Airborne

by Constance Sharper

  Avery paled and shaking, she wrapped her arms around herself. Harpies were nasty. No sense of empathy or sympathy. She knew that but it always took her off guard when a harpie dropped a particularly cruel comment.

  “You don’t deserve him.” Avery said quietly.

  She knew that Adalyn would have lashed through the iron bars had she been able. The woman reluctantly settled for holding the bars and showing Avery a sharp row of white teeth.

  “And you think you do? I wouldn’t have hated you quite so much if it wasn’t for your bloody crush on Mason.”

  “I don’t-“

  “Ha!” Adalyn laughed loudly. “I thought you were almost about to say you didn’t have a crush on Mason. How stupid do you think I am?”

  Avery didn’t answer immediately. Maybe she did have a bit of a crush on Mason but what disturbed her was that everyone else seemed to know it. How long had Adalyn suspected it?

  Adalyn stuck a manicured finger out and drew it in a line across her throat.

  “I’m not going to allow anyone to get between Mason and me now. Understand?” She said. “Even if they find you not guilty, your ass is grass little human girl.”

  Adalyn whirled and her heels clacked back down the hallway, leaving Avery alone in the cold. All Avery had left was to wait for her trial and her death sentence now.

  Twenty-five

  The guard came to pick her up the next morning and Avery recognized him. It was the same harpie that entertained her while she’d been in the prison with Mason only two days ago.

  “Hey.” He produced a heavy ring of skeleton keys and slid one in the lock.

  She stood and dusted her clothes clean. Human courts allowed people to dress in suits so the jury’s opinion wouldn’t be adversely affected. Here in harpie court, she’d be going in dirty and unprepared. Still wearing the cult worthy outfit that Mason once gave her, she just looked grungy and that was not the impression she wanted to give.

  “Can you tell me what’s going on?” She asked the guard.

  They were by no means friends but he’d been helpful to her once before. The guard cast a glance behind him before answering.

  “You’re going to a trial for the judge to determine whether or not you pose a threat to our society.”

  “I don’t.” She protested weakly. “You think they’ll believe that? I’m not trying to hurt anyone.”

  “I believe you but I can’t promise they will. Turn around please. I have to cuff you.”

  Avery didn’t fight. Obeying, she turned. The cold metal cuffs slid over her wrists and clicked into place.

  “Well even if they find me guilty, will Mason be okay? This won’t affect him at all right?”

  He’d taken a big risk on running away with her. The court might interpret his actions as him trying to steal the amulet. Any good lawyer could counter that idea with the truth but she wasn’t sure how much hope she held out for the justice system here.

  “Kid,” He said, “Just worry about yourself now.”

  He seized her arm and led her down the hallway. With the hallway lit up substantially more than it had been the previous night, Avery could finally see into the surrounding cells. Emaciated harpies leered out from behind the rusty bars and scraped their talons over the cement. A few of the prisoners pressed their dirty faces against the bars and gave her bone chilling smiles. Avery couldn’t help but lose what little composure she’d managed. Her head swiveled, searching for a way out. No other guards currently stood posted on the basement floor. The only guard was the one that held her and he led her towards a door. Avery knew that no one else was down here to stop her.

  The guard opened the door. The bright rays of sunlight and the scent of open air were jarring. Her eyes adjusted quickly and allowed her to see what was now in front of her. A ten foot balcony reached out from the side of the building, into the granite rock base. A few dozen feet away, she could see the steel benches where Mason and she had once sat and read Jericho’s journal. Behind that was the empty ocean.

  The guard let her go again and turned to lock the door behind them. They were the only two on the balcony but she could hear the very faint sounds of commotion on the roof top.

  “The court is on the roof?” She asked.

  “Yes it is.” He said.

  She flexed the cuffs on her wrists, with only a moment to think. She could break out of the cuffs, take out the guard, and run. Where would she go though? She couldn’t fly and even if she got off the island, couldn’t they just track her down? Maybe she could get out and go to the human police. Indecisive, Avery let out a hissing breath. The guard finished locking the door and opened his wings.

  “You ready, kid?” He asked her, reaching out to secure her arm. Gut twisting, Avery let him. Fighting had to be the second option, she finally decided. A trial, part of her wanted to believe, was still better than a firing squad and she’d take her chances with it.

  They took off into the sky. Since she’d seen it earlier, the rooftop had been transformed into a prime example of court. The rooftop had been cleaned and swept until the usual mucky brick resembled a polished floor. They’d covered the better half of the floor with red carpet and adorned the sets of benches with purple draperies. The court was full, and every inch of the benches was swarming with harpies.

  Guards in blue lined the edges of the building. Like a helicopter pad, the harpie that held her landed on the very edge of the roof. Her feet touched the ground and he kept her upright while landing himself. A loud explosion of hushed voices broke out from the crowd upon her appearance.

  Forcing herself to ignore the ugly, tingling feeling of eyes boring into her, Avery took in the scene. Though Avery didn’t earn A’s in law class, it didn’t take much for her put together the set up. Directly behind her rested a set of rising stadium seats housing the most chattering crowd. They had to be the open audience. Angled left from them was another, smaller, group of seats. Among them sat a familiar face. Samuel’s brown eyes stared back while his face displayed an absolutely indiscernible expression. That group was the jury, Avery decided.

  Finally, there was only one harpie left. He sat on the highest bench in the center of the court setup. Older than any harpie she’d seen before, he scratched at his balding head with skeleton thin talons. That had to be the judge.

  So focused on his expression, she barely noticed the people behind the judge’s bench. Only when her eyes shifted that way did she realize just who stood there. Clad in massive, draping chains and manacles stood both Mikhail and Eva. Mikhail’s white wings had been ruined, spewed with dark crimson and packed with thick dirt. Though his body seemed mangled and the guards held him firm, Mikhail still managed the dangerous aura and a deathly stare. Afraid to look any longer, Avery turned back to the judge who summoned the audience with sharp hammers of his gavel.

  “Order in the Court!” He boomed.

  The last of the chatter died away leaving only the howling wind in the background. If the harpie guard hadn’t been guiding her, she wouldn’t have known where to go. He maneuvered them backwards, close to the edge and luckily a few good feet away from where Mikhail stood.

  “We hereby commence the Capital offense trials of,”

  “What’s your name, girl?” A nearby uniformed harpie hissed in her ear.

  Her mouth dropped open before she processed. They’d decide to kill her and they didn’t even know her name. Failing to find reason to lie at this point she told him. The judge announced it shortly along with Mikhail and Eva’s name. Papers were being shuffled and people in the audience quietly narrated into electronic recording devices.

  Stomach knotting, she quickly glanced around. Mason still hadn’t shown. The police had to have captured him too, but maybe they wouldn’t bring him here. Increasingly distressed, she turned her attention back to the judge’s bench.

  “For the record, the initial testaments.” The judge said matter- a-factly, and the harpie nearest to Avery motioned her forward. She didn’t r
ecognize the proceeding at all but didn’t have to since the judge began it without her.

  They brought her out to the center of the rugged area located directly below the judge’s seat. The judge curled over his bench and peered down to get a clear look. An ugly scowl marred his face and then he leaned back in his seat a moment later.

  “The charges are brought by what follows.” He pulled a scroll free from his desk and unraveled the yellowing paper. “You are in fact in physical possession of magic from the Amulet of Willow created by the late Prince Jericho? Answer the question.”

  “Uh, yea, technically but” She started to speak but the judge cut her off.

  “You cannot in fact separate the magic of Willow from your body, correct?”

  “Not really, no.” She let out an exasperated breath.

  “Would the bailiff please show the jury?” He ordered.

  A harpie next to the judge’s bench approached and steered Avery to audience. The harpie’s talons cut straight through the thin cotton of her shirt. Fabric drifting to the floor, the black webbed tattoo of her arm showed in the bright light. The crowd gasped from all sides and she felt naked. Hurrying to turn back and face the judge, she wrapped the arm around herself.

  “This magic has already led to the endangerment of Marshal Randy Williams.” The judge’s comment wasn’t a question.

  “Wait,” She jumped up.

  The bailiff sharply nudged her with a pointy elbow, an unspoken order to shut up. Her statement already gaining attention, she maneuvered backwards and continued her verbal protests quickly.

  “I’m not to blame. This magic got stuck in me and I can’t get it out. I’d give it back if I could! I’m not using the magic to do anything!”

  Heart hammering her chest, her words blurred together but made just enough sense that the judge understood and frowned.

  “Regardless of the guilt in acquirement or use, all the earlier facts stand true. As it is, you possess dangerous and deadly magic. That is the only detail that matters. And perhaps the bailiff will do well to keep you silent next time.”

  The last part was directed at the harpie next to her, and the bailiff paled and frantically nodded. Grip tightening on her arm, he yanked them both backwards and off to the side. The judge kept talking.

  “Meeting the requirements of endangerment to our society, Avery Zane is guilty of the Capital Offense.”

  Hearing it, Avery’s jaw dropped. For the first time, she realized there was no witness box near the judge’s station. Did the jury even have a choice in harpie court? Why were they there?

  The harpies in the juror boxes only murmured and nodded. No single one stood out as the foreman. No single one stood to pass his judgment.

  “You must be insane!” She let slip with pure panic. “You can’t kill me for that, you can’t-“

  The bailiff elbowed her stomach hard enough she doubled over. The harpies only looked on wearily now as her screaming sounded over them.

  “You can’t kill me! I’m not using the magic to hurt anyone! People will know I’m missing!”

  She still protested with a dangerous mix of stubbornness and desperation. Grappling with the bailiff, she fought her way an inch forward before he yanked her two inches back. Unable to silence her with violence, he slapped a huge hand over her mouth and held. She struggled initially but her jerky movements made him press harder and slow the oxygen flow. Dizzy now, she shut up obediently and the judge continued at last.

  “Next we call forth Mikhail Yates.” The judge prompted.

  Two harpie guards grabbed Mikhail by both arms and forcefully pulled him to the center of the court. Even against the heavy weight and awkward shackles, Mikhail managed to saunter with his head up high and his wings half open. His black eyes spied Avery as he went past her.

  “Don’t worry doll,” He purred loud enough for her to hear. “It’s me you have to worry about. I don’t take well to slights.”

  Feeling like ice water had been thrown in her face, she stiffly watched him pass by. He was chained up, she reassured herself. Guards had been posted at every available space on the crowded rooftop and they had the magic amulet detectors. They would know if Mikhail had any tricks up his sleeves. She was safe from him, she told herself, but ugly doubt lingered in the back of her mind.

  Mikhail stopped in the middle of the court and his black eyes crawled over the audience’s bench with a chilling glare. Only after a moment did he turn that look on the judge.

  “For the record of the initial testaments, Mikhail Yates is brought to court today on charges homicide, terrorism, third degree robbery, third degree burglary, arson, aggravated assault, aggravated battery...” The judge continued to rattle off the charges long after many people stopped listening.

  Mikhail’s small grin turned into a bright smile as he heard every new charge. The disconcerting sight finally made the judge stop.

  “Do you think something is humorous, boy? It is your life we discuss.” The judge, though not a big man, went for an intimidating glower. Leaning over the wood, his talons dug through the purple desk draperies and far into the wood.

  “My life?” Mikhail echoed quietly. “You think it is my life that you have in your hands?”

  The guards dove towards the middle of the floor to silence him using an ambush technique, but the judge stopped them with a single wave of his hand. Apparently refusing to back down, the judge rose from his seat and expanded his long wings to full length.

  “I will not be mocked.” He boomed with discontent.

  “Nor will I dear judge. One hundred years and you think you can capture me now?” Mikhail slowly drew out the words with a clear threat.

  Unsettled, the judge threw his hands open to indicate the surroundings. The guards, stiff and alert, stood ready. The audience watched on both intrigued and wearily. Only the jurors seemed concerned in the least.

  “We already have captured you.”The judge said, his thin chest puffing with confidence. Before he could go on though, a cry from the audience stopped him.

  “Does anyone smell that? I smell gun powder!” A female harpie yelped.

  The scent curled in the air and suddenly reached everyone. Avery smelt it too, but it wasn’t just gunpowder but also bitter smoke. In a wave of panic, everyone scrambled to find the source. The guard took to flight and the harpies in the audience stood. Mikhail spoke above the chaos before it grew too loud.

  “I didn’t come unprepared.” Mikhail said. “Trust me, your majesty. In less than five minutes, you and everyone in this court will be dead!”

  Twenty-six

  At first, it came quietly.

  The smoke billowed into the air from the foundation of the building. Mikhail hadn’t moved from his spot and the judge went still, sputtering, clearly unable to conjure appropriate words for his fear and outrage. The audience began to fidget and the crowd burst into confused and harried jabber.

  The wind howled over the obstacles on the tall building’s rooftop and the water far below sloshed angrily. Against it all, they barely heard the faint whooshing of wings.

  The guard next to Avery noticed, looked up in the air, and let out a howling war call. The other guards instantly mobilized into organization. They split into separate tight lines in front of the jurors, the judge, and the audience.

  The flapping grew louder and a figure joined them in the air by the building’s edge. Forced to squint from the bad position of the sunlight, Avery struggled to recognize the shadowed figure. When she did, it registered with a wash of fear. It was the harpie from Seward forest and Hatcher Pass in his bronze chest plates, Rafael. He, no doubt, had come for his boss.

  Then, it came loudly.

  A loud pop suddenly emanated from the building below them and a tremor shuddered through the clay and bricks. Everyone watched each other, uncertain. Avery knew the harpies assumed they could take off into the sky, but then the complications arose.

  Everyone’s attention turned downward but only Avery took
in what Mikhail was doing. The harpie took a wide step and opened his wings as far as the constraints would let him. Then an abrupt explosion went off-- it was a deafening blast that left her ears ringing and a cloud of smoke billowing upward. The entire building shifted and the roof let out a horrible moan. The greater left side of the building had been blown out from inside taking out the judge’s bench and Mikhail’s guards. A blast of twisted metal and rocks exploded into the air. The debris rained down and showered the crowd of harpies.