Vulture by Rhiannon Paille Page B

tugged on her hand and she followed reluctantly. He led her through the open doors and down the steps. They went to round the castle when she stopped short and looked at the sky. She turned and twirled and dropped his hand, spreading her arms wide as she tilted her head back, parallel with the sky.
    “Even the sky is different; I can’t find the Phoenix.”
    Krishani followed her gaze but he hadn’t taken the time to notice. Usually when he looked at sky it was because Vultures were descending on him and he needed to react fast to whatever was on the ground.
    “Someone once told me beauty hides in plain sight on Terra,” Krishani said, quoting Shimma. He didn’t even know why he would repeat what she said, but it sounded appropriate. Kaliel smiled and put her hand in his. Familiar tingles ran up his spine.
    “What did you want to show me?”
    Krishani said nothing as he pulled her down the path past the trees and rows of cabins making up the majority of the village. He stopped near the steps to the watchtower and nodded up to it. Kaliel raised an eyebrow as Krishani went up before her, keeping her hand in his as he stepped onto the wide balcony. She wrenched her hands out of his and rubbed her shoulders. It was windy up there, gusts whipping black strands around her face as she looked out at the village. The watchtower stretched farther out than Krishani realized and included more functional structures than the ones he saw off the main road. He didn’t know what they were all for, but he liked the look of the little brown cabins with their triangular roofs and log sidings. It was encouraging to feel like he was in a place he belonged. If he closed his eyes he could imagine that this town was like Hawklin, nestled in the bounds of Orlondir, a part of Avristar. Kaliel’s hand pressed into his and he looked at her only to see her shining eyes.
    “It’s pretty,” she said.
    “It’s ours,” Krishani breathed. She furrowed her brow and glanced at the village. He let out a short laugh. “Oh, not the village. I meant the cabin.” He jerked his head towards the door. “I told Elwen I didn’t want to stay in that stuffy room anymore.”
    Kaliel’s expression was a challenge. He pulled her to the door, opened it, and stepped inside. Outlines of a large bed lingered out of the corner of his eye. There was a desk in the corner, a wicker chair in the other.
    “You don’t like castles either.” Kaliel broke eye contact and glanced around the dark room. Krishani felt uncomfortable. He closed the door and leaned against it, his heart thudding. He was really alone with her–no interruptions, no doom surrounding them. They had all the time in the world. He thought back to what Elwen had said about courting and marrying her, and while the latter made him feel like he was made of sunlight, waiting was impossible. He already waited, almost ripped himself apart because he thought he’d never see her again. Getting between him and her was like trying to stop an avalanche.
    For once he wasn’t afraid of her seeing the disease on his hand, it was too dark now. After the battle it streaked across him like paint, forever marking him with the threat. The Vultures would always be his downfall. She traced the contours of his face with her eyes and he knew the distance between them was too much. He broke her gaze and moved to the bureau, snapping his fingers and setting a candle ablaze. He smirked at the trick and turned to her. She sat on the edge of the bed nervously looking around the empty cabin.
    “You don’t like it?” he asked, sitting next to her. He put his infected hand in hers and pressed his lips to her shoulder.
    She shook her head, her green eyes unreadable. “I like the forests,” she admitted as she stood and paced to the other end of the cabin. Krishani followed and slid his arms around her waist, drawing her against him.
    “What’s wrong?” he asked, pressing his mouth to her ear. He couldn’t be so close