by Lelia Eye
Pushing these thoughts from his head, Skye touched down on a cloud at the outskirts of the remote village he had selected. The grass at the edge of the community began several feet away from their small group, and Tierra—evidently fearing she would fall through the mist beneath them—clung to Skye with a viselike grip of strength he had not known she possessed.
Skye chuckled and tried to extricate himself from her grasp. “As long as you’re close to me or Gusty, you’ll be fine, Tierra,” he told her. “Our powers extend out from us in a radius, solidifying the clouds near us.”
“And how am I supposed to know how far that radius extends?” she asked tightly, not loosening her grip in the slightest. Her face was pressed up against his chest, so her voice was muffled.
He considered teasing her, yet he had a feeling she was genuinely frightened. And in truth, he could not blame her, remembering how he had felt when he had woken up on the ground world. This world was as alien to her as her world was to him—if not more so.
“Just hold my hand for now,” he said softly. “I promise I won’t let you fall.”
Tierra pulled back to look at his face, as if to judge whether he was telling the truth. As she gazed up at him, he gave her a slight smile, trying to reassure her.
“Very well,” she whispered at last, grabbing the back of his right hand tightly with her own right hand. Yet her left arm remained wrapped around him, making it obvious that she still had her doubts.
He removed her arm from him and stepped backward, watching the tense look come over her face as she grasped onto his hands with both of hers and prepared herself to fall through the clouds. When she did not immediately plummet through the clouds, she looked down at her feet curiously, shifting in place.
Hiding a smile—and trying not to concentrate on the odd warmth of Tierra’s hands on his—Skye looked at Gusty and Strix.
“So, uh, what do we do now?” Gusty asked, his eyes darting back and forth between Skye and the Groundbreather princess curiously.
“We should find a place to stay for the night,” Skye said, trying to ignore the odd tinge of embarrassment afflicting him. “After all, we’ll need to be well-rested when we see my father and the Seneschal. How about you and Strix go see if you can find someone who can give us shelter for the night?”
“All right,” Gusty said with a nod. Then he began to walk away with Strix, though he stopped after a few steps to look at the ground beneath him, as if unable to believe he was home at last.
* * *
Tierra’s grip on Skye’s hand was perhaps tighter than necessary, but she was so accustomed to having Terrain’s earth beneath her feet that the notion of clouds solidifying seemed more like something that would happen in a dream than in reality. It was frightening . . . yet thrilling. She had never known she would ever journey up into the skies, and the experience was so surreal that she scarcely knew where to look first.
“Breathe, Tierra,” Skye said with an unusual tenderness.
She nodded and inhaled deeply, allowing herself to take in the crisp air of the sky realm. Despite doing so, however, she could not shake the sensation of feeling like she was out of breath.
“How do you Skychildren breathe up here?” Tierra asked with a groan. “It feels like I cannot take enough air in.”
“The air may be a lot thinner this high off the ground, but you’ll get used to it quickly. Don’t worry.”
Nodding, Tierra concentrated on simply breathing and becoming accustomed to her new location. Once she had managed to calm herself, she was able to gaze around her first in wariness and then in wonder.
The first thing she noted was the fact that the air was cool—much cooler than she would have expected given the season, which was nearing midsummer. She wondered how the Skychildren lived if they had to endure this cold all year long up in the clouds. At that moment, she longed for the warmth of not only the ground world, but also her bed. Her nightgown had not equipped her for such a venture as this.
It took only an instant for those thoughts to cross her mind, and soon her attention was captured by the brilliance of the stars. They seemed so bright and perfect and close, and she felt as though she could touch them if she extended her arm upward.
But the stars were not the only thing that caught her eye. There was an ethereal beauty about the whole place—the gentle mist drifting over their feet, the nearby village floating impossibly in the clouds, the pale moon suspended overhead like an enormous gem, the dark and gentle planes of the Skychild homes . . . . It was breathtaking. She had talked to River about the possible excitement to be found in the sky realm, and she had dreamed of someday visiting there. This was so much more stunning than she ever could have imagined.
“See?” Skye said. “Skychildren aren’t all bad if they can bring about beauty like this.”
She looked at him, noting the oddly hopeful look on his face. For some reason, he wanted her approval of his home, and she could not withhold it from him. Even after all that had happened, she did not want to lie to him.
“I cannot be happy with how things are turning out,” she said, “but I am impressed by what I see. There really is something amazing about your art. I can feel it up here in the sky—this is living art, just like those butterflies you showed me. It transcends words.”
He smiled, and she looked away, feeling an odd sadness come over her. She could not simply stand here and admire the view. There were more important things to discuss.
“What is to become of me, Skye?” she asked. “Why did you bring me here?”
The Skychild sighed heavily. “I’m sorry it had to be this way, Tierra. I really am. I wanted to bring Wisteria, but she . . . she would never be willing to do what you did.”
“You were relying on my kindness.”
Skye flinched as if she had hit him. Avoiding her gaze, all he could do was nod.
Ignoring his guilt and discomfort, she pushed onward. “You knew Wisteria would rather die than remove the collar from your neck. You knew that I—having done all I could to make sure you felt as comfortable as possible under the circumstances—would be willing to remove your collar if pushed to it.”
“I knew that you are a good person, Tierra,” Skye said softly. “You are compassionate and warm. Those are two attributes your sister does not possess. Yes, you were the obvious choice. That doesn’t mean I liked it.”
Not quite knowing how to respond, Tierra merely tilted her head and said, “Oh.”
An expression of resolve came over his features, and he looked up at her, his gaze intense and focused. “Was I wrong?”
Tierra sighed. “No, you were not wrong. In fact, I am fairly certain that had it been Wisteria out there with you tonight, you would both be dead, and I would be the crown princess. She would rather have strangled you with your collar and fallen to her death than let you leave.”
“Then I seem to have chosen correctly,” Skye said, sounding as if he were reassuring himself. He looked away for a moment before turning back to regard her with his previous intensity. But this time, there was a pleading quality to his gaze. “I’m sorry for what I had to do, Tierra, but there’s more happening here than you know. I couldn’t take the chance. Skychildren don’t keep slaves, so as long as your parents meet our demands, you’ll return home soon. And you won’t be mistreated while you’re here.”
Looking at him with some curiosity, Tierra wondered what he was talking about . . . until Skye’s words from a few moments before floated back to her as if on the wings of memory. Though she had not picked up on it before, she now knew there was something odd about what he had said—and about the relationship between the two Skychildren. Gusty did not look upon Skye simply as a friend . . . but as an authority figure.
“Who are you, Skye?” she asked. “Gusty defers to you in everything, and when he asked what we should do, you told him you needed to be rested before you spoke with your father and the Seneschal.”
&n
bsp; Skye averted his gaze from her. “It’s another of those secrets I’ve kept from you, though I think you’ll understand why.” He gently pulled his hand from her grasp and walked forward a short distance. Tierra felt a sense of loss that went beyond the fact that her anchor to the sky was no longer within reach. It was as though she had grown accustomed to Skye’s close presence. Or perhaps she craved it, though she did not know how that could ever have happened.
“I’m actually the prince of the sky realm,” he said, turning to face her.
Tierra was not as surprised as he might have thought she would be. In fact, the revelation made a lot of sense to her. Skye had shown himself to be different from any other Skychild, not only in his bearing, but also in his stubborn resolve to keep the Groundbreathers from breaking him. And she had always known that there was some reason for his capture other than the typical one which most Skychildren told.
As she gazed at him, she realized that he was different. He exuded a nobility that seemed to shine in his very being. From his insistence that keeping slaves was wrong to his matchless willpower and determination, it had been obvious from the very start that he was not an ordinary Skychild. Tierra had never met someone as noble as Skye, even if he had forced her up into the sky against her will.
“You owe me a story, Skye,” Tierra said as she closed the distance between them. “I cannot warn my people of your plans, as I have no way to get down to them on my own, so you have nothing to fear from me. Since you are using me as some kind of ransom, I think I deserve to hear the truth.”
Skye smiled and stepped toward her, extending a hand. “Agreed. But I think we should speak as we walk. Gusty should have found us a place to stay by now.”
Taking his warm hand in hers, Tierra fell into step beside him. “What, do Skychildren stay up all night?”
A short bark of laughter met her comment. “No. But no Skychild will refuse to give their prince shelter for the night.”
As they slowly walked away from the edge of the clouds, Skye told Tierra everything. He told her of his stormy relationship with his father and of his father’s marriage to a beautiful and much younger woman; he told her of his friendship with Cirrus and the worry he felt when Cirrus had disappeared; he related to her Cirrus’s return to the sky realm and the state he had been in; and finally, he told her of his father accusing him of a heinous crime . . . and his subsequent banishment to the Groundbreather world.
Tierra listened as they walked, wondering at the trials this man had been required to overcome. For the most part, she did not speak, though she did ask some questions, such as whether Skye believed that the Skychild who had escaped from the castle shortly before Skye had shown up had in fact been Cirrus. Skye had not known the answer to that question, of course, but he was thoughtful when she asked him about it.
When at last he ended his story, Skye fell silent. Looking about her, Tierra noted that they had left the clouds behind and were now walking on the dry earth of the sky mountain. It was an odd sensation. As was the case with any Groundbreather, Tierra was connected to the ground below with profound bonds, and being able to extend the tendrils of her consciousness into the good, solid earth beneath her feet was something she had always relished. But this was different from what she was accustomed to. Though she could still sense the mountain beneath her feet, it was . . . finite rather than vast, limited as opposed to all-encompassing. It did not feel wrong per se, but the fact that it was completely unconnected with anything else did throw her senses into the slightest disorder. The lands in the ground realm all being connected together meant that a Groundbreather could never get lost; to be sensing something beneath her other than that large whole was disorienting, to say the least.
Shaking her head, Tierra dragged her thoughts back to her companion. Though Skye appeared lost in thought, Tierra tried to draw him out by asking, “What will happen now?”
“Skye!” a voice called from ahead.
Tierra looked up and saw Gusty moving toward them. Strix was conspicuously absent.
“I’ve found us lodging for the night,” Gusty said eagerly.
“Thanks, Gusty,” Skye said. “Show us where to go.”
Gusty nodded and started to lead them away.
As Skye followed, he told Tierra, “Sorry, but further explanations will have to wait until later.”
Though impatient to know what he had in mind for her, Tierra nodded in resignation. She would have to allow Skye to unfold things at his own pace. The middle of the night was not precisely the best time for such revelations anyway.
As they traveled the short distance, Tierra focused on the sights around her. The sky village was not like anything she might have expected to see on the ground world, where most common dwellings were fashioned of wood and made with thatched roofs. The structures in the sky realm had a blocky look to them, like they had been formed of hardened clay of some kind, and their color would probably be a dusty dun in the light of day. As she gazed at them, she thought they crafted a rather homey sort of atmosphere.
Soon, they had stopped in front of a Skychild dwelling, and the door swung open. The residents greeted the group to their home with hearty friendliness and ushered them in.
As she looked at the walls inside, Tierra realized that her speculation about the dwellings’ color had been correct. She also noticed that the walls of the house had been polished by some unknown means. Whereas the walls might have been rough when first raised, the polish rendered them exceedingly smooth and made them shine brilliantly. The lights from a few candles lit within the structure reflected off the walls, dancing and reflecting back, though the effect was not so bright as to create a glare.
The house’s occupants were an older man and woman who immediately put the party at ease with the offer of good food and the repeated assurance that they had spare beds since their children were married and gone. The man and woman were tall and fair, just like any other Skychild that Tierra had ever seen, but it was obvious that they were simple folk at heart. Given the fact that Skychildren and Groundbreathers were long-lived in comparison to Groundwalkers, not to mention the fact that Skychildren were still quite alien to her in appearance, she could not even begin to guess at their age. She did look closely at their clothing, curious as to the marked difference from what her own people preferred. If what the man and woman wore was any indication, the Skychildren apparently favored form-fitting clothing—likely due to the resultant decrease in wind resistance. Tierra felt guilty, as they had no doubt quickly changed from their nightclothes to make themselves look suitable for their prince, but they did not appear disgruntled at their guests’ appearance or even displeased to see a Groundbreather in their midst; rather, they welcomed all warmly.
When Tierra asked the couple about their livelihood, the man smiled at her and said, “You’ve come to a rather remote village not much visited by other Skychildren. It’s a small fishing village with only a few families, and we usually float over the sea. In fact, we haven’t been this close to the Groundbreather castle in years.”
Tierra nearly choked on her stew. “Fishing village?” she echoed, her exclamation sounding a little stupid to her own ears.
The woman nodded. “Due to our usual proximity to the best fishing grounds, we are one of the primary suppliers of fresh fish to the sky realm.”
With a frown, Tierra absorbed this information, wondering how extensive her ignorance concerning the Skychildren was. “I apologize for my lack of knowledge, but as you live up in the sky, I was not aware that Skychildren had fishing villages.”
“Did you think we spend all day floating among the clouds?” Skye asked her with a hint of amusement. “Our people work to survive, much the same as your people do. We have farmers who grow different types of food, and they keep livestock of all kinds. We also have people holding many other different professions, the same as you do.”
“Actually,” Tierra said tentatively, “some of those roles are per
formed by Groundwalkers in our world. Some Groundbreathers have professions which require manual work, of course—we have farmers, artisans who work with rocks, miners, blacksmiths, and so on—but as I am certain you noticed, most of the servants and quite a few laborers are Groundwalkers. In many respects, Groundbreathers are more like the nobility of those on the world below, though I don’t think that the Groundbreathers in the smaller villages would be much different from your people.”
Skye nodded, and rather than make a cutting remark about Groundbreathers, he said, “Groundwalkers are not common in the sky realm, though there are some. It’s not only difficult for them to get up here, but most are not comfortable living among the clouds.”
“I wonder why,” Tierra muttered, her tone slightly sarcastic.
“I think Jay knew a Groundwalker once,” the woman commented, looking at her husband for confirmation.
“I did,” Jay said. “He always said as long as you stick to the grass at the edge, you’ll be fine.”
“Uh huh,” Tierra said, not entirely convinced.
The couple smiled at her in understanding, and she was struck by how different this welcome was from the one her people had given Skye. A burning sense of shame came over her, and she looked away.
“Well, Nova,” Jay said, “I think we have taken up enough of their time tonight. I believe they would benefit from some rest, don’t you?”
“I think you’re right, dear,” the woman said. “And I’ll confess I would not mind returning to bed myself. How about I tend to this nice young lady?” She glanced over at Strix, who was perched on the top of a nearby chair, and asked him, “Will you be all right there?”
The bird made some reply Tierra could not understand, but it must have been an affirmative, as Nova smiled. “Good. Come with me, young lady, and we’ll make sure you are comfortable.”
“Pardon me,” Skye said, speaking up in a diffident manner, “but could we send for a healer? Tierra had . . . an accident on the way up here, and I would like to have someone look at her arm.”
