Vulture

by Rhiannon Paille

  Pux shook his head. “I told you, they accept me. I’ve spent months getting to know them.”

  “You mean moons?” Kaliel asked, seeming more agitated.

  Pux nodded. She flew off the bales, stalking back and forth on the wooden planks of the loft. She rubbed her shoulders. “I didn’t tell them about you. They think you’re Aulises.”

  Kaliel spun around, her eyes blazing. “And Aulises was a thief’s daughter and a harlot, right?”

  Pux was upset, too. Kaliel took Aulises life, and maybe she didn’t know then what Aulises was, but it didn’t matter anymore. He pushed himself to his feet though he knew he would never really fight Kaliel. He loved her too much to get into arguments with her, but they seemed to be happening a lot without him even trying. “Do you want to know what they really think of you?”

  She stopped. “They say things about me?”

  “They say you should be with someone else. They say the Ferryman isn’t coming back for you,” Pux shot at her. He didn’t want to win, but he didn’t want to continue keeping things from her. It was too hard for him to understand her actions, shutting herself in the cabin, segregating herself from the villagers, moping around. He felt the same way about not being able to go back to Avristar, but there were things on Terra he wanted more.

  She was one of those things.

  She looked horrified. Tears fringed her eyelashes and her cheeks flushed bright pink. Her lips trembled as she stuck her fist in her mouth. “Krishani is coming back. I know it.” Her words were muffled.

  Pux softened. “They don’t know him as Krishani.”

  Her eyes met his, ablaze with passion. “Then they don’t know him, and they don’t know me. You said it yourself. They don’t even know my real name.”

  “They don’t know who you used to be,” Pux said and realized it was the wrong thing to say as Kaliel sunk to the ground.

  “Who I was,” she echoed, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them for comfort. Pux knelt beside her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “I meant who you are. You’re still Kaliel,” he mumbled.

  She rocked back and forth, making Pux feel uncomfortable and nervous. “No, I’m not the same.”

  Pux wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pressed his forehead to her temple. “You’ll always be Kaliel to me.”

  • • •

  They stayed in the barn for the remainder of the afternoon, talking about less interesting things. Kaliel tried her best to pull herself together. Pux was changing, becoming more like the villagers and less like her best friend. He wasn’t the invalid engaging in foolery anymore. He was stronger, smarter, hardworking, dedicated.

  She drifted in and out of sleep when shouts hit her. She waited, and the shouts came closer, passing the barn. The sounds trickled away and she shot up, her stomach wrenching. She thought about the gates. What could be at the gates? She slapped Pux in the stomach trying to get him to pay attention. He dozed off beside her awhile ago and she enjoyed the quiet time they had together.

  “Pux!”

  Pux flinched, rubbing his eyes and stretching. “What?”

  Kaliel scrambled to her feet and went for the ladder. She already had her feet on the rungs when Pux ambled towards her, groggy from the half nap.

  “Something’s happening at the gates!” she snapped. Not waiting for a reply, she clambered down the rungs, almost slipped, and landed sort of on her feet. She tried to make her legs work enough to get across the barn and to the fence, but she limped, jolts of prickles shooting from the base of her foot to her knee. She shook it out, panic lancing through her as Pux followed at her heels. She hastily played with the clasp, unlatching it, and sprinted to the double doors. The guards gathered at the towers, assessing the lump of garments on the gravel path in the rocky field. They huddled together, and between their voices she made out what they were thinking. It was a trap, a stranger, someone they should treat with caution.

  Kaliel didn’t listen. She didn’t care if it was one of the Valtanyana, the Daed, or something she hadn’t encountered yet. She bunched her skirt into her fists and ran. Her lungs burst, throat burning, begging for air, water, or both. The stranger was farther away than she originally assumed, the land cresting and falling in places invisible to her. She stumbled over a rock and landed on her hands and knees, her heart thumping like a jackrabbit. She went to touch the stranger’s cloak but recoiled.

  She recognized the smell—blood, soot, metal and smoke, but also dirt and rainwater. Her breathing thickened as she carefully touched the body and rolled it over. Eyelids were fused shut, the line of his jaw slick with sweat. Charcoal streaked his forehead and cheek. His lips formed a straight line, the upper one cracked and bleeding. A bruise festered under his right eye as a slight bluish purple stained his skin. His midnight black hair slicked behind his forehead, covering his ears and trailing his collarbone.

  She gasped. No matter how beaten he looked, it was Krishani. “Help!” she shouted, unable to mask the despondency in her voice. Footsteps neared her. She felt like she was in the middle of a torrent, the noise they made sounding far away. She reached for Krishani as his eyes opened halfway, their dull green and blue gazing at her lazily. He licked his lips as she twined her fingers with his.

  “Home,” he breathed as he passed out.

  She gulped. “Home.”

  The guards pushed Kaliel out of the way. She stumbled to her feet, brushing off her dress and biting her lip. Four of the guards grabbed him by the arms and legs, shuffling together as they moved him into the village. She trailed along behind them, feeling relieved, worried, guilty. She self-consciously glanced behind her at the forest, wondering if Cassareece or Morgana were in the trees, watching her. All she saw were the bright golden eyes of a brown owl as it hooted and stole away into the night, leaving its branch swaying in the wind. She turned, hair whipping around her face and shoulders, and jogged to catch up to them.

  Pux laced an arm through hers, walking in step. “Who is it?”

  She shot him a glance. It was ironic, considering what he said that afternoon. “Krishani,” she hissed, giving him an awkward glance. “Never coming back, huh?”

  Pux almost laughed. “He has impeccable timing.”

  Kaliel shook her head. That was more like the Pux she was used to, making light of the situation, making her feel better.

  “Don’t tell the villagers.”

  “I don’t tell them everything, you know.”

  She blushed, remembering the nights she asked him to stay in the cabin with her. It meant nothing, but now she knew what Pux meant when he said the villagers wouldn’t understand.

  “Are you going to dinner?” she asked as they neared the steps to the castle and brought Krishani inside the hall. Kaliel was on their heels as the doors opened, Pux beside her as they hit the plush carpet, Elwen pacing the floor. He glanced up when he saw the guards and pointed to the hall, mumbling something about a room down the left corridor, a larger room.

  Kaliel felt claustrophobic the moment they entered the cramped, narrow hallway with the low ceilings. The guard turned the corner and one of them opened the door at the far end of the hall. They laid Krishani on the bed in the middle of the room. Kaliel and Pux poured in after them, and as three of the guards left, the last one looked at her with pity.

  “I’ll summon Lady Talina,” he said, bowing his head and ducking out of the room.

  Kaliel sunk on the cot behind her and buried her face in her hands while Pux stalked the floor casting a glance at Krishani every few seconds.

  “Are you staying to help?” she asked.

  Pux gave her a funny look. “Do you need it?”

  She nodded. “I don’t know how bad the damage is, or …” Tears stung her eyes. Cassareece promised he wouldn’t be a Ferryman anymore, but she didn’t promise to return him alive. It was too late to go back and revise her request: not a Ferryman … and alive. It seemed like details she should hav
e been clear about. Her stomach sloshed in a sea of knots as she forcefully pushed herself off the cot and crawled along the floor to the side of his cot. She sat on the ground and pressed her face to his shoulder.

  Pux took residence on the other cot across the room. He glanced at the scenery, and she could tell he was uncomfortable being there.

  “I need to get his cloak off,” Kaliel said.

  Pux moved wordlessly to the edge of the bed. He looked like he didn’t want to touch Krishani, but when Kaliel glared at him he gingerly picked up the hand nearest to the wall and pulled the unconscious boy up enough to slide the cloak off him. Kaliel tugged it around his neck, loosening it from his arm and bunching it on the floor at her feet. She shoved it away, inspecting the bruises. He was in a thin, sleeveless tunic stained with blood. She picked up his right hand. Black marks painted his palm, but it looked considerably better than the last time she saw him. She almost breathed a sigh of relief, knowing at least after he told her to go away he found help. Krishani let out a breath, and she thought he was waking up when he settled in, eyes sealed shut.

  Kaliel sighed, studying his arms. A collection of yellow bruises with purple rings around the edges trailed his arm. His muscles were more defined than before, ribbons of muscle wrapped around his biceps and shoulders, making him look bigger, stronger. Her eyes trailed along his exposed collarbone, a deep gash near his jugular vein. Her eyes followed his body, stopping where fabric covered the slash across his chest.

  A knock at the door was followed by a creak as it opened, the smell of rosemary wafting into the room. Talina didn’t waste time. She moved to the foot of the bed and began examining Krishani for injury, both internal and external. Kaliel watched, knowing though her capabilities weren’t as high as Talina’s she wanted to help. Talina glanced at his mangled face and stopped. She acted as though she hadn’t seen Kaliel sitting there, but her smooth facial features let on no hint of folly.

  “Has he said anything?” she asked.

  Kaliel shook her head. “It’s only a few bruises. I can take care of it myself.”

  Talina narrowed her eyes. “He’s unconscious.”

  Kaliel hung her head. “I was going to suggest an alfalfa tonic when he came to. Or hartshorn if it took too long …” She spoke under her breath, never blatantly expressing her knowledge of herbs to an elder before. She hoped she wasn’t wrong.

  Talina stood and her lips formed a line. “You’re right. I have supplies in my quarters if you’d like to come.” She swept towards the door, her fingers gripping the knob.

  Kaliel’s eyes flicked to Pux, who was trying to be invisible. “Pux will go with you,” she said, refusing to move from her spot on the floor. She didn’t care where Talina had her things stored. She wasn’t going to leave Krishani’s side, not for a moment.

  Pux frowned and stood, looking defeated at the idea of being ordered around. Talina glided into the corridor, and Kaliel shot daggers at Pux with her eyes, forcing him to trudge along behind her.

  Once they were alone, Kaliel closed her eyes and felt for the Flame. It burned and whined at her, ready to crackle and explode from every pore, but she couldn’t let Talina see it. Pux had seen it before and it confused him, so it was easier if he wasn’t there. Healing Krishani with her Flame was something she needed to do alone. She felt her face heat up and took a deep breath to control the fire. Her eyes snapped to liquid amethyst, the Flame buzzing through her skin, raising baby hairs on her arms and making a faint violet glow surround her.

  She pressed her fingers into his skin, resting on the first of the jaundice-colored bruises. She moved up his arm methodically, touching and weaving the Flame into each wound. She reached his shoulder, trailed her fingers down the nape of his neck, and pressed her palm flat against his chest. She didn’t remove the tunic, but she expertly ran her hand underneath it, idly tracing the outlines of his packed abs and his contoured hips. There were bruises everywhere, and as she used the Flame to pinpoint the bruises she found her hands on his thighs, pressing into deep purple bruises from countless fights, falls, and hazards of living off the land. She felt bite marks in his ankle and pressed more energy from the Flame into it, hoping poison wasn’t snaking through his veins, damaging his insides with as much force as the swords and rocks had damaged the outside.

  She moved her fingers off his ankle and glanced at his face. His eyes were open, staring at her with a hungry expression on his face. Heat rose to her cheeks, making the Flame flare. Her aura spiked, wisps of Flame wafting off it in sheets as he reached for her, a smirk crossing his lips.

  Kaliel was going to say something but stopped herself, remembering their fight. “I think I healed all of the wounds. Does anything else hurt?” She tried to be matter-of-fact. She ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to control the mess of frizz and knots. He nodded but didn’t say anything, still reaching for her hands. Cautiously she put her hand in his.

  “Just one thing still hurts.” Kaliel frowned as he moved her hand to his chest and pressed it to his heart. She sighed and smiled, almost laughed as he scooted to the side of the bed and let her sit down beside him. She felt the thumping of his heart under her fingers and the sound was enough to make that same electric pulse course through her when she was near him. She gulped, tried to relax, letting the Flame meld into his chest and link with his heart. It was something she had only done once before—in the forest when she awakened, when he made love to her. That night, she connected to him in a way that defied the laws of the land.

  “Do you feel better yet?” she whispered, trying to keep her cool exterior. She didn’t know if he wanted her, and she didn’t want to rush into his arms, thinking he forgave her for putting herself in danger, for trying to help him.

  He didn’t answer, but he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, running the tips of his fingers up her inner forearm. “Are you really here?”

  She sighed. “It’s not a dream, Krishani,” she said, letting the haughtiness lie crisp in the air. She hadn’t meant to sound harsh.

  He opened his eyes wide and looked at her, really looked at her, and for the first time she saw all the horror he held in. All the things he was afraid of, all the pain he suffered, all the death he followed reflected in his eyes. She took a shaky breath, not sure what to say, but he spoke before she asked what he felt.

  “I’m sorry,” he began, his eyes boring into her, desperate sadness still lacing through them. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I shouldn’t have told you to go.” His gaze softened. “All I want is this.” He reached up to cup her cheek.

  Kaliel closed her eyes, waiting for his lips to meet hers, when there was a knock at the door. Krishani dropped his hand and Kaliel precariously scooted onto the floor. Her lips almost brushed his as Krishani propped himself up on his side, digging his elbow into the cot. The door swung open and Pux returned, a basket of bandages and small glass vials in his hand. Kaliel jumped to her feet, grabbing a vial and turning to Krishani. She popped the lid and forced it into his hands, her eyes blazing in a good way. “Drink,” she ordered.

  He shot her a rebellious expression and downed the liquid, coughing as it hit him. Pux dropped the rest of the things on the cot and cleared his throat. Kaliel realized she was staring at Krishani unabashedly.

  “Thanks, Pux.”

  “Sure,” Pux said, shuffling awkwardly back and forth. He hooked a hand behind his neck and glanced at the door. “Do you two … need to be alone?”

  Kaliel glanced at Krishani, who stifled a chuckle, and she mimicked his reaction. “No, you should stay,” Krishani said, gesturing to the cot.

  Pux exhaled and sat, lay down, putting his hands behind his head. “Good, because it’s raining like hell out there. I don’t want to sleep in the loft with all that banging going on.”

  Kaliel coughed. “Well there won’t be any banging in here.” She moved to her feet and glanced at Krishani.

  “Better?”

  “I’m perfect,�
�� Krishani replied. He almost kissed her hand but stopped, moving to encompass the entire cot. He shifted his shoulders around until he was comfortable as Kaliel moved the bandages and other supplies and stretched out on the other cot in the room. She tucked her legs under the blanket and rested her head on the pillow. She waited for the boys to start talking but dozed off the moment her eyes slipped shut.

  * * *

  35 - Missing

  The storm was gone by dawn and so was Pux. Kaliel woke to a haze of sunlight filtering through the window, casting a yellow glow on the drab contents of the room. It smelled horrible, like the stench of body odor and death was stuffing itself into the corners of the room like a pesky stain. She pushed herself up, glancing at the cot Krishani was on only to find him inspecting his hands. He had his right hand above him, turning it over again and again. She noticed the black marks on the inside of his hand, spider-webbing from the center of his palm. She shuddered while thinking about it. He failed to tell her how he contracted it and what he could do to make it go away.

  She yawned loudly to announce she was awake and stretched. She’d slept well for the first time in a long time, even though she wasn’t pressed against him on the cot. It was good knowing where he was, being in the same room as him. He dropped his hand and moved, hanging his feet over the bed. His knees were bunched towards his chest, and she thought about how he seemed larger in general. He definitely wasn’t the scrawny boy she met in Avristar anymore. His hair brushed his shoulders, his knuckles were mountainous peaks, and baby-soft skin smoothed over them. He wasn’t tanned or wrinkled like the humans, but he showed the signs of wear in other ways—the depth in his eyes, the cracks in his lips, the miniature scars and blemishes on his skin. Anyone else wouldn’t see those things, but Kaliel noticed everything about Krishani like he was her lifeline to sanity.

  Krishani pursed his lips. “What are you thinking?” He frowned, still glancing at the veins of black marks in his right hand.

  Kaliel tried not to blush but she felt her cheeks coloring regardless. “You’re really here? For good?”