffected with me.”

  “Your sister—” Skye began and then stopped, clearly hesitant to continue.

  “What?” Tierra prompted.

  “It’s just . . . Wisteria strikes me as being . . . I don’t know how to describe it. But I’ve never met someone that . . . that acts quite like your sister does. It is behavior that I’ve only seen in one other person, and that man is just about the lowest piece of Skychild scum I’ve ever met.”

  Tierra laughed. “Oh, come now, Skye. Wisteria is selfish and conceited, and she takes far too much pleasure in taunting me, but to call her ‘scum’ is a little much.”

  Skye did not look convinced, so Tierra decided to change the subject. “What did Strix say?”

  Skye’s laugh was not a surprise. “Well, first he expressed his wonder that she was intelligent enough to detect that I am up to something. But then he said some highly uncomplimentary things about her looks and personal hygiene, even going so far as to suggest that he was far more pleasing to the eye than she could ever be.”

  Tierra joined him in laughter, and she stepped forward and patted Strix on the head, cooing to him and pronouncing him to be a smart bird indeed.

  But the world was lonely and had no one to marvel at its beauty. Celesta decided that for her creation to be complete, it required living creatures to provide a glory of movement. And so she determined at once to fill its great skies.

  She took light from the stars and earth from the ground, dust from the void and water from the seas, and she combined them to form all manner of delightful creatures. The animals soared through the skies, their wings catching the sun’s light during the day and the moon’s light during the night.

  And because she saw her son gazing upon her flying creatures with interest, she decided to make him a gift. She took the earth that covered the moon’s companion, and she breathed upon it, filling it with life.

  That life took form as a creature of two legs, and because it lacked wings and moved across the earth, Celesta called it a Groundwalker. And she made two Groundwalkers so that they would not be lonely, male and female, and she told them to populate the earth.

  —The Book of Celesta

  CHAPTER

  SEVENTEEN

  History

  As the days progressed, Skye found he was settling into life at the castle far more than he would have ever thought possible. This was both a source of distress and a source of comfort, given what he had endured in the weeks after his arrival. While it was much less painful, he did not wish to forget that his ultimate goal was to return to the sky realm to confront the detestable Seneschal.

  But the change was also welcome in that he was given more freedom in the castle as long as he feigned deference to the Groundbreathers and completed his duties efficiently. He was therefore able to spend more time plotting his escape, and a plan quickly formulated in his mind. The major issue was removing the damnable collar, as the infernal device had resisted all his attempts to damage it enough that it could be safely removed. He had an idea as to how he could get it off, but putting that idea into effect would be beyond difficult.

  Confident he would succeed eventually, Skye concentrated on watching everything which occurred in the Groundbreather castle, ensuring that he was intimately aware of every detail of life there. He came to know the Iron Swords’ schedules for patrols, witnessed them exercising the garms which inhabited every corner of the castle, and even fed the beasts on occasion. In performing this last task, he found that the garms were, in fact, much like the dogs they resembled. They were loyal and fierce, but they could also be playful and affectionate, even with a Skychild. To some degree, he even began to enjoy interacting with them, as there were no comparable animals in the sky realm.

  What the garms were not was unwatchful. Skye understood why they were utilized as guardians for the guards’ swords. The garms were a fierce and formidable foe, and as they would not give up those weapons while they drew breath, Skye seriously doubted he would be able to take a blade by force. His plan did not necessarily depend on convincing one to give up a sword, so he was not truly concerned with them. But he was well aware that they might foil his plans and remained alert for some way to neutralize them.

  It was on a day when Skye’s collar felt particularly tight that he found himself dusting Tierra’s books. The task was something he had done more than once, yet his attention was caught by the titles this time. Perhaps it was because he was, grudgingly, feeling more interested in learning about the Groundbreathers’ ways of life. After all, he told himself, gathering intelligence of any sort on the enemy could one day prove beneficial.

  As his eyes glanced from book to book, he noticed one called Groundbreather History and Religious Beliefs. He looked back at Strix and saw the bird watching him. With a halfhearted shrug, Skye took the book and opened it.

  He flipped through it, glancing at the headings. When he saw something about fantastic beasts, he began to skim through the chapter. At first, he did not think he would find anything of interest, but then, at the end of the chapter, he found a few paragraphs about the Fenik.

  With his mind focused on escape and the completion of the myriad of tasks assigned to him, Skye did not think about Cirrus as often as he had when he first arrived. Yet it had occurred to him more than once that he should look out for whatever Cirrus had deemed important enough to make him attempt to infiltrate the ground world.

  Still, despite keeping an eye out for clues about what Cirrus had sought, Skye felt the situation mostly remained a mystery to him. What could Cirrus have wanted to know about the Fenik that would have made him willing to risk losing not just his life, but his honor?

  Skye was frowning down at the book when Tierra entered the room. She looked surprised to see what he was engrossed in, likely because he had never expressed interest in her books before.

  “Something catch your attention?” she asked with a curious look.

  “Hmm,” he grunted.

  She tilted her head, looking exasperated. “I cannot understand why you still descend into that grumpy mood on occasion.”

  He sighed and looked up at her. “It’s my situation.”

  “Because we have enslaved you?”

  He shook his head. “Not just that. It frustrates me to think that some of my people might perceive me as dishonored when I’m not.”

  “What exactly do you mean? You are dishonored because you are a slave?”

  “Because I was captured,” he clarified. “For most Skychildren, being captured results in a loss of honor. In some ways, it is a worse fate than simply dying at Groundbreather hands.”

  “And why is that?” she asked. “How can capture be dishonorable? It is unfortunate, certainly, but I cannot understand how it could be considered dishonorable.”

  “Do you know much about the Fenik? And how it was stolen?”

  She gave him a sideways look, as if trying to determine whether he was attempting to ferret out Groundbreather secrets, and then she said, “As I understand it, the Fenik was supposed to be some magnificent creature of the Skychildren, but since it was also a weapon of sorts, some Groundbreathers made their way up into the sky to find it. They snuck into the Skychildren’s palace and captured it. How is that relevant?”

  “It’s relevant because you ar
e missing part of the story,” Skye said, a burst of impatience welling up within him. “The Skychildren were protected from attack and infiltration since the Groundbreathers couldn’t fly up to the sky palace on their own. But then a Skychild named Goose was captured, and his glider was taken from him. Since gliders at that time were imbued with wind powers that enabled anyone who used them to fly, he was in essence putting a weapon in enemy hands. After that, Skychildren changed the powers with which they imbued the gliders, making certain that Groundbreathers couldn’t use them. Now, gliders are activated by a Skychild’s abilities, which means they are useless in Groundbreather hands. But the damage had already been done. The Groundbreathers were able to make their way up to the sky to steal the Fenik. It was because of that incident that it’s considered dishonorable to be captured by Groundbreathers.”

  Tierra frowned thoughtfully. “And then the great war that took place afterward—”

  “—was an attempt to recover both the glider and the Fenik,” Skye finished. “But while we were able to destroy the glider, we never found the Fenik. We never learned what happened to it.”

  Tierra shrugged. “I always thought it was simply destroyed in the war.”

  “You hadn’t heard any rumors of your parents hiding some sort of strange creature around here?” Skye asked. He was not sure Tierra would tell him if she had, yet he thought he could read her well enough to know if she was lying.

  “There have been a few stories about some unusual beast in the mountains leaving a lot of uneaten carcasses of animals lying around,” she said, “but I do not believe I have heard anything stranger than that.”

  Skye studied her face for a moment before looking away and thinking. She did not seem to be lying, and his mind was working quickly to consider what she had said.

  What if the Groundbreathers had captured the Fenik and then lost it? It was not beyond the realm of possibility. Maybe the creature was hiding in the mountains, biding its time and waiting for the Skychildren to retrieve it. That was assuming it still felt kindly toward its former masters, of course. Skychild royalty were supposed to be able to control it, but the fashion in which that control could be exercised had not been passed down. It could lack any sentience at all, or it could be decidedly feral. Skye did not know enough about it to be sure. Had Cirrus determined its location? Was the Fenik still dangerous?

  “Does it really matter?” Tierra asked at last. “Our peoples have little contact, and my people cannot exactly threaten yours any longer since we are bound to the ground. Furthermore, you should not forget that the Skychildren tend to aggravate the Groundbreathers rather than the reverse. My people never steal any food or supplies belonging to the Skychildren.”

  Skye clenched the book tighter, a wave of guilt passing over him. Stealing was not exactly something to be proud of, was it? Yet that was something particularly enjoyed by Skychild youths and pleasure-seekers, and it was even occasionally undertaken by large war parties for reasons related to survival. He had never been so close to feeling ashamed of his people, and he wondered why he had never questioned the activity before.

  Pushing past those unpleasant thoughts, he said, “Maybe your people can’t threaten mine right now. But if the Groundbreathers got their hands on a weapon as great as the Fenik is supposed to be, wouldn’t they do whatever they could to figure out how to use it?”

  “If that were the case, then why did my ancestors not use the Fenik against the Skychildren when they took it from the sky realm? That would have been the perfect opportunity for vengeance.”

  “I’m not sure,” Skye said. “If the Fenik was an avian creature, then maybe they couldn’t understand it, or maybe they couldn’t make it understand what they wanted. For all I know, Celesta might have ensured that it could never be turned against her people.”

  “I think it would be better for everyone if the Fenik simply remained lost,” Tierra said.

  “Maybe you’re right. But that doesn’t mean that no one is ever going to try to look for it. If I found it, I would owe it to my people to take it.”

  “And I would owe it to mine to stop you,” Tierra returned. “Remember that I cannot allow you to leave.”

  “Tierra, I don’t think you quite understand,” Skye said slowly. By now, he was aware of the fact that Tierra would not become offended if he contradicted her, but this was a delicate subject, and he thought it wise to tread carefully, lest he step in the mud and create a mess. “If I found the Fenik, there would be nothing you—or anyone else here—could do to stop me from leaving.”

  At Tierra’s curious look, Skye sighed and motioned for her to sit. When she did, he gazed at her and began: “I’m sorry, but I’m unaware of your Groundbreather traditions concerning the history of our peoples. You said that Fenik was ‘a weapon of sorts.’ In fact, the Fenik was the ultimate weapon.”

  Tierra’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “Do you think the Groundbreathers would have chosen to go up to the sky realm if they were facing anything other than a dire threat? The glider they had captured could have been used as a devastating weapon to enable Groundbreather soldiers to attack my people in the clouds. And you have to remember that the bitterness between our peoples back then was far greater than it is now. In those days, Groundbreathers would not have enslaved me. They would have simply killed me. This slavery that your people have turned to is a relatively recent attempt at a deterrent.”

  “Then what really happened?”

  “Honestly, I would have expected the Groundbreathers to remember more of the history of this world.”

  At this, Tierra seemed affronted. “We remember it quite well, thank you. The Fenik, however, was always a creature of the Skychildren, and other than remembering it as a threat, we have no traditions as to what it was capable of.”

  “I’m sorry,” Skye said. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I guess it makes sense that you wouldn’t know as much about it as the Skychildren do. I’ll tell you more, but to do that, I have to go back to the origins of our two peoples.

  “As you are certainly aware, Celesta—with the help of Terrain—created our world and everything on it. But whereas Terrain was interested in creating greenery and large bodies of water, Celesta was more interested in the lights hanging in the sky and the creatures that would inhabit the world.”

  “Wait,” Tierra interrupted. “Are you saying you think Celesta created us all?”

  “I haven’t actually gotten there yet,” Skye replied. Tierra looked ready to object yet again, but he cut her off. “Just listen to me, Tierra. I’m sure you have different beliefs, but let me relate what I know of the matter. Then you can disagree with me if you’d like.”

  Skye thought that Tierra wished to protest once more, but her objections subsided, and she motioned for him to continue.

  Skye smiled in amusement before speaking once more. “The first fruits of Celesta’s creation were the stars, and she followed them up with the sun and then the moon. Then, at Terrain’s insistence, she helped to fashion the world in which we live. But Celesta didn’t create Groundwalkers immediately after forming the world. As she was concerned with the skies and everything in them, her original concept of life consisted of those who could inhabit the skies with her. Therefore, the first living creatures were the creatures of flight.”

  “The Skychildren believe that birds were the first creatures?” Tierra asked incredulously.

  “Yes,” Skye said. “We don’t know exactly what these creatures looked like, nor do we know whether they resembled what exists now. But the very first creatures lived in the skies.

  “When Celesta saw Terrain gazing at the creatures inhabiting the skies, she decided to make special living creatures as gifts just for him. These were the Groundwalkers. But despite what his mother had done for him, Terrain grew angry with her. He believed she thought she was above him, and he was jealous of the beauty of the skies and the creatures in it. He ripped most of
the animals from the skies and tore off their wings so that they would live with him on the ground instead of playing in the skies with Celesta.”

  “And where was Celesta when all this was happening?” Tierra asked. Almost in spite of herself, she appeared to be interested in hearing the Skychildren’s story of creation.

  “Celesta saw what Terrain had done, and she grieved over the loss of so many of her beautiful creatures. Soon, she grew angry, creating clouds which rose from the mists of her despair and crying great tears which watered the land. She decided then to seek vengeance.

  “In her rage, she created the Fenik to destroy all things living upon the land. But when she rode down to the earth, she chanced to see a Groundwalker man helping a baby bird which had fallen out of its nest to the ground. Seeing the compassion of the man, her anger was quenched, and she decided not to destroy all living things. Instead, she changed the Fenik from a monster into a beautiful but harmless creature.

  “Later, she went down to the earth in the form of a Groundwalker and sought out the man she had seen. His name was Sterling, and she fell in love with him, and he with her. Together, they had many offspring who became the first Skychildren.”

  Tierra looked at him for a few moments before she spoke. “And what of my people? How do you believe we were created?”

  “When Terrain saw Celesta’s children, he was angry and jealous. He lay with several women so they would bear his own children, the Groundbreathers. As there was enmity between the two gods, that enmity was passed down to their children, and so it has remained ever since.”

  “It sounds to me as though your traditions unjustly make Terrain sound like the aggressor,” Tierra said in a chilly tone. “He ‘ripped the wings from flying creatures’ and ‘he was angry, so he raped women to create his own people.’”

  “Tierra, I never meant it to come out like that, and I certainly said nothing of rape.” Though annoyed with Tierra’s mockery, Skye kept his temper, refusing to antagonize her. “I have merely repeated what our traditions are, and if they are not complimentary to Terrain, then you can hardly blame me. I’m certain that Groundbreather traditions are no kinder to Celesta.”