Airborne Saga: Grounded Part 10

"Yea, for now." Avery admitted, watching the door. She knew she was taking too long-at least five minutes had pa.s.sed since she enclosed herself in the room. Leela wasn't a suspicious girl by nature so Avery would have some time but every extra second was risking it.

"Whose phone is this? How did you even get away from them?"

Avery suddenly heard footsteps outside the door. Flinching violently, she fumbled with the phone and finally shoved it up against her chest. The footsteps had stopped but Avery couldn't be sure if they pa.s.sed the door or hovered in front of it. She waited, holding her breath.

There was nothing outside the door but silence. Avery slowly brought the phone back to her ear.

"Hey." She croaked but it came out barely audible.

"Look, I know you can't talk but I can't find you unless I get some hint. Can you call me back when you get a detail? It's absolutely imperative. You need to find a way."

The bathroom door snapped open and it happened in a flash. Before Avery could even drop the phone, a hand caught her shoulder and yanked her outward. Losing her footing, Avery slipped into the hallway wall. She slammed into the plaster with a crash. The phone dropped from her fingers and skidded across the floor, ignored. Avery whirled to face her attacker head on but she wasn't expecting to see Eva.

The female harpie lashed out for Avery again, her long limbs and agility an advantage in the tight hall, and she knocked Avery sideways. The crippling blow sent Avery onto her backside and she slid into the living room. Her cheek burned but the pain only made Avery move quicker. She sprung to her feet but Eva had turned away.

Leela came from the kitchen during the fight but stood immobilized in the corner. The female harpie s.n.a.t.c.hed up the disregarded phone with one swift movement.

Turning her jade green eyes back on Avery, she pressed the sleek metal device to her ear.

"Hi Mason." She purred into the phone.

Eva was Mason's sister but the two siblings were estranged as best, enemies at worse. They'd viciously fought the last time they'd seen each other and Avery knew that kind of harpie resentment didn't fade. Mason didn't answer on the other line, probably unsure if he'd blow Avery's cover. It didn't matter.

"I know it's you, idiot." Eva said.

She cradled the phone with one hand while she prowled around the room. Feeling the sharp eyes on her, Avery s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably. They waited for Mason to make the next move. His smooth voice finally floated over the line.

"Eva, it's not like you to hide from a fight." His baiting taunt didn't work. Eva snapped the phone shut and then crushed the phone beneath her boot heel. She s.h.i.+fted her flaring anger on Avery next.

"He hasn't gotten any smarter has he? Why he was Jericho's favorite I'll never know." She sneered.

Avery couldn't think of an answer so she stayed quiet. Her eyes shot around the room, sizing up her exits. She could get away-it was easy to out maneuver a harpie when their bulky wings made them ungainly-but she had no where to go. The island was tiny and ridden with harpies.

"And you," Eva's snapped at Leela. "Get out of my house."

Leela stiffened, recoiling into the fridge.

"Mikhail said I could stay here." Leela protested but her words fell short. The coldness in Eva's stature obviously making her reconsider, Leela dashed for the door and disappeared onto the beach. The door slammed shut in her wake sealing Avery and Eva alone in the room.

Eva took the opportunity to turn the full weight of her stare back on Avery. The cottage suddenly seemed tiny and the berth between them disconcertingly tiny. Avery backed toward the wall, a small effort to put s.p.a.ce between them but the few feet were not far enough. A few months ago Avery could have summoned the magic in her body and destroyed Eva. But currently, she grasped at the feeling of magic in her chest and came up empty. The magic wasn't apparent and this time, Avery found herself at the harpie's mercy.

Eva paced, making a predator's circle.

"So...Avery..." She started. "Word has it you have all of my father's memories. Do you remember how he feels about his children? Do you see why Mason truly gets under my skin?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Avery said but some part of her did.

After having the amulet of Willow magic infused in her body, she gained some of Jericho's memories. Particular to those memories was the vividness of Jericho's children. When Eva's name was mentioned, she could remember Jericho's anger. Avery never thought about it but she couldn't deny it either. Eva continued raging.

"I hate Mason. I hate how he reminds me of my father." She shouted and the raw emotion in her voice was startling. But then Avery saw it, just for a second. She saw an opening.

"You think Mikhail is better? Have you seen the way he's cozying up to Leela. He has you playing second fiddle to a human. This is your place isn't it?" Avery gestured to the cottage.

She was stepping on thin ice now but Eva's commitment level wasn't where it should be. It could be shaken. Determined to do just that, Avery's mind spun with ideas and she kept her chin up persistently. "They're already talking about moving you out. You know for the record, Mason still wants to help you. He's afraid Mikhail will kill you when his use for you is up."

The lie slipped into the air before Avery could regret it. A lull of thick silence followed, Eva's face failing to betray her emotions. The harpie woman's wings shuddered and drew into her body before she answered shortly.

"No. My brother never cared about anyone but Adalyn."

"He's changed." Avery snapped back.

"He's not. He's just like my father!" Eva lost her composure. She lunged for Avery, her talons making contact with the human's shoulders. Avery backpedaled, sending them both off balance and they collided with a shattering force into the wall. Eva's talons were deadly sharp but didn't make their intended target. Bringing her knees up into the harpie's chest, Avery fumbled the attack.

Eva naturally corrected but Avery didn't let her have the upper hand twice. With adrenaline kicking through her veins, she felt a flair of the magic spark in her chest. Grabbing for the tight internal sensation, she summoned the magic. The rest was practice. She forced the crackling sensation through her arms and out through her hands. The Willow magic manifested itself as an electric current. Avery lunged back for Eva this time, and the magic made contact. The harpie gave a shriek of outrage but the magic wasn't strong enough.

Eva recovered from it and stood, half crouching, in a warrior's posture.

"Don't do this! I'm not here to fight you!" Avery shouted, trembling with the energy and anxiety.

"Why, because you're here to save me? My dear brother wants to help me?"

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Avery asked and the female harpie flinched.

Her cheeks were red and her chest was heaving too fast. Avery knew her point had landed hard. The harpie just didn't seem to know what to do with the revelation. Avery didn't expect lovely dovey knowing Eva's cut throat lifestyle but the harpie girl surprised her with a single, probably insignificant statement.

"Don't call him here. That magic you're using will lead him here and Mikhail will cut off his head. There, that's my sisterly advice." She snapped and then abruptly stormed for the door.

Thirteen.

Avery had to be crazy. She had to be, because otherwise she couldn't explain what she was doing standing in front of Mikhail's door again. She had a plan and she tried to remind herself of that while her white knuckles hovered an inch from the varnished wooden door. She'd been hesitating for awhile now and a few more rays of sunlight crept in through the window to light the hallway with an orange glow. Night had pa.s.sed fairly quickly after the encounter with Eva and unable to sleep, Avery sat herself under one of the palm trees to think.

Sucking in a deep breath, she finally rapped on the door with a few short, loud knocks. It sounded harsh in the otherwise silent hallway and Avery backed up a few steps. There was no immediate answer and Avery's heart dropped into her stomach. Just when she was about to give up, a few shadows crossed over the light at the bottom of the door and the k.n.o.b rattled. It swung open. Mikhail stood on the other side.

He surprisingly stood bare-chested and his hunter green pants hung from his hips. His black hair had been tousled and windswept, his eyes remained half shut.

"Maybe I should come back later." Avery whispered. She knew that day had just broken, but Mikhail didn't exactly seem like a person that slept. Seeing him half dressed was shocking. Mikhail almost looked vulnerable.

"No, it's quite alright. I simply didn't expect you." He said smoothly. His eyes finally opened and the last of his dreamy stupor had dissipated. His sharp and calculating look returned.

It would seem odd that Avery would show up here to see him, especially considering he had not forced her to show up. She didn't want to raise his suspicions too much or her plan would fall through. Mikhail's mind appeared to click over the options but he hadn't called her out on it yet. Trying not to lose her nerve, Avery stood by it.

"I have a few requests to make." She tilted her chin up and kept her voice steady. "I'll help you. I can show you how to use the magic. You're trying to study it right? There isn't a better way to learn."

His eyebrow arched with surprise but he did agree.

"Yes." He said. "Observing it in its natural form would be best."

Avery swallowed, clearing the knot in her throat. It was working so far. She went on with the next part.

"But I'll only cooperate under two conditions. Leela walks. And I don't want to hear you say that Leela's here by choice. Don't give her a choice. Send her back to Alaska and never speak to her again."

Both eyebrows had now risen and he took a step back to clear the doorway.

"I'd expected that was a given. Any other demands?" He asked.

"You send her home today." Avery added.

He rocked back on his heels, folding his arms and shaking his wings out.

"I don't think she'll be very happy. She'll try and find us again. But if you know this, then I'll arrange to have it done."

"Last thing. I want three harpies to take her. Rafael included."

Mikhail's eyebrow shot up. Before he quizzed the odd request, Avery forced an answer.

"I want her to be safe. There is a harpie named Patrick that might hurt her." She said slowly. It wasn't exactly true but she knew that three less harpies on the island meant her plan would play out easier. "That's all. Then I'll help."

"Well then if you're quite done with your conditions," He gestured for her to go inside.

"Uh okay." Avery reluctantly shuffled into the room. The sheets on the bed had been torn up but the rest of the room was exactly as pristine and neat as she remembered it.

She had to be insane, she told herself.

"Sit." He indicated a red chair in the corner. Brus.h.i.+ng by her, he s.n.a.t.c.hed up a blue amulet from the nightstand and in seconds, smashed it open on the ground. The mist of a communication amulet filled the room.

Avery sat.

"Eva dear." Mikhail's voice purred into the mist, a disturbing mix of politeness and threat. "Send Rafael, Jackson, and Tamara off to take the human home now. You stay here."

Mikhail never waited for Eva's answer. He smashed the amulet again with the heel of his boot and the fog immediately dissipated.

"So," He prompted, strolling back in front of Avery. "You have something to show me?"

Avery knew this part was inevitable but still had to gather her nerve anyways. She just had to summon the magic and make a mini-lightning show like usual. That was the easy part. It was the next part of the plan she'd been dreading.

"Is Leela gone yet?" Avery bought herself a minute.

Mikhail gave her a flat, almost threatening look, but obediently went to the window. Opening the shades, he revealed the bright blue sky in the distance. As promised, four silhouettes were in the sky-- Leela's being the most obvious.

"I have no reason to want to keep your friend now that I have you. I don't need her to make you keep up your end." The words were sharp and cold but Avery remained unfazed.

"Then forgive me for not being very trusting." She responded half heartedly. Her eyes remained fixated on the disappearing figures in the sky. They were heading North and reaching a high alt.i.tude.

"You've gotten smarter." Mikhail suddenly cracked a smile. "But my end of the agreement is complete."

"You won't be able to call them back?" Avery pressed the last question, knowing she was aggravating him into dangerous territory but she needed the answer.

Mikhail's lips pinched together.

"No," He said.

Satisfied with the answer, she stopped stalling.

She looked down at her arm and pulled the sleeves up until the majority of the Willow burn mark showed. She concentrated on the faint tug in her chest, willing it to budge-- something she hadn't done since Patrick and Adalyn, but something that also came fairly easily. The tug in her chest pulled easily, and soon she felt her blood heat up. She pushed the sensation of p.r.i.c.kling needles down through her arm, her hand, and her fingers. Just above the web of her hand, a flicker of electrical white flashes started up.

The magic flared with pure energy. With it, the aura around her body changed. At least, that's what she'd been told. Mason had noticed this once and Mikhail studied it now.

"How much can you pull?" He quizzed, his voice low with intrigue.

"I'm not sure. It hurts after a point." She tried anyways and the magic lit up the room like a fire cracker.

"It's because you're weak. But then that magic in your body is growing."

Avery suddenly dropped the magic, letting the light show dissipate in the air, and cast him a shocked look.

"It's expanding." She tried to correct him but Mikhail cut her off with an open hand.

"It's growing. Stupid human, you think that magic is static? But it won't grow very much in you now will it? Not as weak, human, and small as you are." He drew out the words cruelly.

Avery cast a quick glance toward the window. She had to stop stalling. Launching into the plan she s.h.i.+fted her hand and grabbed his wrist. Then she used the magic.

The electrical current hit Mikhail like expected. The old harpie let out a deafening screech of rage. He broke her grip and freed himself. Though she had the advantage of surprise, he rebounded quickly.

He lashed out and caught her throat. His long fingers wrapped around her neck and his talons drew blood. Avery struggled but his grip tightened and her thras.h.i.+ng ceased. He leaned forward and narrowed his black eyes. This wasn't part of the plan. She was supposed to have knocked him unconscious with the initial blow. Plan unsuccessful, Avery's thoughts scrambled.

"Get off." She gasped.

His lips peeled back with a feral growl. His fingers suddenly tightened and Avery's world blurred. Black creeping up at the edges of her vision, she buckled and thrashed but oxygen flow slowed, she grew weaker by the second.

Unable to think of any other options, her hands reached into her belt. Her fingers met the firm handle and she gripped it tight. Freeing the kitchen blade she'd hidden in case of emergency, she swung blindly. The knife made grazing contact and Mikhail released her out of shock. She jerked backwards, but crashed into the nightstand. The wooden desk went sprawling and Avery fell to the floor. Mikhail let out a roar of outrage and sprung to his feet instantly.

He dove for her but Avery swung the knife again. She'd only meant to use it against his wings but she didn't have time to summon the magic. The kitchen blade made contact again and blood splattered. He rolled off of her and Avery scrambled to her feet.

Blood splattered over the floor, making it slick. Avery didn't want to fight. She didn't know how. She just wanted to take out his wings, use the magic, and take off. Mason would be here soon-he'd have to be. If he followed the magic, he could find her.

"You are not leaving!" Mikhail hissed but before he could get another swipe in, Avery let out the last burst of magic. This one was decidedly stronger than the rest and the electrical charge it manifested as lit up the room. Mikhail's grasp broke and Avery scrambled to a stand. Her heart was pounding and adrenaline flowed through her veins.

He'd been floored, but still awake and aware, he struggled to stand. Her eyes caught on the kitchen blade on the floor and stayed. Some part of her mind urged her to take it and land a swift blow to the downed harpie. But she stayed immobile. Avery shook her head, eyes burning with tears. She couldn't kill him. She couldn't.

Turning, she ran from the room. Her heels clacked loudly in the hallway and she desperately summoned the magic in her chest. It had wound in her chest and pulsed through her blood. She reached the last door and broke it open. Outside the bright sunlight was blinding. Avery looked toward the sky.

"Come on, Mason. You can't get a greater call of magic than that." She hissed.