Ascendant: The Revelations of Oriceran (The Kacy Chronicles Book 2) Page 6

  "Hey!" Jordan's voice called behind him.

  At first Sol thought she was calling after him to wait for her, but as he peered back through his toes, it seemed Blue had wriggled himself free of Jordan's grasp and was flapping and twisting, almost as though he was trying to mimic Sol's movements.

  "Blue!" Jordan cried out, trying to snatch the small blue reptile as he struggled to right himself. Her voice was full of terror, and Sol's own heart leapt into his throat as he watched the dragon flail. If he fell, Sol might be able catch him before he hit the waves below—but then again he might not, and from this height, the water would be as hard as concrete.

  Blue gave a screech and righted himself, his sapphire wings opening out and catching the updraft. Suddenly he was airborne, and keeping up with Jordan. His strokes were awkward at first, but quickly became smooth and mechanical. The dragon gave a happy whistle and looked at Jordan. Sol thought Blue was grinning; his red slender tongue hanging out like a limp thread, and his needle-sharp teeth gleaming in the evening sunlight.

  "Blue!" Jordan said again, but this time with the raptured delight of a mother whose child had just taken his first tottering steps. "You're flying! Oh, good boy, Blue! You're amazing!"

  Blue gave another whistle and made a large proud helix around Jordan to celebrate. Jordan's delighted laugh filled the skies, and Sol grinned again, his heart threatening unexpectedly to burst with joy. How has this girl come to mean so much to me so fast? He swallowed down the lump of fear in his throat. Sol was a loner, a traveller, an emissary of King and Council. He had important work to do. Loving someone had always seemed like a distraction; a complication he could do without and, based on many of the marriages and relationships he'd seen crumble around him in his lifetime, a downright bad idea.

  Jordan, oblivious to all of the thoughts Sol was having, flashed him a grin and jabbed a thumb at Blue. Her smile faltered when thoughts of her father materialized, as they were wont to do in the midst of any happy moment. Is Allan okay? What did he do after receiving my message? Was he alone when he received it? As soon as Jordan found Jaclyn, Allan would be next on her list. She would have her family whole and together again, or die trying.

  Upper Rodania loomed overhead as they climbed on drafts of warm air. A ceiling of puffy white drew closer. Sol changed course to fly parallel to the underside of the island.

  "This way," he called, skimming the dark spikes of earth jutting from the fog. "Keep close." Taking a long, curving turn, Sol flew straight at a patch of swirling cloud and vanished.

  "Sol?" Jordan's heart triple-flipped as she lost sight of him. The fog closed in around her; the only evidence of Sol's passage were the whorls and fog-devils he'd left behind. Her skin grew cool and she slowed her speed, unable to see beyond the fog in front of her face. "Sol?" she called a second time. Blue tucked in tight beside her, flapping steadily near her abdomen. He gave an uncertain croak at the thick haze they found themselves in.

  "Keep climbing!" came Sol's voice from right on top of her. "Nearly there!" His voice was so close it made her pull up and gasp, feeling like she might get kicked in the face accidentally if she wasn't careful.

  An explosion of white light made her eyes squeeze shut. She opened them, blinking rapidly as they adjusted. Blue gave a piercing cry of excitement. The hazy brightness cleared as the two Arpaks and the small dragon exploded from a swirling pool of cloud and flew up through the center of Upper Rodania. Passing first gardens and trees, then skimming ivy-covered stone towers, and cliffs dripping with foliage, they were but tiny sparrows against a colossal urban backdrop.

  Jordan's jaw dropped at the beauty around her—the wealth, the abundance, the singular architecture; most of all, the citizens. The air was chaotic with Strix, magnificent winged men and women making their way this way and that, some with armloads of items, some flying with a companion and deep in discussion as they kept a lazy pace, their wings matching each other’s, stride for stride.

  No one so much as blinked at their presence.

  "You have highways!" Jordan noted with surprise. The flying Strix kept to a semi-organized flow, going only East on this plane, and only West on that one. "And the colors!”

  Many of the Strix were earthy in their coloring, but Jordan was thrilled to see that there were nearly as many Arpaks with bright green, blue, even pink and purple feathers. She fit right in with her bright canary yellow plumage. It seemed that for every Arpak with brightly colored wings, there was a matching tropical bird on Earth. The Nychts were nearly always black, dark gray, light gray, or some shade of brown, from deep chocolate to taupe. Skin tones of both Arpaks and Nychts were as varied as any on Earth—from porcelain to midnight—and there didn't seem to be any correlation between skin tone and wing type.

  But there was something that tied them all together—every Nycht looked tired, and like they were on a serious mission to somewhere. In contrast, the Arpaks mostly looked pink-cheeked; several looked downright jolly.

  They flew by outdoor terraces and landing platforms lined with columns and arches that led through to semi-open spaces filled with interesting furniture. Towers constructed of every material, from granite to marble to all colors of dull metal, stretched up towards the sky and were stacked with platforms and windows. Flowers and vines wrapped around everything and spilled from everywhere.

  "It's marvelous," Jordan said, nearly breathless. "I have never seen anything like it."

  "I should think not," Sol replied as they joined the flow of sparse traffic cruising through turrets and spires. "There is nowhere else like it, on Earth or on Oriceran."

  "Are we going to your place?" It had been a very long several days of traveling, and Jordan felt an ache deep in her back that wouldn't go away without a long sleep.

  "The palace, actually. I need to deliver this to Juer as quickly as possible." He patted the satchel at his hip.

  "The palace," Jordan whispered. She had to be in a dream. At any moment she could wake up, and all of this would vanish.

  But she didn't wake, and it didn't vanish.

  Her mom was here somewhere—that was the craziest part of all of this.

  "Can we ask about my mother?"

  "Of course," Sol replied. "I'll take you to the public offices on Middle Rodania. Registration information is stored there. As long as she gave her Earth name when she first entered Rodania, she'll be in the system."

  "Right." Jordan blinked at the unexpected and unwelcome idea that Jaclyn might have changed her name. Her mind began to shuffle through reasons why she might do such a thing, and she gasped as a terrace loomed abruptly in front of her. She had to bank suddenly to avoid it.

  Sol led them over what seemed like endless gardens, parks, and buildings. Jordan spotted other non-winged species on various platforms—the occasional Elf, and what could be Dwarves or even Leprechauns, Jordan didn't know—sitting under arches, around tables, discussing whatever needed to be discussed in Strix society. Everyone seemed to be dressed in fine clothing, with their hair nicely coiffed.

  Traffic thinned as they curved upward, and the spires grew further and further apart. More space had been allotted for parks. Large waterfalls spilled over rock walls, sparkling water coursed endlessly and twinkled in the sun. Rivers and lakes snaked and pooled across the rolling landscape and Arpaks could be seen strolling leisurely, swimming, or lolling on the grass and reading. The land was so extensive that Upper Rodania didn't feel like an island at all.

  They arrived at the uppermost spire constructed of something that looked an awful lot like mother-of-pearl; it swirled with all the colors of the rainbow against a background of sunset.

  Blue bumped against Jordan's stomach and gave a plaintive squeak. Jordan looked down and saw the way he was laboring. She put her arms out. The dragon cozied up to her, and she took his weight. He closed his wings and huffed out a sigh.

  "Getting tired?" she asked. "It’s been a big day for you. Your first day flying."

  "What was that?" So
l called back.

  "Nothing. Just talking to Blue." As they approached the palace, Jordan noted that Sol already looked more serious. They landed on a platform and settled their wings.

  A large terrace of white stone spread before them, decorated with a pergola choked with vines. A long table and benches sat under the sheltering greenery, awaiting some large party of importance. Beyond, in a recess carved into the pearly wall, a fountain splashed from a tap and landed in a basin. They drank and refreshed themselves. Jordan steadied Blue on the edge of the basin, keeping him from splashing headfirst into the pool while he stuck his face entirely beneath the surface and took long sucks of water.

  "Do you mind waiting while I find Juer and make the delivery? I shouldn't be long. Help yourself to some fruit." Sol gestured to a bowl on the table that was overflowing.

  "No problem. We'll be here." Jordan's mouth began to water at the idea of food. They hadn't eaten since Maticaw. Flying burned a lot of calories, and her stomach grumbled that it knew it.

  Sol strode towards the open, towering entrance to a space seemingly filled with nothing but columns. He turned back. "You'll be here when I get back, right?"

  "I'll be here." To show she meant business, Jordan pulled out one of the chairs at the end of the long table, plopped herself into it, and threw a leg up on the table. Blue hopped into her lap and tucked his head under his wing.

  Sol nodded and disappeared into the labyrinth of marble.

  Jordan closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Stroking Blue's scales calmed her, and her heart finally slowed its frenetic pace from the long climb. She opened her eyes and spotted a small pink fruit on the top of the pile. She hooked a finger over the edge of the wooden bowl and pulled it toward herself. She picked up the pink fruit and sniffed it. Sweet like a plum. She took a bite and groaned with pleasure as the juice rolled over her tongue. Very plumlike, but with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

  Blue let out a clicking purr and took his head out from under his wing to sniff at the fruit.

  "Want to try it?" Jordan bit off a chunk and held it for Blue to take. He bumped his little nose against it a few times, and his tongue snaked out for a lick, but he didn't eat it.

  "Not convinced, huh? We didn't have time to discuss dietary needs with the gypsy lady," Jordan recalled. "What do you like to eat?"

  Blue just gazed at her, and then settled his chin on her forearm while she finished the pink plum and reached for a second.

  Blue's head jerked up as she was biting into her third plum, and he peered over her arm intently as though he'd spotted something in the bushes near the basin. His tongue snaked out again, and he cocked his head.

  "What is it, boy?"

  His body tensed, he hopped onto the table and lowered his head, nose pointed at the bush the way a pointer shows the location of a bird. He froze there like a stone gargoyle.

  Jordan sat mute and fascinated, watching. For a moment it seemed the two of them were statues rather than blood and bone.

  Blue darted across the table, head low and spine curving in a serpentine fashion. At the edge of the table, he made a silent leap. His wings opened for a short glide across the grass before pinning against his sides. He disappeared into the leaves, and Jordan got up, the plum forgotten, dripping juice in her hand.

  "Blue?"

  The leaves shook and rattled with some silent struggle, and Blue emerged with a large brown lump of fur in his jaws. He almost tottered forward onto his face from the weight of it.

  "Wow!" Jordan exclaimed. "That thing is almost as big as you are." The lump had a short skinny tail, which was limp and dangling. "At least you're a fast killer. I used to hate seeing the way our barn cats would play with their kills." Blue made an effortful leap back onto the table with his prize, dripping bight droplets of blood as he marched proudly up to Jordan. Jordan's stomach rolled forward and she put what was left of the pink plum down. "Good boy, Blue. I think. Uh-" she scooped up the dragon and his meal and set him on the stones underneath the table. "Maybe not on the table."

  Blue promptly began to snack on the rodent, which Jordan didn't really feel like inspecting more closely. She cleaned up the blood with leaves taken from nearby shrubs, and wandered to the platform’s edge where she could enjoy the view of Upper Rodania without hearing the crunch of breaking bones.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The sound of a footstep made Jordan turn. Sol strode out from under the arches wearing a wrinkle of worry between his brows.

  "What's wrong?" Jordan asked.

  "Juer isn't here. Which is a bit weird; he lives here now. He moved to the palace over a year ago."

  "Was there anyone else around who knows where he went?"

  "I was told to try his old place on Middle. I thought he sold that place a long time ago, or at least rented it out." He came to stand beside Jordan at the edge of the terrace. "Where's Blue?"

  Jordan pointed under the table, where Blue was curled up like a cat and chewing on the last of the rodent he'd killed. A piece of red flesh disappeared between his chops, and he perked up his head and looked up at the Arpaks now staring at him.

  "What is he eating?"

  "Hopefully not anyone's pet," said Jordan. "He killed a rodent."

  "Really? I thought Miniatures were mostly herbivores," Sol mused as they went over to the table and peered under at the reptile.

  "He sure wasn't interested in that pink plum I ate." Jordan watched as Blue stretched and got to his feet. "You ate everything! Even the bones. How practical and efficient you are."

  Blue whistled and waddled out from under the table with a fat belly. The yellow scales on the sides of his gut stretched apart to accommodate for his meal.

  "Are you going to be able to fly?" Jordan asked, watching Blue totter up to her foot.

  As though in answer, Blue spread his leathery blue wings and flapped laboriously into the air, swaying weightily.

  "Alright, then. On to Middle Rodania," said Sol, straightening. "Good thing it’s below us."

  The Arpaks dove from the terrace with Blue following, and Sol led as they spiraled over the palace park and wove through spires and towers to the edge of Upper Rodania. They dropped over the edge like logs over a waterfall, and this time Jordan remembered to close her nictitating membranes against the whoosh of air in her face. She couldn't help but give a whoop as her stomach got left behind.

  Middle Rodania grew large at an alarming rate and the Arpaks put on the brakes after their face-first freefall. Jordan's heart pounded happily in her chest and she marvelled at how only a short time ago, she'd been sitting on the chair under her oak, completely unwitting of her true self. The anxiety that rose up whenever she thought of her human life and all the things left unresolved threatened her with panic, and she shoved the worries into some small dark corner to deal with later.

  Middle Rodania was beautiful, but in a less opulent way than Upper. Stretched out before them was a verdant green landscape dotted with villages, roads and lakes. The hills and valleys transformed into lush forested land, with the spires of tall structures—homes, Jordan assumed—thrusting their rooftops up through the thick canopy of leaves. Bells rang in the distance, and Jordan wondered if someone was perhaps getting married, or if the Strix society attended some kind of religious gatherings.

  The forest melted into a more densely populated area, and a marvelous city of stone structures, spires, and ceramic rooftops opened up below them. A sparkling river snaked its way through the ancient-looking metropolis, crisscrossed with bridges clearly built for the non-flying citizens of Rodania.

  The Arpaks slowed as they passed over the city. Jordan followed Sol as he drifted lower and banked to where an unusual skyline of buildings interrupted the bustling throughways of the roads and rivers. The tall towers of stacked platforms, which by now seemed to be typical of Rodanian architecture, clustered in one area like any earthly inner city. The downtown core, thought Jordan. Layers upon layers of crisscrossing roads and bridges hanging in t
he air tied the towers together, and beings of all kinds moved tirelessly along these arteries like blood cells.

  Jordan followed Sol straight down into this network of activity, and the flying became tighter and much slower, their wingstrokes becoming more frequent as the wind died down. Sol landed on a gray stone platform and held out a hand for Jordan. Jordan took it as her boots skimmed over the stones and her wings closed up gracefully. Blue, however, came flying in too fast and rolled like a bowling ball over the dusty stones, snout over tail, wings flopping uselessly. He bumped up against a wooden door, which opened inward. With a surprised squeak, the bloated dragon flopped backwards into the shop.

  "My word," squealed an elderly Arpak woman with tiny, dove-gray wings, the tips of which barely reached her knees. She hopped nimbly over the reptile, moving with far more grace than one would expect from an elderly person. She smiled at Sol and Jordan, her white hair a fluff of cloud around her head. A thousand wrinkles sprang to life on her face, and she pointed at Blue. "There's something you don't see every day. Glad I didn't squash him!" And with that, she dropped over the side of the platform and out of sight. Jordan gasped, but the woman's undersized wings did open and she swooped up and away.

  Blue waddled out of the shop, his blue scales muted with dust. He gave a sneeze and wandered up to Jordan where he sat and looked up at her sheepishly. Jordan scooped him up and brushed him off until his blue scales gleamed again.

  "So, flying right after eating makes you a klutz," she murmured to her reptilian companion. "Duly noted." She lifted him to her shoulder, where he parked himself partly under her hair and blinked drowsily. "Goodness, you're much heavier," noted Jordan as his weight settled into the crook of her neck and shoulder. "That rodent was huge."

  "This way," Sol called. He was already halfway down the street and beckoning to Jordan.

  Jordan followed, keeping a hand on Blue, whose grip seemed to be a little too relaxed after his meal. She wondered if she should look into getting some kind of backpack made for him so she could carry him whenever he'd had a meal. Problems for another moment, she thought, and caught up to Sol.