by Jann Rowland
“What’s your name, guardsman?” Skye asked.
“Reed, Your Majesty,” the man answered as he raised his chin.
“Do not despair, Iron Sword Reed. I will recover your princess and ensure that Wisteria is removed from the throne. While I’m not in the habit of deposing rulers, regicide should never go unpunished, and Wisteria deserves everything that is coming to her.”
“Her coronation has been scheduled, Your Majesty,” the Groundbreather said with distaste.
“She may be your queen for a time, but I will bring Princess Tierra back, and as your people assisted me in taking my rightful place on the throne, so shall I help Princess Tierra do whatever she sees fit for her kingdom.” The best option, of course, was for Tierra to be installed in Wisteria’s place, but Skye did not wish to speak for his fiancée on this matter.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Reed said, lowering his head. “We have been watching for you. We had faith you would return.”
“Faith in a Skychild?” Skye asked in surprise.
“Of course,” Reed said with a smile. “Our Skychild slaves were never so invisible to us as we led them to believe.” He gave Gusty a knowing look before returning his attention to Skye. “Your Majesty, even when we did not know you were Skychild royalty, we were interested in you as a person. There was something in your manner that caught the eye. I am sorry to say that I was tasked with one of your beatings. I imagine it is small comfort, but I tried to make the beating as painless as possible.”
Skye laughed. “Yes, that is small comfort. But I think I remember that time, now that you mention it. There was a certain flash of sympathy in your eyes that surprised me.”
“Our queen has always been harsh, but never without reason. Her orders concerning your treatment were not without purpose, you understand.”
“Indeed,” Skye said dryly. “We shall have to disagree on that point. But that is all in the past. Can you tell me where I might be able to find Queen Sequoia?”
“I hoped I would be the one to find you,” the Groundbreather said as he dug into a pocket. “I have been wishing to apologize for any pain I have caused you and perhaps atone for my transgressions.” He pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it, hunching over to protect it from the falling rain. Once he had smoothed out the crude map as best as he could, he handed it to Skye. “I am not much of a mapmaker, unfortunately, but you will hopefully be able to make out my scribblings. I have circled the general vicinity that Queen Sequoia is believed to be heading toward. However, her escape was so recent that she is unlikely to be there yet, and any number of things could send her somewhere else, especially if she wishes to avoid being captured.”
Gusty peered at the map from behind Skye’s shoulder for a moment before reaching out and trailing a finger along it. “If I’m reading these landmarks correctly, this should be an easy enough flight.”
“Getting there will be no problem,” Reed said. “However, you both stand out like garms in a pack of sheep, if you will forgive my saying so.”
Skye glanced down at his bright blue shirt and then turned to take in the emerald color sported by Gusty. “I can see your point.”
“I could assist you in finding more muted clothing,” the Groundbreather offered. “It will be easy enough to provide you with new clothing, though I fear it might not fit your greater height.”
“I would appreciate that,” Skye said. “I have more people on my journey with me—five men and one woman. Do you think you could aid me in garbing all seven of us with Groundbreather clothing? The less attention I receive from people reporting to Wisteria, the better.”
“I shall gladly assist you,” Reed said. “But know that even your current course may not aid you much in the end. Princess Wisteria may be aware of those whom we are directing you toward. She will no doubt have plenty of men searching for her mother.”
“I believe this is the best option available,” Skye said firmly. “The only problem is that I don’t think my people are going to be happy about wearing Groundbreather clothes.”
It turned out Skye was right. The other Skychildren were disgruntled by the fact that their king was requiring them to dress in such plain garb, and their grumblings about blending in with the Groundbreathers were impossible to mistake.
“It’s like wearing a Groundbreather burial cloth,” Griffin muttered to Nimbus, whose lips were pursed in disapproval.
While Skye was mildly curious as to how Griffin knew what a Groundbreather burial cloth was—much less what it looked like—he let the comment slide. The Sentinels would simply have to grow accustomed to the plainer garments.
“With all their grumbling, you’d think we were asking them to bow down and worship Terrain or something.”
Skye turned in surprised amusement, noting Gusty, who had spoken in a soft voice, watching the guards as they donned their new clothes.
“I might have expected you to grouse a little, too,” Skye said.
Gusty shrugged. “We both used to wear much worse. When compared to what we wore as slaves, these aren’t so bad.”
Gusty pulled the shirt he was to use over his head and then inspected it as he finished tugging it down. It was snug and slightly short on him. Reed had done his best to come up with clothing that would fit the taller frames of the Skychildren, but even the tallest Groundbreathers were usually shorter than most Skychildren. Nimbus in particular, with his great height and lanky frame, looked ridiculous in his Groundbreather pants, which only reached down to his mid-shin, and his Groundbreather shirt, which almost exposed his midriff.
Skye pointed at the amusing sight.
Gusty gazed over at Nimbus and laughed. “It may not be a good fashion statement, but it should suffice.”
After a brief pause, Gusty moved his eyes back to Skye. “The others don’t understand how difficult it might be for us on the ground world. We’ll still stick out because of our hair and height, but the less attention we draw, the better. At least now we won’t stick out as much from a distance as long as our feet are on the ground.”
Nodding, Skye glanced at his own clothes. Though the pants were a little short, they were not a bad fit. But rather than dwelling on the state of his clothes, he found his attention focusing on Gusty and how the young man had blossomed with their escape from the Groundbreather castle. Skye would never have imagined relying on Gusty as much as he did now, but at present, he was not certain what he would do without his friend and supporter. There was no Skychild he trusted more.
At length, the Skychildren were all dressed in their new garb and ready to leave their current location. Studying the map he had received from Reed, Skye looked toward the south for a moment to determine their course, and then he and the other Skychildren took to the air. They were still close to the Groundbreather castle, and Skye wanted to move away from it immediately, knowing that Wisteria’s patrols would be alert for any incursion from the sky realm.
The pattern for the next few days was then set. The party would rise early in the morning, and after a cold breakfast—this close to the castle, Skye would not allow the lighting of fires—and a short period of meditation for those so inclined, they would depart. Most of the journeying of the day would be completed while flying just above the treetops in an attempt to remain unseen. They would journey until late at night before once again eating a cold dinner and retiring, only to repeat the process the following morning. It was well the season was still summer, as cold weather would have hampered their travels.
The griffins were a continuous problem. Due to the necessity of staying hidden, the group often sheltered in the copses of trees that littered the landscape. The griffins tended to be unruly at night under the forest cover, and their cries often kept the travelers awake long into the evening, fraying tempers that were already tense due to a lack of sleep. The griffins behaved marginally better during the day, though they often expressed a desire to fly at higher altitudes than their handlers desired. In fact, complaints were all
the griffins seemed to direct at the Skychildren. The creatures were uninterested in talking with their riders as a general rule, but they were not opposed to complaining about their desire to fly high in the sky.
It made Skye appreciate Stardust all the more—the pegasus was easy to manage in any circumstance and even almost seemed to be connected to Skye, anticipating his desires and knowing what Skye wanted at all times.
Late on the third day of their travels, the company touched down in a small strand of trees, and they were about to dismount when Skye heard a strangled gasp. Turning to look, he noticed Griffin pointing into the foliage. There, among the trees, stood a large brown animal with slender legs, grazing in the undergrowth. It was tall and handsome, with a large rack of antlers crowning its head. Skye recognized it as a deer—as Tierra had once pointed out one to him on a tapestry in her room—but none of the other Skychildren had ever seen such a thing.
In fact, Brightnest soon confirmed his suspicion, saying in a tone filled with awe, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s beautiful,” Vesper murmured. “I wonder if we could take some of these creatures to the sky realm with us . . . .”
Griffin snorted. “They would eventually fall from the clouds, and I’d be surprised if any fence could keep them in.”
The Skychildren sat on their mounts for some time watching the magnificent beast. Suddenly, it looked up and froze for a moment. Then it bounded away through the trees and disappeared from sight.
“It must have caught our scent,” Gusty said.
“The griffins would no doubt be happy to dine on it,” Skye responded with a laugh. “You can hardly blame the beast for leaving.”
In fact, keeping the griffins fed had been one of the biggest difficulties of the journey thus far. Unlike Stardust, who could graze on grass, griffins subsisted on meat. The Skychildren could not release them to hunt alone, for fear they would not return, so the Sentinels were forced to spend a significant amount of time every evening hunting for their food, and there was typically little to be found other than rabbits, birds, and a few other small animals. Fortunately, a griffin did not need to eat every day, so the griffins were kept on a rotation in which a few went out at a time under Skychild supervision to obtain sustenance. The griffins complained about the situation heartily, and Skye knew they would need something more substantial soon. If they could find a herd of deer, then that would certainly help.
“Nightwind,” Skye said, “when you hunt this evening, keep an eye out for deer like the one we saw. It might calm the griffins down if they can eat more.”
“That is a good idea,” Vesper said eagerly. “They are not well-suited for their present diet. If one of those large creatures is in the area, then there may be more.”
“I will keep an eye out,” Nightwind agreed. “Perhaps we will get lucky.”
In fact, the party killed three deer that evening, and the creature’s bodies were cut up into pieces and given to the feathered predators, who were more than happy to tear into them. After their large meal, the griffins settled down a little, and the company enjoyed a much more restful evening and a good opportunity for meditation.
“Skye, I’m sorry to disturb you, but I have a question, if you don’t mind.”
They had bedded down in their bedrolls, and the camp had quieted. Only Sunray, who had the first guard shift, showed no signs of preparing for sleep. When Gusty spoke, Skye had been in the midst of a light meditation, attempting to calm himself. Unfortunately, it had been difficult for him to meditate since Tierra had disappeared. His mind felt like a chaotic mess.
“Of course, Gusty,” Skye said, giving his friend his full attention.
“Where do you think our journey is taking us? Do you think we’ll catch up with Tierra?”
“I do,” Skye said. “It’s difficult to keep my confidence high with all that’s happened, but I think we will. We have to. I don’t claim to know Celesta’s will, but she is a benevolent goddess. I think she would be happy to see that her children have finally managed to make peace with the Groundbreathers.”
“You’ll forgive me if I’m not as confident as you are, Skye.”
Skye turned over and regarded his friend with a frown. “If you don’t believe we’ll succeed, then why are you here?”
Shrugging, Gusty said, “Because you are my king. It’s my duty to support you. Besides, I think the world of Tierra, and I consider her my friend, too. I always felt sorry for her, what with her sister and her mother being the way they are.”
“She certainly hasn’t had it easy,” Skye agreed. “I think she takes more after her father.”
“True,” Gusty said with a nod. He was propped up on his side, looking at Skye with a wrinkled brow. “Can I ask you something, Skye? I . . . I don’t want to offend you.”
“I’d say you’ve earned the right to ask a few probing questions,” Skye said lightly. In reality, he was curious as to what had made Gusty so somber. The other young man was not prone to asking questions that might not be well-received.
“You and Tierra . . . well, I guess I don’t completely understand how things have worked out between you, if you’ll forgive me for saying so. Do you think you really . . . umm . . . well, love her, or do you think it’s possible that your feelings are a consequence of Terrain’s water? It is meant to further the bond between two people, after all.”
Gusty was one of the few Skychildren who knew about the water shared by Skye and Tierra, and truthfully, Skye wanted it to stay that way. Gusty was also one of the few people who could ask Skye such an intrusive question without inciting his irritation.
“Of course I love Tierra,” Skye said in a remarkably level voice. “Her character speaks for itself. I’m only lucky that I was able to look past my prejudices to see her heart.”
“I don’t question whether she’s worthy,” Gusty said hastily. “It’s just that the conditions weren’t exactly conducive to falling in love, you know? It’s sort of strange how the two of you were drawn together.”
“More than ‘sort of’ strange,” Skye said wryly. “Our peoples were enemies, after all.”
Gusty laughed. “You’re right. It has been very strange. I am glad you have found each other. You’re each worthy of the other, and I think you’ll be happy together. You’re a bit hard-headed, though, Skye, and the odds of you changing your mind about Groundbreathers weren’t great.”
“Maybe so,” Skye said. “I’m not sure how it came about. But I’m in it for the long haul. I’m going to find Tierra, no matter what the cost.”
“I’ll be right there with you, Skye. You’re not just my king; you’re my friend. I’ll follow you through all the skies above and across all the lands below. You helped me restore my honor, and I’ll never forget that. We’ll reunite you and Tierra. I promise.”
Skye gave a genuine smile, though it was likely hard for his friend to see the expression in the dim starlight, and he reached out, clasping his hand to Gusty’s in a gesture of camaraderie. “Thanks, Gusty. I appreciate it.”
As Skye settled back down into his bedroll, however, his thoughts turned around in his head, roiling together in a chaotic mass. How exactly had his feelings for Tierra come about? What was it that attracted him to her over any female Skychild he had met? He had known from the beginning that Tierra was different. But it was strange that he had been so forgiving of her when he had been so profuse in his denunciations of her people.
Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes. It did not matter how his soul had been intertwined with hers; all that mattered was that it had happened.
“It is beautiful,” she murmured.
He looked down at the still water. Night enshrouded the area, and the still lake before them was dotted with tiny stars as it reflected the twinkling tapestry above.
“Yes,” he said. “It is . . . perfect.”
“It is as if the sky and the earth have been joined,” she said.
“It is,” he replied,
craning his neck back to stare upward at the sky. “They have been united.”
“As they should be,” she said.
“Yes. As they should be.”
Skye awoke to the sensation of Gusty shaking him.
“Time to get up, Skye,” Gusty said. “We’re getting ready to pack up camp. I’m afraid you missed your chance for meditation.”
Skye took a moment to wipe the sleep from his eyes in confusion. The lake . . .
It was a dream, he realized. It was not something he remembered ever happening—Skye usually did his stargazing with Tierra from a vantage point in the sky realm, not from the surface of a lake—yet Skye felt a sense of familiarity with the fleeting dream, as though he had experienced such a thing before.
With a mental shrug, Skye allowed the last vestiges of the dream to seep out of his mind, and he arose to help break camp.
When everyone was ready to depart, Skye and Nightwind studied Reed’s map for a few moments before everyone took to the air. Skye led the way on Stardust for a short time before he set the pegasus down in front of a town that he believed had been indicated on the map. After all of the griffins had landed with their riders, Skye brought Stardust over to stand beside Nightwind’s mount.
“I’ll be taking Gusty with me to investigate,” Skye said. “I want everyone else to stay here.”
Unsurprisingly, disapproval crossed Nightwind’s face. “Your Majesty—”
“We’ve been over this. A group this big will only attract attention. Gusty and I will have problems enough as it is. Thank you for your concern, but I know what I’m doing.”
Nightwind appeared as if he had tried to swallow an entire lemon, peel and all, as he pursed his lips and dropped his head. “Very well. But you know I think it’s a bad idea.”
“Yes, I know,” Skye said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he dismounted. “Come on, Gusty. Let’s go.” He glanced at Strix and murmured, “Be good, bird.”
