Page 61 of Glass Wings
“From the human nightmares featuring family reunions that I occasionally find myself in, I would say this is appropriately dramatic,” Tristan said after catching his breath.
The mood had lightened, and though Ayurveda had been statuesque, it did not seem like the threat of being erased by the gods was still possible. The looming blackness had continued to grow, now touching the tops of the tallest trees and expanding across most of the sky.
“Beg,” Ayurveda demanded, seeing Reign eye the Life Gifter. “Beg for your continued existence and then show your gratitude for being given a pardon for your crimes.”
Sadistic bitch.
Reign automatically compiled, falling to her knees and opening her arms and wings at full width.
“I am submitting. I am begging,” she shouted above to the black mass. Seconds went by as it continued to waft and grow, unchanged. She felt the brush of skin on her wings and saw Arryn kneeling beside her, his wingspan out and brushing up against her.
“I am begging for forgiveness,” he yelled to the sky, then repeated himself while making eye contact with the goddesses before them. “I am begging for forgiveness from you all.”
Amis joined them both and lowered to his knees. He raised an eyebrow at Djoser and Tristan, a signal to join. Djoser, who stood with his arms crossed, sighed out of annoyance yet reluctantly joined in.
“I’m only here to stop the gods from erasing you from the realm. I’m not getting on my knees,” Tristan scoffed before spreading the most beautiful child-sized wings of a cerulean blue and sea green, with patterned gold specks that matched the ones in his right iris.
He bowed to Ayurveda and Karmakara before gracefully spinning until his wings enveloped him, disappearing from view.
“How were we supposed to know he was alive when he’s going around and dissolving into thin air?” Djoser threw his arms up, laughing heartily as his abs flexed from the motion.
“Only Djoser can be found chuckling at the threat of death,” Reign muttered out of the side of her mouth.
“I am death,” Djoser shrugged. He did not bother to wipe the smile off of his face.
Karmakara shot her hands up to the sky, creating cascading specks of starlight that wound together, looking like a solid beam of silver and gold bursting into the growing black celestial being above them. At first, the beam of light seemed to get sucked into it, the dark not wavering, but after a minute of the Kinnari nervously fidgeting at the scene, Reign noticed that the black matter was beginning to clear like a fog, evaporating.
“You must go now,” Karamkara said, her voice echoing as if on a loudspeaker.
“You will not see forgiveness like this again,” Ayurveda stepped in, dulling the feeling of nourishment and protection.
Reign didn’t wait for another signal as she stood up and began sprinting toward the top of the peak, her leg muscles screaming against the extreme incline. Once she got forty meters away, her feet hit snow again, having melted and refrozen, dragging her down until she was on her hands and knees.
Dark shadows passed above her, and she looked up to see Amis in the air, his wings eclipsing the light underneath him.
“Get up, get in the sky,” she heard Arryn yell behind her, and a moment later, more winged shadows passed over her.
What was she doing? She was acting like a child, a fool. Without looking back, Reign got up and pumped her legs again, spreading her wings, the skin breaking on her back as she used her powerful shoulder muscles to propel her body into the air.
Reign flew, laughing and crying and feeling insane. She was alive. She wasn’t promised the death that she had been waiting for. All of those years she spent afraid and emotionally alone, waiting to hear about her punishment, her death sentence, were for nothing. Now she had only freedom and that beautiful blonde baby that she saw in her future thanks to the time tapestries Karmakara showed her.
She knew Arryn would beat her to it, but couldn’t wait to tell Allienna she was safe. The baby, too, was safe.
Reign soared to the top of the mountain where the old stone door unlatched and opened, waiting for her. She touched back down and walked through, closing the latch behind her, never wanting to go into Mrilyosis again.
She ran through the hallway and into the common room; a smile spread across her face, and relief flooded her body. She could hear the voices and mutters of her fellow Kinnari before seeing them. The room was full. Precession and Roksana had not departed back to their home yet and were gathered around the table with the others.
Their voices were hushed, and there was a hint of unrest in the air. Reign walked up to Arryn, putting her hand on his back so that he turned.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking around the table and realizing that someone was missing. “Where is Allienna?”
19
Hadley | Sacramento, California | Early 2000s
Hadley was asleep,her eyes closed as the involuntary movement of her body began to bring her into consciousness. She was groggy and couldn’t quite open her eyes. Her head felt heavy, as if a weight was fastened to it.
God, this hurts like hell.
