Steel Flight [Completed]

Chapter 29: Stale Bread

~Skai

What a way to die: poisoned by your own city. And after all she'd done to improve it.

I was pulled out of my reverie when my creature squawked. I looked up just in time to watch the first of the. . . wind horses? gallop into the room.

I picked up an edge of the piece of paper and started folding it; I had to get it back to Juxtaposition!

I glanced over at the giant creature. "Buy me some time!" I shouted while kneeling on the crease. "This might take a while."

The creature trumpeted agreement and ran forward. At the motion, the wind horses flickered. After watching the creature disperse one, I turned back to my near-impossible task. Maybe it was impossible. How could I possibly fold this page small enough to be able to fit it inside my boot?

I shook my head. I had to try.

My tongue was poking out between my teeth and brows were creased when the magician spoke.

"All this pointless struggle. And for what?" His voice boomed all around me. I leaped in shock and spun around. My creature kept running through the wind horses and flapping wind through them, but they just kept reforming. And it seemed to be taking more to disperse them than it had before.

The Hoshaldrian was nowhere in sight.

"You want to save the boy? Why? He'll just betray you again." I gritted my teeth and kept folding. "He looks on the Formliss with greedy eyes. As soon as he gets it, he'll leave you. You know that, don't you?"

I growled through my teeth, but otherwise didn't respond.

"And now you're risking your life for the city that discarded you like stale bread. Why? Do you think they'll thank you? Welcome you back to society? Dressed like that?

I couldn't stop from blushing and looking down at my once pristine outfit, now little more than rags.

"They'll never accept you. Never." His voice was low, but I couldn't drown it out. My fingers were trembling.

"You're wrong," I whispered defiantly, but he didn't respond.

He didn't have to.

My head jerked up at a shriek. The wind horses had my creature backed up in a corner. Others were coming for me.

Just leave it, I told myself, even as my fingers struggled to align it for the next fold. It's not worth it. It's going to get you caught.

I hesitated. Why did I continually insist on clinging to my old home? I could never go back. I knew that.

And yet I had to. I held in my arms the reason for all the deaths and the key to stopping them. If I succeeded in getting this to the doctors, no one else would have to lose their family to vicissim ever again.

But how could I succeed? Who would listen to me? I was just some orphan with no family and no status. My watch was practically ancient.

And worst of all, I couldn't save any of those already diseased. I didn't have a cure. They would all still die.

I couldn't breathe as images of Jye, white as my mother in death; Peb weeping over his gurney; other girls and boys who would soon be orphans; and spouses driven to foolish means flashed before my eyes.

What to do? As I watched them advancing on me, blocking off all retreat, my thoughts split and frayed, shooting off in every direction. When confronted with a decision that would forever change, if not the world, then my world, I froze. Wind enveloped my every thought. The white became so brilliant, I couldn't stay conscious.

I'd failed my city. And they would never accept me.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Comment below: what did you like? Dislike? I'd love to hear from you!