Volucris_Emmergence

by Nina Burman

  Mo dropped to her knees, she could not take it in, what she was looking at. , Aa second ago he had been flying behind her and now he was gone, how could that be possible? She felt hot tears streaming down her face but no noise came from her. Mo became vaguely aware of others dropping in next to her, footsteps padding up to her and Benji. It was Ethan. , Hhe moved over to Benji’s body but could see the same as Mo. , Hhe too dropped to his knees his head bowed, they both knelt there together in front of the dead boy for what seemed like an age. Ethan eventually gathered himself together and went over to Benji, kneeling down next to him he reached over him.

  “Don’t touch him!” Mo screamed.

  Ethan looked up anguish in his eyes. “I must, I need to prepare him so we can take him home, back to Ety.”

  Mo felt the compassion in his voice and the words he spoke took hold, yes, she could not leave him here, she nodded her agreement.

  Ethan first swept his hand over Benji’s eyes closing them for the final time. Mo became aware of Lordes in her peripheral vision, he was paying little attention to them, instead he was inspecting the bodies of the soldiers, each one in turn.

  “A little help here.” Ethan called over to him.

  Lordes looked up, “They are not dead, just stunned or something.” hHe responded.

  And then Ethan replied in such a way that surprised Mo, even in the state she was in. Hhe shouted at Lordes,. “Benji is dead, can you not see, and we need to move him, I need you to HELP.” His voice caught in his throat as his grief threatened to overwhelm him.

  Lordes was taken aback. , Hhe stopped what he was doing and looked up at Ethan then Mo and finally Benji. , the The words had struck a cord and it seemed Lordes had finally realised what had happened, he moved over to Benji, he did not apologise, he just started to help.

  They both moved quickly, it was clear they had performed this task before They started to straighten out Benji’s body, the sound of his broken bones crunching back into place stabbed violently at Mo’s heart. , Oonce he was laid out flat they rolled him in his wings. , Ethan produced a long length of leather rope and they bound his wings around him like a cocoon. At either end of Benji’s body they tied more rope, two parts leading at either side from his torso and one from his now bound legs.

  “It will take all three of us to carry him, he will be heavy, will you be able to?” Ethan asked Mo.

  His question bought Mo out of her reverie, she had been watching them work in a kind of trance. Sshe could not believe what she was watching, what had happened so quickly, her love had gone in a second, his light had been snuffed out. She looked up at Ethan, she could see he was urging her on, he was rushing. Mmaybe he was worried about how long they had been there, worried there might be others coming with more guns. Mo understood what she had to do.

  “I can do it.” Her voice did not sound like her own, it cracked with tears as soon as she spoke. She cleared her throat and spoke again, stronger this time. “I will carry him.”

  Lordes walked over to his daughter and stroked her cheek, “Moria I am so sorry, we will take him back to the camp. Hhave a little blood and then we will all fly to Ety. Wwe will be there by nightfall tomorrow, there he will be given a full Volucris farewell.”

  Mo did not know what this meant but she nodded. She did not look up, she couldn’t, she did not dare look into the eyes of her father for fear of what, she wasn’t sure, of him seeing her in such anguish? Ethan led her over to the rope at the foot of Benji’s body and he gently tied it round her.

  “Lordes and I will take the front where it is heaviest, this will not be easy, he will be very heavy. , Wwe must first lift him then run and take off as one, you sure you can manage that?.”

  Mo stumbled, tears and grief so close to pouring out of her, “I don’t know.”

  Ethan came in close to her and held both of her shoulders.

  “You can Mo, I know you can, you are stronger than you think, I don’t think I have ever seen another Volucris carry a child like you did with no binding. , Yyou can do this, you must for Benji, for his last flight.”

  At those words, Mo looked up into Ethan’s dark eyes, he had said the right thing, what she needed to hear and she nodded confidently.

  Lordes had already tied himself and Ethan followed suit. Lordes took the lead giving instruction to lift which they did. , Mo felt Benji’s weight keenly but she did not falter. , Tthey started to run together, Lordes calling out a rhythm so that they stayed together. , Tthey beat their wings in unison harder and harder and she felt the ground fall away and the weight of the body, Benji’s body, threatened to overwhelm her, to drag her back down to the ground, but she wouldn’t let it. Benji was most at home in the air and that is where she would now take him. Sshe beat harder and harder until at last they felt the wind lift and carry them.

  The flight back to the camp seemed to take no time at all. Mo saw the fire in the distance, she thought they would be expecting them all to be coming back, for them all to be ok. , Sshe felt the tears and grief well inside her and the weight of Benji’s body again began to feel too much. Sshe could feel herself falling back and she knew she mustn't, she had to get him back, so she pushed the feeling to the far back of her mind and pushed on. Tristan had flown out to meet them. , Hhe circled them and Mo could hear his cries of pain at the loss of his student. , Hhe urged her on, though he could see how hard it was for her to fly so he flew in as close as he could.

  “You’re nearly there Moria, not long now and you will be at the camp then we will all help, just keep going, keep flying.”

  They swooped in low together. Over the camp, they hovered slightly dropping Benji’s body gently on the ground before flying up and around coming into land. As soon as Mo landed she dropped to the ground out of exhaustion and sheer pain of loss and there she lay she did not know for how long, all she knew was at some point the sun rose and Ethan was kneeling next to her trying to get her to stand and drink some blood.

  She let him guide her up and put the flask to her lips which she took.

  “We are flying back to Ety now, me, Lordes and Tristan will take Benji and the children will go with Thea and Gregor.”

  Mo looked up, concerned she hadn’t given a thought to how the children must be feeling after this knew, shocking turn of events.

  “It’s ok, they are ok. Uupset but more worried about you, don’t worry about them at the moment they will be fine and even better once they get to Ety with a whole host of Volucris to look after them.” Ethan tried to reassure her.

  Mo nodded, he was right. Bboth the children would want for nothing back on Ety and a spark of joy hit Mo’s heart at the thought of going back to Ety. Sshe had missed it, but within the same breath was the realisation that Benji would not be there with her this time, he would never see Ety again, and she crumpled once more.

  Ethan lifted her head. “Just a bit more Mo, for Benji, we need to get us all back to Ety, please.”

  Mo just nodded. Sshe knew she would have to dig so deep to get her back to the island, but it was what she wanted too. She looked around at all the other Volucris gathering to leave, they were all glancing at her pain and concern etched on all of their faces. And there was her mother, in all the grief of losing Benji she had somehow forgotten that she had found her mother. Sshe ran over to her and Iliana swept her into her arms folding her great wings around them both, comforting her daughter.

  Chapter 45

  The short flight back to Ety had been uneventful. Mo had been as pleased to see the island again, but as she landed the grief began to overwhelm her once more and she just ran into the mountain, not stopping to speak with anyone. She almost knocked Phallon over in her haste, but she would soon see the reason behind her flight. Mo ran to her and Benji’s secret place deep inside the caves. , Sshe walked over to their rock that they had so often laid together on, it was curved almost like it had been made for them. She curled her wings around herself within the rock and wept.

  After some time dark
ness crept into the cave and she became aware of someone joining her. She peered out from behind her wings and could first only see the wavering light of a candle, her eyes slowly adjusted and she was not surprised to see it was Ethan.

  “How did you know where I would be?” She asked.

  “I have known about this place and you and Benji coming here for a long time, there is no-where else I would expect you to be.”

  Mo was a little taken aback. Sshe had thought that only she and Benji knew of this place, she certainly had not told anyone about it. She, however, did not have the energy to be angry at Ethan or to question him why he knew about this place and why it had been special to her. Somehow that wasn’t important anymore, nothing was important anymore.

  “You should come now, they are performing what you would call a funeral for Benji, you will want to be there.”

  “So soon?”

  “Yes, it is necessary.”

  Of course, there would be no embalming techniques to allow for plans to be made. Wwhatever was going to happen to Benji’s body would need to happen quickly.

  “Will he be buried?”

  “No, he will be burned as is the tradition. , Yyou don’t have to go if you don’t want to, it’s not like a human funeral, there is no coffin, you will watch him burn.”

  Mo’s breath caught at the bluntness of the conversation. Sshe did not know if she could witness that, but she knew she should be there, for him, he was most close to her and shared all his secrets and his life with her, she should go.

  “It’s ok, I’ll go, lead the way.”

  Ethan led her through the winding tunnels and back to the main hall. , Iit had been cleared of all its usual furniture and instead, right in the centre, a huge pyre had been built and there on top of it was Benji’s body still wrapped within his wings. All of the Volucris on Ety appeared to be there in a circle around the pyre. Mo was amazed how quickly this had been built or maybe she had been in the cave for longer than she thought. She stopped, not sure she could go any further, Ethan turned and took her hand.

  “It’s ok if you don’t want to stay.”

  She shook her head. Sshe must do this for Benji, if this was part of Volucris culture then Benji more than anyone, would want it this way.

  Ethan took her hand, it was the first time he had ever shown her physical contact. , Tthe gesture was not lost on her, she knew how hard it was for him to show this kind of affection and she appreciated how kind he was being.

  They walked together through the crowd. Mo bowed her head not daring to look in anyone’s eyes, fearing that any sympathy they felt for her would crush her into uncontrollable tears. They moved to the front and stood amongst some of the older Volucris. , Hher mother was there and she held Mo’s hand so fiercely it almost hurt. All of the Volucris circled the pyre and held hands. , Iit was Lordes who, without any ceremony or even words, lit the stacked wood. And as he lit it the gathered Volucris began to bat their wings to fan the flames. , Tthis was their way of saying goodbye as the smoke rose and disappeared out of the mouth of the volcano. The heat was intense and with the strong wind of the many wings the flames rose quickly. Mo could see them start to lick the bottom of Benji’s wings, he was gone, her lovely boy was gone. She could feel the intensity of the loss, of all those who now bat their wings to rise the fire, to send the boy she loved on his last journey. She began to waver, tears streaming down her face, they blurred her vision but not enough as his wings began to burn. She collapsed in on herself and before she knew what was happening she was not on her feet anymore, she had been lifted and carried away. Ethan had lifted her in one swift moment, she tried to protest that she needed to stay.

  “You watched him die Mo, you don’t need to watch him burn too.”

  She looked up and could see the tears streaming from his eyes. , Iit seemed he could not see him burn either, and Mo gave in, letting herself be carried away, resting her head on Ethan’s chest.

  He took her to her room and placed her in her cot. , Sshe again curled in on herself, wrapping her wings over her head and wept over and over. Ethan sat on the floor next to her and waited for the tears to finally abate and for her to fall into a fitful sleep.

  Chapter 46

  Mo awoke, she knew she was back in her cot on Ety and for a split second she couldn’t remember why she had such pain in the pit of her stomach, and then it came crashing back. Benji was dead and now burned. She turned over and was surprised to see Ethan there on the floor, sitting with his back to the wall his wings curled round him like a blanket, he was sleeping. As she moved he woke up, concern etched all over his face.

  “Why are you still here?” She asked.

  “I can go if you like?”

  Mo thought about that but realised that having Ethan there was a real comfort, that apart from herself he was the only other who had known Benji the longest. , Tthey had all shared a closeness on their escape from the mainland.

  “You loved him too didn’t you..” It was a statement not a question.

  A tear escaped from Ethan’s eye.

  “Like a brother. , Eeveryone loved him, he was so full of life and love for our culture and people. It is so cruel that he should be taken.”

  His words stung Mo at the reminder of the loss, but also joy that she was not the only one to recognize the boy Benji was. She nodded her agreement, she breathed deeply, she did not want to start to cry for fear of not being able to stop.

  “How long have I been asleep?”

  “A few hours. , Yyour father looked in on you, he wants to see you as soon as you are awake.”

  Mo sighed, she knew the reason Lordes wanted to see her and it wasn’t to offer his condolences, he wanted, no doubt, to ask her what she did to those soldiers.

  As though reading her mind, “Your mother too wants to see you but for entirely different reasons I think.”

  Mo gave him a weak smile. “I don’t know what to say to him, what I did, I don’t understand it myself. Iit just welled up inside me, this power that I released. I knew I had just stunned them not killed them but I don’t know how.”

  “You have a gift Mo.”

  “A gift, what do you mean?”

  “Some Volucris, those who are born of both Volucris parents, sometimes develop a gift, like Benji had with his incredible sense of smell.”

  Mo looked at him surprised by this revelation. “I thought what Benji could do was just random.”

  “No, it was his giftt. , Nnot all Volucris acquire them and they vary hugely. Ssome are similar, others we have never encountered before. Lordes knew of another who had a similar gift to Benji, it was a great gift and Benji’s sense of smell was more pronounced than any Lordes had encountered before.”

  “What are the other types of gifts?”

  “Well, it is no coincidence that Phallon is a great healer she sees things within the plants and herbs she uses that others would not, she can sense pain or illness. Her gift will run in her family. Hher mother taught her and her mother before her and so on. , F for some reason with her gift, it only runs down the maternal line.”

  “And you think I have a gift like this?”

  “I am certain, so is Lordes, what you did can only be explained by that.”

  “Have others had this gift ,have, you seen what I can do before, I can’t even explain it?”

  “No, it will need exploring which is why Lordes is so keen to see you, it looks like a very powerful gift.”

  “Is that why he was so interested in Benji in the end because of his gift?”

  “Yes.”

  That truth stung a little. , Mo had kind of hoped Lordes had been warming to Benji because of how much he meant to her.

  “Does Lordes have a gift?”

  “No, and the reason why is a great burden to him. When gifts first appeared there became great pressure put on young Volucris to develop their gift, particularly from those who were sons or daughters of clan leaders. As it turns out, if you know about this possibility it wil
l never develop and your gift is lost. Lordes had been put under this type of pressure as had your mother and no gift for either of them manifested. So, over time it was decided that it would never be discussed with young Volucris in the hope that it bought out their gift, as it has with you. , that That is why when Benji’s gift became apparent we let you believe, as did he, that is was a one off.”

  “I see.” Again, Mo felt hurt, she had been kept in the dark that Benji who told her everything had kept this from her, but she also understood the reasons.

  “Do you have a gift?”

  Ethan looked down seemingly embarrassed or unsure of what to say. . After a moment or so he looked up.

  “Yes, I do, I can read minds.”

  “Really.” Mo was first shocked and then worried as Ethan’s eyes looked straight at her.

  “Don’t worry, I can read minds but I don’t. , I discovered a long time ago it’s not always a good idea to know what other people think.”

  “So, you never do it?”

  “In certain situations, I will. , Wwhen I first meet someone it’s a good way to see if someone is naturally good or bad. , Ssaying I read minds is a bit simplistic. I can see inside them, how they feel, what they think all in an instant.”