Chapter 106 Those Left Behind
The stone nest.
Little Feather tensed the muscles of her shoulders with great force. Her damp skin sensed the changes in the wind. Her brain was calculating things that a biped could not comprehend. She moved her wings with precision. The ground was very close. A bright flash of lightning revealed just how close it was.
The mind of the queen received images of the dark ground, the rain moving from right to left, and the positions of the wings.
Little Feather spread her wings completely and flapped them faster than ever before in her life.
Olivia felt they were ascending now. In her mind, she received more images. A pregnant Pegasus giving birth to a small Pegasus high in the sky, above the bay. A small Pegasus was leaping off the stone path, alone, while a gray Pegasus flew nearby.
Little Feather: I am the daughter of my mother. The daughter of a matriarch. I can fly to the mountains if my rider wishes it.
The queen straightened up in the saddle and opened her eyes.
They were spiraling upwards, higher and higher into the air. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and she saw Chara and Golden Arrow approaching.
Chara in the minds of the two Pegasi: Follow the visions in my mind. You have not flown to this place before, but I know the way.
They turned southeast and flew through the storm.
On the stairs leading to the nest.
Wulfhelm and Volker were practically carrying the priest in their arms. He was exhausted, and the young men no longer had as much strength. Through the rain, they could hear the noises the soldiers were making on the bridge. The stairs were inside the enormous support structure, and the sounds echoed loudly.
Elicio: Boys! What do you need?
Volker: Meeresgott! Can you take the priest to the nest?
Luis: Yes. Nestor told us that the duke has to run. He goes first and the priest second.
Wulfhelm: I can run without help. Where is the queen?
Elicio: In the nest, or in the air, I do not know.
Volker: Quickly, everyone. I am going to do something and then I will follow you to the nest right away.
The duke ran up the stairs towards the nest. The young men grabbed the priest by the arms and walked quickly with him.
Volker ran down two flights of stairs and searched for a small recess in the wall. He found a clay pot and some torches. He said a prayer and opened a small box of matches. He lit a torch and held it away from the clay container.
Volker, speaking to no one in particular: It is almost full. Thank you, Mother Sun.
He carefully covered the stairs with the black liquid. He placed a torch on every fifth step. He left some matches on the top step. He held the torch and sat down on the stairs above.
Volker said to himself: Wait, Folker. Wait and listen.
The east wing.
Captain Pedro and some royal guards entered a large room. The maids and servants looked at them with hope and fear. Juana got up and ran to hug him.
Pedro: I am going to ruin your dress with blood.
Juana: Thank the Goddess and the God that you are safe.
Pedro to everyone: We need to escape. Women first. Walk calmly. Everyone will come with us. If you have ever ridden a horse, tell the soldiers outside. Alicia, you and your sister will serve the count and will leave with him after the others. Please, help the others. You are now my family, and I will protect you until my death.
Juana: Are you coming with us?
Pedro: No, a little later. The giant and I have to prepare a surprise for them.
Juana: I love you with all my heart.
Pedro: I cannot say the same. You stole my heart from me the first time I saw you.
In the nest.
Nestor looked at his riders and at the women whom the queen had called her friends.
The Master Rider: The duke is young. He weighs the same as a rider. The priest weighs only a little more. Flori, can your girl fly to the island with the duke?
Floriano: Yes, she is strong. We will not let you down.
Hernando: We can bring the priest. Nevada likes him. He has flown with me before.
Nestor: If the girl can sit between the woman and me, we can tie them together. I want the others to be flying before we leave.
Marcela: What will happen when the soldiers arrive?
Nestor looked at her and her daughter. His mind was telling him one thing, but his heart was telling him something different.
Nestor: Hide if you can and flee the castle if you can. Men, use the flagpoles. They are not used to this place. When they reach the nest, push them off the edge.
Lupita: She can take my place. She is just a child.
Marcela: The queen called you her friend. Do they know you have a close relationship with the queen?
Wulfhelm arrived and heard the question: Yes, she was at the ceremony.
Marcela: We are servants. If it becomes known that you are friends with the queen, they will do horrible things just to punish her.
Kerstin wanted to talk, but the fear was too strong. She had suffered much this week and needed to escape.
Nestor: Protect our family, men. Duke, the time has come.
In the main hallway.
All the pages who passed by the room of Clemente and Monika noticed an X on the wall that was not there.
Antonio was carrying three daggers in his belt and two swords over his shoulder.
He entered through an unmarked entrance and searched all the rooms. In a small bedroom near a window, he found a woman lying on the floor. He placed the candle on a table. He looked at the woman, who had a crossbow bolt lodged in her back. He knew without a doubt that she was dead. Carefully, he turned her over and touched her face. He leaned his ear close to her mouth and listened.
Antonio: Nothing.
The young man placed the candle on the ground and used it to examine the face. He recognized her. The reddish hair and the large eyes. He began to cry silently.
The voices of many men could be heard in the hallway. They were retreating through a section near him.
Antonio looked down and saw a hairbrush in the hand of the woman. He picked it up and put it in his vest.
Yegor turned twelve the day before Unification Day. When he handed her the brush, she hugged him for three minutes and cried with a big smile. She told him that his father would be proud of him. Yegor, the son of a knight from the south and a strong woman from the north, lost his father in the north and his mother in the south.
Antonio closed each door, drew an X on the wall with his dagger, and ran to the next door.