Star Side

Chapter 55

"I will make our den up there," said Gilrack, pointing into the depths far above us. "It is warmer near the bottom, but air for young high. I will bring many furs and warm stones—bring hot spring to den. I will keep it warm for you and...and babies."

I patted his face with my gloved hand. "Buddy, you're getting sweeter every day, you know that?"

"Sweet...sweet is kind?"

"In the best way."

He pulled back the corners of his mouth to smile at me, making his brother stare.

"What are you doing?" his brother asked.

"Their kind of smile," he said, tapping his face. "All in face, not in ears or eyes."

Hochak blinked rapidly. "I meant to ask...her mind waves?"

"She cannot guard."

Hochak's ears went low. So did his brow. "Not sound healthy."

"It's how they are."

"Not healthy...'

"Hochak," it was edged with an exasperated growl.

"Yes yes yes," He waved a hand behind him in such a human gesture, it made me smile.

We came to the lip of the tunnel, which made a sudden downturn into a zigzagging path that led down to the bright warm belly of the city. Hochak made flapping movements with his hands and waved an eyebrow as he clicked.

Gilrack pushed him down with his foot.

"Disrespectful."

"Mother's going to scream."

"Can't be avoided."

With that, Gilrack spread his wings, and kicked off, diving over his brother to catch the balmy air of the city.

I gave a little squawk at the unexpected take off and felt Gilrack's arms tighten around me.

"It's okay," he rumbled.

I knew that, but now there were multicolored versions of pre-winged Gilrack zipping below and afar from me and I wanted the time to look closer. I had still yet to see the females of Gilrack's people or the children, for that matter, though I could see smaller blips moving around in the veins and balconies. Seems climbing is just as easy as walking for these folk. Wonder if they ever thought of, you know, cars. But the closest I saw to transportation was—oh gawd, was that a millipede? The size of a train?

"What's wrong?" Gilrack asked the moment he sensed my horror.

Now, I've never been the kind of girl who screams at the sight of a bug. I have no bug phobia. I can even squish certain species with my bare hand if I have to, preferable the little, less gutsy kind. That doesn't mean I wanted to keep them as pets and that definitely doesn't mean I want to get close and personal with that many legs.

"Bugs," I said.

Gilrack glanced back at the millipede train, which we'd already passed in his flight, and I got a gust of his confusion.

"They don't hurt," he said.

"They're creepy."

He must have decided in flight wasn't the best time to understand the mysteries of human aversions for he dropped the subject and focused on gaining altitude. He wove around one of the great, twisting pillars, giving me my closest view of his people yet, though it was swift and filled more by their astonished mind waves bursting out like shaken up soda. They varied in color from reds, browns, yellows, and greens, though I had yet to see the purple that Gilrack had on his extremities and hair. I wondered if that was a mark of his royalty.

I pulled my eyes away from another passing pillar/highway to see a particularly large light growing bigger till I could make out what could only be a clear blue hanger of sorts, as though it were built to welcome flying things. As we got closer I could make out polished, light gray floors and the glowing crystals that gave off the light blue light.

Royal something or other if I ever saw one.

Sure enough, Gilrack glided in and banked just over the polished floor. His claws clacked as he landed.

Two males, still wingless, each a varying shade of dark burgundy mixed with brown, jumped at Gilrack's appearance, their black spines shooting up their back, their manes puffing up, and the tips of their tails growing thorns. They stood on either side of an archway decorated with delicate swirls that hugged black and pearly jewels.

Gilrack snapped his tail against the floor and spoke his name. The men stiffened at the crack of Gilrack's thorns against stone.

It took them a moment, but they eventually recognized him and stepped away from the archway, though I could feel their bright eyes on me. Even from the distance I could see them twinkle green, like gems themselves.

Gilrack passed through them with his head held high and his wings barely folded on his back.

On the other side of the archway, another chamber opened up, large and vast enough to fill several Olympic pools. Most of the chamber was an open floor, probably for audiences or, dare I say, balls (that'd be cool if the aliens had balls—the dancy kind, not the dangling—oh whatever). The walls had carved statues of Gilrack's people, all winged and larger than life, and I got to see for the first time what was perhaps the females, depicted in polished pale gray marble. They had the same draconic legs, though they were slender, with smaller feet and skinnier tails. They also had no tufts at the end of their tails and no poisonous thorns. They hadn't the hourglass figure we human ladies have (well, some of us), but they had humble, firm little breasts with proud stiff nipples depicted in jewels...I really hope that wasn't a thing. I do not want to glue jewels all over my nipples.

They also tended to have longer hair and shorter spines along their backs. Their faces were smoother than that males.

All in all...they kind of looked like me with dragon legs, tails, and a breast reduction.

I was so distracted by the statues and then the honest to gods building-like chandelier of brilliantly shining blue stones hanging from the ceiling that Gilrack was half way up the stairs on before I realized we weren't alone in this great hall.

Up a wide set of steps, inlaid with a mosaic of black and white stone, far above where one could watch every corner of the vast hall, was a large, winged, purple female.