Grave Debt

by T. G. Ayer

  Sienna stopped in her tracks, hands on her hips as she glared at him. “Logan. This isn’t a game. If you can’t fly by Ascension, or at the very least by Blessing, our legitimacy to the throne will be in question. We give the Fathers and the Equals a better chance at taking it from us.”

  Logan put his hands on his sister’s shoulders and squeezed gently. “Sienna, please. We can only do what’s within our power. Nothing more. Now come on. Let’s practice some more, but how about we try from the ground first, okay?”

  Sienna pursed her lips. “Fine. Let’s start from the ground. But I warn you, it’s not going to be as effective.”

  Logan smirked. “I think I can deal with less effective if it means staying more alive for longer.”

  Sienna rolled her eyes and jumped off the cliff, swooping smoothly into the air as she transformed into a shimmering golden dragon, the sight like nothing he’d ever seen.

  As he watched her glide low and rise, shimmering scales flickering in the fading reddish sunlight, Logan wondered for the first time what his own dragon would look like.

  Then he shook his head and focused on Sienna. The golden dragon swung about and flew straight at Logan, then transformed and landed in one smooth fluid movement.

  She hit the ground and placed her hands on her hips. “Now you.”

  Logan shook his head. “How?”

  Sienna remained silent.

  “How, Sienna? How did you learn to fly? Did someone chuck you off a cliff, too?” Logan asked, his voice rising.

  And Sienna laughed. “That’s it,” she said, clapping her hands wildly.

  “That’s what?”

  Sienna’s eyes sparkled as she drew closer to Logan. She looped her hands around his waist and grinned. “Hold on,” she said softly, then stepped backward over the edge of the cliff.

  “Sienna! What the hell?”

  “I figured it out. It was a life-or-death situation,” she yelled up at him.

  “Sienna, you stupid idiot. Shift into a dragon, now. Before we’re both roadkill,” Logan screamed.

  But Sienna wasn’t listening. “Shift, or I die, too,” she said, a stubborn glint in her eyes.

  “Sienna, I swear if we live through this, I’m going to kill you.”

  “You have to shift to do it,” she sang out, taunting him.

  Beyond Sienna, Logan could see the ground racing up to meet him. What the hell was she thinking putting her life in his hands when he couldn't fly.

  Stupid, stupid kid.

  “Shift, Logan!” Sienna screamed, tilting her head to look at the ground, her voice now edged with fear.

  “I can’t,” Logan yelled. “I don’t know how.”

  “Shift. Logan, shift!” Sienna screeched. And then her eyes changed to a golden hue and she blinked, dark dragon eyes glistening as she screamed, “Save me!”

  Something in her voice drove deep within Logan, and blasted through a wall in his mind. And then, ten feet from the ground, he heard a rush of sounds, a flapping of something large and leathery, the whistle of the air in his ears.

  And the sounds of Sienna’s laughter as she whooped and screamed from below him.

  And then he dropped her.

  “Logan, you idiot,” she screeched.

  But Logan only laughed as Sienna spun around and shifted fluidly into the golden dragon. Logan skimmed through the air, the knowledge of flying, of riding the air currents, seeming to come from somewhere deep within his mind and soul.

  Logan swooped low, then surged up into the sky spinning in the air as he rose. His dark gold, almost-but-not-quite-bronze wings flapped around him, the scales on his hands and feet glistening in a multitude of iridescent colors.

  “You’re beautiful, Logan!” Sienna screamed. “Goddamn, brother! You’re so damn beautiful!”

  Logan grinned as he glided to meet her, unable to deny her words.

  He never would have called himself beautiful, but he couldn’t help but agree with Sienna.

  His dragon was goddamn beautiful.

  The Ascension ceremony was planned for sunrise the next day so they’d cut short their flight training. As Logan and Sienna returned from the border of the Black Mountains, he found himself nostalgic, aware that this was the last day of Logan’s life as a normal person.

  He’d been about to think the word human, as mages were essentially human in origin, just born with magical abilities. But Logan was, of course, not human. If he’d been in any doubt, he’d just proved it to himself an hour or so ago.

  And now, as he and Sienna glided in toward the balcony of his bedroom, Logan scanned the city below him, studying the flames that flickered to light the way for travelers and watchmen.

  The land of Dyr was an unusual combination of magical and advanced, and Logan was slowly getting used to it.

  “Now that was exhilarating,” said Sienna as she shimmered into her human form inside the room.

  Logan, on the other hand, skimmed the balustrade, scuffed his clawed toes on the stone balcony floor, tripped over a rug where his human foot caught on a fringe, and tumbled at the foot of his bed, slamming his skull into the hardwood base.

  “Oh gosh,” Sienna called out as she ran to him. “Logan? You okay?”

  Logan groaned and pushed to his elbows, then felt the small bump at the back of his head. “I’ll live. You can stop with the fussing. Remember, not too long ago you were only too happy to toss me off the edge of a cliff?”

  Sienna smirked and crouched beside him as he righted himself. “Don’t be such a baby. It worked. You should be thanking me.”

  Logan grunted. “Remind me to keep you away from training your children to fly. You’re likely to be the first queen of Drakys to fly her children to their deaths.”

  “Gosh, you’re so dramatic.” Sienna got to her feet. “Lyra’s going to be on time tomorrow morning. If she’s anything she’s fastidious and prompt. So best we get some sleep and be up early.”

  “What?” Logan mumbled as he got to his feet.

  “Nothing. Go have a bath and get some sleep. Your muscles are going to need a soak again after you wake up too so I’ll knock on the door a half hour early. And don’t be smart and ignore me or you’ll be limping around the city all day. We can’t afford that.”

  The door clicked shut behind Sienna and Logan sank into his mattress. As tempted as he was to dive straight under the covers, Logan did as instructed and headed into the bathroom.

  Chapter 25

  The thing with the benefit of the doubt was that all too often it was undeserved. Grams stared at me from the other side of the table, our teas and cream-and-jam-drenched scones sitting between us like a cheery friend attempting to avoid a battle to the death. I blinked and said, "You can't be serious." Grams' mouth thinned and she reached for her tea."I am serious. I don't know." I opened my mouth, then closed it before shifting my gaze to stare out the window. I had to control my anger, or my panther would think she was getting the go-ahead to surge forth.

  Also, yelling at one's grandmother in a public place was unseemly, and even more so for an alpha. So I took another breath and leaned closer, reaching for the hem of the cardigan that I'd worn over my long dress. I’d decided that the morning was warm enough and I was not awake enough for complicated fashion decisions so a simple cranberry-red ankle-length shift dress and sneakers did the trick.

  Now, I reached for the sleeve of my cream chunky cardigan and resettled the hem which I’d worn tugged all the way down over my wrist to hide the armor which was annoyingly unremoveable.

  My grouching this time around was no different from when I’d first worn the armor and had discovered I'd not be able to remove the darned thing until it was ready and willing to come off. I'd found out this morning before my shower that things had not changed, and I’d had to scrub around the bracelet then slided the exfoliating cloth as far beneath the armor as I could. Thankfully it didn't fit too snug or I'd have happily chopped off my arm to get rid of the damn thing--I was never the
type to enjoy bondage, and the bracelet certainly did feel as though I was imprisoned somehow.

  I sipped my tea, ate a few bites of scone, then plopped it back onto the table. I’d had about enough of this craziness and from the curve of Grams’ eyebrows as she studied me over the top of her teacup from behind a veil of steam, I could tell she knew I was close to exploding. Still she said nothing.

  I shook my head, and leaned forward, the edge of the table pressing into my ribs. “I’m sorry if I come across as a little rude Grams, but I’m tired, I’m sore, I’m reeling from truths I’ve heard that have changed the very fabric of my life, I’ve feeling a little abandoned by the sudden, very conveniently timed departure of a certain fire-mage-turned-dragon, and I’m also,” I shook my wrist pointedly between us, “possessed by a freaky piece of jewelry with a mind of its own. A little help here?”

  Grams had been staring at me while I’d spoken, her expression bland, but at the mention of Logan, her features tightened and she stiffened, almost as though I’d hit a pause button on her. Then she relaxed and her shoulders slumped. Whatever inner battle she’d just fought, the case for truth had won her over with a argument based on Logan.

  How very curious.

  Grams sighed and bent closer as well. “Fine. I guess I owe you a little of something. If I get put to death for this discretion then I guess it would have been worth it.”

  I lifted an eyebrow. “Thanks Grams. But I don’t think you need to worry about dying. I think you pretty much have the immortal thing covered.”

  Grams was nodding, and--almost as though she hadn't heard me--she replied, “The armband is a token from the gods. Literally. It belongs to the goddess Ailuros, and she gifts it to those she believes have a deep need for it--especially when that need had a wider impact on the lives of the people around the recipient, or on the DarkWorld as a while. Which is why it does the arrival and disappearance thing.”

  Eyes wide, I paused for a long moment. “Oh.” Grams remained silent as I let her words sink in. “Ailuros. Okay. I can deal with that...The cat? The one that followed me in the forest...that was our Cat which was really Ailuros? Was I just visited by the goddess herself?” The words all came tumbling out on a whisper as I stared at Grams.

  She smiled. “Take a breath, dear. It helps you know, with the living and breathing thing.”

  I rolled my eyes, glad that the action did threaten to render me unconscious again. “Come on, Grams. This is...huge.”

  “I know, dear. But one does get used to the strange and bizarre--when face with it often enough.”

  “So, again no clue as to why she’s sent me the armband?” When Grams shook her head I squinted as a memory hit me. “But wait a sec. When you gave me the armband...it was in this fancy chest and...you made it seem like a gift. How did you get it?”

  Gram’s face tightened, her expression flattening. “It wasn’t me.”

  I blinked at her words, the memory of the day returning in a flicker of an eyelid.

  Grandma Ivy’s door was shut, the sound of the shower confirming she was home. Ailuros knew how long she’d be around though. The Odel matriarch never stayed for long.

  I grinned and headed for the kitchen. With the kettle boiling, I busied myself cutting up coffee cake and setting out plates and cups.

  A few minutes passed and then Grandma Ivy emerged, fresh and beautiful, her bright blonde hair moist and frizzed from her shower, looking far too young to be anyone’s grandmother.

  “Kai, darling,” she murmured, and squeezed me into a deathly tight embrace. The woman may look fragile, but the blood of an Alpha ran strong within her veins.

  “Grams, you’re home.” That was all I could offer before my throat closed up. With the week from hell just behind me, all I wanted was to let her hold me, to forget everything and just be a kid for five minutes.

  She held me.

  And then, she grabbed me by the arms and thrust me away from her, studying my face in scary silence. “How have you been? Anything interesting happen while I was away?” The hardness in her question gave me the eerie feeling that she knew exactly what had happened while she’d been gone.

  Which was probably why I spilled everything. I skimmed the wraith hunts, detailed the dead SkinWalker and the abductions, the Alpha visits and Omega’s paranormal investigations, and skimmed my near-death experience with Brand.

  Grams sat in silence until my monologue was over and when I sat back she slapped the top of the table with a flat palm and said, “Well, I think I have just the thing to make you feel better.”

  Odd thing to say.

  Odder still when she scurried away and returned to place a rectangular box before me. Not a box—more like an artifact.

  “Hope you like it.” Grandma Ivy plonked herself back into her seat and shoved a piece of cake into her mouth. The action didn’t hide the strange expression in her eyes. Concern.

  I hesitated. What did Grandma Ivy have to be so worried about? When her gaze didn’t waver, I turned my attention to the small, bronze chest. Beautiful flower-shaped rivets held the box in shape at each corner, hinges that curved and curled into viper heads, carvings on each side reminiscent of Roman Gymnasts, and great ancient battles.

  I opened the lid.

  The hinges didn’t dare to squeak. Within the box lay a piece of armor, a bronze armband which looked much like a gladiator’s trappings. Carved into the inside of the armband was a set of letters, surely something so ancient the likes of me would never understand it. What an odd gift.

  “Wow, Grams. This is insanely gorgeous,” I whispered. And it certainly was no lie; the light glistened on the carved surfaces and the images seemed to dance. I had to blink as it became too entrancing.

  “It’s a really special piece, Kai.” Grams’ voice lowered, a dead seriousness colored her words and a shiver crawled up my spine. She sounded so serious. Too serious for a simple gift giving. “Put it on.”

  Didn’t sound like a request, and yet I felt like once I submitted there was no turning back. My gut twisted as instinct agreed with me.

  “Once you accept this, it belongs to you.” Grams was getting weird on me. I raised an eyebrow and was about to giggle when she continued, “And you belong to it.”

  “Grams, what in Ailuros’ name does that mean?” My fingers had stilled in their movement toward the armband.

  Grams sighed. “Once you place it on your arm the bracelet will sense whether you’re right for each other. If you are, then the locks will jam, and you won’t be able to remove it.”

  “Okay, forgive the girlie question, but what about showering?” I looked at the band—its size would dwarf my hand from elbow to wrist. “And how will it ever fit me?”

  “I don’t know dear. I just know the bracelet chooses its wearer and gives him or her a special strength.” Grams leaned toward me and gripped my fingers in hers. “You and I both know you need all the help you can get.”

  There were too many unsaid words in that one sentence. Grams knew more than she was letting on.

  “So, what’s this thing supposed to do for me, make me invisible? Give me super-strength?” The whole story was so far-fetched. What was Grams thinking?

  “Protection,” Grams said, her eyes so sad I felt an answering clench in my heart. “If you were mortally wounded, you would survive.”

  The silence which followed rang around the room on painful echoes. How could she seriously expect me to accept what she’d just said? I teetered on the verge of hysterical laughter.

  “So, definitely no try-before-you-buy?” This is so crazy.

  “Nope. No returns once purchased either.”

  Beneath the banter lay a stone-cold seriousness I found disconcerting.

  “Anything else it will give me?”

  “Each of its wearers has been granted...a different sort of...ability. Some, who already possess power, have had it multiplied beyond their comprehension. Others have acquired a new power altogether.”

  “Ma
ybe this isn’t such a good idea. How do I know it won’t hurt me? Maybe I should think about this.”

  “Kai, this is hardly the time for you to go away and have a good think about it. You have only this one chance.”

  I raised my eyebrows; I didn’t appreciate being pushed into a corner even if it was my Grandma doing the pushing. I stood barely an inch away from the glowing bronze armor, my fingers almost touching the metal.

  Almost.

  When they made contact, my twinge of fear was lost within the swirl of electrical energy and iridescent light enveloping both Grams and me. From my fingers to my shoulder, aquamarine light sparkled and twirled around my arm and the band, coils of intangible color which wound from elbow to wrist in a magical embrace.

  Within the blink of an eye, the band absorbed my arm into it. Or maybe it was the other way around. Perhaps my arm had called to it. Either way, band and arm now seemed as one.

  I blinked and breathed deeply, drawing in some of the swirling green light too. It didn’t matter. It didn’t seem to have any adverse effect on me. I felt the warm weight on my arm and remembered what had just happened. I remembered, too, that I should be royally pissed off at Grams, but something within my soul had erased those negative feelings.

  The weight of the band felt permanent. Forever. I felt the fear of what I’d gotten myself into.

  “What just happened?”

  Grams looked affronted, as if I’d asked why I’d been molested by the heavenly talisman. Grams cleared her throat. “Kai, this bracelet is now yours, forever. Or until the day someone else needs it far more than you do. It has chosen you.”

  “Why me?”

  “I don’t know.” She raised her hands in defense. “All I know is that you needed help and this was the best way I could help you—to pass the armband on to you. Hopefully you will find a use for it.”

  “Where did you get it?” I shook my head, trying to figure it out, and hoping Grams had some answers. “Is it yours?”