Lunar Rising

Ch.3 Helios

Chapter 3

Meera woke with a fright.

Her heart felt as if it would stop and give out. Her legs were numb and her stomach growled in hunger.

"Good morning, Princess," Naya, Meera's chambermaid, greeted her, pulling back the heavy curtains from the balcony and tying them up with the golden rope. Immediately, a falcon flew off the railing of the balcony, frightening Naya.

"My god!" Naya gasped, placing her hand over her chest.

Meera pushed herself up to her elbows and peered out at the blue sky. She could see the falcon flapping its wings and soaring down to the grounds below. Her heart contracted as she began to wonder if the figure she had seen the night before was waiting for the bird somewhere in the city.

"Those demon creatures are getting out of hand," Naya muttered. "They should all be shot out of the sky."

"What are you talking about?" Meera asked, shifting a yawn.

"Last night a few of the new soldiers from the reserve were attacked by falcons," Naya said, looking over her shoulder as she fretted around the room cleaning.

"What?" All traces of sleep vanished from Meera's eyes.

"People are saying it might be some kind of bird fever or something," Naya said. "They don't fly at night. Maybe owls do, but we haven't seen those in years."

"The soldiers were attacked?" Meera pushed her sheets back and climbed out of bed. "What do you mean? Are they okay?"

"They weren't injured badly," Neya shook her head. "Scratched here and there. Mostly frightened to see those birds at night."

"Oh..." Meera's stomach felt heavy and unwell. She placed a hand over her chest as if that might soothe her beating heart.

"And did you hear?" Naya went on. "Prince Eryx is coming to stay at the palace."

Meera's eyes snapped up towards the girl. Her ears began to ring and her already racing heart stumbled over the news and fell into her stomach.

"Yes," Naya nodded, a bit of uneasiness in her own eyes. "His ship's damaged."

"Damaged..." Meera's lips moved.

Naya nodded once more, "Strange things happen all through the night it seems."

"What happened to his ship?" Meera asked.

"Strong waves?" Naya said. "Think that's what they said. Damaged the sides. The chains on the anchor broke too."

Meera's head began to spin. She had only pushed the water hard enough to sway the boat out into the harbor and away from shore. How could the chains have broken?

"The ship started to flood around dawn," Naya went on, unaware of how Meera stood in the middle of the room. "Prince Ozmen went over to invite Prince Eryx to the palace. Queen Iris had the rooms in the west set up fo-"

Meera's feet turned and she hurried towards the doors. She flung them open and ran down the halls as Naya began to run after her.

"Where are you going?" The girl asked. "You need to soak in rose water."

Meera didn't stop. She kept going as the fabrics of her white nightgown flew behind her like wings. She rounded the corners in the sleepy palace and arrived at the west halls in no time. She could hear nothing but the sounds of her own heart beating and her blood rushing past her ears. The air in her lungs came out in small puffs as she hid behind one of the pillars and peeked out.