Excelsior

Chapter 2

          I fly miles above Sunad, the new kingdom Demicus created for us. If anyone saw me and knew where I had gone, I could be killed immediately. I floated about a grey cloud until everyone entered the velvet door of the castle.

I removed my human clothing and tied my long brown hair into a braid. Things were very different here. When I was among my own kind, I had to act differently, look like them, and move like them.

It began feeling weird moving like this but what other choice did I have? I got on my hands and knees, untaped my tail and gracefully crawled into the castle door. 

      There were over 30 of us in the castle. We were told to be here, something about a meeting. Even if we didn't want to be where Demicus told us to, we had to.

The signals in our wings refer to his orders. Our wings have ears of their own and since he mumbled a tiny word, just one word that changed us forever, we can never stay on low land for long. Excelsior, was what he said.

At the moment I didn't know what it meant, and his blood stained lips mumbled it so low, we barely heard it. Excelsior. It means ever higher.

Our kingdom is very high in the sky, and earth is miles below us. I guess thats why he gave the order. So that if we did go down to earth, we wouldn't be able to stay long enough to cause too much chaos, like the last time.

       I look around the tables of the castle at very familiar faces. My flock, of course.

My head sways down in a dog like way and my hands and feet touch the soft cloud below it. There wasn't much gravity here. I liked the light feeling a lot better than gavity pulling me down. Just one of the things I perfer here.

I move to the center table with Demicus sitting just 2 feet in front of me. He smiles as I sit down, his bright green eyes softening and the translucent gold in his skin shimmering down.He always seemed calmer when I was around.

I return a faint smile. Demicus portrayed friendliness and fear all at once. No one really knew how to talk to him without fearing he would get mad, no one knew how to walk past him for fear he was in the wrong mood. But I knew most things about Demicus. 

I know he loves me. I know I have a high chance of being the princess of this kingdom. I also know the reasoning behind most of his decessions. 

Many times he has called me into the castle, placed with red carpets and high hung silk curtains, like a human king would do. He spoke to me like a friend he desperately needed.

"Goodnight prince." I say in as quiet a voice as I can. He nods and his head swiftly darts to Eve. A younger minx than I am. Eve catches a breath, like a human would if they were frightened. She holds his gaze and then sighs when he turns away. 

        It was like that sometimes. If Demicus suspected something was up, he looked at you for a long time, and you couldn't look away, it would somehow prove you are guilty and he would kill you without cause.

He never told us if he could read minds or do anything we couldn't do, but some believed he could. I believed it once, but he still hasn't found out about my earthly visits, so the thought was dismissed. "Prince." Eve said in a tiny voice. She was 40 years old and still stuck in the body of a 12 year old, but she was my friend, and I told her what I could.

What I knew she could handle. We looked out for each other. 

Her red hair swayed to the side and her eyes began glowing. I didn't bother to ask why she was mad because she got like that often. It was funny. I nudged her leg and she hissed at me.

"Shut up. Eve" I laughed. She smirked then quickly turned away. 

"Quiet. Silence minx." Demicus began. The room went into whispers then voices completely subsided. "I checked the resources...we are down." The whole room went into shock. Everyones face hardened and some peoples eyes began glowing.

"Don't start panicking. It will do you no good. I don't know how it fell so quickly but no one is to blame. We will just have to learn to survive with less." Demicus' eyes scanned the room in 2 seconds to check everyones expression. Everyone looked confused and uneasy.Eve and I exchanged expressions, worry darting across her face. 

"When the resources run out, how will we survive?" asked Sachem: the darkest minx in our flock. His skin seemed a dark bronze. His short cut black hair showed his pointed ears and his eyes were a calm hazel.

 "We will survive." answered Demicus. In a voice that I never recognized, harsh and sure. "All of us. You will look out for each other and help each other. Anyone found stealing food, or anyone unwilling to share will be cast out of the flock and left to starve." 

And then he said what I feared he would. "Anyone who flees to earth to get food will be killed immediately." 

"Goodnight." He ended. The crowd replied a humble "Goodnight Prince." 

And the atmosphere of Sunad diminished into worry and darkness. The crowd worried quietly, whispering as they existed the castle. 

"How will I feed the children?" She questioned her friend while cradling a new born minx on her bosom. 

I looked at Demicus before exiting the castle, his right hand held up his head and his dark grey eyes drooped in worry. I turned back and walked to him. 

"Prince? Would you like me to accompany you for the night?" 

He looked directly into my eyes, and probably found nothing but concern. That is all I was.

I don't wish to be his princess, for I do not love him. But no one else cares about him half as much as me. 

"Then who will accompany Eve?" His head still rested on his hand and he made no move to straighten. 

"You seem more worried sir. I cannot bare to leave you this way. What will become of you by morning but a lifeless statue?" A small smile spread across his lips. 

"Your company would be much appreciated." He answered. 

"Then I will return soon. Eve likes to be tucked in to her cloud, like the humans do their small ones." I told him. 

"Why, tuck her in then." He laughed and got up from the table.