Page 82 of Glass Wings
“If you are looking for breakfast, it’s this way.” Roksana’s cold words bounced down the hallway to meet him. She was standing at the edge of the hall in a looser, thick sweater dress and high boots.
“What do you think of our home?” she asked as he filled the space between them, following her lead towards a bright open dining room where Precession awaited them.
“I see the appeal,” he admitted. Precession sat at a dark mahogany oval table, surrounded by seven other chairs. Small plates of pasties decorated the table as the lady before them sipped on a cup of tea that spilled small puffs of steam into the air.
“I never understood how you and Allienna could stay in the temple. It is little more than a dungeon,” Rokasana added as she joined her sister, pulling an empty cup towards her and filling it with water from a porcelain teapot.
“Because it’s home,” Arryn said simply, eying the delicacies before him. Buttery scones and fresh chocolate-filled croissants looked as perfect as a painting.
“Oh, sit down and eat.” Rokasna rolled her eyes, grabbing a croissant. “This one has ham and cheese stuffed inside. It’s divine.”
Though he could create any food he desired for his consumptionat any time, these items were cared for and crafted by hand and heart. They were far more appetizing. He obeyed gratefully and loaded up an empty plate with berries and scones.
“My dear sister here,” Roksana continued, “has been yelling in her sleep these past few months. Sometimes, there are nights where she mumbles aboutthe true villain,and there are other nights where she awakes in a panic shouting about wings made of glass.”
“Neither of those seem related to Allienna,” Arryn countered with a mouth filled with food. “So I’m not sure why that would make you expect my arrival.”
“Because,” Precession airily interrupted, “my dearest Arryn, I often dream of a girl. A girl who is in so much danger. A girl who has your nose and your chin.”
Arryn bit into a chocolate scone, trying not to groan in delight.
“Reign came to see me. She said she thinks she has located my child. A daughter.”
Precession and Roksana eyed each other, their expressions unreadable. For once, he’d love it if the people around him could just say what was on their minds instead of making him play some ridiculous guessing game.
“What of Allienna?” he asked. “Do you dream about her?”
“I see nothing of her. It’s as if she no longer exists,” Precession said. “Maybe once you save your child’s life, she will have some insight.”
Arryn’s ears perked up, having missed any mention of danger in their conversation.
“Save her life? Save her from who?” he asked, confused.
“Where does your mind go when you’re being talked to?” Roksana demanded, a look of utter disbelief dancing across her brow.
“My dreams are dark and filled with blue blood on a bright red carpet. There is a whisper behind me about a villain, the one true villain. Your daughter is on a path, and I think she might be alone. The blood I see on the carpet, there is no doubt that it is hers.” Precession rolled her head around in a circle, letting out air thatvocalized between a sigh and a hum. “I have exhausted myself and must go lie down.”
Roksana jumped up and put her sister's arm around her neck, helping her stand. She shot a look at Arryn, one of disgust.
“You may stay for two weeks to form your next move, Arryn, not a minute longer,” she said, aiding Precession out of the dining room. “And no, we will not be traveling to help you this time.”
24
Hadley | Sacramento, California | Early 2000s
“The screaming tendsto get too loud. I didn’t want to risk the neighbors calling the cops,” Amis explained as Hadley still sat on the closet floor, hunched over in agony.
“It might feel like this for the first twenty, fifty, or maybe one hundred times, unfortunately. Soon, it will be like putting jewelry into a piercing but in reverse. It will be barely noticeable. Just two small punctures inside those birthmarks on your shoulder blades.”
Hadley wept like a child, tossing her anger and frustration aside as surely, whatever was happening to her had to kill her. She would have begged for death at that moment, with the sound of bones cracking and breaking filling the otherwise silent room.
“Make it stop,” she pleaded, unable to lift her head enough to make eye contact with her casual observer.
“I can’t,” he said simply. “I’ve seen over a hundred young adults grow their wings for the first time, believe it or not, and it seemscloser in action to childbirth than anything else. That baby will find a way out of that body, whether it kills the mother or not seems to be undetermined.”
“Fuck you,” she whimpered as another chop of the invisible axe landed on her shoulder blades, making her fall face-first to the floor. Her broken nose began bleeding again from the impact, leaving a new dark stain on the carpet beneath her.
Hadley’s rage could no longer be bottled up as she screamed. It was high-pitched and loud, a deadly, murderous sound.
