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Chapter 47 - Warmth
Luella
Telling Metheus about Ari lifted some of the weight from my chest. We should not keep secrets from each other, I decided. However, it also made me fear for my husband and what he might do next. He seemed angrier than I had ever seen him, and I almost missed his arrogant coldness from when we first met. At least, with that demeanor, he would not be careless. He would assess the world with his steady eyes. Cold and probing.
The day’s training was intense. I thought it would be the best time to do a little training myself. I had not attempted to shift anywhere in Arrowspear. I should try something and see if I could be of any use in the impending battle.
There was no doubt about it. Something was going to happen, and I felt it would happen soon. I might not be a Seer or a telepath, but Diana once told me that when the world felt like a ball of trembling sphere – uncertain and fragile – enemies were near.
It felt like that the whole day. Prozeus had always been warm, but the warmth had become heat. It was the heat before a storm, the one that stirred the moisture and gave it enough fury. There was also an almost shimmering look in Prozeus, almost as if I was treading on desert sands. Perhaps I was taking in some of Metheus’s powers, as well, like the way he could take my heat. I was starting to see things, feel things – sense things to come.
At that time, I thought it was just Metheus the warmth was fueling. He had been on a rampage, but he used it to the advantage of his army. I watched him for a little while, saw the arrows hit home effortlessly. I was not surprised. He had always been skilled with swords, and bows and arrows. However, the red-faced determination was not like him. He almost looked like a different man.
Back in my room, I took off my dress and underclothes and prepared myself to fly. My shift was different from my brother Samuel’s own. His earlier shifts were painful, while his shifts after his lunar deal with Hades were more straightforward. It was almost like he had merely changed his clothes.
For me, it was a different experience entirely. Turning into a bird might seem like a fuzzy, wonderful thing. The crows had been turning for centuries. For them, it was simply a flutter. A cold one. For someone like me, it was a blend of pleasure and pain. It was like making love to Metheus. The fire burned on the surface of my skin, feeling almost like it could peel me off and bare the muscles. Yet, it also warmed parts of my body that made me gasp in ecstasy, right before I set off for flight.
So, I stood there in front of my open window. Then, I closed my eyes, calling to my avian form. The muggy air caressed my skin as I felt myself fold. Someone watching me would not know all the intricacies I had to go through. For them, it would seem like a split second when I became smaller than I was. For me, it was a series of transformations, on the surface and within. Bones became lighter and wings sprouted out, feathers spread out. I felt freer. Then, there was the fire that I was talking about – the heat that seared the skin but did not punish it. It was more like a burning that woke up the senses. It was the fuel that pushed me to fly.
I swooped out of the window, careful not to let my fiery wings touch anything. Then, I flew higher and higher. I knew my mother could fly when she was younger. She did not have to shift to do it. She just floated. Again, it was a power passed on to her from Erishkigal, from what I understood. She was undoubtedly a complicated witch who had brought us gifts and curses in equal measure.
Over Prozeus, I saw some of the damage that the storm had wrought to the kingdom. When I heard the story from various people, it seemed like nothing. It seemed like a little tale that nobody was affected by.
I was wrong.
My flight showed the muddy mess that had left some of the fields worthless. I could almost imagine the pain the families who owned them had been in. However, they were still somehow fortunate they had Metheus as their ruler. He would not let them starve. He would find a way to cure the soil, heal the land, and return the people’s wealth.
I flew on, nearer the top of Tarkus. The desert sands still looked the same as when I last saw them. They had not been affected by the storm. Beyond Tarkus, I saw a dark cloud that did not look like it was moving. It was strange. The whole place looked like it was dry and sweltering, but a floating storm seemed to have settled as if it was going to pour at any time.
Flapping my wings, I realized that it was time to return. It was starting to get dark. Metheus would be wondering where I went. So, I made a turn to return. I enjoyed the cooler air high above Arrowspear. Below me, the desert sands made way for mud and fields. I was grateful that much of Prozeus still looked green. There were some breathtaking views that I wished I could share with Metheus. Perhaps we should swim in a brook or a pond after all of these are over.
As I spotted the palace, I knew how to maneuver myself to fly low and into my bedroom window. So, I did. The transformation back to human form was quicker as I seemed to have run out of fuel. I stumbled on the rug, rolling naked but unharmed. I laughed at the silliness of the situation, of the possibility of my husband seeing me on the floor naked and slightly raw.
However, I behaved enough to slip on my clothes as quickly as possible. While nobody would simply enter our chambers without knocking, the thought of Ari peeking through my bedroom door in Queenspell made me more cautious.
Soon, it got dark. I should go down to eat supper. My face flushed, I was excited about telling Metheus about my flight. Perhaps it would make him feel better. At least, I had a pleasant story to tell and a plan to make that involved a pond or a brook.
I entered the Great Hall, my eyes scanning for my husband. I should find him easy enough, him being the tallest man in the kingdom except for a few, such as the likes of Leevar.
He was not there. My chest hummed in disappointment, but I reined it in. Metheus might still be training. If he did not come back soon, I would have to go to him. He needed his supper. I went to the table I shared with him, my stomach in knots from a growing sense of alarm. I gestured at Francilia, seated with some of the Arrowspear courtiers. She quickly approached and gave a little curtsy. Between us, it was merely for show. I did not fuss about such things.
‘Where is Metheus? Where is Rowali?”
“Rowali is tired, Your Majesty. She had been training with Lucia all afternoon after seeing her brother work so hard.”
“So, she is sleeping now?” I asked. It was the first time Rowali went off to sleep so early, on her own accord, anyway.
“Yes, she is.”
“Where is Metheus? I can see his men are here, but not him,” I tried to control the tremor I felt inside from taking over my voice.
“H-he sent his men back. Only Leevar stayed with him.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. My meal had barely been touched.
“Do not fret, Your Majesty. Leevar will not let harm fall upon him.”
I believed that, and yet – something was wrong. Perhaps the shimmering that Diana had told me about was warning me about something more imminent.
