Aloft

by J F Rogers

  “Take this medicine and rest. I mean it, lass.” He threw me a look reminiscent of Stacy’s mom when she gave a final warning.

  “Okay. Okay.” I wrinkled my nose at the foul, low-tide stench strengthening as I neared. I pinched my nostrils, shoved the slimy leaves into my mouth, cringing at the overly salted, decaying-fish, cod-liver-oil taste, and gagged.

  If salt enhanced flavor, this was one “food” item that shouldn’t be salted.

  Wolf gave a satisfied nod. “Now rest.” He exited, closing the door behind him.

  With my headache gone, my body itched to do something… anything. How could they suggest I just lie here? There was too much to do. We needed to reclaim the gachen’s lands and take Morrigan out. First, I needed to find the zpět. Which meant, I had to go to Turas and travel back in time to when the two morons resurrected Morrigan. That was the only solid clue in history as to its whereabouts. I stood up too fast, the room spun, and I dropped back onto the bed, still chewing the impenetrable seaweed substance.

  This was so unfair. How many fasgadair had fed on my blood? Over how many days? I wasn’t even sure. I had been in and out of consciousness. But Declan drank on the day of the battle when I was already weak. How long would it take to be strong enough to leave the castle? I needed to get to Turas before they began using it as a weapon. There’d never be another chance afterward.

  I swallowed part of the seaweed glob, fighting the urge to spit the rest out, and glanced at the table. The piece of parchment I’d asked for lay open with the ink and pen ready. I couldn’t believe I lost my journal. Everything I’d experienced since arriving in Ariboslia last year was in that thing. Gone. Along with everything else. I’d left some of my belongings back in my room in Bandia. The small amount I’d managed to smuggle with Rowan in raccoon form were abandoned when we fled from the stronghold. What little my friends grabbed before fleeing Bandia was now at the bottom of the sea. Gone forever. Would I ever get any of the other stuff back?

  I choked down the final remnant of nastiness and hung my head. I needed to do something. Anything. Even if I was weak. Perhaps writing would help clear my thoughts.

  I sat at the table and dipped the fountain pen in the ink. Blackness dripped onto the parchment. I scraped some off and put the pen to the paper.

  Why do I feel so down? Although I’ve yet to kill Morrigan, we accomplished so much! We eliminated the fasgadair threat on the selkie’s shores. And I’ve grown stronger in my faith. God keeps proving Himself over and over. I have brothers, new friends… Kai.

  Kai. I get so confused when I think about him. I’ve never felt anything like this. Do I like him? Yes. Is it love? I don’t know. I’ve never loved anyone… other than Bumpah. But that wasn’t the same. And it wasn’t permanent. People either hurt you. Leave you. Or both.

  It doesn’t matter, anyway. I have a quest I need to fulfill. And I’d already nearly abandoned all God called me to do to stay with Kai in his piece of paradise. I can’t let that happen.

  But he decided to join me in my quest. That he’d give up his amazing home to put himself in danger boggles my mind. Was he following me? God? Both? In any case, I’m grateful to have him with me. His presence is like God’s gift for returning to my duty.

  And He’s given me brothers too. Declan and Alastar. I’m a triplet. Though there’s lots of family dysfunction to tackle, I’m glad to have them. And together, we have the power to defeat the fasgadair!

  I’m still ashamed to admit I’d had romantic feelings for Declan. But, having never had a boyfriend, I believe I mistook the electric sensation of the triplet bond when we touched as an attraction. The truth is much more amazing. When we’re connected with Alastar, we have powers over fire! Now, knowing the cause of our connection, I can see him as a brother. And I much prefer him that way.

  And Alastar. Who saw that coming? He was raised by Morrigan, the original fasgadair, and our uncle, their feared leader before Alastar took over. Aside from Morrigan, Alastar became the most feared of all the fasgadair, Na’Rycha.

  I moved the full parchment to the bottom, dipped my pen back in the well, and continued writing on a fresh piece.

  I still can’t get over how God tricked Alastar. He thought he was eliminating the threat to his rule by getting me to turn Declan back into a gachen, thereby severing the connection to Morrigan so she wouldn’t know when Alastar killed him. But Declan’s blood turned Alastar back into a gachen. Just like mine does! We have yet to unlock that mystery. But it probably has something to do with the fact that we’re siblings… triplets.

  I hate how we were separated at birth. But with my ability to start fires, Declan’s ability to control it, and Alastar’s ability to decide what it burns, we probably would’ve caused damage. According to Sully, God’s prophet, we would have died if we’d been together when we were little. I guess that makes sense. When we connected, we had no idea what we were doing. It just… happened. And we were much stronger together. I shudder to think what damage we might have caused as toddlers with limited understanding. I didn’t understand it as a so-called adult!

  I dipped the fountain pen and tapped it on the inkwell rim. Purging these thoughts from my mind was definitely helping… giving me clarity. Was there anything else to add? I glanced back at my original question: Why do I feel so down?

  I still have to face Morrigan.

  With my brothers, we have controllable fire. And Turas, known as Stonehenge in my realm, will allow us to visit history or travel wherever we need. We could use Turas to go to Bandia, send troops in to fight, then retreat. But Turas taps into the spiritual realm where both angels and demons linger. The more we use Turas, the more notice we’ll get from demons. I’ve already seen one once. But they can’t enter the circle, so how much of a threat are they?

  These things will help us push the fasgadair back to reclaim the gachen lands. But how will I get to Morrigan? She’ll never come close enough for my brothers and me to set her on fire. She’d never drink my blood. How can I get rid of her?

  Someone rapped on the door.

  I rolled up the parchment and hid it behind my back. “Come in.”

  Kai poked his head in the room. Just seeing his face, beholding his beauty, sent a thrill through me. “I heard you weren’t feeling well.” He entered, leaving the door wide open. “What’s that?” Sidestepping, he tipped his mahogany eyes around my shoulder.

  “Ah, nothing.” The words I’d written rushed to my mind, and my face grew warm. I angled, keeping the parchment hidden.

  “Oh, really.” Showing off his dimples with a deep grin, he took a few steps toward me and reached for the parchment.

  I turned to protect it, both hands behind my back.

  His hand didn’t make it to the parchment but hovered beyond my shoulder. He looked down at me, his face so close.

  I stared into his soulful eyes.

  He broke the stare, pulled back his hand to massage the back of his head as if that’s what he’d meant to do all along, and coughed. Throwing me a small smile, he watched me out of the corner of his eye. “What’s on the parchment?”

  “Noth—” I laughed at myself.

  “What’s so funny?” He ran his fingers through his wavy, black hair, giving me a rare glimpse of his tan forehead.

  “Nothing.” I handed him the parchment. “Here you go.”

  His eyes sparkled as he unrolled the parchment and dulled as he studied the paper. He raised an eyebrow. “What’s this?”

  “English.” I hid my laughter behind a fist.

  He threw me an unimpressed look as he rolled it back up and dropped it on the table. “Why aren’t you resting?”

  “I can’t rest. Too much needs to be done. My mind won’t stop.”

  “If you’re up for it, I want you to meet someone.”

  “Who?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Chapter Two

  ◊◊◊

  KAI LED ME DOWNSTAIRS
to the banquet hall. The selkie transitioned the space into an infirmary for those wounded in the battle. He pulled open one of the heavy doors.

  Moaning and cries for help blasted us through the doorway along with the metallic stench of blood intermingled with some kind of alcohol.

  My chest tightened as I stood in the entryway, looking at Kai rather than whatever took place in that room. With one hand still holding the door open, he gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. His eyes and small smile bolstered my courage. I could do this.

  Diminutive women flitted about among the patients. Wide dresses under beige wraps resembling sleeveless scrubs cinched above their waist obscured their slim features. Dark braids swung at their backs. These must be selkie women.

  We passed a man propped up on pillows as a selkie woman spoon-fed him. A bandage covered his neck and shoulder. I touched the bandage on my neck. It was much smaller than his. Perhaps my attackers had been kinder. Knowing Na’Rycha had wanted to keep me alive for his experiments, they must’ve gone easy on me.

  A man in the next bed, with a smaller, yet similar dressing on his neck, sat up eating an apple. He appeared far better off.

  We passed several more beds. All men with neck wounds. Fasgadair must not be too imaginative. But at least they were predictable. Good thing they hadn’t forced any of these men to drink their blood and become demons like them. Or had they? How long did the transition take?

  Keeping a wary eye on the last man, I hurried past his bed and nearly crashed into a woman with a bowl of red water and stained cloths. Coppery alcohol vapors assaulted my nose. My neck burned at the memory the stink invoked. They must’ve used the same stuff when cleaning my wounds. I pressed my hand against my neck.

  “Pardon.” She nodded as she rushed by, careful not to slosh the liquid. Worry creased her face.

  A twang of guilt lurched my stomach. I’d been so out of it the last two days. The first day I did nothing but sleep. Yesterday, when I wasn’t sleeping, I was eating or participating in battle plans. I hadn’t even thought of coming here to visit the fallen. Or helping.

  Kai wove his way through the throng to a man sitting on the edge of his cot, chatting with the bandaged-necked patient on the next bed. He sported a man bun, but, with his chiseled features and stubble, he still looked masculine. The man glanced up as Kai approached. Recognition kicked in, and his eyes crinkled into slits. “That was quick.”

  “Torian, this is Fallon.” Kai motioned between us.

  “Nice to meet you,” I said.

  “And you.” Torian twisted to sit facing us without wincing. He didn’t wear any visible bandages. Why was he here?

  “Tell Fallon what you told me.” Kai sat beside Torian and tugged me down next to him.

  “What should I say?” Torian held his arms out, palms up as if to illustrate he had nothing to share, then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs. “As I told Kai and the nurses, I was a fasgadair. A member of Na’Rycha’s army.”

  “What?” Pain shot behind my eyes, zapping my brain. I squeezed them shut and rubbed my temples.

  Kai touched my back. “Are you all right?”

  “Just another headache.” I forced my eyes open and continued massaging as the ache dulled. “How’s that possible? Declan was with me the whole time, neither one of us was bitten.”

  “I didn’t bite anyone.” Torian’s eyes widened as if willing us to search the depths of his soul and see his innocence.

  “But that’s not possible. How’d you change back to a gachen?” I squinted up at him, avoiding the sunlight streaming through the window.

  “I don’t know.” He shook his head.

  “What’s the last thing you remember?” Either this guy was off his rocker, or he was lying.

  “I was stabbed in the stomach, just above my navel, by some guy with a dagger. But… ” He stood and lifted his shirt to reveal perfect flesh. Not even a scar. “There’s no wound.”

  This guy was messing with us. What was he, bored? “I don’t have time for this.” I stood too quickly and sent the pain surging throughout my head. Everything swam.

  Kai stood and steadied me. “You should lie down.”

  “I’m fine.” I sat back down.

  Loosing an exasperated sigh, he kept an arm around my shoulder. “I don’t think he’s lying.”

  “He has to be.” I aimed a thumb at him. “Or he’s nuts.”

  “Nuts?” His face scrunching in confusion, the liar cocked his head.

  Kai closed his eyes and waved me off. “She’s not from around here. Not everything she says makes sense. Do you remember who stabbed you?”

  “I don’t know his name, and I haven’t seen him since. He looked like a cross between a gachen and a selkie with the gachen’s bright-blue eyes but the selkie’s black hair and tan skin.”

  I stood, careful not to jar my head, and tugged on Kai’s sleeve. “Let’s go.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To check his story. Only one person I know matches that description.”

  ****

  Kai and I searched the castle’s obvious places. As much as I hated to interrupt the leader’s meeting, I had to ask. We poked our heads into the war room.

  “Anyone seen Evan?”

  They met my request with nays and shaking heads.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?” Wolf asked.

  I closed the door. “Where else might he be?”

  Kai shrugged. “We can do this later. You should rest.”

  “I’m fine, really.” The pain was a more tolerable, dull ache at this point. And I needed to know.

  We pushed through the main doors into the courtyard where people were still cleaning up the fasgadair ash, spilled blood, and broken carts from the skirmish. But Evan wasn’t among them. We walked out the main gate to the rocky cliff where I’d sat with Sully. Evan sat on an outcropping overhanging the water, hugging his legs, staring out at the sea.

  Kai helped me across the rocks. My eyes watered from the blaring sun reflecting off the water, compounding its strength. Did anyone have sunglasses in this realm?

  We made it through the rocky obstacle course and lowered ourselves next to Evan with me in the middle. A soft breeze caressed my arms, and I inhaled the briny scent it carried. Both comforted me, lulling me back to times with Bumpah on the beach when I was young. Waves crashed beneath us, sending up a spray. But only a mist reached us. I could bask here, soaking up the comforts surrounding me and watch the sparkling waves all day.

  But what brought Evan out here? I peeked at him from the corner of my eye. Something in his slumped shoulders and pensive expression concerned me. I put a hand on his shoulder. “We have been looking all over for you.”

  He glanced over his shoulder, then turned back to the sea and hugged his legs tighter to his chest. “Ya? Why’s that?”

  “Did you stab someone during the battle?” Kai got right to the point.

  “By someone do you mean fasgadair?” He shrugged. “Ya. A few. Why?”

  “Did you use a dagger?” I asked.

  “No, a sword.”

  “Oh.” I deflated. So, the guy was a liar. Or someone else matched Evan’s description. Whoever it was, I’d never seen him.

  I pulled my legs up to sit like Evan as a flock of birds dove into the water then shot out like rockets a few feet later. They continued to plunge and reemerge as if sewing the sea.

  “Actually, there was one.”

  “One what?” I asked, mesmerized by the birds.

  “A dagger.”

  Jolting, I sucked in a breath and held it, fully focused on whatever Evan remembered.

  He stretched out his legs, crossed them at the ankles, and leaned back on his hands. “I lost my sword in the skirmish. So, I picked up a dagger. I stabbed a fasgadair with it.” He tilted his face over his shoulder again, his gaze bouncing between me and Kai.

  I scoffed. That wasn’t he
lpful. I searched for the birds, but they’d disappeared.

  “Where’d you get the dagger?” Kai asked.

  “A fasgadair flung it at me. Good thing I saw it and dodged in time. He nicked me in the arm, though.” Evan rubbed his upper arm. A bandage bulged under his sleeve.

  Wait. I stared at Evan as if his body might give me clues.

  Both Evan and Declan used to be a fasgadair. But I never was.

  Kai and I gawked at each other. We each seemed to reach the same conclusion.

  “No way.” I scarcely breathed.

  “No way, what?” Evan watched us. “What’s going on?”

  “Is it possible?” Kai asked.

  “Is what possible?” Evan’s eyes narrowed at us. “Would one of you please tell me what’s happening?”

  “Declan changed Alastar back to a gachen.” I worked it out in my brain as I spoke. “Because I’d turned Declan back into a gachen.”

  “Huh?” Evan scrunched his eyebrows together.

  A cloud passed overhead, casting a shadow over us, chilling the air. As I spoke the words aloud, the idea grew clearer, and I became more certain. “Don’t you see? Because I changed Declan back, he has my blood. That’s how he redeemed Alastar. You have my blood too. The dagger had your blood on it. When you stabbed the fasgadair with your blood—my blood—you changed him back.”

  “I did what?” Evan’s mouth slung open. He gulped, licked his lips, and let out a low whistle. “Does this mean all gachen who were once fasgadair have the power to redeem fasgadair?”

  The back of my eyes zapped my brain with a high voltage. I squeezed my head in both hands and fell into Kai.

  “Fallon!” He grasped my shoulders.

  The pain lessening, I pulled away. “I’m okay.” But my weak voice betrayed me.

  “No, you need to lie down.”

  “Seriously, I’m okay.” The dull remaining ache was nothing compared with the searing pain.