Wings of Boden (35 page)

Giggles lifted from the bushes ahead, and
again. My head swiveled around on a squinting search, until I
spotted a little girl in a dress. My eyes narrowed in suspicion
when I noticed her pointed ears and yellow eyes. Without my bow, I
had no choice but to follow.

She hid behind a tree, giggled. With a
playful squeal, she jumped out and skipped away, leaves and twigs
kicking up from her shoes, until she disappeared behind an alder
bush. The pattern continued as I followed along. My vision would
flash white, and fizzle back to normal, as if the ability were
dying.

Dread tugged at me. I readied my spear, moved
along in a cat-like crouch down the sun-dappled path. A tangle of
knots lay in my belly, churning up a coil of nausea. My mouth was
dry like the sand that scratched at my eyes. I licked my lips,
tasted tear salt.

The girl would dash across the path to a bush
or tree, tittering. I wished she would stop that; making it harder
to concentrate on terminating her existence. Ahead, an earthen cave
came into view through an alder thicket. The hive?

“Ellieee,” Mom’s anguish-filled voice called
out above the forest.

The girl disappeared into the cave. I walked
to the entrance. Vegetation overhung and wrapped around the mouth.
Standing there, I glanced up through the trees to see Mom, Dad,
Jaydenn and Luca flying above while they scanned the forest. They
couldn’t see me. Ginelle and Angie must be home with Steffunnie, I
assumed. Thoughts of Steff made me lift some sort of smile. But I
knew where I needed to be. The smile fell away. I said my goodbyes
to them, turned, gazed into a dark gateway of uncertainty … and
stepped into the earth.

****

Surrounded by dirt, cold, and a musty stench,
I moved along in a semi-crouch. My natural glow provided just
enough light as I held my spear in one hand, leaving my other hand
to clear my way. Roots filled the narrow, claustrophobic tunnel,
some draped like tangled hair, others embedded and jutting out to
snag any passerby. I imagined some spider waiting to feel the
vibrations in the web of roots, waiting to sink his fangs into an
unfortunate one and drink my blood like an angelic cocktail. I
shivered. Then shook it off when I caught a glimpse of the girl.
Her giggles tinkled in the distance. She shuffled across the cave
floor and disappeared like an apparition, testing my sanity over
the reality of her existence. Her giggle brought me back and pulled
me forward, deeper into the dark. I pushed a root out of my way,
continued.

The cave was widening, yet still felt like
some sort of black hole porthole, sucking the air from my lungs and
tightening my chest. I pushed away the panic by calling out, “I
know you’re back there.” A breath. “You might as well come out and
face it.” A step. “I’m going to end every one of you.” With a
memory of Vyn, I yelled, “Do you hear me? I’m going to kill all of
you!” I slapped a dangling root out of my way and took another
step.

Distant frantic noises scuffled, sending a
twinge of fright up my spine, until I realized they weren’t running
toward me, but away. I stalked along with a ready spear.

Shallow panting breaths as the memories of
the drek “family” around the campfire skittered across my mind, how
they had tried to fool me. No, not this time. Footprints led away,
many—the floor covered with them. With each step I took, dirt grew
colder, along with my thoughts.

A room opening ahead and to the right caught
my attention. The sight halted me to stand with my choices … I
decided to edge along the cave wall on a slow approach. Footprints
trailed and disappeared into the room. Pulse thumped in my neck. I
expelled a breath, drew in more.

Leaning my back against the main cave wall
next to the entrance, I prepared myself to look in. I rubbed my
eyes and face, felt the grit. Licked my dry lips, tasted salty
dirt. Roots pressed into my wings, I could feel bugs climbing on,
but it didn’t faze me. What was I doing? I should just leave and go
get everyone else. The thought of Vyn reminded of purpose. After a
decisive back-of-the-head tap to the wall, I snapped a glance into
and out of the room. One glance was all I needed. My back to the
main cave wall again, waves of panic pumped through my veins. The
sight had turned my legs to liquid, squeezed my lungs and clenched
my heart. Run.
No
.

Did I really just see that? I have to get out
of here.
No. Pull yourself together
.

Seconds beat into torturous minutes.
Okay,
this is it
.

I pulled off the wall, turned, sidestepped to
the front of the entrance, stood … and peered in.

His red, vulture eyes blinked at me.

Every snap of Dakarai’s eyelids sent a valve
in my heart to jump. My terrified gaze slid to the right of him, to
the floor, and tears stung my eyes. Blood spattered the cave floor,
angel blood. A blood-soaked lab coat lay on the dirt. Vyn’s coat. A
scattering of angel bones lay around. Vyn’s bones.

Stark horror paralyzed, pushed through me,
sent my face into uncontrollable quivers and wracked my body with
violent trembling.

Dakarai simply watched me, clicked his black
vulture beak, taunted. Then let out the sound of my nightmares—a
throaty sound pushing from his long windpipe,
URRRRRR.

NO.

The flame inside me sparked, grew, and forged
a new wrath.

His red eyes blinked again. Time’s up … for
one of us.

Dakarai
clacked
his beak, chattered.
Was he laughing at me? A jaw clench as I lifted the spear, glanced
down at the lab coat and back, fueling my fire. Fear festered
inside, but I forced it away with a spear thrust. Dakarai snapped
at it, chattered again. He threw his head back and screeched aloud.
The sound was like tearing metal as it ricocheted off the stone
walls of the cave room. I held a wince of pain, the grating volume
threatening to rip my eardrums.

Another spear thrust pushed the pain
aside.

He stopped, snapped at it, another vulture
squawk. With every jab, I inched closer, his beak barely missing
the spear. Now mere feet away, I stood with the realization that I
had crossed a line. I jabbed, knowing his pattern, and that he
would soon throw his head back for another screech.

Thrust, jab, snap … Thrust, jab, snap.

He halted, blinked, shifted his weight from
foot to foot, and seemed to study me as he cocked his head. Then
reared back, stood tall and stretched his wings, stomped his talons
to the dirt. My heart thumped. Eyes burned with sweat. Breaths
panted.

The moment came.

Time it right, Elle. You only get one
chance.

His head threw back.

I lunged forward.

He swiveled back to catch me, and
Yawped
.

The spear tip disappeared through his neck
feathers just above the breastbone.

After shuffling out of the room, I spun to
watch with a quaking hand over my mouth.

Dakarai wobbled, looked around. He seemed
confused as to what hung from his black-feathered body.

Blood appeared on the spear, syrupy ribbons
oozing and stretching to the dirt.

He blinked at me, and again … strangled
sounds of a blocked windpipe.

As I held my wide-eyed gaze on him, a strange
sorrow knotted inside me. Never did I expect to witness life drain
like minutes.…

Fighting to breathe, he stumbled, rocked back
and forth, blinked at me … Then flopped to the dirt and lay on his
side, chirping.

Staring at him through watery eyes, I fell to
my knees.

“What. No!” a panicked voice bellowed on the
other side of Dakarai. I couldn’t see from who the sound came, but
the voice flipped my heart. “Ellie, is that you?”

A dream, maybe? No. It was Vyn, holding a
flaming torch. He stood to the right of the fallen Dakarai in a
T-shirt and slacks. The torchlight bathed his face with an ethereal
golden glow as he added, “You don’t understand.” He went knees down
to the dirt before Dakarai and began checking on the wound.

A palm cupped over my mouth, I sat back on my
heels in stunned silence, trembling. A minute later, I laid my
hands on my thighs and my voice quavered, “Vyn, Is that really you?
Please tell me you’re not a drek. I can’t kill you again. I just
can’t.”

“No, Ellie.” He tossed a glance my way, and
turned back to observe Dakarai’s wound. “I’m not a drek”—he spread
his white wings a bit—“See.”

“But, I-I don’t understand. I killed Dakarai.
I told you I would. Why are you trying to save him?” A spark lit,
with a memory of how the drek had tried to take advantage of me,
tried to rape me. “You, you
are
a drek! I know your tricks.
Even dreks have wings.”

He blew out a breath. “He’s—”

“What happened,” another voice came from
behind Dakarai.

Others gathered around, murmurs of objection
began to fill the room. Dreks? I wasn’t sure. They had hair,
clothes, and healthy-looking bodies. Though they also had pointed
ears. Some had dark eyes and some yellow.

The torch flames lapped the stone walls with
light and shadow.

A thin female with long, dark hair, wearing
dirty jeans and a stained T-shirt began to approach me. I jerked
and scrambled back on my rear, pushing my feet and frantic legs
through the dirt on retreat to the cave wall behind. Roots hung in
front of me like a cage as I peered through the natural bars. I
could feel sweat on my heated forehead, collecting in my eyebrows,
trailing down and around my burning eyes. Bugs were crawling onto
my wings. Fear kept me company, memories of Angie and me against
the cave wall.

“Elleria?” it asked in a tender voice.

“Leave me alone,” I hissed.

A drop of sweat stung my eye. I blinked, and
blinked.

“There’s something you need to know, dear.
Dakarai is on our side.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I killed him!”

“No, no. Our side. Yours and mine. I’m not a
drek, dear. I’m human.” She smirked. “Well, half human. Dakarai has
been taking us away, bringing us up here after the dreks infected
us. He’s been protecting us, taking care of us, bringing us food,
escorting us to the cave spring for water. And there’s something
else.” She moved closer, sending a nervous twinge through me. “He’s
been watching you all your life, checking on you. He loves you,
Elleria. He always has. He’s tried to tell you, but the language is
a problem. He even sent a little white bird to you for your first
drek kill.” A half grin tugged at her mouth. “That was my idea, by
the way.”

What!
I wanted to scream, but tossed a
forceful reply instead, “Yeah, that’s why he tried to kill me when
I was little.”

“Yes, he told us. He’s been working for
forgiveness ever since. We know you stabbed his eye, and you tried
to shoot him by the cave. He was only watching out for you.”

With a side lean, I angled a look around her,
watched “Vyn” while he worked on Dakarai. Then swung a glare back
to her and snapped, “You’re
lying
. It’s another drek trick.
Dad warned us about you. Get away from me.”

“Mmm.” She paused to consider. “If I’m lying,
why is Vyn still alive?”

“If that’s really Vyn! And, oh, why would he
take him in the first place? Huh? Why would he do that?”

“Yes, I know. It must’ve been hard for you.
But it was the only way. You see, Dakarai knew about Vyn’s serum.
He had to wait though, until it was ready. He brought Vyn up here
to save us, to heal us. I was the first one he tried it on, and I’m
feeling much better now. I’m sorry he had to take Vyn the way he
did. Any other way and an angel would’ve killed him. And we
couldn’t go out there. The dreks would’ve turned us into one of
them.”

The words swirled in my mind as I tried to
grasp some sort of sense out of this.

What was she telling me? No, that couldn’t
be.

She backed up, seeming to give me some room
as she said, “Come, I’ll show you.”

“No. I’m staying right here. You’re lying to
me. He almost raped me. I’m not falling for it again. And the first
sign I see, you’re dead. Do you hear me?” With a flaming glare at
her, I yanked my sword out of the sheath between my shoulders,
clamped white knuckles around the grip and held it firm in front of
me.

She pinched her face up, saddened her eyes.
“Rape? Oh, sweetie. I understand. You have no reason to trust me.
I’m so sorry. Just stay here and watch.” She walked off, joined Vyn
and the group of other, whatever they were.

Studying the movements of what was supposed
to be Vyn, I searched for any sign. He eased the spear from
Dakarai’s body. “She didn’t hit a major artery,” he said, pressing
on the wound. “I think I can stop it, but he’s lost so much blood.
I’m not trained in the medical field, but I did watch Celeste and
Angie work on Luca, so, I’ll just have to do the best I can.”

Did he just say—? He did. Angie and Mom … My
sword hit the floor and I bolted through the roots and into the
room, stood above Vyn.

“Vyn, Is it true? Did he, has he—?”

Vyn looked up. “Yes. It’ true. They can
understand him so they translated, must be the drek blood. Remember
the cave with all the light, well, that’s the secret ingredient and
he’s always been close by. He comes here during the day. Remember
the yellow eyes?”

“That would be me,” a longhaired brunette
woman in a stained sundress and bare feet spoke up from the other
side of the cave. She held a hand in the air, grinning as she
blinked her yellow eyes. “I was watching. I’m sorry if I scared
you, dear.”

“But”—my confused gaze dropped to Vyn—“that
was in the Crag cave?”

“It’s right back there.” He did a head
gesture to the other side of the cave even as he continued to press
on the wound, and then angled his eyes up to me. “I’ve been
gathering up those cocoons, and I knew you’d be looking for me so I
waited up there. You came in the lower entrance. I should’ve
checked. I never thought you’d go that way. They thought you were a
drek, Ellie, so they ran away from you and hid back here. I don’t
know why Dakarai didn’t tell them you weren’t. Matter of fact, I
think he told them you
were
a drek.” He dropped a somewhat
baffled look down on Dakarai.