by Melissa Haag
“Slumming?” I asked.
His lips twitched, and he opened the door for me without a word.
Alone with Oanen for the first time since I’d woken up half sprawled on him, I wasn’t sure what to do or say. Why did liking him have to feel so damn awkward?
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for us to get to Ashlyn’s house.
“I’m not sure how long I’ll be,” I said as he parked.
“Doesn’t matter.” He turned off the car.
“Are you sure you want to wait?” I asked.
“I don’t plan to. I’ll fly from here, and you can take your car home.” He opened the door and got out.
Frowning, I hurried to do the same. He met me on the sidewalk near the front of the car.
“Wait. What do you mean? You’re loaning me this car?”
“Sure.”
I narrowed my eyes at Oanen, real annoyance rising.
“Half-truths and pacifying answers are just as good as lies. I don’t do lies,” I said.
“Fair enough. I don’t do lies either. I do, however, like to do things that will likely annoy you.”
“Such as?”
“Such as asking my parents to get you a car so you’re not stuck waiting for a ride from someone. Especially when you’re so far out of town.”
“So your parents bought me a car?”
He remained silent while just looking at me, his arms crossed.
“I’m about to hit you,” I warned.
“I purchased the car; they retrieved it.”
“Boyfriends don’t buy girlfriends cars,” I said.
“The good ones do.”
I breathed deeply, trying not to get angry with him.
“Since I fly and you don’t, you need a car. Unless you’re saying you like riding me?”
My mouth dropped open, and my heart started hammering again.
This time he flashed a grin large enough to show teeth.
“You’re adorable,” he said. “I could stand here and watch you blush all day, but neither of us will get anything done then.”
He whipped off his shirt and tossed it to me. I caught it by reflex.
“What are you doing?” I demanded when he reached for his pants.
“Flying home. Keep the clothes in the car. It never hurts to have spares handy.” He unzipped his fly, and I glanced at the houses lining the street.
“You can’t be serious right now. You’re standing on the sidewalk in the middle of the afternoon about to drop your pants for the world so you can turn into a griffin and fly away. What happened to keeping our presence secret?” I would have asked what happened to his modesty, but he’d never really had any from the start.
“If there was anyone new in Uttira, we would know. Anyone watching already knows about us. They’ll just have to close their eyes if they don’t want to see something.”
I wondered if I should close my eyes, too. The problem was that I wanted to see Oanen in all his glory again. Badly. But that would likely result in more blushing. So, I compromised with myself and averted my gaze to the side. I could tell he was stepping out of his pants but couldn’t see the details.
“Call me when you finish with your visit if you want some company,” he said as he folded his clothes and set them on the car.
I nodded but didn’t look at him until I heard the sound of his wings beating the air. With a deep calming breath, I turned and went to the house. I couldn’t believe it had only been a few days since I’d last been there.
Ashlyn opened the door after my third knock, her hazel eyes bloodshot and puffy. The mottled complexion of her pale skin made her neatly brushed, strawberry-blonde hair seem even more red.
“Ashlyn, I’m so sorry,” I said. Anger and regret welled up inside me. The normal, non-fury kind. “I know we don’t know each other well, but would you like some company for a while?”
She nodded. “Adira mentioned you’d probably stop by.”
I stepped into her house. Her home seemed so oddly normal given what her uncle, Trammer, had done.
“Can I get you something to drink?” she asked politely as she closed the door.
“No, thank you.”
She led the way to the living room and took a seat on the couch. I wasn’t sure what to say or do, so I looked around the room while I gave myself a moment to think. The book I’d last seen her reading sat on the nearby coffee table.
“It’s a good book,” she said, catching the direction of my gaze. “You can borrow it if you want. I’ve already read it several times.”
“I’m not much of a book person, especially after today. I was stuck in the Academy’s super-secret library the whole day, reading stuff that made no sense.”
“A library? I haven’t been to a library in years.”
The wistful way she said it gave me pause.
“Why years?”
She shot me an odd look. “Once a human says yes to Uttira, they don’t leave.”
“Trammer left all the time.”
She looked away, swallowed hard, and nodded.
“He did. Only him, though, because of a spell that prevented him from saying anything once he left the barrier.”
“So you’re stuck here like me?”
She met my gaze again, frowning this time.
“Not like you. You can go wherever you want in Uttira. Attend school, make friends. Definitely not like you.”
“Wait. You don’t have to go to the Academy?”
“Have to? I’m not allowed to go to the Academy. I’m enrolled but complete all my work online. The groceries are delivered. With the exception of my other duties, I’m not supposed to leave the house.”
My envy over her not needing to attend school disappeared as I understood what she was telling me. She was a prisoner in this house, locked in with her grief and as desperate to escape her confines as I was mine. Only, she’d chosen this.
“Why are you staying here then?” I asked.
“Because this is the only world I know. And, if I leave, I’ll know nothing. Maybe not even my name. Adira explained how the spell works. It takes days from you. Years. It doesn’t select which memories. It takes all of them. I’ve been here since I was a toddler. I’d lose who I am.”
“Why can’t they just put a spell on you so you can’t say anything?”
“A binding spell? I’d accept it if that were an option. But, the Council ruled that no underage human shall be bound to Uttira. It prevents human parents from binding their kids without giving them a choice.”
“When do you turn eighteen?”
“Another year and a half to go,” she said. Her eyes welled up, and she blinked a few times. “I wish my uncle wouldn’t have died.”
I couldn’t say the same. Her uncle had done bad things and had sounded like he would have done more if given the chance. But, I did feel remorse at my part in his death because of how hurt Ashlyn was now.
“I know what it’s like being stuck where you don’t want to be. Do you want to come to my place? We can see if Eliana wants to watch a movie and have a girl’s night.”
Ashlyn was already shaking her head.
“I like Eliana. She’s nice. But it’s dangerous for me to leave the house. It’s warded for my protection. I can’t get hurt here.”
The injustice of Ashlyn’s situation poked at my temper and showed through in my tone when I spoke.
“Yet, the Council makes you sit in the Roost.”
“It’s warded, too.”
“Okay, this is ridiculous,” I said, standing. “I get why you’re staying, but you’re living like you’re in prison with work release duties.”
“What other choice do I have?” She sounded tired. Beaten.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. Do you have something I can write on? I want to give you my number. If you need anything, call me. And, that’s not an empty offer. Call me.”
She got up and found me a piece of paper and a pen, and I quickly wro
te down my number.
“I’ll be in touch soon, Ashlyn.” I reached out and gently gripped her arm.
She set her hand over mine.
“My uncle told me you were raised in the human world. Thank you for not being one of them. For being different.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so I gave her a pathetic excuse for a smile then left. No matter how much I wanted to deny it, I was a creature of the gods. Yet, I hated the rules that came with what I was.
* * * *
I parked in front of the Quills’ and shoved my way out of the car. My anger had only built on the drive over. Not dangerously, but close. I didn’t understand why, exactly, when there wasn’t anyone even around me.
Pounding on the front door, I waited. Mrs. Quill didn’t leave me standing outside for long.
“I need to speak to you, Mr. Quill, and Adira,” I said.
“Come in. You look upset.”
“I am,” I said, stepping into the entry. She immediately led me to Mr. Quill’s study where he sat at the desk.
He looked up as we entered.
“Megan would like to speak with us and Adira.”
He stood and pulled his phone from his pocket. A quick call later and a portal appeared. Adira stepped out and gave me a kind smile. For some reason, that tweaked my anger further.
“There’s nothing to smile about,” I said. “I just came from Ashlyn’s house. Some creatures are meant to be solitary. Not humans. Not Ashlyn. The situation you’ve created for her is cruel.”
Adira frowned. “Cruel?”
“The rules of this place mean she’s pretty much under house arrest. She’s grieving and utterly alone.”
“That's why we sent you to visit her.”
“I'm not enough. If you value the humans who are here, then start treating them better. Definitely not like prisoners in their own homes. You say you’re teaching the students of Girderon Academy to blend with humans, but you’re not. You’re teaching them to keep apart from humans with your segregation that forces the humans to remain in their special little locations. And, by doing that, you’re also teaching your youths that humans have a certain place in life. That they are lesser than us. Trammer’s crimes don't solely lay on his shoulders. He is a product of the treatment he and his family received here. If you don’t want something like that to reoccur in the future, things need to change.”
I felt a tiny bit better that they’d listened during my entire rant instead of trying to interrupt or defend their actions.
“What do you propose?” Adira asked.
“If you want to really teach about blending, give Ashlyn the choice to attend the Academy if she wants. You said no one can get hurt within those halls. And, she’s starved for contact with people her own age.”
“The contact may not be what she anticipates. Many of the students still do not have control over their instincts.”
“Well, they’re there to learn, right? And, when the students see the staff treat her with respect and kindness, they will be more likely to follow suit, not just here, but in the real world too.”
“Is there anything else?” Adira asked.
“Yeah, this town should have a library. It’s big enough by human standards.”
“We have no use for a library,” Mr. Quill said.
I struggled to control my annoyance.
“You’re missing the point. The whole goal is to train the next generation how to blend, right? A library is normal. Most towns have them. Normal humans go to them all the time.”
“You’ve been to a library?” Mrs. Quill asked.
“It’s been pointed out to me that I’m not human or normal, but yes. I have been to a library.” I looked at them, my frustration growing because they weren’t understanding what they were doing to the humans in Uttira.
“Did any of you have pets while growing up?” I asked.
Adira and Mrs. Quill nodded.
“We had a fish,” Adira said.
I blinked in understanding. Sisters? Wow.
“Okay. Tell me about your setup for the fish. Where did it live?”
“We had a beautiful pond, shaded on one side by trees and open to the lights of the sun and dual moons on the other. It was a tranquil place. Our fish loved it there.”
“Of course it did. It had space to move and grow. Freedom enough to be happy. Uttira is that pond for the underage creatures here. Except for the humans. The humans are in a glass bowl with only an inch of water. Just enough to breathe. Not enough to move. Just enough to not die. Do you get it? You need to make Uttira a tranquil, beautiful place for all the creatures here.”
Mr. Quill nodded slowly while Adira and Mrs. Quill looked truly upset.
“You’ve given us much to think about,” he said, standing. “Oanen, would you see Megan out so we can discuss this further?”
Hearing Oanen’s name made my pulse jump, and I looked over my shoulder toward the door where both he and Eliana stood. I wondered how long they’d been listening.
“Yes, Father.” Oanen’s gaze shifted to me, and he held out his hand, a silent invitation to leave the room.
“Since you’ve always wanted to know how people make me feel in the past, I’m telling you now that you’re all frustrating me. A lot. And I think if you continue to mistreat the humans here, after having been told that there is mistreatment happening, it’s going to piss me off.”
Adira nodded, a regal acknowledgement.
“We understand, Fury.”
I nodded and turned to leave the room before pausing once more.
“And, that wasn’t a threat,” I said, looking back.
Mrs. Quill smiled. “Furies never threaten, Megan. They act. That’s why we asked you to help Uttira. You’ve warned us and we, too, will act.”
I nodded then continued to leave. When I reached Oanen, I glanced at the hand he still held out, and my pulse sped up. The thought of holding his hand heated my middle. Heck, the thought of touching him in any way sent jolts of naughty and nice through me.
“Come on,” Eliana said, grabbing my arm and tugging me from the study. She led us down the hall to the living room she shared with Oanen.
“I hope they let Ashlyn attend the Academy,” Eliana said the moment we entered.
“Me too. She’s so lonely.”
She nodded and sat on the couch.
“Are you staying for dinner?” she asked.
“Eliana, could you give us a minute alone?” Oanen asked.
Her eyes got wide, and she quickly hurried from the room.
“That was weird,” I said, turning toward him.
“Not really. Instead of dinner here, let’s go somewhere.”
My stomach gave an excited flip then began to warm.
“Like a date?” I asked.
“Exactly like a date.” I could hear the amusement in his voice.
“Okay.” I could barely hear myself over the pounding of my heart.
He smiled slightly then reached for my hand. Warmth exploded inside me at the touch of his fingers against mine.
“You make it difficult to remember my promise when you look at me like that,” he said.
“Like what?”
My breath caught when he leaned toward me. I knew what was coming. A kiss. And the thought jacked up the temperature already boiling me from the inside.
He stopped coming closer and just stared into my eyes, the heated look on his face blending with one of awe.
“You are so beautiful when your eyes glow.”
He started closing the distance, and the thought of his lips touching mine delayed my reaction to his words. At the last second, I jerked back.
“What?” I said. Without waiting for an answer, I ran to the mirror above the sink in their kitchenette. I stared at myself then looked at him.
“My eyes aren’t glowing,” I said, seeing the normal brown.
“Not anymore. They were just a second ago. They stopped when you moved.”
&n
bsp; Panic settled in. Glowing eyes? Adira had mentioned a true form. Was I going through some kind of change? Right now? In front of Oanen?
I swallowed hard.
“I think I’ll need to take a raincheck on dinner.”
I raced out the door.
Three
A good night’s sleep and no reappearance of glowing eyes (or anything else even weirder) had muted some of my panic. But I couldn’t let go of the incident. I kept envisioning Adira in her office, one moment human and the next, not. I needed to figure out what Oanen had seen and if it was an omen of something more to come.
After a quick text to Eliana to let her know I didn’t need a ride, I drove to the Academy early, determined to scour the library for any reference to furies. Knowing what I was and the purpose behind my existence barely skimmed the surface of the questions I had. There had to be something more about furies. Which of the gods created us, and why had that god thought creating a female with severe anger issues a good idea? What the hell was up with glowing eyes? What else would happen to me?
Adira’s comment about me having a true form kept coming back to haunt me. Why did the gods give us two forms? What kind of monster was I really?
Before I knew it, I was driving through Girderon’s main gate. Only a few cars sat in the parking lot when I came to a stop, and I walked the quiet halls without interruption.
The library door swung open at my touch. Setting my phone in the basket outside the door, I stepped inside, determined not to leave until I had some answers.
My eagerness faded as I skimmed through book after book. There was plenty of information on other obscure creatures I’d never even heard of. Draugr. Scylla. Níöhöggr. Echidna. Fylgja. Cave dwelling creatures. Snake women. Shapeshifting giants. Yet, nothing on furies except a vague reference in a slim book outlining the beginning of a war between the gods.
I read the meager three pages twice, trying to make sense of the story. But, it wasn’t just the reference to furies that was vague. The whole book read that way. Some argument or event had happened that brought even more unrest and conflict to the already discordant gods. The resulting war consumed not only the realms of those squabbling immortals, but also the realm of man. Deaths noted “too numerous to endure” flooded the underworld with souls so greatly that even the furies stopped punishing the living wicked in their need to deliver souls to their master. It didn’t say how the war ended, who won, or anything further about the gods or master of the furies. It only described the destroyed world of man, the much beloved mortal world all the gods coveted.