Wings

by Sandra R Neeley

  “Yes,” she answered.

  Then Ms. Patty landed beside them again, this time with Pearl in her grasp.

  Tyrisey reached out his left hand toward Pearl. She placed her hand in his and smiled at him as he pulled her in for a hug.

  Chapter 24

  The murmur of the people beginning to assemble inside the base of the spire rose a bit before dying down at seeing the human women standing at the sides of both their new Most High Primes.

  The sudden silence surrounding them caught Tyrisey’s attention, and he turned his face toward the small group of people watching them.

  He cleared his throat, stood a little taller and adopted the ‘do not fuck with me’ expression he’d perfected over the years. He indicated his brother with a slight flick of his wrist. “This male is Jamisey. I am Tyrisey. We are grandsons of Rufussian. We are, Most High Primes of this colony.”

  Applause, followed by bowing and hushed whispers of prophecies filled the space.

  Ms. Patty raised her voice. “Their mates, one of fire and one of flame, have joined together with them eternally in fulfillment of the prophecy. All is as it was meant to be. We are a freed people once again.”

  Many pairs of eyes glanced from their new Primes to their Primes’ mates.

  Ruby smiled at the curious people looking at her.

  Pearl leaned over ‘til her shoulder touched Ruby’s, her eyes still glued to the mixture of Chireop, human, and mixtures of both looking people watching her curiously. “Wait — what’d she say? Mates joined eternally? Who the hell ever said anything about eternal? Or mates?!”

  Ruby never stopped smiling. She just reached out with her wrist and backhanded Pearl in the ribs. “Shh! Just smile, Pearl.”

  “But…” Pearl started.

  “Smile!” Ruby snapped.

  Pearl stopped objecting and smiled at the people who were beginning to grow in number as more of them found their way to the spire, but her smile was shaky and her eyes were beginning to give away her uneasiness.

  “We thank you for your support,” Tyrisey started, “But there is much yet to be done, and the hour grows late. Let us make our way to the cathedral so that we can put it to rights and begin our new reign properly.”

  There was much nodding and agreement among the crowd. Some of them turned to make their way out of the spire, while others stood back to make a path for Tyrisey and Jaime to easily move out of the room.

  Tyrisey held his hand out. “Come, Pearl. Allow me to escort you to our cathedral.”

  Pearl looked back at Ruby who nodded to urge her on. Pearl moved forward and placed her hand in Ty’s. “What did Ms. Patty mean when she said eternal and mates?” she whispered to him urgently when she got close enough to him.

  “I’ll explain later,” he whispered back.

  “You damn sure will!” she snapped at him.

  Several of the females who’d ventured into the room grinned at the tone Pearl used to address their new Most High Prime, and the fact that rather than become enraged at the manner in which she addressed him, he merely chuckled and dropped a kiss on her forehead before leading her down the path their people had formed for him and Jaime to leave the spire.

  “Ruby?” Jaime said.

  Ruby went to stand beside Jaime.

  “You want to go see the Cathedral? Or would you rather we head home?” he asked softly, hoping personally that she wanted to leave.

  “You need to see to your people. Make a showing of being here beside Tyrisey.”

  Jaime stood, holding Ruby to him, one hand cupping her jaw and tilting her face up to his. He stared into her eyes for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words. Then he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I never wanted any of this.”

  Ruby understood. He didn’t want the attention — didn’t want the responsibility or the position. He just wanted his simple life, the one he’d built for himself.

  “I know. But Ty does. And he needs your support.”

  Jaime nodded and hugged her to him, but didn’t move, just kept standing there holding onto her, her face pressed into his neck.

  After a few moments Ruby kissed his neck and whispered to him. “For your parents. For your brother. So that soon you can just be you and allow Ty to be all that he ever wanted.”

  “You’re right,” Jaime answered. He took a deep breath and stepped back, taking Ruby’s hand in his own. He looked over to the path that a few of their people who remained held intact and began to lead her through them. “Somebody want to show me the way back to the cathedral,” he asked.

  “I can show you,” Ms. Patty said as she followed closely behind them.

  Ty led Pearl toward the cathedral, her hand held tightly in his, and her constant questions whispered urgently at his side. The moment they entered the cathedral her words hushed. She immediately fell silent. He looked back at her to find her following along behind him, being pulled by his hand holding hers, but her eyes were glued to the ceiling and the walls. She was awestruck at the cavern they called the cathedral. It was stunning to behold. The ceiling was at least three stories high. The entrance across the room was framed by huge columns with figures reminiscent of ancient Egypt carved into their tops as though they were holding the ceiling up. The entire cavern was covered in similar carvings. Some of them were covered with luminescence, and others were not — showing instead the layers of multi colored rock as the carving cut into the walls that made this place.

  “This is magnificent!” she murmured, her eyes busily taking in as much as she possibly could.

  Moments later, Jaime and Ruby joined them. Ruby looked around and her response was much the same as Pearl’s though she took more of a researcher’s point of view. “Ty! Ty, how long have your people been here? Are you Egyptian in heritage? Is the luminescence Arachnocampa luminosa?” Ruby shifted her vision to the ground below them. “Oh, my! Look at all those people!” she exclaimed, taking a step back and bumping into Jaime.

  “Arachna what?” Pearl asked, looking at the glowing corners and cracks of the ancient reliefs carved into the walls of the caverns.

  “Glowworms,” Ruby clarified, still looking at the people below them, who'd stopped in their task of cleaning up the carnage left behind by their battle to turn their full attention to their new Most High Primes.

  “Worms?” Pearl asked, not believing it.

  “Worms,” Ruby confirmed.

  “Meh… they’re pretty,” Pearl finally agreed. She looked over at her sister finally and realized that her sister was spellbound, watching all the Chireop watching them.

  “What’s wrong?” Jaime asked, wrapping an arm around Ruby from behind.

  “There are so many people. Each of them so different!” she said. “I never dreamed there’d be so many differences. And I never imagined they’d be so human-like.”

  “We are human,” Ty said.

  “I know that in my head, but seeing it is something else,” Ruby whispered.

  “Ruby said you were, but… I’m not so convinced,” Pearl confided.

  “We are just a branch of humanity that took a different path. We are all Chireop. But we are vastly different. Some can shift appearances like Ms. Patty — human to bat in the blink of an eye. Some are completely human in appearance — like Clarence. Others are completely bat-like, no human appearing tendencies at all — like me.”

  “Still others are human, yet can change slightly at will small things about themselves — like me,” Jaime added.

  “But we are all Chireop. And we are all the same people,” Ms. Patty finished for them. “And finally, we are united.”

  Ty walked over to the pulpit, pulling Pearl along with him. He stood there, looking down at his people, his colony, his birthright. “We shall rise and become the great nation we once were, my brothers and sisters. The future is ours!” he called out, holding his hand in the air, still clasped with Pearl’s above his head.

  Ty looked over his shoulder, beckoning Jaime to come stand with
him.

  Jaime smiled despite himself and hurried to Ty’s side. With Ruby’s hand in his, he raised his own into the air beside Ty’s.

  A roar of approval met their actions, echoing around the cathedral which was a perfect natural acoustical arena.

  Jaime looked down at Ty’s side where the blood was running from the wound above his shoulder. “You’re bleeding,” he said.

  “Hurts even worse than it looks,” Ty admitted.

  “Then, perhaps you should see to it,” Ms. Patty said from behind them.

  “No, we need to pitch in and help down there,” Ty said, stepping away from the pulpit, and toward Ms. Patty.

  “Nonsense, these males know how to take care of this. You need to be treated by our medical people.”

  “I’m fine,” Tyrisey insisted.

  “You just said it hurt,” Jaime accused.

  “I’m fine,” Tyrisey said again more firmly.

  Ruby nudged Pearl and jutted her chin toward Ty.

  Pearl grinned and nodded. Then she raised her voice to be sure she got her point across. “Get it looked at, or I’m going home,” Pearl announced.

  “No, you’re not!” Ty said.

  Pearl smiled at him and raised an eyebrow. “Watch me,” she dared, her eyes flashing at him.

  “And here I thought mine was the harder to handle,” Jaime said, chuckling. “Good luck with that, Ty.”

  “Do you mind if I help the men below?” Jaime asked Ruby.

  “No, go right ahead,” she answered.

  “Come along with me, Ruby,” Ms. Patty said. “We should go to the women and children who are still hidden away and let them know they are safe.”

  Ruby nodded, her eyes rising to take in the ceiling and all the magnificence of the cathedral once again. “I can’t believe I’m here, that this colony and its people truly exist.”

  “You can’t expose us, Ruby. You understand that, don’t you?” Ms. Patty asked.

  Ruby stopped walking, surprise registering on her face. Of course, she couldn’t expose them. “I hadn’t even realized. Of course, not. I would never do anything to endanger them.”

  “Good. I knew you wouldn’t, but I felt I needed to point it out before your mind began to rewrite your entire dissertation.”

  Ruby opened her mouth to deny it, but she couldn’t. Her mind had indeed been rewriting her dissertation. So she asked a question instead. “How do you know I was writing a dissertation on bats?”

  “You told me, dear. The day you visited me at the farmers’ market. Come along now, we must see to the others in the colony.”

  Ruby walked with Ms. Patty as she pointed out interesting images on the wall as they made their way out of the cathedral.

  “You may go with them if you like. I will join Jaime in assisting our men,” Tyrisey said.

  “Oh, no you won’t,” Pearl answered. Then she lifted her voice to echo around the cathedral. “Medic! Is there a medic here? We need a medic! Prime dude down! I repeat Prime dude injured!”

  Right away three males started up the stair to the pulpit, “Prime! Are you injured? You should have called for us!”

  “I’m fine,” Tyrisey answered, glaring at Pearl.

  “No, you’re not,” she said. Then she addressed the men hurrying up the stairs to them. “He is not fine. Do not listen to him. He’s bleeding and his right arm is useless at the moment.”

  Ty rolled his eyes as all three men surrounded him, examining and prodding his arm and his shoulder, looking for the injury.

  A raw bellow sounded from him when one of them finally touched the wound.

  “Found it!” the male announced.

  “Do not touch it!” Tyrisey ordered, snarling.

  The males backed off, wanting to treat their Prime’s injury, but unsure if they should, as he’d ordered them away from himself.

  “Hey, I’m your mate, right? That’s what Ms. Patty said.”

  “Yes! You certainly are!” Tyrisey confirmed, his look intense daring her to deny him.

  “Then that makes me lady Prime, right?” she continued, her voice uneasy at the words she was speaking, but determined to get Ty treated.

  Ty grinned. “It makes you Prima,” he explained.

  “Ahhh. I see. Well, then, this Prima orders these medic people to treat you! Ignore him ordering you away and treat his wound!” Pearl announced, shoving her finger high in the air and raising her voice. “Your Prima has spoken!”

  Several of the males still working below them chortled at her display.

  “Damnit, Pearl!” Tyrisey grouched as the newly empowered medics began to cut his sleeve away from his wound.

  “Hey, I like this. I could get used to this,” Pearl said, looking back at the medics following her direction. “Yeah… this could work,” she said, placing her hands on her hips and looking around.

  She looked down at the activity below her and noticed a young male hurrying back into the fray with a stretcher under his arm. “Hey! You there, who am I?” she called, grinning.

  The young male looked past her to Tyrisey who stood just off to her side, tolerating the ministrations of his medical people. Tyrisey pursed his lips and nodded.

  The young male having received his Prime’s encouragement, grinned and said loudly, “You are Prima, Prima!”

  “Yes, I am,” Pearl said, looking around herself. “Yeah, I think I could get used to this for a while.”

  “A while?!” Tyrisey asked.

  “Hush, Ty. I’m planning here, and you are distracting your medics. Hush!” she said dramatically. She grinned at him and tossed a wink over her shoulder at him.

  “Good luck with that!” a familiar voice called from below.

  Tyrisey took a step closer to the pulpit to look down at Jaime who was smiling up at him.

  The medics scurried to keep up with him, and Pearl ordered them to not let him get away.

  Ty sighed. “I’m coming down to help you.”

  “No, you’re not. Not until your shoulder is all fixed.” She turned to the medics. “Is he all fixed?”

  “No, Prima. He is not.”

  “Well, fix him!” she said. “Oh, and thank you very, very much. I appreciate you assisting me with his injury,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at them.

  All three medics stopped what they were doing and gave her their undivided attention.

  “Oh for heaven’s sake, would you three please do what is required so that I may go down and assist my brother and my males as they finish up?!”

  Pearl smiled at Ty and winked at him again. “They like me,” she mock whispered. Pearl looked around herself again before deciding there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to help anyone in this cathedral. “I’m going to find Ruby and Ms. Patty,” she announced, starting down the stairs.

  Ty emitted a high-pitched sound that only his own people could hear. More than a few males looked up in answer. He made eye contact with Ephesian and waved him with two fingers toward Pearl now descending the stairs without a care in the world. Ephesian nodded and inconspicuously made his way nearer the bottom of the staircase so that he could follow her and ensure her safety. There could still be males faithful to his grandfather hiding in their colony. Ty had no worries about her safety with Ephesian, though. He’d been assigned as personal guard to Rufussian, but he’d been loyal to Tyrisey. He was the only reason that Ruby was still alive. Had he not been there to convince Rufussian not to kill Ruby, she’d be dead. And had he not come directly to Ty to tell him that Ruby had been taken, she may have been killed. He’d interceded several times. Ephesian was a trusted friend, and he would give his life to keep his new Prima safe.

  Ty, satisfied that she’d be protected, turned his attention back to the medics treating his wound. “We are almost finished stitching it, Prime. It will only be a temporary fix, though. It may require more attention.”

  “Hurry with what you’re doing. We’ll see to it again later.”

  Chapter 25

  Ho
urs later Pearl lay on her side, her back to Tyrisey in their private chamber down the hall from Ruby and Jaime. She wasn’t sleeping. Instead she’d been going over and over in her head everything that had happened since she’d arrived in Calabasas on a mission to save her sister. Turned out, her sister didn’t need saving. She was just fine. And now she found herself ‘mated’ to a bat-man. Not the “Batman,” but a real one. Complete with soft suede-like fur on his face and body, and big leathery wings.

  She wasn’t so sure she was going to stay mated to this male. But, for the moment, it was okay with her. She got to be queen for a day or two, and some really great sex out of the deal. And he really did seem to care about her. So she may stay for a while at least.

  Pearl smiled, thinking of the little ones in the orphanage on the other side of the colony. Turns out, the psycho grandfather had routinely killed off anyone who defied him, or even just pissed him off a little. So the older women of the colony, those who’d lost their husbands, or who hadn’t been blessed with children of their own, began to take the little ones left behind and started a nursery for them. Pearl had spent a little time there with some of them, reading to them and just holding the babies, rocking them until they fell asleep. A few of the toddlers had even climbed up to her lap and wanted their time to be snuggled, too.

  “The children really took to you today, I’m told,” Tyrisey commented from his side of the bed.

  “They did,” she agreed. “I really loved spending time with them. All they want is a little love. All kids need love.”

  “They do. And Ephesian said they loved your tattoos,” Tyrisey added.

  “Yeah, they kept tracing their fingers over them. I don’t think they’ve ever seen any before.”

  “No, most likely not.”

  They were quiet for a few moments, neither saying anything.

  Then Tyrisey decided to jump right in. “What’s going on in your head, Pearl?” he asked.

  “What do you mean? I’m just resting.”

  “No, you’re not. I can hear the wheels turning from here.”