Deceitful Wings

Prologue

            The full moon shone above a quiet harbor, casting rippling prisms of light on the sides of the boats within. The gentle clanging of metal halyard on mast echoed against the shore, a backdrop to the stifling quietude of semi-darkness. Somewhere, a dinghy motor rumbled as a late-night sailor made his way back to shore. He had been drinking with his buddies, most likely. A couple on a small sailboat laughed over this possibility to each other as he passed by.

            "It's a perfect night to be our last, Mira."

            "You know, for once, I'm not going to try and say something to that. You're right," she replied.

            He chuckled, a low, rumbling purr, folding her head closer to his chest. "Never thought I'd hear that from you."

            "Hey, I can surprise you every now and then, can't I?" she said as she dug closer to him.

            "True, true." Together, they lay in the cockpit of the sailboat, counting stars and reliving memories, buffeted by the swells. He shifted slightly, checking his watch. "You know, this reminds me of when we first met. Remember?"

            "As if I could forget," she cut in "You got all teary-eyed when I said I had to leave, so I took pity on you and stayed. I gotta say, though, I certainly got more than I bargained for."

            "We both did, I think. It's been a good thirty years."

            "That is has been, yeah. I suppose it'd be blasphemy to wish for even more, but I wish our powers could turn back time, too. What can you do, right?" She paused for a moment, then rolled over on top of him, their silhouettes merging. A secretive smile formed on her face. "Now, let's stop talking, or else you're gonna make me cry, got it?"

            A short "Yeah" was all he could say before she pressed her lips against his, pushing his body back into the wood. His chest tightened as he pulled her into the embrace, deepening the kiss, and the next, and the next…

            That was how they spent the next hour, forgetting time in the depth of their love. But finally, he pulled away and checked his watch, saying, "It's time, Mira."

            "That it is. C'mon, one more." She pulled him back for a last, gentle kiss. Then, untangling themselves, the couple stood, light glutting off her hair. They both crouched slightly, not sure what to expect. Their breathing steadied. Several minutes passed, accompanied only by the rise and fall of the boat. Got a clew? was its name. Then, just when she began to say something, It happened.

            A dull, grinding noise filled the night, reverberating off the boats and the edges of the harbor, crushing their enhanced hearing. The water around the boat began to foam, and boil, extending in a vibrating half-spherical shape from the boat. The boat itself hovered above the surface of the water, seemingly afloat, the few barnacles on the mooring line shaken off by the intensity of the force before the line itself snapped, falling back into the whirlpool. Now, gripping each other tightly, the two kneeled on the pitching deck, using all of their enhanced strength to stay upright.

            And then with a sharp crack, two others appeared on the deck. Water tumbled back around the boat, churning against it's sides, tossing it away from the now-broken mooring to drift upon the water.

            Seemingly unaffected by the disturbance, the taller of the two stopped forward. "It is time, Lady Miranda," he said.

            Miranda turned, ignoring his outstretched hand. She hugged her partner one last time, holding her mouth close his ear. "I'll always love you, Reg, no matter where I go now."

            "And I will always love you," he whispered back. "Here, take my ring."

            She took the ring, fitting it onto her middle finger, and pulled away, leaving her tears on his hair. After a last, longing look, they parted. She turned and stood, letting her tears run free. The offered hand was ignored. "Now… " she choked out, "Now I move on to the next life, eh? Hopefully we'll meet again once you move along as well, Reg."

            "That's what I'll live the next few months hoping for." he replied.

            Sensing the end, the two figures nodded to each other, each taking one of her hands. As violently as they had came, they left, leaving the harbor still once more. The masts resumed their incessant clanging, and the swells silently absorbed the waves sent by the disturbance.

            Now alone, the teenaged man sighed. He stared into his hand. Is his suspicions were correct, they never would meet again. But he could be wrong. Hopefully, hopefully, he thought, hopefully he was wrong. He couldn't grieve now, though. There was another matter to attend to. Wiping his tears away, he stood up, mastering the rocking boat with ease. A small smile appeared on his face, as his body shifted, morphing, changing shape, the body of an animal taking the place of his human form.

            "And now," he muttered to himself "Now I must raise my army."