by Alana Grerig
“Thank you, Sir,” they mumbled like a pair of naughty children and made for the door, which Dexter was holding open.
“Jericho, a moment please,” Maximus called after them. Returning to the study, Jericho stood before his leader. Leaning in close, his black eyes were fixed on his subordinate. Maximus uttered in hushed tones, “Watch them carefully, especially the witch.” Nodding, Jericho turned and left, closing the door with a muted click behind him.
Chapter Seven
It had been nine days since Maximus had spoken to them, and during this time Eve and Caleb had explored the tree-top city. There had only been one incident in which Caleb had managed to become an unwilling participant in a fight with a rather scary-looking resident by the name of Nex. Caleb was still nursing some bruised ribs and three broken fingers from that encounter. It turned out that the riders did not like being referred to as ‘mice.’ Not only had Caleb been beaten up by a giant rodent, it had also been an extremely public spectacle. The incident had taken place in the Dome. A covered area where the food market and other trades were based, the Dome was located on the mid-level of the City. It was the only part of this sprawling treetop metropolis that was always full of activity.
Caleb had been waiting in line for lunch at one of the most popular stalls in the Dome when he’d managed to accidently stand on the tail of a female waiting in line ahead of him. Unfortunately for Caleb, this had happened to be Nex’s little sister Zoe. Nex was well known for his short temper and violent outbursts. He was the kind to lash out at the slightest of misdemeanours, some of which were his own perceptions and not actual slights against him. As on every occasion where there was a possibility for Nex to dish out some punishment, he had demanded that as part of his apology, Caleb purchase Zoe’s lunch for her, which Caleb had agreed to. It all would have ended there had Caleb not muttered, “This mouse is touchy; too much cheese before bedtime.” Nex had heard him. The next thing Caleb knew, he had been being tackled to the ground by a very angry, three-hundred-pound rodent. “We…are…not…mice...ignorant …witch!” Each bellowed word had been punctuated with a kick to Caleb’s ribs. Picking Cal up by his collar, Nex had held him up so that his feet were off the floor. The enraged rider had glared into Caleb’s bloodied face and snarled. “We are Miscurts, fearless aerial warriors, death dealers from above. You would do well to remember that, witch.”
That had been three days ago. Today, Eve was going to visit the Owls, or Protectors, as Jericho had informed her they preferred to be called. Preparing to make her way to the lake, she was buzzing with excitement. Since her first and rather a scary ride, she had learned that the protectors were not pets of the Miscurts; they were a race in their own right. Jericho had spent an entire afternoon with Eve in the city library explaining the history and alliances with the protectors. It answered many of her questions but also created plenty more.
“So, why did you steal the star shine roots from Clear Water Valley?” Eve asked Jericho, as they sat in the library. “Caleb said there was a great battle many years ago.” Eve couldn’t help it, the question just popped out. Laughing a hearty belly laugh, Jericho wiped the tears of mirth from his black eyes and answered the inquisitive young maid.
“There was no battle, Eve. That is the story the witches tell their young to keep us, the monsters, and them away from our borders. We came to an agreement to stop digging up the roots in exchange for our own crop.” Eve was confused.
“Yes, but why did you want the roots in the first place. Are they magical?”
Jericho had wandered away from her to return the volume they had been looking through.
“No, they just taste nice,” he answered over his shoulder. It was all too much for Eve; she burst out laughing. She couldn’t wait to tell Cal.
***
“Good morning, Evangeline!” called Dexter as he exited the healer’s quarters. He had taken a fist to the snout when trying to get Nex off of Caleb, and it was still a bit swollen and red.
Waving as she passed, Eve called to him, “Hello Dexter! Your nose is looking a bit better. I’m off to meet Jericho. He is introducing me to the protectors.” Eve skipped down the last staircase and ran the short distance to the edge of the lake, where she could see Jericho waiting.
“Finally!” Jericho grunted. It felt like he had been waiting for half the morning. Eve arrived at his side, eyes sparkling like she hadn’t a care in the world. “I was wondering where you had gotten to,” he stated. Smiling sheepishly and fiddling with the ties of her new leather chaps, Eve apologised.
“I am sorry, Jericho. I was up late last night reading.” Huffing, he retrieved his curled reed to alert the Protectors that they were needed. A few moments passed, and then Jericho raised his paw in greeting. Eve looked in the direction he was waving and saw two Protectors gliding over the lake. They landed before them, the morning sun bringing lustre to their feathers and fire to their jewel-like eyes. Keisha, the Protector Eve had met before -as she had been the owl Eve had ridden on her journey here - observed Eve with her Smoky quartz eyes. Then, spreading her bronze wings, her midnight blue primary feathers catching the light, Keisha bowed gracefully. Amazed that yet another creature was welcoming her in this manner, Eve curtsied to the majestic bird.
Clearing his throat and hoping that none of the shock he was feeling came through in his voice, Jericho gestured to the other owl that had accompanied Keisha. Eve turned her attention to the other Protector waiting quietly on the shore. This owl was white with black flecks on her breast. Its feathers were not as striking as Keisha’s, but then Eve looked into the bird’s eyes. They were sapphire blue. Never had she seen any creature with eyes such as these.
“This is Sapphire,” Jericho introduced the Protector.
“Named for her eyes, no doubt,” Eve whispered, stepping to stand in front of the snowy owl. Eve looked up into her blue eyes, smiled, and dropped into a curtsy. Sapphire clicked her beak, and instead of bowing, as Eve had expected, she brought her snowy head down and placed her forehead against Eve’s.
As soon as the contact was made, Eve experienced a rush of images: a house, her brother, and her birth parents. The house must have been her home with them. Then the darkness appeared. It slithered into the house in the dead of night. The darkness entered her room but shied away when it touched her. Eve then saw it enter her brother’s room and do the same. When it reached her parent's room, it began to circle their bed faster and faster, until it was a blur of black. Her mother woke, and just as she opened her mouth to scream, both her parents and the darkness vanished.
Eve could feel tears rolling down her cheeks, upset by the images she had just witnessed. She tried to pull away, but a gentle voice that came from within her head whispered. You must see it all, dear one.
Eve knew it was Sapphire she had heard. Taking a breath, she prepared herself for the rest.
It was the early hours of the same night. Eve was asleep in her crib, thumb in her mouth. Eli was crying in the room next door, but no one came to soothe him. Just as the sky changed to the pearly colours of pre-dawn, two men entered the house. They looked much like Caleb, though their features were more pointed and they had gossamer wings folded against their backs. They entered Eli’s room, picked him up, and left as quickly as they had arrived.
“Nooooo!” Eve moaned as she dropped to her knees, the connection lost. Jericho just stood there, not understanding at all what had just taken place.
“I know where my brother is. Jericho, I need to find Caleb.” She rushed her words, tears still streaming down her face. Confused, he picked her up, and was about to run back to the city when Eve reached out to Sapphire. Taking her closer, Jericho watched as the great bird rested her head on Eve’s hand and watched a large tear fall from the owl’s beautiful eye.
“Thank you, dear friend. Please wait for me to return. I won’t be long,” Eve whispered to her new friend. Sapphire nodded her head in an assurance that she would, indeed, wait.
“Amazing!
” Jericho breathed.
They were back at the lake ten minutes later. Eve was running and Jericho carried Caleb, much to his displeasure. On arriving, Eve very quickly explained to Caleb what had happened. Caleb stood and listened until Eve was finished before he spoke.
“So the owl…” There was an angry screech from behind Caleb. “Sorry! I mean Sapphire, shared this information with you?” Eve nodded, while Jericho was becoming even more confused. Eve then explained her quest and the prophecy she was destined to fulfil.
“So let me get this straight. You are on a quest to find this Aurora Stone and your long-lost brother? Caleb is one of your three companions, and you can communicate with Sapphire? Wow! I need a moment.” Jericho moved away from the group and sat on a boulder, looking out onto the tranquil lake. Eve turned to Caleb,
“We are going to have to explain at least part of this to Maximus; it will look really suspicious if we suddenly have a pressing urge to leave.” Not happy but knowing that sneaking off would never work, Caleb agreed. Though he also made it clear that Jericho was to be there as well.
***
Whoosh! A large book missed Eve by a hair. Maximus was enraged. He had known there was more to these two than he had been told. Picking up a glass paperweight, he launched it across the room. The orb ricocheted off the bookcase and embedded itself in a rather large portrait of his grandfather.
“DECEIVERS! I KNEW YOU WERE LYING TO ME!” he bellowed, the pinks of his ears turning purple.
“I can prove what I am telling you to be true, just please calm down,” Eve pleaded from behind Jericho. This seemed to cause Maximus to reach new heights of fury. His breathing was becoming shallow and fast, eyes wide and ears flat.
“You shouldn’t have told him to calm down,” moaned Jericho as he watched his leader knock over three chairs and tear up a large map.
Eve stepped back and reached for the door handle. If she could just get to her room, she could retrieve the box and hopefully begin to prove her story to be true. Unfortunately, the Miscurt leader saw her. Picking up the cane that a moment ago had supported his prized cheese plant, he came crashing towards her.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Raising the cane, Maximus was about to bring it down on Eve’s shoulder when he caught his foot on the rumpled rug and fell. Miscurt and cane flew in opposite directions. Maximus came to land with a thud against the end of his desk with the wind knocked out of him. He was about to spring to his feet when the ink blotter that had been on the edge of his desk fell off and struck him between the eyes, knocking him unconscious and leaving a smudge of blue ink in its wake. Caleb, who had been watching from the chair he had been too scared to vacate, looked at the now still Maximus.
“Is he...dead?” Caleb whispered, eyes wide. Rushing to his side, Eve placed her ear to the mighty rodent’s chest.
“No, just knocked out. He will be alright. I will make him something for the pain.” Leaving the room, she asked that Jericho bring Maximus to her burrow as discreetly as possible. Sighing, he went towards the great leader and hauled him over his shoulder.
“I hope you know what you are doing, Eve; Maximus is not going to like this when he wakes up.” However, he found that he was addressing a closed door, as she had already left.
It was a tense few moments when Maximus came around. At first, he was ready to tear the burrow apart and throttle the lot of them. However, realising this was physically not possible and that Eve had been tending to his extremely sore head, Maximus did something he had not managed since he was a child, Maximus listened.
“I have never seen a stone of prophecy in all my years; you must guard it well, there are those who would destroy it,” Maximus warned Eve, as he carefully handed back the slab of moonstone.
“Destroy it? What good would that do? The prophecy has been heard,” Caleb interjected. Maximus, trying hard to keep his temper, explained that the stone was also a key, and without it, the prophecy could not be completed. This was news to Eve; Reena had not mentioned anything more about the stone, apart from advising her to keep it safe right after it was activated.
Finally, they made it back to the shore. Keisha had returned home, but Sapphire was still there, her beautiful snowy head tucked under her wing. Cautiously, Eve made her way to her new friend and reached out a hand to touch her soft feathers and rouse her.
“I don’t think you should be touching a sleeping giant bird, Eve. It might not be too happy about it,” cautioned Caleb, from the brave position behind Jericho. Sapphire must have heard; she was now awake and extending her wings in what looked like a post-nap stretch.
“Dear Sapphire, we need to visit Gloria. Could you please take us there?” Eve asked the owl tenderly. Her blue gaze never leaving Eve’s green-gold one, she nodded. Sapphire then looked at Jericho and Caleb, making a move with her talons, she scratched two lines in the dirt. Jericho was the first to understand.
“She can only carry two of us; we need another owl, or one of us must stay behind.” Eve knew that she could not leave Caleb behind, and she needed Sapphire to guide them to the border of the realm of the Fae: Gloria.
“I cannot leave Caleb or Sapphire, nor can we involve another protector. It is wrong to demand that of them,” she explained. Jericho knew he was the logical choice to stay, but Maximus had ordered that he accompany them, and never having gone against a direct order, he was not about to start now.
“Then we will have to all walk and allow the protector to lead us from the sky. Maximus ordered that I go with you; at least allow me to follow my orders. I will come as far as the border.” Shaking her head, Sapphire let out two long hoots. Keisha reappeared a moment later. Seeing how worried Eve looked, Sapphire leaned her forehead against hers and explained that it had already been decided, but she thanked her for not having ordered another protector to come.
“Thank you,” Eve murmured. “Our travelling obstacle has been resolved; let us make haste. I would like to reach the border before dark.” Walking up the Owl’s snowy wing, Eve suddenly felt confident; circumstances were changing for the better. Jericho assisted Caleb onto Keisha, and then they were flying. The direction was unimportant to Eve, this time. She knew her friend would guide them true.
“I am coming, Eli.” She whispered her promise to the wind.
Chapter Eight
The view was spectacular. Eve was desperate for some paints to capture the russet landscape; the trees ruffled by the wind still reminded her of fire. Every so often, Sapphire would bank slightly, drawing Eve’s attention to another beautiful view that the land had to offer. Glancing over at Keisha, Eve waved to Caleb and Jericho. It was a truly surreal method of travel; the Protectors seemed to float. Their massive wings moved fluidly, hardly causing any disturbance to the riders. Eve found the motion so very soothing. Combined with the warmth of Sapphire’s back, she soon found herself drifting off to sleep.
Sapphire let out a gentle hoot; Eve heard someone calling her name as if from far away.
It is time to wake up, Dear one; we are halfway to the border. Eve knew that it was Sapphire she could hear. She thought to herself how extraordinary it was that even in sleep, she was able to hear the protector’s soothing voice. Eve stirred but did not fully awaken.
I know you are tired. Once we have made camp, you can return to your slumber. However, now you must wake up, Sapphire crooned. Sighing, Eve opened her eyes; she had fallen forward and was lying with her face resting against the soft snowy feathers of Sapphire's neck. Sitting up, she stretched and took in the new vista. A magnificent sunset painted the skies with fiery scarlets, hot pinks, and deep oranges.
“IT IS TRULY A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT TO BEHOLD!” shouted Jericho from a short distance away. Kashia had glided closer now. Her bronze plumage was giving the effect of being molten, as if lit on fire with the warm glow of the sun's last rays. Jericho seemed to puff up with pride at the view. This was his homeland; his heart was here, and it showed. Caleb was too busy clutching handfuls of feathe
rs in his fists. Eve was sure his knuckles must be white with tension. Giggling to herself, she called to her companions.
“Sapphire says it is time to make camp. We should try and find a sheltered spot by the river.” Nodding his agreement, Jericho gestured for Eve to go first. Sapphire took her queue and began the gentle descent to the forest floor.
They had found a wonderful spot to make camp for the night. There was a small glade a few hundred feet from the river where the trees were less dense, so they would be able to watch the fiery sky turn into the inky blue of twilight and await the stars. The two owls flew off to collect wood for a small cooking fire while Jericho disappeared into the water to gather a surprise for their supper. The fact that he had said ‘gather’ and not ‘catch’ had Eve intrigued, to say the least. Caleb, on the other hand, was still a rather spectacular shade of green. His hands were stiff from the death grip he had forced on them directly after take-off earlier in the day. Keisha had a rather interesting spiky section of plumage which she had attempted to groom into place before accompanying Sapphire. The look she had given Cal had been one of equal measures of despair and irritation.
Shaking her head, Eve went over to her friend. Taking his left hand, she massaged it to help relieve the tension. Starting at the fingertips, she soothed the stiffness out of the joints, allowing them to relax back into their natural state so they were no longer claw-like and sore. Looking up, she watched as Caleb’s shoulders dropped as some of the tension left his body. By the time Eve had administered the same care to his right hand, Caleb had lost some of his sickly tinge and was definitely more relaxed.
