On Wings of Air (Earth and Sky Book 1)

by J. L. Griffin

  Skye and his guards reached the stairs leading up to the platform, and there they paused as a meticulously groomed man standing near the royal family stepped forward and unrolled a large parchment.

  “Prince Skye of the sky realm,” the man began, his voice carrying throughout the courtyard, “you are accused of fomenting sedition in the ground realm, escaping imprisonment, laying hands repeatedly upon a princess of the ground realm, kidnapping said princess and spiriting her off to the sky realm, and holding her captive. Their Majesties, the King and Queen, have determined that the sentence for these crimes is death. The sentence will be carried out immediately.”

  The man stepped back and motioned for the guards to proceed, and they pushed Skye up the platform steps and forward to stand behind a large wooden block.

  The courtyard fell utterly quiet, and all eyes turned to the executioner. The enormous man’s face was already gleaming with sweat, yet he did not seem uncomfortable in the slightest as he slowly climbed the stairs with a grim solemnity.

  He moved to stand beside the wooden block and then gave a slight gesture to the guards with his massive axe.

  A pair of Iron Swords were attempting to force Skye to his knees when a commotion began among the crowd. Craning his neck to see what was happening, Skye started to fight against the guards, hoping it was Tierra come to see him one last time.

  An Iron Sword cuffed him on the side of the head, but Skye merely grunted and continued to struggle, straining with every ounce of strength he possessed for that one look at the princess to take with him to the afterlife.

  And then she was before him. She sprinted up onto the platform so fast none of the guards could stop her, and she flung herself on him, knocking him free of the restraining guards and down onto his back, forcing the air from his lungs. Then, lying on top of him, she pressed her lips against his with almost bruising force, pushing a bit of liquid through his lips from her own. He swallowed reflexively.

  All at once, Skye’s consciousness exploded in awareness, and he groaned as he was assaulted by a myriad of sensations clamoring for attention in his mind. Tierra seemed to be in the same predicament, as she buried her head in his neck and moaned. But underneath it all, he could hear her murmuring softly, as a chant, “Mine. Mine. Joined together.”

  Skye could not make sense of it all, and before he could recover from this unexpected turn, he felt Tierra being pulled off him. Desperately, he grabbed for her, not wanting to separate even an inch from her. Tierra screamed and fought to get back to him as rough hands grabbed him and pulled him upright.

  Skye opened his eyes, his vision dark and hazy. He saw Tierra fight against Wisteria, who was attempting to hold her back with the assistance of their parents. But Tierra struck out with her arm, catching her sister and knocking her back, and then she twisted out of her parents’ grasp and flung herself on him again, wrapping her arms around him and briefly causing a feeling of contentment to engulf him. Skye could feel her in a deeper way than he had ever felt anyone before. She was in his arms, manacled though they were, and in his heart and his mind.

  “There, Mother,” Tierra spat, glaring at Queen Sequoia. For his part, Skye was still attempting to regain his equilibrium, and he was having difficulty with the emotions and thoughts assaulting his mind. “You can kill him, but if you do, then you will kill me, too.”

  “What have you done, Tierra?” Queen Sequoia demanded. “Get away from that Skychild!”

  “No!” Tierra shouted. “I am bound to him . . . and he is bound to me. We are bound by our experiences together and by love.”

  “Love?” the queen repeated, her voice rising to a shriek. “How can you love a filthy Skychild? I knew you had your head in the clouds, Tierra, but I would never have imagined that a daughter of mine could be so senseless!”

  “If this is lack of sense, then I want no part of what you would consider to be sensible,” Tierra declared. She then smiled grimly, a trace of smugness in her manner. “It matters not. Skye and I have shared the waters of Terrain.”

  A gasp went through the crowd, and murmurs sounded throughout the courtyard. King Tillman glanced around as though seeing the gathering of people for the first time, and he stepped forward. “I believe we should take this to a location where we can discuss it privately.”

  The queen made to object, but for the first time Skye could recall witnessing, she was silenced by a look from the king.

  Tierra, ignoring the byplay between her parents, reached up and touched Skye’s collar, and after a moment, it fell off, to lay discarded on the wooden platform. Then she turned to one of the Iron Swords and commanded, “Remove these chains immediately.”

  The guard appeared stunned by her manner, as was Skye himself. Tierra had generally seemed so . . . diffident. The guard looked to the queen for confirmation, but it was the king who nodded and signaled permission for him to do as the princess had said. Soon, Skye was free.

  Not knowing what was happening, Skye’s first instinct was to lift them both in the air and escape. Tierra, however, seemed to sense him tensing, as she leaned her head in close and whispered, “All will be well now, Skye. Trust me.”

  “What just happened?” he whispered back. He still could not fathom what had taken place. How could everything have changed so suddenly?

  “I’ll explain later.”

  Skye had to be content with that for the present.

  * * *

  Tierra felt giddy as her parents led her, Skye, and Wisteria through the castle to a room typically reserved for matters of state. Of course, in some ways, this was a matter of state. The thought made Tierra smile.

  She was clinging to Skye’s hand like a lifeline, and she relished in the ability to touch him out in the open like this. The barrage of glares from her mother and sister she pointedly ignored. Their opinions no longer mattered. Yes, she wanted to remain on speaking terms with them, but regardless of what they thought, she was going to remain with her beloved.

  She glanced at the Skychild beside her. It was strange having him in her mind like this. She was not quite able to make out his thoughts yet, but she could make out his feelings. His head was filled with a variety of emotions, ranging from confusion to relief to a little residual anger and even joy. He did not understand what had happened to him, but he seemed to realize that it was something truly miraculous.

  Tierra felt she could take on the world in that moment. She did not even dread the imminent interrogation from her mother. Skye was alive, and he would not be executed! She could not wait to dance for Terrain again; her ecstasy would allow her to completely lose her inhibitions and dance with abandon. It would be an unparalleled performance.

  Once everyone entered the room, Sequoia shut the door behind them. She did not even bother sitting before she turned to Tierra and said in a dangerously quiet voice, “What exactly have you done?”

  “I should think it quite obvious, Mother,” Tierra said innocently.

  “Do not be facetious, Tierra,” King Tillman said with a sigh, earning a startled look from Skye, who always seemed surprised whenever the man spoke. “This is a shock which will affect all Groundbreathers once word spreads. I believe you owe us a slow and detailed explanation.”

  “Very well,” Tierra said. “You want to know what I have done? Skye and I shared Terrain’s water. Every Groundbreather knows what that entails.”

  “But why, Tierra?” Sequoia asked in disbelief, throwing her hands up in the air. “That is what I do not understand! Why would you do such a thing?”

  “You left me no choice, Mother,” Tierra said, bitterness breaking its way through her good mood. “You were set to kill him, and you would not listen to anything I said. The only way I could save him was by ensuring that if you kill him, then you kill me as well.”

  “But you have tied your fate to this . . . this . . . Skychild for the rest of your life!” Sequoia exclaimed.

  “Skychildren are people, too!”
Tierra said. She drew Skye’s hand up to her mouth and kissed it, much to the horror of her mother and sister. “And I love him.” She stared up at him, watching the tender smile that slowly spread across his face as he gazed down at her. Through their new bond, she could feel warmth emanating from him.

  Wisteria groaned. “Mother, please tell me that I am not related to this . . . this . . . sky-lover.”

  “Be quiet!” Sequoia said sharply. “Tierra, you do not even know what it means to be in love.”

  “No, I do,” Tierra said, shaking her head with uncharacteristic vehemence. “I am willing to give my entire life to Skye. All of my happiness is wrapped up in him and him alone. I would lose my desire to live if I could not have him beside me. I love Skye, Mother, and you cannot change that, no matter how much you want to.”

  The queen narrowed her eyes. “Tierra—”

  “Sequoia,” Tillman said softly, drawing attention to him. “Please let me speak.”

  A few moments of silence passed as Tillman gathered his thoughts, but finally, he asked, “Tierra, are you certain of this? This Skychild has not strong-armed you into doing something against your will? And this is not just another example of your unending sympathy toward those less fortunate than yourself?”

  “It is none of that, Father,” Tierra said firmly. “My feelings have been built upon hours of conversations and companionship and upon solid actions that speak for a mutual regard. It was not the impulse of a moment. I may have liked more time before taking such a step as sharing the waters of Terrain, but the end result would have been the same. I have chosen him. My feelings are not something that have popped up in the last few days.

  “And you might do well to remember that Skye is a prince. In fact, if we can regain control of his kingdom from the rogue Seneschal, Skye will soon be king of the sky realm. When it comes to a matter of status, there can be no objections on the basis of inequality.”

  Wisteria made a disgusted noise, but the king and queen both stared at Tierra, searching her face for any signs of deceit.

  Finally, Tillman seemed confident of what he had seen, and he looked at Skye, who had thus far remained quiet. “What do you have to say about all this? Skye, is it?”

  Skye glanced at Tierra, as if unsure whether he should speak at all, but she lowered her head and thought at him: Go ahead.

  Skye seemed surprised to hear her in his mind, but he shook his head to clear it and addressed the king. “Yes, it’s Prince Skye of the sky realm. I’m—I’m not quite sure what you want me to say, Your Majesty.”

  “Very well,” the king said. “I shall be more direct. What are your feelings and intentions toward my daughter?”

  “My . . . my intentions?” Skye asked nervously, his eyes darting from the king to the queen and then back.

  “You have to realize that what Tierra did was unorthodox . . . and not just because of your heritage. Usually, a couple is married before they drink from the Pool of Terrain. Its purpose is to strengthen and supplement a strong—and already existing—relationship. Yet I wonder how the two of you have managed to cultivate any sort of real relationship in the midst of all that has happened. Tierra tells us that your kingdom has been taken over by a man who killed your father?”

  “Yes,” Skye said. “It is my intention to return to the sky realm and deal with the usurper.”

  King Tillman nodded. “Yes, I can see how that would be necessary. But we can return to this in a moment. My original question still stands. My daughter has indicated that she is in love with you. How do you feel about her? And furthermore, what do you intend to do about it?”

  Skye shifted uncomfortably, and Tierra regarded him with contentment, though she did acknowledge to herself that had she not been joined to him, his behavior might have given her some concern. As it was, however, she had no such worry afflicting her.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Skye finally said. “Yes, I feel . . . Your daughter—Tierra—is everything to me, sir. But I am not unaware of the . . . problems we will invite by entering into a closer relationship. It was not long ago that I was enslaved by your people, and it is not something I can forget easily.”

  “And what of your people?”

  Skye shrugged. “Most of those who live around the palace are at least aware of my banishment, but no one other than Gusty knows what happened when I was here. I doubt that he will be interested in giving others the details of my past situation.”

  While King Tillman seemed to understand what Skye was not saying as well as what he was, Queen Sequoia turned on Skye angrily.

  “I hardly consider that a confident endorsement of your suit, young man.”

  “You can hardly blame me,” Skye snapped. “To be honest, I don’t really understand what has happened. I only know that somehow I can hear your daughter’s voice in my head . . . and that somehow you can’t kill me without harming her.” Skye paused and visibly calmed himself. “I’m certain of my feelings for her. What I’m not certain about is all of you.”

  “Well, we cannot blame you for that,” King Tillman murmured.

  But the queen was not satisfied by his reply. “This is all very well indeed, but it changes nothing. Our daughter has chained herself to this Skychild. What is he but a prince without a throne or a kingdom? Are we to suffer his presence forever, when he should be serving us?”

  “Should be serving you indeed!” Skye growled. “Can you not even hear yourselves? Is that all there is to you Groundbreathers? Is everyone who is not like you merely something to be used and then discarded like an old glove when it can no longer serve its designated purpose?”

  “Skye,” Tierra began, but he forged ahead.

  “You call us barbarians, but though we are not without fault in our eons-long dispute, at least we do not keep slaves. Why would I wish to live among people who consider me to be less than an animal? My people were by and large much kinder toward Tierra than you have been toward me. I want nothing more right now than to leave you behind forever and return to the sky realm with your daughter in tow.”

  “I believe, given the circumstances, that we should speak about this calmly,” the king said.

  “He is nothing more than an animal,” Wisteria interjected with a poisonous glare at Skye. “If my sister has been so foolish as to bind herself to him, then she should reap what she has sown.”

  The displeasure in Tillman’s glare was evident to all, and Wisteria, though she attempted to show she was unaffected, fairly wilted under the force of his anger. “Not one more word from you, or you will leave this room. This is your sister we are discussing, not some junior maid.”

  Wisteria’s lips clamped shut, but her demeanor did not improve. Tierra glared at her. She had always known that Wisteria resented and disliked her, but she had not known that her vindictiveness could reach such a level.

  “There is something to what you say,” Tillman said, turning back to Skye. “The enmity of our people is such that this will be difficult. But out of love for Tierra, we must attempt to make it work.”

  “There are two things that you have missed,” Skye said. “The first is that I am in a unique position. Though I don’t understand what exactly Tierra did, if what you say is true, I’m now permanently bound to a Groundbreather. Furthermore, having spent some time in your society, I have a greater understanding of your kind than any prince in the history of my people.

  “Perhaps you are not aware, but the historic antipathy of our peoples toward one another appears to be at the lowest level that it has ever been. At the very least, I have recently learned that my people, though they do not understand you, are not disposed to hate you.”

  “But you raid and pillage and steal from us constantly,” Queen Sequoia said, her tone accusatory and unforgiving.

  “That we do, and I do not deny it,” Skye said. “But a certain amount of that is driven by tradition; it’s something we’ve always done, so we continue to do it. Another part of
it, however, is driven by necessity.” Skye paused, as though to gather his thoughts. “You must understand that the amount of available land in the sky realm is limited. We do our best to produce enough food to sustain us, and we’ve found some creative ways to increase our production. But the fact remains that what we have falls short, especially as our population has grown.”

  “And what is that to us?” the queen asked, a hint of scorn coloring her voice.

  Skye gazed at her mildly. “Would it not be better for us all if Skychildren were able to trade for food instead of being forced to take it out of necessity? As I said before, I have a unique perspective of Groundbreathers, and I’ve been forced to acknowledge that you’re not all dirt-eating savages like I had always thought you were. I believe that we’ve been at each other’s throats long enough. It’s time to foster a friendlier relationship between our peoples.”

  Silence settled over the room, and Tierra thought that even her mother was made thoughtful by Skye’s words. Her father certainly was, though Tierra could not tell exactly what his thoughts were. Only Wisteria appeared to be unmoved.

  “I believe he has a point,” Tillman said.

  “There is something else,” Tierra spoke up. “Would it not be useful to have a connection to the highest level of Skychild society? Since I am now joined to Skye, you will not only have a daughter as queen of the Skychildren, but your grandchildren will be future rulers of the sky realm.”

  The suggestion seemed to startle Skye, but after glancing at Tierra, the prince recovered and said, “To move forward, we need to have good relations, which I would promote as king. The sky realm does have items for trade which would benefit Groundbreathers, and in turn, you could provide access to the food you produce in abundance.”

  “How do we know you would keep your end of the agreement?” the queen asked.

  Skye turned and grasped Tierra’s hand. “I won’t pretend to understand what has happened to us. But with Tierra by my side, I seriously doubt she’d allow me to renege, even if I were inclined to. You might not feel that you can trust me, but I’m sure you trust Tierra. What further assurance do you need?”