The Sky Demons Part Two: Quest

Chapter Sixteen- Difference in opinion

Ketsuo- Difference in opinion

It was hard to tell what happened next; a number of disparate events that I couldn't really follow all of: a chimera losing its temper and attacking a sentry here, a jackalope trying to make a run for it there, one of the spell casters tripping over their wording slightly and confusing their fellows. Anyway the spectrumosi lost control of their spell, the golden chains holding Silvanus down gave a shudder and dissolved into scraps of light and the nausea and weakness that had been gripping me in a vice died away. Grey was still knelt by me, his gross, sweaty hand still on my cheek and his gaze locked on the peryton who was rising from the floor, his form swelling in size.

I grabbed hold of Grey's arm and pulled him forward, twisting my body and kneeing him in the face. I glimpsed the cactus cat crawling out of the back of Brutus' cloak, sending spines flying into the sentries encircling them, before I felt Grey begin to struggle and force me into a roll with him.

I separated myself and sprung to my feet, shifting into my deishan form and leaping forward to bite at him, but he'd gotten his metal staff back by now and I had to get away to avoid being hit. The others were busy now, Brutus fighting off sentries, Kayira protecting Tenmar and Silvanus stalking around the room, gathering his animals.

I felt a small ache in my head, like someone tapping at my mind; with a suddenness the sensation sharpened.

"You," called Grey, "you have purple eyes. You're a hybrid, like my dear sister. Why do you fight us? Why would you work with such inferior beings as them? Beings that fear and hate you?"

Memories of Kayira and Tenmar rose unbidden to the front of my mind with a stab of pain, memories of them trying to attack us to get rid of a hybrid who had been spotted in the area- my little sister. Memories of the tone of disgust that had entered Kayira's voice when she spoke the word 'hybrid' to Brutus, the look on her face that no amount of practice could allow her to make. That look, that tone of voice only possible because she must have used them and meant them at one point.

"You should be on our side! We want to save hybrids, we want to protect them and clear the way for their kind to live peacefully. All mercenaries ever set out to do is kill them."

"They're my friends because they've changed," I snapped, "they're good people. You're not, I don't care what your goal is, it can't justify your methods."

"Hmph. Good people? Please." Grey replied, forcing his way through my memories, "The only reason you're here is so that Kayira could use your power to save her non-hybrid friend. That's it. They don't appreciate you; the girl's been underestimating everything about you except for your ability to fight and die for her since you got here."

I growled, screwing my eyes shut against the pain in my head and staggered further back. "Don't try to twist the truth. I don't even care. I have family to look after and they wouldn't want to join you either."

Grey smirked and my brain began to feel like it was splitting in half, "They don't care about you either. Your big brothers are too busy looking after their other little sister and brother and your new siblings definitely don't appreciate you. They're too young and self-absorbed. Just abandon them. You've done it before haven't you? You know how easy it is.

Only this time you'll be on the right side: you won't have to hide who you are, you'll be able to make more progress to create a safe place for hybrids than you ever would have with the Sky Demons, we can train you to become something even stronger than a palace guard. Then you'll really show them."

I gave him a wolfish grin, "Sorry, but you can't manipulate me using issues that I already got over years ago. I'm quite happy to let someone else show you."