Crown of Shadows

Chapter 9

"How are your wings?" Anika asked, inspecting it.

"Not bad, but I'm still not sure that I can fly," I said. A few days had passed since we made the splint. My wings were getting better, but I still didn't dare try to fly.

"You don't need to be able to fly." Anika shook her head. "We just need to take your splint off. It's factory day. If people see you can't use your wings, they'll take advantage of that. Just... lay low and keep your head down, all right, Rae? I'll focus on getting the supplies to make you a better splint."

I nodded. While I wanted to help her find supplies, I figured that she knew what she was doing. Not to mention I was going to be in a strange place filled with Gromlars, and I didn't want to do anything to draw attention. I convinced myself it was for the best. Anika would be fine. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the edges of the Time Bubble. I wouldn't have normally let any Gromlar even come close to me, let alone touch me, but I had decided that Anika was most definitely not like most of her kind. Maybe she's half Opeilu. I didn't think it possible, but this was the future. Maybe things had changed. Maybe she could have Opeilu blood running through her veins. There didn't seem to be another explanation.

We reached the edge of the shimmering bubble. She had brought me to the cage that was visible from our huts. I tensed for a moment. The bars were crooked and some were snapped in half. The bars were old and rusted as well, brittle to the touch. It was large enough to hold a few people, which was odd to begin with. I didn't ask in the last few days, and every time I tried to mention it, Anika just waved it off. There were scratch marks and dried blood in the cage, too. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what the story behind it was.

"We'll need to get in there," Anika told me. I shuddered. "That's where they pick us up." From far away, the cage didn't look too bad. Just a little beaten up. But up close, I saw a pool of crusted blood on the floor of the cage. I bit my lip.

"Anika, are you sure about this?" I asked, feeling my stomach begin to form a knot. My throat suddenly felt very dry.

"Don't worry, I've done this plenty of times," Anika said, waving her hand dismissively. "You'll be fine."

"Then why...?" I cleared my throat, nodding toward the blood stains she was standing on.

Anika's eyes hardened for a moment, gaining an icy glaze. Her bright blue eyes stared at me, studying. I gulped. Her eyes didn't stray from mine as she spoke. "You don't need to worry about that."

"But-"

"Please." Her eyes softened suddenly, her tone growing gentle. I sighed.

"Okay," I agreed reluctantly. If she told me not to worry, then I shouldn't worry. We were a team now. We had to learn to trust each other. Slowly, I entered the cage. As I stepped in the old blood, a wave of nausea washed over me. I swallowed hard. Anika's frizzy braid swung as she turned and locked the cage behind us. I inhaled sharply.

"So... how does this work?" I asked, if just to get my mind off the cage.

"The Queen will create a hole in the bubble, where a crane will reach in and grab us. Then they'll carry us to the Factory," Anika explained.

"Well that sounds mildly terrifying," I said. "Don't you get afraid you'll be crushed? Especially with... the state of this cage?"

"We don't exactly get a choice," Anika told me. "They almost dropped me once. But there are worse things than being crushed or dropped." I blinked, but decided not to press her any further. I didn't think I wanted to know, anyway. I was nervous enough as it was.

We waited in the cage for a while, my heart racing. I tried not to think about what was going to happen next. I ran a hand through my gnarled black hair, twisting it around my finger as we waited. I tried to resist the urge to stretch my wings. They had gone nearly three days without use, and were begging to fly. But I knew I couldn't risk making them any worse. Besides, I doubted I would have the strength to fly, anyway. I was growing weaker every day.