“Raven,” she puffed.
“Your other real name.”
“Poe, Poe Alexander.” She picked up some blush and motioned to the door. “The break room is through there. It’s more of a junk room really, but if you’re looking for the others, they should be there.”
“Thank you.” I continued to the next car and found no one, unlike what the transvestite had insinuated. The room was filled with chairs and very fancy computers that my hands itched to dissect. The old, cripple machines my school had had already been upgraded (by me,) but they were still grossly inadequate. These were the kind of research tools I could utilize to their fullest extent.
I counted the people I had already encountered with a slight frown. If all three of the others were in the control room, I would be hard pressed to keep them away from me long enough to hypnotize them and if they were anything like the other Skypians, there was a chance I wouldn’t be able to fully control them. Whatever happened, I needed to go ahead and finish it before the sun came up. Whatever hold the sun had over me, it completely sapped my energy.
I unlocked the door and rushed inside, grabbing the first person I found. The girl choked as I slammed her into the wall of the train and gripped her with my gaze. I turned my gaze now that I had her under control and held her tightly to warn off the others. There was another girl who looked exactly like the one I had trapped in my grip, growling at me lowly. They were both tall and lanky with abnormally long and dexterous fingers. Their faces were sharp with one black and one red eye under thin arching eyebrows. Even their brown hair was cut in the same layered pattern down to the tips of their shoulders and streaked with fiery red.
“Move and I kill her.” I ordered and the other girl dropped her arms. The man I recognized as the leader, however, totally ignored my order.
“Who the hell are you?” He lunged at me, but I caught him with my gaze. He continued to move forward for a moment before stopping with a threatening growl. “Let me go.”
“That would be counterproductive.” I shrugged. “Now, I have a few questions that I want you to answer. Where is the next stop and how long until we reach there?”
“I’m not going to answer you.” He hissed at me and I felt a little bit of wind swish past me. “You may have me immobilized, but you are far from being able to control my mind!”
“I will get my answer.” I retorted, but didn’t move. I was in a very delicate position with a Skypian still able to resist me and another Skypian not even close to being under my mind control and no energy left to attempt a reversal. If I could somehow manage to convince them to just give me the answer, I wouldn’t need to go and hijack the computers.
A sudden pain radiated across my head with a metal clang. I leaned over with a slight groan, but my Skypian body was already healing whatever damage had been done to me. I spun silently and easily yanked the shovel from the cross-dresser’s hands. The woman yelped and ducked as I lifted my fist to knock her unconscious.
The second the sun cleared the horizon I knew. I knew because all my strength suddenly disappeared and a burst of sunlight flooded the room. I doubled over and fumbled for my sunglasses only to drop them. I lunged to grab them, then a second clang darkened my world.
Song of the Sky
I moaned inwardly as I woke and tried to rub my head only to find that I had been bound by my wrists. I tried to open my eyes, but flinched as I realized the room was flooded with sunlight. I needed an aspirin and quite a few hours of sleep on a real bed not chained to a wall.
“Our captive is awake.”
“Glasses.” I requested, but then a loud masculine voice only laughed at me.
“So you’re awake.” I opened my eyes, but couldn’t get them past small slits and my captor was only a blurry shadow. “Not all high and mighty now, are you?”
“Give me my sunglasses and I might consider talking to you.” I felt him grab my chin and shake my head.
“I don’t need anything from you, least of all information. I plan to turn over a rogue Skypian to the Earth Guard and earn a fair reward from the Magistrate.” The man dropped my head and I cursed as I heard him walk away. For a long second I cursed the sun and its ability to sap my powers before trying to think past my aching head.
I flinched as someone touched my overly sensitive face. I opened my eyes hesitantly and found blessedly that someone had felt pity and given me my sunglasses. I watched the fleeing back of the Skycity boy curiously. There was more going on on this train than what they were pretending. If the boy, the most impressionable person on the ship was willing to go against the conductor, the conductor must have done something very, very bad.
I shook my head again as it started pounding and I considered my options. In my current state, I couldn’t escape, hypnotize or properly function and if we happened to come upon a station before night fell, I would be captured and most likely immobilized. But I had no means to escape and little energy to try. I could try to win over the boy or possibly the silent man with my normal wit in a timely manner, but then there was also the others. With interference my charming would be almost worthless.
There really wasn’t a choice. I would have to chance it and sleep through the day. I settled as much as I could in the chains and let my mind wander into the realm of sleep.
I knew the instant the sun hit the horizon because it felt like an electric charge skidded through my body, my muscles buzzing with newfound energy. The sun was still lingering at the edge of dusk, and the hypnotic power I lorded over was slow in coming, but it was charging, albeit sluggishly. I straightened against the chains and opened my eyes to look around the room. As the day had progressed I had had different guards, but currently the large dark-skinned man was watching me while sitting in a traditional meditation pose.
“Excuse me,” I called and when he didn’t respond, I yelled louder. “I wish to speak to the Conductor! Immediately! It is a matter of life and death! Conductor!”
When I continued to receive no response, I started rattling my chains to annoy someone into coming until the electronic door skidded open and the enraged conductor strode in. “What the hell is that racket?”
“I just escaped,” I muttered as the sun fully dipped behind the earth. I gripped the metal around my wrists and shattered it, removing the shackles from my legs with an almighty yank. I grabbed his neck in a chokehold and lifted him off the ground. “And took a hostage.”
“Ni…hi…lo!” He choked out, but the meditating man still didn’t move. I looked at him curiously for a minute, but then turned back to my captive.
“Seems he won’t be helping you.” I turned the conductor with a forceful thought and herded him toward the control room. “Now let’s find the next fork to temporarily derail this train.”
I watched him carefully as we moved into the other room and as I sat in the conductor seat, I slammed a forceful sleep order at him, leaving him dazed and droopy. I looked at the controls for a moment before I found the Global Positioning Module. I tapped the screen and it zoomed in to look at the area we were passing through. I hissed under my breath as I realized I had only a couple of minutes to figure out how to reroute the holotrain. In theory I knew how to work this amazing piece of technology, but theory and practice were two totally different things.
I searched for the rail board with worry as I tried to find the button that would electronically switch the rails before we continued to our original destination. Then I groaned again as I realized I had to check the train tracker to make sure no one was already using the alternative track. I swore as I realized I had to also find the speed meter to slow us before we toppled off the holorails.
“Good luck.” The conductor slurred as he struggled up from my crippling blow. “I studied for years to operate this machine. You can’t possibly change the course in time. When we reach the station, I—”
“Found it,” I muttered to myself, ignoring him as I found the switch to flip the control board. I stared at the many buttons
, searching my memory for the diagram I had once looked at. I pressed two buttons and pulled the lever with a very loud whining noise. “Is that right?”
Conductor Eris, as the train records had kindly informed me, kept his head down until I came over and lifted it for him. “Is that the right switch to change the tracks?”
“Don’t ask me questions you already know the answer to you-you—”
“Skypian mongrel?” I supplied for him and he fumed as I twirled the conductor seat around to face him. “I think we need to have a talk with the rest of your crew about the change in staff. Where is the intercom?”
“To the left of the whistle and I hope they bloody well cut your head off!” I snorted at him and felt my mouth twitch.
“Don’t pretend you’re British. You are too dark-skinned and Skypian to be British.” I hit the intercom and braced myself for the overflow of people. “Dear passengers and/or crew of the holotrain we are currently occupying, I have an important announcement. There has been a change in leadership aboard. Conductor Eris is to be replaced by Conductor Able. If you have any questions, feel free to migrate towards the engine room and I will be delighted to answer any inquiries you may have. Thank you and have a nice day.”
I counted the seconds on my finger and was delighted to realize they didn’t head to their leader’s rescue for a solid couple of minutes. They were not close to him and if I could weasel out the festering sore that had caused this distance, I could earn myself a crew. Maybe not the most loyal crew, but they were a good place to start and I was extremely skilled at making people like me.
“Eris? What’s going on?” One of the twins asked as the sisters walked into the room.
“Eris has been deemed unfit to man his post. He will be deposited into Earth custody when we reach the next dock. My name is Able and I will be your conductor for the remainder of this journey.”
“Who the hell—”
“Manners. Introductions first. As far as humanity is concerned, people are considered innocent until proven otherwise. I, however, do not believe in this. You are guilty until proven that you are worthy of my concern. Innocence is a whole other mess of perspective and involvement. Now, please tell me your name and occupation.” The girls looked at each other and I considered whether forcing their names out of them would be counterproductive.
“I am Siniste and this is my sister Dexter. We are trapeze artists and also the main stage crew for the Sky Bound Circus. Why is Eris under arrest?”
“You are mistaken; I am not the Earth Guard. I am a simple traveler in need of a holotrain and he had the misfortune to dock in the town I so happened to be residing in. He was, however, quite disagreeable when I tried to alter our course and I was forced to restrain him. Not to mention the way he treats you—”
“What do you know about what he did?” Dexter snapped and Siniste touched her shoulder gently.
“He didn’t, but now he does. Mr. Able why have you taken this holotrain hostage and what do you plan to do with us? My sister may be the more aggressive of us two, but I am not pleased either. I doubt we’d able to stop you, I can tell by the way you sit and the way your eyes shine that you don’t consider us a threat. You are not a foolish man so your confidence is not baseless.”
I nodded my appreciation of her very well analyzed observation. “I simply need a mode of transportation that will ferry me without question to my destinations. I care little to nothing about interrupting your daily lives and patterns. If possible, I would simply like to coexist with your makeshift family within this… niche.”
“Is it true?” The boy whose name I dimly recalled from his stint as a guard as Amica burst in. “Is Eris really being arrested?”
“He’s not the police.” Dexter snorted and glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “He’s a vagabond.”
“Nice use of vocabulary.” I nodded, reanalyzing the apparently well-educated duo. I was curious as to how they became part of such a low education occupation.
“Who cares?” Amica whooped. “That bastard beat me!”
“Physically?” I growled lightly and my eyes flashed as I glared at him. “That is not something I condone in any situation. The use of power to abuse or control weaker beings is unacceptable.”
“Hell yeah!” Amica started dancing, but Siniste grabbed him to stop his celebratory movements.
“Think for a minute, Amica. What do we know about this guy? Who is he? What is he? He could be hundreds of times worse than Eris and we’ve already established he’s stronger than any of us.” Amica looked at me and I shrugged.
“Their reasoning is sound and quite appropriate for the situation. You shouldn’t trust people so easily.” Amica smiled at me and I was unsettled by the absolute faith I found in his gaze.
“I think your biggest doubter is yourself. I can tell, your eyes are pure. You are a good person and a strong one at that. You will go far in life and have supporters the entire time. Whatever the others do, I put my trust in you.” I stared into the young boys eyes and found myself in awe of the wisdom I saw there. Whatever horrors he had been subjected to, he had come out wiser than his years.
“Amica has never been wrong before…” Siniste looked at her sister and both nodded. “We will give you a chance. If you turn out to be worse than Eris, we will find a way to get rid of you.”
Sitting there in complete control of everyone in the room, my head started singing, but it wasn’t a song I knew, or a song I should know. I started humming, trying to force the words out of my head and back to whatever fantasy realm from whence they had sprung. The leaving trapeze twins stopped as they heard my humming to turn and look at me. They glanced at each other and as I hit the chorus again, their voices rose quietly at first, then louder in harmony.
La-and of the falling sky
Home of those who cannot die
They who flee across the sea
Shall ne-er live past the morn
I jumped as my currently chained captive raised his head with the words of the first verse. His voice was rough and his tempo slightly off, but he knew the words. The entire time he glared at me, his eyes dull and exhausted but full of loathing.
Upon the land of fog and cloud
Lies a people strong and proud
They who li-ive without fear
Under the banner of kings
All three of their voices rose in the harmony of the chorus and my own voice wanted to escape, but I fought it back. I would have continued to resist the urge if we hadn’t hit the second verse. My entire being sang out with the words and my hypnotic voice easily weaved into the melody.
High he stands the king of night
With powers deep, fear the sight
Fair she judges, steel her hand
Royal not be daybreak rise
My voice wove with theirs as I hit the chorus again and our powerful voice seemed to encase the entire train in a bubble of energy. This song meant something beyond the words, but I had no inkling as to what. I knew I could sing the next chorus perfectly, but it wasn’t mine to sing, my fangs were not of the moon.
Children of moon bear their fangs
Cry-y they their hidden pangs
Stars, sun, day, wind, night and moon
All u-u-nder silky sky
As one again we rose in the chorus, I could feel a hole, something missing in our quintet where the next verse belonged. We were missing a piece of the puzzle. Even so, I knew the words that belonged to the verse and could mimic its haunting melody.
Dancer of the sun and day
There they run and dance and play
Free they be across the sea
Let lo-o-ve guide your hand
Once more we hit the chorus and I finally caught the gaze of Amica who was scrunched in on himself, trying to escape from our odd magic. Like Cain, he was mesmerized by this strange power. He didn’t belong to this song; it wasn’t in his heart and it didn’t welcome him to its powerful magic.
Strange they be th
e star and wind
Change they do upon a whim
They who pra-ay to the day
Li-i-sten well to your eyes
Raven’s voice was deep, but it fit the song perfectly anyway. I alone was left singing the last chorus and as I finished, the twins turned their backs to me once again and Eris dropped his head.
“You missed it…” I looked up at Siniste who still didn’t look at me. "The last verse, you missed it.”
“I don’t know that verse,” I murmured, looking out the train’s front window to stare at the night sky. “I don’t know why I even know that song. Somehow, even my mind can’t answer that question.”
“It should. That is the song of Skypia.” Eris laughed at me and I flinched. “A mongrel changeling like you wouldn’t even know the most basic of Skypian culture let alone something as important and meaningful as the Song of the Sky.”
“Then tell me,” I leaned forward and caught his eyes easily. “Tell me why this Song of Sky is so important that all of us have the lyrics imbedded in our minds.”
I twitched in total shock as Eris leaned forward and laughed at me. He didn’t laugh in a pain-filled or sarcastic way, it was pure mirthful laughter. I stared at him as he laughed until he was out of breathe, then he lifted his head to smile wearily at me. “Explain the Song of Sky… If I could do that mongrel, I wouldn’t be a true Skypian now would I?”
Either because he resisted my compulsion or simply had no energy left, he faded from consciousness for the second time that night. I looked up at the sets of eyes looking at me and pretended that the song didn’t bother me. No one was fooled, but Amica couldn’t feel the song’s pull and Siniste refused to say anything more to me and left the cabin.
“It is not something to be described,” Dexter whispered, pausing at the door before following her other half. “It’s something inside every Skypian. I don’t know how this would work with you being from Earth but every Skypian child is sung this song. It is embedded into our very soul and our blood sings to it.”
I felt somehow like I had been insulted, but I couldn’t understand what they were talking about. I had only wanted an answer to why I knew the words to a song I had never heard, but instead I had gotten mystical foolishness. I looked to Raven, but she only fluttered a Japanese silk fan at me.
Majesty Page 3
