Page 27 of Feathers and Thorns

“Come, my beloved,” Abraxos coaxed. “It is time to move forward with our plans.”

She nodded, taking his large, strong hand in hers and walking through the flowing blue curtain. The waterfall hid a narrow cave entrance. A few hundred feet in, it opened up into a large cavern. Celandine had discovered it on one of her many rides with Obsidian and had decided to keep it a secret from Adriel. She had, however, shared it with her best friend. For those few short months after their Joining, she would meet with Celandine here to gossip, or to simply enjoy being hidden away from their responsibilities. Now, it had become the meeting place for all those able to resist Adriel’s spoken word.

The cavern was shaped much like a teardrop. It had a wide, round arc at the back and tapered to a point near the entrance. The entrance itself was a cliff edge that sat above the rest of the subterranean room, giving Luscinia a perfect view of all the goings-on in the deep. It was also where she shared news of the outside, for many of the members had not left the safety of the cavern in years for fear that Adriel would somehow sense their loyalty had waned.

The underground city bustled with life before her. The entire area was lit with enchanted torches they had acquired from Entheas, along with small orbs filled with bioluminescent moss to light their paths while others slept. Thankfully for them, the moss did not require sunlight; the heat from the torches was enough to make them glow.

The back of the cave had been fashioned into humble living quarters. The stone rooms had been carved out of the wall itself and followed the natural curve of the stone. There were five levels that had been inset to the wall with a narrow path leading from one to the next. A diagonal stairway bisected them all, protruding from one corner to the other.

Luscinia could see from the moss glow that Horath and Malik had returned from Entheas. She would meet with them later to discuss their next weapons run.

She waited at the cliff edge while Abraxos took the few steps down to join the others, spreading the news that there was to be a meeting. Within minutes, the entire rebellion stood before her, having funneled out of their sleeping quarters and other makeshift huts and hovels.

They looked at her expectantly, as they always did. For many of them, this was their only way of knowing what was happening on the outside, apart from their trips off-world. Thankfully, time worked differently in some of those places, so they could have an extended reprieve from their stone prison.

Celestials were not meant to live in the dark. They were meant to bask under lavender skies, sipping nectar to their heart’s content. The guilt of taking this from them weighed heavily on Luscinia’s shoulders as she addressed the crowd.

“Bothers and sisters, I come with grave news.” She pressed her lips together as they readied themselves for what they were about to hear. She felt it best to not whack at bushes, as the humans liked to say. “The time has come that we must act. Adriel has declared war on Entheas and has cursed all those with mated bonds to an unimaginably horrid fate.”

Gasps and shouts rang out as she recounted the details of what her and her mate had witnessed in the arena.

“Can we not just end his life and spare the war?” came from a deep voice in the back of the crowd.

“Brother Enok, we have discussed this. Any attack on the Architect risks the lives of all of Anistera. If we were to fail, Adriel could order our brothers and sisters to turn their swords against us, or worse—on themselves. He would not take kindly to betrayal.”

The male huffed and crossed his arms but said no more.

“I know you are angry,” Luscinia continued, her voice strong and unwavering. “So am I. For too long have we hidden in the shadows. For too long have we masked our true selves for the benefit of an unfit leader. It is our time now. Will you join me, brothers and sisters? Will you join me to spare the lives of the innocent? Will you join me in freeing Anistera from Adriel’s grasp? Speak now and let all of the worlds know that we, like the phoenix from stories of old, will rise from the ashes of Adriel’s deceit and burn him to the ground!”

The crowd loosed their war cries, their voices ringing off the walls of the cavern. The air was charged with their might.

War was coming, and they would be ready.

* * *

“You have a way with words,” Abraxos whispered softly. They lay in her mate’s sleeping quarters on the ground level of the cavern.

She sat up, wiping her hands down her face with an exhausted exhale of breath. “I never wanted this,” she admitted.

He grabbed her hand and brushed a featherlight kiss across her knuckles. “That is exactly why it should be you.”

She gave him a look of apprehension, not quite understanding his meaning.

He smiled against her knuckles before explaining, “You have such power, yet you do not lust after it. You are humble and kind. Your heart does not waver in its quest to save all. You are the leader this rebellion needs, and the only one who can do this.”

She nuzzled her head under his chin, allowing his shorn beard to tickle her scalp before she spoke again. “Until we are no more?” she asked.

“Until we are no more, my beloved.”

* * *

When Abraxos’s breathing slowed to a soft snore, Luscinia untangled herself from his arms and padded out of the cave. She nodded to a few of her compatriots who were still milling about and pulled at the strings of her cloak nervously.

Before retiring for the evening, she had followed her speech with the plans she had set in place for the rebellion. Once everyone knew what part they had to play, she had adjourned the meeting. But what they did not know was there was still one last part of the plan she had not informed them of. There was one task she herself would complete, a task she had not even confided to her mate. She was going to steal the Oculus.

Luscinia knew that if she told Abraxos of her plan, he would either try to stop her or join her, and she would have none of either. It was a suicide mission, she knew this, but she had to at least try.

She made her way across Anistera. Her steps were not hindered, as all the other Celestials were obediently obeying Adriel’s imposed curfew. Everyone was to be in their quarters within two hours of the sky darkening, to ensure they were properly rested and ready to serve. This left Luscinia and the two guards that Adriel had stationed in the Hall of Worlds to watch over the Oculus.

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