A Rising Storm (Tainted Blood Book 4)

by Jeff Gunzel

  “It’s no different than riding a horse,” Salina explained.

  “But I’m not very good at riding horses either!”

  Salina buried her face in Viola’s back, trying her best to stifle a laugh. “Then I suppose this will be quite the experience,” she snickered. Salina snapped the reins from behind. With an ear-piercing screech the raven hopped off the edge. A good twenty feet was spent in free fall before the bird finally extended its wings to catch the wind.

  Too scared to scream, air rushed past Viola’s face, flapping her dress wildly as she yanked haphazardly on the leather straps. Due to the rushing wind she couldn’t hear Salina laughing behind her, but she did feel a pair of hands reach around to steady the reins. “It won’t respond to you yanking the cords all over the place,” Salina yelled over the hissing winds. “Make a choice and commit. He will climb if you just pull them back with steady pressure.” The endless dive was sending Viola’s stomach into her throat. Trying to concentrate through the terror and the nausea, she gripped the reins and lifted as steadily as she could.

  The giant bird lifted its head, wings pumping against the hammering winds. Caught in her throat only a moment ago, her stomach now seemed to slam into her feet as the raven climbed. Lost in the fog with each hazy direction looking exactly the same, Viola could only hope this way was up.

  Icy crystals pelted Viola’s face as they climbed, a constant reminder of the frozen climate here in the mountains. Blinding flashes seemed to swallow them whole as flickering lightning consumed the sky. With their scattered light reflecting off the clouds, it was impossible to tell if it was right on top of them, or several miles away.

  Up and up they climbed, tearing through the clouds blindly. Fear, exhilaration, and what felt like a hundred different emotions gripped Viola’s heart. Although she was the one controlling this beast, she was also counting on it to be her eyes. It wouldn’t slam into a mountainside, would it? Surely it would be smart enough to—

  They burst up through the cloud top. Practically blind only a moment ago, the surrounding beauty assaulted Viola’s vision in a burst of color. The sky above opened up in a wave of blue, like an endless ocean as far as the eye could see. Below, a white-and-gray floor of rolling mist bubbled and churned, its nonstop motion hypnotizing and beautiful. Blips of lightning crawled through cottony floor, its rolling energy boiling about like drops of cream dripped into tea. The sun blazed in the east, its orange and yellow radiance seeming to swallow up everything around it. Off in the distance, a few of the highest mountain peaks stood out against the sun’s brilliance, their jagged tips appearing to be nothing more than shadowy black outlines.

  “Whoa,” Viola gasped, her hands trembling against the reins. All the other spiritists were here as well, flying above the clouds, their hair snapping like flames in the wind. Among them she saw Rishima and Bella, laughing together as they soared near the front.

  “You’re doing fine,” Salina said, hands wrapping around her waist to help steady her hands. “Are you enjoying the view?”

  “It’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen,” Viola said, slowly gaining confidence in her ability to ride this bird. The riders began to drift closer together, forming themselves into lines while riding side by side in sets of two. The first pair slowly drifted upward, then turned sharply and dove down into the clouds. The others followed suit as they reached the same spot, drifting up, then diving into the sea of white.

  “We’re going to follow them,” Salina said. She reached around and began fingering the reins. “I can take it from here if you—”

  “No,” Viola said. “I can do this.” Salina smiled and removed her hands. Viola took a deep breath, then gently pulled back on the straps. The raven began to climb, its wings pounding against the thin air. Leaning into the turn, Viola tugged on the left rein. The bird turned sharply, practically turning on its side before plunging down through the floor of white. Once again Viola’s stomach was doing flips as they sped through the mist. She didn’t know which frightened her more, the reckless dive itself or the fact that she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face.

  “You’re doing fine,” Salina shouted over the whistling winds. “Just keep going.” When they burst through the bottom of the fog, the ground was coming up on them much faster than Viola would have liked. She pulled back, forcing the bird to level out of the dive. Swooping over a field of gray boulders, they could now see the others just ahead. “You did it!” Salina shouted, shaking Viola’s shoulders from behind.

  Falling into formation with the others, they saw the town of Haran just over the next hill. The humans were out in the streets, waving banners, banging wooden spoons on metal pots. The spiritists were here! White and green streamers hung from striped poles. Colorful flower petals were strewn along the dirt paths. Children waved paper wheels on little sticks, then tossed them up in the air. They had been waiting for this and now the time had come.

  “Land behind the others,” Salina said, her voice dripping with excitement. “You are about to experience your first real celebration.”

  Chapter 7

  Before the girls could even dismount, children came running up to greet them. Showing no fear of the large raven, Viola could tell they were no strangers to regular visits from the spiritists. Jumping up and down, they waved around their paper pinwheels. Viola stepped down and graciously accepted one of several toys being thrust in her face. She gave it a shake and blew, causing the flower-shaped wheel to spin in place.

  “Are they always like this?” she asked when Salina hopped down behind her.

  “No. They’re usually worse.” Salina laughed, accepting a wheel of her own. “There isn’t much for them to do up here in this small mountain town. The children get restless, to say the least.”

  Folks from every corner of town came running up to greet the spiritists. It was a quaint little town with rickety old buildings and worn dirt roads. The few shops they had appeared to be closed for the day. Off a short ways, out in the middle of the main road, Viola could see a number of long tables pushed together with plenty of food set out. Even from here she could smell the roasted lamb and potatoes, cakes and cookies, and all sorts of other dishes ready for their guests.

  Viola had to look hard through the crowd before finally seeing Bella and Rishima. When she spotted them, they were surrounded by a crowd of humans and getting swamped with hugs and kisses. Bella turned and looked right at her, pointing. Confused by the gesture, Viola pointed to herself, wondering if she was being summoned to go over there. She hoped not. This large crowd was already making her nervous. But then the group of girls surrounding Bella followed her gaze and started heading over to them. Viola didn’t much like that attention, either.

  The girls quickly surrounded Viola, but stopped and stared for a moment before saying anything. They had seen spirits many times, but never a girl who looked like this. Viola wilted under their gazes, nervously tapping her fingers together. She wasn’t sure what to say. Her instinct had always been to hide from humans, but now she really had no choice but to face them.

  “Viola?” one of the girls asked, ducking a little to place herself in Viola’s lowered line of sight. She was smiling. Viola nodded while fidgeting with her dress. There were five girls in total, and had now moved in so close it was making her even more nervous.

  “Come with us!” another girl squealed, snatching Viola by the wrist. Before she knew what was going on, she found herself surrounded by an entourage of human girls who for some reason were not the least bit afraid of her. Giggling as they pushed her along, the girls practically dragged Viola past a number of empty seats. Before she knew it, she found herself standing up on a wide wooden platform with a podium out in front.

  “Queen Bella insists that you stand up here with us,” another girl said before licking her finger to remove a slight smudge from Viola’s cheek. They really weren’t afraid of her at all. In fact, they seemed to be treating her much like a child.

&nbs
p; “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” Viola admitted, looking around nervously. The other girls lined up next to her, one handing her a bouquet of yellow flowers. To her horror, the spiritists and humans all began filling in the empty seats out in front. All these eyes on her were only making it worse.

  “You promised Queen Bella you would stand for her, yes?” one of the girls asked. Viola nodded. She had indeed made that promise to her. “Good. Then just stand here and look pretty.” She giggled. “You don’t have to do anything else.”

  Me? Pretty?

  Viola jumped and spun back when a hand gently touched the back of her shoulder. There stood a heavyset man with a black jacket and a ridiculously large black hat. In fact, she had nearly bumped into the brim of that hat when she turned. His long blond braided mustache, with the tips dyed black, hung all the way down past his neck. Although the man was strange-looking to her, his warm smile was disarming, to say the least.

  Without a word he slipped past her and stood in front of the podium. Glancing left where most of the spiritists were seated, he smiled and nodded his acknowledgment. Then he looked to the humans on the right and did the same. Still having yet to speak, he raised his hands and gestured down the center aisle. Heads turned.

  Hand in hand, Rishima and Bella made their way down the aisle. Each time they passed another row of chairs, both humans and spiritists stood to throw handfuls of blue flower petals. The soft petals stuck in their hair and clung to their shoulders. Holding her bouquet, Viola just stared off at the happy couple. The love in their eyes was enough to make her forget about all the other people. When they stopped at the podium, the man with the funny hat leaned across and touched them both on the shoulder.

  “Good morning, everyone,” he began, his voice shrill and nasally, yet it seemed to carry considerable authority. “I welcome you all on this most joyous occasion. As the gods smile upon us this day, it is with love in our hearts that we gather here to—”

  His voice became a distant murmur as Viola’s attention drifted off. Her surroundings swallowed up in blackness, all her focus fell on Rishima and Bella standing in front of her. The tenderness in their eyes when they looked at each other was enough to make her want to cry. But not in a sad or jealous way. She was so happy for them. Perhaps one day she too might experience such joy, but today was not about her. Today they were celebrating the union of two lovely women she dared to call her friends.

  “—and in the eyes of all who stand before us, I herby unite your souls so you may share your lives as one.” Viola snapped out of her thoughts. The man raised his hands in the air. “Then as witnessed by the humans, spiritists, and the gods themselves, I pronounce your partnership to be eternal.” He lowered his hands, the intense look on his face fading back into a soft expression. “Go now, and bask in the joyous light you shall shine on one another. You may now seal your love.”

  Bella and Rishima melted into each other’s arms, their lips softly brushing together. Everyone stood to cheer as handfuls of flower petals fluttered into the air. The children lined up to each side released the white birds they held, sending them fluttering off into the sky. The girls around Viola tossed their bouquets into the crowd. Viola hesitated a moment, then did the same with hers, hoping that was the right thing to do. There was an indescribable energy in the air, and the day was only just beginning.

  Following the ceremony, everyone moved over to the tables and partook in what was easily the largest banquet Viola had ever seen. Although she mostly kept to herself while listening to those around her laughing and drinking wine, she ate heartily and quite enjoyed herself. The food was some of the best she’d ever had, and the wine was sweet, but after her third cup she decided it might be best to slow down. She liked the syrupy drink, but it seemed to be making her head feel funny.

  Once everyone was finished gorging and the tables were cleared away, the gathering moved over to the next street, where several thick poles had been pounded into the ground. Long white and black ribbons hung down from their tops, each one swaying in the mountain breeze. Viola watched as boys and girls surrounded the poles, each one taking a ribbon in hand. But while watching them, she inadvertently made eye contact with one of the boys. She quickly looked away, but it was too late. With a smile on his face, he released his ribbon and came running over to her.

  “Why are you just standing over there by yourself?” he asked, reaching to take her by the hand. “Come join us. It will be fun.”

  “No...no, I can’t,” she said, pulling away and taking a step back. Oh, why did he have to come over here? “I don’t understand your game. I’ll just be in the way.”

  “Well, the best way to learn a game is to play it,” he said, again taking her by the wrist. Unwilling to take no for an answer, he ran her up to one of the poles. Before she knew it, someone else had handed her a black ribbon. In fact, all the girls were holding black ones while the boys were holding white. That much she could see for herself.

  Three men with fiddles stepped forward from the steadily swelling crowd of onlookers. The middle man began nodding his head and tapping his toe to the rhythm in his head. On cue, he raised his bow and they all began to play a most lively melody.

  In a burst of movement, everyone began skipping along at once. Caught in the current, Viola squealed as she bounced off shoulders and chests, having no idea what to do. “This way,” one of the girls giggled, spinning Viola around by the shoulder. Even within the chaos she still managed to hold on to her ribbon. It didn’t take but a few seconds for her to realize the boys were skipping one direction while the girls skipped the other. Each time she passed a boy she had to alternate between lifting her ribbon to allow him to pass, then ducking beneath the next.

  Once she had it down, Viola couldn’t stop laughing as she skipped along. All the while the ribbons weaved down the poles, striping them with swirls of black and white. As the ribbons grew shorter and shorter, they pulled everyone closer to the center. A minute later there was no room for anyone to skip, and they all ended up hugging each other at the center. Laughing, they released their ribbons, allowing them to unwind so they could do it all over again.

  The newlyweds watched from their shared seat up on a nearby hill a short distance away. The festivities appeared to be going well, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. “Is this the sort of life I am to expect from this day forward?” Bella purred in Rishima’s ear while sitting on her lap. “If so, I would be more than willing to make the sacrifice.” She flicked Rishima’s ear with her tongue. “But that is only because I love you so.”

  “You can make light of anything, can’t you?” Rishima laughed, shrugging her shoulders while trying to lean away from her frisky partner. “But as much as I wish it so, I don’t imagine we’ll be seeing any more festivities for a very long time. So I suggest you enjoy yourself while you can, because after this you and I will have plenty of work to do.”

  “I know,” Bella whispered, brushing aside Rishima’s long black hair. “And I am eager to prove that I am up to the task.”

  “You have nothing to prove.”

  “Not to you, perhaps, but I am speaking of the other spiritists. I want them to respect me in the same way they respect you.” Bella turned to watch the dancing teens skipping around with their ribbons in hand. Viola was easy to spot. Even from this distance her white hair and pale complexion stood out among the others.

  “That one there is of far greater importance than your precious ego,” Rishima said, following her lover’s gaze.

  “Agreed,” Bella said, kissing her cheek one last time before hopping off her lap. “To be honest, I’m not so certain that bringing her along was such a good idea. She is out in the open and vulnerable. Perhaps we should have left her back at the tower, guarded.”

  “And who exactly would be guarding her?” Rishima laughed, making a sweeping gesture with her hand. “Most of the spiritists are here already. She is in no more danger here than she would be anywhere else. And
besides,” she looked at Viola, smiling as she skipped about with her ribbon in hand, “would you want to be the one to deprive her of this moment?”

  “No, I would not,” Bella admitted. “I don’t believe she’s ever had this much fun. May this day stay with her forever, because I don’t think she will be enjoying this much freedom again anytime soon.”

  “A little bird has informed me that we are having a celebration of some sort.” They turned to see a plump older gentleman ambling up to them. He was holding three wine-filled goblets, one in his right hand and two clenched between his fingers in the left. “I told the little bird that he must be mistaken. No one ever comes to visit my town, and least of all to celebrate anything.”

  “Now you know that isn’t true, Mayor Bensvel,” Rishima laughed, accepting the offered wine and handing one to Bella. “Either way, I see you have not lost your sense of humor. It is good to see you, Mayor. But I don’t recall seeing you at the reception.”

  “Yes, well... I’m afraid I had some pressing business to attend to.” He shifted his feet, looking a bit uncomfortable. “But I did manage to sneak in eventually.” He turned his attention to Bella. “Queen Bella.” He took her hand and kissed it gently. “It is an honor to finally meet you, My Lady. I was told you were lovely, but it appears that was quite the understatement.”

  “The pleasure is mine,” Bella replied. It was all she could do not to blush at the man’s charm.

  “What is wrong?” Rishima asked. She was no longer smiling.