Angel in Flames

The Great Shift was upon them.

The winter solstice had arrived, inviting the skies to darken again. People of the kingdom would be transformed into the Daya. A pair of wings would sprout from the backs of those who had sinned, before taking them to Altaira – the city of the damned.

To save the people from themselves, the King had ordered the Daya to be executed. So, every year, the kingdom gathered in the courtyard, waiting for the Shift to reveal the sinners’ true forms.

Aithne knew better.

The midday sun streamed through the open window over the parchments scattered across Aithne’s room. Her mother’s robes hung over the back of her chair, the rich red velvet material embellished with the symbol of the kingdom – a blazing sun.

Aithne glanced at the queen’s crown sitting on her dressing table, then her reflection in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were dull with concern. She knew the Queen would not be proud of her actions today.

But what haunted her most was that the Shift was not her predominant concern. Rather, she was feeling anxious about the arrival of her personal guard. Last week, she had kissed him, revealing her years of repressed feelings. In response, he had busied himself with the Guard to avoid facing her, but today he was required to accompany her to the executions.

Aithne twisted her hands before her, creating a ball of fire. Fueling the flames with her frustration, she made it grow. A knock on the door startled her and the flames shot out of her hands, hitting the stone wall.

Debris flew as her personal guard barged into the room his hand poised on his sword. ‘Your Highness!’ Jed said, before easing, mildly amused. ‘Oh. You are practicing.’

‘I thought I told you to stop calling me that,’ Aithne replied in irritation.

‘I am sorry, Your Highness, but it is my duty to address you as such.’

A breeze came through her window blowing some of her mother’s papers from her dressing table. A dozen roughly sketched robins fluttered to the floor. Jed knelt to help her gather them up, reaching out the same time that Aithne did. His hand collided with hers and he retreated immediately, shifting uncomfortably.

Aithne hid her disappointment by turning to pull the window closed. If a robin flies into your room through an open window, death will soon follow. Her mother’s words rang in her mind.

‘It won’t be your duty much longer, considering the king is replacing you,’ Aithne said. She regretted her words immediately.

Jed dropped his eyes to the parchments on the dressing table. ‘I cannot protect you, Your Highness. My fire abilities have not developed like I had hoped they would,’ he said forlornly.

Aithne stepped closer, holding out her flaming hands. ‘I don’t need you to protect me.’

The flame sent a flickering shadow over Jed’s face. He flinched imperceptibly at her closeness. ‘That is my duty as your personal guard.’

Aithne noticed the tension in his shoulders and the kingdom’s insignia emblazoned on his uniform. Her mind wandered back to their kiss, and she swallowed. ‘I suppose the king is waiting for me.’

Jed nodded, but his eyes lingered on her mother’s belongings, before he moved to pick up some of the parchments. ‘Is this your mother’s handwriting?’ he asked.

‘Yes. I found them locked in a chest in her old wing,’ she said, wringing her hands. Maybe Jed would believe her about the Daya.

‘Why would they be locked away?’

If Aithne told him what she knew, she would be committing treason. But her feelings for Jed outweighed her obedience to the king. ‘My mother knew the truth. The Daya are not demons.’

Jed’s silence was unnerving. He began to pace the floor, examining the papers in his hands. Finally, he looked up. ‘I don’t understand.’

Another ball of flame flickered in Aithne’s hands, a nervous habit. ‘Do you know what Devaduta means?’ she asked.

‘No,’ he said, watching her flaming fingers.

‘It means messenger of Gods. Devaduta is the formal name for the Daya. My mother believed that those who shift are blessed. Do you think the Gods would create demons?’ She closed her fist around the flame and the light went out.

Jed shivered. ‘That’s what the kingdom tells us to believe,’ he said.

Aithne placed her warm hand on Jed’s arm. He didn’t pull away. ‘The kingdom lies, Jed. They make us believe that things are bad, so that they can control us. Like…’ she broke off.

‘Us?’ Jed asked, placing a hand over hers. ‘Because I am a guard, and you are the Princess?’

Aithne nodded, feeling her cheeks warm. ‘Do you trust me?’

Jed exhaled. ‘More than I sometimes want to admit,’ he said softly.

Aithne’s heart swelled. ‘I’m angry that my father wants to replace you.’

‘I know. That’s why I kept my distance.’

‘I thought it was because I kissed you?’

Jed shook his head. ‘I was afraid,’ he said. ‘Of what us might mean.’

Aithne was moved. ‘I don’t want to lose you,’ she said, her voice quivering. ‘I would rather go with you, than let you walk away.’

‘They are sending me to train as a soldier. You cannot come with me. Your responsibilities lie here.’

Aithne shook her head adamantly. ‘I don’t want to rule this kingdom with deceit and lies. People get hurt because of it.’ She thought of the burning children, women, and men. Her people. Their beautiful white wings torched by her own hands.

‘You could be a better ruler.’

‘I can’t do that without knowing the truth. I want to go to Altaira. I want us to go,’ she said.

Indecision warred on his face, before he stepped away from her. Her hand fell back to her side. ‘I cannot let you do that.’ His tone was dark with formality.

‘Why are you so loyal to the Guard? They’re replacing you,’ she said, feeling crushed by his rejection.

Jed refused to listen, his hands behind his back. ‘King Inigo is waiting for you on the balcony.’

Aithne flushed red, humiliated. ‘Fine,’ she snapped. She led the way, striding out of the room. Jed hurried to her side but remained at a distance.

She ignored him, instead flicking her eyes to the ceiling.

A robin had found itself inside the castle walls. The king had ordered the destruction of all birds in the kingdom - his hate for the winged creatures rooted in his hate of the Daya - but this one had managed to slip past the guards.

Aithne frowned at the flighted creature, finding sadness in its beauty.

‘In the papers…’ Jed began, surprising her. ‘The Queen had written about the wings of a Daya turning black. But I have only ever seen white wings?’

‘White wings are for those who have been blessed for their good deeds. Black wings are for those who sacrifice themselves for the greater good.’

‘If they symbolise good, then why does the king hate them?’

Aithne sighed. ‘I think it is because he fears their power…’ she said, before they reached the balcony.

King Inigo was addressing the kingdom, the faces of thousands crowded in the one courtyard. ‘The Great Shift is upon us!’ he thundered.

The people cried out, their fear and fury filling Aithne’s ears.

‘Twelve years ago, Queen Salana was murdered on this day! A Daya grabbed her and dropped her from the sky!’ The pain was a broken chord in his voice. ‘When the sky darkens, sacrifices will be made!’ he said, the promise of vengeance in his fists.

Aithne gave him a smile when he looked her way, but all she could think about was Jed and the robin in the corridor. She stole a glance at Jed, who was standing with the other guards by the wall. He gave her a small encouraging nod, but he wore a frown. She couldn’t help but think of that doomed bird as a metaphor of her own impending heart ache when Jed would be forced to leave her.

Aithne turned to the sky, waiting for the sun to blink out its fiery light and send them into an overwhelming shadow. It was the only time of the year when the stars showed themselves in broad daylight, and it was a sight that brought back the same haunting memory…

… Wings spread. Arms grasped around the Queen. A bolt of flames. Searing feathers. Rocketing back to the earth. Body colliding. Bones shattering. Her mother’s blood staining the cobblestone…

The crowd’s roar drew Aithne back to the present.

The king was looking at her proudly. ‘Speak to them. They will be your people one day,’ he said.

Aithne buried the thoughts of her mother’s parchments and the dread of Jed leaving her forever. She inhaled deeply before turning to the people. ‘For Oriane!’ she cried, throwing her fist into the air. The people responded, thousands of voices mirroring the ode to the kingdom.

Again, Aithne’s mother spoke from the depths of her memory. A robin in a cage, puts Heaven in a rage.

Above them, the sky darkened… and everyone fell silent.

Aithne watched as a man dropped to his knees, crying out in pain as wings began to sprout from his back. Another fell. A woman. A man. A child.

The guards along the walls of the courtyard came forward, their hands upturned. From their palms sparked flames. King Inigo’s own hands burned with heat and intensity.

Aithne swallowed the urge to be sick as flames sparked from her skin, engulfing her fingers.

Wings began to lift bodies to the sky, retreating to Altaira. ‘For Oriane!’ the king bellowed, before shooting fire at his people. The white wings of the newly turned Daya went up in flames. Families wore tears on their faces, but no one moved to stop the executions.

Aithne shot her own flames at a man, sending him crashing back down to the ground into a heap of smoldering flesh, bone, and feathers.

She tore her eyes away from the scene when flames shot toward a Daya child. Their screams of pain reverberated through Aithne’s mind, creating a horrific image behind her eyes. Flames scorching wings, like a small fiery angel of torment, burning away for all eyes to see.

The child would not be reaching Altaira today.

A hand fell on her arm, and she glanced back to find Jed, the images of destruction reflected in his eyes. ‘I have decided. I may not have the fire ability to protect you, but I do have the willpower,’ he said.

‘What do you mean?’ she gasped when his other hand cupped her cheek.

He gave her the faintest of smiles, before pressing his lips to hers. ‘For Oriane,’ he whispered when he pulled away. Jed let her go and backed towards the balcony. Aithne pressed a hand to her heart, watching in horror as he climbed onto the balustrade, standing with his arms to the air. ‘Long live the future Queen!’ he shouted, before falling backward.

He fell out of her sight, and she let out a desperate cry, flying to the balcony to peer over the edge. She gasped. Jed’s body sped towards the ground, but before he made contact, wings sprouted from his back, and he flew upward with ease.

Wings of black.

Dazed, Aithne watched as he flew back up to her, hovering in the air. Her heart pounded in her chest, fearful that the king might burn him.

‘I will go to Altaira,’ Jed said, his eyes bright.

‘No!’ Aithne said. ‘I want to go with you.’

‘I will come back.’ But his smile flickered in doubt. ‘I will bring you answers.’

Aithne pushed herself onto the balustrade, her legs shaking. She ignored the king’s furious yells from behind her. ‘I won’t watch you walk away.’ Or fly, she thought.

Jed’s smile grew. He held out a hand. ‘Come then, Princess. I will do as you bid.’

Aithne grinned. ‘For Queen Salana,’ she said, before dropping off the balcony. The kingdom roared from beneath her, standing among the debris of their people. Aithne wrapped her arms around Jed’s neck, letting him fly her away.

To Altaira – the city of the blessed.