Schism: The Battle for Darracia (Book 1)

by Cash, Michael Phillip

  V’sair turned to stare out the panoramic windows that ran along the red rock walls. Lights shimmered in the distance; ships zipped through the air; and the ever present Petrion guards, riding inky-colored stalliuses, pranced through the night sky.

  Despair overwhelmed him. “I am not even Darracian,” he muttered to himself. “Not Darracian, not Planta, not Quyroo. A freak,” he whispered under his breath.

  Tulani moved closer, feeling his despair, sorry she had appeared defiant. Sometimes she couldn’t help herself. “Your Highness?” She touched his shoulder, and a current sparked between them.

  He spun suddenly, surprise on his face. Coloring, he turned back to the window, ignoring her. His whole body was tense, and he felt threatened by the strange feeling coursing through his body when he looked at her. His lungs were robbed of breath, and he averted his eyes so she wouldn’t catch them roaming her lithe frame.

  She stood silently beside him, drinking in his presence, hoping she had calmed the raging tornado she sensed in him.

  She had a light scent that teased the prince’s nose. He let his breathing return to normal, and when he felt ready to speak, he asked her softly, “Why? Why did she take you here?” Tulani represented all that he was, an outsider, an outcast never to be accepted.

  “I’m sorry…What?”

  “Why did my mother take you from the Desa?”

  “Who knows? I only know she took me when I was young and has trained me to fulfill her every need. You may not want to hear this, but I do know what she is thinking all—well, most—of the time,” she finished with a gentle smile.

  V’sair looked at her for the first time really, trying to disengage this new, unwanted attraction. She was pretty; he noticed she wore her makeup similar to his mother. Her long lashes coated with dark resin fluttered seductively over her star shaped eyes. She had outlined her lids with the darkened umber of the forest and her pale lips were glazed with the same orange gloss as his mother. She clearly was not Darracian but of the conquered Quyroos, the treetop people. She was tall but delicate, perfectly formed, with the delineated muscles of her species.

  “Do you miss your family?” he asked her.

  The girl shrugged. “I hardly know them. The queen sends me home every quarter moon to reacquaint myself, but they are angry.”

  “Why?”

  “I cannot be mated with one of my tribe. I have lost my chance. There was a dispute many years ago. My grandmother took control of the family, and it has brought more shame to my father. My parents have lost their fortune. They are aging and have no one to defend them. They have become Bottom Dwellers.”

  V’sair nodded, understanding this was not a good thing. Bottom Dwellers roamed the planet’s surface, banished from the treetops, where most of the food could be found. Instead they foraged on the forest floor, eating what refuse they could find. They were the lowest life-forms on the planet. They didn’t fit in, and this was a feeling with which he was familiar. He looked at the girl and asked, “Does my mother know this?”

  “You mother knows everything. It’s whether she cares or not that matters.”

  “Then does she care?” he asked carefully.

  “She sends me home with supplies. She allows my family to make Glacien ointment.”

  “From the Deep Fells?”

  The girl smiled, her small feral teeth bright in her face. “If she chooses to believe that.”

  “Do…do you like it here?”

  Tulani looked up at the soaring ceilings. Her words were trapped in her throat, held captive until the right moment. How could she explain what she felt? He had her heart; must he rip apart her soul as well? “‘Like’ is subjective,” she told him simply. Living here was torture, knowing he would be taken from her when a political marriage would have to be made. Yet staying near and waiting for a chance like this was worth everything. If they had only a short time together, it must last a lifetime for her.

  V’sair smiled, his thin mouth revealing perfect white teeth. She amused him. “Subjective how?”

  Tulani thought and finally answered, choosing her words with extreme care. “Your mother shows a great preference for me. Sometimes it creates tension in our court.”

  “Yes?”

  “Well…” She bit her top lip, and V’sair thought her endearing, her arms folded defensively across her chest. You are not so bold as you want others to believe, he thought, a smile tugging at his lips.

  “Sometimes others make those from the Desa feel unwelcome. It can be…disheartening.”

  “Do you share this information with my lady mother?”

  Tulani walked over to the window and took in the boundless night sky. There were so many things she wanted to say to V’sair. She didn’t like the way the Darracians treated her. They could be mean and cruel. Sometimes being a favorite was not a good thing, but she would endure all that and more, just for a glimpse of his noble face. “She has enough to worry about, don’t you think?”

  “Do you like my mother?” he asked her.

  “She can be…”

  “Hard?” V’sair supplied, and felt his spirits lift when Tulani laughed. It came from deep in her belly—a rich, dark laugh as lush as the Desa itself—and he warmed to her.

  “When someone gives you high expectations, it causes you to strive to be the best you can be. You should know that, Your Highness. The entire court talks of your devotion to the Sradda.” He nodded, and she finished. “I love and admire your mother, more than my own. If not for her, I would be tethered to the ground and not flying among angels in the sky.”

  “Ha!” He laughed with pleasure. “Now I know you are roasting me. Darracians and angels, an unlikely match.”

  Tulani raised a delicate brow, her red face alight with laughter, her eyes drinking in his ethereal beauty. “I could name a few.”

  They walked through the hallways of the castle, toward the stables, more as equals now. V’sair had a newfound respect for the girl. She was not a bowing toady, looking to ingratiate herself with him to achieve her ends. He liked her, he realized with surprise. She listened to him, her face totally engaged when he spoke to her. She was authentic, and as they walked, a feeling of peace enveloped him. She didn’t seem to mind his lack of a tail or his colorless hair. Even from here they heard the hustle of the busy area. Soldiers were coming in, their clothes dusty from the red soil of the Desa. In groups they entered, talking and bowing slightly to the young prince.

  Two Quyroo stable masters jumped as he entered, rushing to ready his mount.

  There was nothing V’sair loved more on this planet than Hother. A giant among the other stalliuses, she stood meters over most of the others and snorted softly as she sensed his approach.

  “Hother awaits. Let’s be off.”

  Hother was beautiful, with her huge muscles under a white coat and giant white-feathered wings spanning six feet on either side of her heaving sides. “He matches you perfectly.” The stunning creature awed Tulani. She was blindingly white, the same color as V’sair’s bleached mane. The servant girl reached out to stroke the stallius’s side.

  “She,” he corrected her.

  He patted her neck affectionately, and Tulani thought he was so very handsome when he wasn’t scowling. Holding her halter, he blew gently on his mount’s nose. The stallius snuffled then pushed her head against his gentle hands. V’sair reached into his pocket and pulled out a fruit that was grabbed by large teeth.

  “Forgive me, Highness. She is splendid, a rare beauty.”

  As if to agree, Hother snorted, her fierce nostrils flaring, her enormous hooves sparking against the cobbled floor of the stables. In one fluid motion, V’sair lifted himself easily onto his stallius’s back then held out a hand for the elfin servant girl. “Have you ever ridden a stallius?”

  Tulani shook her head with a negative reply, speechless at the size of the white beast.

  The two attendants wrapped thick lines around their forearms in order to keep the restless anim
al captive. The gates to the sky yawned before them.

  V’sair expertly handled his mount. Holding out his hand impatiently, he motioned for Tulani to take it, and she braced a small foot against the creature’s side. She never had been this close to one, and worry must have shown on her face, because she felt the prince take her gently, tugging her up, and reassuringly give her leg a pat as she landed behind him. A current passed between them everywhere their bodies touched.

  “Hold on,” he told her, his eyes crinkling with laughter.

  Wrapping her arms around his lean waist, she inched closer, feeling his breathing hitch. She pushed up against him, knowing her breasts were pressed intimately against his back. All sound receded, and Tulani closed her eyes, lost in the sensation of the powerful beast beneath her and the vitality of the youthful prince before her.

  “Release!” the prince commanded, and urged his stallius through the towering gates that led toward the sky. Hother backed up, her muscles tensing beneath them, her vast wings gracefully gathering power as they pulsed with movement. The creature built speed, and Tulani jerked as Hother took off, leaping into the heavens, to hang suspended over the planet.

  The stars littered the heavens like the sparkling bubbles that aerated the water. The four moons hung low on the horizon but lit the ground with their lambent glow. Red treetops beckoned, and Tulani gasped with delight as they floated above the land, which was now a speck in the night sky. It was as though they flew above a red-colored bowl. The sea roared to their left, and the cliffs of the Desa turned a deep burgundy in the darkness of the night. The moons illuminated the forest treetops, and she heard the rustle of the wind as it buffeted their bodies. A flock of gresh flew below them, and she giggled as they cawed.

  “Is it not beautiful?” She heard V’sair’s voice. Their faces were close—so close that she could touch his cheek with her own.

  “I’ve never seen the likes of it. Looking out from the portal does not do it justice.”

  “This is only the beginning.” V’sair laughed as they took off like a rocket to dance among the red cliffs of Darracia.

  The air was cooler, and for a moment, Tulani regretted not taking a wrap. She had gotten soft living in the clouds, but she knew she would adapt quickly to the climate change.

  They hovered over the Desa Forest, the dense foliage whispering in the darkness. In the distance the castle rode on its cloud home, as ships came and went from the two entrances. Here and there Tulani could make out Petrion guards riding black stalliuses on patrol, their expertise in the air as fun to watch as a magician’s show. V’sair responded as they waved to them, acknowledging their presence in the dark skies.

  “You ride very well, Highness.”

  V’sair shifted in his seat. The girl was pressed tightly against him, making him uncomfortably aware of every cell in his body. He cleared his throat, feeling her small hands caress his torso, which made him squirm.

  “I..I…have ridden my whole life.”

  Tulani laid her cheek against his shoulder. He smelled like home, the rich scent of the forest; the fresh, clean smell of the needles of the trees. She knew the laundress at the castle used a mixture her grandmother made. This is fun, she thought with a smile. V’sair was still as innocent as she, and perhaps that was a good thing. She moved her hands up the front of his tunic, stroking his chest, and when he gasped, the winged creature dipped dangerously. Tulani screamed as he gained control of the beast.

  “What are you—” he yelled.

  “Tulani.” Her mouth was close to his ear.

  “What?”

  “My name. It’s ‘Tulani.’ Say it.”

  “Tulani…” It rolled off his tongue, as sweat dotted his forehead. V’sair was finding it difficult to think.

  “I like the way you say it.” She paused then whispered, “V’sair.”

  The last was said in a puff of air that caressed his earlobe. Could that be her tongue? V’sair thought wildly, as he felt it touch the outer shell of his ear. He shifted and realized it was indeed, and a smile graced his handsome face. He flexed his arms and pulled his mount with newfound urgency, heading south into the Deep Fells. In the distance the great shadow of Aqin blocked the night sky, its belly ominously belching a swirling dark mist.

  Chapter 8

  Pacuto, flanked by his guards, impatiently walked the stable yard, looking for V’sair’s grooms. Slapping his quirt against his powerful leg, he looked for the Quyroos who worked exclusively for the prince. He found them cleaning a large stall.

  “Where did the prince go?” he demanded.

  Known for their closemouthed sullenness, they gave him a disrespectful shrug. His own guards bristled at this breach of etiquette. Pacuto swiftly lashed out with his quirt, slicing the red cheek of the groom. All action stopped, and the stable became so quiet that the only sounds were Pacuto’s voice and the harsh breathing of the injured Quyroo.

  “Do you know who I am?” he shouted, his teeth bared.

  “I may know who you are, but that doesn’t mean I can give you information I don’t have, my lord Pacuto,” the Quyroo said disrespectfully.

  “Insolence!” Pacuto shouted, his face flushed with anger.

  The quirt slashed again, this time the other cheek. Red droplets sprayed across the immaculate tiles. This time the Quyroo was hurt; he huddled in the corner.

  “I know not, my lord,” he said with a quiver.

  “Prince V’sair does not think a servant important enough to give him his itinerary,” the second Quyroo sneered from behind Pacuto.

  Pacuto bunched his bulky shoulders and swung his short but powerfully muscled tail mightily, impaling the startled Quyroo. Shaking him, he roared with laughter at the shocked look in the servant’s dying eyes. He felt his tail slicing organs, as the Quyroo slid into a bloody heap to the floor. He took out his tryath and neatly severed the quaking Quyroo’s head, while saying, “If you are so unimportant to the prince, then you are equally useless to me.” He tossed the head into a corner, laughing as it rolled to stop in a pile of excrement. He turned to his guards. “Saddle Winata. Now!” He stomped out, leaving a trail of bloody footprints.

  The stable, usually a hub of activity, became as still as a tomb, the Quyroo who worked there ducking behind the stall walls.

  ***

  V’sair and Tulani glided over the landscape in hushed silence, breathless with anticipation. The wind ruffled Tulani’s braids, and she released them, letting her tresses tangle with V’sair’s white locks. They skirted the rocky crags of Aqin and felt the rumble from its deep recesses.

  “Aqin is angry,” Tulani whispered.

  “Nonsense. It’s a volcano that may or may not erupt. It has no personality,” V’sair retorted smugly.

  “Did the Elements tell you that?” she challenged him.

  “I base my answers on science. What proof do we have that the Elements exist?”

  “That’s blasphemy.” Tulani’s voice was hushed, the wind buffering all other sound.

  “I cannot accept everything my tutor tells me,” V’sair said impatiently. “If the Elements truly exist, tell me why we have war and inequality.” He turned his face to see her for a moment then returned to watching the skyscape. “How can I accept something I can’t see?”

  “We don’t see air, yet we know it is there,” Tulani responded. “The Elements are the Trivium. They make up the substance of life. Without them we are nothing!”

  “Words. Merely words.” V’sair closed his mouth, at a loss to explain his feelings. “I don’t know what I believe in anymore.”

  Tulani’s hair tickled his nose, and V’sair brushed her curls from his face.

  “I can’t see. Tie your hair back,” he said.

  “It feels good when it touches you, no?” Tulani asked seductively, her clasped hands resting intimately against his lower belly.

  Gracefully they descended to the forest floor, coming to rest on a bed of red clover and lichen-covered rocks. They heard the
call of wild birds and the keewalla monkeys that roamed the glades. A waterfall cascaded over the high rocks, and the gentle creatures of the night called to them.

  “Deep Fells,” V’sair said with wonder. His skin prickled, and he was acutely aware of the female behind him. His urges made his fingers tingle; his lips ached to touch hers.

  “Part of them. It is my family’s home.”

  In the distance the castle floated, its many turrets outlined by the gleam of its white lights. The other buildings used different-colored lighting, so the city in the sky looked like a brightly colored constellation. V’sair rarely had seen his home from a distance. Once, Zayden had stolen him away without his parents knowing to see the city from the ground. It was as exhilarating then as it was now.

  “Waaw!” V’sair’s eyes took in the lush gardens, bathed in the moonlight of the four moons. Overhead he heard the leathery wings of the herns, along with their screeching call for the mates they chose for life. He looked up to see a flock of them flying in a cross-shaped formation. He never had been so close to one, except in the museum of course. He couldn’t believe his mother had let him fly here without a detail and in the evening. He knew he should return by daybreak, and that was a good thirty-four hours away. He glanced at the herns and followed their flight. They were predatory, he knew, but never attacked in the evenings.

  V’sair demounted then lifted his arms to help Tulani as she slid off Hother. His heard her breath catch in her throat as his hands spanned her tiny waist. She rested her hands lightly on his shoulders, and the world narrowed to just the two of them. She was light as a feather, her legs sliding down his body, her full lips finding his own. He was acutely aware that nearly every part of his body touched hers, and his skin burned through his clothes.