Winter & Wing

Chapter Seven

I don't know what I expected to be given for such an ornate event, but it definitely wasn't this. I still have to wear a wrap around my chest, but this one is a deep blue color that matches closely to Lonan's wings. Small beads are woven into the hem. The matching skirt reaches all the way to the ground, and it has a sheer material overlaying it that gives off a dull shimmer in the light of our chamber.

Lonan is finally given a shirt, though it is loose-fitting and short-sleeved, hardly suitable for the cold. He's given blue trousers to match my attire, which I find odd. Never in my life did I think blue trousers would exist. Yet, here they are.

"Stop staring at my pants," Lonan mumbles under his breath as we're being escorted from our chamber.

"They're so blue," I whisper back.

Lonan grunts, but I know he's stifling a laugh. He takes ahold of my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

The guards lead us up the winding staircase to what must be the main level. I don't know if we've ever truly set foot here, even when we arrived as children. I don't remember these tall stone walls with arching stained-glass windows along the corridor.

Nor do I remember the faint sound of solemn hymns being sung somewhere down the hall.

It's dark out now, and the corridors are dimly lit with torches.

A man in a hooded cloak approaches us from the opposite direction. Without warning, he grabs onto my arm and rips me from Lonan's grasp so violently that I let out a strangled scream.

"Oh, little creature, are we? And what foul beast did your mother procreate with to produce a monstrosity such as you? Such strange silver locks..." His breath is rancid as he tugs me close to his face, his other hand running gnarled fingers through my hair.

Lonan comes between us and pushes the man away. He then envelops me in his winged embrace.

"You are not to touch them, priest," one of the guards says, though his warning does little now.

"Ah, fowl indeed," the priest says. Then he lets out a high-pitched giggle that makes my skin crawl.

"Keep moving," the guard behind us says.

Lonan folds his wings in, and I feel the cold air from the corridor once more. I had immediately taken Lonan's protection for granted. He was incredibly warm.

I feel my face heat up.

Now is not the time.

I glance back over my shoulder as we continue on. The priest kneels down and picks up one of Lonan's feathers that had shed. He twirls it in his fingers with giddy curiosity, then he pockets it in his robes.

***

Understanding sets in as we're loaded into a regal carriage outside. As I look back at the building we've been held captive in all these years, I come to the realization of where we'd been.

A temple.

A beautiful, holy temple with tall, daunting towers and decorative archways.

The irony is gut-wrenching.

Does the rest of the kingdom know about the horrific studies and experiments in the chambers below this sacred temple? I doubt it. Who would suspect priests to harbor sinful practices in their own domain?

The ride to the palace is not too terribly long. The sky has become almost black, and the streets are illuminated with torches placed at even intervals apart from each other. Some of the streets are narrow with brick and stone buildings traveling alongside them.