Earth & Sky
and Sky
By
Kaye Draper
All Rights Reserved
To
the wild dreamer. What vast, untapped potential lies within your heart!
I
cast a casual glance over my shoulder and headed for freedom. My heart sped
up, and I set my drink on the buffet table in passing. I had almost reached my
destination, a large tapestry hanging on the near wall, when someone touched my
shoulder. A warm aura mingled with my own, strong, but not unpleasant. I
halted and tried not to look guilty as I turned to see who had ruined my
escape. I found myself looking at a broad chest, covered in a white shirt and
a grey silk vest. My gaze darted upward to meet the pale, crystal blue eyes of
my captor.
I had noticed the beautiful blond boy during the meeting- all
the girls had. Not only was he stunning, he was new. Every once in a while,
one of our clan would come from the outlying lands to visit the capital.
Attending meeting hall at the big house was a big deal, kind of a rite of
passage, but I wasn’t in the mood for tourists today. I raised an eyebrow at
him and let him see my impatience. If I didn’t get out of here soon, I would
be trapped for the rest of the meeting. The refreshment break at the middle
was my only opportunity to disappear.
Meeting hall- a social gathering and lecture that was part political
vetting and part religious rite- was technically mandatory for my sister and me,
thanks to our social standing. I glanced across the room to see Winona
surrounded by people, most of them male. Her height made her tower over most
of the other girls, and her bright, golden blond hair shone like a beacon. I
pressed my lips together. No one would even notice I was missing.
Winona had been stringing the newcomer along just like all
the rest, and I’m sure she was very proud of her conquest- only he wasn’t vying
for her attention now; he was over here talking to me. I suppressed the urge
to gloat. What did I care? Let her have him, I was getting out of here.
I started to walk away, hoping he would be too offended to
follow. No way was I going to end up trapped here for another hour, learning
about the glory of war. He stepped closer, placing a big, warm hand on my
elbow to get my attention. He gave me a charming smile that made my stomach do
a little flip-flop.
“Is there somewhere we can be alone?” His voice was rich,
husky, and deep. It danced over my skin. He looked to be only a couple of
years older than I was- maybe seventeen or so- but he sure didn’t sound like it.
I cocked my head and sent a glance over his tall frame.
Was it just my imagination, or did his face look whiter than it had during
meeting? My eyes slid toward the tapestry, then back to his face, a growing
suspicion sending adrenaline rushing through my veins and tingling in my
fingers. Turning, I caught his hand and tugged him after me. Pulling him
along, I stepped behind the Godsaweful tapestry with its gory battle scene and
into the doorway behind it. As I turned to take one last look at the room, my
gaze met Winona’s icy stare. She was furious. I grinned and fluttered my fingers
at her in a coy wave before the tapestry fluttered back into place, plunging us
into darkness.
My companion was silent, a big, dark presence that I could
feel in the shadows. I still held his hand, and I was startled when he laced
his fingers through mine. My eyes had rapidly adjusted to the dark, but I
didn’t look at his face. I had a sneaking suspicion that the eyes staring back
at me in the blackness wouldn’t be the same reflective color as the rest of my
clan. I couldn’t bring myself to see if they were crimson, like the stories
said. Turning, I drew him after me, rising up a short flight of stone stairs
that led to the roof. There was a dim rectangle of light ahead, and I relaxed
as we approached it. I would never admit it to anyone, but being in that dark
stairwell with someone I suspected was the enemy had been a bit unnerving.
I dropped his hand as we stepped out onto the flat roof of
the meeting hall. Making my way to the stone railing, I leaned over and peered
across the meadows and fields that surrounded the castle. A train puffed by in
the distance, sending white clouds of steam into the air. I suppose the clear
space around the big house was meant to discourage a sneak attack. But then,
that’s assuming our enemies would come on foot, which wasn’t likely. My father
was the ruler of the Earth clan- the Shifters. Our people had been at war with
the Sky clan- the terrifying winged monsters known as Fallen Angels- for
decades.
I turned to face the golden haired boy, my palms sweaty,
and my pulse a little faster than I would have liked. He was watching me warily,
as if he expected me to start screaming. I stepped into the shadow of a nearby
wall, where the glint of sun on my flaming hair wouldn’t make me visible to anyone
passing by in the courtyard below. He joined me, standing just a shade too
close, his broad shoulders blocking out the sun.
“Thank you,” he said softly, clearly wondering if I knew
what he was.
I shrugged. “I hate those meetings,” I tried really hard
not to show fear. I probably failed.
He laughed, gifting me with that compelling smile. “I
wasn’t really enjoying it, myself.”
One corner of my mouth lifted in a wry grin. No, I didn’t
suppose he would. The meetings were meant to rally us young people to the
cause, to fill our hearts with fighting spirit as they cataloged the ruthless
vileness of the Fallen. “Why are you here?”
He lifted his shoulders, rolling them back as if he were
uncomfortable. “I don’t know how to explain it,” he said slowly. “I was
curious, I suppose. It’s just that…well, I’ll be fighting soon and it occurred
to me that no one has ever told me…why.”
I nodded. I would reach fighting age in a few years myself.
I had wondered precisely the same thing. Though I suppose if something is
evil, you don’t really need a reason to fight it. The beautiful visage before
me didn’t look particularly evil, but then, part of their magic is in their
ethereal allure. They could lure humans to their death, and befuddle the mind
of a Shifter. I pulled my gaze away from his wide, full mouth. In the soft
morning light, his skin looked even whiter. He was slowly losing all of his
color. “You wanted me to take you somewhere private so you could escape,
right?”
He glanced off toward the deep forest that ringed our land.
“I only wanted to meet a Shifter. I wanted to know...” And he'd seen
first-hand our indoctrination and hatred.
A raven called out a loud
cras, cras
as it glided
overhead, and his pale eyes followed its path. My gaze followed his. “If you
fly, they’ll see you.”
He shifted uncomfortably, rolling his shoulders. His vest
was tight across his wide back. His wings were well hidden, but they must ache.
The person standing before me probably didn’t even exist. I wondered if his
real appearance, hidden by his magic, was anything like the terrible, depraved
creatures drawn in our books.
“I can’t fly, even if I wanted to,” he said, hesitantly. I
raised my eyebrows in surprise and he averted his eyes. “They aren’t fully
developed yet.”
I stifled a laugh. He would have to port then. The members
of the Sky clan were energy users, their magic more flexible and less solid
than the alchemy of my clan. He could dematerialize and transport himself back
to wherever he came from. He edged closer to me, and I steeled myself to keep
from flinching away.
“I overestimated my abilities,” he admitted. He took my
hand again, and I let him, even though I knew better. Part of me enjoyed the
danger. “I ported in just outside of town and walked the rest of the way to
avoid being noticed. I… don’t think I have enough energy left to port out.”
His other hand crept to my hip, gentle, questioning. “Will you help me?”
I looked up at him, adrenaline zinging through me. Well,
this was certainly more exciting than meeting hall. I wondered what they were
lecturing about right this moment. Maybe the dangers of being bitten by a
Fallen?
“Isn’t it… you know… life threatening?”
He laughed softly. “Maybe for me.” He urged me forward,
tugging me a bit closer. “I won’t hurt you.” His voice was like black silk.
I swallowed, still gazing into those strange eyes the color
of a clear sky. “Then we’d better hurry before someone comes looking for me.”
It wasn’t too likely, but every once in a while, the adults made the effort to
cow me into behaving.
He lifted his hands, slipping his long fingers under my
thick hair to unhook the clasp of my wide lace necklace. He slipped the
necklace into his pocket, the sun glinting on the small wolf charm before it
disappeared.
“You have beautiful hair,” he whispered, slipping his hands
through it before brushing it aside, exposing my neck. I rolled my eyes. Red
hair was a curse in my clan- a bad omen. But of course, he didn’t know that.
He bent his head and I tensed, expecting pain. His hand at
my waist trembled slightly, and I thought that perhaps he was as scared of feeding
from me as I was being the food. For all his size, he was probably only a
couple of years older than I was. The thought was oddly comforting. I forced
myself to relax as his lips brushed my throat. Then he bit me. It didn’t
hurt, exactly, but there was this… fizz… a buzz of energy connecting us. Fallen
get their energy from blood- or rather, the spirit energy that is contained in
blood. I leaned against him, enjoying the solid feel of him. Despite the
disgusting nature of what we were doing, his touch was gentle. Shifter boys,
no matter what the animal, were always rough, like they had something to prove.
He didn’t take much. When he lifted his head, I felt oddly
bereft. It was as if I had just been in the company of an old friend, and now
I was standing here by myself again. It was unexpectedly lonely.
“Thank you.” His voice had dropped a bit, deeper, richer.
As he spoke, wicked fangs flashed. He had been concealing them somehow before.
I nodded, not knowing what to say. His color certainly
looked better. He gazed down at me, and I became aware that he was still
holding me. I didn’t protest when his soft lips grazed mine in a chaste kiss.
He’d probably had lots of practice wooing people into letting him bite them.
Then he stepped back and cupped his hands, one over the
other as if he were holding a softball, right at heart level. The space
between his hands slowly filled with a flickering ball of blue fire. He held
his hands outward and the energy spread over his body. His clothing and hair
stirred in a breeze that I couldn’t feel. He gave me a sad smile. Then he disappeared.
A long, shiny black feather drifted across the rough
stone. I stooped and plucked it from the ground, hastily tucking it between my
corset and shirt when I heard masculine footsteps on the stairs. Launching
into action, I dashed to the far side of the roof, where a leering gargoyle
guarded a stone downspout. I leapt over the side of the wall, slid down the
rough spout, and landed on a shorter roof, ducking into a roll when I landed
too hard. The guards could follow, but they wouldn’t. I could keep them
chasing me around all day on the crazy rooflines of the building, and it just
wasn’t worth it to them.
My eyes followed the line of the train tracks stretching
across the meadow and I heaved a wistful sigh. I dropped down the side of the house
and through my bedroom window, my hand lifting to cover the tiny puncture
wounds on my neck as they gave a pulse of pain at the movement.
*****
My boot heels beat a rapid tattoo against the rough stone
floor as I hurried down the corridor toward the training room. I straightened
my leather bodice as I walked, pulling it snug under my breasts. It had to
rest tightly against my sides, or the straps that held my weapons would be too
loose. I tossed my thick red braid over my shoulder and glanced around to make
sure no one was watching, then made sure the scarf was tucked securely around
my throat. The high neck of my Victorian-style shirt should hide the bites, but
I wasn’t taking any chances. Any other wound would have healed overnight, but
wounds inflicted by our dark enemies were a bit nastier.