Schism: The Battle for Darracia (Book 1) (5 page)

“
Ah, but I am your mother’s favorite. She sent me with you for a reason.”

“
Why?” he demanded.

Two guards marched past them, and V
’sair pushed Tulani into a small corridor. She was openly defiant, and for some reason, V’sair didn’t want anyone else to see it. She nettled him; he turned to find her face inches from his own. Instinctively they held their breaths until the echoes of the booted feet receded. In close confines they stared at each other, her moist eyes watching him with amusement.

“
I know not the queen’s mind, do I, Prince?” she asked him. Though her voice was a subservient whisper, it bordered on sarcasm. The corridor was quiet; only water dripping from a high ceiling broke the silence. He had known this girl his whole life but never really had noticed her before. Her unwavering gaze irritated him, and he wondered whether she would act this way if the queen were present.

V
’sair turned to stare out the panoramic windows that ran along the red rock walls. Lights shimmered in the distance; ships zipped through the air; and the ever present Petrion guards, riding inky-colored stalliuses, pranced through the night sky.

Despair overwhelmed him
. “I am not even Darracian,” he muttered to himself. “Not Darracian, not Planta, not Quyroo. A freak,” he whispered under his breath.

Tulani moved closer, feeling his
despair, sorry she had appeared defiant. Sometimes she couldn’t help herself. “Your Highness?” She touched his shoulder, and a current sparked between them.

He spun suddenly, surprise on his face. Coloring, he turned back to the window
, ignoring her. His whole body was tense, and he felt threatened by the strange feeling coursing through his body when he looked at her. His lungs were robbed of breath, and he averted his eyes so she wouldn’t catch them roaming her lithe frame.

She stood silently beside him, drinking in his presence, hoping she
had calmed the raging tornado she sensed in him.

She had a light scent that teased the prince
’s nose. He let his breathing return to normal, and when he felt ready to speak, he asked her softly, “Why? Why did she take you here?” Tulani represented all that he was, an outsider, an outcast never to be accepted.

“
I’m sorry…What?”

“
Why did my mother take you from the Desa?”

“
Who knows? I only know she took me when I was young and has trained me to fulfill her every need. You may not want to hear this, but I do know what she is thinking all—well, most—of the time,” she finished with a gentle smile.

V’sair
looked at her for the first time really, trying to disengage this new, unwanted attraction. She was pretty; he noticed she wore her makeup similar to his mother. Her long lashes coated with dark resin fluttered seductively over her star shaped eyes. She had outlined her lids with the darkened umber of the forest and her pale lips were glazed with the same orange gloss as his mother. She clearly was not Darracian but of the conquered Quyroos, the treetop people. She was tall but delicate, perfectly formed, with the delineated muscles of her species.

“
Do you miss your family?” he asked her.

The girl shrugged.
“I hardly know them. The queen sends me home every quarter moon to reacquaint myself, but they are angry.”

“
Why?”

“
I cannot be mated with one of my tribe. I have lost my chance. There was a dispute many years ago. My grandmother took control of the family, and it has brought more shame to my father. My parents have lost their fortune. They are aging and have no one to defend them. They have become Bottom Dwellers.”

V
’sair nodded, understanding this was not a good thing. Bottom Dwellers roamed the planet’s surface, banished from the treetops, where most of the food could be found. Instead they foraged on the forest floor, eating what refuse they could find. They were the lowest life-forms on the planet. They didn’t fit in, and this was a feeling with which he was familiar. He looked at the girl and asked, “Does my mother know this?”

“
You mother knows everything. It’s whether she cares or not that matters.”

“
Then does she care?” he asked carefully.

“
She sends me home with supplies. She allows my family to make Glacien ointment.”

“
From the Deep Fells?”

The girl smiled, her small feral teeth bright in her face.
“If she chooses to believe that.”

“
Do…do you like it here?”

Tulani looked up at the soaring ceilings. Her words
were trapped in her throat, held captive until the right moment. How could she explain what she felt? He had her heart; must he rip apart her soul as well? “‘Like’ is subjective,” she told him simply. Living here was torture, knowing he would be taken from her when a political marriage would have to be made. Yet staying near and waiting for a chance like this was worth everything. If they had only a short time together, it must last a lifetime for her.

V’sair
smiled, his thin mouth revealing perfect white teeth. She amused him. “Subjective how?”

Tulani thought and finally answered
, choosing her words with extreme care. “Your mother shows a great preference for me. Sometimes it creates tension in our court.”

“
Yes?”

“
Well…” She bit her top lip, and V’sair thought her endearing, her arms folded defensively across her chest.
You are not so bold as you want others to believe
, he thought, a smile tugging at his lips.

“S
ometimes others make those from the Desa feel unwelcome. It can be…disheartening.”

“
Do you share this information with my lady mother?”

Tulani walked over to the window and
took in the boundless night sky. There were so many things she wanted to say to V’sair. She didn’t like the way the Darracians treated her. They could be mean and cruel. Sometimes being a favorite was not a good thing, but she would endure all that and more, just for a glimpse of his noble face. “She has enough to worry about, don’t you think?”

“
Do you like my mother?” he asked her.

“
She can be…”

“
Hard?” V’sair supplied, and felt his spirits lift when Tulani laughed. It came from deep in her belly—a rich, dark laugh as lush as the Desa itself—and he warmed to her.

“
When someone gives you high expectations, it causes you to strive to be the best you can be. You should know that, Your Highness. The entire court talks of your devotion to the Sradda.” He nodded, and she finished. “I love and admire your mother, more than my own. If not for her, I would be tethered to the ground and not flying among angels in the sky.”

“
Ha!” He laughed with pleasure. “Now I know you are roasting me. Darracians and angels, an unlikely match.”

Tulani
raised a delicate brow, her red face alight with laughter, her eyes drinking in his ethereal beauty. “I could name a few.”

They walked through the hallways of the castle, toward the stables, more as equals now. V
’sair had a newfound respect for the girl. She was not a bowing toady, looking to ingratiate herself with him to achieve her ends. He liked her, he realized with surprise. She listened to him, her face totally engaged when he spoke to her. She was authentic, and as they walked, a feeling of peace enveloped him. She didn’t seem to mind his lack of a tail or his colorless hair. Even from here they heard the hustle of the busy area. Soldiers were coming in, their clothes dusty from the red soil of the Desa. In groups they entered, talking and bowing slightly to the young prince.

Two Quy
roo stable masters jumped as he entered, rushing to ready his mount.

There was nothing
V’sair loved more on this planet than Hother. A giant among the other stalliuses, she stood meters over most of the others and snorted softly as she sensed his approach.

“
Hother awaits. Let’s be off.”

Hother was beautiful
, with her huge muscles under a white coat and giant white-feathered wings spanning six feet on either side of her heaving sides. “He matches you perfectly.” The stunning creature awed Tulani. She was blindingly white, the same color as V’sair’s bleached mane. The servant girl reached out to stroke the stallius’s side.

“
She
,” he corrected her.

He patted her neck affectionately
, and Tulani thought he was so very handsome when he wasn’t scowling. Holding her halter, he blew gently on his mount’s nose. The stallius snuffled then pushed her head against his gentle hands. V’sair reached into his pocket and pulled out a fruit that was grabbed by large teeth.

“
Forgive me, Highness. She is splendid, a rare beauty.”

As if to agree, Hother snorted, her fierce nostrils flaring, her
enormous hooves sparking against the cobbled floor of the stables. In one fluid motion, V’sair lifted himself easily onto his stallius’s back then held out a hand for the elfin servant girl. “Have you ever ridden a stallius?”

Tulani shook her head with a negative reply, speechless at the size of the white beast.

The two attendants wrapped thick lines around their forearms in order to keep the restless animal captive. The gates to the sky yawned before them.

V
’sair expertly handled his mount. Holding out his hand impatiently, he motioned for Tulani to take it, and she braced a small foot against the creature’s side. She never had been this close to one, and worry must have shown on her face, because she felt the prince take her gently, tugging her up, and reassuringly give her leg a pat as she landed behind him. A current passed between them everywhere their bodies touched.

“
Hold on,” he told her, his eyes crinkling with laughter.

Wrapping her arms around his lean waist, she inched closer, feeling his breath
ing hitch. She pushed up against him, knowing her breasts were pressed intimately against his back. All sound receded, and Tulani closed her eyes, lost in the sensation of the powerful beast beneath her and the vitality of the youthful prince before her.

“
Release!” the prince commanded, and urged his stallius through the towering gates that led toward the sky. Hother backed up, her muscles tensing beneath them, her vast wings gracefully gathering power as they pulsed with movement. The creature built speed, and Tulani jerked as Hother took off, leaping into the heavens, to hang suspended over the planet.

T
he stars littered the heavens like the sparkling bubbles that aerated the water. The four moons hung low on the horizon but lit the ground with their lambent glow. Red treetops beckoned, and Tulani gasped with delight as they floated above the land, which was now a speck in the night sky. It was as though they flew above a red-colored bowl. The sea roared to their left, and the cliffs of the Desa turned a deep burgundy in the darkness of the night. The moons illuminated the forest treetops, and she heard the rustle of the wind as it buffeted their bodies. A flock of gresh flew below them, and she giggled as they cawed.

“
Is it not beautiful?” She heard V’sair’s voice. Their faces were close—so close that she could touch his cheek with her own.

“
I’ve never seen the likes of it. Looking out from the portal does not do it justice.”

“
This is only the beginning.” V’sair laughed as they took off like a rocket to dance among the red cliffs of Darracia.

The air was cooler, and for a
moment, Tulani regretted not taking a wrap. She had gotten soft living in the clouds, but she knew she would adapt quickly to the climate change.

They hovered over the Desa
Forest, the dense foliage whispering in the darkness. In the distance the castle rode on its cloud home, as ships came and went from the two entrances. Here and there Tulani could make out Petrion guards riding black stalliuses on patrol, their expertise in the air as fun to watch as a magician’s show. V’sair responded as they waved to them, acknowledging their presence in the dark skies.

“
You ride very well, Highness.”

V
’sair shifted in his seat. The girl was pressed tightly against him, making him uncomfortably aware of every cell in his body. He cleared his throat, feeling her small hands caress his torso, which made him squirm.

“
I..I…have ridden my whole life.”

Tulani laid her cheek against his shoulder. He smelled like home, the rich scent of the forest
; the fresh, clean smell of the needles of the trees. She knew the laundress at the castle used a mixture her grandmother made.
This is fun
, she thought with a smile. V’sair was still as innocent as she, and perhaps that was a good thing. She moved her hands up the front of his tunic, stroking his chest, and when he gasped, the winged creature dipped dangerously. Tulani screamed as he gained control of the beast.