Windswept (The Airborne Saga)

by Constance Sharper

  “We are not a team. You pretend like I’ve wanted to be. I am supposed to be protecting you from grave danger in the harpie world. Unfortunately, I haven’t always been able to in the past and now when I can finally keep you out of it—keep you safe—you want to rush to the forefront and endanger yourself under the guise of a team.”

  Avery’s face must have blanked because her mind did. She forgot he was in front of her and cradled her cold fingers together for the moments until the shock passed. Before she even brought herself to react, she felt Mason reach out and squeeze her hands.

  “Please understand, Avery. We’ve been a great team. But I don’t want you to have to deal with the dangers of the harpie world that I’ve invited you into. I want you to be able to enjoy it.” He snorted at his last sentence, turning his face away with a show of the bitterness he actually felt. That made Avery react.

  “For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” She gave him a watery smile fueled by the distinct heart ache that now felt like a heavy knot in her chest. The adrenaline of the evening had worn away, while the pain in her bones intensified. All combined with the conversation, she was on the decline quickly. Shifting, she laced her hands to his and clung with him.

  Mason hadn’t made any bones about protecting her in the past. It was just different, new. She’d been so used to fighting alongside him, it would be a difficult transition.

  “Stop saying that. I’ll make it better, Avery. I promise...”

  “I’ll stay out of it. I won’t ask again.”

  “Eva...she was just upset about the Willow magic. I guess her vision of it didn’t quite pan out. Meanwhile, she wanted to see you since you were the first to absorb it and probably just because she could get at you more readily.”

  “She did, she told me the magic was decaying.”

  Mason moved abruptly, tearing one hand away and turning Avery’s wrist. Pushing up her sleeves, he revealed the Willow magic tattoo.

  “What’s wrong?” She didn’t want to beat a dead horse, but they’d been over the magic before. It wasn’t healing her well because it wasn’t doing anything. It stayed its sharp blackened color with red at the edges. Mason didn’t answer until he pulled up his opposing sleeve and laid their arms across each other’s. Avery’s breath hitched.

  “You too? Mason! It’s hurting you too!”

  He bared the same distinctive pattern.

  “Not as bad as yours. But neither Eva nor I will be as bad. I don’t know if it’s a time thing or a usage thing but you are the worst. I don’t understand it, Avery. Every time I think we don’t need to worry it does something else. Or in this case, it does nothing. Not even give off an aura...”

  “What do we do?” She freed herself and yanked her sleeve down. Her heart had picked up and she couldn’t stop looking at his bizarre tattoo. This wasn’t supposed to happen to Mason too. She was used to it—she had been for years and she could be for years in the future. But Mason was in danger now too. It turned the situation into something else for her and she didn’t find a comfortable way to feel about this.

  “Nothing yet. I’m not telling anyone about the Willow magic. It’s bad enough the council already knows that it exists, they need to know nothing of its power or lack of...it’s our little secret.”

  She couldn’t help it. She reached out for him and twisted her arms around his neck. Mason was warm and cooling at the same time, returning the embrace and pressing their cheeks together. His fingers went to the nape of her neck and brushed through her hair. The motions were tiny but helpful and Avery gathered herself.

  “Then hopefully Eva shuts up about it. That’s why the Band kicked her out, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe. But Eva never led the Band, not really. After Mikhail died, it would make sense a new leader could slip in.”

  “Like Patrick. He was the one who took Adalyn when she came by my school. He was with others....I didn’t see the familiar armor but it makes so much sense. Adalyn wanted to warn us. That Patrick would be coming after us.” She started talking and ended by blurting everything out. Mason pulled away to study her again, but he didn’t give the face of shock she’d anticipated. Rather the same skeptical look for her involvement. He didn’t comment on anything but her theory though.

  “Maybe, but it’s nothing new to have the Band of Thieves out there in the world.”

  “Should someone help Adalyn?” The woman was, after all, Mason’s ex-fiancé.

  “She’s been so involved with Patrick, I don’t think he has any intention to hurt her. And besides, weak warning or not, if she’s allied with the Band then I have no place protecting her.” His voice waivered the tiniest.

  “I’m sorry, Mason.”

  “Don’t be. Just promise me you won’t go poking around into anything again. No harpie should hear you talking about those things and spinning rumors. We’re leaving for Portland in the morning and you should rest—especially with the magic’s condition.”

  The conversation finally ending, Mason escorted her to a ‘bed’. It was more of a cot than anything else and nothing he could share. But dropping into it, she forgot about the Guard in the room or the aches in her body. She slept without another argument. By the time she awoke, Mason was up and ready again. He’d clearly changed from the prior night but it took her another minute to catch on what exactly changed.

  “You cut your hair,” she said aloud when it struck her. The brown indie rocker locks were traded out for a short and careful cut. Combined with the white suit furnished with gold trim, he actually looked official. Mason really looked like a prince. If he’d noticed the difference, he never let on.

  “Come on. Perry brought you food to eat before we leave.”

  The female harpie did make an appearance with pastries that Avery ate without taking the time to chew. She followed them outside and hurried up to Avery’s side before the group planned to take off.

  “Oh dear, we’re going to miss you in Portland!” She gave Avery a quick squeeze. The woman nearly identical to the grandmother Avery never grew up with, it was kind of nice.

  “I’ll drop by sometime,” Avery tried, but Perry changed the subject. In a hushed voice, she whispered near Avery’s ear.

  “I looked into Patrick for you. He was jailed most recently for murder, but he’s not a regular criminal. He’s a mercenary—a hired assassin particularly. Not that there are too many details about the black market, dear, but he’s the best in the business. I know he’s not dangerous looking, dear, but you’ve never seen him with a goal. Please stay away.”

  What Perry thought Avery had to do with Patrick was unclear. But Avery did know one thing. Patrick was definitely working for someone in the Band. And after a little money was flashed in front of him, he was working for the death of Avery and Mason with only Adalyn to get in his way.

  Eleven

  “Don’t you dare,” Avery commanded. It wasn’t difficult to be firm and threatening when fear dominated her mind. “Dropping me is not an option.”

  In the formation they flew, she couldn’t see Mason’s face, but she still managed to sense his eye roll.

  “I’m technically not dropping you. It’s not like you’re going to hit the ground,” Mason pointed out over the roaring wind.

  “There’s still a bit of a fall. And this high, what if no one does catch me?” She spared a glance towards the ground. From here, all she could see was the deep blue of the ocean rush by so quickly the entire thing looked surreal. But Avery didn’t have to see it well to know that hitting the ocean this high would be like hitting concrete.

  “We’re too close to the island now, meaning the press is going to be swarming and you’re going to see something a lot scarier than dropping a few feet.”

  His logic didn’t seem entirely true. She couldn’t even see the island yet and it didn’t make up a dot in the horizon. Plus, after being dropped by harpies throughout the years, she had developed a sort of post-traumatic stress from the falling thing.
She’d rather have faced the press. Mason abruptly decided to never even give her the choice.

  His arms loosened and a scream slipped from her lungs before she slipped from his grip. The wind smacked and whipped her body as gravity took control. Avery didn’t even have the chance to see the world spinning. Someone from behind snatched her and her entire world jolted. Swung back to a normal position, it took a moment for her world to reorient. A Guard member held her now. Unlike Mason though, he held her in his arms like a bag of meat and took off in the other direction, pulling them close to the waves. Sprays of salt water blasted them both but the dive was a startling quick maneuver and had them spinning over the tops of waves in seconds.

  “Dang it, Mason!” she yelled even though he couldn’t hear her. Mason, accompanied by the rest of the Guard, rapidly disappeared in another direction. Avery turned her attention to the Guard that held her instead. She recognized him now as the harpie who had pulled her from the ravine after Eva’s attack. Though he may have known her by now, he didn’t show any sign of friendly warmth on his sharply cut face.

  “Where are we going?” She asked.

  “We’re taking a different path than them, a back way inside. Prince’s orders.”

  She didn’t quiz him on how long that different path would take, though she became sorely tempted to after the first few minutes. His hold on her stung and the earlier screaming had dried her raw throat. Hair knotting and tangling around her cold damp face, she couldn’t see well enough to prepare her body for another jolt. Almost as if he’d read her mind, he loosened his grip slightly.

  Avery finally got a look at their rapidly approaching destination. She’d seen the island many times, but at every angle they approached it made the entire place look different. Instead of the tropical beaches and white sand she’d expected, she saw only a rocky mass from which the most prominent waterfalls had formed. Leon seemed intent on landing the mini mountainside. His grip tightened again and his wings readjusted, sending them at breakneck speed towards the rocks. A moment before they collided, he pulled them upward with a shift of flight. The rocks had parted and they slid into an opening.

  The Guard shifted again, this time dragging them to a smooth and sudden stop. His arms never left hers until his boots stopped sliding on the ground and the resulting dust storm dissipated. Avery blinked. Once. Twice. Remembering how to move, she scanned her surroundings. It appeared he’d taken them into a manmade cave. The walls were smooth and the ground was sanded into fine dirt. A missile bunker harpie style? She never got the chance to ask. Mistaking her confusion and curiosity for fear, Leon spoke up.

  “I’m sorry about the rough landing.” He seemed ashamed, even though he’d pulled it off like a boss. Avery would gladly accept a landing like that any day after being dropped. She plastered a thankful smile and shook the surprised expression off her face.

  “That’s cool. But where are we? I’ve never seen this entrance before.”

  “You wouldn’t truly have. This is the back way inside,” Leon said.

  “Wow. Well, just when I think I know the island…” she said while taking a step. Dizziness seized her so she leaned on the chilly wall until her body recovered. Maybe she was getting too old for all the rough action. Leon held out a hand which she reluctantly accepted. Her first steps were wobbly, but she managed to regain her confidence. Leon led her along.

  “Why is this passage here?” she asked. The tunnels wound blindly, forking in some places and severely darkening in others. It appeared this tunnel was deeper and more pervasive than first appearances. Every time she faltered, he pointed and she continued.

  “This access point won’t stay open for long. This is the second job of the Guard—we keep these tunnels protected. You’ll see why shortly.”

  When she finally saw the hint of light ahead, she walked with more certainty and popped her head into the light. She didn’t recognize the location immediately. It let them out into a massive hallway somewhere in the middle of a building. She released him and took a few steps forward. Windows against far walls showed only clouds, revealing that they were up somewhere high. She knew there was only one building tall enough on the island to warrant this.

  “The capitol building.” She realized. She didn’t recognize this hall though. Most of the building was decorated with marble and ivory, but this hall had particular design differences. Against the wall closest to her were massive black doors. Made of something between metal and wood, it was beginning to look like a fortress.

  “Not just the building. This is the Council’s Hall. It is the most important floor and is usually inaccessible.”

  Avery whirled back to look at the wall from which they came. She didn’t see the entrance to the tunnel at all. From here, it just looked like a curtain of ivy and moss. She wouldn’t have believed it if she didn’t walk through the place herself. After double-taking, she decided magic must have been at work.

  “That’s so cool! Is that an escape route?”

  “Yes. It hasn’t been used for centuries. Our monarchy has been calm. But again and I mean no disrespect, these floors aren’t a place for a human.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. That’s why you people don’t believe in stairs.”

  She earned a smile for once and returned an even bigger one. She was going to make this harpie like her whether he wanted to or not. He already didn’t seem as obnoxious or aggressive as the others. But then maybe he was just being polite.

  Leon moved along and she followed. Her head was spinning to take in details she likely wouldn’t see again. On the wall before her hung banners—purple, blue, gold. The whole place smelt like potpourri and incense. The smell of rich harpies perhaps.

  “What’s behind the big doors?” she asked before they were out of sight.

  “It’s the throne room. But since we have no real meaning for thrones, the council simply uses it as a meeting place. It’s more traditional than necessary, preserved with our culture from old times.”

  She snuck towards it. Leon, an apparently nice tour guide, did nothing to stop her.

  “There’s no one inside,” she gathered. If they had been, she figured they wouldn’t even have let her up there. She reached out for the heavy cast iron door handle. When he didn’t stop her, she tugged until it finally opened with a guttural moan. No lights were on inside and no windows improved the visibility. Only light from the hall did anything to illuminate the room. Then Avery saw it. The throne.

  Leon hadn’t been kidding, and she could have kicked herself for brushing him off. The chair was massive—far too big for one person—but clearly meant for one important person. Gold and rich velvet made up the chair limbs and an intricately stitched rug ran the ground beneath it. The council seats made up a semi-circle around it, and those seats and tables were no less extravagant.

  Shock may have been her initial reaction, but Avery didn’t know how to feel. Mason was to sit there in the center. A tingling feeling swept her body. She’d always known he was the son of royalty but this…

  “Are you okay, Ms. Zane?” Leon tugged her sleeve. He might have been saying something earlier, but she never registered the words.

  “Yeah.” She took a step back. Without her hand on the door, it swung shut and the room sealed itself off. Avery took another step back. “I’m just…”

  “I realize you wouldn’t recognize it.” Leon mistook her bumbling. He was right though. She hadn’t seen any of this. In her experience, the council was a scattered bunch who met with Mason and occasionally with her in a completely arbitrary manner. She’d never seen the Guard before or heard any real official speeches. But then when she’d been here before, Prince Jericho had been killed and the Council had been disintegrating. The head of the council, Samuel, had died shortly thereafter.

  “Come here. This is something you’ve seen before,” he added.

  She pivoted on her heel and headed that way. He only made a small hand motion to stop her when she stood a few feet away. On th
is side of the hall were windows as well but also a glass door. Outside was a massive balcony. She couldn’t see very much from here but the location was enough that she did recognize it. This was the side of the capitol building that faced the island. This was the side of the building that everyone saw.

  “This is where the Prince addresses his subjects. Where he will be doing at his speech in a few days.”

  “Don’t stare too hard. Your mouth is already open.”

  So dazed, it took her a minute to send Mason an appropriate scowl. She hadn’t heard him walk up behind her. The Guard was behind him, but shifted to take unsaid but well-known posting around the hall. Leon also disappeared from their side.

  “I’m glad I got this on the initial tour,” she snipped.

  His fingers whisked over her bare arms, drawing her closer without a firm touch. His eyes slid over her figure as if he was just double checking for any damage after dropping her.