Windswept (The Airborne Saga) (14 page)

             
“I’ll drop by sometime,” Avery tried, but Perry changed the subject. In a hushed voice, she whispered near Avery’s ear.

             
“I looked into Patrick for you. He was jailed most recently for murder, but he’s not a regular criminal. He’s a mercenary—a hired assassin particularly. Not that there are too many details about the black market, dear, but he’s the best in the business.  I know he’s not dangerous looking, dear, but you’ve never seen him with a goal. Please stay away.”

             
What Perry thought Avery had to do with Patrick was unclear. But Avery did know one thing. Patrick was definitely working for someone in the Band. And after a little money was flashed in front of him, he was working for the death of Avery and Mason with only Adalyn to get in his way.

Eleven

              “Don’t you dare,” Avery commanded. It wasn’t difficult to be firm and threatening when fear dominated her mind. “Dropping me is not an option.”

             
In the formation they flew, she couldn’t see Mason’s face, but she still managed to sense his eye roll.

             
“I’m technically not dropping you. It’s not like you’re going to hit the ground,” Mason pointed out over the roaring wind.

             
“There’s still a bit of a fall. And this high, what if no one does catch me?” She spared a glance towards the ground. From here, all she could see was the deep blue of the ocean rush by so quickly the entire thing looked surreal. But Avery didn’t have to see it well to know that hitting the ocean this high would be like hitting concrete.

             
“We’re too close to the island now, meaning the press is going to be swarming and you’re going to see something a lot scarier than dropping a few feet.”

             
His logic didn’t seem entirely true. She couldn’t even see the island yet and it didn’t make up a dot in the horizon. Plus, after being dropped by harpies throughout the years, she had developed a sort of post-traumatic stress from the falling thing. She’d rather have faced the press. Mason abruptly decided to never even give her the choice. 

             
His arms loosened and a scream slipped from her lungs before she slipped from his grip. The wind smacked and whipped her body as gravity took control. Avery didn’t even have the chance to see the world spinning. Someone from behind snatched her and her entire world jolted. Swung back to a normal position, it took a moment for her world to reorient. A Guard member held her now. Unlike Mason though, he held her in his arms like a bag of meat and took off in the other direction, pulling them close to the waves. Sprays of salt water blasted them both but the dive was a startling quick maneuver and had them spinning over the tops of waves in seconds.

“Dang it, Mason!”
she yelled even though he couldn’t hear her. Mason, accompanied by the rest of the Guard, rapidly disappeared in another direction. Avery turned her attention to the Guard that held her instead. She recognized him now as the harpie who had pulled her from the ravine after Eva’s attack. Though he may have known her by now, he didn’t show any sign of friendly warmth on his sharply cut face.

“
Where are we going?” She asked.

“We’re taking a different path th
an them, a back way inside. Prince’s orders.”

She didn’t quiz him on how long that different path would take
, though she became sorely tempted to after the first few minutes. His hold on her stung and the earlier screaming had dried her raw throat. Hair knotting and tangling around her cold damp face, she couldn’t see well enough to prepare her body for another jolt. Almost as if he’d read her mind, he loosened his grip slightly.

Avery finally got a look at their rapidly approaching destination. She’d seen the island many times, but
at every angle they approached it made the entire place look different. Instead of the tropical beaches and white sand she’d expected, she saw only a rocky mass from which the most prominent waterfalls had formed. Leon seemed intent on landing the mini mountainside. His grip tightened again and his wings readjusted, sending them at breakneck speed towards the rocks. A moment before they collided, he pulled them upward with a shift of flight. The rocks had parted and they slid into an opening.

The Guard shifted again, this time dragging them to a smooth and sudden stop. His arms never left hers until his boots stopped sliding on the ground and the resulting dust storm dissipated. Avery blinked. Once. Twice. Remembering how to move, she scanned her surroundings. It appeared he’d taken them into a manmade cave. The walls were smooth and the ground
was sanded into fine dirt. A missile bunker harpie style? She never got the chance to ask. Mistaking her confusion and curiosity for fear, Leon spoke up.

“I’m sorry about the rough landing.” He seemed ashamed
, even though he’d pulled it off like a boss. Avery would gladly accept a landing like that any day after being dropped. She plastered a thankful smile and shook the surprised expression off her face.

“That’s cool. But where are we? I’ve never seen this entrance before.”

“You wouldn’t truly have. This is the back way inside,” Leon said.

“Wow. Well, just when I think I know the island…”
she said while taking a step. Dizziness seized her so she leaned on the chilly wall until her body recovered. Maybe she was getting too old for all the rough action. Leon held out a hand which she reluctantly accepted. Her first steps were wobbly, but she managed to regain her confidence. Leon led her along.

“Why is this
passage here?” she asked. The tunnels wound blindly, forking in some places and severely darkening in others. It appeared this tunnel was deeper and more pervasive than first appearances. Every time she faltered, he pointed and she continued.

“This access point won’t stay open for long. This is the second job of the Guard—we keep these tunnels protected. You’ll see why shortly.”

When she finally saw the hint of light ahead, she walked with more certainty and popped her head into the light. She didn’t recognize the location immediately. It let them out into a massive hallway somewhere in the middle of a building. She released him and took a few steps forward. Windows against far walls showed only clouds, revealing that they were up somewhere high. She knew there was only one building tall enough on the island to warrant this.

“The capitol building.” She realized. She didn’t recognize this hall though. Most of the building was decorated with marble and ivory
, but this hall had particular design differences. Against the wall closest to her were massive black doors. Made of something between metal and wood, it was beginning to look like a fortress.

“Not just the building. This is the Council’s Hall. It is the most important floor and is usually inaccessible.”

Avery whirled back to look at the wall from which they came. She didn’t see the entrance to the tunnel at all. From here, it just looked like a curtain of ivy and moss. She wouldn’t have believed it if she didn’t walk through the place herself. After double-taking, she decided magic must have been at work.

“That’s so cool! Is that an escape route?”

“Yes. It hasn’t been used for centuries. Our monarchy has been calm. But again and I mean no disrespect, these floors aren’t a place for a human.”

“Yea
h, yeah, I know. That’s why you people don’t believe in stairs.”

She earned a smile for once and returned an even bigger one. She was going to make this harp
ie like her whether he wanted to or not. He already didn’t seem as obnoxious or aggressive as the others. But then maybe he was just being polite.

Leon
moved along and she followed. Her head was spinning to take in details she likely wouldn’t see again. On the wall before her hung banners—purple, blue, gold. The whole place smelt like potpourri and incense.  The smell of rich harpies perhaps.

“What’s behind the big doors?”
she asked before they were out of sight.

“It’s the throne room. But since we have no real meaning for thrones, the council simply uses it as a meeting place. It’s more traditional than necessary, preserved with our culture from old times.”

She snuck towards it. Leon, an apparently nice tour guide, did nothing to stop her.

“There’s no one inside
,” she gathered. If they had been, she figured they wouldn’t even have let her up there. She reached out for the heavy cast iron door handle. When he didn’t stop her, she tugged until it finally opened with a guttural moan. No lights were on inside and no windows improved the visibility. Only light from the hall did anything to illuminate the room. Then Avery saw it. The throne.

Leon
hadn’t been kidding, and she could have kicked herself for brushing him off. The chair was massive—far too big for one person—but clearly meant for one important person. Gold and rich velvet made up the chair limbs and an intricately stitched rug ran the ground beneath it. The council seats made up a semi-circle around it, and those seats and tables were no less extravagant.

Shock may have been her initial reaction
, but Avery didn’t know how to feel. Mason was to sit there in the center. A tingling feeling swept her body. She’d always known he was the son of royalty but this…

“Are you okay, Ms. Zane?”
Leon tugged her sleeve. He might have been saying something earlier, but she never registered the words.

“Yeah.
” She took a step back. Without her hand on the door, it swung shut and the room sealed itself off. Avery took another step back. “I’m just…”

“I realize you wouldn’t recognize it.”
Leon mistook her bumbling. He was right though. She hadn’t seen any of this. In her experience, the council was a scattered bunch who met with Mason and occasionally with her in a completely arbitrary manner. She’d never seen the Guard before or heard any real official speeches. But then when she’d been here before, Prince Jericho had been killed and the Council had been disintegrating. The head of the council, Samuel, had died shortly thereafter.

“Come here. This
is something you’ve seen before,” he added.

She pivoted on
her heel and headed that way. He only made a small hand motion to stop her when she stood a few feet away. On this side of the hall were windows as well but also a glass door. Outside was a massive balcony. She couldn’t see very much from here but the location was enough that she did recognize it. This was the side of the capitol building that faced the island. This was the side of the building that everyone saw.

“This is where the Prince addresses his subject
s. Where he will be doing at his speech in a few days.”

“Don’t stare too hard.
Your mouth is already open.”

So dazed, it took her a minute to send Mason an appropriate scowl. She hadn’t heard him walk up behind her. The Guard
was behind him, but shifted to take unsaid but well-known posting around the hall. Leon also disappeared from their side.