Windswept (The Airborne Saga)

by Constance Sharper

  “I wasn’t trying to impress you too much early on. You’d die from admiration,” he said.

  “Admiration or fear?”

  His face softened a bit. Leading her away, they headed for the exit of the hall and back to the floors she recognized.

  “Seriously, Avery. It will take a lot to get used to. But you’re smart. You’re strong.”

  Who exactly he was trying to convince was unclear. Avery maintained her stamina though.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said after he took her in his arms and brought them to the bottom floor. The building was surprisingly empty. The Guard followed always a few feet away. It felt awkward, like having constant eavesdroppers, even though they were all as quiet and subtle as possible.

  “You’re going to have to be careful though. The press is itching for its new story. We’ve had years of experience dealing with them. But we don’t want an early, unexpected introduction.”

  “Aren’t these people going to put my face together with the trial?” she considered aloud after a moment.

  His mouth twitched.

  “The press has a short memory. But please, not a word.”

  “Scout’s honor.”

  They headed down one of the east hallways for an indistinct distance. Mason stopped at a door and opened it to a bedroom. Though simple, it was still surprisingly spacious. The sheets on the bed had clearly been pressed recently, and the air still smelt of bleach and faint cleaning supplies.

  Mason didn’t seem to want to speak. He edged into the room and shut the door, blocking the Guard outside.

  “Privacy is not the easiest thing to come around. I want to cling to it before it’s almost completely gone.”

  Avery’s heart skipped a beat. Was this going to be a repeat of their experience in Portland? She didn’t feel prepared for it. Her lips had chapped and her hair had probably knotted into vicious tangles from the flight. She’d ideally need at least twenty to shower and thirty to fix her makeup.

  “Geez, Mason, I think you need to build up the romance a bit first,” she went for the joke but he didn’t laugh.

  “I know. I actually kind of like the idea.”

  He continued quickly when her jaw had slackened.

  “Avery, when in our....relationship have we ever actually courted? Gone through any motions? All the time we’ve truly spent together has been in secret and in fear. This is the first time in a long time we are truly safe. So maybe we should do it right.”

  “Courting?” she parroted like she didn’t even understand what the word meant. “You’ve just been declared Prince and you want to go on dates?”

  Avery sounded more sarcastic and bitter than she actually felt. The pickup in her heart rate wasn’t exactly from anger but Mason had said it right—this was unfamiliar territory. They had never gone through any motions and she somewhat liked that, having little dating experience on her end. And being romantic on purpose was just...Avery couldn’t picture it quite right. Mason and she had a strange relationship but a nice one.

  “Well, it’d be a great way to introduce you to the press as well, without them pinning you with any assumptive names. But that’s not why I’m doing it. Don’t tell me you don’t want to go out with me.” Mason’s accusation was a little playful but the follow-up was not. “You even dated Patrick.”

  “Hey, that was after you sold me out to him! And I’m okay...I’m okay with it. But you better be a nice date.”

  His face lightened up a bit and he reached out for her before she could sway around. Arms embracing her again, he pulled her closer and caught her in a kiss that didn’t last long enough.

  “We’ll see. Please get some rest. I’m still worried about the Willow magic and straining your body isn’t going to help anything. And leave your blinds and door shut.”

  “Yes, Dad.” She stuck her tongue at him, but he didn’t buy into her over-exasperation, squeezing her goodbye.

  Even with her stubborn curiosity now flamed, she took his advice. With clothes and toiletries provided for her, she hopped into the shower and settled into bed. Night came quickly, and with it, most of the noise outside disappeared. She could still hear the water in the distance, but that wasn’t what stirred her.

  An ugly feeling made her spring to her feet and creep to the door. She pressed her ear against the wood and listened, but only silence met her. She was truly alone. Finding no locks, she returned to bed, forcing herself not to imagine things. Avery let out a breath. Leela once told her that she was letting post-traumatic stress stay around in her life.

  But then she hadn’t really imagined Adalyn’s warning either—to stay with Mason. But surely a separate room wouldn’t be the end of them. And that stayed in her mind for the rest of the night.

  Twelve

  When Avery opened her eyes, she stared up at the unfamiliar roof. Her first inclination that she was buried in the sheets and looking at her dorm room ceiling dissipated quickly. The memories coming back to her, Avery stretched out in the extra long bed before sitting up. The place was still classier than Mayweather dorms—a softer bed, richer sheets, and a mahogany wooden frame—but not by much. The small room had plain walls and short, tan carpet but she appreciated it feeling more like home. More awake and aware, her head snapped to the side when she heard the footsteps. Whoever they belonged too didn’t even knock. The door snapped open.

  Avery flinched, drawing the comforter under her chin. A harpie woman let herself in. Blonde and curly, she could have been mistaken for Adalyn at a distance. But plumper and wearing brightly colored ruffles, she stood out onto her own. The woman didn’t introduce herself when she paced inside, poked her head in around the room, and tossed a bag onto the counter. Another bag came out and the woman unzipped it, dumped out all the contents with a clatter, and marched back to Avery’s bed.

  “Um, hello?” Avery finally squeaked when the woman reached the foot of the bed. The harpie didn’t exactly seem like the maid. Avery had never seen a maid quite this rude either.

  “Don’t hello me. Get up! We have work to do.” The woman snatched up the sheets and ripped them clean from Avery. Avery yelped, arms going around herself and knees rising as the coldness nipped at her skin.

  “What work?” Avery quizzed a second time, surprise still fresh in her voice.

  The harpie slowed just long enough to waggle a long fingernail at her.

  “Mason sent me to help you get ready. We need to do your hair, your makeup, your nails, and really need to do your clothes.” She put emphasis on the last word with a poorly-hidden sneer.

  “Sorry. Mason didn’t mention it,” Avery confessed. He could have at least sent her breakfast or a wakeup call first.

  “The Prince wishes for you to be able to explore the Sunday market this afternoon. And he will likely meet you there,” another voice spoke up. Avery looked towards the door and its owner. In the frame stood Leon, but he had his back towards her offering more courtesy than the harpie before her had offered.

  “Okay. I didn’t realize I needed a makeover for that,” She said, still reluctantly climbing out of the bed.

  “He wishes to introduce you to the rest of the harpie people…uh…slowly. Carefully if you will. The Prince is being wise. A simple shopping trip will familiarize you with the area and people with your face. And Evelyn will just make sure you look nice for anyone. A good first impression,” he explained sufficiently.

  “And it’ll never happen if you don’t get up. Leon, please I need space to work.” The harpie woman Evelyn shooed him out.

  Avery hurried to obey, now with the harpie woman on her tail pointing out bottle after bottle. Avery dashed into the shower just to get away from her. The woman waited at the door.

  “Shampoo. Shampoo. Shampoo. Condition. Condition. Condition. When you think you’re done, do it again.”

  By the time Avery threw the door open, wrapped in a bathrobe, and wet hair in a towel, Evelyn quivered like a rabid dog. Her fingers twitched with the desire to grab Ave
ry but she managed to wave semi-politely instead.

  “I can’t get much done here. Come along now.”

  Avery didn’t argue when Evelyn hurried her to one of the higher flights. They reached the end of a hallway and Evelyn opened the door.

  “Oh wow.” Avery gaped, unable to conjure a better word when her eyes scanned the room. They weren’t kidding about all out. For something so small, it still managed to hold an aura of space and grandeur. Most predominantly, against the wall parallel to Avery, was a massive desk carved out of marble. A three way mirror sat on top of it and a dozen lights on top of that. The counters were littered with every makeup tool, perfume bottle, and hairbrush that Avery could have imagined.

  “Leon, you mustn’t follow us everywhere. And certainly not in this tiny room,” Evelyn said as she shut the door on the Guard who had trailed them upstairs. As soon as he was sealed out, she let out an overdramatic sigh before prancing back over to Avery.

  “He’s so protective. Why exactly did Mason order him to stay posted outside your room all night?”

  “What do you mean?” Avery couldn’t help but perk up.

  Evelyn pushed on Avery’s shoulder, adjusting both Avery and the chair into the perfect position. Then she swept her fingers through Avery’s hair as if puzzled where to start with the stubborn curls. The conditioner hadn’t worked the miracles she’d apparently expected.

  “He was standing guard, downstairs, by your room. Maybe making sure that you got settled. But a Guard babysitting a human is something comical.”

  Avery swallowed loudly. She had to admit that in some dumb way it did make her feel better. Her mind flittered to Adalyn just for a second before a sharp yank on her roots snapped her attention back.

  “I was told to change your look. And I’m thinking we start with this hair. I think blonde would do you a world of good.”

  “Whooo! Wait up!” Avery flinched but she couldn’t get her open palms up quick enough. “With all due respect, I don’t need to go blonde.”

  “I wish you would take the advice of a master.” Evelyn sounded exasperated. “I’m trying hard not to disappoint. We need this first impression to be perfect.”

  “So can I ask what the big deal is? Are people going to hate me…because I’m human?”

  Evelyn scrunched up her face.

  “No, no… who did you ever hear saying that?”

  Avery thought of Perry but said nothing. Avery was getting that vibe from every harpie now.

  “Let me tell you something you may not know. On top of being the Capitol’s best salon worker, I’m the spider in the center of the web. I know all the gossip. I’ve heard all the news. Just ask me, and you shall know.”

  Avery briefly wondered if they taught secret weaving in salon school. The chatting helped her relax though so she welcomed the conversation.

  “I’ve just heard that people may not like me as much because I’m human.”

  “Because you’re Mason’s mate,” Evelyn added. Avery choked prompting the woman to go on. “I’m sorry. I know that particular bit of news hasn’t hit the streets yet. It’s our secret. I also recognized you from the murder trial a year back. Not at first. But up close and personal with that tattoo I do. I heard you were wrongly accused. You were a human, helping save Mason from the Band!”

  Avery couldn’t help but snort at that one. Evelyn rattled on with more information than any one person should know.

  “I heard you were a hero. You’re strong. And scary. And yet you’re just a little human girl. I heard you’ve decided to leave your human life and live with the harpies. And with Mason. I can tell how important you are by the fact that he has one of the Guard members ordered to babysit you.”

  “Geez. Too much! What else do you have?”

  “I know you’ve come from the other side of the world. You don’t spend much time tanning. I can tell you’re verging on the edge of tomboy because you’re girly but don’t care about your hair. The kind of person to fight in a battle but run away from a cockroach.

  “But then there are things I don’t know. I don’t know how you fought off the Band. How you’re involved with Mikhail.”

  Avery frowned, having the conversation officially stir memories of Adalyn and her warning. Evelyn mistook her silence for disapproval and the woman panicked.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. I know we’ve just met and this is hardly the topics for strangers.” She dropped into a silence herself. A moment slipped by before Evelyn changed the subject.

  “I hope you know that it’s not that people dislike you just because you’re human. There’s been a long clash in our culture going back to the days of Prince Mikhail and Prince Jericho. It’s a war between new and old thought. Old thought was that we didn’t even associate with humans, lived an isolationist culture driven by fear and respect of the ancient way. Obviously we wouldn’t be running off marrying humans either. But Jericho led the way in the new age thought. He broke down barriers. I mean, it’s not like we’ll simply revert backwards now. And now we have a Prince finally stepping away from having a full-blooded harpie bride. I don’t think it’ll be a nightmare. I think it’ll be a bold statement.”

  Evelyn didn’t sound overly confident, and it didn’t take Avery much to gather that there had been anarchy in the harpie world before. But she wasn’t planning to run off and marry anytime soon. She’d just graduated high school last week. In the mean time, she’d be happy winning people over enough to gain their approval and be able to live in peace.

  By the time Evelyn had finished, Avery’s curls had been brushed out in waves that hung from a slanted barrette and tickled her shoulders. She didn’t have much more makeup than that to smooth out her complexion and accent her face. Evelyn offered her an outfit—closer to traditional harpie wear in white and black. She also gave Avery a set of wedges that bumped up her height and made her shortness less apparent. Avery didn’t fight. Though she’d hate to admit it, the whole thing pulled together well. The harpie woman must have thought so too.

  “Very nice.” She smiled. “Leon! She’s ready!”

  The Guard member poked his head back in the door. Considering the color on his cheeks, he didn’t like or wasn’t good at babysitting duty. Avery was ready to get away from the session too and blew past him to the exit.

  “So I just wander around and look non-threatening?” Avery questioned as they left the building and she reached the sidewalk. Leon’s head spun on his shoulders and he didn’t stand very close to her. Although apparently blessed with the hearing of a bat, he answered her anyways.

  “It’s not a mission. Or a contest. It’s simply a shopping trip.”

  “Making a harpie like you is always a mission. It’s harder than fighting. I think I’d take a Band member about now,” she hissed. Her own head threatened to spin. Though she’d walked through the market before, it seemed like tons of new things sprung up overnight. Food stands were the most prominent. Herbs and grassy substances were interwoven among them but Avery couldn’t tell if that was something to eat or something used in magic.

  “I’d avoid mentioning the Band. They still strike fear into the hearts of people here. Just be yourself. I think you’ll find it easier to get along with a harpie that way.”

  She smirked and suddenly stopped at a booth. Set out delicately over a black tablecloth were pendants of glass. It took her a moment of staring at the shiny things to ask what popped into her head.

  “Are these amulets?”

  The old harpie woman across the table twitched.

  “I have my permits.” She waved desperately to papers displayed in the corners.

  “Ah no I’m not checking for anything…” She twisted her body to glance at Leon. “Shoo, you’re unnerving people.”

  Leon twitched and only somewhat obeyed. He spun around the other side of the shop—not far but less apparent. The old woman’s face relaxed.

  “I’m sorry. I was just looking. I’ve seen amulets before but I’m not very famili
ar with them.”

  The old woman smiled and pointed them out.

  “These are superficial ones. Nothing too strong here. Are you looking for anything specific, dear?”

  “I wouldn’t know if I was.” All Avery could tell was that the colors reminded her of pressed glass she’d seen at art fairs. None of the amulets matched in exact shade and the shapes and ridges differed in each.

  Someone screamed. Avery’s chin snapped upwards. She spotted the source when the screaming turned into yelping and quieter giggling. On the other side of the woman’s hut, she could see harpie women float together. The group of twitchy women held her attention so long she didn’t see the center of their attention for a full moment. Adorned in white and gold, Mason drifted along the side of the beach. The wind had picked up his hair and made the official Prince-look more relaxed. His green eyes stared off the side of the beach away from Avery.