A Raven's Plight, page 2
The soft glow illuminated the massive cavernous spaces that existed between the trees where the underbrush couldn’t reach. It was like being inside a giant glowing greenhouse, where the enclosure itself was made of monstrously huge trees. It was completely overwhelming, and for the first time in her life, Aria truly felt how small, even insignificant, she was.
Aria jumped, spinning as she tried to find the source of the words, before realizing they had been soundless. Whoever had spoken, it had been directly within her mind. So the rumors are true.
She wondered if the rumors of swift execution were true as well. A soft thump sounded from behind her, and she jumped back, the hair on her neck rising even as her eyes dropped down to the diminutive figure. It couldn’t have been any more than two feet tall, its short blue fur catching the light, accentuating its two large black eyes perched above a long curled proboscis. Oddly, Aria hadn’t ever heard about them being pollinators.
The rest of the creature’s body was similar to her own in that it had two arms and two legs, though both hands and feet appeared to have opposable thumbs, and the Illudinari also possessed a long versatile tail. For climbing, she realized. She’d always assumed they lived beneath the trees, but they likely lived in the trees.
Several more of the Illudinari dropped to the ground, each approaching her with what appeared to be curiosity and hesitation. They were so much smaller than she’d thought and strangely endearing. These weren’t the monsters that her ancestors had painted them to be, but certainly, they must have been dangerous to have garnered such a reputation. “I don’t understand. How could you have been expecting me? I didn’t even know I was coming until today…” when Giska gave her the ultimatum. Abdicate, or I will take the throne by force, and you will live the rest of your life as a prisoner. Of course, by abdicating, Aria would also have been forced to serve under Giska, feeding her a constant stream of psarma, the power which kept her kingdom aloft. The power inherited by only the firstborn child of the royal family. It should have been Giska, Aria thought sadly, then none of this would ever have happened.
Faint wisps of dark memories brushed at her mind. She’s a bastard, the words echoed softly, but Aria quickly snuffed them out. It can’t be true. We’re twins, after all! But she knew that it was possible. Extremely rare, but possible.
It was irrelevant now anyway.
She was a prisoner either way, and even if Aria had courage enough to fight her, Giska had somehow developed the means to nullify her psarma. It appeared that Queen Aria was far from the most powerful of her family line.
She nodded, questions burgeoning up in her like a volcano moments before eruption. What exactly was the darkness? How had it consumed all her predecessors? What risk did it pose to those outside of the royal family? How could psarma be the cure, while logically it also appeared to be the source? After all, only those who possessed psarma eventually went mad from it, right? What did he mean by a greater power being born of her? Had she been wrong about Anash? A sudden flicker of hope ignited in her, but was quickly, though gently, mentally pushed aside.
When the Illudinari spoke next, his voice was filled with compassion, as if he knew just how hard his instructions would be, as if he understood the sacrifice he would be commanding her to make.
“What am I to do there?” she asked, kneeling beside him.
He studied her, and it appeared that compassion looked the same within Illudinari eyes as it did in the Umanei.
50 YEARS LATER
The crisp morning air was fresh. Cool water droplets clung desperately to the surfaces around them, the only evidence of rain during the night. Up above, the sky was clear and blue, the hue changing gradually as the sun climbed toward the horizon. Down below, Skycity62 was only just beginning to wake. Off in the distance, birdsong drifted in from the forest, broken occasionally by the harsh call of a raven. In the stillness of the predawn light, while the world was still mostly asleep, it was easy to be happy.
From the safety of her apartment balcony, Aria admired the city she’d chosen to call home. It was amazing what the humans had managed to achieve, given their meager power source, and they certainly didn’t lack creativity. Towers rose all around her toward the heavens, so tall that they required elevators to support them from space to keep them aloft. Entire communities flourished in the skies, safe, away from the dangers on the ground. Schools, libraries, grocery stores, hospitals, and an endless variety of businesses all had their place within the city. The design had been perfect. Too perfect.
For now, Aria had seen no evidence that Airhee was populated by any other of her kind, but signs of Umanie meddling were everywhere. Structure, government, education, indoctrination, the language, and even an unrelenting fear of the trees… Her father, the late king, had taken an interest in Airhee at some point, but she had no idea that he’d been preparing it for harvest. Hopefully, Giska didn’t know either.
Giska… It had become easier not to think of her as the years ticked by, and Aria was even willing to admit that she had grown complacent. There was much to see in this new world, and the people, the humans, fascinated her. They were very much like her own species, though they had such an amazing variety of hair, skin, and eye colors. Some were tall, others short, and they grew up so fast. Indeed, human lives felt like just a sigh before they ended, but they didn’t know any better. How much could she have accomplished if she believed she would only have 80 to 90 years of life? She’d already let 50 of them fly by, a mere heartbeat to add to her millennial birthday.
She pulled her finger along the balcony railing, catching water droplets as she went. Some of her explorations had been necessary to prepare for her future… well, her child’s future. Finding a place where a halfbreed with powerful psarma could be safe, creating a plan to help them as their powers developed, and confronting her own eventual demise. Umanei might have the gift of longevity, but childbirth was dangerous enough that few attempted it more than once. Without the proper technology, it was almost always fatal. Airhee had no means with which to duplicate the proper equipment.
Nobody knew exactly why bearing children was so dangerous for Umanie women, but Aria suspected the answers lay in her ancestors' past. Perhaps her own child’s future would be different. That is, when she eventually had a child. It’s time to stop running away, she thought wearily. Her eyes dropped down to the forest directly north of the city. It was dense, lush, and untouched. It reminded her of the Monolithian forest, though there were no Illudinari within those coniferous trees. Certainly, there were plenty of rumors, and even laws against trespassing, but nothing that could withstand Aria’s power. She’d explored liberally, pleased with what she’d found. Now it was time to enact the rest of the plan.
There was a man at the university she’d enrolled in who’d caught her eye. They’d worked together as partners on a project creating advanced printers that could revolutionize building designs, and he’d been clever and kind, with inquisitive green eyes, and a charming smile. Aria squeezed the railing with her hands, uncertainty churning through her like curdled milk. Anash was out there searching for her, and she wanted nothing more than for him to find her. But it wasn’t meant to be.
She pushed back from the balcony and returned to her apartment where she dressed before examining her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The contrast between her chestnut skin and snow-white hair had never seemed stark before arriving on Airhee, but now it seemed as unnatural as green or brown eyes… which weren’t really unnatural at all in humans. Their variety was breathtaking. She smiled at her reflection, her blue eyes twinkling with fresh tears. Forgive me, Anash.
Chapter
One
LAST FIRST DAY
Filtered light shifted and danced on the floor as a cool breeze blew in through the window. The faint smell of decaying foliage and soil drifted in with the wind, mostly overpowered by wet asphalt. “Nature must be protected from the destruction of civilization,” was a commonly taught concept in school, but Ayla couldn’t suppress a smile at that thought. Hemmed in by nature, more likely. Just beyond her city street, tall looming trees and blackberry brambles pressed relentlessly against the fences that ran the perimeter of the forest border. Thorny vines pushed their way up through the cracks and crevices near the end of the street, leaving an impression that nature was the encroaching predator set on destroying the city.
Ayla pulled her attention away from the window and began critiquing her reflection in the floor-length mirror that hung from the back of her bedroom door. If she had the choice, she would look reflectively out the window all day to forestall the inevitable. It was the first day of her senior year of high school, and despite being pretty well experienced in ‘first days of school’, she still had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Each year she promised herself that she wouldn’t be nervous, but as she pulled on a navy blue ball cap and tried to tuck her pearly white hair beneath it, she couldn’t suppress a sigh. Even if she could hide her unusual hair color, her golden brown skin, vibrant green eyes, and willowy lean figure, she always seemed to draw attention. It wasn’t always negative, but it was still unwanted. You’re a good type of unique, her best friend had told her many times before. Own it.
Ayla sighed before tossing the cap onto her bed, “At least most of my class is used to me by now,” she mumbled, turning away to select a pair of gray cargo-pants, and an earthy green tank top. With a few quick snaps of her wrists, her hair was up in a high ponytail, followed by a fitted zip-up hoodie, and a pair of black tennis shoes. She would have preferred boots, but it was harder to sneak out while wearing such heavy shoes.
Her backpack was already prepped by the door, so she slipped it on and quietly turned the handle. To the best of her knowledge, her dad would still be asleep for another fifteen minutes before his alarm would sound. If she could make it out the front door without waking him, she would miss the drama of ‘My baby’s last-first-day-of school’. She tiptoed from her room, down the hall, descending fourteen stairs, across the kitchen, with a glance to either side, before finally, tiptoeing into the entryway. Her fingers just brushed against the brass handle, when the wood floor creaked behind her.
“So close…” she whispered, as she leaned her forehead against the doorframe.
“Almost 18 years, and you didn’t think I would anticipate this?” Her father, Tony, leaned against the archway between the kitchen and entryway, his arms crossed, with an eyebrow cocked upward skeptically.
Ayla threw her hands up, “Ah, come on!” She exclaimed as she turned to face him. “Are you telling me that I sacrificed an hour of extra sleep for nothing?”
“Appears to be the case.” He pulled out a compact square device called a holo-disk, and quickly snapped a picture. “I love you, sweetie. Why wouldn’t I want to see you off on your last-first day of school? Besides, you and Gaige should be leaving together. There have been some odd things happening in the city lately, and a pretty young girl shouldn’t be traveling around by herself.”
Breathe… A headache was beginning to creep into Ayla’s temples, and she felt her temper flaring in annoyance. She did not want to leave the house with a fight on her conscience. “Seriously Dad, I’m not a little kid anymore.” Her argument was weakened by the indecision in her voice. She had heard the news of strange sightings over the city. Odd things happened from time to time, but this seemed different. The news usually reported on a good rumor, but now they were silent.
Her father’s expression grew somber. “Seriously honey, I don’t want you wandering around by yourself out there right now.”
She rolled her eyes before reluctantly agreeing, “Fine, fine, I will wait for Gaige. Is he up yet?” As if in answer, heavy footfalls came from upstairs, along with the indistinct moan of someone not ready to be awake.
Her father grinned and swept her into a side hug. “It looks like you’ll have time for breakfast before your big day!” She groaned as he guided her back into the kitchen, sitting her down at the table, before bustling over to the counter to start throwing together ingredients. “A special day calls for a special breakfast, so I’m making you my famous waffles,” he said cheerfully.
“Waffles?” She perked up a bit at this and then squinted suspiciously. “You only make those on Christmas morning. What makes today different?” The sound of shuffling papers drew her eyes toward the now-lit dining room, where her Uncle Richard was already prepping for his and her father’s business trip that week. Of course… He must have been up working early, and alerted her father when she made for the exit. It was just the sort of ploy the two of them would concoct. Ayla was willing to bet that Richard was hiding behind the table when she glanced in earlier.
Her father paused for a moment with his back to Ayla and shrugged. “It’s your last first day of school. Well, unless you go to college, that is.”
She let her head sink to the table. “Not this conversation again.” Her head throbbed again, a tangible response to her emotions.
“No, you’re right,” he agreed, sounding almost timid. He turned to face her, the green backsplash on the kitchen wall highlighting the green in his eyes. He thumbed the handle on his empty mug nervously, momentarily forgetting the bowl and whisk behind him. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. I figure you have a right to know before you return to school, especially since we leave for our work trip this morning, and won’t see you for a few days. You know... this is the last year that you’ll probably be at home with me before you go off to do your own thing. It will be a little lonely around here, and…” He seemed to be struggling to say anymore when her tall, broad-shouldered uncle entered the kitchen.
“What he’s meaning to say,” Richard interrupted from the doorway, “is that he’s been seeing a lady friend, and that lady happens to be your principal.”
Ayla was suddenly standing, horror written across her face. Her father glared poisonously at his twin brother, and Richard chuckled to himself as he lumbered to the counter and filled his coffee mug from the mostly empty pot. “What? You weren’t doing a very good job of it.” He sipped his drink. “Eck, this is cold. Must be from yesterday. Oh well.” He shrugged and took another sip, a sly grin hidden beneath his cup as he watched his niece and brother.
“My PRINCIPAL?” The last first day of school might have officially become the last day of her life. Maybe her headache was bad enough to keep her home. She dismissed the idea as soon as she had it. A good friend had been away all summer, and whether or not she was willing to admit it out loud, she was very anxious to see him.
“Honey,” her father opened and closed his hands hesitantly. “I just asked her to dinner a few times, and we discussed maybe having her over for a meal when I get back from my trip. I told her I would talk to you and…” the words were spilling out of his mouth as if he expected to be cut off any moment, but Ayla just stood in dumb silence. This couldn’t be happening! She’d spent her entire life fighting to dodge the spotlight, not an easy thing to do given her unique appearance, and now her own dad was calling the fires of high school hell down upon her.
Drawn by all the noise, Gaige shambled into the kitchen, his short blonde hair a mess, his light blue eyes still clouded with sleep, and his broad shoulders slumped with fatigue. He was the spitting image of his father, her uncle, as he glanced from face to face, and then at the empty coffee pot on the counter. Sighing, he turned and returned up the stairs.
“He’s dating our principal!” Ayla shouted after him. A muffled response, something along the lines of ‘No coffee, no talking’ drifted down. “This might just be the worst day of my life,” she whimpered as she buried her face in her hands.
“Now Ayla, you’re overreacting,” her father chided, prepping some coffee grounds before returning to the waffle batter.
Before she could reply, Uncle Richard chipped in as he took a seat across from her. “Think about it Ayla, your dad hasn’t seen anyone since Aria. He waited until you kids were nearly out of the house.” Richard let the look of irritation from Ayla’s father roll off him as he raised a brow and shrugged.
“He could have waited until the end of the school year,” she murmured under her voice.
A light knock came from the front door, and Ayla nearly tripped over her chair in her eagerness to answer it. Any excuse to get away from the utter betrayal.
