Fae (7 page)

After a few minutes--and
long after the corridor refilled with dozens of soldiers whose
stares I felt on my back--I leaned my forehead against my door and
groaned.

The boy was nothing to me,
and certainly not worth my precious time. I was Auri. And he was
pitiful.

Cailen leaned against the
wall next to me, feigning nonchalance, but I knew better. I could
feel his rage just as clearly as I felt mine. "Are you ready to
leave yet?"

With my head still pressed
against the cool wall, I thought about that. A part of me was now
very ready to go, and yet I would never give that child dressed in
a soldier's uniform the satisfaction of driving me away.

Cailen leaned his head
down--his mouth hovering just above my ear--like he always did when
he had a secret to share. He'd been sharing a lot of secrets
lately. My ears perked, waiting. "We wouldn't have to go far." He
paused to look around the corridor before continuing. "My ship is
just above Soltak, by the moon."

I straightened, surprised.
I could actually feel my eyes widen. "How long has it been
here?"

"Since I came for
you."

Cailen's ship? Here? “Why
didn’t you tell me?”

“I knew how you felt about
transporting now, and there’s no other way to get on.”

That tampered my
excitement a little. But as I stared at the words on my door,
thinking about that worthless pile of Soltakian crap, rage burned
away all fear. That boy could think what he wanted. For now. But
when he saw me with thousands of Auri at my side, coming in to save
his planet, then he would know to fear me.

And when I thought about
the message on my wall written in Ladeshian--the message that felt
so much like a warning--probably from Ranen himself--the same Ranen
the guards would not let us see--I knew beyond any doubt that
something was wrong.

I looked at the soldiers
passing us and when I saw the loathing in their eyes and heard the
whispers that passed from one to the other, I felt I could sense
their hate as clearly as any emotion I could sense from
Cailen.

The Block had become a
dangerous place, and I no longer cared to be a part of
it.

A group of soldiers saw
the words on my door as they passed, and laughed.

"Yes," I said.

"Yes to what?"

I grabbed Cailen's wrist,
waved my hand in front of my door's screen, and pulled him into my
bedroom with me.

As soon as the door slid
closed, I turned around and said, "Yes to leaving. Yes to going to
your ship." I paused, willing the rage to leave my voice. "But
first, I need you to help me figure out a message."

***

We were Wrong. We did not
see.

And Cailen had been sure
the last word was Bava cut short.

Help.

I tried calling up the
message for the millionth time, but my wall screen came back with
the same thing; it had never existed. And since I didn't have super
hacking abilities like my talented artist friend, I had to settle
for hoping and praying the computer was just experiencing a
temporary glitch. Unfortunately, after pushing the same recall
function for the past few hours, I had to admit this glitch was
anything but temporary.

It was late--well past the
middle of the night--and Cailen was on his ship, getting it ready
for my arrival. He'd had to remind me that even though I didn't
think about my position much, everyone else still took it very
seriously. So I was alone, waiting with my bag stuffed full of my
Auri dresses and cloak sitting at my feet. It hadn't taken long to
pack. I only owned nine things and one of them--my locket--was
always on me.

The only thing for me to
do now was to try to forget the fact I’d be transporting, and all
the terror that went along with it.

I tried calling up the
message one more time before laying back against my pillow with my
feet up on the bed and my green dress still on. I had no idea how
long Cailen would be, but I decided I probably had time for a
little nap. But even though it was the middle of the night, I
didn't feel tired. The last word of the message kept haunting
me.

Help.

Help from what? And what
was going on in this place? Everyone seemed on edge--understandable
considering the circumstances--but this day alone saw a total shift
in attitude. Cailen and I always knew the Soltakians barely
tolerated our presence--due in large part to my actions a few weeks
ago--but today, they'd turned hostile. An open threat, whispers,
vandalism. And the guards outside the Royal Wing. They'd always
tolerated my presence more than most. In fact, I'd gotten the
impression they thought it amusing.

But today, they had not
been amused.

In fact, the only person
who'd treated me like anything but a plague and something to be
removed this whole day was the servant I'd literally run into in
the corridor. He’d been nothing but kind and gracious.

I ran my hands through my
hair and just then my eyes grew heavy. I dug my face deep into the
pillow. I had no idea how long Cailen would take, but I wished he
would hurry. I didn't want to be there anymore. I still wanted to
help, but it was time we stopped waiting around.

Chapter Two

Carving the Path

I woke up in the middle of
a corridor, screaming.

The sound of stomping
boots echoed off the walls as two soldiers rounded the corner in
front of me and pointed their humming weapons at my
head.

"How did you get here?"
one of them asked, his eyes wide and darting around. "This area is
restricted."

I closed my eyes and
rubbed my forehead. The last thing I remembered was lying on my
bed, waiting for Cailen to come back. I didn't even remember
falling asleep.

"Answer the question," the
same soldier said. "How. Did. You. Get. Here?"

"I don't know," I mumbled.
I peered over my shoulder and looked with faint surprise at my
white wings draping down my back. The idea that I'd just
transported and hadn't even been awake made me want to puke. If I
wasn't so tired, so dazed and drowning in grogginess, I probably
would have. Darkness licked at the edges of my vision with spidery
tendrils.

One of the soldiers
grabbed my wrists and yanked them behind my back. I stumbled
forward, unable to hold my balance. My eyelids drooped like weights
had been tied to them. I struggled to keep them open.

"She's on something," the
other soldier guessed. "We should take her to the
infirmary."

The darkness fell on me
then in a whoosh and I screamed. I clawed at the air, searching for
a wall. But every cell in my body froze in horror as the inky
darkness chilled with an icy touch, consuming me.

***

The darkness is
real.

There is no
wall.

The darkness is
real.

It is all around me. It is
a part of me.

It is me.

And then it is gone, but I
can tell I’m somewhere new because the light is different. It’s the
mellow yellow of a butterscotch morning. Not the corridor with its
harsh, white glow.

And, of course, the fact
I’m standing in the middle of an obsidian courtyard is a pretty big
giveaway, too. The air is warm and moist with the hint of a salty
tang. Definitely not that place I’m supposed to be.

Sol… S… Huh. I can’t
remember.

I guess it doesn’t really
matter. If I
am
supposed to be someplace else, I’m not there now.

I’m here, under a canopy
of silver-leafed trees that have grown up through the stone floor.
But I’m not really sure where “here” is and yet…I am.

It’s funny how it’s all
starting to come together.

Just beyond this
courtyard, there’s a garden with the most delicious-smelling fruit
trees. I’m supposed to be going there now. Someone is waiting for
me.

So why am I just standing
here? I’m very confused.

I tap my forehead like
Daddy taught me to get the memories unstuck. This time, though,
I’ve got to do a
lot
of tapping. The memories are there—I can feel them—but they
are very,
very
stuck.

And then like a cool breeze on a hot
day, they all pour out of their hiding spot and everything makes
sense.

I’m supposed to be meeting
Cailen. He’s waiting for me in the garden. And I’m standing in the
middle of the courtyard because I absolutely love to throw my head
back and stare at the twinkling leaves as they rustle in the salty,
sea wind. And so that’s exactly what I do.

As I stare at my dancing
little companions, I let out a long, deep sigh. The trees in the
morning are my favorite. By afternoon, all the leaves will be blood
red, but for the shortest time between sunrise and breakfast,
they’re pure silver.

Lots of people are scared
to come in the courtyard in the morning because they think the
leaves are too close to white. And white is the color of
death.

Not me, though. I’m not
scared.

And so, perhaps as an act
of defiance against all those silly people who would live in fear,
I pluck the nearest leaf off a slender branch and place it within
the folds of my binding.

Blech! My binding. Why did I have to
remind myself of that?

I squirm against the taut
fabric and pull at its cords to no avail. Nurse has bound me up
nice and tight, as usual. Why the grown-ups think any of us would
ever release our wings prematurely is beyond me. At seven years old
I think I’m quite capable of controlling myself and keeping my
wings in place
without
the binding to hold them in.

I yank at the cloth again,
but it doesn’t come loose. It never does.

So I shake my head to put
the desire away—just as Daddy taught me—and run off for the garden,
hoping Cailen hasn’t left yet.

When I turn the corner and
pass under the archway into the fruit garden, Cailen is standing
just where he said he’d be—by the old, crumbling fountain amidst
the ruins of the old palace statues and figures of monarchs long
dead.

His back is to me, so I
decide to be sneaky. He’s far too busy kicking at a chunk of loose
stone to hear my soft tip-toes. I have to cover my mouth to keep in
the giggles. When I’m just a few inches away, I zero in on my
target—one of the dangling cords at the back of his binding. A
sharp tug will tighten the cloth around his waist and feel like a
punch in the gut. A new round of giggles threatens to burst
out.

Before my delight can give
me away, I reach out my hand and hold in my breath. He doesn’t
suspect anything—far too busy with that stupid rock—as I wrap my
fingers around the golden cord and…yank!

I jump back, laughing,
just as he spins around, his face red and his breaths shallow.
There’s fury in his bright, jade eyes and I laugh harder. I know
someday my teasing won’t get to him like this. They’ll have trained
it all out of him. But for now, I take advantage of every
opportunity.

Cailen twists beneath his
binding until he can get comfortable enough to breathe again. I’m
pretty sure I hear him mumble “stupid girls” underneath his breath
before he lifts his head and smiles at me.

Cailen never stays mad at
me for long. He says true friends don’t hold grudges. He also says
true friends shouldn’t tease so much, but I just can’t help
myself.

“
Well, don’t just stand
there smiling at me,” I say as I scrunch my nose at him. “What news
do you have that’s so important I had to sneak out before
breakfast?”

His gaze falls to the
ground, back to the stone he’d been nudging. His mane of black,
wavy hair falls around his face, hiding him from me.

“
What’s wrong,
Cailen?”

“
I overheard my mother and
father last night. They were talking about me.”

“
And is this an odd
occurrence?” I jump onto the rim of the fountain and skip by
Cailen’s downcast head.

He lifts his face and
stares up at me. “Ella, this is serious. I’m trying to tell you
something important.”

I almost start to laugh
again when I notice his face is twisted in pain. Warmth pools
underneath my skin as I realize how bad a friend I’m being. So I
sit down and try my hardest to pay attention. “Please tell
me.”

“
I’m going to be bonded
soon.”

At that dreaded word, a
great, big weight sinks to the bottom of my stomach. Bonded. I
almost can’t make the words form, but I do it anyway. “To
who?”

“
Another Windbringer. Her
name’s Anna.”

“
Oh.”

He grasps my hand. “We’ll
still be friends, though, right?.”

Sure. Friends. Even now, I
know it’s impossible. Cailen will belong to someone else soon.
He’ll never be mine again.