Chapter Four
“Samantha?” Xavier’s voice calls to me but I am unable to move or respond to him. My eyes feel like they are glued shut and refuse to open. “We are landing at the halfway point, wake up, Sam.” Again I try to respond but nothing happens. I feel his legs move, releasing mine from their hold to let them dangle freely in front of us. His grip changes as he maneuvers me to the point he is holding me with an arm under my legs and another across my back. The pressure his arm applies across my back makes me scream in my head with the pain. If I could move I would have jerked away from him.
“Whoa. What was that?” Xavier’s confused voice comes to me as we stumble making the pain radiate through my entire being. Once again I scream silently inside my head. “Axel, did you hear that?” His voice shakes a bit as he lays me down on a hard surface. My back in agonizing pain from the floor’s pressure.
“Hear what?” Comes Axel’s voice from somewhere to my right.
“Sounded like a scream but it was very faint. Guess I am hearing things.” He sighs as a crunching sound can be heard beside where I am. Did he hear me scream? Is this part of the connection? I try again to force my eyes open but it’s no use, I am trapped in here.
“She sleeps soundly doesn’t she?” The humor in Axel’s voice is not missed.
“Yeah. I might have relaxed her too much.” He chuckles.
“Relaxed her?” Axel asks confused.
“She was terrified from the moment we jumped. I used the little bit of bond there is to calm her. Once I got her to open the connection it was easy to send the emotions to her while we flew.” What? He had been calming me the entire time? Is that why my back hurt so badly? I wasn’t the one using the magic, it was him.
“Did she know?” Comes Axel’s disapproving reply.
“The first time, yes. The rest, no. She was just so scared. I could feel it radiating from her. My skin began to crawl with sensations of fear and death the more we flew to the point it was affecting me. I had to do something to calm her down before I fell out of the sky and killed both of us.” He sighs.
“And how do you expect me to carry her when I can’t calm her like you can?” He asks irritated.
“I was hoping by the time we landed she would have gotten over it enough for you to take over.”
“And if she hasn’t?” He bites out.
“I don’t know. I stay close enough to connect with her?” Axel doesn’t reply to that only a small growl sounds before silence settles over the area. There is a small lull in the conversation as something rattles from Axel’s direction.
“Can you believe she is finally here? All the stories we have heard through the years, the belief it was only a myth, and yet there she lies right before our eyes.” Axel states with a touch of awe in his tone.
“She is nothing like I expected. When the prophecy stated she would be half human and half Phranoy I had expected more of our traits. I mean she is beautiful, don’t get me wrong. The long flaming hair, slender and petite. However the dull blue of her eyes surprised me most. You would think they would be brighter with her heritage.” My eyes weren’t dull! They were bluer than anyone I knew; they were actually oddly bright for a human. Again I try to force my eyes open to yell at him for dismissing me in such a way but am unable to do so.
“Do you think the prophecy is correct? Will she be able to save us? She seems so…..small. I mean our women stand over six feet, she is what? Barely five?” Axel’s laugh ratchets my temper even further up.
“I know. I was afraid I would break her if I held her too tightly on the way down.” Both men chuckle as I steam. Suddenly a massive wave of pain rips through my back causing me to cry out mentally.
Xavier! Help me!
“Sam?” I hear him move then his hands are on my face pushing away my hair. “Sam? Was that you?”
“What’s wrong?” Axel’s asks from somewhere closer now.
“I don’t know. I heard her call for me to help her. Sam, how can I help you?” He pleads.
It hurts! I scream in my head.
“What hurts?” His volume is rising as I force my emotions to consume him. “Bloody hell. Her back, I can feel her pain in her back. I am going to sit you up. Forgive me.” Slowly he pulls me into a sitting position as I scream with the movement. I feel the back of my shirt lift then two gasps fill the room.
“Wings?” Axel asks quietly as if he didn’t want to disturb my silent hell.
“Not yet. They are only small nubs at the moment. The pain she felt must have been them breaking through the skin, it’s bleeding, ragged and raw around them. We need to bandage it in some way to keep dirt out of the open wounds. Hold on Sam.” Like I could do anything else. I could feel my body shaking but had no control over it. I was conscious but unable to communicate other than through our bond which made the pain pulsate violently. Xavier’s hand cups my face tenderly his thumb running over my cheek trying to comfort me.
I can hear ripping as Axel tears something to bandage my wounds with while Xavier holds me close to him murmuring in my ear. I can’t make out most of his words through the fog of pain but I know they are meant to sooth me. When a rush of calm washes over me the tingling resumes once more then begins to pulse in pain.
Stop! I shout as my body begins to shake once more. Instantly the feeling is gone and the pain subsides. Makes it worse. Don’t use connection. I have no clue if he can only hear me if I shout but to make sure I scream the words as loud as I can.
“Okay. I’m sorry; I was only trying to help.” He whispers to me as his hand cups my face. I knew he was, even with the flight I realize that is all he was doing, but for some reason it was what made this happen. I don’t know how I knew that but I did. It seemed like every time I used the magic or our connection my back tingled, the more I used it the more the tingle turned to pain. Now I knew why, sort of. I was growing wings? How was that even possible? What had they said about the prophecy? I was half human and half Phranoy. Was being here bringing out the Phranoy traits? Or was the magic causing it to happen? Either way, I wanted it to stop.
“We will have to wrap this around you to properly cover your back, I promise we will not look.” Xavier’s voice brings me from my thoughts as something slips under my shirt stopping just below my breasts before it is snugged tight then encircles my back, front, then back again. Once they reach the side a knot is tied then my shirt lowered. Very carefully they reposition me to where I’m lying on my stomach with my head in, I think, Xavier’s lap. I was very grateful for the respect they showed by not lifting the shirt higher than necessary. I had no choice but live with the pain right now, but the humiliation of them looking at me naked, no that would be too much.
“How long before we can move her? We can’t stay here, Xavier.” Axel’s words come from farther away this time confirming I was lying on Xavier.
“I know, but how can she fly like this?” His fingers tangle in my hair as he gently rubs my head.
“If we bind her hands at the wrists I can slip them over my neck, holding her front to mine. That way I won’t put pressure on her back and if by some chance they continue to form, if they extend they won’t hit resistance. Which I don’t think they will, by the way.”
“If they do while you are in flight it could not only knock you off balance but break her wings, Axel. Do you really want to chance that?” His concern was evident.
“It has been six hours since we left The Cloud. If that’s all that has come through in that time surely the rest won’t happen in the next four before we reach the Deep.”
“Four? We still have six, Axel.”
“Not if we land in the peaks of the Walla Mountains. It’s four to the upper most peak.” I hear a sigh from above me.
“You know those are the deadliest mountains you could have picked, right?”
“Yes, but the closest to us and our goal. If the Ranoy have the King then he will be on the other side of those mountains in the Sands of Desperation. We can lan
d at the top, let her recuperate a day or so then head to their last known headquarters there.”
“Fine. Let’s get it done then. The sooner we get her on the ground, the better.” I hear another rip of fabric then I am sat up carefully. My hands are bound together then slid over Axel’s neck. Slowly he stands with Xavier’s hands on my waist holding my weight off my arms. When we are standing upright Axel wraps his arms around me firmly, securing me to him.
“Sam, I hope you can hear me. It is very important you stay calm for me. In this position much can happen to hurt us both. If you can’t do that Xavier will have to calm you through the bond.” He speaks softly but firmly conveying he was serious.
“No I won’t. She said using the bond made the pain worse. She will have to stay calm.” Xavier cuts him off with a measure of restraint in his voice, like he would like nothing more than use the bond. “Do you understand me, Sam?” As the pain has resided I try once more to open my eyes and to my surprise they pop open without much of a fight. I catch Axel’s gaze and move my eyes up and down for a yes.
“Hey there. Can you move anything else?” He asks with a smile. I try but nothing else responds to my commands. I move my eyes side to side making him sigh. “Okay. Hang in there, we’ll be down soon.” With that Axel takes two giant steps and launches himself off the rocks. We free fall head first making my heart race once more, but I try to keep as calm as I can. Since I can’t move my squirming isn’t a problem for him.
“It’s going to feel like we are falling for a little while. We need to reach the peaks of the Walla Mountains before nightfall or we will never be able to land safely. I am going to speed us up by not using my wings for some time. Don’t worry, I’ve made this journey in its entirety with only opening my wings to land.” His reassurance helps but not enough. I don’t know if I was scared of heights before but I was almost positive I would be now.
“So, Sam. You could hear us talking, huh?” I move my eyes to indicate yes. “Technically we are not allowed to tell you anything till you talk to your father, however beings we are going into the Deep I feel you need to know a few things. Things that could mean life or death for you or us. Can I have your word this conversation stays between us?” Again I move my eyes. “First off there are three breeds in the land of Da-Nigh, which is where you are, by the way. The Phranoy, us, live to protect the Drumon from the Ranoy. Drumon are the original species of this land, like your humans, they were here first. You will know them immediately as they look very human-like only larger than any human you have probably seen. Six foot is short for them. You would be considered tiny.” He chuckles as he rolls us to the side then flattens back out.
“Many hundreds of years ago our ancestors settled on this land, we helped the Drumon’s live peaceful lives. Helped them in ways they had never thought possible, from teaching them how to farm, build, procure lumber, raise animals for food and transportation and so on. We helped the land grow and flourish for them. We were essentially their Gods. After several years a few Phranoy decided they were better than the Drumon’s and began killing them. Well this was unheard of for us. We are a peaceful, good breed that spread love not hate. The King at the time cursed the ones that had done such a deplorable act. They became known as Ranoy. You with me so far?” A slight nod escapes me.
“Good, you’re beginning to move again. Shouldn’t be too long now. Anyway, the curse goes that if a Phranoy kills even one innocent being they will turn into a Ranoy. The Ranoy are frightening to look at, now I don’t tell you this to scare you but to warn you ahead of time. If you know what they are, then you will be less likely to run screaming or faint dead away.” I furrow my brow at him and he chuckles. “I’m not making fun because you are a woman, they truly are ugly beasts. As soon as they kill an innocent they begin to change. The beautiful colors they once were fade to greys and blacks and their skin turns the color of ash, their wings curl inward and become matted with fur making them unable to fly, their hands elongate, the fingers turning into claws, jagged sharp teeth replace the old ones and the most disturbing thing is their jaws unhinge like a snakes making them able to swallow small animals, even infants and toddlers whole.” A shutter runs through my body at his description of the frightening creatures. How could they once be the beautiful breed before me?
“Now each of the Phranoy have gifts. Take Xavier for example, he is death incarnate with any weapon. Even if he has never before used the weapon he can pick it up and master it in a few short seconds. He has the gift of speed and the skill of any war hardened veteran although he is barely a hundred.” A chocked gasp escapes me with this knowledge. How could that teenager be a hundred? I would have barely put him at eighteen. Axel bursts out with a full belly laugh at my reaction. “Yes, he just turned one hundred, a baby in our world. I’m no better at one hundred and two.” My eyes grow large and my mouth pops open of its own accord. Impossible!
“He also can manipulate the wind, although he hasn’t perfected it so of course he won’t use it unless it is a dire situation. I on the other hand can control water, use most weapons, but not like Xavier does, and have been able to control earth when necessary but it usually knocks me on my butt for a short time afterwards. Other talents besides weapons, air, earth and water are fire, telepathy or moving objects with your mind from one place to another, though that is rare, conjuring, calling something from mid-air, also rare. Then there are two things no one has been able to do for hundreds of years. The first is syphoning, pulling energy from your surroundings to aid you in your task, or at least that’s how it’s explained, no one remembers exactly. Then there is warping, bending the magic of this world to do your biding. In other words, and again this is a guess as no one can do it now, pulling the magic that makes another able to control the wind to the caster then the caster uses that magic to perform other magic’s. Now I use the word magic loosely here because I believe that is how you would best understand the description. There are more talents to numerous or inconsequential to mention or ones that have gone extinct through the years, these are the most popular. The most often seen among us.” He glances down at me to see if I’m following. Taking a chance on my voice I try to ask a question.
“And all Phranoy have these talents?” He nods. “Then what happens to them when they turn into a Ranoy? Do they keep them?” He smiles slightly.
“So you are following along, good. No they don’t. However the Ranoy are fast, insanely so, but they keep no other skill than that. They do keep their intelligence only it is slowed and dulled down so they usually don’t rely on it, only action. That doesn’t mean they can’t plan an ambush or a King-napping, it would just take them longer to plan it than it would us.”
“And the Drumon live in the Deep?”
“Yes. The Phranoy mainly stay to the clouds. The building you woke in is actually named The Cloud. It was the first building our ancestors built upon coming here. Now there are several hundred built up there but that one remains the hub of operations. It is also where the royalty live, your father, the King, that is.” He gives me a minute to let that sink in. I had heard them refer to the King more than once but hadn’t actually put those two things together in my head. The King was my father, oh boy!
“I see you hadn’t worked that out yet?” I shake my head. “It’s okay, you aren’t supposed to know that yet. Shhhh.” He gives me a wink as his violet wings finally unfurl behind him slowing us to a glide. “Should only be an hour or so now before the peaks are in sight. Back to the Drumon’s and Ranoy. As I said we live in the clouds and the Drumon live in the hospitable parts of the Deep. When the Ranoy first came into being they destroyed whole towns, killing many innocents. Anywhere the blood of the innocent was spilt the land became unfertile and harsh. Before this happened there wasn’t anywhere in the Deep you couldn’t go that wasn’t lush and green and flat. The Mountains rose from the deaths of many innocents, the deserts spread for miles for the same reason. There are now desolate forests with hardly a living thin
g in them because the Ranoy chased Drumon by the herds into their once thriving depths and killed them. So yes, the Drumon still live in the deep but only in select areas and there are entirely too few innocents left.” His voice was so sad, I could hear and see in his eyes how it pained him that these people had been slaughtered.
“Let me guess, the Ranoy live in the desolate areas they made with the deaths of innocents.” His quick smile proves I’m right.
“You got it. Now unfortunately that’s all I am going to be able to tell you for now but hopefully it will help with some of the confusion.”
“Can I ask one question? If you can’t answer it then I will try to understand.” He quirks a brow at me prompting me to continue. “If you know you are going to face these Ranoy to get back my father then why am I, a person of no use to you, being brought along to put you in more danger?” His deep rich laugh was not what I had expected, but Axel has yet to do what I expected.
“Because the prophecy states you will be instrumental in getting him back. If you don’t go, he will die.” Well, that’s a pretty good reason.