by Natalie Erin
Angel could still hear the sobbing from the other rooms in Ana’s house, even though the door to the bedroom was closed. She was lying on the floor as a griffin, watching over the young boy they had called Kennu because at the moment, no one else was, and she felt since he’d been the one that had lost his Changer, he shouldn’t be alone.
It had been a long, agonizing story, painful for her to hear Soran tell. All of his friends, including herself, had come rushing to Ana’s when they’d heard the news about his family. She didn’t like the sound of her friends crying, but that’s all they did...cry for their missing family members, and cry for the Changer they had called Allie. Even Angel was sad at her passing. This Allie was a stranger to her, but Angel felt some sort of connection to her, this Changer she never knew. It brought a tear to Angel’s eye to even think about her.
The minute Angel had seen Kennu’s pale face, she felt protective over him, like she was his Changer. Perhaps, now that he didn’t have a partner, she could ask to be his.
In her heart, she felt a guilty leap. This boy had just lost his Changer. How could she even consider asking him to accept her in Allie’s place?
The boy shifted and Angel cocked her head. His golden eyes fluttered open, looking at the griffin on the floor. “Allie? Allie, is that you?”
I’m not Allie, she begged in her head. Oh please, let him hear me. I’m not Allie. I’m Angel.
The boy blinked. No. You must be Allie. You look just like her. You sound like her. It’s you, Allie.
Angel gasped. You can hear me?
I’m telepathic. I can hear everybody’s thoughts. She shifted in the dark, and his sureness that she was Allie vanished when he saw her silver eyes.
Angel began weeping tears of joy. She’d finally found someone to speak with her, someone who could hear her voice.
You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you, she hushed, getting off the floor and leaning over his chest. Her feathers brushed against the boy’s silver necklace, and she leapt back in surprise as a great light emitted from it, shining throughout the room. Kennu jumped upwards, taking the necklace in his shaking hands as a gentle voice emitted from it. “My daughter Allakenzie and my daughter Kallayr. You have been reunited again.”
The voice died away with these words, the light sinking back into the necklace.
Kennu’s eyes were wide. You’re Allie’s sister? I didn’t even know she had one!
I...was her sister? Angel questioned. Unbidden, it all came rushing back to her. The attack on the nest…the reason she couldn’t talk…the death of her parents. I have a name…a true name...Kallayr…
That’s why you look so much like her. You must have been twins. Kennu coughed and Angel looked at him, drawing near to the fairy. Though I don’t know why Vixen didn’t save both of you.
Vixen? Angel thought back, long and hard to when she was a hatchling. She remembered seeing a fairy, one with dark hair, skirt among the ruins and pick up a little fawn, abandoned within the rubble. She had turned and hid, before the fairy saw her. If I know who you’re talking about, which I believe I do, this Vixen never saw me. I don’t even think she knew I existed.
I guess that makes sense. Allie was the one she was saving from Wyntier, after all, since he was after her. Not that it made a difference, because he got her anyway, in the end. Tears filled the young prince’s golden eyes.
Don’t get upset, Kennu, Angel said. I’m watching over you. I’ll take care of my sister’s Accompany.
He smiled weakly. Angel changed into a white fox and crawled onto the bed, curling her body around him. I’ll take care of you, Kennu, she whispered to him. In honor of my sister, I will.
The next morning dawned quickly. Kennu shook the sleep from his eyes and sat up, looking around. Angel was still resting in the giant bed as a fox. Someone was sitting in the chair across from him. “Soran?” he asked, peering closer.
Soran smiled, though sadly. “How are you, little cousin?” Zorna was on his lap, the phoenix lost in the realm of his memories.
“I’ve been better.” He smoothed out the covers and looked at Zorna. “Is he gonna be alright?’
Soran glanced down at his Changer. “Yeah, he should be okay. All of it came as a big shock to him. But again, how are you feeling?”
“Fine,” he said in a flat voice, even though they both knew he was anything but.
Soran pulled out a bag and said, “Here, I brought some clothes for you from my dorm. They’re a little big, but you can have them. We’ve got some new clothes for Lyrica already too, so you guys should be all set.” Soran got up off the chair. “Your dad is waiting for you, whenever you’re ready.”
He left the room. Kennu got out of the bed and took the bag, ruffling through them until he found something green. Once he was dressed he went out into the living room, where his father was impatiently waiting. Keota gave him a gripping hug, but Kennu didn’t embrace him back, only stood still. Keota let go of his son and they both turned to the couch, sitting on it.
“Kennu…” he started.
Unable to control himself any longer, Kennu went off. “You left us! Left! Took off with some woman we don’t even know, one who you haven’t seen for years, and didn’t look back! You dumped your Changer and your family for her! How could you?”
“The fighting had been going on for a long time Kennu…”
“I’m tired of the fighting! Fighting is the reason I lost Allie!”
“Do you blame me for that?” Keota asked calmly.
“No! I blame myself for that! But I blame you for not being there! Mom was a mess when you left, and now I don’t even know where she is! I’ve lost all my friends, and if you were there you could have helped! You could’ve put a stop to this!” Kennu put his head in his hands.
Keota could say nothing more except, “I’m so sorry, Kennu.”
It was the same answer Reagan had given him. It only made him more bitter.
Soran came in from the next room with Angel and said, “It’s Saturday, Kennu. We have the day off. Why don’t you come down to the beach with me and my friends? I’m sure you’ll have fun.”
Keota went to say no but Kennu stood up and said, “Okay. Sure. It might take my mind off things. Besides, the last place I want to be is here with him.”
He headed out the door without another word, refusing to look at his father.
Kennu was glad for the distraction Soran and his friends gave him that day. They had fun playing in the waves of the ocean that bordered the old volcano, the palm trees swaying in the warm breeze. Although he didn’t know the area, Kennu enjoyed being in a new place, creating new memories where there was nothing to remind him of the past. For the first time in weeks, he finally felt like a kid instead of some broken, useless object.
Nesting’s Haven is beautiful place to die, Kennu thought, looking out at the ocean. If I can’t have Allie and don’t have long left, I might as well enjoy myself here for as long as I can.
Late in the afternoon the group headed back, covered in sand and feeling moderately cheerful despite yesterday’s bad news. They were all gathered about making dinner for the fairies, Ana complaining about the lack of space when Lyrica and Mirabelle, who had been playing outside, rushed into the house.
“Hey everyone, it’s a parade!” Lyrica squealed.
“A parade?” Keota asked, confused. The group flooded out of the house and followed the girls down the street a couple of blocks, where a large crowd was forming. Ana’s group pushed through the ruckus, taking place along the city streets. Mirabelle and Lyrica’s eyes shone as they watched, gleefully giggling.
The entire Dinkleberry University band was marching and playing in the streets. Flag twirlers weaving black, silver, and blue colored flags in circles followed them, while others weaved streamers and threw confetti. Behind came gymnasts, both Accompany and Changer, doing back flips and twists. Dancers weaved in and out of complicated lines, and proud Accompanies carried banners that had a strange, unk
nown symbol upon them of a long, jagged icicle. All that wasn’t anything compared to what happened next.
Accompanies, mounted on Changers wearing silver and black armor, marched through the streets. They were carrying long, iron spears, and were clothed in the same colors as the flags. The design on their chest was the same icicle as on the banner. You couldn’t see their faces through their iron masks.
“It’s the army,” Keota said and he peered over Kennu’s head. “But why are they dressed like that?”
The answer came along several minutes later. Luciana gasped in fear and pointed, clutching to Keota’s chest as she did so.
Wyntier. He was riding Lukas, who was in his wyvern form, and gazed at the crowd in a horrifying manner. He had a smile on his face and a hand raised in welcome, but anyone who knew the Accompany was sure that smile meant nothing good. He wore long black pants and knee-high boots. He had no shirt, but wore only a black cloak, with a heavy gold chain securing it around his neck. He sat in an iron saddle like some of them had seen on the dragon Bloodbath years before. Yet there was one thing about Wyntier’s appearance that was the worst.
Covering the saddle were multitudes of furs. One of them was the skin of a golden griffin.
Kennu fainted. Keota grabbed his son just before he hit the ground. Ionan growled, smoke furling out of his mouth as Wyntier drew near, but Rex stepped in front of the Changer to hold him back. There were too many guards who would kill not only Ionan, but the rest of them, before he even made the attempt. All they could do was stand around and watch as Wyntier paraded into Nesting’s Haven, sitting upon Allie’s pelt.
The crowd’s cheers grew. “All hail King Wyntier and his army! All hail the new king!”
They cheered this over and over, and Wyntier held his head up proudly as his new subjects cried out his name.
“The new king? He’s a king now?” Soran screamed.
Lyrica leaned too far forward, trying to see, and stumbled into the street. Mirabelle ran after her, halting directly in front of Lukas as he passed. When Mirabelle’s blue eyes met Wyntier’s, his eyebrows raised in realization.
Lukas roared, rearing up on his hind legs. The girls screamed underneath the wyvern’s claws in terror. Ionan pushed Rex out of the way and charged in front of them, slashing his tail behind him.
Both enemies glared at each other for a long time before Ionan finally said, “Pardon the child. She tripped.” He herded Lyrica and Mirabelle back to the side of the street, and Wyntier finally ripped his eyes away from them. The new king noticed Soran and glared at him before Lukas went to walk on.
Slowly, Kennu came around. With no way to protest the parade without getting killed, the group turned and fled.
As soon as they reached the safety of Ana’s yard, Mirabelle collapsed against Ionan. “He knows I’m Vera’s daughter. He wants me, Papa.”
“Shush now, my child. It’s going to be alright.” Ionan put his wing around his daughter and drew her close.
“Alright? Alright! How is it going to be alright?” Kennu questioned. He was near a breakdown again, and Angel pressed herself against his side to comfort him.
“We have to find a base. Somewhere we can hide while the rest of us formulate a plan,” Keota said quickly. “I think I may be able to contact the elves and ask for assistance.”
“The elves? Elves love war and hate fairies. They won’t help,” Soran said.
“No, I mean, King Oliver and his subjects,” Keota said. “Kia was friends with them. They’ve helped us out before. It’s sure to be safe there.”
“Nowhere is safe now,” Ana said. “I can’t keep hiding you all in my house. Soon the Council is going to find out where you are, and we’ll really be in trouble then. Things are sure to get worse with our new king leading the way.”
“There hasn’t been a monarch in over a thousand years. I’m sure Wyntier will do a wonderful job,” Maekrel said sarcastically.
“There is one safe place…” Ionan said slowly. “We should head to Southwild, to my mother and father’s. The Accompanies and Changers there are untamed, and don’t follow the laws of the Council. They won’t likely submit to Wyntier’s reign. Now if we leave by…”
“No, Ionan. Not Southwild. I’ll go with the elves before I’ll go there.” Maekrel protested.
Ionan rounded on him angrily. “Why? Couldn’t pay a visit to your parents all these years?”
“Neither could you!” Maekrel accused.
“I live very far away, and Keota didn’t want to come back. They always said to put the Accompany first. You’re just afraid they won’t accept you for who you are, Maekrel.”
Keota patted his Changer’s head. “I’m sorry, Ionan. I didn’t realize how much you missed your family. We should have come back sooner.”
“It does not matter now.” Ionan shook his head. “We are here, and we need to hide until we can discover a plan of attack.”
“I’m not going back there, Ionan,” Maekrel protested. “You nearly killed me when you found out I was in love with Ana. How do you think our parents will react?”
“I was devastated by Vera’s loss when I did that. It would be better to tell them the truth than to keep slinking around Nesting’s Haven, avoiding them,” Ionan argued.
“It’s settled then,” Ana said. “We’ll head for Ionia’s Palace and ask if we can stay there. If they kick us out...”
“Or run us out, more likely,” Maekrel whimpered.
“...We’ll go to King Oliver and ask for his help.”
“My sister and I already discussed this, just in case we’d be forced to leave. Luciana, Rex and I don’t want to go to Southwild,” Rose interrupted. “We would much rather stay with the elves, even though it’s farther away. Rex doesn’t think he can face his parents again after Vera’s death.”
“It’s his choice, then,” Ionan said, though he looked disappointed.
“When do we leave?” Soran asked. “Right away?”
“No.” Keota shook his head. “Kennu and the others still need time to recover.”
“I think it would be best if the children stayed behind to finish their education,” Rose suggested. “There are only a few days left in this semester. That way, Vivi and Melodi can graduate.”
“Fine,” Keota said. “But after that, they can’t return to Dinkleberry. Not ever.”
“We can’t go back?” Soran said in a small voice.
Keota put his hand on Soran’s shoulder and said, “No Soran. You can’t go back.”
“It’s settled. Luciana and Rose will make way on Rex for the elves,” Ionan said. “I’ll have Keota write another letter to Ionia’s Palace as soon as he can announcing our arrival. Creator knows this whole congregation can’t just show up on their doorstep.”
“Why not?” Ana grumbled. “You all showed up on mine.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Senior Walkthroughs Never Go As Expected
Vivienna stood in line with the other seniors in the entrance hall, the underclassmen clustered around the edges of the room. They didn’t have time to allow her to go to the graduation ceremony, so the simplicity of the senior walk on the last day of school would have to do. They’d be leaving the day after. As the school band began to play a rather sad song, the students in front of her began to move, almost in an enchanted manner. She followed slowly, feeling morose. She had few friends, so she didn’t say goodbye to anyone until she found Soran’s group clustered together in a corner at the end of the hall.
“Come walk with me, Soran.” Vivienna smiled, reaching a hand out to her brother.
“I don’t know if I’m allowed,” he mumbled, looking toward the few teachers that decided to attend. “I’m just a junior.”
“This is your last day, too, so you’d better come walk with me. This is the only chance you’ll get,” Vivienna said.
Soran knew not to mess with his sister, so he and Zorna stepped onto the path cautiously, hoping nobody would complain.
“Don’t leave me!” Cameliyon cried, rushing forward to stand with them and grab at his arm.
“If you’re walking, then so am I,” Daren declared, scampering after Cameliyon. Their Changers stood back a minute before joining the group, figuring they might as well.
“Well now that we’re all here, let’s walk,” Melodi hooted, ruffling her owl feathers happily.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Daren put in. The small group began to walk the rest of the path, moving in one large bunch around the entrance hall.
“Hey! Get the underclassmen out of our way!” a senior boy yelled, throwing a wad of paper at them.
“Shut up! I told them to walk with me!” Vivienna yelled back. She whipped around to glare at the boy, giving him a rude gesture.
“Why don’t you shut up, you stupid teacher’s pet!” the boy taunted. “Nobody in our class likes you anyway! What, were you too stupid to graduate when you were seventeen like everyone else?”
Soran stepped in front of Vivienna, already losing his temper. “No one talks to my sister that way,” he threatened.
“Ooh, I’m so scared of the tiny little rebel,” the boy teased, looking eager to start a fight.
“You’re asking for it.” Cameliyon stepped forward angrily, and Soran grabbed her arm. She shook it off.
“Am I, little girly?” he asked, looking her up and down. “You know...you’re kind of cute. You should come walk with me, instead of hanging out with all these losers. I could show you a good time.”
“That’s it!” Soran yelled. Without hesitating, he punched the older boy directly in the nose. Vivienna grabbed her brother before any more damage could be done and begun dragging him away. The group ran off quickly, out the doors of Dinkleberry University and towards Ana’s house.
The only graduation Vivienna would ever get ended without her.
“And then Soran punched the kid right in the nose,” Vivienna said, smiling as she related the story of what had happened to everyone back at Ana’s. “I never expected him to hit someone that much bigger than him, but I’m glad he did.”
