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I kept my gaze on the chipped cobblestone below me, and went with the flow of the crowd thronging around me. I tried staying on the edges of the crowd but with everyone pushing and shoving, I ended up pressed up against the makeshift stage that took up the space in the center of the town square. Someone to my right knocked into me and I stumbled a few paces to the left. I threw out my wings to stabilize myself and felt one bump up against something. I turned around to apologize and ended up staring into the face of a Penalty.
Penalties are the law enforcement of Terrimesa, my country, and are usually made up of the Vulcanis or the Týr Clan. I quickly tucked in my black wings and ducked my head, glowering at my shoes. Just my luck, I had to run into a Penalty. Back before the war, my home Clan was mostly used as guards for anyone who paid. We had a reputation of also doing assasination jobs upon occasion. Our reputation was that of mercenaries, not caring on what side we are on, simply trying to survive. Since the Divine practically wiped out my home Clan, they now mainly use the Vulcanis Clan, the only species of Valkerian capable of wielding fire without getting hurt, seeing as they are usually burly in build.
Quickly straightening and plastering a fake smile on my face, I tried apologizing. “I’m sorry, please forgiv-”
“Are you from the Umbră Clan?” he asked. I blinked in surprise and confusion. No one had ever asked me that. It usually came a couple minutes later into a conversation. “Well?” The Penalty demanded. “I-uh, yes. Yes, I originate from the Umbră Clan.” I stuttered out.
As soon as I finished my sentence, my arms were seized and my wings were grasped and put into an uncomfortable position. It felt as if one wrong move would rip them from their sockets and dislocate them. I lurched forward and struggled to get out of my captors hold to no avail. This wasn’t right. What had I done? I ran a quick list through my head of the past couple days. I hadn’t done anything particularly eye catching, and I had stuck to the rules. My breathing started coming quicker. Had I offended someone and they put in a complaint? Did the Potentate finally decide that I was of no use any longer? What if-- The Penalty jerked me back and I felt myself come back to the present. “Not on my watch,” he growled. I went limp and resigned myself to worrying quietly.
The people around me started quieting down and I glanced at the dais in front of me. When I saw a woman with white wings with the feathers dyed an outrageous red color, I rolled my eyes and resumed studying the street. There was a large shuffling noise and then tapping that was magnified by a microphone. “Hello? Hello? Can everyone hear me?” People rustled their wings and some gave shouts of encouragement. Whoever was on the stage seemed pleased at this and resumed talking again. The nasally voice was already grating on my nerves.
“Thank you. My name is Tess. I bring forth a message from the Divine and the Potentate.” She paused to let the murmurs of “May they rule forever” chime around. I glowered. All messengers from the Divine have some type of name that is taken from the name of our country, Terrimesa. The Divine is the capital of Terrimesa. The central hub for all activity, where all the newest trends sprang up, where the Potentate decreed your fate and ate candied oranges with fingers weighed down by precious metals and jewels.
Tess fluffed up her wings and smiled. The noise died down to a calm hush. “Today is a day to mark in history. We will finally punish those who wronged us, those who killed our children, those who made sure our wed would never feel our embraces again, those who left us with children who kept asking where their family is. This will be the first step to wiping the filth that has inhabited our world like parasites. You, people of the town of Sailear, will get to witness the cleansing. Be grateful that you have one of the last remaining survivors of the Umbră clan amongst you, the princess herself, because she is your ticket to this privilege. Now, let the show commence!” She finished with a flourish and polite clapping filled the square. I could feel the stares on my bound body, but I couldn’t care less. Disgust filled my body; tainting me. Tess thought this some sort of game, a show, and she was the host. It sickened me how everyone just stood by, waiting in anticipation. This country really was corrupt.
Did they not care that my clan went through the same hardships they had? How my cousins, uncles and aunts went to war, only for me to realise that saying goodbye to them was the last warm hug of theirs I would ever get? To see a stranger make my family and friends break down just by reading a slip of paper, knowing what the word deceased meant far too soon for my age? They didn’t know what it was like, staring into the mirror and seeing sallow cheeks and protruding ribs because the Divine had cut off our food source, waking up and realizing that your younger cousin was blue and cold, having spent her last breath sometime that night.
When I heard the clanking of chains, my head snapped up. What I saw made my blood run cold. Valkerians were chained up and lined up like pigs for slaughter, Valkerians who had done nothing wrong yet were being executed just for belonging to the Clan of Umbră, Valkerians that I knew. I studied their restraints and saw that the Divine had taken every precaution in binding them. There were metal wires that wound across their chest and around their necks, ensuring that if they stretched their wings too far, or attempted to fly, the wire would cut into their windpipe and cause them to slowly suffocate. Their wrists and ankles were bound by your standard metal cuffs. The only difference was a thin metal chain connecting the two. If you reached forward too much, you would trip. If you tried to run, you would eventually fall, seeing as you didn’t have the normal amount of leg length as usual.
I began thrashing against my captor when I heard a voice I thought would never hear again. “Please!” it cried. “Help us!. We have done nothing wrong, can’t you people see that? Please, I’m begging you.” The voice broke off at the end and sobbing was heard.
I whimpered as a pair of teens passed me. I stared at them with such intensity I thought they would incinerate. My breath wooshed out of my lungs in time with the scalding tears that were slowly staining my cheeks. I made a strangled noise and tried to call out to my younger siblings, but my throat closed up and my breath hitched. I hadn’t seen them since the Raid, and I had always hoped that I would raise enough money to get them out of custody in the Divine, but to see them like this? Lined up with people I had thought for dead? It was more than cruel.
Amare and Oringo shared the same mocha brown skin I had, and we all had a mix of the three traits our parents had. Both Amare and I had wings, but I had a tail and no horns, whereas Amare was the opposite. Oringo was the only member of the royal family to have ever been recorded without any wings, but he made up for it with three tails and horns. Both Oringo had the same brown hair and eyes, whereas Amare had chestnut hair and hazel eyes. She had filled out well despite the hunger she had suffered through when in the custody of the Divine. Oringo looked more or less the same, the only difference being the choppy hair that brushed his shoulders.
I attempted to call out to them once more, and this time I got their attention. Amare’s head snapped to the side and her eyes widened when she saw me, bound and kneeling. She elbowed my brother, Oringo, and extended her wings as much as she could. “Krellia! Help me, I don’t want to die. Help us! I don’t-- I don’t want to-” She was cut off by a Penalty yanking her hair back and dragging her to the front of the prisoners. My brother reached for her but was held back by the many hands grasping at their tattered uniform. I strained forward and shouted “Don’t worry Amare, I’ll get you out. Just hold on...hold on and be strong for me…”
I tore my gaze from my kin when Tess stepped aside with a smile and nodded at one of the Penalties. The female Penalty stepped amongst the throng of captives and pulled out an elderly lady whose wings looked disheveled, and pulled her away from the rest. The elderly woman finally lifted her head and I gasped. It was an elder of my Clan named Izilla. She had been younger then, but it was still her nonetheless. I tried to wrench my arms out of the Penalties hold when I saw them wheel a guillotine to the center of the stage. I made a pained noise.
Two of the guards guided my mother in all but blood on her knees and slid the pieces of wood over her neck. No, no, no, this couldn’t be happening. This was surely a bad dream. A figment of my imagination; an aftermath of the war. I grew frantic when someone held a pair of shears, ready to cut the rope holding the blade. Tess began the downward descent of slashing her hand through the air, the signal to cut the rope, and my vision went white with fear. “Please!” I yelled. Tess held up two fingers and cocked her head, staring at me. “She didn’t do anything, Izilla had no part in the war. Don’t kill her. You’re above killing the innocent aren’t you?” I said desperately, grasping at straws. Tess smiled sharply at me; a smile with too many teeth. She turned around and finished the hand signal.
I squeezed my eyes closed in time with the ringing sound of metal cutting through air; slicing through something soft and sinewy; sinking into wood and halting it’s path. Dead silence hung in the air, suffocating my lungs, oppressing those with tears in their eyes. I desperately seeked out my twin and younger sister, only to find Amare silently weeping and Oringo petting her head. Their cheeks were dry.
I slowly lifted my eyes to the limp body that no longer held the face of Izilla, blood flowing merrily from her neck uncaring for the eyes that might fall upon this gruesome spectacle of justice.
When the wayward head stopped rolling and faced me, I let out a wail of anguish. I saw my mentor's blank eyes staring at me; through me; never to see again, and something came alive. My desolation morphed into something burning, scorching, consuming everything in its path. I let out a scream of undiluted rage and set my gaze upon Tess.
The messenger smiled and had a feral gleam in her eyes. “Bring forth the next prisoner.” She happily stated. I watched as Tess approached Amare and grabbed her forearm, wrenching her from my brother's grasp and unlatched her bindings. I let forth a shallow breath and panic overtook my senses. I couldn’t lose her too. My frantic eyes met Oringos and they nodded their head. They were as willing to get her back as I was. I twitched my wings forward and jerked my head forward. Oringos eyebrows shot up in surprise, but spread the signal for distraction amongst the captives. As soon as children from the Umbră clan were old enough to speak, we had voice restrictors placed on us for until we were 7 years old. Our parents couldn’t talk to us after the voice restrictor was placed. We learned how to communicate from our parents using military signals, so everyone should know what I wanted them to do. Soon feet were shifting and eyes were roving to me. I relaxed my shoulders from their hunched form and dropped them. It was as close as I could get to dropping my arms in a signal for ‘go’.
In an instant ear splitting screeches rose from the gaggle of bound Valkerians, and the sound temporarily startled the Penalties surrounding me. They turned to the stage and shouts of surprise were heard from the audience. Not one to miss an opportunity, I twisted myself out of the Penalties hold and stumbled forward. The Vulcaneis clad in white lunged for me, but I flapped my black wings and rose to the sky. I shifted my vocal chords and let out a caterwaul. The cacophony of shrieks and shouts of exclamation stopped. Tess looked at me with naked fear and quickly let go of Amare as if she was a scalding hot coal. A group of Penalties surrounded the messenger but I paid no heed to them. They were a problem for later. Amare scampered back to Oringo and set on cutting his bindings with her wings.
Once he was free, I heard the popping of joints and slight hiss to signal that he had brought his tails into play. All Valkerians could retract their wings into their backs, or any additional features (tails, horns, claws, etc.), however it was uncomfortable for extended periods of time. My two siblings set on freeing those of my clan, and soon I had a platoon of ready, if slightly weary, soldiers. I rotated in the air and focused on the rhythm of pumping my wings to stay aloft. Amare joined me and I reached out to her. She clasped my palms in hers and we rested our foreheads together. Her horn felt cold and smooth against my hair. “I missed you, sister.” I murmured. Amare simply sighed and let a small smile grace her face.
“As did I. However, now is not the time for reunions. It is time to fight alongside your brethren , for our clan. It’s time to rise up to the throne you have been so hesitant to take.” I took a shuddering gulp of air. “Amare, how can I be sure I won’t hurt any of you? Last time…” I trailed off and we both shot a quick glance at the scar marring Oringo’s face. They had gotten it by protecting Amare when I still had little control over my second form. “Krellia, I know how you feel. But it’s time for you to face your demons within and use the strength they give you to be free.” She said passionately.
In time with her last sentence, I let go. I let the dam fall and screamed at the pure agony ripping through my being. Amare gently let me to the stage and some of my clan surrounded my curled figure. I felt Amare distance herself away from me and distantly heard her give the command of attack. Through hazy eyes I registered the battle commencing around me. The ones surrounding me rushed to keep me safe from the Penalties trying to get to my weakened self.
I panted into the space between my knees. My skin felt flushed and hot, itchy and irritable. The clothes I wore felt too restricting and I squeezed my eyes in discomfort. A body thumped to the ground next to me. I weakly tilted my head to the left and noticed the blank eyes of a civilian. Their wings were peach intertwined with swirls of light grey. A peace Valkerian then. Their eye socket was a gaping mess of pink and red, clear fluid sluggishly oozing out and mixing with the blood. I gasped as my senses flared, bussing from being so close to blood.
Another thing that most didn’t know about my clan was that we were specialists in blood magic. Meaning we consumed the blood of another being to give us strength, to heal us, to control others. We didn’t use it often, and when we did, it was powerful. Everyone had a different specialty when it came to blood magic. Some had none at all. Those who had none were servants for the royal family. People’s rankings within the clan were usually based on blood magic skill and strength. The Royal Bloodline usually had the strongest, as all royal families from all clans were descended from the Gods themselves. The Alpha’s consort was usually high on the metaphorical power scale as well. They did this so that their children, Amare, Oringo and I, would have powerful blood magic as well.
The last time I had seen Amare she had been too young to be able to access her magical core, and I honestly hadn’t kept up with Oringo’s magical progress and lessons. They had mostly been taught knowledge on how to heal and about the plants our clan used for medicinal purposes and for poisonings. My magic on the other hand, well, was probably the rarest seen in several decades. Transformation Blood Magic the elders had called it. When I consumed blood, I was able to change my physical appearance to that of anyone I wished. Before the Raids and War started, my mother told me that I could train to even be able to grow back a limb. My mother also had transformation blood magic, however, hers was to a less powerful degree and was focused outwardly, on things other than herself.
When the Divine tore me away from my family, they had some Valekerians from the Miste Clan, the clan specialized in the mind arts, lock away my blood magic. It was like they tore out my soul. Over the years, I’d come to live with the empty feeling in my chest, but for the childe I was? It was like taking away my ability to breathe. Most children, no matter the age, are more in tune with their magical cores than adults or teenagers. They have this ability to listen and observe in a way grown-ups can’t.
I focus my mind back to the present and inhale the tantalizing smell of blood. I inch myself closer to the ruby pool, but hesitate. Last time I did my blood magic, I unleashed a second form. One meant solely for war and fighting. I went on a rampage before the guards could inject a tranquilizer into my arm. I had cornered Amare and had tried to use a newly discovered tail to slash her across her face. Key word being tried. Oringo stepped in front of Amare and I had given them their largest scar. I hadn’t used my blood magic since then in fear of hurting someone else I loved.
I stared at the way the tips of my brown hair dipped under the red surface, causing ripples to break across the smooth surface. Screams and shouts echoed around me, the clash of metal on metal ringing like an ominous signal. Something is coming, be prepared, war is not won with hesitation. I risked a brief glance up only to be met with the sight of a Penalty flipping an Umbrăn into the grained wood of the stage and pinning their wings down with their knees. My clan member struggled and I tensed all my muscles. The Penalty placed their hands on the Umbrăn’s chin, twisted it up and then yanked it sideways. The resounding crack was all I heard.
I watched with wide eyes as the Penalty got up and engaged in another skirmish. Both fighters paid no attention to the body on the floor. I slowly looked down at the pool of blood that had now reached my hand and was staining them pink. No one else in my clan would have their blood spilled today. My breathing sped up and the skin started prickling incessantly. Without any hesitation I dipped my tongue into the blood.
Warmth flooded through me, but it soon turned uncomfortably hot, and then a raging fire. I flopped to my side and arched my back. White-hot flames licked at my shoulders and the sound of skin splitting was heard. I let out a long scream as the fire centered at the small of my back and something pushed through. The agony of my bones breaking and shifting paralized me and I choked. Soon though, it was over, and I rose unsteadily to my feet. My wings were thrown out to the side and I felt embarrassed. I’m sure I looked like an infant learning how to walk.
A rush of air whistled through my feathers and footsteps thudded behind me. I whirled around only to be met with the glowing face of Oringo. I smiled at him, but winced as my wings brushed harshly against my still sensitive skin. They stepped towards me and we briefly touched foreheads. “How did you get here?” I asked him. They pointed up to the sky and I saw Amare’s lean figure wheeling away. “You look good Leelee, did you cut your hair?” he teased me. I scowled. “Oh, going back to nicknames are we? Don’t play games, hunter, I can demolish you if I so choose.” I threatened them. Oringo’s name in our native language means ‘Hunter’, so naturally like the mature older sister I am, I made it his nickname.
Oringo laughed and a smile clear as dawn broke across my face at seeing him happy. My twin had always been the worrier in our family, so a smile was rare. They quickly sobered up though and gave me a onceover. “Seriously Krellia, you look great. Take a look, and then find me on the battlefield. I have a certain someone I want to hunt down, and I have a feeling you’ll enjoy this kill greatly.” They told me. I touched my wingtip to theirs as they made to leave and Oringo looked back to me. “Be safe, brother.” I whispered. He simply blinked at me and was soon swept in the fray of fighting that surrounded me.
I sighed but looked over myself curiously. Stretching my arms slightly in front of my head, stared at the small but wickedly sharp spikes placed evenly at my knuckles. I clenched my fists and only to find that it didn’t hurt. I leaned closer and squinted. Were they exposed bone with some type of clear ceiling over them? Were they like claws, where I could sheath them at will? Shrugging, I decided I’d investigate later. Something poked my cheek when I shrugged so I flipped my head side to side, and narrowed my eyes at the white spikes that were also protruding from the top of my shoulders. I narrowed my eyes and huffed out a breath. I’d have to be careful in order to not scrape my chin or throat when looking from side to side. Something brushed my legs and I looked down. A tail the same color as my skin was weaving between my legs and I jumped in surprise. I tried moving it to the left, and it complied without delay. It was like moving a muscle I didn’t know was there, but knad perfect knowledge of how to use.
I grinned, happy at the new arsenal of dangerous things on my body that the transformation had equipped me with. Taking a breath to steady my resolve, I rose to the sky. Valkerians started pointing and shouting, exclaiming over the figure in the sky with pure black wings. Cheers rang out and Umbrăns started fighting harder and those pitted against them dropped like flies. In the air, small fights were happening, but it was mostly dodging the arms and legs of your opponent. You can’t exactly have hand to hand combat in the air. I shifted my vocal chords again and let out a screech. Others of the same kind were let out and I grinned. My people were responding to my call, saying we hear you, we support you, we will win under your rule.
I dove to the nearest aerial fight and beat the opponents feet with my wings, destabilizing them and distracting them enough that the Valkerian I was aiding could knock them out and let them fall to the ground. We trusted someone would finish them off for us. I turned to the man next to me and tilted my head. He looked to be in his late thirties, which meant he was in his early twenties when he was captured. He blushed under the scrutiny. “And what is your name?” I implored. “Max--Maxmillian, your highness. Thank you for your help in my fight.” He stuttered.
I nodded. “No thanks needed Maxmillian. You were in the king's guard weren’t you? I’d recognize that flight pattern anywhere.” I observed. Maximilian nodded his head fervently. “Yes, your highness, but not quite. I was training under General Bera and was to be appointed the following year. Unfortunately the raids happened and…” he trailed off when he saw my scowling face. “Apologies, I did not wish to upset you. If you’ll forgive me for my imprudence” he said nervously. I hesitated before smoothing my face. “You are fine. It’s my fault for thinking such thoughts at a time like this. Go and aid any of our allies who might be in need.” I instructed him. “Of course. All hail the Ebony throne!” He saluted me at the end and dove down to help some of the fighters.
I beat my wings slowly, shocked. Not many people referred to the Umbrăn throne and royal family as the Ebonies. It was a lesser known fact than our blood magic. Honestly the name was more a myth than an official title. It was rumoured that the reason our wings were black (very different than the rest of Terrimesa who had white or varying shades of grey with different colors mixed in) was because the first Alpha had stolen a seed from the only tree that bore ebony wood from the God’s garden and planted it. He carved the Umbra clan throne out of the tree's wood.
Our clan, though still new and small, already had a reputation of producing the best killers for hire, so in order to blend in with the shadows better, he rubbed shavings from the tree into his wings and dyed them black. He did this for his wife as well. The shavings merged with his feathers and so when his children were born, they were with black feathers. His children’s children did this, so on and so forth until no one in the Umbra clan was without. In order to make sure the dye didn’t fade, they kept up this tradition until about 100 years ago. By then our wings were naturally black and there was no need to rough up our feathers.
Even so it was a tale shared only on Stars Fire night, when we celebrated the new moon cycle and the kids were holding small torches under their faces, casting flickering shadows over their mischievous faces. When the mothers were busy gossiping about who made the best pie that evening, and the strong had drunken armwrestles. I shook myself out of my reverie and swooped to the fight on my left. I aided those I could in the sky, and killed the opponents of those I couldn’t. Once my area was relatively clear, I flew around the battlefield and searched for Oringo. Most civilians had evacuated when I had broken out of the Penalties hold, and those that didn’t were dead. I flicked my eyes to the horizon and spotted a trio of black specs approaching in the North. Reinforcements, from the Divine, I decided. Someone had probably gotten a message to the Potente and he had dispatched some soldiers to subdue us. The ships were about 2 hours away though, and our fight would be over by then.
Finally spotting Oringo on the fringes of the churning mass of wings and limbs, I tucked my wings in close and landed just behind their attacker. “Surprise!” was all I said before smashing my spiked knuckles into her eye socket. The female stumbled back in surprise only to be speared brutally in the neck by Oringo’s tails. Their tails squirmed and ripped until her head was hanging on by spasming tendons. Oringo slid her body off their tails with their hand and it landed at my feet. My twin beckoned to me. I stepped uncaringly on the nearly severed neck with my boots, feeling them sink a bit before releasing with a wet squelch.
Oringo gave me a raised eyebrow . “Oh stop,don’t give me that look. It’s not as if you were grossed by that. What did you want me for?” I asked them, crossing my arms. “Fine. You’re right. I want to hunt down Tess, the messenger from the Divine. Amare is around here somewhere, and I think she would relish in the idea that she is avenging Izilla,” he informed me. I thought it over. Eventually I nodded and consented. “Very well. I’ll find Amare, you just put down as many of these Valkerians as you can,” I told them while kicking the corpse that we had just killed. They nodded and I took to the sky again.
I spotted Amare demolishing Penalties left and right, laughing maniacally. I watched her, amused. She was headbutting people, gutting them with her horns and using her wings to hit their windpipes. She shouldered someone and sent them crashing to the ground before stepping on their wrists and breaking them. I stepped on the ground, beating my wings rapidly to make sure I didn’t topple face forwards. Amare caught my eye and she moved to cover my back. Together we slowly took down opponent after opponent, working in a synchronised way that we had only ever seen our parents fight with.
“Oringo wants to do a hunt!” I shouted at her over the grunts of combat. She looked over at me. “And why would I do what dear brother wants when I’m having so much fun right here?! Besides, Oringo’s hunts are usually stupid and boring” she told me. I lifted a wing to take the brunt of an attack before driving my boot into their abdomen and crushing their windpipe. “I don’t think you’ll find this hunt particularly boring. The one they want to hunt is the Messenger from the Divine, Tess.”
Amare froze right as someone lunged at her. I whipped around and slid my tail across the assaultants throat and turned to my sister. “Amare!” I yelled at her. She blinked at me and the for seemed to clear from her liquid amber eyes. “Sorry.” She said softly. “I just...when they pulled Izilla from next to me, I was reminded so clearly of the Raids. Mother and father…” she closed her eyes and I cradled her face in my palms. Tears streamed down her face, cleaving clear tracks in the grime that was covering. “Hey, tears are for afterwards. I miss them too, but there’s nothing we can do but be in the present. Now, what do you say to that hunt?” I consoled her. Amare opened her eyes and managed a weak smile. “Yeah, I guess I’m up for it. C’mon.” she said. I motioned for a couple of Umbrans to take over, and they quickly finished their fights and took our places. We beat our black wings and killed those who got in our way.
Oringo was waiting for us and when we landed he hugged Amare. “Glad you’re on board, sis.” he said. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Did you find her?” she said with a demanding tone. “Amare, your inner brat is showing.” I warned. She bared her teeth at me and Oringo laughed. We all turned serious and Oringo turned their nose to the sky and led us around the battle to an alleyway. It was shadowed and smelt of trash and wet stone. The sound of the fight happening a couple of wingbeats was diminished and the slow drip of water was not far off.
“Oringo, are you sure all these years in captivity haven’t completely destroyed your sense of smell?” said Amare grumpily. I lightly smacked her on the arm. She rubbed the stinging skin. “Don’t joke about that. I just got you back, and I don’t think that with the action happening around us I’ve had the time to properly accept that you’re here, in front of me.” I scolded her. The amber eyed beauty softened her expression and crooned low in her throat. The sound for forgiveness. When Valkerian children were still too young to speak, they used sounds to ask or say different things. I crooned back at her and she smiled. Oringo cleared their throat and we turned back to them, embarrassed. “Great, while I don’t love...that, I really did find her scent.” He told us with a wrinkled nose.
Amare and I stood to attention and the three of us plodded on. “It should be just around this bend.” They told us quietly. We all stiffened with high strung excitement and rounded the bend. There, we found one Divine messenger and about five Penalties who eyed us warily. My siblings stopped and I stepped in front of them. “Hand Tess over and none of you will be killed.” I spoke. “No! I will not be handed over! Penalties, get them! I never want to see their insufferable faces again,” Came the high pitched voice of Tess. I shrugged carefully, mindful of the spikes on my shoulders. “Very well. We gave you a choice, remember that. Amare, Oringo, if you will?” I said to the two standing stock still beside me. At my words, they both became whirlwinds of action, racing towards the figures clad in white. I stalked slowly towards one of the Penalties and we circled around each other. Their wings were white and green, signifying that they were nature Valkerians, and they had a full face mask over their head. Annoying. I eyed the blades in the Penalties hands warily. If I could only get one…
My opponent lunged and I stepped to the side. I reached for one of the knives, but the Penalty spun and slashed at my hand. I hissed as I felt the cold metal slice open my right palm. Good thing my dominant hand was my left. I rose a good 15 feet into the air and let myself catch my breath for a second. It had been a while since this whole ordeal had started, and I was starting to feel fatigued. I looked down to my opposer and dropped like a dead weight. The Penalty, not expecting this, only stood in place. I barreled into them and pinned them to the dirty cobblestone beneath me. They struggled, but because they were on their back they didn’t want to injure their wings. I yanked their knives from their clenched fists and drove them into their ribcage.
I rose from my position of straddling my opponent and saw that Oringo and Amare were finishing up with the last two penalties. Amare was having a bit of trouble with hers, so I stuck my tail in front of the Penalties feet and tripped them. Amare then took their falling momentum and took them by their shoulders and flew up to the sky. I took the squirming Valkerians feet and rose with her. This Penalty had no wings. We rose higher and higher, trusting our wings to hold our weight. Finally Amare stopped and nodded. We released the Valkerian, their terrified screams ringing in our ear as we glided down.
Amare and I joined Oringo in staring at Tess once we were on the ground again. “What should be done with her? She’s caused too much trouble to be kept alive, but what’s a suitable punishment for someone like her?” Oringo said in a tone of voice that suggested we were talking about the weather. Amare responded with the same tone. “Brother of mine, I do not know. Perhaps something not too drawn out, because I hate messy slaughters, but not something quick enough that she can die without her last moment being in pain.”
“Don’t talk as if I’m not here!” came the scared squawk of Tess’. All of us shot her a glare. “You don’t get to speak in the presence of the crowned princess.” Snapped Amare. Oringo turned to me. “Leelee, would you like to have the honor of killing this worm?” they asked. “With pleasure,” I responded darkly. I walked to Tess until she had scrambled so far her back hit a wall. Her fluorescent red wings irritated ny eyes. I stepped between her legs and stared down blankly down at her. I yanked her head back by her hair and she whimpered. “You’re a coward. You hide behind power, you preach words that have been fed to you, you spout nonsense without a care to how others feel. You are a greedy being who cares not for people’s past experiences or dreams. You care only for your self image, and for this insufferable attitude you will be punished.” I snarled.
With this finishing sentence I plunge my tail through her left eye, taking care to not go all the way through and to her brain. I let her head hit the wall behind her as she lets out a wail of desperation and pain. I kick her away when she reaches for me. She slides down the wall and lays in a crumpled heap where the wall and the alley floor meet. Her blood bubbles up from her parted lips and she swallowed convulsively, giving me a shuddering face of fear. She looks at the sky and tries to breathe. I crouch down low and smooth her hair away from her pale face. “Don’t struggle. It only makes it worse.” I crooned. Tess latched her remaining eye onto mine and moved her lips. I leaned down to hear what she was saying. “I’m...sorry…” she choked out. My calm façade crumbled into that of disgust. Quick as lightning my tail speared her gut and lifted her into the air. I moved a hair's breadth away from her lips and snarled “You don’t deserve to be forgiven, maggot. Be glad your death was quick.” And with that I let her body slide off my tail and let it drop to the floor.
I watched with morbid curiosity as blood kept welling over the lip of her wound. It pooled around her mangled body and stained her pristine feathers. Soon you couldn’t tell the difference between her dyed flight feathers and her lifeblood.
I turned away from the quickly cooling body and faced my siblings. Together we trekked back to the main battle and found that our clan had mostly won, with only a few stragglers on the Divine’s side remaining. Oringo, Amare and I dispersed to help kill them and agreed to meet once the battle was over. I skipped over to finish off someone who was trying to sneak off by an alleyway. I felt elated after killing Tess. When we invaded the Divine, the Messengers would be the first to go I decided.
I finished killing the figure in white and I was breathing heavy. I trudged over to the dais where this whole trial started and pivoted on my heel. I placed my hands on my hips and surveyed the damage my clan took, but didn’t find our numbers too depleted. We had more injured than dead, but that was to be expected. We could still rebuild with these numbers. I opened my mouth and gave out a hoarse but loud cry of victory and raised my wings above my head. The victory cheer was taken up and soon the square was loud with the sounds of triumph and conquest.
“Come together friends, my clan members. Today we defeated only a small fraction of soldiers from the Divine. This was our first battle against our oppressors, and it will not be our last, and we must be prepared for what is to come. Fly with me and let us defeat the Divine and their forces!” I cried out. Agreement rang out and soon people were hovering in the sky. Oringo and Amare clasped my hands and I squeezed theirs with trembling fingers. I fluffed up my feathers and looked to the sky. The Divine were almost upon us; I could hear the sound of the hovercrafts machinery.
“We’re really doing this,” I told the two at my sides. Amare knocked her wings with mine. “Don’t worry. You’ll be a wonderful queen, I can tell.” She assured me. I gave a disbelieving glance. “As much as I hate to agree with this ruffian,” Amare tossed her head at this and stuck her nose in the air. “You really will be astonishing. Besides, you’ll have us to lean on the whole way.” Oringo told me. “Truly?” I asked them both. Oringo dipped his head and Amare responded with “You bet you will. Now let’s get going, I’m not eager to be in captivity once more.” She said, tensing her legs in order to jump off the stage and into the air. Together we spread our wings and launched ourselves from the shambled platform. I signaled for the rest of my clan, my flock, to follow us.
As one we rose to the sky like a plague and started flying south. Those with wings carried the wingless in between us, switching when we got too tired. Once we were far away enough I glanced back, pitying what the soldiers who arrived would find. A massacre was what. I absently took the wingless charge of a lagging winged Valkerian, giving the winged a chance to regain their stamina and strength. I pondered over our situation. How different my world had changed in a matter of a few hours. Our current predicament was what snagged my attention though. We would go back to the old territory of the Umbră, seeing as no one went there anymore because they thought it was cursed, and plan the Divine’s demise from there. I set my eyes in determination. Watch out Divine, for I am coming for you, and nothing will spare you from my wrath.