A Crown Made of Air

Part 2, Chapter 19

Sky

Why couldn't they have waited for me to lead them surreptitiously until Acantha's room? Had they bumped into one of the servants? Had he called the guards who were armed outside? Why are they screaming? Sky thought, her mind churning with all possible scenarios as she followed Jai upstairs. The reassuring squeeze of his hand in hers was the only reason Sky didn't break. She wasn't sure how that had happened, but it felt as right as time. She squeezed his hand back to tell him they were close, expecting him to let go. But Jai didn't. He stopped at the secret door, looking deep into her eyes. And Sky knew. They were in this together. She intwined their fingers and stepped into the great hall.

Sky flinched, not out of fear but of sheer disbelief. From all the nights she had spent in The Highlands, thinking and plotting on how to bring her aunt down, what she saw now still had the power to surprise her. Because in front of her, the archers were fighting Trickster Gods.

Shrieks pierced the air as arrows were drawn and magical whips lashed. Sky could only blink as a frozen statue, unable to move. It didn't make any sense to her. The Trickster Gods lurked in Sandy Edge, after being banned from Cloudiness. What were they doing in the castle? More important- How had they got in? A prickling question outshone all the others. It came to her in another voice, a honey tone that she had tried to ignore. Why do you think a Trickster Goddess would want your face? Destiny had tried to warn her and Sky hadn't been able to understand. She had thought The Trickster Goddess would use her face to enter the castle alone for wealth and status. She had clearly been wrong.

"I hate you! I can't believe I thought someone like you could earnestly care about us. This was always a trap. You tricked us!" Zuri screamed from the other side, dodging a yellow whip from a Trickster God who looked very much like a ribbon snake.

"None of this is her fault! She was with us the entire time at The Highlands. How was she to know what happened in the castle?" Jai snapped, running to help a man that was being hypnotized by another snake-like creature.

Sky leapt, taking Jai by the arm before he could take another step. "Here. Take this." She retrieved a dagger from the folds of her skirt.

Jai shook his head, pushing her away. "No, keep it!"

Sky took his face in her hands. "You have to trust me. You need it more than I do."

Jai took the silver dagger without hesitation and gave her a feline grin. "When this ends, I'll be waiting for you."

As he rushed toward the Trickster God, cutting his snake-body to release his hold on the archer, Sky pivoted, taking in the scene. As colored ribbons and whips unfolded and unraveled sand, flew everywhere, casting the marble ground in a gleaming glow. Arrows flashed through the air at such speed, they looked like comets. An explosion of green and yellow, orange and red took shape, striking against the whiteness of the Cloud Castle. If not for the anguished wails or fearful yelps, Sky might have imagined this was a performance, a spectacle put on just for the princesses of Cloudiness. But her birthday had long passed, and Sky knew better than to trust illusions.

As her emerald eyes skimmed the room, her mind settled on a plan. But she couldn't see the Trickster Goddess she was looking for. The snake with a girl's face. It was as if she had evaporated alongside her aunt.

"Where's Acantha?" She asked.

"She heard the commotion and scrabbled upstairs." Izan answered. He tried to raise his bow to shoot at a Trickster God's tail, but his hands were shaking too much.

Sky closed her eyes, concentrating on her creation magic. On her lessons with her father, who had taught her everything about her power. She could only work with materials that already existed, extending them or giving them new purposes. Just like creating a new dress- she needed to be wearing some fabric to be able to manipulate it, changing its color and design. She couldn't create from nothing. There was a little sculpture of an angel hanging from the ceiling she focused all her attention on. Making it bigger, heavier, until the wire could no longer support its weight.