Fugitive of the Sky

Chapter Nine: It's My Kaprae

Aqie whimpered as she slowly came to consciousness. Colors swam inside her vision, or was it inside her head? She didn't know if she'd even closed her eyes. Everything or something hurt so much that it felt like she was swimming in a sea of hazy sharp pain. The sea. Rrari had told her about it, how it was so vast and wide and full of frothing waves that were blue or green or gray or black depending on what the day was like. It didn't sound much like the stream they splashed in, or the pool Warble had made. That water was so clear that she could see the fish swimming upstream or darting out of the way when she jumped into the pool.

Something clattered and rattled, jarring Aqie more awake again and sending tremors of vibration into her head. It felt like she was going to explode, and then all this pain and the dark thing she didn't want to face would go away. What dark thing again? All her thoughts were jumbled together like leaves, or like...

"No. No...a child. How... Larkwing...killed...only a little girl."

Aqie moaned again and tried to push the sound away. It hurt, but everything hurt and she had forgotten if she had already moved. She screwed up her face on the outside — or was it inside? — and tried to muster the strength to say something.

"Ow..." she managed to whisper. Another harsh sound sent arrows of pain flying at her. Tears of pain pressed against her eyelids. Why couldn't whoever it was stop and be quiet?

But if tears were pressing against her eyelids, her eyes were closed. The thought gave Aqie a measure of clarity, and the all-consuming pain started to settle into a relentless throbbing.

Aqie dared to crack her eyes open. Light from her kaprae cast a glow on someone's face. The light hurt and she shut her eyes again. "...mom?" she whispered. "My head hurts."

Where was she? Was she in their cave? What had happened again?

Aqie tried to keep her bearings and swim through the pain, but the pulse kept throbbing and it was so hard to think. Everything was so hard to keep track of. Maybe it was okay if she just went to sleep. Yes, that sounded like a good idea.

Something brushed her face, jerking her back into reality once more. Aqie caught her breath and lifted her hand to push it away. It didn't want to be pushed away and kept coming back, insistent.

"Wake up, girl, you're...are you? What... Who... How...a Larkwing cape?"

Dad sounded very weird, like his nose was all stuffed up with a cold or something. It made his words hard to understand. "What, Dad?" Aqie mumbled.

Silence. Aqie thought she might have misheard, or maybe she had just missed it and forgotten. She mustered the strength to speak louder and put an arm over her face. "Dad, what?"

She felt the urge to keep talking and explain herself. "You'll have to say it again. I didn't catch you. You're talking funny and everything hurts."

Another long pause. Then, Dad spoke again. "I'm not your father." His voice was low and sad and way too gravelly. He must have a terrible cold.

Slowly, the meaning of Dad's words sank in. But that didn't make sense. Of course he was her dad. "What?" Aqie's voice trembled. The dark thing she didn't want to see was coming closer. "I don't understand." She turned over and sobbed at the swell of pain.

Dad's voice was louder and more gentle. "You are hurt. What happened? Where did you come from?"

Aqie whimpered. "Stop it. You're so loud."

"Where do you come from? What land did you live in?" Someone had a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Aqie tried to puzzle out Dad's strange question. "We live in the valley. You know that."