Wings of Tavea (11 page)

She felt a specific thread standing over to her right, one she recognized. She kept her eyes closed, waiting for it to move. It didn’t. She spoke without opening her eyes.

“Hello, Alcander.”

“Good with threads too. Impressive.”

Kiora opened her eyes to see Alcander leaning against a small tree. His weight was on one leg, the other stretched out, his arms folded casually in front of him.

“Were you coming to check on Emane?” She already knew the answer

“No.”

Kiora shoved the hair out of her face. “Why do you have such a problem with him?”

Alcander pushed himself off the tree, walking proudly towards her. He really was beautiful. It was hard not to notice, even with his attitude. But there was something else that Kiora couldn’t put her finger on. It was like a familiarity she couldn’t explain, like she had known him for years. He sat down next to her.

“Why don’t you?” Alcander asked

“What?”

“Why don’t you have a problem with him? If you are the Solus, then you have more power than you have shown. Doesn’t it bother you that the one who is supposed to protect you is powerless?”

“He is
not
powerless.” Kiora bristled.

“Nearly,” Alcander said with distaste, looking out at the village. “I can barely feel any magic from him at all, and even that magic is artificial.”

“It’s not only about magic,” Kiora said.

Alcander scoffed. “Magic drives everything.”

“Magic isn’t everything, at least not in my world. My people lived without knowing any kind of magic for the last thousand years. Sometimes magic is the exception.”

Alcander’s eyebrows pulled together.

“Regardless, he is important. He’s already saved my life.”

Alcander finally turned, his look cool and unnerving. “How many times? Once? And how many times have you saved his?”

She opened her mouth to object but nothing came out.

“That’s what I thought.” Alcander turned his face back to the activities of the village. “In answer to your question: I have a problem with him because if you are who you say you are, then he is inadequate.”

“He is not inadequate,” Kiora snapped. “And I don’t understand why you are acting like this. If we are who we say we are, then you knew the Protector would be a Wit—” she stopped herself out of respect for Emane, “would be without magic.”

“I have always had a problem with that particular part. I had hoped the crazy old man got the prophecy wrong.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” she said bitterly. “Is there anyone you don’t have a problem with, Alcander?”

His eyebrows pulled together momentarily before relaxing. “Why do you ask?”

“Since I have met you, you have hated Emane and disliked Drustan. You’re obviously not fond of Lomay either. And where I am concerned—” She bit her lip. “I don’t think you have figured that out yet.”

Alcander looked forward with a blank look, too blank. It made Kiora question what he was hiding.

“Perceptive too,” Alcander stated, mildly amused.

“Well?” Kiora said. “Is there anyone you actually like?”

He shrugged. “Lomay is eccentric. You met him.”

“I have never met anyone like him.” Kiora smiled despite herself.

“Nor will you.” Alcander stood and gave her a stiff bow. “My lady.” The bow looked more awkward than the first one had.

Kiora sighed. Clearly she wasn’t going to get an answer. “Please, no bowing.”

“It is a sign of respect.”

“No, it is a sign of submissiveness. I don’t need anyone to feel less than.” Kiora picked at the step she was sitting on, freeing a small sliver of wood before tossing it to the ground. “They do not need to bow to me.”

Alcander looked at her with a truly puzzled face. Then he abruptly turned and left.

“Goodbye,” Kiora muttered as he walked away.

CHAPTER SIX

Slaves

KIORA AND EMANE HAD dressed and were preparing to leave for dinner when Kiora felt Lomay’s thread at the front door. There was a knock and Emane opened it.

“Hello, Emane. I apologize, but I need the pair of you right now.” Lomay turned and hobbled as quickly as he could without looking back.

Kiora glanced at Emane before running out the door. Emane followed, close on her heels.

“Lomay!” Kiora called, catching up to him. “What is the matter?”

“Nothing is the matter with me, dear, but we have a problem with Drustan.”

“Drustan?” A lump immediately formed in Kiora’s throat. “What happened?”

“He wandered somewhere he shouldn’t have.” Lomay shook his head. “I should have spoken with you all about it earlier, but I thought it better if I waited until after you were settled. It seems you still make mistakes when you are as old as I am,” he said, as if genuinely surprised by that fact.

Kiora glanced over at Emane who shrugged his shoulders. They hurried across the canyon floor. For a minute Kiora thought Lomay was leading them back up to the rope bridge. But they veered left, heading towards an opening to what looked like a separate cave cut into the side. The entrance was perfectly ached, the rock smooth. They were nearly there when Kiora felt Drustan’s thread rapidly approaching them. A moment later he came flying out of the cave as a sparrow.

“Drustan, stop,” Lomay commanded.

Kiora could feel the threads of the other Shifters gathering around the door, but she could not see them through the shadows. Drustan the sparrow did not stop, but flew higher, heading towards the opening at the top of the canyon they had entered through. Lomay reached out his hand, magic rolling forward. It was not something Kiora had seen before. This magic undulated through the air, connecting with Drustan and sending him plummeting back to the earth.

Kiora ran over to him as he morphed back into a man.

Drustan’s eyes flashed murderously. “I thought Alcander was trying to goad me. But it’s true. They are slaves, all of them.”

Kiora’s gaze flitted to the cave opening. “The Shifters?”

Drustan’s voice rose, pointing over her shoulder to Lomay who stood silently next to Emane. “The Shifters warned me to leave. They said Lomay would give me only two options: slavery or death.”

Kiora turned around slowly, her eyes meeting the old man’s. “Lomay? Is it true? You have enslaved the Shifters?”

“Yes,” he answered calmly, as if he had done nothing wrong.

The noise Drustan made was more of a snarl than an objection.

“How could you do that?” Kiora asked in shock. “You took their freedom.” Her comment earned a faint murmur of approval from the shadows.

Lomay glanced in the direction of the Shifter’s cave, his head turning curiously to the side and his mind clearly wandering elsewhere before looking back at Kiora. “My dear, you judge things you do not understand. Desperate times.”

“Desperate times!” Drustan pushed up to his feet.

“Please,” Lomay said pleasantly. “Join us for dinner. Drustan, I assure you, you will be safe enough. After dinner I will explain everything.”

“I do not wish to share a meal with the slave master of my people,” Drustan growled at him.

“It is the safest place for you at the moment, I assure you. Visiting the Shifters’ camp was a foolish decision. I should have warned you, but—” His mood changed instantaneously from serious to jovial. “We have some spectacular food planned for you, spectacular indeed. It will be quite the event. Follow me.” He turned and hobbled away. Again, he did not wait to see if they would follow.

Drustan stood there without moving, every muscle tense.

Kiora turned, gently setting her hand on Drustan’s shoulder. “We need to stay close together until we figure out what is going on.” Drustan’s eyes flitted over to the shadowed Shifters and back to Kiora.

Emane stepped in front of him, forcing Drustan’s eyes away from the other Shifters. “We don’t have a choice right now, Drustan. You have to come. Kiora and I will do everything in our power to protect you.”

Drustan’s eyes softened slightly, the flames dying. “You would protect me, Prince?”

Emane gave a shallow nod. “I would.”

Drustan’s eyes flashed between Kiora and the prince, both now acting in the role of protector. “Then I place my safety in your hands,” he said weakly, looking more vulnerable than Kiora had ever seen him.

* * *

THEY WERE OBVIOUSLY LATE when they arrived for dinner. Everyone had already taken a seat. There were three empty chairs near the head of the table. Lomay sat at the exact head, with Alcander on his right. Next to Alcander sat one of the empty chairs. And directly across from him on Lomay’s left sat two. Alcander rose, pulling out the chair next to him with his eyes locked on Kiora. It was obvious whom he intended to have next to him. Emane chose the one closest to Lomay, and Drustan sat stiffly in the third chair, his fingers wrapping tightly around the arms. Kiora had never seen him like this. Drustan was always so strong, so secure. To see him unnerved sent her stomach rolling.

Lomay tapped his glass three times with his fork and the feast began. Shifters soon flooded the area, carrying large platters of food. They all chose different forms, but one thing was the same on all. All wore a silver band around their wrists. At first glance it looked like a thick silver bracelet. But as some of the Shifters placed platters close to her, Kiora could see and feel that the bands were made entirely of magic. They glowed with a metallic sheen and consisted of maybe twenty thin magical bands interweaving to make a thick bracelet.

Drustan could not peel his eyes off them. As one Shifter leaned past him to leave a platter of food, the bracelet brushed his shoulder. Drustan flinched. Kiora noticed that while Drustan was watching the bracelets, the Shifters were stealing glances at him—the one who was not enslaved, the one who sat for dinner instead of serving it.

Once the food had been delivered, the slaves disappeared as quickly as they had come. Drustan relaxed slightly and Kiora began to glance around the table. It was hard not to stare. The very small people with the large ears were seated in chairs taller than the others at the table. Those with black skin stood out even more when seated next to the Taveans, whose skin was the lightest. One breathtaking woman stood to adjust her chair, revealing that from the waist up she was a human-looking woman. From the waist down she had the body of a large, round bird with short, fat wings that sat atop two thick, brown legs. Her feathers were beautiful red, green, and gold.

Alcander’s voice brought her back to dinner. “You need to eat, you will offend them,” he murmured.

Kiora began dishing up some of the food that had been placed before her. Some she recognized, others she didn’t. She was used to unfamiliar food from the Hollow. Her first mouthful was piece of beef bursting with flavor.

“That is wonderful,” Kiora commented. “What is it?”

“Dragon,” Alcander answered.

Kiora forced herself to swallow despite the tightening in her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes as she fought back the urge to vomit, the dragon scale suddenly heavier under her shirt. “Dragon?” she choked out.

“A rare treat, usually not worth the risk,” Alcander said as he shoved another bite of dragon meat into his mouth.

Kiora continued with her meal, blinking back tears and desperately trying to shove down the memory of the one she had lost. She avoided the dragon meat and decided not to ask what the rest of it was. She would rather not know.

Alcander glanced at the untouched pile of dragon meat on her plate, setting his fork down neatly next to his empty plate. “I thought you said you liked it.”

“I . . . I just can’t,” Kiora stammered.

Alcander spoke under his breath. “You will offend them, Kiora, you need to eat.”

“I know a dragon—” Kiora stopped, correcting herself. “I knew a dragon. He was very close to me.” She shook her head. “I can’t eat one.”

“What do you mean, you
knew
a dragon?” Alcander asked with one eyebrow raised.

“I knew him. He fought with us.”

The eyebrow remained raised to the sky, “You will need to explain that later.” Alcander looked around to see if anyone was watching before he quickly switched his empty plate with hers. He began eating Kiora’s meat and she smiled to herself. He had done something nice for her. They were making strides.

With a now empty plate her eyes wandered. There were so many different shapes and sizes, not to mention threads. She had gotten used to the threads at home. It had become easy to block them out when she didn’t need them. But these new threads flooded her senses.

“Try not to stare,” Alcander reminded her again between bites.

“I’m sorry.” Kiora’s eyes snapped back to her plate. It felt like the only safe place to look. “It is all so new.”

Alcander looked around thoughtfully at the company. “What is so different?”

“Where I come from, none of these species exist with the exception of the Shifters. It is the most amazing thing I have ever seen.”

A smile pulled at the corner of Alcander’s mouth before he pushed it away. “You come from a place we have never seen, and claim to be something we thought didn’t exist, and you find
this
amazing.”

Kiora looked into his face. The hint of smile was gone but his eyes betrayed him, showing a laughter she had not seen yet. She smiled back and laughed.

As if she didn’t have enough threads to deal with already, the Shifters came back to deliver dessert. To complicate things further, a wave of jealousy slammed into her. She glanced across the table and caught Emane’s eye for the first time since the meal started. He was glaring at the two of them.

What?
Kiora thought to Emane

Emane’s eyes moved to Alcander, his eyes narrowing.
I don’t like the way he is smiling at you.

You are jealous?
Kiora thought back with exasperation.
He is just making conversation.

You have no idea, do you?

What are you talking about?
It was hard to keep from yelling it instead of thinking it. Kiora could feel both Alcander’s and Lomay’s eyes glued to her, and she nervously turned to meet their gazes.