Aloft

by J F Rogers

  Before I knew what was happening, she wrapped me into a headlock, reminding me why I hated training with her.

  I attempted to escape her grip as Sloane had shown me last year. I tucked my chin, pushed her arm up, and ducked through the hole to the side. I’d never succeed against a fasgadair. But if this made her feel better…

  “So, why the elephants?” I asked after escaping her grip.

  The question seemed to confuse her. “What do you mean?” She tossed me a wooden stick, a mock dagger, and armed herself. “Time for offensive maneuvers.”

  “I mean, what do you need elephants for?”

  “For travel. My clan are tree folk, we prefer to keep to the trees or ride elephants. We will walk on the ground.” She waved at the grass beneath her. “Obviously. But we prefer to remain above ground level.” She motioned for me to come at her.

  I thrust the dagger toward her in a lame attack.

  She blocked. “You won’t hurt me. I’m a skilled warrior. Come at me like you mean it. Like your life is at stake.” She threw me a mischievous smile. “Like Kai’s life is at stake.”

  Oooo… She knew how to get to me. I laughed, then tried to summon the rage I’d feel if Kai’s life really was in danger.

  “Agh!” I came at her full force.

  She knocked me off balance and pushed me aside.

  I came at her again.

  She sidestepped and disarmed me in one swift motion, then retrieved my weapon and lobbed it to me. “Again.”

  I faked left, then swung with my right.

  Maili must’ve seen the fake-out coming. She didn’t falter. Again, she disarmed me in seconds. How was this helpful? I flopped onto the ground and grabbed a flask.

  “Is this… ?” I pointed to the flask, not wanting to accidentally drink blood.

  “’Tis water.” She sat next to me. “Have a drink.”

  “So, what’s your totem?” I took a long swallow.

  “Gibbon.” She reached out, waiting for me to hand her the water.

  “What’s that?”

  She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. “Do you not have gibbons in your realm? They’re similar to other monkeys, but much more agile. I can perform stunts in the trees.” She glanced off into the distance. There weren’t too many trees around here. Just a few in the hills before the mountains. “Most of my clan are tree-dwelling animals.”

  “Like, what? Monkeys?”

  “Zakur’s a sugar glider. He’s very sneaky. And adorable.” Her dark eyes sparkled. “When my friends and I reached our totems, we’d play in the trees after our lessons. My best friend was a lynx. I remember how jealous she was of the rest of us: a spider monkey, a flying lemur, a squirrel, and a fire dragon.”

  “Why was she jealous? Lynxes are cool.”

  “She didn’t think so. We were better suited for trees, able to hop from one to the other. Her determination to keep up with us improved her skills, but there were many places she couldn’t follow, and she’d occasionally get stuck.” She capped the flask, and we both stood. “Ready?”

  Before I could answer, she took me down.

  After about an hour, Maili released me. By this time, I was thoroughly exhausted. And bruised from head to toe. My legs were tired, my arms ached, and my stomach rumbled. Hand-to-hand combat didn’t suit me. But I’d humor her. It was the least I could do.

  It wasn’t time for lunch yet. I trekked across the field to where Kai was helping others with swords. The sword he’d found for me from the armory stuck out of the rack on the wagon. As the only one with something resembling a Celtic knot on the pommel, it was easy to spot. I retrieved it and gave it a swing. Despite my sore arms, it felt good, like it was made for me. Unlike most swords, I could lift it over my head and strike with accuracy. I just needed to work on increasing the power behind my swing.

  While Kai was busy with a boy I’d never seen before, I practiced the maneuvers he’d shown me on a log jutting up from the ground, wrapped in a thick rope.

  Kai left the boy to practice and approached me, sword drawn.

  The sword was growing heavy in my overtaxed arms. Still, I held it up, waiting for his attack, trying not to get distracted by his flexed muscles… or the intensity in his eyes. He swung, and I blocked, sending a shock traveling up my arms. “Why do you spend so much time teaching me this? A sword won’t save me.” Ugh, echoes of my conversation with Maili. Why was I stuck on repeat today?

  “Stop being so bleak. You keep saying you want to be prepared for anything, but when fighting is involved, you complain.” He struck again.

  “I’m just not a fighter.” I swung, intercepting his attack, but I was losing strength, our swords came way too close to my face. “Whatever is going to happen, I don’t think it will come to me fighting, weapons or no.”

  “Well, I don’t know how to defeat an opponent any other way. And I’d feel better if I knew you could at least handle yourself in a battle.” He shimmied forward, clashed my sword with his, then swirled it in such a way that I dropped mine and fell backward. He lowered his weapon to his side and caught my fall.

  I scarcely breathed as he held me, his dark eyes staring into mine—intent. His face lowered toward me. This was it.

  “They’ve arrived!” someone shouted. “The selkie and pech have arrived!”

  “Fallon, did you… ”

  That sounded like Alastar.

  Kai released me, and I caught myself from falling, then tugged my T-shirt.

  “… hear?” Alastar’s gaze flipped from me to Kai and back a few times, his mouth forming a small smile. “Am I interrupting something?”

  He was becoming like a little brother. Just how Matty would’ve been with Stacy.

  “Not at all.” Kai sheathed his sword, rubbed the back of his neck, and avoided eye contact.

  “The selkie and pech are in port.”

  “So, we heard.” I stepped toward Alastar and waved to Kai. “Let’s go.”

  If only the selkie had arrived a minute later.

  Chapter Seventeen

  ◊◊◊

  “EVAN! ROWAN!” I SHOUTED as they disembarked. I expected Rowan, but I wasn’t sure if the selkie would make Evan stay back and take his rightful place as their king.

  He threw me a toothy grin, his white teeth gleaming against his dark skin. The time on deck, exposed to the sun must’ve deepened his tan. His blue eyes sparkled. He would make an exotic-looking king.

  I fought through the crowd.

  Evan dropped his pack, grabbed me, and pulled me in for a hug. Considering he hadn’t washed properly since boarding, he didn’t smell bad. Just a tad musky.

  When Kai raised an eyebrow, I released Evan and gave him an awkward pat on the back.

  “It’s so good to see you.” I didn’t realize just how much I missed my friend. We’d grown close over the past months.

  “It’s good to see you too.” Evan kissed my forehead.

  Kai draped an arm over my shoulder. “Ya, you too.”

  Evan shouldered his pack as Rowan neared. Were you supposed to hug a princess?

  “’Tis good to see you, friend.” She gave me a quick nod.

  Guess not. Was I supposed to bow? I nodded back. “You too.”

  We headed to the castle and fell in step together.

  “Sorry we didn’t return. Morrigan tore me from Turas.” I kicked a pebble on the road. “I can’t believe I lost it. There’s so much we could’ve done.”

  “Morrigan?” Evan stopped short and pushed my shoulder, forcing me to face him. He stared as if wondering how I was still alive. “We assumed you disconnected with Turas, but Morrigan? I didn’t expect you to cross paths with her yet.”

  “She didn’t try to kill me.” Answering his unspoken question, I waved him forward, and we resumed our walk. “We’ll fill you in later. Tell me about you?” I raised a hand to block the sun. “Did the selkie make you king?”

  Sunlight c
rowning him, Evan tipped his head back and forth. “Yes and no. I haven’t been sworn in yet. There’s a good number, particularly among the older officials, who don’t want an exiled half-breed to claim the throne. But that’s a battle for another day. I insisted on returning to aid in the war. They’re entrusting the day-to-day decision-making to the council until my return. The choice to wait placated most everyone.”

  “But he will be king.” Her posture regal, her chin tilted, Rowan spoke with confidence. “The people are in an uproar from lies and broken families. They’re ready for change and consider Evan the perfect candidate to honor their traditions and overturn corrupt laws.”

  I almost said, “You mean if he returns.”

  But I held my tongue and shuddered at the thought. But it was true. Some of us might not return.

  ****

  Before dinner, we gathered in the courtyard before moving into the dining hall to eat. The environment differed with the new arrivals in our midst. How long had it been since gachen and selkie coexisted? Had they ever? It warmed my heart to witness the walls keeping us apart, the ruse of the gachen/selkie attraction started and fueled by selkie elitists, tearing down. The truth was out.

  And the pech emerged from hiding. Hadn’t they retreated below ground when the gachen first arrived? How many years had they been avoiding the gachen and selkie? Hundreds? Thousands?

  This room. At this time. With these people. This was history in the making. Was I the only one who recognized it as such?

  I stood with my friends, listening to Evan share what happened after we left.

  “We knew something went wrong. Still, we gave it two days, readying the ships. When the ships were prepped and you still hadn’t returned, we set sail.”

  “Kai?” A petite girl with hair that shimmered in rippling black waves like the ocean after midnight and dark eyes that took up most of her diminutive face tapped Kai’s shoulder.

  Who was this? She looked like something from Toy Story. An animated doll.

  “Ji Ah?” He gawked.

  She smiled the most adorable smile and opened her eyes wide, full of adoration. Kai scooped her into his arms.

  The green-eyed jealousy monster I never knew existed within me surfaced, and I was overcome with the desire to “accidentally” make this adorable creature disappear. Seriously, who was this girl? She had better be his sister.

  Ji Ah disappeared in Kai’s strong arms as he lolled her from side-to-side. Just as I readied to peel them apart, he released her. Gripping her arms, he bent to look into her eyes. “How are you?”

  The girl, Ji Ah, opened her mouth to respond.

  Kai glanced around. Then his eyes darkened. “Why are you here? I thought only soldiers were arriving.”

  Her smile now crinkled up her bewitching face. “I’m here for my nursing skills.” Her mouth transformed into a pout as her dark eyes widened, resembling a baby seal. “Though I hope I’m not needed. I’m sure I will be. And I want to help.”

  “Of course, you do.” Kai caught her head and tugged her into his chest yet again.

  I clenched my fists. The monster within me seethed.

  Kai turned to me, grinned, and released her. “Ji Ah, there’s someone I want you to meet.” He motioned toward me.

  Ji Ah raised her eyes expectantly. I stood about a foot taller than this little thing.

  “This is my—Ah. This is Fallon.”

  “Hello.” I plastered a smile onto my face and attempted to unclench my jaw. This is my what? Was he going to say girlfriend? He should have. Perhaps my smile wouldn’t be so forced.

  Ji Ah flashed me another darling smile and bowed. “Pleased to meet you, Fallon.”

  Kai introduced Ji Ah to the rest of my friends and family. Stars filled their eyes as they gazed upon the bundle of cuteness.

  Maili glanced my way as if wondering what I thought of this, then addressed Ji Ah. “How do you know Kai?”

  Thank you, Maili! Good question.

  “Oh.” She patted his chest in a way-too-familiar way that made me want to bite her hand. “We attended primary school together. We were very close.” Her expressive face morphed from adoration and joy to concern and fear. “But when we went swimming one day before our bian, Kai changed into a dolphin. I hid him from our friends. That was so sad, wasn’t it?” She peered up at him, the pout returning. “He pretended his totem was delayed. But, once you turn seventeen, if you can’t prove you turn into a seal, the elders assume you’re hiding your true totem and banish you.” She rubbed Kai’s chest. “That was the last I’ve seen of him… until now.” She rested her head against his chest, then smiled up at him.

  If this girl wanted to help anyone on the battlefield, she’d better get her hands off Kai. She was about to become a casualty.

  The guys stared at her—spellbound. The little witch.

  Mercifully, the crowd moved into the dining hall. Kai grasped my hand and pulled me along. Ji Ah noticed our linked hands. I couldn’t read her face, but she stopped touching Kai. Good call.

  Kai sat beside me, as usual, with Ji Ah on his opposite side. She kept him engaged in conversation. I couldn’t hear her, and I couldn’t see past him. I slumped against my chair and held an impromptu pity party.

  What was my issue? Kai and I weren’t a thing. He’d never asked me out. Did they even do that around here? How did that work anyway? It’s not like we could go to dinner and a movie. And it didn’t matter. We were on the brink of war. Starting a relationship made no sense.

  Then why was it such a struggle to tame the beast within me?

  King Aleksander stood and waited for the chatter to simmer down. “It warms my heart to welcome the selkie and dark pech. We’ve been awaiting this moment with much eagerness. Bandia owes you a debt of gratitude. Thanks to your efforts, our kingdom has been restored. It’s an honor to stand before you today as king of a revived nation that will become better, stronger, with our religious and racial barriers torn down. I’m honored to have the pech, selkie, and gachen dining together in my home. This fills me with great hope for the future.” He aimed adoring eyes at Rowan sitting beside him. “And I’m grateful beyond measure to have my daughter here by my side.”

  Evan sat at the head table next to Rowan. How strange to see him sitting there. This must be Bandia’s public acknowledgment of Evan as royalty.

  King Aleksander faced heavenward. “God, thank You for going before us and preparing the way to restore our lands. Thank You for returning my daughter and the redeemed fasgadair. Thank You for tearing down walls, rooting out lies, and shedding light upon the truth to unite us. Knit our hearts together and be with us, I pray, as we prepare for the battles ahead.”

  He lifted his glass. Others followed suit.

  “Tomorrow we reclaim the stronghold, then the lands of those who are still displaced. Ariboslia will be restored!”

  Cheering and whistles echoed through the hall, chased by silence as everyone drank to his toast.

  Tomorrow we would follow King Aleksander’s plans to reclaim the stronghold. After that, I’d have to figure out how to handle the Ji Ah situation. If I could take out a fasgadair, I could eliminate this petite threat.

  Chapter Eighteen

  ◊◊◊

  I STOOD ON THE ship’s deck, watching the line of similarly dressed selkie embark on the plank like ants in formation, climbing along a limb, and waited for the crew to sail it out of the harbor toward the stronghold. A wave of doubt swept through me. What were we doing running to a fortress full of fasgadair? Even if Alastar was right and their numbers were sparse, there was no way to sneak onto the shore. How would the selkie survive this without redeemed blood?

  The setting sun cast an orange and red haze flaring up over the mountains. The remaining yellow orb peeked through wispy clouds. Water lapped the dock and boats bobbing in the harbor. Splashing drew my attention. Two men paddled a rowboat past us. Gulls squawked, waddling along a shallow area on the
harbor’s far side. The air was chilly, and the boat offered no reprieve from the wind. But I’d be in my bird form soon enough, and the cold wouldn’t bother me.

  I was as jittery as if I’d just pounded twenty double espressos. Where was this doubt, this uncertainty, coming from? I tended to run straight toward trouble.

  Time. And waiting. Too much time to overthink wasn’t good for me.

  Keep your focus on Me.

  I sucked my breath and rubbed my arms with shaky hands. Forgive me, God. Help me keep my eyes on You.

  The captain belted out orders as the crew scurried about preparing the ship for sail. Selkie wearing sleeveless tunics to their knees with no pants cluttered the deck. They donned swords on their backs in sheaths strapped around both shoulders. They looked like men in nightgowns ready for battle. But I was too nervous for them to laugh.

  Kai stuck out wearing his usual tunic and leather pants.

  He spotted me, and his eyes widened. I glanced at the rippling aqua material hugging my waist and tugged. It was too form fitting. He’d never seen me wearing a dress… other than his oversized tunic. His gaze heightened my discomfort.

  He waded through the crowd without taking his eyes off me. “You look amazing.”

  “Uh, thanks?” I returned the compliment with a crooked, uncertain smile.

  “You always wear those—what are they?—American clothes.” He touched my upper arm, sliding the material between his fingers. “Did a selkie make this?”

  “I assume so. A girl from Saltinat gave it to me.”

  I didn’t realize his eyes could grow wider, but they did. “Once this war is over, let’s go there.”

  He was making plans for the future with me? He wanted to stay with me? Even if he did, now wasn’t the time to discuss it, if ever. One thing was for sure—I was growing more and more uncomfortable in this dress. I crossed my arms, missing my jeans and T-shirt.