by Jaya Moon
The crowding tree crowns cut out much of the direct sunlight, giving a chill to the air, and the sweet earthy scent of leaf decay wafted strongly. A woodpecker called in the distance, followed by the sound of it drumming against a tree. Memories of the life I’d left behind two years ago stirred. As we moved down the walking trail, I kicked at the leaves scattered on the ground like an excited kid.
Mox chuckled at my antics. “I think you’ll be right at home at the Eyrie.”
“Do you go there a lot?”
“Used to when Tallow and I were kids. Not so much now.”
I realized I knew nothing about how Mox, Tallow, and Abriel had become friends. I ran a few steps to catch up to Mox. “How did the three of you meet?”
“I met Tallow first, about twelve years ago when we were both thirteen. My parents used to bring me up this way every summer to go camping. Hated it. I used to go off on my own a fair bit, and one day I bumped into Tallow on a trail. He said he was up here camping with his parents too but wasn’t forthcoming about where exactly he was staying.” He laughed to himself. “First impressions: I thought he was a bit weird, but hanging out with him was better than hanging out with my parents.”
“How long did it take you to find out he was a shifter?”
“Wasn’t until the next summer. He turned up the moment we arrived. I’m guessing he was probably perched in some tree waiting for me with a stash of clothes somewhere. I wasn’t expecting to see him—it’s not like we kept in touch—but we picked up right from where we’d left off the year before. One day I stole some of Dad’s beers. Me and Tallow got drunk, then he started blabbering on about being an owl. I thought it was the booze talking until he actually did change into an owl. He flapped a few meters, slammed into a tree and fell on the ground.” Mox shook his head as he laughed. “I was so drunk I thought I was hallucinating.”
I laughed with him, imagining the scene. “And when did you work out you weren’t?”
“The next day, when we were both stone-cold sober. I mentioned what I’d seen. One minute he was giving me a hard time for imagining things, next minute his clothes were in a pile on the ground and he was sitting next to them, blinking those big owl eyes at me. Took a bit of getting my head around, but I mean, he was still this kid I liked hanging out with, only now he was an owl. After that, his mom—Tareese, she’ll be at the Eyrie—came down and met my parents, lied and said they were camping upriver, and I was welcome to go off on overnight hikes with them. Mom and Dad didn’t care if I went off for days with Tallow. Guess it was better than having me around the campsite whining the whole time. So my parents thought I was off hiking when I was actually up at the Eyrie. Back then, at least for the first few years, it was a fun place to be. Things changed after Dore became bent on destroying the Fallen.”
“And Abriel?” Why would Tallow become friends with one of the Fallen?
Mox stopped and I pulled up beside him. “We’ve known Ab for a few years. He…” He frowned in thought. “Abriel tried to save a shifter who had been captured by his brethren. After word got out of what he’d tried to do, Dore had us find him.”
“Why did Abriel save a shifter? Are there lots of angels out there who don’t support this war between the Fallen and the kin?”
“Abriel’s an exception. That’s why Dore wanted us to make contact with him. Having someone on the inside…” He shook his head. “Maybe if we’d known what bringing him to Dore would mean for the two of us we wouldn’t have agreed to do it, but we were still kids back then.”
He hadn’t answered my first question. “But what made him save a shifter in the first place?” It made no sense. What would motivate one of the Fallen to help one of the kin and go against their kind?
Mox let out a quiet sigh. “What’s the one thing that conquers all, Megs?”
Love? Was that the part of Abriel’s past that neither Mox nor Tallow would tell me about? Abriel had been in love with one of the kin?
“I shouldn’t be talking about this.” Mox started up the trail again and I followed. “It’s his story to tell.”
How did that romance explain Abriel’s surly and angry demeanor? Then I realized. “You said tried to save a shifter.”
“Tried and failed.”
I couldn’t hold back the “oh” that came from my mouth. Abriel had said to me at the waterfall, “I know pain.” I hadn’t thought much about it at the time. Now I knew what he’d meant. She had to be dead. Like me, he’d lost someone he loved, but unlike my family, victims of misfortune, the person he’d lost had been murdered by his own kind. No wonder he’d tried to strangle me when I’d asked if he’d ever killed a shifter. And it explained why he’d said he’d happily kill every angel on the planet. “So the Fallen knew about his relationship?” Ray, the angel who’d taken me to Heaven’s Gate, had alluded to Abriel doing something that had lost him the respect of all his kind.
“They knew.” Mox stared into the distance. “They knew.”
After following the trail a little over a mile, Mox paused at a place that looked no different from anywhere else and glanced around. Even though we hadn’t seen another soul on our journey, it was apparent he was making doubly sure we were alone. “We have to be quiet now until we reach the Eyrie. Okay?”
I nodded, although the comment seemed unnecessary. Since Mox had revealed the details about Abriel’s past, we hadn’t said a word to each other.
“Before we get going. I know things between you and Tallow are strained, but he cares, Megs. Did he tell you Dore commanded him to go get you and bring you to the Eyrie but he refused?”
I’d gotten on the defense so quickly when I’d last seen him, I hadn’t given him the opportunity.
“That’s why Berron came to see you,” Mox continued. “It’s the first time I can remember Tallow standing up to his father.”
He’d done that? For me? The last words I spoke to him returned in a renewed tumble of grief and regret.
I wanted to ask Mox if Tallow would be waiting for us—for me. Part of me hoped I wouldn’t have to see him because I didn’t want to argue anymore, and that’s all we seemed to do. The other part wanted him to be there so I had a chance to say what I should have said, even if that meant facing his anger toward me for defying him.
“Come on,” Mox said, dragging me away from my thoughts.
I searched Mox’s eyes, and words formed in my mouth. Why was he acting as a mediator between Tallow and me when it was clear we were attracted to each other? Before I had time to ask, he stepped off the trail and into the trees, putting an end to our conversation.
We moved downslope. Now and again Mox glanced back to check on me, sometimes flashing wild suggestive grins. Soon we reached a stream and, in a place where there were rocks scattered across the water making a natural bridge, we crossed and slowly began our ascent on the other side.
There was no discernible path, and I wondered, if this was the way to the Eyrie, why there were no signs of human impact from the comings and goings of other guests. Then I smiled to myself. Most “people” who came to the Eyrie were probably shifters. They’d fly or walk through the forest and not stick to a specific path.
Eventually Mox led me up a steep slope and even helped me for the last part, grabbing my hand and pulling me. I wanted to object and say I didn’t need help, but that was a lie. Living in the city had left me less fit than I’d been, and by the time we came up onto an open part of a mountain crest, I couldn’t disguise my puffing. He took a water bottle from his pack and held it out to me as I removed his sweatshirt and tied it around my waist.
In between gulps, I managed to ask, “How much farther?”
Out of trees to our left burst a young girl nine, maybe ten years old. She wore a raccoon mask with her long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. It was striped to look like a raccoon tail and swung from side to side as she bounded toward us. She also wore a gray long-sleeved top, sashed at the waist, and long loose pants that made her look like she wo
re a karate outfit.
“You’re here!” She bounced over to me on her bare feet and removed her mask. Her eyes were like warm toffee—like Tallow’s. “Welcome to the Eyrie,” she said, her voice loud and her eyes twinkling as she smiled, full of youthful enthusiasm. “I’m Feolyn, Tallow’s sister. You can call me Fe.”
Tallow had a sister? “Hi, I’m Meghan,” I replied while I tried to work out why she was in a costume of some sort.
Fe laughed, a beautiful, playful sound. “I know that! Come on. The lodge is just up here.” She began up the path through the trees, turning back to wave at Mox and say, “Hi, Mox. Bye, Mox. Come on, Meghan!”
I looked over my shoulder at Mox for some direction. He gave me a sympathetic look and put up both his hands, using his fingers like they were talking puppets, imitating Fe’s yammering.
“I’ll be right behind you. Far enough so I don’t have to listen to her,” he stage-whispered.
“Heard that,” Fe said in a temperamental tone, throwing a glare at Mox, although they were both still smiling. She moved forward but spun in slow circles as she did. “Was the walk okay? I’d hate to walk all that way. You should see it from the sky.”
“You’re a bird?”
She laughed, a sound full of mirth, not mock. “Of course I am. I’m an owl. All our family are, silly.”
My question was silly. I didn’t know how this whole shifter thing worked, but it made sense they wouldn’t mix species. I went to apologize, but Fe didn’t seem to care—she’d already moved on in her thoughts.
“You know, humans hardly ever come here, except Mox, but he’s speeeccciiiiaaallllll.” She shot a glance at Mox and stuck out her tongue at him. “So when they told me you were coming—” She spun faster, her arms out wide, and suddenly I had a vision of my sister. They were so alike, all enthusiasm, movement, and talk-talk-talk. Memories of Ginny made my heart heavy, but they also brought a faint smile to my face. “I have the best mask picked out for you.”
“I have to wear a mask?” I looked back at Mox for the second time, mouthing, Do you wear a mask? What kind of get-together was this? It sounded more like a costume party.
“It’s masque night. We wear the faces of others. And there are different-colored robes.” She waved her hands near her body to indicate what she wore. “Like this. You don’t have to get dressed up, but you will, won’t you?” Her eyes implored me.
“Okay.” What had I just agreed to?
She clapped her hands excitedly and started walking backward so she could continue to talk to me. Either she knew the path that well, or her animal abilities were so attuned to her environment, she didn’t need to keep an eye on where she was going.
“Wish I didn’t have to go to the glade. At least Mox can look after you while we’re gone.”
“The glade?”
“Yes. Didn’t Mox tell you about tonight?”
“No.” Tallow had only said it was an important night for all kin. I hadn’t even considered asking Mox what was happening at the Eyrie because I’d assumed it was just some sort of meeting. “So it’s a party?”
“Party?” She laughed again. “It’s a gathering.”
I went to ask what that meant, but the words dropped from my mind as we stepped out of the trees.
I hadn’t given much thought to what the Eyrie would be like apart from thinking there’d be a house among the trees or a lodge like Tallow’s. I liked to think I had a good imagination, but I would never have imagined anything like what I found in front of me.
Perched on the ridgeline sat a sizeable single-story building with a set of wooden double doors so big an elephant would be able to walk through them. Perhaps it was a log cabin, but I found it hard to tell. What may have been outside walls were covered in mosses, ferns, and other small plants, so the building blended in with the forest. Upright support beams weren’t sawn timber. They were living trees, rising above the structure into the sky, their branches spread protectively over the building’s roof. Not that the roof resembled a roof. Like the walls of the building, it also had a covering of vegetation, mainly grasses, green and golden, catching light from the late afternoon sun.
Further on, in among the trees, were more structures. Little huts that probably only had enough room for a bed were designed in the same way as the main building—parts of nature rather than intrusive habitations. As I scanned around me, I realized there were also treehouses in among the boughs of some trees, so high up my neck ached as I strained to see them.
“Oh Mox,” I said breathily as he came to stand beside me.
“Knew you’d like it. Just wait until you stay up in one of the nests.”
“Nests?”
“The treehouse rooms. Tallow has one.”
Tallow. My eyes skimmed around, hoping he might suddenly appear.
Fe headed toward the wooden double doors. Focusing my attention on them, I saw their carved, intricate design of trees, flowers, and ferns with animals of all kinds among them. Before Fe reached halfway, they swung outward. A burst of voices from within the building filled the air as she shouted, “Mom!”
A middle-aged woman stepped through the doorway. Her straight hair was silver-gray and reached her waist. Around her mouth and eyes were multitudes of lines, as though she spent her entire life smiling. She wore a blue robe similar to the one Fe had on, sashed at the waist, only longer and no pants beneath. When she saw me, she held her arms out wide as though she’d known me her entire life and was welcoming me home. She swept me into her arms and gave me the type of hug only a mother could, and I blinked back an unexpected prick of tears as her delicate scent of flowers surrounded me.
“Welcome, Meghan May. Welcome.” She eased her embrace and held me at arm’s length. “Our home is your home. I’m Tareese, mate of Dore, mother to Tallow and Feolyn. Be at peace here.”
Her hands ran down my arms toward my hands, but at the last moment she stopped, knowingly nodded at me, and let go. Had Tallow told her what happened if I held a shifter’s hand, that I could see?
Thinking about Tallow again, I glanced past Tareese toward the building.
Tareese lightly brushed my arm, redirecting my attention back to her. “Many are here already; others will come.” The way she smiled at me, I could only guess she knew who I searched for. “You’re welcome to join those inside, but would you like to freshen up first? Perhaps change your clothing?”
“Of course she wants to change!” Fe said, jumping up and down next to us. “And I want to show her the mask I’ve chosen for her.”
“Feolyn. She’s not some doll for you to dress up.” I’d never heard a voice so strong and deep.
Over in the large doorway stood an imposingly tall and stocky man wearing an ochre robe. I couldn’t see his face, hidden behind an impressive lion mask complete with mane, but I didn’t need to. It was Tallow’s father.
As he approached us, Mox bowed his head and I decided I should do the same.
“Mox,” Dore rumbled reaching us. “Your feet have trod here often and always lightly. Your presence at the Eyrie is forever welcome.”
“It brings me gladness your wings still beat strong against all winds,” Mox replied, his head still bowed.
The greeting, although formal, was beautiful, but Fe groaned. “Do we have to do this?”
I almost laughed as Dore made a growling sound in the back of his throat. I decided to sneak a look at him. He gave his daughter a disparaging glance before he returned his attention to me, and I quickly looked down at the ground again. “Meghan May.”
Figuring I had permission to meet his gaze, I lifted my head. He removed his mask, revealing his eyes, wide as moons and a hew of warm toffee. They were the same as Tallow’s and, like Tallow, he had wavy brown hair, although his was peppered with orange and silver. His face looked weathered, creased like Tareese’s but not in the same places. He didn’t have smile lines. His face was one that had expressed worry for a long time.
I’d imagined somethin
g different, thought he’d look unkind because Tallow, and even Mox, had portrayed him as someone who wielded power in ways he shouldn’t. I suppose I’d been expecting an archetype evil guy, someone from a Disney movie. Instead, he came across more like a Mufasa.
“I am Dore, head of the Council of Kin. You are in my home, and you are welcome. I’ve heard much about you, and we have much to speak of. If you will come with me.”
I swallowed hard. Come with him? Now? I glanced at Mox. His gaze hardened.
“Dore.” Tareese touched her mate’s arm. “Can’t this wait?”
“Dad,” Fe whined. “I want Meghan to stay here with me.”
Dore’s eyebrows raised in annoyance at her. “Feolyn, it’s time you attended to our guests.”
Fe scrunched up her face at Dore before turning to Tareese. “Mom?”
She smiled gently. “Do as your father says.”
Tilting her head to one side, Fe pursed her lips and opened her eyes wide in a “but Mom” expression.
“Guests. Now.” Dore nodded toward the lodge.
Letting out a little growl, more like an angry wolf than the owl she was, Fe headed off, stomping her bare feet hard on the ground as she went.
As soon as she left, Tareese cleared her throat, gaining Dore’s attention. “Meghan has only arrived, and tonight we gather. Shouldn’t the troubles of all worlds be put aside until tomorrow?”
“The world stops for no one,” Dore answered sternly.
Mox stepped close to me, like a sentinel at my shoulder. “Megs?”
I knew what he was asking. Did I want to go with Dore now? I had promised myself things would be on my terms. Perhaps I should have put more thought into it. I hadn’t anticipated Dore cornering me the moment I arrived.
Maybe it was best to get it over and done with. I could face Tallow’s concerns that his father wanted more from me than information. If Dore did, I intended to be clear about where I stood, and at the same time demonstrate to Tallow I couldn’t be made to do anything I didn’t want to. If I did that, maybe I’d allay some of Tallow’s fears, and we’d be able to talk about other things. Or at least he might listen to what I had to say.
