by Devan Skyles
Last Bottle
Rhydian was out of breath by the time he caught up with his mother. She was standing in the doorway looking in. Her wings hung limp from her shoulders, draped across the balcony. Rhydian landed heavily behind her and peered in over her shoulder.
Inside, tables were flipped, furniture broken, books and papers scattered the floor. He drew his sword and stepped around his mother.
“Stay here,” he instructed.
She tried to stop him but he was already through the door, his sword held ready over his shoulder. He peered into every corner of the house, expecting around each turn to be attacked. Instead, he simply found every inch of the place in shambles. Even the mattresses and upholstery were cut open and torn apart.
He ran into his room and found his bed flipped. Every single bottle of ilïmbalm he’d collected was gone. He lowered his sword and slumped against a wall in despair.
Moments later his mother entered the room. Her eyes were red with tears and every move she made was slow and deliberate, touching every wrecked piece of furniture gingerly as she passed. She came and sat next to Rhydian in silence.
Rhydian, his head in his hands, said, “I’m so sorry, Mother. I’m so sorry I brought this on us.” He knew, of course, that this was about the timekeeper, not the ilïmbalm, but he felt responsible nonetheless.
His mother placed a hand on her son’s head and stroked his hair. “You couldn’t have known this would happen.”
Rhydian sat up abruptly. “What if you had been here when this happened?”
“I wasn’t,” she said softly.
“But this could happen again!” he exclaimed, standing now. “I have to fix this.”
“We’ll report it to the Quorum,” she said. “That’s about all we can do.”
But Rhydian wasn’t convinced. He knew who was responsible, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.
“Mother, I think you should get away for a while,” he told her solemnly, “until this blows over. It’s just not safe.”
An incredulous look overcame her. “And leave my boy here, defenseless?”
“Mother,” he pleaded, “I’m not defenseless. I’m a grown man. It’s my turn to take care of you now. Please.”
She slowly nodded her head in concession. “Okay. I’ll go and stay with your aunts in the north for a time.”
The two picked up the place as best they could before Rhydian said goodbye to his mother and watched her drift off toward the horizon. He then took off with determined haste to the summit of the Monolith City, angling his wings in a deep V-shape and slinging himself around against the wind, down into the Fleet barracks. He zipped back and forth, cutting the breeze, until he reached the level he was looking for and landed on a small stoop before a door marked, Fleetman 360-82367.
He knocked on the door vigorously until it opened, and a bewildered, groggy-eyed Auram appeared in the opening.
“What’s going on?” Auram questioned.
Rhydian impatiently pushed his way into the room past his friend. Inside were modest living quarters with very little embellishment. In the corner was a bed that was made up and folded with tight corners, a sword and bow arranged orderly beside it.
“I just got arrested,” Rhydian blurted out.
Auram’s gaze darted back and forth between the door and his friend. “Are you sure, because— you’re not in jail.”
“They let me go, but—” Rhydian stopped short, noticing his friend standing unsteadily. “Are you alright?”
Auram nodded his head emphatically but immediately stumbled and ruffled all his feathers.
“You’re drunk,” Rhydian accused.
“No, I’m not,” he disputed, but upon an inquisitive look from Rhydian, continued, “It’s just, this pure stuff is a lot stronger than what the Fleet gives us.” He retrieved a bottle of the deep, red ilïmbalm and raised it to his mouth.
Rhydian snatched the bottle from between his lips and rushed over to the window to draw the curtain shut. “You can’t let anybody see you with this,” he cautioned in a hushed tone. He then ran over to the sink basin and poured the contents of the bottle down the drain, much to Auram’s dismay.
“That was the last bottle I had!” Auram shouted.
Rhydian came back with the empty bottle and brandished it in front of his friend. “I just got tried for conspiracy just for having this,” he hissed, “and you’re here getting drunk off of it? What if someone sees you like this? They’re going to start asking questions.”
“I’d just tell them I had too much of my rations,” he reasoned.
“Which is what, grade-four? Maybe five? You can’t see yourself right now, but if you could, you’d know that no amount of that stuff would ever get you this sloppy. What ever happened to discretion?”
“Rhydian, relax!” he spat. “I haven’t been out in public, and I haven’t even had that much.”
“I brought you twelve units the other day!”
“Well, I spent some of it,” he argued.
“Auram, come on. What’s really going on here?”
Auram rolled his eyes and sighed. He dropped to the bed, its tight, folded corners pulling out as he did. He then ran his fingers through his thick locks and admitted, “We just got word that we’re deploying in a few weeks. I’m going to the ground.”
“So soon? I thought you weren’t scheduled to leave until the end of the season.”
“They moved it up,” he said. “Apparently there have been threats against some of the lower thresholds, and they need more security.”
“Well, that’s what you’ve always wanted, right?” Rhydian said. “Adventure?”
Auram looked at him with a solemn expression. “I’m not coming back, Rhydian.”
“Wha— what do you mean?”
“I can barely pass my sword qualifications. There’s no way I’m making it back. I’m going to die on the ground, Rhydian.” He slumped over and buried his face in his hands.
“You’re just nervous,” Rhydian said, trying futilely to comfort him. He wasn’t sure what else to say. He’d never seen Auram exude anything but the utmost assurance (and even overconfidence) in his life. He’d been the one, at the age of ten, who decided they were going to join Fleet together one day.
Aurum sat up and put on a half-hearted smile. “Yeah, you’re right.” But he didn’t believe it. “So, you got arrested?”
“That’s not even the worst part,” he said in a hushed tone, and he proceeded to tell his friend everything that had transpired.
The news seemed to sober Auram up almost immediately. “So, Redwing wants your timekeeper? What could he possibly want with it?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “He just said he needed ‘all three,’ whatever that means.”
“All three?” Auram retorted. “There are thousands of timekeepers in circulation. Hundreds of thousands. What does he mean, ‘all three’?”
“I have no idea, but I don’t want to wait until he finally gets it to find out. I think he’s the one who sent those two thugs after me.”
“Why don’t we just go report him?” Auram shrugged.
“To who? That perch is a member of the Governors Council and the Judges Quorum. Who’s going to believe us without proof?”
“So, what do we do, spy on him until we find the proof we need?”
Rhydian considered for a moment. Redwing was an important person. He was sure to have his own private security detail day and night. He was untouchable. Then he realized, when Redwing had met with the mysterious individual in the courthouse chamber, he’d gone alone. No security. They needed to find out when he would meet with his accomplice again, but how could they possibly know? Then it hit him.
“You’re a soldier!” Rhydian exclaimed. “Could you get yourself assigned to Redwing’s security detail?”
Auram, blinking through his intoxication, nodded decisively. “I could put in a request. I don’t know if they’ll approve it.”
“
Great! So, if you can, then all you have to do is find out when and where he meets with his accomplice again and we’re in.”
“Well, I can’t exactly ask him, can I?” he argued.
“Of course not, but as his bodyguard, you’ll be closer to him than anyone else. You can do some poking around.”
“Right, because he always leaves his personal calendar full of schemes and political scandals just laying around for his security guards to read.”
Rhydian laughed at the joke, glad to see his friend in better spirits. He got up anxiously to leave.
“Wait,” Auram interjected, “where are you going?”
“Back through the threshold,” he answered.
“Wait, I thought the Gatemakers revoked your timekeeper.”
“Right, from all registered thresholds. Thing is, the court didn’t know anything about me using that gateway, so I figure that one must not be registered. It’s worth a try anyway.”
“Just for more ilïmbalm? Is that smart, I mean, with all that’s happened already?”
Rhydian faltered, casting his gaze away. Meeting Ellie was the only part of the story he’d left out.
“I, uh, have other reasons,” Rhydian said under his breath.
“What reasons?”
“Well—” He couldn’t find any way around it. He had to tell the truth. “I sort of, uh, you know, met someone there. A girl.”
Auram’s eyes widened. “So, there are others using the threshold? Who is she? Is it anyone we know?”
“Well, no one you know,” he evaded.
“Well, what is she doing there? Does she know why there’s a threshold there?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Oh, come on, Rhyd! When have you ever held back details about a girl before?”
“Since I told you about my crush on Lyra when we were fifteen and then you kissed her.”
“You’re avoiding the question,” he replied, unfazed. “Why don’t you want to tell me about her?” Auram had always had the ability to see right through him. There was no hiding anything from him.
Rhydian took a deep breath and admitted, “Her name is Ellie. I met her on the other side because— because she lives on the other side.”
Auram nearly fell off the bed. The shock of the statement sobered him up instantly. “Wait! Are you trying to tell me she’s human?”
Rhydian’s eyes went wide. “Keep it down! Do you want someone to hear?”
Auram seemed not to have heard him and continued, “Do you realize the implications of getting involved with an other-sider? They’ll have your wings!”
Rhydian shushed his exasperated friend. “I know! You don’t think I realize this is crazy? I haven’t revealed anything to her. It’s just, I don’t know, she’s really incredible. I think I’m going to see her again.”
“So, tell me something then,” he argued. “How do you see this playing out? Because the way I see it, you have two choices: You tell her where you’re from, which is treason, by the way, and she either thinks you’re nuts and breaks it off, or she still wants you and you have to live as a human for the rest of your life on the other side. The other choice is you continue to lie to her and, well, I guess you still have to live on the ground with her, but with guilt. Either way, you’ll never be able to be together. She can never come here, and you were meant to be in the sky. You’re both from completely different worlds, almost literally.”
Rhydian hated hearing the pure logic of the issue. He turned away, frustrated. Everything Auram had said made perfect sense, but right now he didn’t want to be sensible. He’d been sensible his whole life, and now he’d met someone who made him want to through all caution to the wind and live in the moment, despite the risks. Then again, he did only just meet Ellie, so perhaps Auram was right. Maybe he should cut ties now before he became too attached. The thought made him feel sullen and depressed.
Sensing his frustration, Auram placed a hand on Rhydian’s shoulder and said, “Is she pretty?”
Rhydian’s morose demeanor dissolved in light of his friend’s newfound support, and his heart swelled with joy. “She’s beautiful! You’ve seen her, the girl at the house.”
“Well, I still think it’s a terrible idea,” he said, “but since when have I been one to discourage a little mischief. If you get caught, though, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He gave him a playful shove.
Rhydian looked at his lifelong friend reverently. “Thank you, brother. So, you’ll keep my secret?”
“Anything for you,” he replied with a grin. “Can’t imagine how beautiful someone can be without wings, though.”
Rhydian rolled his eyes and hugged his friend goodbye. He stepped outside and noticed that the sky was darkening, thick clouds obscuring the sun. The smell of rain filled the air and the wind felt damp.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a flutter of black and orange feathers. He turned and saw a man, a tree-dweller, just duck around the corner of the building. His heart raced. He’d only caught a brief glimpse of the man, but he was sure it was the same one who’d attacked him near the Treetown the other day.
He drew his sword, fire in his veins, and flapped quickly around the corner. He landed on another ledge and cast his gaze about, searching for another glimpse of orange and black. No movement. Holding the sword in one hand, he flapped hard and rose in swooping circles to the top of the barracks complex. He spotted an off-duty soldier or two, but none of them tree-dwellers. Had he simply been imagining things?
Brushing off the incident, he sheathed his sword and flew toward the edge of town. He left his guard up, however, continually peering over his shoulder in case of another ambush. Near the edge of town, he noticed someone flying overhead, so high up all he saw was the silhouette of outspread wings against the overcast sky. The further from town he got, the more aware he was that the person was following the same course he was, and against the wind. Was he being followed?
To test his theory, Rhydian wheeled in the air and headed in the opposite direction for a full five minutes. Sure enough, the silhouetted figure continued to stay within sight. It was then he realized what he’d been missing while his attention was skyward. A hundred feet below him, he spotted the fluttering flight pattern of tree-dwellers, flitting from one tree to another. He wasn’t sure how many there were, but he was sure of one thing: He wasn’t going to make it back to his secret threshold today. He was being watched.
Taya’s Torment
Auram tipped back the bottle Rhydian had poured out and drained the remaining drops into his mouth. He then opened a cupboard near the bed and pulled out a fresh bottle of his usual ilïmbalm rations the Fleet issued him with every meal. He hadn’t had any of the meager, transparent fluid since Rhydian started sharing his wealth, so he’d stockpiled it in his room.
Opening the bottle, he took a swig and cringed. Compared to the sweet, high-grade balm, this tasted like stale water, but he drained the entire thing anyway. Overdosing on ilïmbalm seemed the only way to distract himself from his inevitable demise in the coming weeks. Every time he thought of deploying, he immediately imagined some ground-dweller wearing his feathers as a trophy.
He dropped to the bed and instantly the world seemed to spin. He didn’t recall falling asleep, but he was soon dreaming that he was plummeting slowly through the trees toward a raging battlefield below, his Fleet armor falling, piece-by-piece, from his body until all he had left was his sword. He called up for help and saw Rhydian hovering above him, smiling.
“Have fun on your adventure, brother!” Rhydian exclaimed.
“You have to come with me!” he pleaded.
But Rhydian’s wings were now gone and he simply drifted higher into the air until he was just a speck in the sky. Suddenly, he was no longer falling, but he was standing in the training complex atop the Monolith City, preparing to take his sword fighting qualifications.
“You need to learn to fight the real thing now, Fleetman!” shouted his sergeant from
the sidelines, holding a hefty chain.
He looked over and saw that his opponent was not an instructor, but a massive, hairy ground-dweller. It was restrained only by the chain the sergeant held and was snarling and gnashing its teeth, flailing against its restraints in an attempt to tear him apart.
“But I haven’t got a weapon, Sergeant!” and indeed, he was now completely unarmed.
The sergeant simply laughed and released the beast.
Auram couldn’t remember how the dream ended, but he woke with a pit in his stomach, feeling as though he hadn’t slept at all.
He got up and splashed cold water on his face and looked in the mirror. His blonde hair stuck out in all directions and his feathers were so rumpled he looked like he’d just flown through a tornado. He quickly ate, bathed, put on his uniform, and flew from the barracks. It was only a short flight to the training field where he knew he’d be running through tiresome ground fighting exercises most of the day.
He wasn’t sure why they practiced ground fighting tactics so often. Most of the fighting was done from the air, where they had the advantage. Then again, he wasn’t the most skilled aerial archer either.
As the company began to fall into morning formation, Auram found his place in the ranks amongst the hundred or so fellow soldiers in his company. He stood at attention, hands to the sides, wings pointed up and to the rear.
“Did you hear about the new deployment date?” a large man to his right whispered. He stood at least a head taller than Auram.
They stood in the very back rank of the formation, which made discreet conversation easier to get away with.
“I heard,” Auram answered.
“Personally, I can’t wait to get down there and see some action. How about you?”
“Oh, yeah,” he replied with feigned enthusiasm. “Can’t wait.”
The man smiled as though he could hear the trepidation in his voice. “Don’t worry, Auram. I’ll make sure you come back alive.”
