Landed Wings - By Skylhur Tranqille Page 0,54

gone too. I feel better than I have in a long time, and no matter how much I think about leaving Ash, the most I can feel is a benign apathy. Maybe I’m not capable of feeling the way other people feel. Or maybe it is just that I won’t let myself. I had to break my mind from hers, and like I suspected the feelings are gone. It’s like they were never even real in the first place. It isn’t as easy as I had told Ginger but it isn’t as hard as I had thought it would be. I’ve surprised myself. I knew that I could be cold, calculating, but not to this degree. Cocoa would be happy if she knew the effect her actions have had on me. I can’t feel Ash anymore. And I’m fine with it. Mostly fine. I’d gotten used to Ash. Now she is just a mental habit I have to break. I open the door to heavy rain greeting me. I open my wings and fly off. To where, I don’t know, but I’m not coming back. Finally, I’m free.

Chapter 38: TOO LATE

RAVEN

Behind the warehouse, a door is opened, and Raven Drave is thrown out. She’s unconscious and hits the pavement with a dull thud. She lands in a puddle and doesn’t move. Blood mixes with the rain from one of her many wounds. The rain thunders around her, chilly and biting. Still she doesn’t stir. The rain washes some of the blood away, but more comes, thicker than before. Where she lays, the moon hits with dull brightness. She is meant to be found, but not until it is too late. And it seems that it is already too late. Raven finally moves, her face appearing out of the fold of her bloody clothes and feathers. She spits water out of her mouth and tries to lift one weak trembling wing. It flops back down into the water and stays there. A sound comes out of her trembling lips. It is a sound heard by no one. If someone could hear her, they would have heard the name of the one person who’d always been there for her.

“Obsidian.”

Her head falls back. Once again, she stops moving. Her eyes glaze over and appear unable to see the coldly amused moon above her.

The End

BROKEN WINGS

EPIC 2

by

Whizdom Publishing, Ltd.

213

SKYLHUR

… PREVIEW

Look at me and you’ll see deception and lies

Like a swarm of flies darting from place to place

Daring not to show my face

I am a phantom, lurking in the depths of despair

Look at this bliss

This bliss I am never to experience

I can only wait for fate to show the way

Ah, there it is, the open door, just beneath the floor.

Dalles

COCOA

Cocoa sits in a room backstage, contemplating the next move the VWP will make. If everything goes as planned, tonight will be the pivotal turning point that stops the pitiful resistance from becoming more of a nuisance than they already are. And, of course, to get back Ash…

ASHLYNN

“I’m sorry to have to tied up like this. It really is for your own protection.”

My mother turns to me and smiles almost sympathetically.

“How little you know or understand. It’s my fault really, I should have told you. You see, your father and I were born LandBound, genetically deformed. But I was smart. The SkyBound and eventually the VWP saw I had a head for science and they let me in on their experiments. When I figured out how to reverse engineer their original genetic program, you dad volunteered to help me figure out if I was right. He always wanted to fly so he was the perfect candidate for my experiment. The experiment was a great success physically, unfortunately, there were some cognitive side effects I didn’t account for. By the time I tried it on myself, I found a way to reverse the original programing without affecting brain functions. I don’t want you to think I’m a monster, Ashlynn, I’ve always respected your dad for his sacrifice, so I married him. It was the best possible outcome for everyone. He needed someone to take care of him and I wanted a family. Since his genetic tissue was compatible with mine and only mine, we were able to create a child. The proudest day of my life was the day you were born with your wings folded against your back. They were magnificent. You see, Ash, you would have been LandBound if I hadn’t stepped in. You are