Chapter 12

The next day I woke up early and found that I was still curled up on the cold stone next to the fire pit. I jumped up and quickly rummaged through my small stack of clothes until I found something suitable to wear for the day. I pulled on a pair of silky grey sweats and a loose fitting white t-shirt. I didn’t really have any good shoes so I stayed barefoot. It wasn’t so bad anymore, my feet were starting to toughen up after all that I had put them through.

Tuck and Kailen were nowhere in sight so I assumed that they were already out gathering what driftwood they could find along the river.

I moved to the center of the cave, it was a great open area and the ceiling was pretty high. It would be perfect for what I wanted to do. Slowly I began to stretch and prepare myself for the day.

I practiced controlling my wings, which had pretty much stayed flattened against my back since we left Drake. I found that they responded pretty much like any other body part. I stretched them and fluttered them a few times until I was comfortable with them.

I started practicing being able to start and stop, just as Kailen had briefly explained when I first discovered that I had wings. I took off quickly as I envisioned myself on the other side of the room. Panic set in for brief moment so I hurriedly envisioned myself landing. I fell to ground with a thud, twisting my ankle. I cried out in pain, but I pulled myself together and got back up.

My ankle throbbed and I bent to rub it. I needed to learn to start and stop more slowly or I would really hurt myself. I had to try again.

This time I pictured myself moving a little slower and more gracefully. I went soaring through the air. The gentle wind that moved over my wings felt amazing. I set myself back down more carefully, then sat down smiling.

I remembered being a little girl out in the bayou with my dad. We were bundled up from head to toe in green camouflage. I remember watching in awe as a large flock of wood ducks soared overhead and landed on the water without so much as a splash. This is what it must have felt like to the ducks. Only I think they were a little more graceful.

I stood and took off again, this time I circled the entire cavern. I looked around at the rocky walls and I was amazed to see bird nests and intricate spider webs formed along the outcroppings of rock.

I flew up to the cracked ceiling and hovered close to one of the openings that allowed the sunlight to pour in. A cool breeze carried fresh salty air over me. We must be close to the ocean. I breathed in deeply and smiled to myself.

I hadn’t even noticed Kailen and Tuck entering the cave, until I heard Tuck.

“Oh my god, look at that.”

I suddenly lost my concentration and started falling towards them. I didn’t even have to scream.

“Land Callie!” Kailen yelled up at me.

But it was too late, I rammed into them at full speed sending them crashing onto the floor with me on top of them. I was definitely going to suffer for this tomorrow. I was lucky I didn’t break anything.

I untangled myself from them and quickly folded my wings back away. I tried to help Kailen up but he just shrugged away from me.

“What are you trying to do?” He yelled as he struggled to get to his feet. Wood was scattered all around them.

“I was trying to fly.” I said defensively. Who did he think he was yelling at me like that?

“Why didn’t you wait for me to help you?” His tone was definitely angry.

“I-I just wanted to see if I could do it.” I stammered but I quickly composed myself. “And I don’t recall you making any effort.” This time I was more fierce and I crossed my arms across my chest.

He let out a growl and turned to start picking up the driftwood. “You should have waited for me.”

I turned my back to him and walked away. I had to fight hard to keep from grimacing at the pain shooting through my ankle. I definitely didn’t want anybody to find out that I had injured myself. He would never let me hear the end of that.

Tuck didn’t say anything more, he just followed Kailen over to the makeshift fire pit and began to stack the wood.

Nobody spoke to me or even bothered looked at me for a long time. I felt that old familiar pain in my heart. I don’t know why it always had to hurt so much when Kailen tried to push me away. I had to get over that. I needed to get away for a while.

While they were busy concentrating on the wood and the fire, I slipped out of the cavern and into the tunnel. I knew that I shouldn’t be wondering around out there alone, but they didn’t seem to have a problem with leaving me alone today. They didn’t even tell me that they were leaving.

I stomped toward the waterfall getting angrier by the minute, but my throbbing ankle reminded me to slow down. I reached the fall and stared at the water for a long time. The tremendous sound of the crashing water helped me to think more clearly. It blocked everything else out.

I had made up my mind the night before to do everything that I could to live up to what my family wanted for me. That included becoming a queen, even though I still didn’t know what that meant exactly.

I was lost in my thoughts when I heard a loud noise echo behind me. Even over the sound of the falls. It sounded like rocks falling and hitting the rocky floor, but I couldn’t be sure. It was probably Kailen or Tuck coming to make sure that I wasn’t doing anything stupid.

I decided not to turn around. I just wanted to be left alone, and I didn’t want to give Kailen the satisfaction of thinking that he had gotten to me. I stood at the riverbank listening to see how close they were when I suddenly felt a hand clamp down over my mouth and I was violently jerked backward.

My eyes must have been as big as saucers, as I struggled to break the hold that he had on me. He pulled me backward toward the path that led to the top of the falls. I cried out but my screams were muddled by his grip on my mouth.

“A pretty girl like you shouldn’t be wandering around these dark tunnels by yourself” A strange voice said in my ear.

Fear suddenly ripped through me. No, this was definitely not Kailen or Tuck. I began fight against him with all that I had in me, but it was no use. I hated feeling this powerless.

“What have you got there, Sty” I heard another voice call from above.

“I found us a little treat.” Sty called back with a sinister laugh.

He yanked me up the path, and his friend met him part of the way and helped him pull me to the top. Their stench filled my nose and I wanted to gag. It had obviously been some time since they had bathed and now I knew why he was called Sty.

On the top of the cliff, I was able to get a good look at the buddy. He was tall and wiry thin. His greasy hair was matted around his filthy face. He smiled at me with teeth that were black and broken as he eyed me up and down.

“Nice catch old boy.” He said as he patted Sty on the back. “Bring her in here.”

Sty drug me away from the ledge and threw me hard against the wall.

“Somebody help me!” I screamed as the two of them stood in front of me gawking.

“Scream all you want, nobody can hear you over the sound of the water.” Sty said with a grin.

Sty was just as grimy as his friend. He was a good bit shorter, but he had the same slick dark hair and toothless grin. His breath was vile and I had to cough to keep myself from vomiting.

“What do you want?” I said in disgust. They just kept grinning, those gruesome toothless grins.

Sty grabbed me by my arms and pulled me to my feet. “I just want a little kiss sweet thing. It’s been a long time since I had a girl as pretty as you.”

He moved in with that mouth and I kicked him hard in the shin. He reached down for it and I was about to make an escape but his friend caught me by my hair and yanked me back.

“Now where do you think you’re going?” He held me up by my hair and pain ripped across my scalp and my toes barely grazed the floor. “You’re going to be a feisty one I see. All the better.”

He dropped me back onto my feet but he did not release my hair. Sty came back over and slapped me hard across the face. The blow had my head swimming and I could taste fresh blood in my mouth.

He just kept laughing that stupid laugh. “I bet you won’t try that again.”

I spat at him, and he hit me again. The pain was almost overwhelming and I nearly passed out. I needed to do something to get away from these guys, I just wasn’t sure what.

“Hey!” I wasn’t sure where it came from but I was relieved to hear it.

Sty and his buddy jerked around to see what was going on. The problem is that tall and skinny never let go of my hair. I felt sure that if he didn’t let go soon, I was going to have a major bald spot.

“What do you want?” Sty yelled back.

“Just drop the girl and step away.”

I struggled to turn so that I could see who was approaching, but as soon as I realized that it was Tuck my face fell. He was too young to fight these guys alone. He was definitely going to get hurt or worse, and it would be all my fault if he did. I should never have stormed out like that.

“Boy, just get on out of here before you get yourself in trouble.” Sty called to him as he took on a defiant stance.

Tuck never faltered. He did not stop until he was a few feet in front of us. He watched the two slime balls for a minute and then he calmly lifted his arm back and pulled out a thick shiny sword. It curved in the middle and the handle was inlaid with gold.

“I’m only going to ask you one more time.” Tuck stepped forward again.

“Drop the girl.”

Relief filled my body as the guy finally released me. My head still ached and so did my ankle as I plopped back down onto it, but I was free. I crawled to where I could position myself behind Tuck and regroup.

“Now, get out of here!” Tuck yelled still holding up the blade as if he were about to strike. “If I ever see you around here again, that will be the last time!”

“Let’s get out of here, Sully!”

So that was tall and ugly’s name.

The two of them took off running back down into the darkness of the tunnel.

“Are you okay?” Tuck held out a hand to help me up.

I got to my feet, rubbing the back of my head. “Yeah, I think so.”

“What were you doing out here by yourself?” He didn’t sound like he was scolding as Kailen would have. He just sounded concerned.

“I just needed to think. I was standing over by the base of the falls when they snuck up on me, I’m sorry.” I shook my head at myself. How could I be so stupid?

“Well, the next time you need to think, at least let one of us know.” He gave me an encouraging smile and draped his arm around me as we made our way back to the path.

“Where did you get that sword?”

“I took it off a guard that I found lying in the tunnel.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal.

“Can you use it?” I raised a brow and a devilish grin stretched across my face.

He looked offended. “Of course I can use it. I started out in the same place you did. Well, maybe not exactly the same, but I have had my share of fighter training. How else could I have survived down here this long?”

I thought about that for a minute. “Can you teach me to use it?”

He looked at me hard for a long time. “Yeah, I can teach you. After today I think you definitely need it.”