Vulture

by Rhiannon Paille

  “Hey,” Pux said, nudging her with his shoulder.

  She smiled at him and Jack. “Hello,” she said before ripping into the chicken she’d collected. Krishani followed, his stomach gurgling. He hadn’t eaten much all day. If it weren’t for the thoughts circling his mind about the Flames and the Valtanyana, he would have been comfortable. Nobody told Kaliel they were missing. Klavotesi thought it best not to tell her until he returned. Krishani glanced at her as she picked at the chicken bones, attempting to avoid gristle and skin. He almost laughed. This food was much better than what he’d subjected himself to when he was hunting the Horsemen. It wasn’t as good as what was on Avristar, but it was satisfactory. Poorly cooked fish and berries were not delicacies he would recommend to her.

  The boy next to him wiped his mouth on a rag and extended a hand awkwardly towards Krishani. “I’m Jack.”

  Krishani rubbed his hands on his breeches and took Jack’s hand, nodding at the orange haired boy. “Krishani.”

  Jack’s eyes widened and he turned to Pux. “You didn’t tell me the Ferryman returned!” He gasped and shot an accusatory look at Pux. Krishani wondered just how long they had been friends for and if he was friends with Kaliel, too.

  Pux looked up from the piece of meat he was gnawing on and nodded, giving Jack a devilish smile. “He’s returned,” he said as though he was telling Jack now. “Hoping you could coax a dance out of him?” Pux raised an eyebrow, and Jack blushed so deeply the tips of his ears turned red. He swatted at Pux playfully and let out a nervous laugh.

  “I need to stop practicing with you and learn how to ask a girl to dance,” Jack said, trying to recover.

  Kaliel looked away as the musicians began playing a slow warm-up tune. Krishani followed her gaze, unsure what she was thinking and not really following the antics between Pux and Jack. One of the middle-aged women sprang up from her table and grabbed her husband’s hand, pulling him onto the dance floor. They began the dance with a few kicks and methodical hops which were purposefully placed, like they were trying to show the others how the dance was done.

  Kaliel sighed, and Krishani turned his gaze back to her. “They always introduce new dances on Luan,” she commented.

  “Luan?” Krishani asked.

  Kaliel smiled, not even trying to cover up her folly. “We used to call it Orithil.”

  Krishani stifled his feelings and turned back to the dancers gathering on the mulched dance floor. He knew what she meant. They had names for each day in Avristar, too, following a seven day pattern, like the lunar cycles. He didn’t expect the humans to follow the same patterns they did, but it was nice knowing they named days.

  Kaliel fidgeted a lot. She ate half of what was on the platter, including the green vegetables and the orange ones. Krishani stuffed another green plant into his mouth and chewed loudly. Pux leaned into her. “Do you want to dance?”

  Krishani’s heart dropped; he wanted to be the one to ask her. She looked at him, and he shot a look at Pux, who shrunk away and kicked up from the table, banging a hand loudly on it.

  “Better yet, I will ask Annah,” he said, winking at Jack.

  Jack almost fell off the bench. He scrambled to his feet as Pux bounded away, and then Jack’s hand was on Pux’s arm and his eyes were blazing and Krishani wanted to be somewhere else. Somewhere away from all the awkward and confusing moments Kaliel’s friends were having. He tried to read her face but she just looked at them, something weird in her tone. She spoke to Jack, not to Pux, and Krishani thought that was even more awkward. He’d never seen her talk to the other boys in Avristar—the young kinfolk, yes, and Pux—but when she talked to the others it was usually so she could sneak away and spend more time with him.

  “You want to dance with Annah?” she asked, her question directed at Jack.

  Jack pulled his tunic taut over his chest, attempting to look bold, softness betraying his expression. “I’d rather dance with someone else, but Father says I need to choose soon.” He stalked off, and Krishani noticed Pux had disappeared. He glanced at the dancers but couldn’t spot him.

  “Someone else?”

  Kaliel’s expression was unreadable. She waved a hand in the air. “I think he meant Pux.” She rolled her eyes and silence hung between them. “Do you want to dance?”

  Krishani stood and glanced at the dance floor. Everyone was in the midst of a crazy jig, switching partners, creating arches with their arms, clapping to the beat, kicking up their slippered feet. He nudged Kaliel, and she moved enough for him to sit beside her. He put a hand over hers on her thigh and a familiar feeling pierced his heart. He wanted and needed to be alone with her. When this was over, he could let out all the emotions he’d been holding in and that would make it all okay between them.

  “We should wait for a slower tune,” he said, squeezing her hand.

  “Yeah,” she said and looked down. He felt the nervousness. Something was on her mind that didn’t have to do with the dancing or the enemies or anything he was thinking about.

  They sat in silence, listening to the music, his hand on hers, his shoulder pressed against hers, until the music stopped. For a few seconds it was nothing but cacophonic noise inside the mess hall. People returned to their seats and some retired for the night, taking their children by their hands and leading them outside into the fading light. A couple passed Kaliel, their scrutinizing gazes falling on both of them. Krishani sighed, knowing the villagers had every right to hold an opinion about them, about what he was doing with Kaliel. Something Elwen said moons ago hit the back of his throat and he swallowed it, forcing the food to stay down.

  The music began again after all the youngsters left the hall. Krishani stood and took Kaliel’s hand gently in his. Her eyes found his and even though there was hesitation behind them he ignored it, drawing her to the center of the dance floor and pulling her tight against his chest. They danced in silence, turning to the sorrowful music that rose and fell in lulls, the winding and twisting notes making him long for the one thing he wasn’t allowed to have with her.

  Kaliel sunk into his embrace, and he felt her energy pulsating with his. It was like they were two pieces of one whole, the unbelievable strength of what they felt for each other linking them together. No matter what happened she would always be what he wanted. He dropped his lips to her ear.

  “This and nothing else?”

  She nodded, tilting her head towards him. “This and nothing else.”

  He ran a hand along her back in circles and gently pulled away from her, twirling her under his arm, their hands clasped together. Her eyes found his as he crushed her to him. He didn’t care about the villagers watching them; this was their moment.

  “If I asked you to do something for me, would you?” he whispered into her hair. She smelled like dandelions and wool at the same time. It wasn’t what he was used to but it was her, the girl he met at the waterfall, the girl he loved since he found an alternative to the nightmares and destruction. She was the girl he tried so hard to hold onto and almost lost entirely. She was the only girl he would ever love and this was the only life he wanted to live with her. He wanted an infinite amount of nights like this, nights that weren’t plagued by worry or fear or the dissonance of keeping their relationship a secret.

  “I’d do anything for you Krishani.” Her cheek was pressed against his shoulder, her lips lingering near the nape of his neck. He shivered at her hot breath on his collarbone and traced her back with the edges of his fingers.

  “Would you marry me?” His tone was quiet, his lips moving along her hair. He felt her heart race as she pressed her hand into his shoulder. He didn’t let go, turning in another circle to the song, lost in the reverie of being with her. He never wanted times like this to end. Life was almost perfect on Avristar, and it was almost everything he wanted, but this—this was his chance to have what was forbidden.

  “Are you really asking?” she said into his collarbone, and he stopped.

  He put his hands on
her shoulders and stared into her eyes. The music played, others around them danced, but his eyes were only on her. On Avristar it was customary to travel to the top of Mount Tirion with the Lord and Lady to ask for the land’s blessing. Krishani didn’t have to obey the laws of Avristar any longer; he wasn’t a Child of Avristar, and neither was Kaliel, not anymore. He took her trembling hands in his and slowly lowered himself onto one knee.

  The villagers stopped. They stopped talking; the bards stopped playing. Krishani cleared his throat, noticing the silence that swept through the hall. He didn’t want to be nervous but he was. She looked equally terrified, and he was sorry he was doing it this way, that he hadn’t asked her without the prying eyes of the villagers on them. He pushed all the thoughts out of his head and concentrated on her face, her soft cheekbones peppered with freckles, her shining green eyes, her curved lips.

  “All I want is this,” he began, his voice almost too quiet for the villagers to hear. “This and nothing else, ever,” he said a little louder. The silence continued as he stared at her, but she didn’t say anything. He thought of the time they talked about it in the cave, marriage to each other instead of to the land. It was so impossible back then. He took a deep breath and met her tear-filled eyes.

  “Will you marry me?” he asked, urgency in his tone. His eyes pleaded with her to forget about the past, forget their argument and the long time he spent away. He wanted her to forget he was too late.

  She nodded, biting her lip. “I will.”

  Krishani smiled and stood, wrapping his arms around her. The villagers clapped and the musicians started playing a joyful tune, but all he wanted was to take her away from the commotion, somewhere quiet. He turned in a slow circle and dropped his lips to her ear.

  “You will?” he asked again, unable to believe it was real.

  Kaliel clutched him tighter. “I will.”

  • • •

  Krishani kept her hand in his as he led her from the mess hall. It was well into the wee hours of the night, much later than Kaliel was used to. Her heart soared and her stomach was full of butterflies. Her ears picked up a buzz in the land. She ran her hand along one of the stray trees near the east side of the castle and pulled back on Krishani’s hand, wanting to pause for a minute. He looked over his shoulder, his mismatched eyes boring into hers while she pressed her hand deeper into the bark. The tree didn’t know how to speak but she felt its voice, heard its monosyllabic tone from deep within the heartwood. She sighed. Krishani pulled her to him, and she stepped in line, twining their arms together. She glanced at his hand, the one with the black marks, and noticed they weren’t there anymore. Even the center of his palm was clear of the mark that scared her.

  They passed the steps to the castle. The doors were closed, the guards keeping watch from inside. She tripped over a rock and bumped into Krishani carelessly, almost drunk off her happiness. She shivered from head to toe at the thought of what he asked her, in front of everyone. It frightened her, letting them know how much she loved him, how much she would always want him.

  They neared the steps to the watchtower and he stood aside, letting her go first. She climbed slowly, swaying back and forth, trying to find her balance, trying to find something she could anchor to that wouldn’t make her feel like she was flying. She reached the door, turned the knob. Krishani was right behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, brushing his lips against the nape of her neck. Butterflies washed over her in pangs of heat, spreading from her chest outwards. It was so difficult to keep the Flame at bay, to hold in the showering sparks of amethyst that raised the hairs on her skin and filled her eyes. She pushed the door open and stepped into the cabin.

  Krishani kicked the door closed behind him and turned her in his arms, pressing her against the door and kissing her with all the passion he had in him. It was a kiss that made up for all the lost days. His arms circled her waist, pulling frantically at the ribbons at her back, untying them, pulling the dress loose around her shoulders. She smiled against his lips. This was how it was when she was free to do what she wanted. She pushed her hands under his tunic, and he broke away, catching the hem with his fingers and pulling it over his head. She traced the outline of his biceps, running her fingers across his collarbone and down his hardened abs.

  He breathed hard, his hand pressed flat against the wall next to her head as she ran her hands along the hem of his breeches. Fire licked his irises as he stared at her, his mouth slightly open, lips red from how hard he kissed her. She paused; his other hand was on her shoulder, pulling at her dress, letting it tumble to the floor. She leaned into him and pushed the breeches off his hips.

  He breathed hard as his fingers splayed along her back, her teeth grazing his bottom lip. He pulled her against him, skin against skin, crushing her with the weight of his mouth as it came down on hers. They had the rest of their lives together, lives they could call their own. She twined her arms around his neck, letting the Flame spike off her in spires of white-filled violet light.

  He lifted her off the floor, and she braced herself, putting a hand on his side as he guided her to the bed. She fell, letting out a soft moan as he lay on top of her with his newfound weight and strength. Her hands traced circles on his back as his lips trailed down her neck, nipping at her ears and caressing her collarbone. She felt him against her and moaned, wanting to feel him inside her.

  “Please,” she whispered as her lips found the tips of his elongated ears and nipped at them, biting hard. She let out a cry as she felt his teeth on her shoulder and a prick as he filled her. She arched her back against him as he moved against her, gripping her like this was something he’d never feel again.

  Tears welled in her eyes, and before she could fight them away her stomach heaved. The heavy emotions she held in, emotions she refused to feel because of how strong she was trying to be, overflowed. Krishani paused, their bodies entangled, his mismatched eyes full of worry.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She tried to shake off the intensity of the moment, meeting his eyes. For the first time since she woke, alive on the battlefield, his eyes were bright, passionate, and full of everything she remembered of the boy she met in Avristar. “I never want this to end.”

  He bent down, brushing his lips against hers so softly they barely touched. “It never will.”

  * * *

  37 - Priestess

  Shimma narrowly pulled herself through the cracks between the rocks. Water pooled at her feet, and her dress was soaked. The village was gone, drowned out by waves crashing against the shore. Her blue eyes were bloodshot and full of tears as she scampered to her feet, tripping over stones that created an obstacle course to the tree line. She hitched up her skirts, bunching them in her fists, as she scrambled over them. The sky was a maelstrom of black clouds, swirling and kicking up the wind with the gale force of a hurricane.

  She broke through the trees and glanced back at the shore. Water bubbled between cracks in the rocks, conglomerating on the surface of the spider-webbed, speckled gray rocks, an inch of water … four inches … ten. Shimma ran through the trees, tripping over herself as water poured over the crests and falls of the uneven land.

  There was no time to think. One minute everything was fine, the next she was looking for her only escape from the flood drowning out the village. Memories of shrieks, rushing water, and splitting wood pierced her temples as she ran. The flash flood knocked the wind out of everyone it engorged, rendering them dead on contact. Her immortality hung on by a thread as she forced herself to the surface. Her lungs burst for air as salt water got trapped in her throat. It burned and tasted horrible, like seaweed and algae.

  Now she spit and caught herself on the trunk of a skinny birch, gasping for breath. She gaped at the ravine ahead of her. She doubled back, finding a safe path across the treacherous land. She forgot all about the seven-day-ride through the mountains. She hunched over, wrapping her arms across her chest as she continued forward.

  Th
ere was no doubt in her mind. She had to make it to Castle Tavesin and tell Krishani what was going on. Staying away from him was difficult, but this was different, something treacherous was brewing; she felt it. What she saw on the beach was coming for them. It would be there in less than a few days.

  It was going to get worse, much worse.

  No matter what he felt for her, she had to warn him.

  • • •

  It was near dawn when Shimma crossed the familiar forest and landed on the fields. They weren’t charred anymore, but the grass was turning beige as summer faded into autumn. Six days had passed since the tidal wave. She was in bad shape, with red splotches on her face, disheveled hair, mud staining her damp dress. She got caught in the rain three times and without any of her belongings she was stuck waiting it out. She tried to find things to eat, but nothing satisfied her stomach. It would have taken her a fortnight to travel through the mountains on foot, but urgency forced her to run, pushing herself beyond the limit. She wanted to collapse but she held herself up, determined to reach the gates before giving in to the fatigue in her limbs.

  She made it halfway.

  Her legs gave out and she crumpled to the ground, an arm slung around her aching stomach. She waited for what seemed like a lifetime, and then there were voices around her. She recognized them.

  Krishani.

  Kaliel.