by SJ West
“We should get going,” my mom announces as she holds Lyra’s hand and they both walk over to me and Dax. “Kyna and Cara are expecting us.”
My dad places Dax back on his feet, and my brother immediately grabs one of my hands.
“How long do you think the meeting will take?” my mom asks Dad.
“It’s hard to say,” he replies. “If this person is genuine, then we may be there quite a while. If he isn’t, we won’t be there very long at all.”
“How will you know if he’s really a member of the resistance?” my mom asks.
“We have some details about the last two bombings that only someone involved in the planning of the incidents would know. If he’s the real deal, he shouldn’t have any trouble giving us the correct answers.”
“Well, be careful,” she tells him. “We can’t trust him until he’s proven himself. Do you even know what his name is?”
“No. He wouldn’t say, but don’t worry. You know I can handle anything that happens down there.”
“That’s the only reason I won’t worry,” my mom replies, reaching out with one willowy arm to place her hand behind my father’s neck to bring his head down closer to hers. Their kiss is brief, but one that’s filled with love and respect doesn’t have to be long to get the point across.
“I’ll see you later,” she whispers, looking into his eyes with regret that they have to be separated even for a short amount of time.
“Have fun in Stratus,” he tells her before phasing. I can see by his phase trail that he’s gone to my brother’s bedroom, presumably to help him finish getting ready for their meeting.
“Let’s go,” my mom says to me. “I’m sure Kyna and Cara are waiting on us.”
She phases Lyra while I phase Dax and myself to the home of the empress and emperor of Stratus. When we reach the family quarters, we find Kyna and Cara there waiting for us just as my mother predicted. Cara is the only child that Kyna and Brutus ever had. I was told that Kyna’s experiences with her own brother, Lorcan, were so horrible that she couldn’t bear the thought of forcing a child of her own to live with a sibling. Brutus tried to convince her that their family wouldn’t be anything like hers had been, but Kyna was adamant about only having one child. Although Brutus wanted more children, he understood his wife’s worries and didn’t push the matter. If anyone in the world was lavished with more love than me and my siblings, it was Cara, but she was also raised to care about others and never take the blessings she was born into for granted. I can definitely see why my brother has fallen head-over-heels in love with our friend, and I couldn’t have picked anyone better than Cara for him.
“Kyna!” Dax says excitedly as he lets go of my hand to run over to Cara’s mother. “Where’s the cake?”
As my cute little brother stares up at the beautiful empress of Stratus with eyes wide in eager expectation, she smiles at him brightly and says, “I don’t have cake, sweet boy, but I do have some scrumptious tayberries, damsons, and greengage for you to eat. They’re just as sweet as cake. I promise.”
“Okay!” Dax says brightly, trusting Kyna to be true to her word.
Kyna looks over at me and says, “Brutus is waiting for you in his shop outside.”
“Take me down with you,” Cara requests as she comes to stand by my side. “I love to watch Dad make things.”
“Remember not to come back until the bracelet is finished,” my mother reminds me.
“I won’t,” I promise her.
When I was old enough to understand why I had to wear my bracelet all the time, my parents sat me down and explained everything to me. I was shocked to learn that my Aunt Helena kidnapped me when I was born and gave me my grandfather’s Seal of Silence before returning me to my parents. Apparently the seal connected me to my aunt in some mystical way and her emotions affected my own, turning me against the people she detests the most, especially my mother. The bracelet I wear is made from a rattle that my ancestor and partial namesake, Lilly, gave to my mother as a wedding present. Wearing the bracelet made from this heavenly metal prevents me from channeling my aunt’s raw emotions and allows me to live my life the way I want to without being constantly bombarded by her personal feelings.
After they explained all of this to me, I asked them if they knew why my aunt gave me the seal. From what I understand, the seals give the bearer powers, and I’ve never known my aunt to give away anything without expecting something of equal or greater value in return. My parents said they weren’t sure what my aunt’s purpose was and that it’s something we’ll just have to figure out when the time comes. Even as they said these words to me, I could tell they were withholding important information. I do believe they don’t know exactly what my aunt’s plans are for me, but I also believe they have a few theories. Perhaps they were afraid that knowing too much might influence my future decisions and cause their deepest fears to be realized. I’m not really sure, but I do know they would never withhold valuable information if they thought it would help me.
I phase Cara and myself right outside her father’s metal shop on the castle grounds. Before we enter the stone structure, I turn to Cara to ask for her help with something.
“I need you to cover for me,” I tell her. “I have to go see someone.”
“A boy?” she asks knowingly. “Who is it this time? The musician or the holo-game champion?”
“Neither,” I tell her. “It’s Jackie. She’s getting married tomorrow and her family is throwing a big party for her today. I want to wish her well before she gets hitched.”
“Are you seriously considering going to the down-world without a chaperone?” Cara asks me in disbelief. “Have you lost your mind? You do realize there’s a big red target on your back if a rebellion angel sees you.”
“It’s not like I can’t just phase directly home if something happens,” I argue.
“And what’s to prevent your attacker from following you?” she asks. “You could be placing other people’s lives in danger. I think this is reckless, Liana. I don’t believe it’s wise to go down there without taking some backup.”
“Are you offering to be my backup then?” I ask hopefully. “Come on, Cara! Live a little! Your parents keep you inside this cloud city like a caged bird with clipped wings. Why don’t you spread your wings for once and come to the party with me.”
“You know I won’t do that without telling my parents where I’m going first,” she says. “Yeah, maybe they do treat me like I’m fragile, but that’s only because they love me and don’t want to see me get hurt or do something reckless. If going to this party means so much to you, go. I won’t tell anyone where you are unless they ask me point-blank. But I won’t lie for you either. You’ll have to do that yourself.”
“I promise I won’t be gone long,” I tell her. “All I want to do is go down and wish Jackie well before she becomes an old married woman.”
“Isn’t she a little young to be getting married?”
“Not really. She just turned nineteen. From what I understand, that’s a normal age for down-worlders to get married. Anyway, after I give my bracelet to your dad, I’m going to excuse myself and say I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Just make sure you’re careful down there,” Cara begs. “If something happens to you, I will never be able to forgive myself.”
“Don’t worry. I can look out for myself,” I assure her before pushing open the iron door to her father’s workshop.
Even though Brutus has access to some of the most sophisticated tools known to man, he still prefers to work with instruments forged back in the Middle Ages. He said it’s how he’s always forged weapons and that he’s too old to change his ways now. His workshop is dark in order to better see the hot metal he works with. Since my bracelet is small in comparison to the large swords Brutus is famous for making, he has all of the windows covered, so that the only light in the room comes from the forge itself. When we walk inside, we find Cara’s father standing by the forge, rhyth
mically pulling on a chain that is connected to an exterior bellows to add oxygen to the fire. To be honest, I’m not sure why he’s bothering with the fire in the forge since the metal that comprises my bracelet can only be melted with the sword from alternate Earth. Maybe it’s just habit, or maybe he’s trying to add a little bit more light into the room.
“I was wondering if you forgot about me,” Brutus says as we walk into his one-room shop.
“How could we forget the most handsome man in Stratus?” Cara asks him as she walks over to her father. Brutus stretches his neck out a bit for the anticipated kiss on the cheek from his daughter.
They both turn to look at me expectantly. I proceed to remove the bracelet from my arm, but I really feel like I’m cutting off a part of my body instead of taking off a piece of jewelry. When Brutus accepts the bracelet from my hand, I instantly feel the connection I have to my aunt take hold through the seal I possess. Unconsciously, I rub the seal on the base of my back because it always itches when I’m not in possession of my bracelet. It’s one of the reasons why I never return to where my mother is waiting until after Brutus finishes his work on it. If I did, I’m not sure what would happen. I was told that when I was a baby, I reacted horribly, and my mom wasn’t even able to hold me because all I would do is cry and act atrociously toward her. I’m so thankful they found a way to prevent that from happening because I can’t imagine going through life hating my mother.
“Where’s Ethan?” I ask, knowing he has to be here with the sword from alternate Earth in order to heat the heavenly metal enough for Brutus to work with it.
“He should be here in a couple of minutes, lass,” he replies.
“Oh, okay,” I say, seeing this as a good opportunity to put my plan into action. “I need to make a quick trip to the little girl’s room while we wait for him then. I’ll be right back.”
Before Brutus can ask any questions or even say a word in reply, I duck out of his workshop and immediately phase to my bedroom in Cirrus. I do this for two reasons. If anyone happens to see my phase trail, it will only lead them to my room. Secondly, I have a present for Jackie hidden in my closet that I need to retrieve before I travel to the surface.
From past experiences, I know I’ll need to grab a coat before I phase to the down-world. It’s winter time there, which means it’s a lot colder than Cirrus’s all-year-round comfortable temps. Before I lose my nerve, I phase down to the small house Jackie lives in with her parents in Stanton.
Their home isn’t anything fancy, but it was part of my mother’s project to build better housing for the people in the down-world. For as long as I can remember, my parents have been doing everything they can to ensure all down-worlders in Cirrus-controlled territories live in decent homes and have enough food to feed themselves and their families. One of the obstacles they faced was the stubborn pride of many of the down-worlders, who were only willing to accept handouts to a certain extent. The rest they wanted to work for instead of being treated like charity cases.
The home of Jackie’s parents is a quaint two-story house made of wood and painted white. As I stand on the porch with her present in my hands, I hear the creak of wood as someone walks up the steps behind me. Instinctively, I turn around to see who it is and find myself staring into the handsome face of a young man who doesn’t appear to be that much older than me. His deep-set hazel eyes capture mine with their intensity, and he continues to hold my attention as he walks up the steps to stand on the porch directly in front of me.
“Hello,” he says with an easy grin.
“Hello,” I reply because good manners dictate that I should return his greeting and grace him with a smile of my own.
“Are you here for Jackie’s party?” the stranger asks.
“Yes. Are you?”
“I’m here to support the groom’s side of it,” he replies as he holds his hand out for me to shake.
“It’s nice to meet you …” he says, waiting for me to fill in my name.
“Liana,” I answer, finding it strange that he doesn’t recognize me. Most people do when I come to the down-world, but most of those visits are with my parents, who are hard not to recognize. In fact, this is the first time I’ve even ventured down here on my own. Maybe I’m not as important as I thought I was. “And you would be …”
The man’s grin widens as he says, “My name is Silas. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Chapter 12
The moment our hands touch, I feel a strange sense of familiarity with Silas. It’s almost like this isn’t the first time I’ve met him, but for the life of me, I can’t seem to remember ever seeing him before.
“Have you ever visited Cirrus?” I ask him as I consider his clothing. He’s dressed in a decent pair of khaki slacks and wearing a dark green wool coat over a cable-knit brown sweater. His clothes aren’t expensive, but they’re not shabby either. He’s clean-shaven, and his hair is tousled, which seems to be a popular style that many of the young men on the surface sport.
“I’ve been up there a couple of times,” he replies with a nonchalant shrug. “I went to visit some family, but I didn’t stay there for very long. Why do you ask?”
“You seem familiar to me,” I admit, narrowing my eyes at him as if that action will help me remember where I’ve seen him. “I feel like we’ve met before.”
Silas grins at me lazily and says, “Are you hitting on me, Princess? Because that sounded strangely like a pick-up line.”
“So you did recognize me,” I say, feeling my ego rise back up a notch.
“I don’t think there are a lot of people on this planet who don’t know who you and your family are,” he tells me. “Especially here in your own territory.”
Those were my exact thoughts, but I’m not going to tell him that and sound like a spoiled brat. It’s probably what he’s expecting me to act like, and I do so hate to be a cliché.
“Then why did you prompt me to tell you my name if you already knew it?” I have to ask.
Silas reaches up and places his hand on the back of his neck, rubbing it slightly as he tilts his head, looking embarrassed.
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to bow when first meeting you or not, so I thought I would play it cool and just act like I didn’t know who you are. That way you couldn’t call me an uncouth buffoon for not knowing the proper etiquette.”
“Most people do bow or curtsy,” I inform him, “but it’s not something I ever expect or want from someone. I would much rather be treated like a normal person, so thank you for that. It was nice while it lasted.”
“Are you telling me you don’t like having people fulfilling your every wish?” he asks jokingly.
“I won’t say that isn’t nice,” I admit, unable to keep myself from smiling about one of my guilty pleasures, “but it can get uncomfortable, especially if it’s someone who doesn’t have much and they try to give you more than they should.”
“Oh, you mean us poor down-worlders couldn’t possibly be able to give you something that you would like.”
“That’s not what I said,” I say defensively.
“Then were you talking about people in the cloud city? Because that would go against everything we know about life up there.”
“Well, I did mean down-worlders, but I didn’t say the people here give me things that I don’t like. I just wish they would keep what they have for themselves because I already have so much.”
Silas doesn’t say anything, and I hope he changes the subject because this one will only lead to a fight. I notice his gaze drop to the small, gold foil, wrapped box in my hands with a slim blue ribbon tying it together.
“Were we supposed to bring gifts to this party?” he asks worriedly. “All I brought was myself.”
“From what I understand, this isn’t that type of gathering. I just brought Jackie something blue to wear tomorrow. You know the old tradition that the bride should have something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.
This gift should cover the new and the blue for her.”
“Mind me asking what it is?” he says, eyeing the box with open curiosity.
“It’s a blue sapphire brooch. I thought it would look nice on her wedding dress.”
“Are you coming to the ceremony tomorrow?” he asks.
“I can’t. I have a yearly engagement that I need to attend. I’m not even supposed to be here right now, to tell you the truth. Our parents don’t like for us to come down here alone, but I couldn’t let Jackie get married without giving her my gift.”
“I suppose that means you won’t be able to stay at this shindig for very long,” he says, sounding disappointed that I might have to leave so soon.
“You suppose correctly,” I reply, feeling rather disappointed that I won’t be able to stay longer too. “In fact, I should probably go in and give Jackie this present before my family realizes I’m not where I’m supposed to be.”
“Should I wait out here for a little while so you can make your royal entrance?” he inquires, half joking and half serious.
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” I tell him as I tilt my head back toward the door. “Why don’t we go in together?”
“After you, Your Highness,” he replies, extending his right arm out toward the door.
I turn around and lightly knock on the wood and glass door. Almost instantly, it’s pulled open by a smiling Jackie.
“I thought you two would never stop talking!” she says excitedly before throwing her arms around my shoulders for a hug. “I didn’t think you were going to be able to make it, Liana. How did you talk your parents into letting you come down here all by yourself?”
“They don’t exactly know that I’m here,” I answer, feeling slightly ashamed in having to admit such deceitfulness.
“Uh oh,” she says as she pulls back from me. “That means you won’t be able to stay long. What in the world could be so important that you lied to your parents to come here?”
