Her Sky Mates

by Lark Sterling

  Feeling a hand on her back, she ducked down as Frodi threw a punch directly over her head, slamming it into the chest of yet another masked Shifter. When she bounced up, he grabbed her under the arms and tossed her up into the air, letting her land on her own, ready to strike. Iris had to admit; she was pretty surprised at how well Frodi could fight. With his sweater vest and patched elbow jacket, she imagined him to be more of a hider than a fighter. She was wrong, though, the two of them worked together as if they had fought with each other for years.

  As she stood, Frodi pressed his back to hers. They had taken down several in the first few moments of the fight, but there were a whole lot more, and they were closing in on the two of them. Frodi and Iris turned, keeping their backs tight to each other, watching in all directions. Iris leaned her head slightly back to talk into Frodi's ear. "We should retreat."

  “For good?” Frodi asked, slightly surprised.

  Iris shook her head. "No. But we need to get some space between them and us. From what it looks like, they're about to dogpile us. These are extremely well-trained individuals, and though my training is quite a bit better, I'm not sure the two of us can take this many. We have to have a plan."

  "I agree," Frodi replied. "But we can't go into the church; we will corner ourselves.”

  Iris glanced around. “Head back toward the back entrance of the church. When we were entering, I saw a large statue of a lion. It had enormous wings coming out of the back of it and could very well give us shelter and a few moments to think. It’s dark out here, and even if they are Bat Shifters, they won’t be able to follow our movements that quickly.”

  Frodi was silent for a moment. "A large lion with wings? I've been coming to this church for years, and I don't remember that type of statue."

  Iris shook her head. "I swear, I saw it as we were going into the church. Maybe it's something new. I have to admit, it didn't fit the scene, but it was there."

  With a shrug, Frodi reached down and grabbed her hand. “Let’s do it then. You go, I’ll follow right behind you.”

  Iris shook her head, clamping down on his hand. "No, if we go, we go together. Now."

  Both of them took off in the other direction, zigzagging, sliding, and rolling the best way that they could to make it very difficult to track them. Iris grabbed the edge of the siding of the church as she spun around the corner toward the back door. When they reached the entrance, they came to a skidding halt. Iris furrowed her brow looking back and forth, but the statue she had seen plain as day was no longer there. It was just an empty yard, with the black metal picket fence that surrounded it.

  Iris shook her head. "I don't understand; it was right here."

  Before Frodi could answer, a roar reverberated across the property. Iris’s eyes went big, and slowly she and Frodi stared at each other before turning around. They crept back over to the edge of the church and peered around the corner. There, in the middle of the crowd of masked men, was a lion fighting them off right and left. He swiped and turned, moving with ease that normally wouldn't come to a lion. Its massive long feathered wings sprouted from its back and were just as muscular as its body.

  Within seconds there were only two masked men left, the rest of them lying either silently still or groaning at the lion's feet. The remaining two backed up, their hands in the air. With a twitch of their bodies, they shifted into their Bats, their robes and masks falling into a pile. They took flight and hurried off into the darkness. Iris was curious, though Frodi seemed a little bit nervous. The two of them stepped around the corner and walked toward the golden lion. As its wings spread wide, the two of them paused, watching as the beast changed from its fierce roaring cat, into its human form.

  Iris lifted her brow, staring at the man crouched down, his muscular body naked, and his skin simmering as steam floated into the air. Very slowly, he stood and turned toward them. He took a few steps forward and bowed. "My name is Arsenio, and I am a Lamassu Shifter. I am at the service of the High Alpha."

  Both Iris and Frodi stood there, their mouths slightly gaping, staring at the man. There were only a handful of Lamassu Shifters left in the entire world, and it was very rare that anyone ever got to see one. Iris attempted to shake off her surprise and moved forward toward him. "Thank you. Forgive our shock, but neither of us has ever seen a Lamassu before, nor did I think I would ever see one."

  Frodi walked up next to Iris and reached out his hand, shaking Arsenio's. They looked at each other for a moment, almost as if they recognized each other. Arsenio turned to Iris. "I am the only Lamassu in this area, but the Queen, your mother, gave me a special mission. I'm sorry to hear about her passing; she truly was a great Queen."

  Iris was surprised by this. Her mother had never mentioned a Lamassu before. “What did she tell you?”

  He gave a half-grin, showing his perfect white teeth while running a hand through his tousled brown hair. "At first, I didn't quite understand. Your mother told me I was to protect the city, Lordone, at all costs until the day that my mission in life was realized."

  Iris already knew what he was going to say. How? She had no idea. Suddenly she felt drawn to him as if they had known each other for a very long time. "And have you figured it out?"

  Arsenio glanced over at Frodi, who gave him a nod. Iris watched the two, confused at their familiarity. It was apparent when Frodi had seen Arsenio in his Lamassu form that he had been just as shocked as she was. Frodi turned his head toward Iris. "You are his life mission. It's fate and a little bit of magic from your mother that brings you to this point where you were always supposed to be."

  Iris was confused. “But that doesn’t make any sense.”

  Arsenio walked forward, bending down on one knee and lifting his hands, taking Iris' in his. He turned them over and kissed the back of each one as he stayed knelt in front of her. "I saw you in my dreams the night before, along with Frodi, and your mother. Now that Frodi is standing in front of me, I know that it was a vision and not a dream. It is my responsibility, from here on out, to protect you against all dangers."

  Frodi smiled at Iris and nodded. "He tells the truth. He and I have met, and not just in his dream last night, but in visions before."

  Arsenio's eyes shifted up toward Iris, and she could see the gold tints glisten. "It's true. Until Frodi appeared here in front of me, I hadn't realized it was him that I had been connected to since I was a child. It's kind of like finding my brother for the first time."

  While nerves ran rampant through Iris, there was also a level of calm in the chaos. She had felt a connection to Frodi, but with Arsenio there now, it felt as if she were almost complete. It wasn't just mentally or emotionally, but she felt stronger in both her magic and her physical strength. Typically, a fight of that magnitude would've taken more out of her, but she felt as if she hadn't done anything more than go for a brisk walk.

  Following her instinct, Iris nodded at him. "With your power and strength, and the connection that you most obviously have to both Frodi and me, I think that I can speak for both of us by saying that we could definitely use you on the trip we have in front of us. We cannot talk about it right now as there are, most likely, ears listening in, but Frodi and I can both give you the information you need as we go.

  Frodi agreed. "And I think that we should go back to the Griffin sanctuary, at least for the night. I didn't think we'd run into Dark Shifters this early in the game. I think it'd be best if we got a good night's sleep, mapped out our trip ahead, and made the best choice for getting to where we need to get to."

  While Iris was anxious to get to the mountain, she also knew that without rest and food, none of them would be any good. "I agree. So, what do you say? Will you join us?"

  Arsenio stood, a grin on his face. "I would have it no other way. I'm not sure how to explain it, but there's something in the pit of my stomach that makes me feel as if this is my only choice. My destiny."

  Frodi slapped him on the shoulder. "I think we all know what you're fe
eling. But, seeing that we have to leave the city and there are strict rules within Lordone about shifting, I believe we shouldn't fly back through. We leave as our humans."

  Iris glanced back at the SUV, finding that from the battle, the fender was smashed, and the windshield was in pieces. She let out a long deep sigh. "Well, it looks like we'll have no choice but to continue on foot. We'll have to have them send somebody back for the truck, and the things I need to make my harness."

  Frodi reached around in his bag and tossed Arsenio some clothes. "We can't have you walking back through Lordone without any clothes. Just remember to take them off before you shift into your Lamassu. When we're out on the road, it won't be so easy to find replacements?"

  Arsenio chuckled and shook Frodi’s hand. “It’s good to be with you, brother.” His eyes moved over to Iris. “And it’s an honor to serve you.”

  Iris lifted an eyebrow. "I think it's best you learn very fast that no one serves me; we serve together as a team."

  Chapter Seven

  Dragging their tired bodies back to the sanctuary, they landed within the city gates, shifting back into their human form. Iris glanced over at Arsenio, a small grin on her lips. “Have you never been here before?”

  Arsenio's eyes were wide, and he looked around, back and forth, shocked at the city that lay before him. "No. Though, I have heard stories about its greatness. I always assumed they were exaggerated. I expected nothing more than a small Township within the Caverns. But this is beyond anything that I could've imagined."

  Frodi chuckled. "You should've seen it and its highest point. When the Griffin's were strong and full in numbers. The walls of the city couldn't be breached, and the streets flowed with prosperity and peace. The elders lived for centuries. The only ones who chose to die as their humans were those who had made a sacrifice for the greater good of the Griffin species. Now, it's…"

  Iris picked up where Frodi paused. "Sad. It's sad. But I have full faith in the fact that once we get everything situated with the stone, which we'll bring you up to speed on, the Griffin's will flourish once again. There hasn't been a Griffin High Alpha in a very long time, and they need to know that I'm going to put a stop to the hunting of our kind. I plan on putting a stop to the hunting of any type of Shifter. It's unacceptable and unneeded. The rivalry between Shifter species has gone on long enough. We are way past due for a connection that brings all four sigils together in peace. For those that don't want to play along, they'll find it very difficult to hide in any type of shadow."

  Arsenio chuckled, following along behind Frodi. "She's got some fire in her. I knew she would."

  Frodi grinned. "What did you expect from a Griffin High Alpha?"

  The three of them headed toward the castle, met by the Griffin Alphas coordinator, Emma. She was a young Griffin, beautiful, and intelligent. She had worked for the Griffin Alpha for quite a while and had gotten word of Iris, Arsenio, and Frodi's return. "Welcome back. I've taken the liberty of setting you up with three rooms all close by one another. I assumed you would want to be near each other. I've also assigned a security detail for you as well."

  Arsenio puffed out his chest. "I'll be protecting Iris's room; I don't need much sleep."

  Iris glanced over at him and grinned, not saying anything as not to burst his bubble. "Thank you, Emma. I'm sure everything will be perfect."

  Emma showed them through the long hallways and down a private corridor with four doors. One of them was vacant while the other three had been secured for the High Alpha and her two guests. Iris wasn't tired; she had far too many things floating through her mind. At the same time, though, she knew that any more excitement, and she would start feeling those nerves again. Iris dropped her satchel of odds and ends on the floor and laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She knew the Bat Shifters were dark, at least most of them, but she didn't think they would be on her as quickly as they were. They seemed to be tracking her very carefully as if a mole was inside of the Griffin sanctuary. She had a tough time, though, thinking that one of her own, especially a Griffin, would betray the High Alpha for the Bats.

  Her phone rang in her bag, making a strange whining noise. Iris winced, knowing it was probably on its last leg. The poor device had exploded from her harness and then dropped on the stone as enormous blackbirds cocooned her. She grunted as she sat up, leaning over and grabbing it out of the front pouch of her bag. The screen was cracked, but she could see Milly's face.

  "Well, hello there," Iris said, trying to keep a happy tone in her voice.

  "Don't you hello me," Milly huffed. "One minute you're asking me about birds the size of pigs and the next minute all I can hear is squawking and screeching. I seriously imagined a pterodactyl sized blackbird was eating you. Where the hell are you?"

  Iris wrinkled her nose, looking down at the soft comforter beneath her. "There's been a bit of a change of plans. I can't get into the full story, but it's going to be a while before I get back. It wasn't planned, I swear, and I wouldn't do this unless… Well, unless the fate of the world depended on it."

  Milly went silent for a moment. "That's either very dramatic, which wouldn't surprise me, or I should probably be preparing for the apocalypse."

  Iris chuckled. "I think I can take care of this, though, so don't go packing the canned goods just yet. Besides, you have a lot to take care of. I set you up to run the airport, you have all your contractor pilots lined up to do the flying for our clients, and you have the keys to the palace."

  "Some palace," Milly scoffed. "I guess I'm not surprised. I had a feeling you were going to say that when I called you, that is if some enormous flying creature didn't already eat you. And unless you took your cell phone into its belly, I'm assuming you're still in one piece."

  Iris smiled, realizing she was going to miss her best friend. "Still in one piece, and I plan on staying that way."

  Milly took a long deep breath and slowly let it out, allowing the irritation to go with it. “So, what is this dire emergency that threatens the existence of our planet?”

  Iris' eyes shifted up toward the window and out at the low haze of lights from the city. "It's not safe for me to talk about it, but it involves an ancient stone that is calling for me, some very evil Bats, and a dire need to protect my family. I wouldn't have believed it myself, but my mother brought me the news."

  "You Shifters and your weird ghost family," she chuckled. "Not to put a damper on your mother's memory, but humans, if ghosts visit us, we either are Ebenezer Scrooge, or we're calling a priest."

  Irish shivered, a flash of the shiny black mask that one of the men was wearing flashing through her head. "Just know that I'm on it and that my ghost mother isn't going to be haunting you or anything like that. I'm lucky if she comes to visit me. But I'm heading out tomorrow, so I need to get some sleep."

  "Where are you, by the way?" Milly asked.

  “Uhhhh…”

  Milly groaned. "Never mind. I forgot that you couldn't tell me. Be safe, and keep your phone on you in case I have any emergencies to deal with."

  With a laugh, Iris agreed. When she hung up the phone, she held it in her hands for a moment, smiling down at the screen. She used to kick herself for telling Milly about what she truly was, but in her anxiety, fear, and even a touch of excitement, Iris was glad she had her best friend there to talk to.

  A knock on the door brought Iris back to the present. She tossed her phone in her bag and walked over, cracking open the door. Standing on the other side was Arsenio, no longer dressed in the clothes that Frodi he had given him, which was probably for the best considering Arsenio was about three sizes larger than Frodi. Instead, he was wearing jeans, boots, and a tight blue t-shirt.

  Arsenio flashed a smile at her, and she ignored the thrill that ran through her stomach. “You mind if I come in?”

  Iris lifted her brow and stepped to the side, opening up the door. “Of course.”

  She shut the door behind him and paused for a moment to collect h
erself. She couldn't believe that he was making her so nervous all of a sudden. When she turned around, he was staring out the window. "It's pretty amazing. That city is something else."

  Iris walked up next to him. "It is. And it's funny because I always thought that as I grew older, the city wouldn't look so magical to me. I spent a lot of time here when I was a kid with my mother. But even as an adult looking out over the flickering candle lights and the stone structures, I feel like I'm in a movie."

  Arsenio kept his eyes on the people and the buildings below. "I spend a lot of time looking at people from this distance. I'm not sure where I was born, but I do know that I was smuggled into Lordone when I was just a baby and raised by a foster family of sorts. After meeting your mother, I knew what I had to do. So, during the day I work construction, and at night, since Lamassu don't need very much sleep, I perch upon the highest building in Lordone, sitting stone still as we are known to do, and I just watch. I watch people, I watch the traffic, and I occasionally get a glance of a Shifter doing something they're not supposed to do. But I'm not the police; I'm a protector."

  Iris stared at his profile as he spoke, feeling a sudden sense of intimacy and closeness to him. “Where’s your foster family now?”

  Arsenio shrugged and turned toward her. “I’m not sure. On my 18th birthday, they left me some cash and the keys to their tiny little apartment, and they were gone. They weren't like a family, though, ever. They were more like guardians. I always told myself if I ever met your mother again that I would ask her if she had sent them. I guess I'm a little late on that one."