Chapter 23 Conquest of Chimera

Chapter 23

Conquest of Chimera

  Deep in the night, a pin- prick of red appeared in the palm of Kia’s right hand. She did not see it, her eyes were closed her mind was flying. Safely cuddled beneath Kian’s right arm she slept. Gossamer beams of moonlight streamed through their bed window bathing them in milk light and frosting the mumbling rolling sea silver and white. Neither saw or heard, just as neither saw the tiny dot of blood slowly spread across her palm. Sleep and something more had claimed them for the night.

  Kress however was not asleep. The new arrivals had set her mind aquiver. After being gently shooed from the big people’s resting shell so they could find sleep in the darkness, something she would never understand, after all why would anyone choose darkness over light dark? She slipped away from her family’s tree top roost and set out to find Kia’s new home.

   Snagged by a pang of apprehension she looked back at the tree top, saw a shimmering swirl of yellow pulsing beneath its’ lofty boughs and smiled. “I’ll be back before they wake.” She whispered to herself garnering self- assurance from every syllable she spoke. Fortunately, for her Sprites slept too just never in the dark, then again how could they.

   Surprised by how easily she was able to find Kia and Kian’s new home, Lucius had sent her and Carlos away much sooner than she wanted to go, she never even  got to see Kia’s wings much less her tree house, nevertheless, she soon found herself standing before their door crack.

   Strange, it was as if something was drawing her. She and Kia had made a odd connection, something much more than mutual delight and affection, something deeper, something darker. Which was good, Kress like all Brook Sprites abhorred the dark. If Kia needed her to drive it away from her, she was happy to do so.  

   Tucking in her wings, she squeezed through the quarter inch crack on her belly. Moonlight greeted her on the other side. Zipping up away from the door, she flew past a couch and chair and sliced across the oak paneled room to press her face against the cool amber glass. Kia was sleeping. She’d just take a few moments to explore a bit and admire the silver sea.

   Kress could hear Kia snoring in the next room. She giggled, wondering how such a loud moose bellow could come from such a petite creature. The darkness was not hurting her just making her sound funny, maybe it was not so bad after all. Taking one last look at the sliding silver surf, she peeled off to the left and careened through the open archway that led to their bedroom.

 There knotted together beneath a bone white cotton sheet they lay oblivious to all but their dreams.

  Knowing her fluttering wings were silent as they were invisible, she flew right up to Kia, but as she darted down to land on her nose, an unseen barrier pushed her back. Hovering just inches above their heavy oaken bed, she sniffed the air trying to place the hot acrid scent burning her nostrils and warning her to stay back.

  Not too long ago a beaver had gashed his gum on a jagged tree knot. Blood filled his mouth making him gag and spit. The taste of death was more than he could bear. She had the displeasure of seeing and smelling the entire awful episode. This burning awful scent smelled exactly like that. Kia was hurt. Kia needed help. Throwing aside her own nausea and distaste, she plowed through the invisible stench and much to her dismay saw the ruby red source of that awful odor. There palm up in the dull milk light Kia’s hand dangled off the edge of the bed and in its’ hollow gleaming in a nest of up curled fingers a tiny pool of blood shimmered.

  Not thinking only caring Kress dived straight into blood desperate to find her wound and staunch it. However, there was no wound only transport…