A Flight of Broken Wings: Aeriel Trilogy #1

Chapter 3

Ruban sighed. After a moment's hesitation, he reached into his pocket to extricate the lighter, tamping down on the sudden craving for a cigarette. He flicked the button a couple of times until a steady flame appeared on the nozzle. Ashwin lowered his outstretched hand and Ruban leaned forward, holding the flame against the tip of the feather that the Aeriel held out.

Multicolored sparks flew into the air, lighting up the room like a particularly lively firework display. Shadows danced across the walls as the feather burned slowly, spitting out prismatic sparks which blossomed and faded prettily before their eyes.

Having recovered from the initial surprise, Hiya leaned eagerly forward. Her impish face split into a massive grin. "It's so bright," she whispered.

Ashwin reached out to gently pull her dangling braids away from the fire.

"And that's just the one." Ruban shifted from one foot to the other, his skin itching with a strange restlessness. "Imagine a whole bouquet of these, set on fire all at once. Imagine what that'd look like."

"We'd have brighter days...a brighter world!" Hiya bit her lip, peeking up at Ashwin through the corners of her eyes. "I can see why someone would pay a lot of money for 'em, I s'pose."

The Aeriel chuckled, his focus back on the scattered airplane parts in front of him. "Out with it, then. What do you want?"

"Who says I want anything?" Hiya's lower lip quivered, a pout threatening to form.

Ashwin tinkered with one of the metallic wings of the airplane, slotting a miniscule component into place before attaching it to the main body. "So you don't?"

"I didn't say that." She looked away. "Okay, fine. I'll pay you somehow. How much is it?"

"Is what?" Ashwin's voice was tinged with amusement.

"A feather. How much does it cost?"

"An A+ in math. And no less than a C- in history. And that's only at a special discount for customer loyalty."

A moment passed in silence. Then, Hiya's eyes lit up and she threw her arms around Ashwin's neck, knocking the nearly completed airplane from his hand. "You really mean that?"

Smiling, Ashwin wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her back into a sitting position. "Sure I do. But what do you plan to do with it?"

Hiya's eyes twinkled, sending a shiver down Ruban's spine. "That's a secret!"

Ashwin's amused gaze flickered over to Ruban. "That doesn't bode well for our sanity. Oh well..."

He caressed the surface of a wing and casually plucked out a handful of feathers, holding them out to Hiya. "There you go. That should last you till the semester exams."

Hiya squealed, elated, taking the feathers carefully into both her hands.

Ruban groaned. "And so, with a few minutes of pouting and haggling, she now has more money in her grubby little hands than I have in my retirement account. She'll be utterly unmanageable as a teenager." He pointed an accusatory finger at the Aeriel. "And it'll be your fault."

Ashwin smirked. "Don't be jealous. If you live long enough to retire, I'll give you all the feathers you could want. But we'll have to get through all the different factions of humans and Aeriels trying to kill us before we can get to that, won't we?"

"And why isn't your sister helping with that, huh?" Ruban snapped back, his temper flaring. "Why isn't Safaa doing more to stop the mafia? The Exiles?"

"We've talked about this before. She can't afford to get directly involved with earthly affairs. Not yet—"

"Can't? Or doesn't want to? What's stopping her, exactly?"

Ashwin looked away, frowning.

"You're all the same, aren't you?" Ruban sneered. "Useless hypocrites, judging everyone from above. Refusing to get your pretty little hands dirty—"

"Baan, please!" Hiya's bony fingers clutched at his forearm.

"Our scouts have lost their lives fighting the mafia," Ashwin snarled, his silver eyes boring into Ruban's. "Trying to prevent human casualties, when they could've just retreated and saved themselves. Don't you dare imply—"

The doorbell rang.

Jolted out of his indignation, Ruban cursed. "Shit. They're here." He grabbed Ashwin's hand and yanked him to his feet before pushing him towards the bedroom. "Quick. Get changed."

"Ruban, I didn't—"

Ruban's steps faltered, forcing him to halt mid-stride even as the doorbell chimed again. "You say you like it here. Our food, our music," he chuckled. "Our toy planes... You say you love the earth."

"I do."

"Enough to fight for it?" Ruban turned around, his hands clenched into fists. "If all else fails. If there's a war between earth and Vaan. Where would your loyalties lie, Ashwin? Or should I say Shwaan?"

A moment passed in silence, the air heavy with tension. Then, the Aeriel sighed, moving towards the bedroom. "Neither of those names is a lie, you know. Not anymore."

"And yet?" Ruban prompted.

"And yet, if I had tochoose...my loyalty lies with my sister, Ruban. And it always will." The bedroomdoor clicked shut behind him.