The Sylph Hunter (14 page)

Airi returned to Devon’s side.
She loves him,
she said.
He must have been kind to her, even while he was a feeder.

He must have, Devon mused and wondered where the other four feeders that had been assigned to her were.

That reminded him of everything they had to do. Happy or not, these people were nothing but targets now and even if they weren’t, everyone outside these walls was living in poverty. Meridal hadn’t changed with the addition of a queen. It had only shifted who was poor and who wasn’t.

“Shasha,” he called and the earth sylph looked up at him, her ruby eyes shiny enough to be mirrors. Devon stared at his own reflection, dark and shadowy. “Talk to the air sylphs,” he told her. “We need to get to the queen.”

Shasha hesitated, looking at her silent master and then at the sky she wanted to cover with a dome, though with Gel so weak she didn’t have the strength. Finally she nodded and turned toward the maelstrom of nearly invisible dancers above the crowded human celebration. Devon looked up at them as well, hoping there would be someone willing to help them, and even more, that the queen would listen.

Airi pressed against her favorite spot on Devon’s back, right between his shoulder blades, where she could sense the impulses flickering through his spine and feel his heart beating. She could sense the blood and air flowing through him as well, all of it making up part of the pattern that was so uniquely him.

Looking at the hundreds of dancing air sylphs, she could see them where her master couldn’t. They were beautiful, all of them happy as they danced to the music that the humans produced, many of whom were masters and most of whom were just as happy as the sylphs. It didn’t matter to any of them that the composition wasn’t very good. Air sylphs loved music. It was as fundamental to them as their ability to control the element of air.

Shasha looked up toward them as well, speaking along the hive line, and Airi listened to her asking them to send someone who could bring them to the queen. If it had been Airi and her own hive, she would have wanted to scream out a warning about the Hunter instead. She was happy to see all the dancing and hear the music, but still she felt the uneasiness of the open air above them.

Airi had never suffered a Hunter attack on her home hive before she crossed the gate, but she’d heard about them. She’d heard that not even battle sylphs could stop them, no matter how much they complained that wasn’t true. Only earth sylphs could, with the hive walls they raised. Airi looked at Shasha, who was tired and sad, but still older and stronger than she. Back home, the slightest hint of a Hunter would have everyone in the hive, the earth sylphs sealing it so they could wait the Hunter out. Queens rarely sent battlers out to fight the Hunters, not if the hive wanted to survive beyond it.

Airi sighed, ruffling her master’s hair, though it was so heavy with sweat she couldn’t move it much. Shasha was exhausted, but she had to want to get to the queen herself to warn her, and get those walls started. This was an air sylph party, though, and Airi knew her own kind. She wanted to panic at the thought of the Hunter. This many air sylphs without any protection likely would. That wouldn’t help any of them, and because this was a place for air sylphs, there were no earth sylphs around. Once the earth sylphs did hear about the Hunter, those walls would be rising. Airi shot another nervous look at the sky. Shasha couldn’t shout a warning without a panic, or she would have done so already. Airi understood that intellectually, but she doubted she would have had the same courage as Shasha. If she’d been there when the Hunter came through the gate, she would have started screaming for help, instead of hiding the way Shasha had, and she would have died for it.

Shasha turned to look at her, and Airi started as she sent a silent whisper of explanation to her mind. It was more than the lack of earth sylphs that made Shasha wait. It was more than the panic of air sylphs and likely water and fire as well. The walls wouldn’t be made at all until Shasha saw the queen and she ordered it.

After all, the queen was the only one who could stop the battle sylphs from rising.

CHAPTER NINE

T
he flight to the palace was the strangest experience in Zalia’s life, next to the day all of the sylphs had risen and taken over the city. After they had their fill at the fountain, Shasha spoke with something in the air that Zalia couldn’t really see, and then she and the others were lifted off the ground. Devon cursed while her father started praying, and Gel just shuddered, hanging on to Shasha for dear life. The feeling of suddenly being in the air startled Zalia, but catching sight of the consternation on Devon’s face started her giggling uncontrollably.

“Oh, thanks,” he groused, though he did have a faintly ill-looking smile on his face as he rotated in midair. “At least you’re not afraid of heights.”

Zalia peered down at the ground below, already shrinking rapidly away. She could see people staring up at them and pointing, though the music continued. It was fascinating. “I guess not.”

“You’re lucky.” He gagged slightly and closed his eyes.

He was so sweet, so different from One-Eleven. Zalia reached out to pat Devon’s hand and turned to her father, who looked extremely ill. “It’ll be fine, Father,” she promised him.

“Just get me down,” he moaned. Gel wasn’t looking around at all and Shasha stroked his hair, her face expressionless as always.

A little to Zalia’s regret, the journey was quick, the palace growing in appearance with tremendous speed as they flew toward it. It was a building from the city itself, she saw. The entire underside of it was sand and rubble, a bulbous blob of it showing how the building had been scooped right out of the ground before being lifted into the air. Zalia couldn’t see the air sylphs who had to be holding it aloft, but she could see the holes of caves where they must have been and did see balls of flame indicating fire sylphs darting around and inside the building.

The palace was all archways and great windows designed to let in the breezes, the stone of the walls a pale gold that shimmered in the sunlight. Balconies and patios were everywhere around the exterior and there was a lot of vegetation as well, plants carefully tended by water sylphs and thriving despite the heat.

Their bearer brought them to a wide courtyard that started at the front doors of the palace but ended abruptly behind them at nothing. The invisible sylph set them down and Zalia stepped well away from the edge. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but without someone actively holding her the way the air sylph had, she didn’t trust the winds there. The men moved even faster, except for Gel. He still trudged slowly, but at least he was walking under his own power, his eyes dull and tired, but aware. Zalia wasn’t sure why Shasha brought him, though she supposed the sylph didn’t want him out of her sight. Gel looked like he needed a full meal and a good long sleep. That reminded her with a blush of the money she’d given to her father, and the fact that tonight, they’d all be able to have a full meal and sleep in a place that was a real home.

Because of One-Eleven. Zalia closed her eyes, not wanting to think about his kindness and what else he’d done to her, along with saving her job and giving her more freedom than she’d imagined in her life. She didn’t want to think about what she felt for him, or what she felt for Devon, or what it said about her that after a lifetime of nothing but work and sleep, she suddenly felt desire for two men. Not that One-Eleven was a man…not that it was supposed to matter.

Zalia shook her head and followed the men toward the palace. Ultimately, any thoughts about her own love life were going to have to wait until more important things were dealt with. With that in mind, she followed the others inside.

Devon looked around with a bit of trepidation as they went inside the palace. It was obviously just plucked out of the ground and converted for this purpose, and he peered uncertainly at the cracks along the base of the walls. He really didn’t want the foundation to fall off while they were there.

It was still a beautiful building, the walls made from marble with silks hanging everywhere. The windows were high and arched, letting in breezes that were cooler than what he’d felt in the courtyard, and Devon wondered what fire sylph got the lucky job of keeping the place cool for the queen. From what he knew about fire sylphs, it was easier to pump heat into the air, and they had to be at least a certain age to be able to draw it out. Back in Sylph Valley, they took turns heating a central furnace in winter so the air sylphs could pipe that heat through all the buildings in the town. In summer, it was easier to just open a window. Sylph Valley didn’t even hope to get as hot as Meridal, though.

Along with the marble walls and silks, delicate wood furniture that must have been imported a phenomenally long way stood against the walls of the wide corridor, inlaid with shiny pieces of stone or shell that gleamed in the sunlight. Weapons hung on the walls as well, crossed swords and lances placed next to paintings that were different from any Devon had ever seen before, not that he considered himself an artist. It was the masters of fire sylphs who tended to have the artistic talents. Earth sylphs preferred masters who could make things. He looked at Gel, wondering what sort of talent for invention he had. The man walked with them, holding one of Shasha’s hands in his own and staring at the floor. He seemed to be coming out of the shock he’d been in, but he was far from recovered yet and Devon wasn’t sure he ever would be. They needed to get him food and a place to rest soon, provided they could find one. Devon huffed out a breath at the thought. It was just another burden. Ultimately, he didn’t have the time to worry about one ex-feeder. He had to make sure that
everyone
was safe and that all the mistakes this miserable city was making were corrected. Just do what Leon would do, he told himself, steeling his shoulders firmly and tightening his grip around Zalia’s hand just a bit as he did. His heart hammered. Do what Leon would do. He didn’t know what Leon would do.

They walked around a corner, leaving the corridor they’d been following and entering a new one. It was just as wide as the first but short, ending at a set of double doors so heavily carved they were nearly hypnotic. Not that Devon saw them. A man beautiful beyond human limitations stood before the door, dressed in plain pants and a white shirt that should have been too hot for him. He was completely unarmed as he turned toward them.

Hatred washed over them, making Devon freeze in his steps with terror, all his thoughts gone. Xehm gasped aloud, the color washing out of the old man’s face while Gel jerked upright, his eyes wild. Shasha spun and grabbed hold of him, holding him up as his knees weakened, and probably keeping him from bolting as well. Airi whimpered in Devon’s ears, but Shasha only looked concerned. Of course, the earth sylph was from the same hive as the battle sylph guarding the door. He wouldn’t bother to flash her with his hatred.

Zalia looked in confusion at Devon’s face. She wasn’t terrified either. Of course, Devon thought with an anger that didn’t get through his fear. She was a woman. No battle sylph would casually make a woman feel as if she were about to lose control of her bowels and run screaming, just for daring to come close. Men, however, were an easy target and one no bully would pass up. After all, they weren’t a threat to the battler and he was empathic. He could already tell they meant no harm to the queen he was guarding.

Devon forced himself to step forward. He wasn’t sure how he did it, except it must have had something to do with not wanting to fail at this, not wanting to have to go home and face Leon’s disappointment or Heyou’s anger. Maybe it had to do with his own sense of responsibility toward these people, little as he knew them. After all, there was a very good chance that if someone didn’t act quickly, they would all soon be dead. Mostly, he suspected it had to do with the small, dark hand he held in his own and the woman who stepped forward beside him. He did it for her. It was still unbelievably hard. The battle sylph was glaring now and the hate was growing stronger. These creatures didn’t have Solie’s order not to kill whoever annoyed them. They didn’t have her order not to use their hate aura. He could destroy them in an instant if he chose, though he probably wouldn’t for fear of upsetting Zalia. Maybe.

Somehow, Devon found the strength somewhere deep inside of himself to take another step.

“My name is Devon Chole,” he managed to say after clearing his throat several times. Airi was still whimpering against the back of his neck, as frightened as he was. “I am the ambassador for Queen Solie from Sylph Valley. I’m here to see Queen Eapha.”

The battler stared at him, his eyes narrowed and angry. With a step taken toward them, he leaned forward and sniffed imperiously, studying Devon.

“Why would she want to see a coward like you?”

Devon felt his stomach drop out from under him as he heard Zalia gasp. He shouldn’t have come, he should never have come; Leon made a mistake sending him. The man should have stayed here himself. They had respect for Leon. He’d freed Eapha from slavery and told her and her battler how to make her a queen.

“Leon Petrule sent me,” he gulped, hoping this battler had heard the chancellor’s name before.

Apparently he had. The battler’s lip curled and he spun away, returning to the doors. As he did, the hate aura dropped and the men behind Devon gasped in relief. Humans weren’t designed to handle a battle sylph’s hate and Devon had never been able to understand how the men who were masters to bound battlers could stand it. In places like Eferem, battlers never dropped their hatred. At least this one had, though that didn’t allay Devon’s fear any and he wiped sweat off his brow that had nothing to do with the heat. Knowing that the battle sylph could feel his terror didn’t help either.

The battle sylph paused while facing the door, his head tilted a bit to one side, and then grabbed the handles and threw both doors open.

“The queen will see you, coward.”

Past the battler was a chamber that must have been some sort of sitting room. It was large, the ceiling at least two dozen feet high with chandeliers holding hundreds of slim candles that could be lowered for the candles to be lit. None were glowing at the moment, thanks to the sunlight that shone through the floor-length windows. There were eight windows, their glass forming the back wall of the sitting room, and overlooking what had once been a garden. Now the garden ended only a half-dozen feet beyond a series of rosebushes, dropping off into nothingness without warning. The floor was more of the polished marble, covered by intricate carpets that were worth thousands back home. More silk, artwork, and weapons hung on the walls, while the carpet was covered by beautiful, delicate furniture like that in the halls, all of it inlaid with the ornate, detailed shell and stonework he’d seen before.

The rest of the floor had pillows of every color scattered over it; lounging on these were women. Startled, Devon counted nearly a dozen, all young and beautiful, before one of them stood up and made her way toward them, nearly tripping over the multitude of pillows and her friends. They laughed at her, shouting out that she shouldn’t be so clumsy.

She was only a few years older than Zalia, with the same dark hair and brown skin. Where Zalia was growing more beautiful to Devon every day, this woman was almost heart-stoppingly so, and would be worth taking a second look. Devon very carefully didn’t take one. She had a battle sylph for a lover and they were nothing if not fiercely jealous.

“Queen Eapha?” he asked with a deep bow, well aware of the guard watching him. The women lounging on the pillows giggled, watching avidly.

The woman smiled. “Yes, I am. Did Leon send you?”

Devon straightened up. Her eyes were kind, if distracted. “Yes, ma’am. I’m here as the ambassador for my queen and to offer you all the assistance I can.” He hesitated, his mind flashing through the many things he had to talk to her about. The poverty, the economy, the Hunter as well. There was so much. This entire country was falling apart and Eapha stood before him, no interest lighting her eyes.

She actually shrugged at him. “I’m not sure what you can help with, to be honest. The sylphs have everything under control. I just try not to get in their way.”

Devon gaped at her. Was she insane or just stupid? Realization of what was happening flashed before his horror—and disgust—set off the battle sylph. Queen Eapha was lounging on pillows in a floating palace—whether it was her idea or not. Devon knew the battle sylphs back home would love to isolate and protect Solie this way, if only she would allow it. Here Eapha had and because of that isolation, she had no way of knowing how bad things in her kingdom were. She’d never see it and the only reports she must have been getting were all coming through sylph biases.