Sky Warriors: Poleuthan's Thief (Sky Warriors Saga Book 1) (28 page)

“Your family?” Amaris asked intrigued, leaning practically over her saddle.

“Kind of,” Ange replied awkwardly. “They weren’t my family through blood but they were the closest I had,” a note of grief rang in her voice, Showl’s warm presence engulfed her mind, trying to be comforting. But she was suddenly too depressed to thank him.

“Really?” Amaris replied seeming more interested and oblivious to her sorrow. “What happened to them and how about
your real family?”

Ange frowned, not knowing how to answer or if she even wanted to.

“Oh, I know, I know! Sheesh,” Amaris hissed aloud as she set a glare down at Corvus before turning her attention back to Ange. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to. I understand, it’s none of my business as Mr. Bossy Know-it-all over here reminded me,” she gestured to the black dragon underneath her.

Corvus let out a heavy grunt, closing his eyes halfway and seeming to
promptly ignore her jibe.

Ange’s voice was quiet and hushed as she tried to hide the pain in her voice. “Thanks. I’ll tell you later,” she promised. “Right now…it’s just too much.”

Amaris’s happy and energetic voice changed, she sounded almost exactly like her sister, serious and also a bit sad. “I understand…it’s never easy leaving your family, much less staying young forever and watching them die after the despair of losing their only daughters…especially when you are so eager to leave them and the mortal life you had behind and not realizing what pain you had caused till it was too late.”

Ange turned her gazed back to Amaris, shocked by the hollowness in her eyes as she looked back at the palace.

“It’s still hard to believe how long it’s been,” Amaris admitted quietly more to herself. She turned gaze back to Ange, a broken smile on her lips. “I may have been able to say good-bye, but I never got to say I was sorry. I didn’t realize I should have said that, not till it was far too late,” she admitted making invisible circles with her finger on the saddle’s face.

A low wine came from Corvus.

Ange stared, lost for words that could be of any solace.

“You see, we were sixteen when Corvus and Grace found us...Our parent had struggled for years to have just one kid. When we were born, they were so thrilled, then they were horrified as Ana has told me. They saw the marking on our chests and they instantly knew our destiny was beyond growing up on a small farm and helping with the chores. Back then, when a child was born with the mark of a
Dragonbound, the child was taken and given up to the Sky Warriors to be raised and educated since childhood. It was the greatest honor a family could have, but our parents didn’t want that. So they raised us and never allowed us to leave the farm and instructed us that we had to hide our markings. They wouldn’t explain why, only that we had too…Of course it only made me more curious, Ana was happy to listen to our parents, sure she was curious too but not as much as me. So when I snuck out just to see what was past our gate, she came with me.”

She smiled fondly as if looking back upon the memories.

Ange laid completely down on the saddle. She could imagine the pair of girls sneaking out to see the world beyond their farm.

“We managed to sneak out a few times without getting caught. One time we met a boy who told us about a dragon and his human partner that would visited the city that day for a festival. So we went to the festival, I was so excited after his stories, I wanted to be one of those legendary warriors. When I asked him how you became one, he told us you were born one. That the ones born with a marking were destined to dragons…I was convinced that we were one of those destined. We were thirteen and as fate would have it, that day we got caught sneaking back because we lost track of time. Father was so furious,” she laughed sadly, staring at the imaginary patterns she was drawing. “I confronted him, demanding the truth about our markings. He tried to slap me but Ana got in the way as usual and took the blow for me, he angrily forbad us from sneaking out again…and when our powers surged out…our mother became afraid of us. They kept a closer eye on us after that. I tried to run away several times…”

“Why didn’t you?” Ange asked surprised.

Amaris smiled in an obvious manner and shrugged. “Because of my sister. She always convinced me not to and I couldn’t convince her to come with me. But then…” her eyes became haunted, distant. “One day a fire started in our barn house, and we were trapped. We had fallen asleep in the upper floor of the barn after our chores and another unsuccessful argument on running away from the place… The wood beams were breaking, the ladder was charred to nothing…we were trapped, we were going to die,” she shuddered slightly. “Feeling the danger we were in, Corvus and Grace immediately came to our aid. I’ll never forget that moment when Corvus shattered through the barn like a furious bull,” she smiled widely, stopping her idle drawing to stroke the black feathers of
Corvus’s head. “He just picked me up as Grace grabbed Ana and flew us out of what seemed like our end.”

She laughed as Corvus snorted, another lofty push of his and Showl’s wings kept them high in the cool night sky under a blanket of starlight.

“They knew who we were to them in an instant and insisted we’d come back with them to complete the bonding. Of course, our parents would have nothing of that, even if they had just saved our lives. So Corvus and Grace left the decision up to us. Our parents insisted, begged us to stay, they knew they no longer had the power to keep us. I was so angry at them, I didn’t care, I couldn’t believe they wanted to keep me from my dreams, my destiny. I just wanted to go and live the life of a Dragonbound…Ileana was the only one that hesitated, she didn’t want to hurt them but she didn’t want to hurt me either. We were always inseparable and this time I was convinced to be as stubborn and difficult as possible, she eventually agreed to come with me and we started our lives as Dragonbounds…She visited our parents often, during and after our training and in that time we became more distant with each other. I didn’t bother to go visit, I was still mad. I only saw them twice before they died. We were with them, but I was still cold, I didn’t feel sad and I was tired of seeing my sister so quiet and remote. I rebuked her and told her to get over it and for the first time in our lives she yelled at me,” Amaris let out a hoarse laugh of disbelief. “She was so angry with me that I hadn’t tried to understand, that I was being selfish. At first I didn’t believe her and I felt I had lost the strong sister I had always known, so I left the Sky Warriors for a time to explore the world. It was only after a few years of just me and Corvus flying free in the sky that her words finally sank in. I was devastated, I regretted everything, especially that I had wasted all that time being angry and that it was too late to change anything, our parents were gone.”

She fell silent, in the dark, Ange thought she saw a tear roll down Amaris’s face. She grimaced, afraid to break the silence, they flew silently for several minutes, before it became too uncomfortable to bear.

“At least you and your sister made up,” Ange said cautiously.

Amaris smiled with a small nod. “That we did, and we’ve been best friends again ever since but we are not as close as we once were. Sometimes we are a bit awkward with each other like we are strangers, especially since she became leader,” she commented sadly. “I mean, she was always the oldest out of both of us and she did lead a lot despite how much I
pushed her around…I always looked up to her when we were small, maybe I still do.”

Ange smiled with a partial frown, she envied the bond they shared. A bond she once thought she had shared with Daren.

“I hope you stick around, Ange. This group could do with a few more fun people, you know?” she winked devilishly as Corvus and Showl groaned.

Ange laughed feeling brightened. “Oh, I plan to, Amy.
We’ll deliver no end of fun.”

Amaris smiled wider. “Perfect. Shall we go deliver the debatably good news then?”

Ange let out a hearty-chuckle as Showl’s joy and eagerness intensive her own emotions.

“Why not?”

Chapter
17: At the Heart of the Council

The wind hugged them gently as Showl and Corvus flared their wings open and extended their claws as the terrace came within landing distance. The air buffeted off the marble mountain as they stirred the wind with their powerful wings. The clinking of their thick claws tapped the stone floor as their pads softened their landing to a stop.

Ange clenched the handles harder as Showl’s body rocked forward as his paws touched the ground and his wings folded back to his sides. His head lowered till his jaw touched the ground.

Despite the comfortable material the saddle was made of it was still hard and her legs were sore as was her rear as she swung herself off and slid down Showl’s feathery head.

As she glanced up the saddle melted into a puddle of liquid metal and slid after her like a snake and withered its way to her blade. The hilt gleamed and resonated with a soft note as it absorbed the soft metal back into its shape.

Showl lifted his head off the ground. Through their bond Ange could sense his discomfort as his sore back relaxed. It had been a long time since he had flown competitively and he felt disgruntled that he was out of shape and practice.

Past Showl, Corvus lowered his head only half way before Amaris leapt down the last twenty or so feet, landing in a crouch with a pleased smile as the saddle also dissolved into the dagger at her side. Corvus simply glanced down at her with a narrowed white eye, seeming unsurprised by her daring jump.

Ange frown dissatisfied, she wasn’t used to being outshined in athletic skills nor guts.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t try such stunts till you are strong enough do them,”
Showl injected into her mind.
“As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t mind if you didn’t consider doing
any at all.”

Ange glowered as she tilted up her head to glare into Showl’s dragon eyes.

“You don’t know how strong I am,”
she snapped annoyed.
“You’ve never even seen me in action.”

A throaty chuckle escaped Showl’s throat.

“Yes. Like that day I saved you from a fruit vendor?”
He asked ironically.

Ange growled infuriated, her face and ears burned up. She had no reply or comeback to such heavy words that toppled her pride like it was a flimsy plant.

“I do not doubt your strength as a human,”
Showl soothed in a serious tone.
“But in comparison to the strength and resilience of a full-fledged Dragonbound, you have a long way to go.”

Ange scowled feeling
disobliged and dangerously annoyed by his words. She felt her rebellious side was about to make an appearance at any moment, further thwarting any positive opinion the Sky Warriors might have of her and earning her another fight with Showl. Though she doubted the elite warriors had any good opinions of her, even Sora had commented how unimpressive she was. She was out to prove them all wrong, no matter what it took.

She
soldered her determination, ready to face the Council.

Amaris quickly approached her with an encouraging and spirited smile.

But Ange was not paying attention to her new friend. Ange’s focus was on her friend’s partner.

Shadows began to lap like rustling grass around his shape. Quickly his form began to vanish, withering into a mass of thick darkness that coiled into itself as it rapidly shrunk and approached them. In the strange movement of what was supposed to be a two-dimensional flat form on any surface was a three-dimensional cloud of withering
wisps forming into Corvus’s human body. His face and chest emerged first as the shadows seemed to knit themselves together and gain color and volume. Soon his entire body came into existence as the last strands of darkness formed as locks of his long hair as lingering shadows vanished all together behind his confident stride.

Ange blinked astonished, confused by what had occurred even though she had seen it before though she truly hadn’t the time to observe closely till now. She failed to see how the transformation was possible and if the new body was actually real or some form of an illusion.

She turned her gaze as Showl followed.

His downy thick white feathers broke apart into snow that seemed to defy the very laws of gravity and physics. They swirled up and down, following the mass of crystals that his body had quickly becoming into. The crystalline liquid sculpting and amassing into a new and smaller shape. The ice formed a crystal clear figure that gleamed in the night under the starlight. She could discern his human features as the snow that hugged his body transitioned to his hair and armor as if the light had suddenly changed, like an illusion reflected in water. The ice sculpture seemed to almost melt away, yet deep with the ice, color bloomed forth making him seem like stained glass for a moment. His icy skin became warm human flesh that still held a pale resemblance to snow. His eyes opened and they were the same eyes she was quickly becoming familiar with.

He smiled, cocky as he caught her staring.

Her cheeks burned up and red fury boiled in her stomach at his teasing expression.

“It’s no illusion, little thief,” he
replied, confirming he had heard her private thoughts as he strode up to her. As he came up to her his right scale-clad hand ruffled her hair gently.
“This body is most certainly real, as real as my dragon body. It bleeds when wounded, aches when tired, and is capable of reproduction.”

Ange felt her whole face flare red as she stared at him startled as his hand withdrew.

Loud laughing snapped her momentary freeze as she turned her face to Amaris who was doubled over in amusement.

She stopped chortling with difficulty as she stood up straight, pressing her right arm into her stomach as her left hand tried to stop the giggles coming from her mouth.

“You really got to work on your mental-conversations-face,” she teased amused. “Your face looked so funny right now.”

Ange scowled feeling even more annoyed, yet she couldn’t help feeling a bit bubbly with Amaris’s contagious laughing even though she was determined to stay irritated.

Amaris abruptly stopped laughing, her eyes dilating and her cheeks reddened.

A wide smile spread across
Corvus’s face.

“I returned the
favor,” he informed with quiet mischief in his voice as he glanced at Ange.

A snicker escaped Ange as Amaris retaliated.

“You jerk!”

She swung a punch for his shoulder which he easily dodged with a fluid jump back. Leaving his body out of her range, his smile growing wider.

Amaris pouted irritated and turned away, crossing her arms and apparently ignoring her partner. Her cheeks still red as she refused to meet Ange’s gaze.

“What did he tell you?” Ange prompted curious, yet deviously.

“Nothing,” Amaris replied curtly and walked away, heading for the double doors set into the mountain castle. “Come on, Ana is waiting.”

Ange giggled as she followed quickly after her. Their dragons shared a glance before following close behind.

Ange gulped involuntarily as they entered the grand castle once more. The sol lanterns within kept the halls lit as they stepped in and the doors closed behind them. Yet shadows still lingered and the hall was quiet, ominous, as a breeze whistled and echoed to them from deep within. Only the sound of their footsteps replied to the cold emptiness’s sighs.

They once again followed the deeply richly decorated stone halls with an occasional painting to mark that the halls as reality and not an endless tunnel.

Suddenly the hall opened up into a large and much more highly decorated hall. Ange gasped as she looked high above at the groin vaulted ceiled that towered perhaps a hundred feet over their heads. Engaged columns segmented the hallway, leading to a circular domed room with towering entranceways at least twenty feet wide and twenty feet apart as they encircled the dome shaped room. There was a total of ten ornate doors decorated with thick carvings of vines, mountains, and the sky ranging with moons, stars, clouds and the twin suns. Dragons were depicted into the masonry work, doing numerous activities, ranging from hunting and flying to sleeping and raising their young.

Ange eagerly ran ahead, desiring to look upon the inside of the dome shaped room. Her head peered back as she walked under one of the arching doorways. The thick walls and the impossibly tall door ran with decorated bands. Leaves, frozen fire, and crystals were among the few things that edged the doors in their elaborate designs.

She stared in shocked silence as she first looked into the dome interior of the great room. Between each door was a large elliptical basin that seemed smoothly a part of the marble gray veined floors, a total of ten encircled the room. As Ange looked more closely to one on her right she realized a symbol was etched into it with words and she realized that each depression was actually a seat. A giant seat for a dragon.

She could even see ancient claw marks in certain areas. Some were just scratches while others were deep furious
gouges in the polychromatic marble floor. Images of agitated talons flashed through her mind, accented with furious roaring echoing hauntingly as the visions quickly vanished. She blinked disoriented for a moment, scowling with confusion as she retched her gaze away from the scars and to the rest of the room.

At the center of the room was a deep and large round basin. Rimmed by a table and twenty seats, decorated with precious stones and gold. But what caught her attention was the glow coming from the center of the room.

Thick crystalline glass rose from the edge of the basin, creating a twisting tube that rose to the ceiling. Strange fiery liquid slowly swirled and glowed within the cylinder, ranging and shifting through what seemed thousands of shades of every known color. It held a metallic and milky quality as energy and warmth thrummed from it and bathed the room in a soft light. It was like the cosmos and stars had been trapped within a vessel, suspended on their earth for their appreciation.

Her eyes traveled from the unknown liquid to the great dome ceiling. Above the gallery that crowned the top of the ten doors existed vibrant paintings on the smooth
dome. At the edges seemed to breathe trees and grass, little dragons lived in ever captured stillness, roosting, flying, hunting and participating in other activities. Above the painted landscape of every possible terrain stretched to a soft blue sky as clouds swirled around the dome, dissolving into swaths of stars and constellations in a midnight sky to the center of the roof, rushing to meet with the glass holding liquid. Each star held a tiny glowing sol crystal at its heart, shimmering like the real night sky. A large metal device could be heard ticking within the room at the center.

Ange gawked as she beheld the rings that rung around the cylinder of glass at the top of the ceiling. Several metal rings turned slowly. A large central metal base held out several globes forged into undeniable shapes. The first was a globe that held a large white sol crystal with metal flaring out like fire, the sun
Ebur. Another globe on its own rod rotated slowly around the first larger globe and held a brilliant fiery red sol crystal within it, the sun Rubor. Five other smaller globes hung around the rings, moving in different directions. Carved metal shutters encircled the other five varied-in-size crystals. She recognized the five moons in a heartbeat. Each was a different shade of sol crystal, the metal shutters obviously rotated around them, obscuring the crystal or revealing it, giving the idea of their phases. One moon was half covered, one was full, and two were crescents, one waning and the other waxing. The last was completely hidden by its metal blinds, a new moon.

“It is a clock, seasonal, and celestial calendar all in one,”
Showl explained to her as he came to her side.

Ange continued to gaze up at the amazing device as it slowly moved. Lines, numbers and words were engraved into the rings. The outer ring was divided into several layers in the form of huge golden metal discs. A total of four metal sheets were visible, overlapping one another, stating the year in large glyphs.

The ring that continued was divided into ten segments, one for each month of the year and each segment was written with the month’s name and the metal was a different color for each month, a complete spectrum. A disk and arrow hugged the ring closely as it pointed to the current month. The second third ring held the day of the month with its own disk and arrow, a total of forty-two segments with numbers was carved into the silver ring. The fourth inner ring was divided into four sections with smaller sections within it, declaring the progress of the current season with its own disk arrow. The first segment was white brushed metal, the second was a light green, the third was a golden bronze and the last was a bright maroon. The most inner ring that hugged the crystal cylinder was divided into twenty six segments with large numbers and half the ring was white gold while the other half was black silver. Each segment was divided into sixty smaller segments with numbers and lines. The arrow disk that rotated around that last dial stated the time.

The arrow was currently within the second segment of the
day ring in the night section, pointing at the number twenty-six. It ticked and landed on the next number, twenty seven.