Earth & Sky (23 page)

He closed the door behind him and locked it, then padded
over to the bed where I was sitting.  “Here we are,” he said with a soft
smile.  “The guards saw me, but I don’t think they realized what I was up to. 
They’re used to me wandering around at night.”  He gave me a wry look.

“What is it that you had to get?”  My voice was hushed. 
It felt wrong to break the silence that had settled over the house.  I drew a
finger across the lid of the box.  It was old, the wood darkened with age and
worn in spots.  It was also powerful.  I could feel magic seeping out, and it
tasted like the wind before a rainstorm.

He worked a hidden lock, and I realized it was a puzzle
box.  The bottom slid out to reveal a short dagger with a curved blade.  Ville
handed it to me so that I could inspect it.  It was steeped in Sky magic, and
though the surface gleamed with a high polish, I could smell a hint of blood-
not unpleasant, but startling.  Though the knife felt dark and powerful, there
was nothing sinister about it. 

“What is it?”

He took the blade and met my eyes.  “It’s a ceremonial
blade.  For blood oaths.”

I stared into his eyes for a moment.  I’d been down this
road before- but this time it was voluntary.  I held out my left hand, wrist
exposed.  He let out a sigh and I realized he had been holding his breath. 

Grasping my hand, he set the point of the blade against my
wrist.  He sliced across my skin with a quick, decisive motion.  Then he handed
me the blade, hilt first.  “Quickly, before it heals.”  I copied his actions on
his left wrist and set the blade aside.  He linked his fingers in mine,
pressing our bleeding wrists together.

His voice was a soft whisper.  “From this day, it shall
only be your name I cry in the night, and into your eyes I will smile each
morning.”

The words were slightly different, but I recognized the
traditional marriage vow.  I gripped his hand tighter.  “I shall be a shield
for your back, as you are for mine,” I whispered.

He pressed his forehead to mine and our breath mingled as
we spoke together in the sheltering night.  “I will cherish and honor you
through this life and into the next.”

His other hand intertwined with mine and I tilted my lips
to meet his.  No one would ever know, but it didn’t matter.  He was mine and I
was his.  No matter how we would suffer for it.

I
stood on the platform as the train whooshed to a stop, bathing the place in
steam.  Passengers began exiting, and the steward started piling luggage on the
wooden planks.  I watched the people as they exited, wary about being alone in
the middle of the Fallen town.  The passengers getting off the train seemed to
be equal parts Fallen and human.  Not a single Shifter.  I eased back against
the tall column behind me, not wanting to show fear, but not wanting to stick
out either. 

A small Fallen woman brushed my shoulder in passing.  Her
eyes met mine and she bared her fangs, but she kept walking.  A group of humans
was having a touching reunion a few feet away.  A tow-headed little boy said,
“look mommy, a monster!”  He eyes were wide and startled.  I looked behind me,
thinking that maybe he had seen the woman’s display of fangs.  She was long
gone.  He was pointing at me.  .

I straightened and adjusted my belt, pretending I hadn’t
heard.  The boy’s mother hurriedly shushed him, and the group of people cleared
out faster than I would have thought possible.  Unfortunately, the boy’s
outburst had drawn attention to me.  A burly Fallen with arms the size of tree
stumps was watching me with an evil look.

I averted my eyes, but I knew he was approaching.  My time
among the Shifter soldiers had allowed me to become pretty adept at picking out
the troublemakers.  All it took was one long glance at the broad man strolling
my way, his wavy hair tangled, and slight lines creasing the corners of his blue
eyes.  His kind was trouble in an army- not so bad as the guys with a sharper
edge, but bad enough.  This was the kind of guy who had very little magic, even
less brains, and had to make up for it with sheer bullheaded strength. 

He ambled to a stop in front of me and leered.  “Hey
Little Red.  Whatcha doin’ so far from home?”

I kept my posture neutral, arms relaxed at my sides, hands
slack.  Turning, I attempted to walk away.  I knew it wouldn’t work.  Pretty
much the only way to reason with his type was to hit them over the head with a
blunt object.  But I was lacking the blunt object, and besides, starting a
fight in the middle of the already wary people around me probably wasn’t the
best idea.  I felt him move, a meaty hand reaching for me.  I sidestepped and
spun to face him.  “Please don’t,” I said softly.  Part of me was cowering in
fear, knowing that I was surrounded by people who were eager to see me bleed.  I
beat that part down with an iron fist. 

“I said, what are you doing where you don’t belong?”  He
puffed up a bit, flexing his pecs and sticking out his chest.  Oh man, once
they were inflated there was no stopping them.  These guys should come with a
release valve or something. 

I squared my shoulders and struggled to stay calm.  “Just
passing through,” I said quietly.  His small eyes traveled over my less than
adequate frame, assessing.  I could see him mentally writing me off as a
non-threat.  Then his eyes shifted back to my face and something changed. 
Maybe he could sense my aura.  All of a sudden, I went from amusement to
target.  Well shit.

I took a deep breath and braced myself for his attack.  He
began to charge, then abruptly changed his mind.  He took a couple of stumbling
steps and came to a halt, his eyes staring over my head.  e HA tall figure
emerged from the steam and I let out a small sigh of relief.  His had his dark
wings tucked tight to his back in the close quarters, and his snug t-shirt
accentuated his lean height.  One corner of my mouth quirked upward as I noted
the head turning effect my companion was having on the female population- human
and Fallen alike. 

“Is there a problem?”  His deep voice was soft, but I
could feel the power that emanated from him in rippling waves.

The brown haired man’s eyes widened as he recognized his
emperor.  Oh, so he did come with a release valve.  He spluttered, incoherent
as he deflated.  “Oh, I think it was just a misunderstanding,” I said airily. 

Ville nodded.  “Well then,” he said to the flabbergasted
man.  “Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, you’d better hurry
up.”  He smiled.  “I’m sure you have somewhere to be.”

The man nodded and hurried away, stumbling over his own
feet.  Ville gave me a wry look and I took the paper cup he held, the rich
scent of coffee wafting over me.  “Thanks.”  I took a sip, hissing when I
burned my tongue.

He shook his head, his blue eyes sparkling.  His fingers
ruffled my hair, as he silently laughed at my impulsive behavior.  I eyed him
from under his big hand.  The farther we got from the mansion, the lighter his
mood became.  Guilty as I felt for stealing him away, I had to admit the
distance seemed to be doing him some good.  And it was all worth it, just to
see him in a t-shirt.

The engineer called the all aboard, and I stooped to grasp
the handle of my satchel, careful not to spill the scalding coffee.  Ville took
the cup, then my hand, leading me onto the train under the curious and hostile,
stares of the people around us.  He sank into an overstuffed seat by the window,
near the back of the car.  Standing on my tiptoes, I stretched to put my bag in
the overhead bin.

 “Do you need help?”  Ville’s deep voice had an oddly
sultry tone to it, and I glanced down at him in surprise.  His gaze traveled
over my body, lingering on my midriff, where my shirt had inched up to reveal a
good stretch of skin.  I wrestled the bag into the compartment and closed the
door, then straightened and pulled my shirt down.  I shot him a melodramatic
glare and he laughed, the rippling sound like a soothing balm to my frayed
nerves.

I dropped into my seat as the train steamed to life,
chugging away from the station in a billow of white.  I leaned across Ville’s
lap to look out the window, grinning to myself as I planted my hand on his
upper thigh.  His hand came to rest on my hip and he whispered into my hair. 
“Do you think there’s a private car on this thing?”

I settled back, my voice innocent.  “What do you mean?”  He
took my hand, his smile saying that he didn’t buy my innocent act for an
instant.  I realized that the humans and Fallen around us were watching me with
open hostility, and my playful vanished.

I squeezed his hand and watched the scenery as it whizzed
past the window, swaying with the soft rocking of the train.  “How long will it
take to get there?”

Ville pursed his lips, considering.  I checked the urge to
steal a kiss from that wide mouth.  Everyone was already staring at me.  No
need to cause a riot by doing something obscene.  “A couple of days,” he said
slowly.  “And then we’ll have to find him.  I know that Cai moved to Ansil, but
he may not be there anymore.”

Ansil was at the far southern edge of the country,
smack-dab in the middle of the line dividing Fallen territory from Shifter.  No
one visited the town unless they had a good reason.  “Why was Cai exiled?”

Ville shifted in his seat, twitching his wings.  They were
more sensitive than I would have guessed, and having them squashed in the train
seat couldn’t be comfortable.  I imagined this must be why the Fallen at the mansion
were never still, always moving- they probably just couldn’t get comfortable. 
“I was young, and my brother had just been killed.  It was my fault Cai was
cast out.”

I considered this.  It would have been near the time when
he snuck into the Shifters’ territory then.  “He helped you sneak out,” I said
with certainty. 

Ville looked down at our linked hands.  “It was a stupid
thing to do.  I was so angry over Henrik’s death that I didn’t think of how
reckless my actions were.”  His eyes met mine.  “If I’d been caught…”

I nodded.  “Father would have either killed you or
ransomed you.  Probably the first one.”

“And father had just lost Henrik.”  He sighed.  “Cai knew
that he’d be punished.  He helped me anyway.  I never expected him to be exiled.” 
He shrugged.  “He was only a year older than me, but even at that age, Cai was
very opinionated.”  He smirked.  “A free thinker.  It got him into a lot of
trouble.”

I grinned.  “Sounds like someone you would hang out with.”

“He mouthed off to my father.  He should have just kept quiet
and taken his beating, but that wasn’t Cai’s way.  He said we were all a bunch
of antiquated morons, too blind to see the truth.  And that he king would send
his own son to die in battle, but was unwilling to risk his blood for the
knowledge that might help to end the fighting.”

I grimaced.  “Not the thing to say to a father who’s just
lost his child.”

Ville shook his head.  “He was an idiot.  But he wasn’t
wrong.”

“I’m sorry that you’ve lost so much,” I said quietly,
giving his hand a squeeze.

He shrugged.  “You’ve lost everything as well.”

“But the things I lost never existed to begin with.”  It
was all built on lies.

“That doesn’t make it any less painful.” 

Someone behind us was muttering, and I distinctly heard
the word beast.  Ville draped his arm over my shoulders and pulled me against
his side protectively.  “Don’t worry,” he said into my hair.  “There’s the two
of us now.”

 I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent, like fresh
rain.  “That’s all that matters,” I agreed.

*****

I had almost gotten used to the hostility I felt from the
people around me, when it began to change.  The shift was subtle.  As we
progressed down the line, there were gradually less Fallen and more Humans on
the train, until finally there were no Fallen at all in our car.  I breathed a
sigh of relief.  Ville kept his arm around me as he dozed in the afternoon sun streaming
through the window, but it no longer felt like protection.  The tension slowly
left me and I felt like I could stop being constantly on guard.  Until the
Shifter boarded the train.

He was lean and rangy, and his medium-sized frame moved
with a loping grace.  A fellow wolf.  He smelled Ville immediately and his lips
curled back in a snarl.  He paused on the threshold, and a group of impatient humans
pushed by, causing him to stumble into the car. 

Ville was relaxed at my side, but I knew it was an act.  I
looked around the car and realized that no one was sitting near us anymore.  The
humans were afraid of Ville.

I looked at the Shifter.  He was going to start something,
I just knew it.  I pulled on my aura and sent my dominance out toward him. 
“Just calm down,” I said softly.  “No one wants any trouble.”  His eyes were
mutinous, but his shoulders relaxed and he slid onto a seat at the far end of
the car, repressed under the heavy cloak of my dominance. 

Ville turned his glorious blue eyes on me.  “You’re an
alpha?”

I shifted uncomfortably.  “Yes, but I try not to use it.”

He studied my face.  “Because your sister…”

“Isn’t,” I finished for him, looking away.

“I see.”

“Not what you would expect from a mutt, right?”  I said. 
“But maybe it makes up for my lineage.”  My eyes were downcast. 

“There isn’t anything wrong with your lineage.”

I glanced at him.  “You looked…surprised when you found
out the queen wasn’t my mother.”  I bit my lip.  “Aren’t you disappointed that
I’m not royalty- like you?”

Ville laughed.  “How could you think I’d be so shallow?” 
He took my hands.  “I was relieved to find out that your mother is still alive…
that my people weren’t responsible for her death.”  His voice was soft.  “I’ve
already taken so much from you.”