Amaris turned back to her sister, looking at her momentarily before glaring at the glass vessel that held the shimmering metallic liquid looking unconvinced and just as betrayed as Ange felt.
She turned her eyes back to her sister, they looked dark even in the glow.
“I still don’t like it. It’s still wrong and I just hope that I’m wrong about these feelings I’m having,” Amaris stated quietly. “And these visions,” she added as an after note.
Instantly Amaris had everyone’s rapt attention, tensing immediately after her last words. It was obvious that this was of great significance and Ange stared intensely as well.
“Visions?” Ileana echoed concerned. Ange’s interest quirked up, her mind echoing with the same question.
Amaris nodded. “I keep seeing flashes of darkness, and then…” she shuttered slightly, her eyes haunted. “Roaring, furious roaring.”
“From whom?” Falco cut in before anyone else could ask.
Amaris shook her head puzzled, rubbing her arms as if she was suddenly cold. “I don’t know, but there is a great deal of anguish and then there is this shadow, an evil dark shadow with a wicked grin as cold as death. I don’t know what it means,” she admitted.
Ileana scrunched her face troubled. “I hate it when you have visions,” she sighed agitated. “They are always so unclear.”
“Like yours are any clearer,” Amaris accused in a flash.
“Yes, but I haven’t had any visions lately.”
“Don’t you just love feeling left out?” Falco asked rhetorically.
Adam smiled next to him and shrugged.
Ange stood up form where she crouched, no longer interested in what the group had to discuss. Her fate had been decided, and much to her chagrin she knew there was no way of escaping it.
Her back pressed against the wall as bitterness set in. I can’t even run, I’m on a rock in the middle of the ocean! Even if I do manage to get away by some miracle, either Showl or the Adherent will find me.
She growled under her breath, frustrated.
“Why don’t you come in here, Angeline?”
She froze shocked as the loud voice rang out to her, Corvus. She sighed and quickly turned towards the door, glaring into the great council room as the gathered group stared out her surprised except for the black haired dragon.
“You were eavesdropping?” Ileana snarled immediately.
Amaris blinked shocked and looked up at Corvus, bewildered.
“How did you know and I didn’t?” Amaris asked confused.
He smiled charmingly as she glared slightly at him.
Ange stared impassively and sullenly into the giant room, she wasn’t planning on answering a stupid question with an obvious answer.
Ileana seemed to know this as she scowled darkly. “You have no respect for your elders, do you? No sense of integrity.”
Anger flared Ange’s cheeks red as she was about to spit back crossly.
Corvus’s calm voice cut in first. “With all due respect, Ileana, you must understand that we are not meeting Angeline halfway. She must feel like a prisoner here, with no leeway or choice.”
“She is an equal member of the group. Should we not treat her as such?” Falco added in agreement.
“Sister, you felt exactly the same when we went to the academy,” Amaris reminded.
“This is different!” Ileana snapped, obviously not appreciating the members of the council massing against her. “She is not one of us.”
Ange flinched at her words, the words pierced her and she felt the blood rush out of her face and become pale. She felt utterly cold and hurt by the cruel words, she was surprised they affected her so much, she hadn’t realized she had begun to consider the marble castle as her home and the people within it as her family.
“How can you say that?!” Amaris lashed out instantly, her voice sounding distant to Ange.
Ange felt a pit of cold in her stomach, the air around her felt like it was crackling. Her thoughts traveled back to the guild, the Black Owl and Daren. Overwhelming grief and anger began to boil in her as her mind was throw into a turmoil of depression and she felt cold inside, almost chilled as death.
Her name was ringing in her ears as she stared blankly at the floor, it was ringing strangely, desperately.
A touch made her jerk in shock and suddenly the voices were clear.
“Angeline,” spoke a gentle and concerned voice that was close to her. She looked up to meet Showl’s golden yellow gaze, feeling for the first time the tears that had begun to leak down her face.
She pulled her right hand to her face to wipe away the tears when she paused.
Ange stared at her hand confused as frost clung to her fingers and palms, her skin looked normal and she didn’t feel the slightest bit of cold from the obvious ice that clung to her hand. She turned her head to the doorway where her hand had been resting.
She gasped in shock and recoiled, slamming into Showl as he steadied her with his hands on her shoulders. She gazed up shocked at the thick sheets of ice that glittered and hugged the side of the doorway, climbing up hundreds of feet to the ceiling and coating the floor, about half of the door’s entrance.
A glare was burning into her skin, she could feel it as she reluctantly turned her gaze back to the council.
Everyone was staring at her with either shock, alarm, or disbelief. Everyone except Ileana, her dark brown eyes were staring at her dangerously with cold fury that promised death if need be and Ange could not help but flinch under the stare.
“Did…did I do that?” she whispered turning her gaze up to Showl, her voice echoing through the room despite trying to be quiet.
Showl frowned deeply, his yellow eyes cloudy and troubled as he gave her a single nod in confirmation.
She returned her gaze back to the ice, her eyes wide as she stared at it in disbelief. She didn’t remember trying to freeze anything yet the ice glistered before her as irrefutable proof that she had no control or awareness of her own power.
She swallowed and pushed Showl’s hands off her shoulders.
“I’ll got pack,” she stated quietly with a note of defeat and turned away without a glance back.
Her thoughts were lost as she trekked back to her room, she could hear the bubble of distant murmuring as she walked away from the council chamber and the faint sound of footsteps as Showl quietly walked behind her.
She reached her room before she even knew it, staring at the door blankly before walking in.
The shadows of the evening filtered through her windows, a weak fire burned in the fireplace, brimming a faint orange glow upon the objects in her room. Her desk still had the same books she had been studying that morning, her once empty shelves impressed into the wall were filled with the books she was expected to study. The lantern on her nightstand was off, the metal petals hid a splendorous sol gem beneath their polished exterior.
Something was out of place in her room, she could tell instantly despite her dark and pressing thoughts. She turned her gaze to the wall between her nightstand and the fireplace. She gazed intrigued at the mannequin that was no longer bare and unused.
Her armor rested there, the white plates brimmed in the weak firelight with the same clear icy shine that Showl’s armor had. Silver filigree tinted with crystal blue wove into lovely and complex patterns upon the surface. The divided cuirass had the embossed shape of Showl’s dragon head at the neck as the horns curved back to hold the icy blue cloak that draped over the back.
She quietly walked over and inspected the chest plate, noticing how it was not a solid piece but divided into many smaller interlocking pieces, she suspected the design was meant for flexibility. She boldly touched the smooth material and traced the designs as she recalled only the leaders of the Sky Warriors were permitted to have gold filigree whilst the rest had silver tinted with the color corresponding to their element.
She switched her gaze to gauntlets, noticing the fancy work didn’t seem to appe
ar to have an area where a blade could be hidden. She inspected the metal over the wrist and back of the hand, glaring at it. She touched the right gauntlet, looking for some kind of opening.
No damn blade. She thought unsatisfied. The moment the word ‘blade’ crossed her mind a sharp long piece of steel shot out with a twang and she recoiled surprised. As her fingers left the surface of the scale material the blade retraced.
She smiled slightly, admiring the armor. It was hers and it was far more beautiful than the one Vera had given her, much to her dismay. Even if the material was brilliant white and she envied her friend’s pitch black armor, she still loved this one. She only hoped it was suited for her preferred style of movement and combat.
“You will need to wear it for the trip. Just in case.”
Ange turned her hazel eyes to Showl and his dark broody expression as he stared at her.
She swallowed as she caught the meaning of his words and nodded once.
“Don’t worry, me and Corvus are coming with you,” Amaris assured as she walked into the room and gave Ange a faint smile.
“Don’t you need to stay here?” Ange questioned hollowly.
“They’ll be okay till I get back,” she stated confidently. “Corvus and I can zap from her to the Tower of Ingled in a blink of an eye.”
Ange frowned confused. “How?”
“Remember how we arrived to the battlefield after your bonding?” Ange nodded. “That’s how, so long as there is connected shadows, me and Corvus can travel anywhere in seconds,” she smiled gloatingly. “So far Ana and I are the only ones that have ever been able to do that. Of course she and Grace do it using light, though.”
Ange marveled at the possibility and swore her face must have looked green with envy.
Amaris frowned, suddenly saddened.
“I’m sorry it has to be this way.”
Ange sighed quietly. “Thanks for defending me though,” she thanked sincerely.
Amaris’s frown deepened as her eyes darkened and she appeared to be looking elsewhere, not at Ange. “I just pray to the Five that nothing bad comes of this,” she whispered as the fire crackled and died out.
Chapter 19: A Tower Enshrouded by Mist
It was late into the afternoon of the next day as they flew over the clouds close to the northern hemisphere of Domus. The air was sparse and made breathing difficult for Ange but she had quickly learned to control her breathing and focus her thoughts as they continued to fly unstopped to the Tower of Ingled on the other side of Sterilis, the continent her beloved city Cyridell resided on. According to one of her history books the original name of the continent was Sterilis Patriae, meaning ‘Barren Country’ in the dragon language.
Ange glanced down at Showl’s casted shadow over the clouds, knowing full well that was where her friend and her partner were hidden. On occasion as the clouds broke they would emerge and fly with them, but even those moments were spent in silence.
Showl’s shadow look no different than normal, rippling across the surface of the buoyant clouds that were only a short length from his long shape, making Ange doubt that there was anyone there.
She shifted uncomfortably in her saddle, something she seemed to be doing on purpose more than for comfort to break the stillness that seemed to exist. Since they had left the castle, she hadn’t spoken once to Showl and was missing his company and presence in her mind. Her pride continued to stifle her and she didn’t wish to admit that she missed him and his caring if not overbearing behavior.
Ange sighed and relented, she knew he was still hurt from her actions and perhaps she had been too rash when she had decided to block him. Warily she opened the bond between their minds, removing the wall she had placed between their souls.
His mind washed in instantly like a ruptured dam as she felt a ripple under her body come from him. She was surprised to feel his relief rather than anger as well as apology in his thoughts.
“Angeline.”
It was a simple statement, her name, filled with utter remorse and shame.
“What’s wrong?” she asked surprised.
“Forgive me,” his words were begging, desperate for forgiveness.
She frowned even more bothered. “I…thought you’d be angry,” she admitted reluctantly.
“I could never stay angry with you, little thief,” Showl replied softly. “I was unfair to you, please say you will forgive me.”
Ange’s brows pinched together, utterly startled and bewildered by his words.
“I did not mean to make you feel you had been stripped of your mental privacy, my little thief. I spent the last three hundred years in absolute solitude, silence, and degradation. When I first felt the liveliness of your mind mingle with my own and fill wholly the hole I had been born with…I was overjoyed, exuberant. No words could possibly describe my rejoice and I was completely blind and oblivious to how it must have all felt like to you. It was so natural and soothing to hear your thoughts bring peace and life into my mind that I never realized, considered that it was bothering you. That my voice would make you feel strangled and judged. I ask for you forgiveness Angeline and…another chance.”
Ange’s heart broke at his broken words and she felt completely ashamed that she had brought Showl to his current state where the proud dragon she knew was begging for her forgiveness. Once again she realized she had been selfish and hadn’t considered for one moment why Showl lingered in her mind so constantly, she had hurt him and for her there was no excuse for doing so.
“You were not the one at fault, as your partner I should have foreseen this. I should have been anticipated how this would affect you.”
“You can’t always be the one at fault, Showl. You can’t always know every possibility in the path we’re going to take. I have to learn to take the blame too,” she growled, remembering Vera’s words to her at one time.
You need to learn to grow up Fox and take the blame when it rightfully belongs to you. Not every adventure is going to go exactly as planned, improvising and adapting is as vital to any thief as is skill and thought. Unless it’s the guard, lie and the idiot that so happens to be nearby during the crime, don’t worry about throwing the blame their way!
She smiled at the memory of a terribly misconstrued plan to steal from a noble’s house that happen when she was only twelve and had blamed Daren for their fall when it had been entirely her fault after ignoring his protests to the scheme.
Showl was silent and she knew he had watched the memory with her. His thoughts were foggy and difficult to interpret.
“Will you forgive me nonetheless? Can I still hear your thoughts but with a promise to only listen, not comment?” he asked quietly.
Ange gave a hoarse laugh and laid completely down on her saddle as she pulled one of the gauntlet off, her hand and reached for some of the feathers on his head as she began to stroke them. She could feel the comfort and assurance the simple touch brought to him as she replied simply.
“Yes.”
An audible sigh escaped his jaws and she felt him physically relax under her as his wings quietly slapped the air and kept them aloft. His alleviation and cautious joy were evident in his thoughts as they lapsed into a peaceful silence.
Without thought they mingled their minds together as Ange closed her eyes and entered his mind, flying once again with him. The air was cool and smooth to their senses as they traveled the space above the world quickly, they spent the time measuring the land passing by and assessing their speed. The last sun was sinking in the horizon to their backs and Corvus and Amaris flew on their starboard as they traveled over the Shivering Sea.
The waters seemed to shutter, never still, painted in deep dark blues edged with burning ruby and silver as the sun cast the last of its light in their direction. They had been flying over the brackish waters for over an hour, as Showl shared with her images that helped determine the distance that remained before the swirling mist came into sight.
She sucked in a deep salty an
d fresh breath as her body regained its conscious as she withdrew from Showl’s mind and body, releasing her united control of his body and senses as she reconnected with her own and opened her hazel eyes.
The vibrant colors that had existed through his eyes were subdued, dulled, and less sharp in her eyesight yet she realized that a notable difference existed since the first time she had shared his sight. Her eyesight was improving, ameliorating past the normal vision a standard human possessed.
The mist was finally in sight.
It was stagnant. A towering and ominous dome stretching across the sea and as Ange looked closer she realized it was moving, ever so slowly like a storm cloud waiting for the opportune moment to release its built up chaos.
As they hit the mist, it engulfed them in a cold blanket that didn’t let them see a little more than a few inches in front of them. The mist was dry but cold as it touched the skin of Ange’s face as she tried to look head, squinting. The wing beats of the dragons fell into an even quieter note of silence, the world seemed still, empty.
But that’s not what haunted Ange the most, she could feel something probing her mind, enveloping her, searching. It reached into her core and the mark on her chest began to glow faintly, she could feel the icy sensation crawling over her skin in that area before she even looked down and realized her armor was in the way.
The invading sensation left and suddenly the mist parted, swirling quickly away, revealing an island in the distance. A large cylindrical tower rose far above the sea at the center of the island made of white marble but dulled over the years by the salty air into a grayer tone. A large building over eight stories high hugged the giant tower and stretch across the small island shaped like two interlocked circles, taking its shape, leaving little shore between the building and the sea. The only windows that existed were four stories above the ground from where the wall like building began and the gloriously designed and stained long windows that encircled the tower to its peak.
It was a grand and ancient building, simpler in design compared to the palace but still boasted a monumental aura, it was obvious by just a glance that the interior was just as colossal as the halls and Council Chamber of the Dragon Palace.
Sky Warriors: Poleuthan's Thief (Sky Warriors Saga Book 1) Page 30