A Whisper of Wings (33 page)

“Oh yes, my love. I feel her! There’s no hiding from us now. We shall drag her from her hiding place and fling her to the priests!”

Daimïru snapped her mask back into place, and the hunters rose into the air and sped out through the darkness. Zhukora raised a demonic howl of hunger. With a savage shout the hunters plunged into the heart of storm.

***

In the light of dawn, Shadarii dozed all snug and warm beneath Kotaru’s arm. She glowed with satisfaction, nestling happily in her lover’s strong embrace.

Shadarii gave a shrug, then reached out to touch her wings, groping in confusion as her hands reached only empty air. Shadarii sat up, blinking at two great swathes of orange that lay beside her in the bed. Her wings had dropped off in the night and she had never even woken. She laughed her silent laugh and snatched up one old discarded wing. Black and orange, red and white… It seemed such a pretty thing; such a shame to toss it all away.

Kotaru’s wings still seemed intact. Shadarii lay beside him, letting him kiss her navel as she combed her fingers through his hair. The smells of a warm shared bed were new and strange. Shadarii smiled and felt the sunlight stream across her fur.

The girl finally felt the urgent tug of an impatient bladder. The naked girl eased out of bed, then danced merrily outside to find a convenient bush. The sun was bright, the sky shone blue, the day grew warm and fine. All it needed was a cup of tea to make a perfect dawn.

Her business done, Shadarii pranced along the rocks beneath the cliff face. Below her the river wound its way towards the edges of the forest. Shadarii leapt along the boulders like a naked child, dancing out her happiness for all the world to see.

Shadarii clambered back into the cave and went to stir her lazy man from bed. Kotaru lay tangled in the sleeping robe, his delicious body gleaming in the filtered light. Kotaru gave a growl and pulled her down into the bed. He nibbled at her neck, making Shadarii kick and wriggle in delight. She grabbed him by the ears and tried to slap his groping hands away.

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Kotaru sighed and wistfully nuzzled at her breasts.

“Ah me! Now there’s the rub! Once she gets what she wants it’s all just thank you and goodbye!”

Shadarii gave a snort and pushed him back across the bed. Kotaru crept reluctantly from the covers, rubbing sleep from his eyes. His lover held up the teapot and jiggled it around before his nose, and Kotaru’s face filled up with naked lust.

“Oh please! Rain woman, tea in bed! Thou’rt a queen of mercy!”

Shadarii twirled her tail and scampered from the cave. Kotaru yawned and followed, watching as she bent to fill the kettle from a rain pool. His voice hooted gleefully down to her from high above.

“Hey brush-tail! I’ll break that seed loaf for breakfast!”

She turned and waved merrily back at him, her eyes sparkling bright with love. She swung back to fill the kettle as something dark slashed through the air.

A throwing stick cracked against Shadarii’s skull; her world went black as she span unconscious to the ground. Kotaru leapt forward, blinking down at her in shock, then threwe himself aside as something flashed towards him. A spear shattered on the rockface inches from his head.

Kotaru spread his wings and dove. He lanced between the rocks, desperately racing for Shadarii, then swerved as a shrieking figure burst up from the ground. A spear whipped past him, parting the fur across his neck. The naked hunter roared and crashed full tilt into his enemy; the creature tumbled back, bones breaking as it slammed against a rock. Kotaru screamed in rage and smashed his fist across the creature’s grinning skull.

A second figure burst out from the bushes. The Skull-Wing warrior lunged in with its spear, and Kotaru span and ripped the weapon from its grasp. He jammed the butt hard into the Skull-Wing’s crotch, cracking the staff against its neck as it doubled up in agony. Kotaru ducked and grabbed Shadarii by the arms; he had her half lifted from the ground when a flock of Zhukora’s demons tore out from the trees.

Kotaru snatched up a fallen spear and hurtled it with all his strength. It shot towards the enemy, only to explode into a shower of ashes at one wave from Zhukora’s hand. Kotaru blinked in astonishment, then leapt high into the sky. His spears lay bundled in the cave; from there he could hit anyone trying to touch Shadarii. The hunter shot through the air with blinding speed, a dozen shrieking enemies behind him.

Suddenly something erupted from the empty weeds below. Daimïru lunged, and Kotaru gave a scream as her spear rammed through his stomach. He span into the cliff face, falling a hundred spans to smash against the river banks and sink beneath the foam.

Daimïru stared down at the trail of bloody bubbles in the water, trembling in helpless spasms as she felt the thrill of killing once again. Zhukora came to touch her, and Daimïru tremoured beneath her soft caress. She shivered as she felt the spear sink home again. The horror in his eyes as he had stared death in the face…

“Aaaaaah! So we shall keep an axe above her head? Finally I have her in my power! I’ll make her beg my forgiveness before the entire tribe!”

Zhukora glanced down to spear Javïra with her eyes.

“Fool! Three times she has beaten you. Have events entirely passed your notice? Do you remember the witch-girl on the Vakïdurii jiteng team? Has it never occurred to you just who that player might have been?” Zhukora seared Javïra with contempt. “I thought as much! Shadarii is dangerous. I have underestimated her once. I shall not do so again.”

Zhukora coldly looked down at Javïra.

“Javïra, you have pursued my sister beyond all reason. You are stupid, and stupidity is dangerous.”

“Stupid?” Javïra peered smugly sidewise at Zhukora. “Perhaps I am, but I know advantage when I see it. If the priests find out Shadarii is no longer a virgin, her value to you is lost! You need me, Zhukora. You need me to keep our little secret safe and sound. And so I shall, but it will cost. I want to be paid what I deserve!”

The girl spat down on Shadarii’s face and gaily danced across the stones. Zhukora watched her with sardonic eyes, then lifted up her hand.

“Javïra.”

The dancer turned; Zhukora looked down at Javïra and gave a simple smile.

Light exploded from Zhukora’s claws. Javïra gave a scream as her fur exploded in a sheet of fire. Lightning blasted through her flesh, and with a bubbling hiss her skeleton slammed down to the ground. Javïra’s Ka screamed as it whirled away into the winds.

Zhukora gave a pretty smile, reaching out to take Daimïru’s hand.

“Payment in full, just as you deserve. Yes, I should say our little secret is quite safe. Thank you Javïra! You have been most entertaining.”

The demons triumphantly closed about their Queen, then bore Shadarii down into the forest depths for sacrifice.

Notes:

1) Dancing costume includes headresses made from tall sprays of pampas grass and a great many living flowers. Fine weather allows for a more elaborate show of costume than that used in Rain dances of winter time.

2) Fermented Kashran mothers milk is the only alcoholic beverage known to the tribes. It is drunk only at the height of the sacred totenïha ceremony, and only by the nobility and priesthood.

Chapter Twelve

Light flickered on the floorplanks of an empty room, while high above, leaves swayed and flickered in a restless breeze.

Lost in a daze, a girl stared down at their shadows on the polished floor, her green eyes wide and empty. The treehouse shifted in the breeze swaying back and forth like a mother’s lullaby; the girl sat and listened to the trees, drifting away upon the ebb and flow of sound.

It was all so nice and restful.

Sun.

It felt rich and warm against her fur; warm, like being held so nice and tight. There had been a time once when she had felt a touch like that. Soft breath against her fur and arms about her waist while she had slept in a delicious dream of peace.

Or had she?

It was hard to remember clearly. Why bother when the sun was oh so comforting? She felt the warmth stream down across her face and gave a gentle smile.

Someone was coming. It would be the blonde one again; the one who felt so tight and hard inside herself. She yelled more easily than the others. The girl blinked unhappily and lifted her face towards the door.

Still, at least it must be food time. Food was always the best time of the day!

A bar was dragged free of the door, and the blonde one tramped into the room, hurtling down a bucket and a box of food. She was in a shouting kind of mood again. The girl beneath the sunbeams felt her antennae wilt; no matter how small she tried to make herself, she always seemed to be in trouble…

“Food’s up! Roots and greens. I’m not dragging any more water up here again, so you can just stick with what you’ve got!” The blonde girl snatched up the prisoner’s previous meal box and crammed the empty leaf-plates inside. She went to nudge a bucket in the corner, turning around in sudden anger.

The girl sighed and dutifully squatted on the pot. The blonde woman winced in disgust, staying far away until the business had been done.

The blonde woman sniffed and opened up the box of food. Food time! The prisoner drooled happily, making her guardian back off in disgust.

“That’s our girl! Eat all your nice food. Eat up and then be nice and quiet for auntie Daimïru!”

The prisoner stuffed boiled roots into her mouth. Food was good! Food was when she did something with her day. It was always the same food, though. She remembered other times; tasty things to eat and crunch. There had been wood grubs toasted in the ashes, or clams and codfish simmering in their own juices! And one time, there had been crayfish…

Crayfish… Shadarii drew her brows in thought; it seemed so hard to think these days. So very hard…

The drugged food did its work; the girl’s eyelids drooped, her eyes went dull, and her head began to nod. The old tree dreamed ever onwards, while Shadarii slept the dull sleep of a rotting log.

“A representation! We should make a representation.” Nochorku-Zha’s hands shook as he furiously addressed the council. “I won’t have it! I won’t! Foreigners, coming in here and stealing away our dancing girls? It’s just not done! There are proper channels for this sort of thing.”

“I agree Lord. The procedure was most irregular!” Counselor Fotoki gave an imperious scowl. “If the Vakïdurii intend cross-marriages, they should place a proposition before the council.”

“Colleagues, colleagues! We must remember our dignity.” Zhukora leaned forward, her figure stark and hungry beneath her hunting clothes. “There is no need for alarm. Why turn the world upside down over the simple matter of a love-struck girl!”

Gegachii was in fine old form today. The old man was shivering in a purple fit!

“Love struck? Kidnapped! Poor Javïra’s been dragged off into the wilds by some thieving commoner!”

“Oh to the contrary! Their departure was calm and planned. Mistress Traveesha had noticed poor Javïra acting oddly just before her disappearance. The hunter must have taken pity on her after her humiliation at Shadarii’s hands. Javïra did have a certain talent for wrapping men about her little finger…”