Twin Feathers

Chapter 7

"You're not going in there alone, Kusarel."

Elkeri and Kusarel stood outside the entrance to Kusarel's home. In the distance, the excited babbling of gryphons in the town center could be heard. Yet there was no hint of joy in either Kusarel or her friend, both hunched next to each other with drooping ears.

"I have to. This is family business. You can't interfere." Kusarel felt horrible for sounding so cold, but it was the truth and there was no use skirting around it.

Elkeri let out a low hiss and whipped her with her tail. "You're joking, right? I've known you all my life. You really think I'm going to abandon you now?"

Lowering her head, Kusarel traced the stones beneath her claws, winding her talons along the edges in an effort to calm herself. "If I drag non-family into this, mother will be furious. And I don't want to make her mad."

"Don't want to make her mad? Are you crazy? She's going to kill you! Why do you care if she's angry or not?"

A small lump formed in her throat, but she did her best to push it down as she focused on the motion of her talons. "Maybe she won't actually cull me. She might just tell me to stay in the town, and the rest of the family goes to the palace. So...I want to stay on her good side."

There was a pause. Kusarel feared her friend would whip her again and roar at her for being so stupid, so naive. She deserved it, after all. That horrible nagging voice whispered it to her, that she was being wishful and she knew it. But she couldn't help but cling to that hope: The hope that maybe, just maybe, her mother would show mercy and let her live.

Instead, Elkeri placed a claw over Kusarel's, stilling her fidgeting. She looked up and saw her face, Elkeri's eyes brimming with a nauseating mix of sympathy, pity, and disbelief.

"You really want your mother's acceptance, even now." She shook her head and gave a chuckle, but there was no warmth in it at all. With a quick nuzzle, she stepped back and stretched her wings. "All right, I'll leave you alone for now. But I'm staying close by in case things go wrong."

And they will, were the unspoken words that flitted between them. Kusarel saw the determination on her friend's face, the furrowed brows and glittering eyes, and her eyes landed on those towering horns. She couldn't help but think how much damage those natural weapons could do, if Elkeri decided to fight with the intention to maim.

"Please don't do anything stupid, Elkeri."

"No promises, sorry." And with that, Elkeri scurried into the space between the Silversky den and the neighboring buildings, blending into the shadows. Kusarel thought she could just barely make her out crouched underneath one of the windows, probably with the intention of watching. She felt a deep shudder pass through her whole body, imagining Salaki and Elkeri screaming and clawing at each other like hawks battling over territory. Please, please don't let anyone get hurt. Let everyone get out of this alive.

Including me.

With that looming thought, she brushed aside the entrance curtains and stepped into her den. The living room greeted her with its towering ceiling, lit candles dangling from the chandelier. Normally the dancing flames filled her with joy, but now they seemed to flicker and sway in a jerky, ominous way, like they were searching for a new sacrifice to set aflame.

Even the plush seating, filled with the finest wool, suddenly seemed scratchy and prickly against her feathers as she sat down. She fanned her wings, stretching them out as far as she could as an intense feeling of claustrophobia smothered her. With her beak wide open, she took in juddering breaths as her lungs clamped up.