“Try to have fun, Soph. I know you’ll do great.”
As she watched Quincy lead her cousin into the forest toward adventure, Tate felt the desire to go with them like an ache in her chest. Instead, she turned with her aunt and uncle and headed to the training paddock. And the mundane.
The tai chi session came to a finish as she neared. Aunt Olivia led the children to their lessons as Uncle James joined her father and Uncle Gabriel near the weights. Aunt Amber watched her approach as she wiped her face with a towel.
“You need to stretch?” her aunt asked. She was never one for idle chit-chat.
“Nah,” Tate replied. “I did my warm-up routines earlier.”
“Cool. Why don’t you and Tiege pair up? I’ll get everyone else set up with their weapons and then we’ll see how you’re coming along with your new form.”
“Okay.” She glanced at her brother as he finished drinking some water and strode toward her. “Ready for some hand-to-hand?” she asked.
“You mean am I ready to kick your ass?” he returned with a grin. “You bet.” When she didn’t return his smile or give a snarky rejoinder, his grin faded. “You’re still upset that Mom and Dad said no?”
She shrugged. He already knew the answer. They knew each other as well as any two individuals possibly could.
“You know it’s a lousy idea, Tate,” he pointed out pragmatically. “We have no idea what things are really like away from home.”
That was exactly her point, she thought in growing frustration as she glanced at the break in the trees where Quincy and her cousin disappeared. She didn’t have any idea what it was like out there. And she very much wanted to.
“You’d only get yourself into trouble,” Tiege continued as he twisted sideways in another stretch. “Your skills aren’t sharp enough.”
That set her temper to a fiery pitch. She was sick and tired of the lack of faith in her abilities. How on the entire Estilorian plane could anyone know she would fail to protect herself if she’d never been given the chance to prove it?
Just as she opened her mouth to retort, she noticed her parents as well as her aunts and uncles stop their activities and look alertly toward the path leading from Uncle Gabriel and Aunt Amber’s house. They all instinctively moved into defensive positions and exchanged glances, and she knew they were sharing thoughts. Tiege also moved into a defensive position, standing in front of her as everyone gathered near them.
Tate watched as the class elders, Jabari, Uriel, Zayna, Malukali, Sebastian and Knorbis appeared on the path. Only the elders could find the enchanted location of the three homes without assistance, as they had been involved in creating the powerful protections. Tate wondered about the meaning behind their arrival. Because it hadn’t been announced, it surely meant something significant.
As curious as she was, though, she couldn’t help but notice that everyone’s attention centered on them and not on her.
Her parents and her aunts and uncles left the training paddock to approach the elders. Her cousin, Joshua, walked up to Tiege and nudged him with his elbow, and the two of them exchanged theories while they watched the adults converse. Tate saw her father look back at them briefly before turning his attention back to the elders.
Seeing her chance, Tate took a couple of tentative steps backward, closer to the forest where Quincy and Sophia had left. She glanced around to see if anyone noticed. When she confirmed that everyone was looking elsewhere, she took a few more steps away from them.
Was she really going to do this?
Her heart pounded. She looked to the forest. Then she glanced again at her family. She could prove to them with one little trip away from the protected area that she really was capable of taking care of herself.
She made her decision.
Making as little noise as she could and moving as carefully as she dared to avoid detection, she eased away from the group and slipped into the forest. With a silent farewell to her family, she hurried off to find Quincy and Sophia, her smile wide in anticipation of the adventure that lay ahead.
Chapter 3
Sophia marched through the forest at a brisk pace, careful to maneuver through trees with very narrow gaps between them so that Quincy couldn’t walk beside her. She didn’t want to be doing this, and she most certainly didn’t want to be doing it with him.
She knew he didn’t like her. She’d known it for a few years now. It had hurt a great deal when she first realized it.
When she was younger, Quincy spent a lot of time with her. He often engaged in the experiments she so enjoyed, creating learning experiences from everyday things. Drawing on his medical knowledge, he helped her learn about biology and animal anatomy, frequently taking her on trips into the forest in search of the next great lesson. He visited every time he was between transitions to the human plane, staying longer every three years to attend the newest Kynzesti births.
About five years ago, he left for almost an entire year. That year occurred as Sophia and her same-aged cousins reached maturity in their Estilorian forms. Although they hadn’t known it at the time, the Kynzesti class stopped physically maturing as soon as they turned thirteen, at which time they were physically akin to human young adults in their late teens, much like their mothers and many other Estilorians.
Their growth occurred in unusual spurts. The first three years after their births mimicked a human infant’s, if a bit more advanced. They grew the following year to about twice that size before leveling out for a while and then growing some more. That last year before reaching maturity was an awkward one, filled with daily growth and hormonal changes resulting from their unique blend of one-quarter human and three-quarters Estilorian DNA. Sophia rejoiced that Quincy hadn’t been around to witness it.
Still, his reaction when he saw her again after his time away merely increased her discomfort with her new and still uncomfortable form. He hadn’t been able to stand looking at her for longer than a brief moment, as though the sight of her appalled him. And since she was already aware of her very different appearance in comparison with her kin, his behavior had been very hard to stomach.
Ever since, he’d kept his distance from her. He no longer offered to assist her with her experiments. He never wanted to be alone with her, even insisting that her mother sit in on all of her annual physical exams.
She thought she’d put that hurt behind her, though. Quincy’s opinion of her was hardly a pivotal point of her existence, she somehow convinced herself. She defined who she was, and if he didn’t want to be around her, well, his loss.
So when she went to his cottage earlier to see when he wanted to leave for her flight lesson and she overheard his conversation with Tate, she shouldn’t have been so wounded.
But she once again heard them in her mind as she pushed past another few trees in a vain effort to get away from him. She had paused with her hand poised to knock on the door when she heard Tate through the window. Curious over why her cousin was visiting Quincy, she had moved closer.
“It’s true,” Tate said. “I could serve as a buffer for you so you wouldn’t be forced to try and make conversation with Sophia.”
Sophia had flinched in shock. Why would her cousin find it necessary to make such a suggestion? Tate must know how Quincy felt about her, a fact that had her face flaming in mortification.
Then Tate added, “I’m sure she’ll look especially pretty today,” a comment that further puzzled Sophia. She could only guess that her cousin was making a loyal attempt to have Quincy think of her in more flattering terms than he obviously did.
“Sophia isn’t pretty,” Quincy responded, sounding as though the very suggestion was preposterous.
And she had learned in that one moment, as her heart took the deep slice, that Quincy’s opinion of her meant much more than she had been willing to acknowledge.
When a clattering noise had sounded near the window after his response, Sophia managed to stumble away so she wasn’t found listening to their convers
ation. The clamor of the training session in the paddock hadn’t made a dent against the buzz of humiliation in her ears as she sat on a rock and waited for Quincy to come and get her.
Now, as she lifted her skirts and stepped over a log, she wondered if it was possible to feel like any more of a freak and failure than she did.
“Sophia.”
She ignored him. Because her second power allowed her to assume the form of any animal about her size, she considered shifting into a panther and taking a swipe at him with her razor-sharp claws. She hesitated because she’d end up naked, which wouldn’t be ideal under the circumstances. And shifting caused a considerable drain on her energy.
She’d be damned if he’d witness her fail again at flying because she didn’t have the energy to do it.
“Sophia, wait!”
Heeding the warning tone, she clenched her jaw and came to an immediate halt. She stared at the edge of the forest, only about ten feet away, and realized they were about to step out of the area of enchantment.
“We have to move with more caution from this point,” Quincy said as he stopped beside her.
She tried to ignore the little thrill she always got listening to him talk. Her mother had once equated his accent with an Australian one from the human plane. She only knew that she found his speech lyrical. And hated that she did.
“I know,” she responded brusquely. “I was planning on stopping when I reached the break in the trees.” Or she would have, anyway. Probably.
“Okay.”
He paused, but she continued staring straight ahead. She didn’t want to see his attempts to keep his disgust to himself when he looked at her.
“Will you let me see to your injuries?” he asked at last.
“What injuries?” She glanced at him, forgetting not to in her confusion.
“Your arms,” he replied. “You’ve scratched them up quite a bit.”
Her mouth opening in surprise, she looked down at herself. Scratches lined her arms, some of them fairly deep and nearly all of them bleeding. She must have done it while she shoved through the trees, but she hadn’t felt a thing.
She guessed the wrenching pain in her chest overrode everything else.
“Oh,” she said at last. She imagined what it would feel like having Quincy touch her with a look of resignation as he tried to endure it and shook her head. “I’m fine. Let’s get on with this.”
Caleb, Skye and their siblings all sensed the impending arrival of the elders at the same time. Thoughts of curiosity and dawning alarm circulated among them. The first thing Caleb did when he sensed their approach was assure himself that Tate still stood nearby. She was easy enough to identify in a crowd due to her height and the abundance of glittering beads and colored feathers she wore in her hair. Seeing her standing next to Tiege flooded him with relief. His intuition told him that this visit from the elders wasn’t a social call.
He noticed Skye doing the same thing as the elders appeared. After she spotted Tate, she moved closer to him and they exchanged a meaningful look as they joined their siblings in walking up to meet the elders.
“There have been some developments on the mainland,” Jabari said as he drew to a stop. Although the Elphresti elder wore a bright green robe with a sunny yellow undershirt, his mien was anything but cheerful. His black eyes glimmered intensely as he asked, “Are all of the Kynzesti within the protected area?”
Again, Caleb looked back at the children. Pleased to see that Tiege and Joshua had instinctively positioned themselves in front of their kin, he glanced behind them and spotted Tate’s colorful hair feathers poking up between their shoulders. Seeing that Tiege was looking after his twin, he turned his attention back to the elders and noticed James’ troubled expression.
“Quincy just took Sophia for another attempt at flight training not even ten minutes ago,” James said. “Are they in danger?”
Jabari looked to Uriel. The Waresti elder shook his head. “The reports haven’t extended anywhere near here at this point. There is no need to chase them down. I trust Quincy to see to your daughter’s safety.”
Despite Uriel’s assurances, Caleb sensed James sending out a thought to Olivia to urge her to come out and join them in this conversation.
“What happened?” Amber asked, her arms crossed over her chest.
“An experienced Scultresti named Luvania was killed on the mainland not even two days ago,” Uriel reported.
Skye brought a hand to her lips over the news. Sensing her shock and alarm, Caleb reached out and touched her shoulder.
“We believe that hers was the latest death in a series,” Knorbis added.
“Series?” Gabriel repeated, exchanging looks with his siblings. His blue-gray eyes expressed the worry and surprise the rest of them felt. “As in serial murders?”
“It would certainly appear so,” Uriel confirmed.
“How many?” Caleb asked.
Zayna, the Scultresti elder, exchanged looks with Sebastian, the Lekwuesti elder. She then looked back at the others and said, “We’re not entirely sure. I know of three Scultresti who haven’t reported back after recent trips to the mainland, and Sebastian said that the same number of Lekwuesti didn’t return after a training session down here.”
Sebastian nodded. “I’m particularly concerned because there is a second group of Lekwuesti visiting the mainland right now for their initial orientation.”
“How were they killed?” James asked as Olivia joined them. He reached out to take her hand and Caleb sensed them exchanging thoughts.
Uriel’s burnt orange eyes grew troubled, never a good sign from the battle-hardened elder. “We can’t say whether any of the missing are actually dead, of course, until such evidence is presented to us. But I can tell you that Luvania’s death was particularly brutal. She was violated and tortured in unspeakable ways.”
Caleb’s reaction mirrored his family’s shock and horror over this information. But what they had just learned was nothing compared to the news they received next.
“Luvania lived long enough to identify her murderer,” Jabari said. He caught Gabriel’s gaze. “She told us it was Zachariah.”
Chapter 4
It wasn’t hard at all for Tate to find Sophia and Quincy. She did have to run at first to make up some time and distance, but they weren’t exactly trying to hide their trail or be particularly quiet, seeing as they were within the area of protection. When she spotted Sophia’s turquoise gown through the trees ahead, a sense of pride and achievement filled her.
She watched her cousin and Quincy stop and exchange words before leaving the forest, but she couldn’t hear what they said from her distance. When they moved off, she hurried after them as quietly as possible.
She paused at the opening in the trees. This was a huge moment. She was about to leave the area of enchantment for the first time in her existence.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the forest.
It didn’t feel any different. Huh. She had figured, with it being super-powerful and all, that she’d experience some kind of change in her environment.
Shrugging it off, she focused on her new setting. Stretching before her as far as she could see was a spectacular lake surrounded by cliffs on either side. Because the cliffs weren’t terribly high—she guessed maybe 50 feet—they probably made ideal flight training platforms. When Quincy extended his luminescent silver wings, then lifted Sophia and flew her up to the top of the cliffs, it confirmed her hunch.
She also realized that she’d easily be spotted by the pair if she didn’t move. Running to the closest rock face across from their position as they got situated on top of the cliff, she found a path carved within the cliff’s face that would offer her the ability to climb and still remain somewhat camouflaged. Almost giddy with excitement, she reached up, got a handhold and used her boots to grip and push herself up. The deeply carved surface allowed her to get about halfway up the rocky wall in the span of a few minutes, though the ef
fort exhausted her. She paused on a narrow ledge so she could try and see what was happening with Sophia’s flight training.
And then she saw Quincy throw Sophia off the cliff.
“Zachariah?” Gabriel repeated.
Caleb heard the disbelief in his brother’s voice and found it mirrored his own.
“Yes,” Sebastian confirmed gravely. “Commander Caoilinn was among those at the loading platform when Luvania arrived. She questioned the wounded Scultresti as aid was gathered, though by that time it was too late to save her. When Caoilinn asked who had harmed her, Luvania replied with Zachariah’s name.”
“Who’s Zachariah?” Skye asked. She started wringing her hands, causing Caleb to put his arm around her waist and pull her against his side.
“He was my second commander more than five decades ago,” Gabriel replied with a puzzled frown. “But I thought he was dead.”
“We all did,” Uriel said, looking at each of the sisters, who had only been on the Estilorian plane for nineteen years. “Zachariah was among a group we believed had been slaughtered by Mercesti raiders. There has been no sign of him in all this time.”
“Could she have been mistaken?” Olivia wondered. “I mean, she was significantly wounded. What if she wasn’t completely coherent?”
“It is possible,” Jabari acknowledged. “But it bears investigating and warrants caution by everyone on the mainland. Even if it turns out she was mistaken, someone certainly did kill her.”
“There’s more,” Malukali said. And here, she exchanged looks with the other elders. Her dark green eyes came to rest on Uriel.
“Yes,” the Waresti elder confirmed. “My patrols on the mainland have heard tales of a group of Mercesti living by rules of their own making. We haven’t verified these rumors and I’ve been attempting to reach Kanika to find out what she knows of this. Thus far, I haven’t been able to locate her.”