Sky of Wind by Emily Deady

Chapter 9

Meena’s eyes flew open the moment she heard her bedroom door creak open. She was usually a deep sleeper, but her dreams kept her fitfully awake throughout the night, imagining warships and separated families and unfathomable magical power.

She heard someone slip into her room, but the bright morning light assaulted her sleepy eyes, blinding her until she scrunched them closed. Squinting more carefully, she gazed at the intruder who danced across her floor with light footsteps.

It was Celesta.

Meena closed her eyes again, holding back a groan as she felt the young girl jump onto her bed. Pulling the covers up to her chin, she relaxed into a smile, deciding to enjoy the intrusion. She could think of worse ways to wake up.

“Someone got a full night of sleep,” Meena said, blinking her eyes open to adjust to the sunlight. Her body attempted to snuggle further into the bed in protest, but Celesta’s smiling face quickly drove away any remaining remnants of sleep.

Grinning down at Meena, Celesta held up a rolled piece of parchment.

Meena grinned in return. She’d managed to hide the treasure in a better location before the conversation with Sol. Then she’d promptly forgotten about it. “You found a treasure map?”

Celesta nodded. She pointed to Celesta, to herself, and to the door.

“You want to go treasure hunting with me? Right now?” Meena clarified.

Celesta nodded again, her large eyes wide and sparkling.

Meena clutched the blankets a little tighter, slowly pulling them over her face to jest with the younger girl.

Celesta placed her palm flat on her chest and made small circular motions. Her eyes opened even wider.

Meena instantly recognized the hand motion as a polite way to make a request. “Yes!” She nodded enthusiastically in response. “Let’s go find the treasure!”

Lifting her covers, Meena threw them over Celesta’s head and jumped out of the bed.

Celesta scrambled out of the tangled blankets, smiling and brushing the tousled hair from her face. She slid off the bed and grabbed Meena’s hand, pulling her toward the door.

Meena dug her heels into the ground. “Wait.” She gently tugged back, asking the younger girl to stay in the room. “I need to get dressed and eat first.” She gestured to her night clothing and her mouth as she spoke.

Celesta shook her head in disagreement.

“Yes,” Meena nodded. “Food and clothing.” She twisted her hand away from Celesta’s grip and dashed toward the wooden closet which held her dresses.

Celesta waited until Meena glanced back toward her, then the younger girl made a dramatic show of rolling her eyes and putting her hands on her hips.

Meena laughed. “Fine, fine. I’ll hurry as fast as I am able.” She pulled out a dress that was simple enough to put on without a maid’s help and slipped her feet into it. “Quickly, quickly, quickly,” she sang to Celesta as she tightened the front laces, weaving them through the last few holes and tying them closed.

By the time she was finished, Celesta had unrolled the parchment and was studying it closely.

Realizing it was her turn to wait, Meena put her own hands on her hips and tapped her foot until Celesta looked up. “Hurry,” Meena waved her hand in small, tight circles.

Celesta rolled her eyes again and dashed toward the door.

Once in the hallway, Meena instinctively turned to her left.

Celesta grabbed her hand, pulling her to the right.

“I need to go break my fast,” Meena explained, rubbing her stomach.

Celesta held up the map, gesturing down the other direction of the hall with her head.

Meena tried to stop the smile that came to her lips. Celesta could read the map after all. But Meena wasn’t ready to give in quite yet.

Celesta dropped Meena’s hand. She opened her eyes even wider as she stared up with a small pout on her lips. She held up her hand, circling her fingertips in the same swift motion Meena had used moments before, urging her to hurry.

“Fine.” Meena rolled her eyes. “I can eat later. Let’s find that treasure. You have to lead the way.” She pointed to Celesta.

Celesta nodded, opening the map in front of her as she walked slowly down the hall. When they got to the stairs, she continued to hold the map in front of her as though afraid she would lose her way without it.

Rather than tell her to put the map down, Meena gently grasped the girl’s elbow to ensure she didn’t fall down the stairs.

Celesta paused for a moment at the base of the staircase, comparing the options available to the dotted line on the hand-drawn map.

Meena patiently waited while the girl deciphered its meaning and correctly guided them outside to the back courtyard.

Once there, however, Celesta finally let the map drop to her side.

Meena looked up to see what could have possibly distracted the girl away from her map.

It was not a thing, it was a person.

Sol stood in the courtyard, his arms crossed, staring out past the gate toward the forest.

Celesta immediately ran toward him, grasping his elbow as a greeting.

Sol looked down at her, a smile immediately softening his features. Perhaps it was the gentle crinkle of his eyes, or just the full morning light of the courtyard, but Meena thought he looked far less menacing than he had the previous night.

She approached them at a more leisurely pace. Would Sol smile at her if she grabbed his elbow? She pushed the thought out of her mind. She had no reason to go around grabbing people’s elbows.

Although Meena was only a few steps away, by the time she joined them, Celesta had already handed the map to Sol and was engaging him in an animated conversation with her hands.

Sol responded in kind, the soft smile still on his face.

Meena could not follow their movements fast enough, but she grasped that they were discussing the map and she saw Celesta put her palm on her chest in the gesture for a polite request as she had earlier.

Meena stepped into their circle of communication, not wanting to feel left out even if she did not fully speak their language.

“Princess Philomena,” Sol flatly welcomed her after a few more interactions with Celesta. He briefly lifted his face to her. It still held remnants of the smile he had freely given to Celesta.

“Sol,” she responded. It felt odd to call him by such a short word when he had said her full name and title. “I see you’ve been invited to join in our adventure?” Meena asked, guessing at the meaning of their conversation.

Sol raised his eyebrows a small fraction of a space. “I have.” He looked down at Celesta again. “Though I am surprised that you could understand as much.”

“I was thinking the same of you yesterday. You must have been very close to Aizel and Celesta to be so fluent in their language.” Meena felt a twinge of jealousy in her chest. Aizel and Celesta were her friends, too, and she wanted to be close to them.

“It is a language all Majis speak,” Sol responded. “We must have a way to communicate when our magic is silenced.” A shadow returned to his eyes.

Meena instantly regretted her petty jealousy. “I’m sorry.” The words felt empty, but it was the only thing she could think to say.

Celesta took the map back from Sol, drawing his attention to her as well.

Sol began to shake his head.

Celesta took a step closer and placed her other hand on Sol’s arm once again. Her face transformed into the same wide-eyed expression that had gotten Meena out of bed moments before.

Sol slumped his shoulders in defeat. “I guess I’m following this map with you,” he said.

Meena smiled at him, glad to see that Celesta had successfully wooed someone else into her early morning adventures.

Celesta happily slipped her empty hand into Sol’s. She reached out her other hand toward Meena. It took her a moment to realize she was still holding the map in that hand, and her brow furrowed in disappointment.

“I can hold it,” Meena offered, taking the map in one hand and gripping Celesta’s with the other. She positioned the map so her fingers held it open and low so Celesta could still see it.

The young girl looked at the map, then glanced around the courtyard, as though reorienting herself with their mission.

Meena followed the young girl’s eye movement, feeling as though she could read exactly what Celesta was thinking. Smiling with an excitement of her own, Meena glanced up at Sol to see if he had noticed the same thing.

Sol’s eyes were watching her over Celesta’s head.

Meena’s smile faltered slightly.

His expression was guarded. His eyes were clouded as they seemed to be studying her. He blinked his gaze away quickly as soon as he noticed her looking at him.

Meena shrugged and turned her attention back to Celesta. He had chosen to join them on this venture, and she wasn’t going to let his complicated eyes stop her from enjoying it.

Celesta slipped her hand from Meena’s and pointed to the gate which led to the outer forests behind the castle.

Meena nodded affirmatively.

Celesta put her hand back into Meena’s and pulled them toward the gate. Following the well-worn path quickly brought them to the same grassy area they had flung acorns at Erich and Aizel.

Recognizing the location, Celesta pulled her hands free and ran around looking for any signs of a treasure. Leaning down into the grass, she stood back up with an acorn between her fingers. She turned to Meena, a question in her eyes.

Meena smiled, but shook her head slightly. “That’s not the treasure.” She’d left a clue in the map—which she still held—and she wasn’t going to give it away quite so easily.

As if reading her mind, Celesta returned to the center of the glade and took the map from Meena’s hand. Sitting on the grass, she studiously bent her head over the parchment.

Meena felt a giggle in her chest. She suppressed it with effort, but couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. She loved that Celesta was taking this so seriously. For such a young girl, she clearly was not one to give up easily. Glancing up, Meena shared her smile with Sol.

His face was still difficult to read. He was an outsider at the palace, and an outsider to this game that she and Celesta had taken to playing together. Meena wanted to draw him in, to see him participate, to see him smile.

The image of herself, walking up to him and grabbing his elbow possessively as a friend might do, came back to her mind. She pushed the ridiculous thought away, but not before her imagination had seen his face smile kindly down at her the way he had done to Celesta. Only when he looked at her, it was different. It wasn’t the affectionate smile one gave to a small child, it was a smile filled with . . .

Meena blinked. She needed to say something before her imagination made her say something foolish. “Have you ever flicked acorns at someone?” She snapped her mouth closed. She’d been too late to stop the foolishness from coming out.

Sol looked even more confused.

“Generally, when two people are standing next to each other, pursuing the same goal, they discuss things with one another.” Meena spoke confidently, hoping her words made enough sense to push the conversation forward instead of discussing acorns.

“Generally?” Sol repeated.

“I don’t know how you do things on the Isle—” She paused to correct herself. “In Istroya. But here in Iseldis we consider it an honor to get to know someone.” She wanted to roll her eyes at herself. The words coming out of her mouth sounded so much better in her head.

“In Istroya,” Sol responded, “we consider it an honor to receive the trust of a friend and it is not something taken lightly. With a stranger.”

Celesta stood then, saving Meena from attempting a response. Lifting the map so everyone could see it, Celesta pointed to a small arrow.

Meena smiled encouragingly.

Celesta looked around the glade, noticing a trail that led further into the forest. She pointed toward it and looked back at Meena for confirmation.

Meena nodded excitedly. The clues were a perfect mix of difficult and findable.

Still clutching the map, Celesta ran to the trail, reaching out to touch the bushy leaves on either side of it.

The morning sun filtered through the canopy of trees overhead, softening the light. Meena breathed in the fresh scents of the forest, happy with her decision not to return to the stale tunnel.

She let Celesta lead the way down the well-worn path. Knowing every footfall herself, Meena delighted in watching Celesta discover it for the first time.

Reaching back to Meena’s hand for stability, the younger girl gazed in fascination at the plants around her and the occasional wildlife scampering along the branches. “Is this very different from Istroya?” Meena asked Sol.

“Less sand.”

His short answer annoyed Meena, so she decided to focus on the girl in front of her. Celesta responded to everything with such delight, but Meena was sure that she herself was having the most fun. She also couldn’t wait to share another secret location with her new friend.

Fortunately, getting to the secret spot was easy and fast as it was all downhill. Climbing back up to the castle would be less fun, but they didn’t have to worry about that quite yet. As they were nearing the edge of the forest and the trees began to thin around them, letting the sunlight dance through onto the path below their feet, Meena squeezed Celesta’s hand and excitedly pointed ahead.

An ancient tree twisted its way out of the edge of the forest. Its trunk was so round that if Meena attempted to stretch her arms around the tree, she would not even be able to reach across a single broad side.

Letting go of Meena’s hand, Celesta dashed forward. The old tree had long since died, and much of its inner substance had rotted away, leaving behind a large structure of twisted bark. Celesta, curious and brave, immediately poked her head inside the opening, her face smiling in wonder as she twisted her neck to look up into the empty space. The young girl stepped back, looking toward Meena. She moved her hands, gesturing toward the tree with her brows slightly furrowed.

Meena could see enough of her expression to know what the girl was asking. “My brothers and I discovered this when we were children,” Meena naturally explained her answer out loud, though Sol was the only one who could hear her words. Meena pointed to herself, indicating a shorter height with her hand. “We used to hide here and escape to play games away from the castle.”

Stepping forward, Meena poked her own head inside the opening of the tree. It was a little bit smaller than she remembered, but still quite large enough to fit both of them comfortably.

Scooting inside, Meena tucked her feet underneath her so Sol could join them as well.

Celesta’s mouth had completely fallen open as she spun around to view the entire space. She was perfectly sized to stand up in the wide hollow of the tree and Meena remembered wishing she could have lived here as a child.

Celesta turned back to the opening, her hands moving seamlessly as she stared up at Sol.

“Not sure if you can see that,” Meena called loudly. “She says to come in.”

Sol dropped to his knees in the doorway, blocking most of their light. “It’s dark,” he said, leaning back to exit the tree before he’d even come inside it.

Celesta grabbed his upper arm, encouraging him into the space.

Sol crawled in, immediately positioning his back against the inner bark of the tree so he could have a clear view of the opening.

Slouching forward, she indicated some long cracks on the opposite wall of bark. Celesta followed her movements, pressing her face up against the cracks. Like slotted windows in a battle tower, the cracks offered a perfect and protected view of the road leading up the hill to the palace.

Celesta pulled back, looking up at Meena with her mouth in a rounded shape of excitement and fascination.

Meena’s chest once again filled with happiness. It was so much fun to share her favorite things with someone who appreciated them. Following Celesta’s lead, she pressed her face back against one of the cracks. The view of the road offered the perfect place to see anyone coming up the hill toward the castle, and the shadows and folds of the old tree completely hid the fact that someone was peering through cracks in the bark. It was the perfect place to spy. They used to come here and pretend they were guarding the kingdom from a Majis invasion.

Meena exhaled. Her lungs remained compressed and empty.

She had forgotten about that particular childhood game. She and her brothers had always known the evil Majis would return to wreak vengeance on the five kingdoms in their lifetime. Even as children, she had taken great pride in preparing herself to defend Iseldis. Ian often bragged that he would never let the cruel, powerful magic-wielders oppress the ordinary quotidian people.

Meena shook her head.

None of it was true. Rather, some of it was true, but it was all inside out from what she had always believed.

Her world was crumbling around her, and she didn’t know when she would stop tumbling. Still struggling to breathe, Meena felt a light sweat break out on her face and arms, despite the chill that shivered down her spine.

She could not free fall forever while the crumbling world inhaled people she loved into its cracks.

Gareth would surely retaliate soon, and he would target Iseldis—the kingdom who knew he’d tried to murder their princes and who harbored his fugitives. He would strike soon.

Her father needed to get Sol to Falqri. Immediately. She would talk to him. Not that she could make a difference. Her father knew the urgency of this matter more than she did. But she had to talk to someone about it.

Meena finally inhaled, breathing deeply into her lungs. She would do what little she could. At the moment, she could keep Celesta entertained and happy despite the heavy air that lingered throughout the castle.

Forcing a smile, she turned back to her young friend.

Celesta pushed her fingers through one of the cracks in the bark, trying to find out how far her hand could fit through.

Picking up a stick, Meena started absently scraping away at the soft dirt at her feet.

Sol instantly noticed her actions.

Meena felt her mouth twist into an awkward smile she couldn’t stop whenever she had a secret.

Sol reached forward, scraping at the dirt with his hand.

“She has no idea,” Meena whispered.

“She will,” Sol mouthed back.

After a few more moments, Celesta turned back to face them.

Meena watched the surprise, comprehension, and excitement that ran through the girl’s eyes as she looked from the ground, to the map lying just outside the tree, then to each of their faces.

“Do you want to find a treasure?” Meena almost squealed in excitement.

Celesta took the stick from Meena’s hand and furiously dug into the dirt.

Meena smiled over her bent head. Celesta effortlessly joined in every game Meena came up with. They didn’t need words to enjoy spending time together and she loved it.

“You are enjoying this more than she is,” Sol whispered.

Meena laughed. It was just like one of her brother’s to jest at her expense. Lifting her arm in the tight space, she gave Sol a gentle punch in the shoulder.

She pulled her hand away quickly, however, her fingers tingling uncomfortably. They didn’t hurt since she’d hardly touched him. But she had made physical contact with him. Her stomach felt light and airy and her cheeks suddenly felt a little warm in the stuffy space.

His head snapped toward her. His forehead was wrinkled in confusion, but his mouth had the slightest quirk of a smile.

Meena rubbed the back of hand against the small of her back. The tingling sensation didn’t go away despite the slightly rough texture of her linen dress. She heard herself laughing still, but it sounded hollow and loud and she couldn’t remember what she was laughing at.

She looked away quickly.

Sol was just a boy. A boy like any of her brothers.

“Very good digging,” she said to Celesta.

The girl was still intent on her task and hadn’t seen the interactions taking place behind her back.

Meena kept talking to cover her embarrassment. “I’m sure you’ll find something soon.” Her eyes remained glued on Celesta, keeping Sol out of sight.

It was just . . . he wasn’t a boy. He was a man. And he most certainly was not one of her brothers. In her most secret dreams, Meena imagined wedding an adventurer who would take her across the five kingdoms. As a child, she’d believed that her life as an adult would be more exciting than the games they played. The older she grew, the more she realized those games were childish fantasies. Fantasies that weren’t true.

For a single moment, she imagined joining Sol on his mission to Falqri. She would wear a dark cloak which covered her silk dresses from view. And she would help him uncover the clues which would lead straight into the heart of Gareth’s strongest fortress.

Meena didn’t know how many moments her mind had wandered, but she was saved from further embarrassment by the sound of the stick scraping across a hard surface.

Moments later, a very excited Celesta held a dust-covered wooden chest in her hands.

From the corner of her eyes, Meena could see that Sol was still watching her, his face as expressionless as always. This old tree had been large enough for several children to play inside of, but it was far too small for two adults. “Let’s head back to the castle and we can open the treasure there,” Meena said.

Sol lifted his eyebrows, then looked pointedly at the girl between them.

Meena followed his eye line down to Celesta.

She was sitting on the floor, the wooden box already open in her hand as she reached for the treasures inside.

“Or we could wait a moment,” Meena whispered, her heart melting.

As usual, Sol did not respond verbally.

Celesta lifted the first item from the box. It was a carved wooden donkey. Meena had freshly cleaned the softly sanded surfaces of its short, round body. The toy had been hers for as long as she could remember. While she felt a small twinge of regret at giving the beloved toy away, the look of joy on Celesta’s face was completely worth it. Besides, Celesta was family now. Meena had outgrown the toy and was giving it to her younger sister.

As Celesta reached into the box for the next item, Meena looked up again at Sol. Rather than watch the excitement of the treasure, his eyes scanned the opening of the tree and the long cracks near his head.

Meena wanted to tell him that they were safe for the moment, they were deep in the very heart of Iseldis. But it seemed that Sol was a person who was always on guard.

Sol frowned.

Meena instantly felt more alert and her eyes darted to the opening of the tree.

Then she heard it too. A sound from the road.

Just as she had when she was a child, Meena turned and squinted out of a crack in the bark. Her throat swelled shut as a group of travelers rounded the bend. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, hoping that she was dreaming. Opening her eyes, she looked again.

If she was dreaming, then this was a nightmare straight out of her childhood.

Row upon row of soldiers on horseback galloped up the road toward the castle. They were riding in a tight formation and moving quickly. It seemed as though even the horses’ hooves moved in an intimidating repetition, as though their movements were one. In the front, a single rider rode ahead of the others. Since her eyes had been attuned to the murky darkness, she was nearly blinded by the pristine white of his jacket and helmet which flashed under the bright afternoon sun.

She couldn’t look away.

The captain rode under the banner of Chendas. These soldiers were from King Gareth. And from the look of it, they were not coming in peace.

Meena gripped the bark in front of her, as her head swam and her stomach turned.

Noticing that something had changed, Celesta tapped her shoulder.

Meena threw a smile on her face as she quickly turned around, hoping that Sol would not frighten the girl. Celesta had spent weeks as a prisoner in Gareth’s castle. Meena couldn’t let the soldiers find the escaped girl. And she couldn’t let the happy, adventurous girl in front of her set eyes on the soldiers that had once held her captive. Celesta would instantly recognize the Chendas uniform and colors. She had to make sure that Celesta did not look back out of the crack again.

“We should head back to the castle now,” she said, her eyes wide and smile big. She pointed from the treasures on the ground and then back up the hill toward the palace.

Sol had stopped moving, his posture was tense, ready to spring into action. His eyes still scanned the area, then came back to Meena.

And she had to get back to the castle as soon as possible to warn her father.

But surely someone had seen the actual army riding through their kingdom and reported it to the king?

“No one else knows that Chendas is our enemy yet,” Meena spoke through the same smile on her face.

“Get her back to the palace,” Sol said, his lips twisting up into the most awkward smile Meena had ever seen. At least he understood she was trying to protect Celesta. Although, with a smile like that, the younger girl would instantly know something was wrong.

Fortunately, she was happily putting the toys back into her treasure box.

“The path back is hidden from sight,” Meena whispered in response to Sol. “Come with us, it will be safer for everyone.”

Sol nodded. He tilted his head toward the door. “Go first, I’ll guard the rear.”

Celesta looked up at them with concern on her face. She’d noticed something was wrong.

Meena threw her arm around Celesta’s shoulder. Placing her hand above her eyes, she pretended to squint into the distance—back toward the castle, not the road—as though she was about to lead them on another adventure. Making her painful smile even bigger, she gave a confident nod.

Celesta nodded back, pointing to the castle and pretending to scan the trees around them.

The hoof beats of the horses thundered past on the road below them. Meena couldn’t tell if the pulse in her body was her own frantic heartbeat or the reverberation of the hoof beats below. She hoped it was the former, so that Celesta would not notice what was happening.

Raising her finger to her lips, Meena mimicked a tiptoe as she slowly crawled toward the door of the tree cave.

Celesta’s eyebrows rose high, and she nodded in agreement, mimicking Meena’s actions.

Without a brief glance over her shoulder to Sol, Meena took Celesta’s hand in her own, and set a pace as quickly as she dared while still pretending to play.

The steely determination on Sol’s face remained fixed in her memory. Knowing he was behind her gave her strength.

Nonetheless, she was breathless before they even began ascending the hill back up to the palace, but she waved it away, pretending to be tired.

Celesta merely took the opportunity to pretend to be the stronger of the two, and she set out ahead, forging her way fearlessly up the path.

For one brief moment, Meena exhaled, allowing the panic she felt inside to show on her face. Fortunately, the steep angle of the hill below them and the surrounding trees hid the running trio from the passing soldiers below.