Volucris_Emmergence

by Nina Burman

  “That’s the warm feeling I had when you first looked at me.”

  “Really? I did not realise it had any effect on the other person, I hope it didn’t hurt.”

  “No, it was fine just an odd sensation, good to know that’s what it is, I’ll be able to tell if you are in my head or not.” Mo let herself smile a little.

  Ethan tensed, there was something else but he was not sure if he should continue.

  “There is another time I use it.” He spoke, Mo looked up, interest spiking in her eyes.”

  “Yes?” she asked

  “When we are under attack I will use it to help see through others eyes, to see if I can help in some way.”

  Mo’s heart suddenly went cold. Sshe knew where Ethan was going with this and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but she did not stop him.

  “I read Benji’s mind as we were flying away, his last moments, do you want to know?”

  Tears started to fall from Mo’s swollen eyes. “I don’t know, do I?”

  “I can’t tell you that Mo, I don’t know if it will bring you comfort or not.”

  Mo thought for a moment and she decided that she would always wonder, that she had to know.

  “Yes, tell me.”

  “He really did have the most amazing sense of smell. Hhe could distinguish between each of us and the soldiers on the ground, he knew they had weapons and which was going to be fired. , Wwithout looking he knew where that bullet was heading, it was heading for you and he could not bear to lose you he loved you so much, so he moved in the way of the bullet, it was the only way he could save you.”

  Mo screamed.

  She felt like she couldn’t control any part of her being, her whole body shaking with grief. , Sshe was crying so hard she did not know if she could stop. , Sshe was completely unaware of everything around her until she could feel the same sensation within her that had engulfed her when she watched Benji die, it built within her, coursing through every part of her being and she had to let it out.

  She heard someone else shouting.

  “Moria STOP!”

  She looked up into her mother’s frightened eyes. Sshe was trying to get in the room but something was stopping her and then she could see Ethan pinned to the wall, his eyes closed tight, his wings crumpling into the wall. She stopped instantly and Ethan fell to the ground.

  “Ethan, I am so sorry, Ethan are you ok?.”

  She kept saying his name over and over, he wasn’t moving. , Llooking up to her mother, “what have I done!”

  “It’s ok, I’m ok.”

  She looked back to Ethan and he was indeed starting to stir. , Rrelief flooded Mo and she collapsed on to the floor into another heap of tears. Phallon and Lordes came into the room and Illiana directed them over to Ethan. , Illiana helped Mo up and led her from the room, her wings cradling her daughter. They ended up in a sparse room with only a single light and bed, Illiana sat them both down on the small cot and stroked her daughter’s hair.

  “I am a monster,monster; Benji should have let the bullet hit me, I am a danger to everyone.” Mo spluttered out.

  “That is not true, you just need to learn to control your gift which will take time. , Yyou are going through so much at the moment, just try to calm yourself.”

  “I could have killed him, I know I could have.”

  “But you didn’t that’s the important thing.”

  Silence fell between the pair. Mo was comforted by her mother's touch and tenderness, something she had not experienced since she had left her grandmother, she leant in close to her.

  “He did it for me you know.” Mo spoke “He died so I could live, it makes it so confusing, it was my fault he died.”

  “No Moria, you must never think that, it was nothing to do with you or even him, the reason he died was because of the person who shot him, that is all.”

  Mo nodded curling her head into her mother’s neck.

  “This is not how I hoped our first meeting would be.” Iliana offered, “I wasn’t even sure I would ever meet you my baby girl.”

  Mo smiled at the name, something her grandmother used to call her.

  “What is it.it?” Illiana asked.

  “Nothing, it’s just my grandmother used to call me that, your mother I guess.”

  Illiana looked confused, “My mother is long dead sweetheart, what do you mean?”

  Mo was not sure she could take another shock like this. Pplease no, had Rebecca been lying to her all along, was she not even the person she had said, had they truly not been related.

  “But Rebecca, she told me she was my grandmother, that you and Lordes had to go away, that she was looking after me, please don’t tell me this is a lie too, that we are not even related.”

  Illiana hushed Mo and stroked her cheek.

  “It’s ok sweetheart calm down, I see what has happened. Rebecca clearly wanted to hide your heritage for as long as possible to give you a chance at a normal life I suppose I am not sure of her reasons. Yes, you are related but she is not your grandmother she is your sister.”

  Mo shook her head in disbelief. “My sister, I don’t understand, she is at least 50 years older than me.”

  “Yes, that is probably right in human terms. , Sshe is my daughter as you are, but I had her when I was very young, before I had wings even and we Volucris live for a very long time.”

  This news was confusing and brought with it a number of questions. “But she said her mother had run away from her clan, that she had a relationship with a human, that her mother wasn’t allowed to keep her baby, they had to give her up, that her wings, they were cut away because her adoptive family didn’t know what they were?”

  The words stung Illiana hard, she stood and moved away trying to compose herself.

  “Yes, that is all true but I am her mother. When I was very young I ran away from my clan. , I had seen humans and wanted to be like them. , I was rebelling against my family, I didn’t even want my wings. I fell into the arms of a young human boy, we had a brief relationship and I fell pregnant. I did not know at first and by the time I did know my clan had found me and returned me home. They were so upset when they found out, disgusted with me, and made me give the baby up. It wasn’t until years later that I managed to find her and we found her too late, her wings had been cut away, but she stayed with us in a lovely colony for many years until you were born in fact.”

  “In all that time, why did you not have more children in between me and her, I know how important it is for us to reproduce.”

  “After I had to give up Rebecca I didn’t want to have another baby until I was sure I would be happy with the father I chose. , Mmy family did not like this decision but it was mine to mtake. , Iit wasn’t until I met Lordes that I realised I wanted children with him and we only decided to do that after he helped me find Rebecca.”

  “How long did it take you to find her?.”

  “She was already middle aged by the time we found her, she was so shocked to discover us but happy too, she had known she had been adopted but nothing about me. She was so happy to feel like she belonged to something and even though she looked older than me, I was still a mother to her and I always will be, I miss her desperately.”

  “So do I.”

  Iliana returned to Mo’s side.

  “I wanted to find her, I promised I would.”

  “Then we will find her together. , I’m sure she will have survived, she was always so strong. And Lordes tells me she is in the same colony we shared together so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

  Mo smiled, cheered by the thought of her mother and her finding Rebecca and being reunited. , Tthe news that she was really her sister, although shocking, was not as bad as all that, at least they were still related. For a moment, her heart began to lift and she thought about how she would tell Benji and how pleased he would be, and in that moment everything was ok again, until she remembered and tears flooded her once more.

  “Oh Moria I wish I could tak
e this pain from you.”

  Mo kept sobbing but she calmed herself, she did not want to do to her mother what she had to Ethan.

  “I didn’t even get a real chance to say goodbye, not how we would have done it in my old life. Nothing was said when his body was burned, no music played and he loved music, we were forever listening to it and dancing around.”

  “Then why don’t we do something where we can share memories of him and play music, would that help?”

  Mo thought about that for a moment.

  “We had a special cave deep in the mountain, we could go there. , Ddo you think some of the others would want to join us?”

  “I am sure of it. , I will spread the word just amongst those who knew him best, yes?”

  “Yes.”

  Mo could not believe how alike her mother and what whom she had thought her grandmother were. , Sshe was so comforted to have this woman in her life, someone who clearly cared for her deeply, who wanted to help and also knew how to. A complete contrast she thought to the way her father had treated her. She thought how strange it must be for Iliana to return, everything changed, her partner now having found love with someone else.

  “Are you ok, with being back, being here?” sShe asked her mother.

  Iliana smiled at her daughter, “I am happy to be with you finally.”

  “And seeing Lordes again?”

  “Mmm that is a little complicated as I am sure you can imagine. I have spoken at length with him and I do not harbour any ill will at him finding someone else. , Ffor him to continue to have children was inevitable and important, but it is hard for me to see him with another, a reason to leave I think.”

  “And we can go together, to look for Rebecca?”

  “I think that would be best, but I have to explain that to Lordes first. , Tthat will not be easy now your gift has become apparent, but I know him well, I’ll find a way to persuade him.”

  “We are not very close.”

  “That does not surprise me Moria, he is a very difficult man,; mainly brought about by the circumstance he is in. Bbeing the leader of a clan and putting the interests of all Volucris before your own is a challenging and lonely life. He behaves the way he does for a reason, but do not doubt for a second how much he loves you and all of his children.”

  Mo had thought about Lordes’ position and it did make sense she thought, although she was still not completely convinced.

  “There is something I need to discuss with you and your father together, but this can wait a few days, we shall first arrange, how would you call it, a memorial for Benji and you can say your goodbye properly.”

  “Yes, that sounds as good as it can be.” Mo replied.

  Chapter 47

  The next few days were a blur of grief to Mo. , Sshe managed to visit Ethan and make sure she had not seriously hurt him. He reassured her but also warned her that her new gift would need to be explored soon, so she could learn to control it. He offered to help her with it as a continuation of her training and Mo agreed, although she was not sure how long it would last knowing her mother’s plan.

  They had all gathered in Mo and Benji’s cave to say goodbye to him a few days after their return to Ety. Mo was not surprised so many Volucris had turned up even though she had wanted just a select few to be there, she could see Benji had touched all of their lives in some way. All of the students were there both Ety born and those from the mainland. , Anabel and Lucy both hugged Mo furiously, this was the first time she had seen any of them. Tristan and Thea were there as well as the children, Betty and Ely. , Mo guessed they had not had a chance to do this for their mother so maybe it would help them a little. Mo had wanted Benji’s mother to be there too, but there was no way of even letting her know that Benji had died. Although many Volucris had used holo’s for a long time, the connections had all gone down worldwide. e, Mo had fretted with Ethan over this lack of contact but he explained there was nothing to be done, eventually when she came into contact with someone from Ety she would learn the truth. Mo felt this was even more reason to return to the mainland, they had only just found each other again, it was cruel they would not be able to be reunited.

  Mo spoke at the service as did Tristan as his tutor and Mo played music from Benji’s secret iPod, at least the music already on there still worked. Afterward they all lingered telling stories of him and what he meant to each of them. Once people started to leave Lordes came over to Mo, she had not noticed him here before, only Phallon and she wondered if he had been present for the whole service.

  “Moria, it was a lovely tribute to a wonderful Volucris, he clearly touched many people's lives and was loved by all, I am truly sorry for your loss and understand it will take you time to recover.”

  Mo was touched by her father’s words, but also cautious, she had learned if he was being this genuine it often meant he wanted something.

  “I would like to meet soon though, to talk about what happened when Benji died and what happened to Ethan?”

  She had been right as ever, he wanted to discover more about her gift. , Wwas he truly sorry at Benji’s death? Iliana joined them, placing a protective arm around Mo’s waist.

  “Lordes, there is time a plenty to explore Mo’s gift, we have a more pressing matter I need to discuss with you both.”

  Mo noticed how curt they were being with each other. there There was no gushing of the affection they had both shown when they had found Iliana locked away. Mo wondered what had happened between them since then, maybe Iliana was more upset that Lordes was now with someone else. She was glad of her mother’s words, she knew that she wanted to discuss their plans to find Rebecca.

  “I think now would be as good as time as any, don’t you think?” Mo offered.

  They all agreed and Lordes led them to the grand room they had been in when they had decided to first return to the mainland. The room now seemed vast with just the three of them in it, but they all seated in the specially carved wooden seats that allowed their wings to hang over the back.

  “There is something I need to tell you both at the same time, I have not mentioned it yet because of the tragedy of Benji’s death, but it is now vital that you both know.” Iliana spoke.

  Mo was confused. Sshe thought this was going to be a meeting about their plans to leave Ety once more and find Rebecca, but this sounded like something far more serious.

  “I need to tell you both what happened on the night of your birth Moria, after we had given you to Rebecca and after Lordes left.”

  Lordes flinched at the memory, Illiana continued.

  “Something happened that none of us expected. The men who the doctor had contacted came into the room just as I started to contract once more, the doctor returned expecting me to give birth to just the placenta, however that was not the case. I gave birth to another baby, a baby boy, your twin brother Moria.”

  “I’m a twin!” Mo stated in complete disbelief.

  “Yes.”

  “Did he survive?” Lordes asked.

  “Yes, he survived.”

  “And where is he now?”

  “I don’t know, I haven’t seen him since the virus took hold, and even then….” Iliana’s voice cracked, her hand raised to her mouth as though she could not bear the words that were coming out. Mo moved over to her and clasped her hands in her own.

  “I am so sorry to bring you this news Moria after all you have been through and now more torment.” She looked up into her daughter’s eyes who had nothing but sympathy for her mother.

  “It’s ok, you needed to tell us. Iit's just unbelievable, I have never felt like a twin. ; Ssome people say that don’t they, if they have been separated, they have always felt someone was missing but I honestly never have.”

  “I am glad you did not feel like that Moria. I wondered too if you had felt alone and I am so relieved that Rebecca took such good care of you.”

  Lordes had been pacing the back of the room, questions whirling round his mind.

 
“What did they do Iliana, to you and him, what did the humans do?” Lordes spat the words out. Mo was shocked at his vehemence and looked to Iliana, but she was not shocked, the look in her eyes only confirmed Lordes thinking.

  “When we were first taken, they did not know what to do. , Tthey patched me up and made sure the baby was fine - it is all such a blur. I nursed him and mourned the loss of you and Moria. , I was locked away and they brought me what I needed, but I was not allowed to fly for fear I would escape.”

  Both Lordes and Mo looked horrified; not being allowed to fly would be like cutting away your soul.

  “They wanted me to answer all their questions. Aat first I resisted but after a while they got frustrated, they threatened to take him away from me if I didn’t tell them everything. I had lost so much Lordes, I could not lose him too, I could not stand to think of him being raised by a stranger.”

  “It’s ok Iliana.” Lordes was next to her now as she sobbed through her words, stroking her hand.

  “So I did, I told them everything about our culture, how we grew our wings and when, what we needed to sustain them, everything. I did not know what their intentions were, if they were going to come after all Volucris, trap us al,lall I had no idea who was holding us, if it was the government or someone else. I know you looked for me Lordes. , they They would move us every time you got close. That’s when I realised whoever these people were it was small scale, they were not broadcasting the fact of who they had. , Tthis reassured me that they would not have the manpower to bring in any full grown Volucris.”

  “Full grown Volucris?” Lordes asked, concern etched in his voice.

  “You have guessed right. Tthey went after the younger ones, those whose wings were yet to grow, took them from their families with little explanation. Then they started to train them, not as good Volucris but as soldiers, their aim to create a flying army, but they did not heed my warnings on nutrition, on what these poor children should be eating. Iinstead they tried to intensify and quicken the growth of their wings with drugs. They experimented on them with disastrous effects. Many suffered, some physically some mentally. , Tthey showed all of them to me trying to see if I could tell them where they were going wrong, and I did tell them. I screamed at them to stop this insanity, that we grow our wings through nutrition and training that has been developed over centuries. I even told them about the blood which they found abhorrent. , they They were so arrogant, they would find a way to speed it up, to make it better. And in the end, they think they succeeded.”