by Jann Rowland
“But my father—”
“As that man said, your father was not killed on purpose. Yet I doubt your sister even cares. Wisteria is a heartless monster. You must have realized that by now. She would not care if you and your mother were slaughtered in your sleep.”
Tierra opened her mouth to protest, only to pause as she recalled Skye’s own expressions of concern over Wisteria’s moral fiber. But Tierra still found it difficult to believe that her sister was an incarnation of pure villainy.
“I do not know what to think,” Tierra said at last. “It may be as you claim, but it is possible something else is going on. Regardless, if you say that these strange men are treating Wisteria differently from me and my mother, then I believe you. As for the specific reasons for such disparate treatment, I will withhold speculation for the time being. For now, I suppose we must bide our time and wait for an opportunity.”
“To escape?” River murmured.
“Yes. But I have a feeling it will not be easy.”
“Let us hope that your Skychild is as intelligent as he is stubborn. He may find us if he is.”
Tierra could not manage a laugh, but she gave a weak smile. “Yes, let us hope that is the case.”
The loss of Stonedog was a cruel blow to the Groundbreathers, and their lamentations ascended to the heavens, angering Celesta, who had come to hate the man. A pair of tears fell down the king’s face as he bowed his head over the fallen hero.
A hundred thousand spiders suddenly came scurrying toward Stonedog’s bier, and the nearby Groundbreathers jumped back. The spiders covered the fallen hero’s form, their legs and bodies a mass of undulating movement.
When at last the spiders departed—as abruptly as they had come—a shimmering burial cloth of spidersilk had been left behind, covering Stonedog’s body from head to toe. All the Groundbreathers gasped at the sight before them.
“Even now,” said the king once he had found his voice, “Terrain takes heart for his people. Henceforth, we shall all be buried in burial cloths in honor of the sacrifices that Stonedog made for us, returned to the earth with dignity and not tears.”
And though the day was a sad one due to the death of so many, still it was a day of new beginnings, for the Skychildren retreated from the war that had ravaged the land, and though they continued to raid the farms of Groundbreathers, acting as cowardly jays who robbed the works of other hands, still they were seen less frequently and remained fearful of retribution from the people of Terrain.
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
Farewells
When Skye entered the stables, he was greeted by a beaming stable boy.
“Your Majesty!” the boy exclaimed, fumbling into a half-bow. “You are here!”
Skye glanced to his right at a stall where a griffin was already saddled and ready. As he looked, the beast snapped at a griffin in an adjacent stall, clicking its beak together and making a trill deep in its throat. The griffin was a well-bred specimen, with black-tipped golden ears and gold-and-white feathers that trailed down to its breast. There, the fine bronze fur began, leading down to its white belly and then all the way back to its lion hindquarters. Skye could not see its avian forelegs, but he knew without looking that the claws found there could impale a man. Griffins were powerful predators, yet they were also unpredictable, never becoming fully domesticated. Skye became more grateful at the realization that he would not have to attempt to control one.
“I have saddled all the griffins for the soldiers who are to accompany you,” the stable boy chirped, reaching out to stroke the irritated griffin. The creature’s eyes glinted, but it made no move to strike. “Your companions should be here soon.”
“Thank you,” Skye said, eyeing the griffin.
“Your pegasus is ready, too, Your Majesty,” the boy said, his smile growing wider. “A pegasus! You are so lucky! I hope to be able to catch one for myself someday. My brother says I’ll never manage it, but I think I will.”
Skye smiled. “Maybe you will eventually, uh . . . ?”
“Robin,” the boy said helpfully. “My pa says I’m as chatty as a robin. Sorry! I know you’re busy, Your Majesty. Queen Mista is down near the end with your pegasus. She insisted that he be kept away from the griffins so he wouldn’t get riled up.”
Though Mista had told Strix she abdicated any perceived hold to the throne, many of Skye’s people still treated her as if she were the queen in fact. It did not bother Skye the way it might once have. She was the dowager queen, after all, and even if she tended to be a bit of a featherbrain, she deserved the people’s respect.
“Thank you, Robin,” Skye said, moving past the boy and walking down the middle of the stable. He glanced at the griffins in the nearby stalls as he walked. A few of the creatures were calm, but many seemed restless. He was beginning to wonder at the viability of a scheme that required several griffins to remain in close contact with each other.
At last, he stopped in front of the stall that held his pegasus. Mista was already inside, cooing at the creature and lovingly moving a soft-bristled brush over its neck.
Skye took a moment to study the pegasus, impressed by what he saw. The velvety muzzle of the pegasus was touched by silver, but the color soon gave way to purest white. The equine creature’s dark eyes were focused on Skye, and his ears turned forward in interest as he concentrated his full attention on the king. Skye allowed himself to take in the sight of the beautiful wing resting at the pegasus’s side, eyeing the white primary feathers first and then gazing on the smaller iridescent covert feathers rounding off the wing. For some reason, the latter feathers made the word “stardust” spring to Skye’s mind.
“Oh, Skye!” Mista exclaimed as she glanced up and saw him. “Please come in and meet your new mount. This is the moment that a lifetime of friendship begins! He is quite polite, and I think you shall like him!”
Suppressing the urge to snort, Skye opened the stall gate and stepped in beside Mista.
The pegasus’s nose flared as he and Skye locked gazes, and a handful of breaths passed as neither man nor beast moved. And then the pegasus dipped his head, and Skye allowed himself to relax and step forward. He ran a hand across the winged horse’s neck, enjoying the velvety feeling.
“Nice to meet you,” Skye murmured.
“Agreed,” the pegasus returned.
“Friends already!” Mista proclaimed. “I am so glad! I considered giving him a name, but I thought it was an office you might like to perform yourself, so I did not do so. But I must admit that I am curious about what name you will choose!”
Skye brought a hand to rest on the pegasus’s silver nose, chuckling as the pegasus’s lips tickled his palm. “Do you not have a name already?” he asked his new mount.
“Humans use names,” the pegasus responded, looking at Skye with liquid eyes. “You may call me what you wish.”
“How about Stardust?” Skye suggested.
The pegasus nickered and placed his head on Skye’s shoulder, causing the prince to freeze in surprise.
“I guess that means you like it,” Skye said after a moment.
“It will do.”
Mista beamed. “Good! He does like it! I knew you would bond quickly. Pegasi are perceptive when it comes to determining whether someone has a good heart, and you have one of the greatest hearts I know!”
Skye grimaced, knowing he had not always treated Mista in the kindest fashion. Lately, however, his feelings toward her had softened, and he had actually begun to worry about leaving her behind. The daft woman would be easy for anyone to take advantage of, even if she did not hold the slightest vestige of power anymore. Furthermore, her pregnancy made her particularly vulnerable.
“Thank you, Mista,” Skye said softly, breaking his gaze away from Stardust. “You won’t . . . do anything foolish while we’re gone, will you? You need to be careful for your child’s sake.”
She smiled at him. “I’ll try to be careful if that is what you wish. But I
will miss you and Gusty and Tierra.”
Again, Skye felt a sense of guilt. Mista did not exactly have many friends—Gusty and Tierra were the only ones that Skye explicitly knew of—and she was to be left alone for weeks and possibly even months. The woman had wronged Skye in the past, but he no longer hated her . . . if he ever truly had.
“You should see this as a chance to make new friends,” Skye told her. “You have more freedom now than you once did.”
“Perhaps,” Mista said distantly as she returned her focus to the pegasus. “Oh! Since you don’t know much about pegasi, I thought you should know how to make Stardust take to the air. All you have to do is trail a finger under the base of one of his wings and lean backward. He will lift his wings, and the new distribution of your weight will send the signal that he needs to fly.”
Her expression became filled with childish happiness once more. “Of course, you can always give him verbal commands as well, but it is not always so easy to comprehend those when flying in the air. Fortunately, pegasi are naturally in tune with their riders, even without training. The gentle kicks and leg pressures that work with griffins will also work with Stardust, so you don’t need to worry.”
“That’s good,” Skye said thoughtfully, glad he had at least had training on how to ride a griffin. That meant he would not be utterly lost as he tried to lead his men on a hunt for Tierra. It would certainly not instill confidence if their king were to prove himself unable to even cause his mount to move forward.
Mista opened her mouth to say something more, only to have whatever she would have said drowned out by the happy bellow of another Skychild.
“Your Majesty!”
Skye turned to watch the approach of the short and chatty Griffin. Trailing behind him was the tall and somber form of Nimbus. Neither man appeared to have changed much from the time when they had assisted Skye and Tierra in traversing the Skymount passage, and Skye felt grateful for that piece of stability.
“Griffin,” Skye responded with a small smile.
Once the two Sentinels reached the stall, they stopped and bowed.
“We’re here to protect you on your mission, Your Majesty,” Griffin said after straightening. He pulled at the neckline of his shirt, looking nervous. “You’re, uh, certain you want to go to all this trouble for a Groundbreather?”
“Yes,” Skye said. He was mildly irritated, but he stifled his feelings immediately. Skychildren were proud and independent as a people, and those were traits he would not wish to change. It was in their nature to ask questions, and he could not begrudge them for it. Furthermore, though the questions about whether he truly wished to marry Tierra or expend so much effort in finding her were irksome, Griffin had not known her well, having only been in contact with her for a short span of time. Skye could readily forgive him his skepticism; Skye’s subjects would discover what a wonderful person she was when she was finally installed as their queen.
“My apologies, Your Majesty,” Griffin said, seeming to sense the turn in Skye’s mood. “Of course you wish to find your lady.”
“I do, Griffin,” Skye said, forcing a smile. “I know that some of my people are not convinced about the changes I’m attempting to make, but what I’m doing is for the best.”
Griffin did nothing more than nod, while Nimbus, who was behind him, remained as readable as a block of stone.
Skye resolved to spend no more time worrying about the opinions of his companions for the time being. Instead, he turned back to Mista. She was once again brushing the pegasus, crooning to it in a soft voice. Though it was time to leave, Skye listened to her for a few moments; he had never before heard her sing, but the low tones issuing from her mouth were melodious, and her voice, though quiet, was rich and full. He had not known she possessed such a lovely voice. A sort of reluctant affection for the woman welled up within Skye, and he choked back whatever he had intended to say, for fear that his voice would break.
His attention was arrested by the sight of the pegasus looking at him, head cocked slightly to one side.
“Your Majesty?” Stardust asked, obviously seeking clarification.
“I have recently been crowned king of my people,” Skye responded.
The pegasus nodded. “Then I suppose I can consent to carry you. You are of a suitable stature.”
Skye was about to ask what Stardust meant when Griffin spoke up: “He’s got a high opinion of himself, doesn’t he?”
“Pegasi are often that way,” Nimbus said shortly. “It comes from their elusive nature.”
Stardust snorted at the two men and then turned away to nuzzle Mista, for whom he seemed to possess some affection. Skye eyed the beast for a few moments before he decided not to pursue the subject. It would be better to speak to Stardust when there was no one else nearby to overhear.
“Come on, Mista,” Skye said. “It is time for me to depart.”
Mista nodded and stowed her brush on a shelf to the side of the stall before following him from the stables.
While Skye had been becoming acquainted with his pegasus, the griffins had been led from the stables out into the open space beside the palace, and an assorted group of people had assembled. In addition to Nimbus and Griffin, who had followed Skye from the stables, several more guards—including Cirrus—stood to one side, and then to the other side were several nobles gathered around Bluster. A young girl stood beside Bluster with a bored-looking Strix perched on a gloved hand. From the direction of the village, Gusty approached the group, a leather pack slung behind one shoulder.
“If you don’t mind, Your Majesty,” Griffin said, drawing Skye’s attention to the group of guards, “I will introduce you to the rest of your escort.”
Skye nodded and allowed himself to be led over to the guards.
“Your Majesty,” Griffin began, “I would like to introduce you to Nightwind, Vesper, Sunray, and Brightnest. Along with me and Nimbus, they will be serving as your guards on the ground world.”
Skye looked over the guards. They were tall and fair like all Skychildren, but Nightwind was bluff and a little older, carrying himself with a hint of authority, while Sunray and Brightnest appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary, though they seemed competent enough. Vesper was the lone woman in the company, and Skye wondered how she would get along with the men. She was pleasant on the eyes, and Skye believed her to be not much more than five years his senior.
“Who is in command?” Skye asked, though he thought he already knew.
Much as he had expected, Nightwind spoke up, saying, “I am, Your Majesty. Vesper, Brightnest, and Sunray are all members of my company in the Sentinel.”
“I think we might be too many in number,” Skye said with a frown. “My mission relies on stealth and secrecy, and with eight of us, that becomes rather difficult.”
“My apologies, Your Majesty,” Bluster said as he walked up. “That was my decision. I know six guards will not be of much assistance should you run into real trouble, but I thought you had best have as much as we can give you without attracting too much attention.”
For a moment, Skye considered refusing to take along so many guards, but he decided it was not worth protesting. In fact, it might be beneficial to have so many people at his disposal. After all, he could dispatch one of them as a messenger should he need to get word back to the sky realm.
“Very well,” Skye said, dipping his head.
“I would like a moment if you don’t mind,” Bluster said with a gesture.
Regarding the man with curiosity, Skye allowed himself to be led to the side of the gathered company. When they had achieved a modicum of privacy, Skye gave the other Skychild an expectant look.
“I wanted to ask what you wish to do with Sentinel Cirrus,” Bluster murmured. “As you know, though he was part of the Sentinel, he was assigned to you, which put him a little outside the normal structure. To be honest, I’m surprised you aren’t taking him with you.”
Skye resisted the impulse to look at
Cirrus, who would quickly realize they were speaking about him. While Skye trusted Bluster, he did not want to go into the details of why he refused to bring Cirrus along, and he merely asked, “Do you have any suggestions about what to do with him?”
Frowning, Bluster said, “I am not certain. There are some who think he should be promoted in light of his actions during the recent battle.”
“I agree,” Skye said, thinking that a promotion might satisfy his friend for the time being. “Promote him two ranks and give him some responsibility around the palace. He deserves it after the aid he has given.”
Though Bluster still seemed a little troubled, he agreed, and after Skye spoke a few words with him about Mista’s safety, their conversation came to an end. They made their way back to those assembled, and Skye, noting many pairs of eyes fixed upon him, decided that his escort required reassurance.
“Thank you all for being here. I understand that not everyone is in complete agreement with the changes I have chosen to implement. But I can assure you that they will be for the best.” Skye’s eyes darted to Cirrus, but the man only watched him with a placid look. “Princess Tierra’s presence is required in part for those changes, not only to lend them legitimacy, but also to provide a check against her sister. The king of the ground realm is dead, and in his place, a despot has risen. Wisteria is a vengeful woman who would like nothing better than to see the Skychildren dead as a race.
“Just as the sky realm was previously under the thumb of the madman Hawkins,” Skye continued in a quieter voice, “so now is the ground realm being ruled by a madwoman. We need Princess Tierra to take her sister’s place on the Groundbreather throne if we would like to have any hope of peace.
“For the most part, we shall continue to do as we have always done. But there are to be no raids. We will subsist on what we can produce ourselves. Even though the ground realm under its present ruler will not honor the agreements we made with her father, let the Skychildren show that our word is our honor.”