Broken Wings

by Melanie Nilles

  __________

  Attack Plan

  How fortunate the Keepers were out flying. Valdas didn't need the map to find the houses, nor did they need to break into any structure. They could make this short and sweet.

  She adjusted the heads-up display on her helmet visor showing the radiation traces of anything living. Through the shades of red, she found them not far away. The Starfire gave off a unique radiation signature that registered the Keepers as green, contrasting the yellow of her squad members.

  The wind was another matter. It would make accurate flying difficult. Not impossible but risky. The portal disturbed their atmosphere the same. They had managed to fly through it there; they would manage in this.

  ["Keepers sighted,"] Lieutenant Tourval said. He flew straight for them as they planned. Daeltrian should be somewhere above, provided the wind didn't hinder her efforts.

  Karnalan and Luranik would flank the Keepers.

  Only one direction remained open to them.

  ["Tourval, hold back. Give Daeltrian a chance to get ahead."] The tri-comm worked perfectly in close proximity, and they could hear a whisper. Unnecessary to shout, even in this wind.

  A gust sent her tumbling over herself, but Valdas righted within seconds.

  ["I'm in position,"] Daeltrian said. ["I don't think they see me."]

  Indeed. Based on the colored images from the goggles, the Keepers had hardly moved while the young lieutenant was nearly above them. Did they expect a fight? Why did they wait instead of run?

  Remember Montran. They had attacked him, burning him severely from what must have been a very strong release of Starfire energy. ["Ease up. They may be waiting for a clear shot. Wait for the others to get into position."] She wouldn't underestimate these two as the commander had.

  ["I don't think they see me, sir."]

  ["I said 'hold'."] No sense firing and missing, and alerting the Keepers of the attack. They would have one chance to surprise the pair.

  ["Yes, sir."]

  The others were almost ready. The next move would take her away from optimum viewing while she took her position. For those brief seconds, she would lose sight of the situation.

  Valdas shivered. Damn the weather. Loran could have warned them to dress warm.

  ["They're fleeing!"]

  Sure enough. The green shapes flew away. Crystal fire! Valdas spread her wings and pulled up. ["They spotted us. Two-point-one. Karnalan, go."]

  ["Yes, sir."]

  The yellow figure dropped to pick up speed against the wind and cut off the Keepers. A warning shot would chase them back.

  ["Daeltrian, hold position. Tourval. Luranik, flank pursuit."]

  All three confirmed and took up the chase.

  A light flashed from Karnalan's weapon. It went wide.

  Clever. The pair split up. Valdas was smarter. The two in pursuit each took one Keeper. The chase was on.

  ["These two burned Commander Montran. Keep your distance. Disable them so we can go home."]

  She joined the pursuit, fighting the strong winds throwing them at the portal. If they could use that to their advantage…

  It would never work. The Keepers would do all they could to avoid it now that they knew Saffir hadn't sent for them. Valdas and her team had hoped the Keepers would assume the portal was generated by the last Crystal Keeper on Inar'Ahben and linger near, but the advantage had been lost.

  She'd never fought like this while a portal was active. Given the wind and threat of return fire by the Keepers, she wished she had brought more support. If she had suspected this world's climate could cause problems, she would have.

  The Keepers looked to have difficulty too, though. The green shapes occasionally jerked as if caught by a gust of wind. One of them in particular had more trouble than the other. Which was that? The shape looked feminine. If so, that was their primary target, but also the most dangerous. Human-raised. That might have something to do with both factors. She might be easy to catch, but they would have to neutralize her quickly to avoid the Starfire.

  But the other looked feminine too. Wait. A third shape approached in the distance. It couldn't be. Three Keepers. One of the others must have joined them.

  The brighter green headed for Valdas, or near her at least. Close enough for a clear shot if the female stayed on course. The wind proved a challenge to staying still or for the Crystal Keeper to fly straight.

  One shot. That's all Valdas needed. One shot to knock out the Crystal Keeper. The other Keeper gave her team a good challenge, but this one didn't seem to understand. Two of her teammates chased the Crystal Keeper to her.

  Valdas flapped against a gust at her back. Seconds later, the Crystal Keeper veered away.

  Valdas pursued, sending Daeltrian away in the hopes they could chase the female to her.

  The wind roared around them. Cold numbed the exposed parts of her face. Ahben depths! The cold numbed every part of her. The others didn't complain, but she would bet they felt the same. If they continued much longer, they'd all freeze. It didn't matter—they weren't important. That crystal shard was. She ignored the cold. She couldn't fail.

  She felt the effects of the cold on her movements and saw it in her team. Their quick turns widened. Their response times to the Keepers' tricks slowed. How did the Keepers go on?

  The pair joined up again, allowing the yellow figures to encircle the green shapes, although Karnalan and Daeltrian were a little slow. Or did they hold back in case the Keepers made another run?

  [Or in case they fall. Good thinking.] Once hit by the neutralizer, the Crystal Keeper would lose consciousness. The other could fall to their death, but Shartrael Raea would be needed alive, if possible, to handle the Starfire safely.

  A couple shots of bright green flashed on the scene, but the green shapes flew around one another.

  One of the yellow shapes faltered.

  ["I'm hit!"]

  Tourval's voice. The Keepers fought back. They attacked her teammates, taking the offensive and sending the men and women of her hand-picked squad fleeing from them.

  Valdas pursued the more skilled flyer, who chased Luranik. If she could get one clean shot, they'd regain their advantage. [What took so long for you to defend yourselves? That oath to serve is a farce. You Keepers are nothing more than hypocrites and liars. You're abominations to our kind.]

  If she could get a clear shot, she could take out one more. The third Keeper was almost there. ["Hurry! We're getting company."]

  Perfect aim. She fired. The Crystal Keeper fell.

  Deltrian and Tourval swooped up, their yellow shapes merging with the green. ["Got her!"]

  Finally. ["Let's go."] Valdas followed the pair carrying the limp green form between them. The last green shape spread his wings and glided. [Too late.] The Crystal Keeper vanished into the darkness with her team. She followed.

  __________

  Alone

  "Raea!" No. No-no-no-no-no. This couldn't be happening. They took her.

  And Nare fell. His heart screamed in agony when the black shapes headed for the portal. He wanted to chase them, but Nare didn't fly. For a heartbeat, he considered it. Only for a moment—he'd never reach Raea in time. He made his decision.

  "Nare!" He folded his wings and dove. The wind whistled past his ears. "Nare!"

  Her wings trailed her, slowing her fall, and she didn't respond. She must have been hit with a neutralizer. They wouldn't dare aim to kill a Crystal Keeper, not yet.

  He had a chance to save her and pulled his wings in tight, streaking like a missile to catch Nare. He couldn't save Raea. She was gone.

  No.

  She was dead.

  No!

  He wouldn't lose her like this. He couldn't fail her.

  His eyes blurred. Although the wind caused some of the irritation, the choking hold of his grief burned his eyes and lumped in his throat.

  Closer he sped to Nare, and to the ground. Soon, he'd have no choice but to pull up, unless...

&
nbsp; Unacceptable. Killing himself wouldn't save Nare.

  "Nare!" He leveled with her and adjusted his flight, reaching out…Got her!

  The sudden spreading of his wings caught the air and dramatically slowed his descent, but at the expense of a sharp pain in his back. Carrying Nare proved awkward, but he flapped hard, hoping to gain altitude. Muscles strained in his back. After the speed of the dive, he struggled to hold his wings out to slow his momentum, even more to flap against his continued fall.

  The ground's approach slowed. Holding a limp Nare, he flapped hard.

  Forget making it home. He'd be glad to land safely.

  Elis managed a light landing and laid Nare in the grass. No sign of blood, and she still breathed. Neutralized. The Shirukan wanted Raea alive to handle the Starfire for them. Using their weapons to kill would have made things difficult—the Starfire might kill anyone who touched it that it didn't accept and it definitely would never accept any Shirukan. There was one good thing.

  Nare wouldn't be waking up anytime soon though. He'd have to carry her home, but without Raea. He'd never see her again.

  The Shirukan had taken her when he wasn't there, like they'd taken his family. The memories returned in vivid detail, shattering him with accusations.

  He saw it all on the holographic video—images of his home city with its grand Arches of Sammal in ruins and the many floating towers on fire from attacking ships and hundreds of black-uniformed Shirukan and thousands of the gray and black uniformed Shirat soldiers filling the scene. Reports of Keepers being rounded up by the enemy and executed. Individuals. Families. Women. Men. Children. The elderly. Anyone with the Starburst marks were targeted.

  And the city, resistant to the end, now suffered for no reason but as a show of force by the Shirat Empire.

  Elis stared in stunned silence at the reports scrolling across the display. His heart froze with his breath. He couldn't believe it. Narmor had fallen. It should have been able to resist.

  His parents and his sister and her mate. All Keepers rounded up. His father had been a Crystal Keeper, though. Naolis bore a shard of the Starfire. The Shirukan would keep him alive long enough to torture him into giving it up.

  No, his heart cried. Every part of him ached to be there to defend them. His family needed him. The people he loved. Where was he?

  Starfire Tower. Safe and secure after finishing his training.

  Not again. Over the last two years, he'd tried to forget. He wasn't there when the Shirukan took them away, like he wasn't here when they came for Raea. He might have stopped them if he'd been there, if he'd been here.

  The door to his quarters slid open. Saffir stepped in, her short, gray-blue hair twisted into a style pulled back from her face, exposing her concern as she rushed to embrace him. ["Elis."]

  Elis stood stunned, emotions frozen in a tangle of denial, guilt, and grief. ["I should have been there."] That simple statement summarized everything inside him and loosened the tears to slide coldly down his cheeks.

  ["You could have done nothing. The Shirukan have ways of subduing Keepers. Had you been there, you would have died with them."]

  He looked up through blurry eyes at Saffir and the old, white-winged man. What did they know? The muscles of his back tightened, drawing his black wings in close with a ruffle of feathers. ["I might have made a difference!"]

  Saffir shook her head, her deep blue eyes breaking from his gaze. ["You don't know that."]

  She put a hand to his face. The Starburst marks covered her entire hands in the same aquamarine color as the Starfire crystal she wore on a decorative chain around her neck. His father had worn a smaller fragment. Her fingers—nearly covered by the Starburst like her hands—caressed his cheek. ["You are my brother's last grandchild. I won't lose you to the Shirukan like the others. In fact—"]

  Saffir straightened and glanced back at the old man, his great-grandfather Tenkil, her father and the oldest of the Keepers. He had long ago passed his Starfire to her so that she protected the largest fragment.

  ["I know where you'll be safest, and you can protect another Crystal Keeper."]

  Elis frowned. With his emotions already tumbling inside him, he didn't want to leave. He wanted to fight the Shirukan and their empress, the people who killed his family to obtain his father's Starfire. He wanted to make them suffer.

  ["Twenty years ago, Shartrael Padina escaped the Shirukan by the power of a Starfire portal. We heard reports years later that she was dead, but her shard had not been recovered. Only a few of us knew she was pregnant when she left."]

  ["Pregnant?"] As in a child? Padina had borne a child? To be expected, he supposed. He had heard of her disappearance, but nothing about her having been found and executed by a Shirukan.

  Another Crystal Keeper. But her shard hadn't been retrieved…then… ["You think her child bears the Starfire? Why hasn't he or she returned?"]

  Saffir shrugged. ["We don't know the answer, but with Padina gone, perhaps her child knows nothing, or perhaps the child is also dead, the shard abandoned. Since Padina left, we had no contact with her. Now, with Naolis's shard, the Shirukan have two pieces of the Starfire. They'll come for me next, but I fear they'll soon discover Padina's legacy."]

  He knew what she wanted. The answer was obvious. ["You want me to protect this child? How is that any safer? How will that help my family? They're gone!"] He didn't regret the harshness of his tone and stepped away from them to gaze out the balcony door, which opened at his approach. A warm breeze blew against his wings, tempting him to the sky of Inar'Ahben to escape the tragedy that crashed upon him. Freedom. Solitude. Escape. But he could never escape the guilt darkening his heart. ["I should have been there for my sister and my parents."]

  A soft touch on his shoulder loosened the tension. Tears cooled his cheeks.

  ["You can protect Padina's child, if they're alive. We don't know what she taught them, so it would be your responsibility to prepare them, to help defend them against the Shirukan. If the Starfire is made whole, it will destroy our world."]

  The stakes were higher than his family; he'd always known, but it had been someone else's responsibility. How could he refuse that duty as a Keeper? He could; that's all. ["Why not send real bodyguards? What can I do?"]

  ["Where that child is, they may look like us, but they don't have wings. Padina chose that world so she could hide as a native."]

  He knew the world she described. All Keepers knew it as a sanctuary. ["Earth."] Primitive by comparison, humans viewed Inari as supernatural beings. How would he fit in, except to hide the Starburst marks on his hands and to hide his wings? He loved to fly and was one of the best, at least among his friends at Starfire Tower. He didn't want to have to walk everywhere.

  But he knew why Saffir asked him. Because of the Starfire in their genes, Keepers could hide their wings, although they usually used it as a means of reaching the Ahben in the oceans of their world and never with long-term intentions. And he now had nothing keeping him there.

  ["I would be the worst person. I can't, not after this..."]

  ["It's because of this, and that you have completed your training, that you're the best person for this task. You can grieve later."]

  ["But others—"]

  ["They've already chosen mates. You haven't bonded with anyone. You have no ties to this world."]

  Elis sighed in defeat. He couldn't argue with that.

  ["You have some time to think about it and prepare. It'll be safest to arrive at night."]

  He nodded and watched the two leave his apartment. His mind swirled with conflicting emotions and a sense of duty. Keepers valued life, but honored those who died. Although he wished with all his being to avenge his family, deep inside he knew Saffir was right. Protecting and training Padina's child was important. And perhaps it would distract him from the pain that ripped through him.

  Tears cooled his cheeks. Elis let them flow and fell to his knees. The portal was gone. He was unable to rescue Raea. He had fai
led not only Raea but also Saffir. Everything he loved he lost.

  It wasn't fair. He didn't deserve to live while they all suffered and died.

  "I'm sorry, Raea," he whispered. Sobs shook through him. Tears restrained from two years ago flowed freely now, cooling his face. He should have told her about bonding sooner. This might have been avoided.

  He had been so afraid, and now his worst nightmare had come true. He was alone.

  __________

  The Truth About Angels

  He'd never see her again. Never hold her. Never dry another tear. Never smell the faint hint of flowers that conditioned her silky, light brown hair. Never feel the joy that somersaulted inside him when she smiled. Never spend the rest of his life with her.

  In the cold grass next to Nare, Elis buried his face and the tears that flowed. The last two years of his life replayed in his mind. The way he'd watched Raea, his tongue sticking at the wrong times. The way he sometimes caught her eyes on him and wished she might say something. The last six weeks slowed, every moment aching through him in its clawing ferocity to rip out his heart.

  If only he had dreamed it. If only Saffir had let him go that day Narmor fell, he could have ended the suffering before making everything worse.

  But he wouldn't have been there when Raea needed him most, when Pallin came, and her shard would already be in the machine and Raea would be dead.

  The cold air and the fog of his breath screamed reality.

  "Raea…" Elis sniffed. Damn the Shirukan! Damn the Shirat Empire! And damn their empress! They did this. They took away all he loved.

  Everything.

  He punched the ground with his fists, his wings out behind him. It would be so easy to end it all. The hard ground beckoned with its welcome embrace of cold death.

  Lights from behind faintly lit the ground around and ahead of him, except where his shadow fell.