Aeralis Read Online Free Page B

mind spun with questions,
    There is something you need to know.
    I reached the Cages and passed beneath the snow blossom-trimmed bars. The flower-wreathed metal striped me in shifting shadows, and I shivered reflexively. We might cover them with beauty, but the reminder of all we’d lost remained. Some of the flowers were already withering, revealing the steel beneath once more. It looked more like a memorial to honor something long dead rather than a celebration.
    Beneath our attempts to cover them, the truth showed through like bones.
    Something I’ve not yet had the courage to tell you.
    In the village streets, a crowd had gathered. Shouts split the air. I pushed my way through the clusters of men and women, trying to make out the furtive whispers as I elbowed my way to the middle of the commotion.
    Two men shoved at each other in the center of the crowd. Their eyes were bright and sharp with fury, and their mouths spat accusations. Their cloaks fluttered as they circled each other.
    “What is going on?” I shouted.
    The men drew apart and looked at me, and their fury faded as they recognized my face. One was a villager, a Fisher. The other was one of the fugitives that had returned with me through the gate.
    “Bluewing,” the fugitive said. “We—”
    “I should not have to share my quota with an outsider!” the Fisher snarled. “They’ve brought us nothing but confusion and trouble. There’s even talk of disease spreading.”
    A hot wave swept through me, obliterating any sense of tact I might have.
    “Shut up,” I said, and the words came out cold and cutting.
    They both fell silent and looked at me. And they listened, respect in their eyes, because I was Bluewing. Surely, I would know what to do. The mockery of their trust when I felt so lost made me brittle inside. I wet my lips with my tongue and gathered words to soothe them.
    “We were all outsiders once,” I said. “And those who live among us now helped bring us peace.”
    “But the rumors of illness—”
    “They deserve our respect and thanks. We’re all in this together now.”
    The man looked away.
    “Bluewing—” someone began in protest.
    “Do you remember how we ended up in the grip of the Farthers?” I shouted. “Do you remember how it grew worse and worse? We were fragmented, suspicious. We were at each other’s throats. It was so easy for them to take us. We were weak, and we will continue to be weak if we continue to fight and mistrust and hate.”
    Mutters swirled in the air around me. I stared at each man in turn, willing them to hear the words I spoke and take them to heart, and then I turned and headed for the former Mayor’s house in the center of town.
     
    ~
     
    Adam was waiting on the porch when I reached the house. The wind caught his cloak and made it flutter. His eyes were dark and full of unspoken things as they met mine.
    “We need to talk.”
    Apprehension brewed in my stomach, and the questions raised by my mother’s letter fled my mind. I climbed the steps to meet him.
    “What is it?” My voice came out low, emotionless. Adam didn’t have many expressions that he wore openly, but I detected his apprehension in the way his eyes tightened and his fingers twitched. Whatever his message, he was loath to deliver it.
    Adam tipped his head to the side, considering me, weighing his words. “I’ve made contact with the Trio at last. I’ve received our orders.”
    I breathed out. This did not pertain to Jonn, at least.
    “And?”
    “I’ve been given orders to help with the liberation effort in Aeralis. I’m to leave for Astralux right away.”
    The world telescoped around me as I absorbed his words. “What?”
    Adam didn’t repeat himself. He knew I’d heard him the first time. He just stood there, letting it sink in, letting me process it.
    “What about me?” I managed.
    His expression softened almost imperceptibly. “The Thorns think you’re best suited to remaining here as a contact, and I think