Page 3 of Glass Wings
The entire tribe was desperately pleading for their lives, calling out to Hunu for salvation. Five red-eyed monsters, the same as Emere's childhood stories, were ravaging, killing, and feasting on villagers' bodies. They were eerily human in size and shape and, with the firelight, she could now see their smooth, oil-black skin and sharp, dagger-shaped teeth.
Emere couldn’t move.
She couldn’t do anything but watch as her brother, weakened and bloodied from the ceremony, rushed to his mother's side. His wings were uncontrolled. Women and children ran towards him, hoping for protection, but found themselves unconscious. Hunu's wings collided with villagers every time he turned and pivoted.
One of the larger of the monsters had appeared in front of her brother. It smiled, jaw unhinged, at the glory of Hunu’s wings.
Hunu bared his teeth at the beast, standing strong in his new role as village protector. The creature opened its jaws, splitting its head horizontally in half, and clamped down. Hunu's head was dislodged clean off of his neck.
A shower of dark blue Kinnari blood attracted the other creatures. They yelped and ravaged Hunu’s still-standing body and wings, leaving bones behind.
A monster stood on the other side of the ceremony site watching, its mouth open as if it experienced the same fear. Its teeth rescinded, jaw shortened as it shifted into the man with almond-shaped eyes who ran towards her, hand outstretched, yelling.
“Not her.”
Emere saw the doll that the little girl had clenched earlier. It was limp in the dirt, stained red and blue from the mixture of blood. The doll would be the last thing she would ever see as a creature's piercing red eyes appeared behind her, not waiting to use its teeth.
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Aryn | Ancient Rome | 47 B.C
Arryn laidflat on his cell floor and unwillingly listened to the moans of male and female pleasure. He had given up falling asleep hours ago and expected the sun to be rising soon. Another day of training and beatings was not exactly the type of self-punishment he set out for.
The Kinnari male had been placed here months ago. Despite the initial excitement of Arryn's sheer size, he had done his best to create a reputation for being soft. The man who owned him spent a fortune to buy him, only to spit at his feet for being a terrible investment.
A bag of coins hit the stone floor. The sound of gold echoed through the long hallway and signaled the end of the transaction. A transaction that everyone in the cells was forced to listen to. Having sex with a prized gladiator was the latest status symbol among the wives of wealthy Roman aristocrats.
None of the prisoners would dare touch that coin, though it couldgo a long way to paying for their freedom. The riches would go to the Magistri or the Lanista, whoever was more debauched that day.
The morning bell echoed, a somber symphony blending with the muffled footsteps of a child servant. Doors squeaked open, and mortal men shuffled toward the ritualistic baths and chamber pots. Arryn, too, rose to his feet to begin the day.
He felt the weight of his tangled emotions that morning. The prison walls seemed to dissolve as he replayed his memory.
The laughter and early days of discovery with his original Kinnari clan made him ache with regret. His fingers, once tangled in his golden hair, now felt the crisp touch of snowflakes in a world where his powers were a secret.
“Make it stop, make it stop,”Arryn’s young self cried out to Allienna. She put her soft hands around his face and stared into his eyes, filled with focus and intensity. The pain, the fire underneath his skin, lessened, giving him instant relief. Allienna's hands began to tremble as she absorbed all that he felt to take it away.
They grew up in an exact portal realm copy of Earth. A sea of white on the top of the Himalayan mountains.
“You have to use your power, Arryn. You cannot live with this heat under your skin. More importantly, I cannot live with it.”
Even as a child, Allienna carried both wisdom and softness in her tone, making things that could be difficult to hear sound melodic and sweet.
“I cannot give him the satisfaction. I will not be a pawn,” Aaron yelled at the sky with frustration.
“The gifter,” she began, “he’s not all that bad. He couldn't be since he created me.” She smiled, tucking her mousy brown hair behind her ear. The young Kinnari beamed with a little mischief and a childlike wonder.
Arryn didn't take the bait, letting himself fall deeper into his torturous mental and physical imprisonment. He slumped away from her, and her face fell slightly.
“Arryn, you will use your power to create now,” said a high-pitched,demanding voice over Allienna’s shoulder. Another member of their youthful clan stomped up. Reign, tired of listening to Arryn’s self-loathing, decided to end the conversation. Her demands could not be denied; it was one of Reign's many gifts.
Arynn jumped up to his feet, the magic forcing him to obey. He picked up a handful of snow before he tossed it into the air. The anger on his youthful face was apparent as the snow flitted down and then floated, changing into a beautiful white baby owl.
“Feeling better?” Reign stuck out her tongue, with no expectation of getting a thank you. Allienna giggled behind him, and with the pressure that grew inside him released, he turned to match her joy. This was the first time when he realized that he loved Allienna. He loved how she cared for him, how her kindness reminded him that he wasn’t only the god’s tool, he was someone who could love and be loved in return. Allienna scooped up the baby owl, her eyes locking with Arryn’s, wide and round, as he watched her get lost in his.
Arryn felta sudden stab as a piece of broken stone flooring cracked and pressed into his foot. A small bead of dark blue blood, proof of his divinity, beaded out onto the skin. The wound healed almost immediately while Arryn wiped the blood away with his hand so no one would notice.
He then proceeded to toss on a mid-sleeved simple wool tunic, covering the raised triangular shapes in the skin on his shoulder blades. After fastening his sandals, Arryn walked out of his cell and followed his brotherhood. He chuckled after he noticed that one of them was now walking with a slight limp.
