Airel - Aaron Patterson [48]
Kreios let his mind drift back to his childhood once again; to times when war, violence, and death had not yet been fully tested. After he and Yamanu had learned to fly, they could not get enough of it. They took to the skies whenever they had the chance. Yamanu was slower but could keep up as long as Kreios gave him a chance. Kreios grunted, amused as he thought how he had even let him win a few of their many races just to keep him interested.
But when he was alone, Kreios would go to the tower and launch himself straight up as fast as he could, until he reached the outer edge, where the clouds stopped, the sky becoming black. He would turn then, to look below him at the majesty of his home.
In a flash of speed, he would throw himself, rocketing downward toward the ground; pushing himself faster and faster. The first time he made a sonic boom he thought he would die. After all, it hurt so much. The flesh of his face and arms, he reminisced, felt like they would rip from his frame.
A subtle and irregular sound brought Kreios back to reality; alert, with all of his senses standing at attention, ready for whatever was waiting. He closed his eyes in the darkness and listened.
The river in the distance swirled over rocks, under the remaining ice. But back behind him he heard something so faint that it could have been nothing at all.
Breathing.
It sounded soft but ragged, coming in short intervals. The sound of crickets and night owls masked it for the most part, but there it was, just behind all the other sounds. This breathing was not coming from a man—or even a beast–of this world.
Kreios knew what it was. He froze in place, a cold stone statue of a god in a tree. He allowed it to hide there, behind him. Both supernaturals were waiting for an exact moment.
Kreios shut down the sounds of the wood, the animal life all around him, and listened…in, out…in, out…then nothing. The foul beast knew Kreios was aware of its presence and shriveled, flying off to make its report to its master.
It was time to go. They had been discovered. The faster they found refuge in the city, the better.
Kreios was on the ground, sprinting silently. He shook Zedkiel awake and said, “We must go—now!”
Chapter XXVII
Boise, Idaho. Present day.
I was alive. Not in a world of black mountains or shrieking monsters. Nope. I was on my back on soft, green grass with the whole football team looking at me as if I had three eyes. My head throbbed. I reached up to touch the bump that was forming on my forehead. That’s probably nice and ugly.
“Are you okay, Airel? Can you see how many fingers I’m holding up?” Coach Dennis looked down at me with a concerned scowl on his face. I could tell that he wanted to yell at me; command me not to pass out again because it interfered with his practice, and football was serious business.
“I’m fine!” I shouted at him because I was scared out of my wits and more embarrassed than I could ever remember. “…Just slipped…hit my head,” I lied, looking for emotional cover. “I wasn’t paying attention and... ” Kim shot a look my way, but miracle of miracles—she kept her mouth shut. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that the blond man was gone. I guess I wasn’t surprised. I wondered if he was just a figment of my imagination, but then, Kim had seen him too.
“I’ll have one of the boys walk you to the nurse’s station to get looked at,” said the coach, snapping his fingers at his minions. “Never mess with a head injury.”
Michael piped up, “I’ll take her, Coach.” He was already at my side, lifting me into his arms like a helpless victim before I could reject this huge escalation of embarrassment.
My mouth was not responding to my frantic attempts to say something. Kim had a stupid grin on her face that suggested I had fallen on purpose, just so I could get carted off in Michael’s arms. Yeah Kim, it’s a total conspiracy—I’m not actually your friend, either.
Coach barked one last order at Michael. “Fine. Come right back, though! We have two more drills