Skies of Fyir Box Set

by Gabriela Voelske

  “It’s fine, don’t worry,” Sakura replied, gazing towards the King for the first time. Stood beside him was Uriel, who was throwing Sebastian a subtle, dubious look. He was trying his best to ensure only he saw it, but Sakura had noted it. Sebastian hadn’t told the angel that she was going to be part of the meeting, then. “Morning, Uriel.”

  Uriel went to speak, only to be interrupted by a small gesture from Sebastian. Instead, he offered her a wave, unsure why he was silenced. With a deep breath, he told Uriel about the full events of the prior day. As he spoke, the angel’s gaze turned from the King to Sakura, his expression unwavering. Once Sebastian had finished, Uriel laughed.

  “There’s some irony in that,” he said. The casual reply reassured her, Sebastian’s view of the angel had been correct. “I gather by the fact you’ve summoned me here to tell me this, that you’re worried about the Council?”

  “We got to you first, then,” the King replied, “after Maelor I was wary what angle they would take.”

  “They’ve been remarkably quiet, for better or worse. As much as they’re a nuisance when they’re acting up, I’m wary of this silence.”

  “You think they’re planning something?” Sakura queried.

  “One of two options: either Thardosean has reigned them in, or exactly that, they’re planning something,” Uriel stated, crossing his arms. “As you’re not a human, their options are limited. With both of us knowing what you are, your death would be considered suspect.”

  “Is it worth pushing them on it?”

  “On the strange off-chance they haven’t noticed your presence, no. I’ll keep an ear out for rumours, angels tend to hear more gossip than others.”

  Sakura nodded, agreeing with the logic. There was no point in making the situation worse.

  “How did your father take it, anyway? I assume you told him,” Sebastian said.

  “He left this morning to contemplate everything, but that’s standard for him.”

  Uriel contemplated something for a moment, an act that was signalled by small, eager twitches of his wings. “Why don’t you come with me for the day? Take your mind off of it yourself.”

  Sakura was surprised by the offer, but she could see from his wings that Uriel was eager. It was something to break up the monotony of his day. She glanced at Sebastian, who offered her a thumbs up. Time to be on her best behaviour, then. Until someone annoyed her.

  The King stuck his hands into his pockets, revealing a set of gloves. He tossed them at her, although his aim was off. After stumbling forward to catch them, Sakura took a good look. They were a set of leather gloves, tipped with curved metal points. Those points were wrapped in leather to keep them protected from the elements, and to give them a more natural look. On the underside of the gloves was a big hole, exposing her palm. Designed to keep her claws from hurting anyone, while allowing her to feel anything in her hands.

  “Angels are soft things, probably best if you didn’t scratch them up,” Sebastian jested, earning him an amused scoff from Uriel.

  “Thanks, these are perfect.”

  “I’ll keep her safe, so don’t worry. Pretty sure Eriden is the last place anyone would look for a demon, anyway,” Uriel remarked, giving Sebastian a pat on the low of his back. He stepped away and came up alongside Sakura, offering the King a wave as he lead her away.

  Once they were away from Shadekeep, Uriel gave her a brief overview of Eriden and angel culture. She already knew of the troubles between angels and demons, that was basic history. What the Monarch told her, however, was why the problem was so volatile. The top-ranked angels, while few in number, were an aggressive minority. Bloodlust and glory lead their actions, but killing their own was frowned upon. To down a demon, however, was considered an impressive feat. Going against these few caused issues; the lower ranks refused to stand against them for fear of backlash, allowing them to rule over them. This left Uriel at odds when it came to trying to decrease tensions, as all he received was anger and no support. Uriel even feared them opting to assassinate him, so his actions had to be well masked.

  Sakura queried if she would cause more problems than anything else, given what she had just been told. The angel shook his head. Recent events had bolstered the support from the lower ranks and forced the higher ones to admit that maybe the demons had a place. Their view of demons was based on conjecture and years of false history, something Uriel wished to shake up. As Amnur had never given her a negative view of angels, she had no reservations about them. That’s what Uriel banked on.

  The other thing he mentioned was a list of general names, along with warnings. She had met Sariel and Arariel, both of which responded to her fine. Uriel had warned her about Gabriel, however. While he fully supported the idea of peace, he wanted nothing to do with demons. Sakura asked why, but Uriel refused to give a solid answer. He warned her simply to not push the issue, to avoid getting on the wrong side of him. Once he had explained all of that, he invited her to take to the air. No point walking to Eriden.

  The chilly air sent a shiver down her spine when she landed, having cooled her wings down further than she’d like. She stared at Uriel’s big, fluffy wings and huffed, he still appeared warm.

  “Jealous, are we?” Uriel remarked, giving her a teasing twitch of his wings. He spun around to face her, spreading his arms wide. “Welcome to Eriden, kid.”

  The first thing she noticed was how tall the building was, making her neck ache as she tried to spot the top of the structure among the clouds. Slotted in the pearly stone walls were windows, but they were just that, windows. No hatches to allow entry, so far as she could see.

  “Stairs?” she asked.

  “She focuses on the important questions,” he replied, letting out a laugh. “She’s also spot on, unfortunately.”

  “Gives my legs a bit of exercise I suppose, not had a good stretch since my injury.”

  “You won’t be saying that later, trust me.”

  In the short time their conversation had been rolling out, a handful of angels had appeared and were watching them. Only a few came outside the building, the others had their faces pressed against the windows. Uriel’s welcome to her both confused and intrigued them, identifying her as a guest. Those outside kept their weapons sheathed as she followed Uriel in, although she could hear them following behind.

  Inside Eriden was busy, the corridors were filled with angels going about their daily tasks. At first, they glanced towards Uriel and paid no heed, until they did a double take. Her dark blue figure was enough to stun them into silence. She offered them a smile and a wave, though she knew that mending the damage between the races took more than pleasantries. Uriel directed her up the central staircase, as his destination sat on a higher floor.

  The staircase wound onwards, taking a toll after the fifth floor. Sakura thought it to be the fifth floor, anyway, the endless stairs were confusing. With every floor that passed, the echo of following footsteps increased. Her presence was attracting a crowd, for better or worse. Uriel was aware, Sakura could see that much as he ascended in front of her. After another doorway passed by, Uriel exited on the seventh floor. Compared to the brief glances she caught of the other floors, this one was quiet. It was also a different structure compared to the other floors, one side held a few rooms but the other side was dominated by a single, large hall. The hall had windows facing the corridor, ones blocked up with shutters.

  Uriel strolled up to the cream wood of the double doors, rapping on them with a formal, sharp tone. Within moments, the door opened.

  “Oh, Uriel. I didn’t expect to see you this afternoon,” Sariel said, poking his head out the door. “With a guest, no less.”

  “I invited her up to take her mind off things, and because I was curious,” Uriel responded, placing his hand on Sakura’s shoulder that nearest to him.

  “I didn’t say I was complaining. Welcome, Sakura, this is one of our training halls.”

  Sakura gave Sariel a polite bow and stepped
inside, followed by Uriel. The hall was set up in a curious manner; based on the windows above, the hall occupied two floors. Wooden beams ran along at ceiling height, offering the angels a tiered combat space. Racks of polished weapons carved from wood were propped up against the wall, with a few racks containing longer weapons were bolted to the walls. Plush mats covered the centre of the room, intending to break any falls.

  “We’ve been practising a few standard battle procedures, along with a couple of sparring matches,” Sariel remarked as he removed the shutters on the window, having noticed the growing audience. “Trains the soldiers and helps keep the tension reigned in.”

  “How many here have seen a battle against, well, demons?” Sakura queried, observing the two angels on the floor as they battled one another. Their actions were precise, fluid, and deadly. In Sariel’s small contingent, there was an equal number of females and males. All of them wore armour; a well organised pattern of metallic plates with hints of ornate decoration. The idle angels that were also evaluating the fight, turned their attention to her, with mixed opinions.

  “None. Their parents have, however.”

  “A shame, really,” a male angel spoke up from his position, tucked up in a corner. “Now they’re flaunting one in front of me.”

  Sariel let out a distinct sigh. The fact the angel responded in the common tongue made it obvious that he wanted Sakura to hear his thoughts, to hear his disdain over the situation. He wished to rile her up, but it would take more than a few words to manage that. Sakura raised a brow in response, unsure how much he could see. His voice had come from her blind side.

  “Leave her alone, Leo,” Uriel stated. Leo responded with a scoff, followed by a tut.

  “Is she so weak that she can’t fight? She already can’t see me.”

  Sakura dwelled on what Uriel told her, that angels respect strength. With the physical differences between the two races, she could take him on in hand-to-hand combat without any trouble. Weapons may be a different story, depending on his combat style.

  “Would offering him a duel humble him?” she whispered to Sariel.

  “It’d shut him up and make him leave if you won. He’s one of the stubborn assholes who enjoys irritating my students.”

  “Alright then.”

  Sariel relayed the conversation to Uriel in the angelic tongue and given he did nothing to express his discontent, he saw the logic in it. After the outburst, the sparring students had stopped to observe, freeing up space.

  “Would taking on such a weak demon even give you any satisfaction? Or, are you afraid that I’d beat you?”

  Leo scowled at the remark, something Sakura could see now that he had stepped out to face her. He examined her attire and noted the lack of armour, deciding that the odds were in his favour. “You’re the daughter of a mage, are you not?”

  “Does it matter?”

  A grin spread across his lips, along with an excited quiver of his wings. “Hand-to-hand combat it is, then.”

  Sakura took her blades out of their resting place and offered them to Sariel, disarming herself. The fight would weigh in her favour if she were to take off her gloves, but Uriel was trying to prove that demons weren’t monsters. A sharp, vicious set of claws would go against that vision. As she stepped into the ring, she tilted her neck side to side, her bones letting out a refreshing pop as she went.

  “Are the combatants ready?” Sariel said. Both sides nodded. “The battle starts in 3… 2… 1… Begin!”

  Sakura kept her position neutral as she baited him to strike first. He was cocky, and she knew it. Her blindness gave her a vulnerability, one she expected him to exploit. After a moment, he leapt forward. A direct assault. Cocky, indeed. Metal gauntlets slammed into her forearms as she shielded her chest, the effect being muffled by the scales that lined her arms. She balled one hand into a fist, throwing it at his exposed face. It missed, but it forced him to step back. The next attack was the one she expected, a blindside. A fist connected with her wound, giving her a shot of raw pain.

  For Sakura, the game was over. Her right foot swung out, taking out his legs. As he began to fall, she grabbed hold of his right hand and spun around, launching him over her shoulder. Leo clattered to the ground, letting out a cry as his wings slapped against the floor. Padded mats or not, that hurt. Sniggers erupted from the watching crowd, worsening the wounds for him. Sariel started a clap, one that soon echoed from the onlookers.

  “That was impressive,” Sariel stated, giving the downed Leo a gentle kick to the ribs.

  “That wasn’t meant to be so powerful, you really are so much lighter than demons,” Sakura admitted with a sheepish grin, “I’m used to heavier, and taller.”

  “His fault, that one.”

  “Not such a weak little demon, is she?” Uriel remarked, laughing at the angry groan that he got in response. “Best get that checked out, off you go.”

  Leo scuttled off before the hushed whispers and sniggering got worse, leaving them in a calmer situation. Sakura rubbed her wound to evaluate the pain, not that there was much to speak of. Metal gauntlets or not, his bark was worse than his bite.

  “All good?” Uriel queried. She gave him a thumbs up. “Good.”

  “Makes me wonder what you’d be like a proper fight,” Sariel remarked, eyeing up the weapon racks. A brief, inaudible statement escaped Uriel’s lips. Inaudible to Sakura anyway.

  “Is that a hint?”

  “Maybe. Do you want to?”

  For Sariel to be offering, Uriel had cleared him to do so. Sakura grinned, extending her arms to accept the challenge. One of the onlookers tossed her a set of training blades, while another handed Sariel a single, thick blade. A broadsword, she believed. Being wooden, his blade weighed less than its metal equivalent, meaning he could swing it faster. The reduced weight offered her no advantages, however.

  They took up positions as Uriel leant against the wall, giving himself a good view of the arena. One of the students counted them down, starting them off. Sakura attempted to bait Sariel, but the angel was too tempered to fall for the ploy. Neither of them wished to take the first blow, each of them attempting to read the other. After a period of nothing, Sakura jumped to the right and lunged. Sariel dodged with ease but refused a counterattack. She tried again on the left, with the angel evading her once again. He was evaluating something with her, deciding his next move.

  The angel leapt up into the rafters, angling his blade down. Sakura slipped the blades into her sheathes and jumped up, gripping onto the wood. Her fingers slipped, the leather refusing to bite in. A brief growl escaped her lips in frustration. She threw the gloves off and flexed the claws. Second time around, she gripped the beam first time and flipped herself, resting on the top of it. Sariel nodded with a pout, admiring the strength required to do that. Sakura took out one of the blades and held it ready in her right hand, using her left for balance.

  She leapt to the rafter in front of her, sprinting to the left once she landed. Once Sariel was in sight, she launched herself towards him. He swung the blade around and a power struggle ensued. Sakura could see she was at a disadvantage, but she had a plan. The short blade slid down and bit into the beam, giving her some leverage. Her left foot pushed off, forcing her weight into Sariel. He was forced to slip back to prevent her from reaching his vitals with the spare weapon, denying her the victory. As she regained her balance, the blade whizzed past her head. It missed, but she dropped down to the floor to prevent a hit. The close encounter made her grin, the thrill of the situation making her body tingle.

  Sariel’s broadsword was going to give her problems with the range from below unless she knocked him down to the floor. She jumped around the floor, lunging for Sariel’s feet at every new position. The furious onslaught started to wear on the angel. Sakura managed to back him into a corner and leapt up before he could move away, clipping his wings. If the weapons were metal and the wings demon, that would’ve left a hefty gouge. It wasn’t enough to claim victor
y in this match, however.

  Sariel registered the hit, dropping to the ground. After a wound like that, one of his wings would’ve been battered and unusable. Past his tempered outside, Sakura could see the angel panting. She too was panting. Unsure of the angel’s stamina, she intended to end this quick. Both hands grasped a blade, trembling in excitement. Sakura crouched down and sprinted to the angel’s right, keeping her blind side towards him. As she saw him begin to turn to react, she switched to his left, forcing him to double back. Her arms flew for his neck, intending to kiss skin with wood. The arms were seconds from their target when Sariel tilted the blade back and let himself fall backwards. His wooden blade struck her in the chest, a fatal blow. Sakura stopped the attack, acknowledging his victory. Both of them fell to the floor as Sariel’s weight knocked her over, her body protecting his head from hitting the floor.

  “That was close,” Sariel said, panting and laughing. He relaxed against her body for a second before rolling over, offering Sakura a handshake.

  “Feels good to be sparring again,” she replied, taking him up on the shake. Without her gloves on, she had to be cautious. Sariel allowed her to lead the shake, preventing any unintentional harm. A few seconds later, the gloves landed on top of her. She put them back on and rubbed her hands together.

  “You fight with a different style to most angels, and you had me on my toes. If it wasn’t for the obvious sign, I wouldn’t have known you’re half blind.”

  “I’m used to being the smallest and weakest, so I took to speed,” Sakura remarked, turning her head towards Uriel once she heard the clapping begin. The crowd expressed their mutual admiration of both fighters, with Sakura having won the student’s interest with that show. She settled down on the floor, allowing her breath to return to her after the consecutive matches. Some of the students sat near her and began talking to her, keeping their questions general. They were curious about her quirks, having never been close to a demon in a non-battle situation before. To entertain them, she pulled back her sleeves, revealing the scales.