Callie shook her head, her jaw slack. “I am…incredibly confused,” she said, looking to Shay and Alex again.
“It’s a matter of anatomy,” Shay said. “The only reason we’re different from them is because once we evolve into Guardians, we stop changing. Our bodies remain the same for eternity. Once they become Guardians, they remain that way for a little while, but then their bodies change again. Most notably, their capacity to hear high frequency sounds is intensified, as they can detect sounds in much higher ranges. Also, their vocal cords have the ability to oscillate much more quickly than ours can, allowing them to make sounds that are more highly pitched.”
“Okay,” Callie said. “So, what, they suddenly become your enemy just because they can…make a weird noise? You kick them out because they can hear really well?”
“We ‘kick them out,’” Shay said, “because it is in their best interest. A Siren is a very misophonic creature. For some reason, the natural frequency of a Guardian’s wings irritates their hearing to such a degree that it literally begins to induce insanity. The sound emitted by our wings slowly terrorizes the nerves in the central auditory system of a Siren, which begins to strip her of the ability to think logically. In fact, even a Siren’s own wings cause her mental distress when she is first changed. That psychological stress is, I believe, why they lose the ability to Perceive once their transformation is complete.”
“What do you mean, first changed?” Callie asked. “It doesn’t bother her later?”
“The situation is rectified when the feathers in her wings begin to produce melanin and turn grey. This changes the surface structure of her feathers just enough to lower the frequency of her wings; I assume it is an evolutionary technique designed to preserve her sanity, though there have been no studies done on the subject,” Shay noted.
“So that’s why she has to leave? Because she’ll go crazy if she stays here?” Callie asked. “But then why would she even want to stay? And why is she suddenly against you guys?”
“I assume they don’t like being evicted,” Emeric drawled.
“That is what I would call an understatement,” Shay said.
“Many millennia ago, when the Siren first came about, we didn’t know what she was. We simply thought that she was unique, and since she had been living amongst us for so long, we couldn’t understand why she was suddenly so hostile towards us, or why she had suddenly lost her ability to Perceive. Once she began to truly lose her mind, Milo was forced to kill her. It was an act of kindness, really; by that point, she was so miserable that she didn’t want to live,” Emeric said.
“Who’s Milo?” Callie asked.
“He was the first chief,” Shay said. “Before Emeric.”
“What happened to him?”
Three faces froze into masks of unease, sadness. No one looked at her for a moment, and all that could be heard was the snapping of the fire. “He is gone,” Emeric said finally.
“Oh,” Callie said, feeling awful. “I’m sorry.”
“To finish the tale,” Emeric continued, “the next time a Siren appeared, Milo knew instantly what those silver wings meant. He immediately sought a place for her. He designed an island far from our canopy which would be a sanctuary of sorts, somewhere comfortable that she might live. Of course, she was upset that she was being taken from her home. I believe that is where the myths came about; her loneliness caused her to seek any company that crossed her path, and since she wasn’t allowed to leave the island due to Milo’s fear of both exposure and her ability to be driven insane, she must have sought out the warm bodies of travellers.
“To Milo’s dismay, the Sirens continued to appear amongst the people. Not right away. Usually, we don’t see one emerge for a hundred years or so. Today was an exception; she was the second to prove a Siren in the past eighty years. At some point, the hatred which they bore for Guardians became known to us. They hated being contained on that island, hated us for banishing them due to circumstances beyond their control. And they made that hatred apparent.”
“They began killing humans,” Shay said. “Simply to spite the Guardians. They knew that we would fear the exposure this caused, and that we would detest the barbarity of the acts themselves.”
“At first it was…subtle,” Emeric said, a haunted look taking root in his face. “But then the murders became more gruesome. People began to see them; they called the Sirens gods, taking vengeance upon mortals who had disrespected them.”
“We had to silence them somehow,” Shay said.
“How did you do it?” Callie asked.
“We threatened war,” Emeric said icily. “We attacked them once, slaughtering a third of their people. Back then, their numbers were so small that this entailed only about a dozen deaths. This caused them to fear us; it also caused them to begin biding their time. They haven’t made an appearance in the human societies for a while now. They have been planning an attack, instead. At this point, their numbers have grown to massive proportions; there are at least three hundred. We, on the other hand, can claim about seven hundred members of our village, though many of our strongest warriors are out on missions. If they attacked us now, they would have an easy target, and they know it. Battle has been in the air for the past few decades, and we believe that they will strike soon. Which is why you are here.”
Callie nodded, overwhelmed by all this information. She pressed her fingertips to her forehead, feeling the beginnings of a headache anchor in her brain. Too much information had been thrown at her today. Too much pressure was now being laid upon her shoulders. Knowing that she was the key to a battle which had been brewing for thousands of years was the final ingredient in brewing a good migraine.
A whisper of footprints drifted towards her. She opened her eyes, and saw Alex crossing the room. He sat down beside her without warning or emotion. She looked at him, surprised, though he didn’t meet her eyes. He continued to listen to Emeric, and, after a moment, so did she.
“We are not monsters, you see,” Emeric said. “We simply need your help desperately.”
“She just seemed so worried,” Callie said.
“They always are,” Emeric replied coldly.
Callie nodded. “So is that why you don’t attack them? Because they were once like you? I mean, even though they’re gearing up to kill you, and all.”
“It is one reason,” Emeric replied.
Something was bothering Callie. “You keep referring to a Siren as ‘she.’ Are they all women?”
“Yes,” Emeric replied. “For some reason, the trait afflicts only women.”
“We are not sure why this is,” Shay said, and Callie could hear the frustration in her voice.
“Okay, so does it happen to all the women here?” Callie asked.
“No, it doesn’t,” Emeric said. “We have women in our village who are nearly as old as I am, and they are perfectly sane.”
Shay sighed, and stood up. She began to walk towards the door.
“Where are you going?” Callie asked.
“Home,” Shay replied. Callie stood up.
“I’ll go with you,” she said, feeling exhaustion settle over her.
“Callista,” Emeric said, standing as well. Callie turned to face him. He glanced at Shay. “I would like to have a few moments alone with Callista. I will bring her to your house when we have finished.”
Wordlessly, Shay nodded, and then was gone. Alex stood uncertainly, seeming unwilling to leave as he looked towards Emeric. Emeric sighed.
“Don’t worry, Alexander,” he said. “I will not harm our guest. We made a deal with her, if you recall, which guarantees her safety.”
Alex hesitated, his eyes swiftly meeting Callie’s. She recalled in that instant the night before, the vision of Emeric killing that girl mercilessly, and suddenly she didn’t want Alex to leave. But before she could say anything, he had walked towards the door, and was gone.
The sound of glass clanking drew Callie’s attention to the kitchen.
She saw that Emeric was pouring himself a second glass of wine. He held up the bottle when he saw her looking over at him.
“Would you like some?” he asked.
“No, thanks,” Callie said. “I don’t drink.”
Emeric nodded, and put the cork back into the bottle. “Tell me,” he said, circling the counter now. “Does that have anything to do with your sister’s…condition?”
Callie narrowed her eyes, but didn’t respond. Emeric leaned back against the counter, watching her for a long moment as he took a drink. Finally, he broke the silence. “From what I hear, your parents’ deaths were what lead her to the drink.”
Callie snapped, “Sometimes what you hear isn’t any of your business.”
“Touché,” Emeric replied, lifting his glass towards her in a mock toast. But then his lips twisted downwards, and his face became serious. “Callista, there has been something bothering me all day.”
“And what’s that?” Callie asked, sounding even to her own ears less than friendly.
“Your parents’ car accident. You told me this morning that you wouldn’t talk about it, I am aware, but I’m afraid I have to ask you to tell me something. After the accident, did you ever try to inflict injury upon yourself?” he asked hesitantly.
“What?” Callie said indignantly. “No, of course not. Why?”
“It is the only reason I can think of which might explain your…odd predicament,” Emeric said.
“My odd predicament? What, you mean the fact that I’ve been kidnapped and am being held against my will in the canopy of some rainforest?” she asked.
“The timing is the strange thing,” Emeric continued as though he hadn’t heard her. “You were, how old, thirteen at the time?”
Callie hesitated, resenting that he was speaking about this, but nodded.
Emeric shook his head. “That’s the age,” he murmured.
“For what?” Callie asked.
Emeric sighed and then set down his glass. “And you’re sure that nothing happened to you? No serious injuries, illnesses that year?”
“Yeah,” Callie said. “I mean, I think I’d remember. Look, I don’t speak Cryptic. If you have something to ask me, just ask me.”
Emeric drew a breath, about to speak. But then he held it for a second, and, after another thought, exhaled and shook his head. He looked down at the floor and stepped towards her. “Well, I think we’ve finished. Are you ready to go?”
Callie raised her eyebrows. “That’s it?” she asked. “Why did you have to tell them to leave, if you were just going to ask me questions that I’d already answered in front of them?”
“I assumed that you might be more comfortable, more willing to share new details, if we were not in his company,” Emeric replied.
“Whose company?” Callie asked.
“Alexander’s.”
Callie frowned, unsure why she should have been more comfortable now that Alex wasn’t around. She was about to ask what he meant, but before she could open her mouth, he had stepped closer to her and laid one hand upon her shoulder, looking seriously into her eyes.
“Callista, I would like you to be aware: whatever you need while you are here, do not hesitate to ask. You are doing us a favor, and we truly appreciate it,” he said, his words saturated with sincerity.
As he was speaking, Callie got a weird feeling. She couldn’t explain it, even if she’d tried. It was as though her stomach had tied into knots. She’d had the same feeling when she had walked into a math test that she wasn’t prepared for. The best thing she could compare it to was feeling nervous, or afraid. Unable to speak, she swallowed, and then nodded.
Emeric stepped backwards, and then extended his arms. She couldn’t understand what he wanted her to do for a moment, but then she realized he wanted her to step into his arms so he could carry her home. She hesitated, feeling awkward about approaching him like that. It suddenly seemed too intimate.
Catching her reluctance, Emeric smirked and offered, “May I?”
She shrugged, but was relieved when he was the one to close the gap and lift her into his arms. He swept her up effortlessly and dived out the door before she was even fully secured. She gasped, but never felt as though he might drop her. She realized as he swam through the darkness of the forest that he flew differently than Alex did. His stride was slower, smoother.
When they got to Shay’s doorstep, Emeric didn’t go inside. Instead, he deposited her on the threshold, meanwhile suspending himself in the air outside. She turned once her feet were on solid ground, and was taken aback at the sight of him there, floating freely in the breeze as though upon a magic carpet. In this lighting, she could barely see the wings against the dark backdrop of the forest. In fact, she could barely see his face.
“Good night, Callista,” he whispered, and then he vanished almost before she could see him move, flying gracefully into the night.
Chapter Seven
Acquaintance
That night, Callie spent her time tossing from side to side on Shay’s couch. Something about her conversation with Emeric was ringing in her ears.
Why had he mentioned Alex? What could she possibly have to hide from him, or any of them for that matter? And the way Emeric had said it, as though she should already know some secret to which he was referring, was what irritated her most of all.
By the time the morning rose in the peach-colored sky, Callie awoke bleary-eyed and cranky. Also, she realized, she smelled bad from having worn her pajamas for the past two days. She needed coffee and a shower. And a change of clothes. And when she realized that she didn’t have any of those things, her mood intensified.
She sat up and stretched her arms above her head. A movement to her left made her start. She saw Alex sitting at the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of what looked like cereal. She frowned. “I don’t need a babysitter,” she said crossly, standing up now.
He didn’t look at her, and she saw that he was reading the newspaper. The sight was likely the oddest one she’d had yet in this forest; a man with wings, sitting on a counter stool, eating cereal and reading the newspaper. But then she smelled the coffee, and she when walked over to the kitchen and saw that he’d brewed a pot, she found that she was no longer annoyed with him.
She poured herself a mug, and took a sip, savoring the bitter flavor. It had only been a day, but she felt like this was her first cup in a long time.
“I’m serious, you know. You can go, you don’t need to stay here and watch me,” she said to him now. He didn’t move other than to thumb through the pages of his paper. She sighed and approached the counter, leaning on it with her elbows as she stood across from him. “Honestly, what am I going to do? Go skydiving from the nearest tree branch?”
A soft chuckle escaped him, even though he didn’t meet her eyes. She realized that he was making fun of her, remembering yesterday morning again. “Oh, shut up,” she snapped, pushing back from the counter.
His smirk grew more pronounced.
She looked around the kitchen, hungry in spite of her anger. After checking each of the dozen cabinets in the place and finding no more than spoons and weird herbs, she sighed. “Where is the food in this damn place?” she asked no one in particular.
Alex made a movement. She turned and froze at the sight of him reaching over the counter, his arm knotted with long, limber muscle. He reached underneath the lip of the counter and withdrew a box of Capt’n Crunch, offering it to her as he continued to read. She took it from him gratefully, and poured herself a bowl. Then she paused, a thought occurring to her.
“How can you guys buy cereal?”
He swallowed. “Backpacks.”
“What? What do you mean, backpacks?”
Looking up at her, he grinned. He held up a finger as he pushed himself up from the stool. She watched as he disappeared into the backroom, only to appear a minute later with a large, empty duffel bag.
“What’s that?”
“Exactly what it looks like.�
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“A duffel bag? What, you put your wings in there for the afternoon and then hit the mall?”
He chuckled. “Sort of.” He turned the backpack around, and Callie saw that someone had gutted it. The back side had been cut out, and Callie realized it performed like a massive slipcover. She could easily see how Alex would put that on over his wings, strapping it on like a regular backpack, and suddenly become an average member of society.
“Oh,” she said, feeling foolish. “But don’t people think you’re…I don’t know, out of place? I mean, you’d look like you were backpacking through Europe, or homeless or something.”
“You want to know a secret?” he asked, mischief in his liquid brown eyes.
Her heart fluttered, and she couldn’t tell if it was because of his expression or because she suddenly remembered that there was a secret about him that had been keeping her up all night.
“Sure,” she breathed.
“Most homeless people with duffel bags aren’t really homeless,” he said. And then, as an afterthought, “Or human.”
He disappeared again to put the backpack where he’d found it, and then came back out and sat at the counter. As he began to eat his breakfast again, she felt disappointed. More than that, her bad mood had come back. She felt like she’d been tricked. Surely that hadn’t been what Emeric had been talking about.
“So what’s your story?” she asked, picking at the cereal with her fingers. “I mean, that’s the most I’ve heard you speak in the past two days.”
He chewed for a moment after taking a bite of his own breakfast, and then looked up at her. “You have coffee on your shirt,” he remarked.
She looked down and saw a brown blotch on her pajama top. “Perfect,” she grumbled. She took a towel from beside the sink and blotted at it, her irritation growing. She saw that the laughter hadn’t faded from Alex’s eyes, and slapped the towel back down onto the counter. “You know, for someone who doesn’t seem talk much, you can be really annoying.”
The Guardian (Callista Ryan Series) Page 7
