Featherlight (29 page)

“I will certainly try.”

Janice opened the door to the middle part of the jet, and I became
extremely nervous. Would John like my dress? What about my hair? Ugh. I was
starting to sound like a girl, and it was beginning to worry me.

John was staring out the window, but after I entered he turned and
rose. His gaze traveled down the length of my body, slowly up, and then back
down again. I was looking hot enough to earn the twice-over.

Needless to say, I began blushing.

"You
should be blending in, but instead I'm afraid you'll attract the attention of
every man within a five mile radius."

I
blushed deeper. John had changed into what I assumed was lullary
formal
wear. He sported a long sleeved silk shirt, dark pants, and a loose white
jacket. Whatever he was wearing, he was
working
it.

“I
guess for being my client and all, you’ll have to do,” I said shrewdly, giving
him the once-over too.

He
smiled guiltily at me and I grinned back. If I couldn’t even stay mad at him
for ten minutes, I was doomed as a strong woman. This was going to take some
work.

John
admitted, "This disguise is actually extremely convincing. Yes, you’ll
make me look very fine by being on my arm tonight,” he teased with a wicked
gleam in his eye. “My only complaint is the strong perfume, but I suppose that's
a necessity. I would prefer your scent any day."

"I
think it smells good, just pretty overwhelming.” In fact, my head began feeling
lighter. Was that due to the perfume or John? Maybe a little of both.

"How
much farther?" I asked to distract myself.

"Take
a look," John said, gesturing to the small window.

I
eagerly pressed my nose against the glass. The jet had just broken through the
low clouds, and all I could see was darkness. There, many miles below, lights
of a small city gleamed and twinkled.

"Wow,"
I breathed, my breath fogging up the glass.

It
was an indescribable sight, and my body breathed a sigh of relief at the
nighttime feel. I hadn't seen darkness in what felt like ages. Night was not truly
missed until its absence.

Nerves
settled in my belly, and anxiety shot through my body. Was I really doing this?
How crazy was I?

John
must have heard my heartbeat rocket because he said, "I won't let anything
happen to you."

"I
know, John."

We
looked out the window together until the distant lights grew large enough to
practically reach out and touch.

"Ready?"
I wasn't sure if I had asked him or myself.

"Almost.
I have something for you."

I
was curious. A gift from John? I hadn't received many gifts in the past. Mostly
just one or two presents from my aunt and mom during Christmas. How did I react
to John’s gift? Should I throw my arms around his neck and freak out or just
nod and calmly thank him?

He
held out a single small bluebonnet, the Texas state flower.

“A
bluebonnet,” I said with wonder. “How did you know? How did you get one?”

 My
hand reached out to grab it, but I was afraid to ruin such a precious gift.
Every year my aunt would plant bluebonnets in the front yard, and I loved to
paint them. In fact, I’m sure one of my paintings still hung in the hallway. I
would probably never see my painting again or walk through that hall. Tears
blurred my vision.

 “I
can’t give away all of my secrets, now can I?” He smiled at me gently.

“Thank
you, John. It means so much, you have no idea.” I took the flower from his hand
and smelled it. The scent brought back memories from home. Fresh and sharp and
clean.

I
hugged him, being careful not to crush the bluebonnet.

“Thank
you for everything,” I whispered.

“No,
Jacque. Thank you for falling into my life.”

I
pulled back to look at him, and he tucked a piece of stray hair behind my ear.

“Where
should I keep this?” I asked. Should I press it into a book to keep forever or
put it in a vase?

John
took the flower from my hand and grabbed a pin from his pocket to pin the
bluebonnet to my dress. The blue complimented the tan color, and it was almost
as if the flower had been created to be pinned there.

“It’s
perfect.”

“How
fitting.” He smiled, and I thought I would melt into a pool at his feet.

Clasping
each other’s hands, we set down together and waited for the jet to land.

||||

I
stepped down from the jet and gaped at the strange city of Davor. Darkness
engulfed John and I, but we could still see. Lights on the ground twinkled,
creating an eerie contrast to the black sky. Even though the city was in unending
darkness, it was still full of life. Tall building rose sporadically. Their
shapes were not of the traditional rectangular style, instead being circular,
slanted, and triangular. What few plants grew in the darkness glowed bluish
green.

Our
path was lit with dull lanterns that wound towards a spire-like tower. The walk
was much short than I had originally assumed, and the music from the spire
hummed half a mile away.

From the moment I stepped into the building, everything turned into a blur.
Lights flashed in time with the music.
This wasn't a festival, it was a party. I had never been to a club before, but
I had always imagined them to be like this. It was dark except for the sporadic
display of lights. Good thing I didn’t have epilepsy.

I
stayed glued to John, and he wrapped an arm around my waist to keep me close.
Dark shapes were slightly visible in the room, but no face was distinguishable.

"Is
it always like this?" I yelled.

 "It
varied year to year. This theme is eccentric."

A
man materialized in front of us, and I felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. This
place was dangerous, and I didn't like not knowing what was around me.

This
situation gave me no control over my surroundings, and I hated it. The man
glanced at my brown wings before smiling politely at John. “Greetings, it is
nice to see you again, John.”

“Always
a pleasure, Zackier. Allow me to introduce Jamie. Jamie, Zackier has been the
kiren ambassador for three years.”

"Why
this common bitch, John? Especially with that folium still new.” I caught his
smirk out of the corner of my eye and shivered.

His
words ruffled my feathers, no pun intended, but I refused to react. Is that how
they all treated common women? It was then that I saw his black wings; they had
blended into the dark surroundings and had gone unnoticed by me. My heart gave
a surprised lurch, and his eyes shot to mine. I kept my gaze on his chin, just
in case. John tensed up beside me, and I held my breath, hoping he wouldn’t do
something rash.

“Jamie
intrigues me,” John replied stiffly.

Time
stretched from seconds into minutes, my heart beating wildly all the while.

"Very
interesting," Zackier finally said.

His
voice was silky, but I didn't trust him for a moment. I barely restrained
myself from exhaling in relief.

Zackier
continued, "Have you met my uncle? He is looking forward to meeting the
folium, like the rest of us. You'll have to tell us exactly how she was
found."

"Your
uncle is the Zitan? We haven't met yet, and I'm eager to finally see the man
behind this fascinating city. I'm afraid the folium did not arrive with our
group, but she will be here later."

“What
a pity. I suppose we can wait a little while longer." Zackier glanced
briefly at me before asking John, "Tell me, were you not the least bit
tempted?"

If
I were an escort, I would have felt insulted. As it was, I eagerly waited
for John's reply.

"Of
course. However, under the circumstances, we decided that the situation was too
delicate for any extreme actions. She does not quite understand the powers behind
our world, you understand."

"Ah,
but what a rare treasure. No worries. Come, I will introduce you to my
uncle." Zackier gazed at me with a slight furrow between his brows
before turning and leading us deeper into the flashing darkness.

My
eyes had finally adjusted, so I was able to relax. The annoying flashing lights
resembled lightning strikes, I noticed with amusement, and the ground shook
with each pump of the bass.

"Uncle,"
Zackier said to a tall man speaking with several others. "This is John Marshal
and his companion, Jamie. They arrived not too long ago. John, this is Zitan of
Davor."

"Zitan,
it is a pleasure to finally meet."

"The
pleasure is all mine, dear boy." He subtly emphasized the word boy just
enough to be slightly shy of insulting. On top of that, he completely ignored
me. Was that because I was common, or because I was simply John's escort and
didn't deserve his attention?

"And
where, I wonder, is the famous folium?"

"She
will be arriving soon," John replied smoothly.

"Wanted
to scout out the area beforehand, I suspect," Zackier joked with a
wink.

John
smiled politely and refused to comment. It was then that Zitan turned his
attention to me. I dropped my eyes to the floor since I didn't know what the
social norm was in this world. I really should have been briefed before we
landed.

Zitan
asked me, "Have you seen the folium, girl?"

How
should I answer that? Yes, no, maybe so?

"I,
um, y-yes." I stared at the dark mustache that fit his demeanor perfectly.
Don't freak out, Jacque. I can do this. His eyes narrowed. My pulse
jumped.

"No
doubt you were impressed," he goaded.

"Definitely,"
I said with slight sarcasm.

Zitan
glared. Uhoh, too much? I quickly added, "She was incredible."

My
tone and attitude seemed utterly serious, but he just kept staring at me.
Inevitably, I fidgeted and unconsciously stepped closer to John. He immediately
wrapped an arm around my waist.

Zitan
shifted his gaze to John. "Ah, I have been rude. Forgive me. John, these
are my friends and advisors. They have aided me for many years."

I
stood quietly in relief and looked around while everyone was introduced. The
large room had been slowly filling with various races. I caught the distant
shimmer of golden wings or a dark shift of black ones, but nothing was
concrete. The glass ceiling allowed viewing access to the twinkling stars and
gave a darkly abstract vibe to the party.

John
was soon deep in conversation with two of Zitan's advisors about a new energy
source, and I stopped listening when over half of the words were not in my
vocabulary.

"Hungry?"
Zackier must have noticed my boredom because he was suddenly by my side. He
snagged a white dessert from the nearby platter while my mouth watered.

"Very,
thank you," I said when he offered it, immediately popping the hors d’oeuvre into
my mouth. "Mmm... This is amazing." I managed to say over a mouthful
of sweetness.

It
took a large conscious effort to not look at his eyes, but somehow I managed. Zackier
smirked, and I realized that I might've made a stupid mistake. But I saw him
take it from the platter, so it must be safe.

"What
do you know about the um, folium?" I asked cautiously.

"Ah,
not as much as I'd like, I'm afraid. We are all eager to see her for ourselves."
He leaned close to whisper, "And there are many here that do not believe
that she exists."

"What
about you?" The lights were finally getting to me, making me lightheaded,
but I ignored them and concentrated on Zackier's reply.

"I
think that I will believe only when I see her. If it is true, then there are so
many more implications to consider. Her folium genes would be dominant, so the race
could essentially be repopulated."

"But
what if she doesn't want children?" I inquired seriously.

Zackier
laughed sharply as if I'd told a hilarious joke, and I scowled for a moment
before quickly joining in with a fake giggle. John glanced at us, removed from
his conversation by my voice. He excused himself from the group and returned to
my side immediately.

"That
was quite funny, Jamie," Zackier admitted.

"What
can I say? I'm just a funny person," I murmured with a polite smile. I had
to be more careful with my words. It was easy to forget that I was no longer in
a place where women and men were equal. Fixing that issue needed to be a
priority of mine.

"Is
everything alright?" John asked, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"Yeah!
Everything is fine." I smiled broadly at him. 

It
was such a relief to finally be able to trust someone with my gaze. It was
disorienting not being able to look everyone in the eye all the time. Besides,
being by his side relaxed my muscles and lifted my mood. The music continued
pounding as lights flashed sporadically. I reached a hand up to tuck hair
behind my ear, and my arm felt as light as a feather.