Broken Wings Read online

  “All right. I think we are ready.”

  She exited her quarters and Astien stood straight. He had been leaning against the wall across from her, and the moment she came into view, he straightened his shoulders and quickly looked her over.

  “You are lovely. I will be proud to have you with me.”

  “And I will pretend that we are actually together.”

  He quirked a smile. “I think that I will have a fight on my hands regardless.”

  Minerva felt a blush on her cheeks moving down her neck. “We should get going.”

  “You are correct. Poppy, you are looking stunning as well.” He bowed shortly before following her out of the ship.

  Smiling, she pulled her power out of the propulsion systems of the ship, locking it in a very effective way. The ship could be moved around manually, but no one was getting inside without a torch.

  He cleared his throat. “May I lift you now?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  He carefully slid his arms behind her shoulders, catching her knees and holding her against his chest. Poppy slid down onto her chest, and Minerva held her carefully.

  Astien bent his knees and launched them into the air as his wings beat with familiar thuds.

  The standing takeoff was the most difficult, and it was one that Minerva had never been able to manage. She had always run and flapped to take off. Her mother had said it was hilarious to watch, but once in the air, no one could match her speed and power.

  Learning about her regeneration talent was a bit of a surprise. She had always healed well, but it hadn’t occurred to her that there was anything odd about it.

  She shivered and curled more tightly against Astien as the city passed underneath them.

  He pressed his lips to her ear. “Half an hour more and we will be at the villa. I apologize for the cool of the flight. I wish to keep up and away from the more dense fly zones below.”

  She nodded and kept her face turned toward his neck. She was breathing in the warm, spicy scent that she had noticed the first time they met and could now understand the popularity of his interactive course on weaponry.

  Her great-grandmother was said to have been wingless, and Minerva could sympathize with the strange frustration of being unable to fly on a world with nothing but fliers. You had to stay where they put you and go where they took you.

  When they began to drop altitude, she looked around and Poppy chirped excitedly. Astien was right; there were many more Enjel down a few dozen meters above the ground. He sliced through the crowds with her, and his wings belled wide as he cruised in for a landing.

  A wingless woman raced out toward them, her hands outstretched. The moment that Astien set her down, Minerva backed out of the way.

  “Astien, you made it!”

  The woman was a Selna, and her skin was the same midnight velvet as that of her son’s.

  Mother and son hugged, and it was only when Astien pulled away that his mother let go.

  “Mother, this is Specialist Minerva. Minerva, this is my mother, Lady Libriat Akhiera. Mother, this is Minerva’s Yaluthu, Poppy. Poppy, my mother.”

  Poppy flapped her wings and chirped. Minerva tucked her back up to her shoulder, and she inclined her head toward the woman. “It is an honour to be amongst your family on such a blessed day.”

  The woman gave her a suspicious look. “If you are a Specialist, you are with the Citadel?”

  “Yes, madam. Citadel Ohkhan.”

  “Have you been chasing after my son?” Libriat raised her dark brow.

  Astien was going to speak, but Minerva put her hand on his arm.

  “Madam, he was not running.”

  His mother paused and then hooted with laughter. “Come in, child. You too, Astien. The festivities are about to start, and we don’t want to miss anything. I will introduce you to my other children, dear one.”

  The endearments were common when a Selna woman was trying to build up value to her son.

  Astien offered an arm to each of them, and he escorted them into the villa where a party was just getting underway. Minerva braced herself for anything.

  Two hours into the celebrations, Libriat took her by the hand and hauled her across the room. “Minerva, you must meet this woman; I swear you two could be related.”

  A cold swirl began in Minerva’s belly as the crowd parted and she saw the woman that Libriat was referring to.

  “I do not wish to interrupt her conversation.”

  Poppy caught on to her nervousness and sent calming waves.

  The woman turned with a slight smile as she caught sight of Libriat. “Lady Akhiera, is this the young woman that you were mentioning?”

  “It is. Lady Deanra Nhu, this is Citadel Specialist Minerva.”

  Minerva curtsied gracefully. “Lady Nhu.”

  Fingers touched her chin and lifted her head. “You seem familiar, child. How long have you been with the Citadel?”

  “I just attained Specialist status recently.”

  Poppy chirped quizzically.

  “What is that creature?” Lady Nhu extended her hand to Poppy.

  The gesture was so like the one her father had used when he touched her mother’s face, Minerva fought tears. “It is a Yaluthu. A bonded companion.”

  “I see. How old are you, child?”

  “Twenty-four, madam.”

  The older woman with raven hair smiled slightly as she stroked Poppy. “I have a granddaughter your age. Or I believe I did. She was recorded on the roles of the critically wounded and no one will tell us what happened to her.”

  Lady Akhiera gasped, “I had no idea, Lady Nhu.”

  “My son was one of the Decla colonists along with his wife. He did it for her, so that she could live in a world without fear, and look what happened.” Her eyes darkened with pain and she forced a smile. “Pardon, lady. I did not mean to dampen your festivities.”

  Minerva was struggling with the urge to run. “Ladies, please excuse me.”

  She bowed shortly to each of them and headed out onto one of the numerous balconies where folk were landing and taking off constantly.

  The happy couple were inside, enjoying the adoration of friends and family. They had already had their time together after the leap of faith and were now basking in the glory of secure love.

  Minerva looked around at all the couples that had come together after lengthy courtship. Some men had worked on it for days, some weeks and some months, but they had all eventually found a woman who would take them. Mating based on a system of ritualized begging didn’t make sense to Minerva. She wanted to find a man to stand beside, to laugh with, who would treasure what she brought to the relationship because she offered it, not because he lured her into trust with a series of gifts.

  Her parents had shared her mindset, and their annual evaluation of their relationship had become a time of celebration. They had done what was best for the family, even if it wasn’t best for their partner at the time, and one day a year, they thanked their mate for acting according to their conscience, even if they had not enjoyed it at the time.

  Minerva smiled; the night had usually ended with her spending the night in her tree house and her parents shaking the foundations of their home.

  Once she understood what was going on, she stayed further away after she had done the dishes.

  Laughter had played a big part in her family life. She wanted to tell Lady Nhu who she was, that her son had laughed and loved until his final day, but that would mean showing the woman who had raised her father that her granddaughter was a mutilated creature. Enjels were funny about wings. Breaking wings and leaving them to set crooked was a punishment for many serious crimes.

  “Who let you out here all alone?” A blond man with bright grey eyes leaned over the edge of the balcony, his snow-white wings gleaming in the setting sun.

  “No one, I just came out for some air.”

  He reached out
and stroked her arm, running his finger up until he neared her shoulder. Poppy snapped at him.

  She shifted back, away from his casual reach. “I did not give you permission to touch me.”

  His hand snapped out and he gripped her arm. “I did not ask.”

  She took her free hand and snapped her palm upward, breaking his nose with a crunch. He staggered back and she grabbed Poppy, putting her on the floor out of harm’s way before facing off against the creep.

  He looked at her, sneered and jumped off the balcony with his wings spread. She sighed and turned to return to the party. Hands gripped her and pulled her off the balcony and up into the sky.

  Blood dripped on her hands and he glared at her.

  “Bring me back to the party.”

  He looked at her in astonishment and kept climbing. This wasn’t a game of catch and release. He was either going to make her pass out or terrify her. The other option was just stupid.

  “Alien bitch.” He dropped her.

  One point for stupid.

  Chapter Eight

  Don’t panic, don’t panic. She calmly moved her fingers on the corset and the bands opened, shifted and reformed.

  Her eyes teared and her gown snapped wildly as she rapidly plunged through the sky. The corset finished its reformation and the metal wings that Fixer had provided her with snapped open, to ease her descent. She stroked upward, the muscles of her back knowing what to do.

  Her attacker was watching as she approached, and he seemed astonished as she bypassed him, moved behind him and dropped onto his back squarely between his wings.

  His wings snapped backward, and one dislocated from the weight of her body and the speed of her attack.

  His scream was gratifying, but she grabbed the base of the good wing and a handful of his hair and surfed down through the winds, back to the party with him under her and her metal wings scooping the air and keeping control.

  A crowd was gathered when she dropped him to the smooth stone and she dismounted from her position on his spine.

  She closed her wings and had them resume their corset shape. She smoothed her hair with her fingers and smiled at the approach of the squawking and flapping Poppy.

  Minerva cuddled her friend and soothed her panic.

  Astien walked up to her cautiously.

  “Minerva, are you all right?”

  “I am fine.”

  He looked around and whispered, “Correct me if I am wrong, but it looks like you have flown before.”

  She looked into his serious blue eyes. “Once or twice.”

  “How do you know the Kirios Manoeuvre?”

  “What?”

  “That move that you just carried out. Only two Enjel have ever been able to manage it. One was Yamora Kirios, but she went to Decla with her husband. The other was her daughter.”

  Minerva blinked. “How would you know that?”

  “The information exchange on Decla was not all one way. They reported to Jela and refused the added support for their social experiment, but they did report on the development of the new generation.”

  “Fascinating. I am guessing that the daughter of Yamora Kirios would have been an Enjel?”

  He scowled. “Yes.”

  She shrugged. “No wings on me.”

  “You know, that is very odd. Those metal wings seemed perfectly suited to you.”

  “They were made by Fixer.”

  His expression was exasperated. “I suppose that would explain it.”

  One of the men in the crowd came forward and nodded his head in respect, “Specialist, we were told you were on Decla when it came under attack?”

  She swallowed and nodded. “I was.”

  “My daughter, Uriana Tems, was there and she is amongst the dead. Do you know what happened?”

  Minerva swayed at the memory of the school principal etched in her mind. She swayed. “I do know that she died protecting the children of the colony when the first attack targeted the school.”

  Astien took her arm and Poppy rubbed at her cheek. “I think you need to sit down.”

  “That might not be a bad idea.”

  Astien supported her as she walked through the gathering. A few curious glances were directed at her and then flitted away.

  “I do not mean to disrupt the proceedings, but he came to me while I was thinking and I simply reacted.”

  “Do not worry. A celebration without a brawl of some variety is simply a cocktail hour. You are not telling me something.”

  She blinked. “You could say that. I will say that I have never thought to set foot on Jela.”

  His hand stiffened, but he continued to support her until they reached a quiet study. He guided her into a chair, and he murmured something about refreshments before he left her alone.

  A man came in and sat next to her, his wings flaring out behind the back of the split chair he occupied. “My son has asked me to keep the crowds from you, Specialist.”

  “Thank you, Lord Akhiera.”

  Astien’s father had dark brown hair, amused eyes and the same features as his son, down to the midnight wings.

  “My question is why do you need to be kept away if you were just another visitor to the Decla colony?”

  “I lived there.”

  He tsked and tilted his head. “You and I know that there were no aliens on Decla at the time of settlement, and the only way you could have been born there was if you were one of the original colonists’ children. You are an Enjel.”

  Poppy was vibrating with tension on her shoulder.

  Minerva looked at him. “Who are you going to tell?”

  He shrugged. “No one. I was there when the roster was created and the colonists were tested. You have your father’s smile and your mother’s ability to think on her feet.”

  He stood and bowed, “Welcome to Jela, Lady Nhu.”

  She blinked as he settled back down. “The lack of wings didn’t confuse you?”

  “Yes, but I have checked into the medical reports of the battle. There was an amputation of both wings performed on a young woman who left against medical advice and bullied her way into a mech.”

  She looked into the fire. “I didn’t bully.”

  “Why were there mechs designed for regular bipeds?”

  “The Tival had a small settlement outside our gates. They were the first to die.” She kept herself cold. She could get through this.

  “The records and witnesses said that you left the colony with the mech and kept it moving until help arrived.”

  She snorted and looked at him with eyes that didn’t see him. “Help for them. I would have destroyed them all if the Guard hadn’t arrived. How have you seen those reports?”

  “I am a minister of the exterior. It is my business to know about our people in the stars. I am sorry for your loss.”

  She nodded and swallowed. “Thank you, but many others were lost that day.”

  “You are an interesting young woman. I can see why Astien is interested in you.”

  Minerva was surprised. “He is interested in many women, or they are interested in him. There is always a crowd around when he is out in the open from what I have observed.”

  “He has his father’s good looks.”

  She was surprised into laughing.

  “And his mother’s pheromones. Women might chase him, but you are the first he has not run from, and yes, I know that disguising you as his lover was his way to stop his mother from giving him hints as to which women he should begin courting.”

  Minerva inclined her head. “He is very pretty, but it has only been weeks since I saw my family killed, nearly died and then went on a rampage. I need time.”

  “He will give it to you, but do not mistake his lack of aggression for a lack of persistence.”

  It was the best advice she had been given in her life.

  Their trip back to Ohkhan was quiet. Poppy kept her calm when the m
emories of the attack had her waking up in a cold sweat.

  When they returned to the base, Astien kissed her hand and smiled. “Keep working on the sculpture. I will be in and out of the base for the next few months and don’t want you to lose the progress you have made.”

  He left her, and she took Poppy back to her quarters where the statues of her family had been placed, on the side table where the sun gleamed on them.

  She touched the faces of her parents, and she sobbed. Time might heal all wounds but it did not hurry.

  The days took on a pattern. Mornings with Kibor, and afternoons with everything that took her fancy. She spent one day a week with the psychic sculpture, learned clothing design, cooking for survival and a few other random skills.

  When Astien was in the Citadel, they met and had lunch, talking about her learning experiences, and when he was gone, she finally wrote her account of the attack on Decla and sent it in.

  She went on assignments as pilot and animator but always returned to her new home with a sense of relief.

  Months passed and Poppy got a little taller, but she didn’t make a move toward her own wings, which was the signal that Minerva was waiting for.

  The sessions with Kibor came to an end when there was nothing more he could teach her about how to react to her talent.

  One morning Kibor called her. “I was wondering if you would allow Poppy to take part in a little assessment.”

  “Will she be in danger?”

  “No, she will be perfectly safe.” Kibor winked. “I hope.”

  Minerva silently asked Poppy if she wanted to do it and the response was enthusiastic.

  “We are all yours.”

  He grinned, and he gave her the details of where they were to meet.

  The sonar talent moved well through the maze with the explosive charges creating interference. When Yllin had Poppy, Minerva smiled at the excitement that was coming through the link.

  Her companion’s body was wiggling with excitement as she was carried through the mock battle. As Yllin tumbled over the finish line, Poppy squealed and flapped her wings in delight.

  “How are you doing, Poppy?”