Guardian Angels

Akarisa stared up at the night sky, her arms tucked behind her head as she listened to the soft music drifting from the band’s practice room. She took in a deep breath, letting it out in a slow exhale, savoring the taste of the fall air on her tongue. Her eyes drifted closed as she tried to remember what fall in the sunlight had been like, before the Betrayal. Before her people, the Ayniel, guardian “angels” of humanity, had been forced into hiding.

“Are you planning on taking a nap instead of going to class?” An amused voice said above her. Akarisa opened her pale blue eyes, only to meet Kieran’s aquamarine ones.

“I wish I could.” Akarisa sighed. She stretched a hand out above her, and Kieran grabbed it and pulled her to her feet. She dusted herself off, pulling leaves and grass from her hair and feathers. Once satisfied, she stretched her arms and wings over her head, balancing on the tips of her toes. “Can we eat first?”

“I brought you this.” Kieran held out a breakfast sandwich. “We only have a few minutes.”

Akarisa took the sandwich, devouring it in a few bites as she followed Kieran along the moonlit paths towards the Ayniel academic buildings. Once the sandwich was gone, she wiped the crumbs from her palm and waved her open hand in a circle in midair, mentally reciting a spell to reach through the small space and grab her bag from her rooms.

“Show off.” Kieran muttered, but he stopped walking to allow her more stability in her casting. Akarisa just smiled at him, swinging her bag over her shoulder.

“Carry on.” she said, stepping closer. “We wouldn’t want the students to think they get the night off.” She twined her fingers through his for a brief moment, smiling up at him before walking ahead. “Are you coming?”

“Heavens forbid the kids get a night off.” Akarisa could hear the sarcasm in his voice, enough that he had likely rolled his eyes at her back.

“We didn’t.” she replied, picking up her pace. The bell was due to ring any second. Akarisa trotted through the gardens just outside the main academic building that she was due to lecture in all night.

“You seem to be suffering some amount of memory loss. Let me help you jog your recollection.” Kieran smirked as he reached past her to open the ornate wood and glass door for her.

Akarisa gave him a stern look, fighting the smile that threatened to creep across her face. “Maybe later, if you behave.” She gave him a quick kiss before glancing at her reflection in a nearby mirror. Ayniel as a species could be rather vain, so mirrors had been placed every so often lining the luxurious corridors. Akarisa quickly rearranged her hair, straightened a few irritating feathers on her wings, folding them neatly behind her, and took a deep breath, relaxing her face into a neutral, professional expression. She gave Kieran one last smile before opening the door to the stage side of the auditorium. Showtime.

Akarisa sagged against the wall after the final lecture of the night. She still had assignments to help her father with before she could go to bed, but she lacked the strength to stand up on her own at the moment.

“You did great.” Kieran’s voice said from the end of the hall. She heard his footsteps approaching, and shortly after, a hand appeared in her field of vision.

“That was exhausting.” Akarisa complained, but she took the offered hand and let him pull her to her feet.

“If I didn’t know you never wanted to be a teacher, I never would have guessed it.” Kieran smiled.

Akarisa twisted her mouth, but it probably looked more like a grimace. “Thanks.” She sighed. “I understand educating the next generation is important. They deserve a good education. I just wish it wasn’t me giving it.”

“Well, once you’re officially Headmistress, you won’t be giving as many lectures anymore.” Kieran said cautiously.

“No, I’ll just be dealing with conversations with people who are far worse than a bunch of kids.” Akarisa muttered.

“I see you still feel the same about the Karinean council’s visit.” Kieran sounded like he was walking on eggshells.

“It’s not going to change. But I refuse to make you a part of it.” Akarisa leaned against his side for a moment, trying to soak up any strength she could.

“You know I’d do anything to help and support you.” Kieran said, his voice dropping lower as he pulled on her arm, turning her to face him.

“I know.” Akarisa reached out to gently touch his cheek. “And you are...you’re the one place I can go where I know I’ll always be safe.” She paused, letting herself fall into his aquamarine eyes for as long as she dared before turning away, leading him up the steps to the main corridor. “You said you had something to show me?”

“Yes.” Kieran said, glancing at her briefly before continuing, his voice quiet. “I think it’s...really cool.”

“I’ll meet you at my apartments just before dawn.” Akarisa promised, eyebrows raised as she scanned him from the tips of his wings to his toes. She gave his hand one last squeeze before blowing him a kiss and turning to run to her next lecture.

Akarisa landed softly on her balcony, folding her wings behind her as she stepped forward, tensing as she saw her sliding door ajar. She always locked it with magic.

“Kieran?” she called uncertainly. Normally he wouldn’t let himself in without communicating that to her in some way.

“Right here.” Kieran’s voice sounded from inside. “Sorry if I alarmed you.”

“It better have been worth it.” Akarisa muttered, stepping inside before covering her mouth with a gasp.

Stacked on her coffee table were several brightly wrapped gifts, and Kieran was just lowering his phone.

“Pizza will be here shortly after we get back.” he said with a smile. “These gifts will have to wait until then.”

“There’s more?” Akarisa asked, looking at him with round, watery eyes.

“I said I had something really cool to show you, didn’t I?” Kieran’s smile grew wider as he pressed his lips to Akarisa’s forehead. “Come on.”

Kieran led the way outside, along the shadowy edges of the Ayniel campus, towards the forest separating them from the human campus. Akarisa skittered nervously alongside him, keeping her head down to avoid being recognized by staff or students alike.

“Easy,” Kieran whispered, ushering her off the paved path and into the trees. “It’s not too terribly far, but it is shielded, and of course, it’s forbidden to be here at all.”

“I can manage a shield.” Akarisa promised.

They walked along a forgotten dirt trail for a while. The trees overhead blocked out the light of the moon and stars, making Akarisa grateful Ayniel vision was much better than a human’s in the dark. They wove between tree trunks and ducked under low-hanging branches, leaves tangling in her hair. She swatted them away, taking a quick three steps to catch up to Kieran.

After another couple minutes, she noticed the trees thinning, and they followed the edge of the clearing. She barely felt the tingle of an old shield against her skin. She glanced at Kieran with her eyebrows raised. He shrugged, gesturing towards the clearing.

Akarisa stepped forward, out of the trees, and into the fading light of the stars. Before her stood a very old, very grand building, with rows of columns and stained glass windows flanking large, engraved wooden doors. The stained glass depicted the Ayniel history, up to a point. The point where her mother had died.

Akarisa reached back and took Kieran’s hand, squeezing it to reassure herself. He squeezed back, stepping up to stand at her shoulder before looking down at her.

“We don’t have much time.” he said quietly.

Akarisa nodded. “Let’s go.” she whispered. They stepped up to the doors together, and Akarisa undid the magical locks while Kieran handled the physical ones. Once the doors were open, they peeked inside. As soon as Kieran’s toe crossed the threshold, silver flames appeared in sconces lining the walls of a grand hall decorated in dark wood, marble stone, and deep blue and silver tapestries emblazoned with the sigils of the Ayniel houses. The carpet matched the tapestries, stretching down the corridor with engraved doors leading off both sides. At the far end stood another set of large double doors.

Akarisa led the way, tiptoeing down the hallway while staring around in awe. Ayniel certainly had a taste for history, and the finer things in life, but this was extravagant beyond the standards of the modern Ayniel dorms. She stopped before the double doors at the far end, sharing another look with Kieran before they shoved the doors open together.

A wide, circular common room spread out before them as silver flames leapt from the sconces lining the room. Between the sconces stood dark, engraved bookcases, stretching from the floor the base of the domed ceiling splashed with constellations against a deep blue sky. Deep blue couches and armchairs stood scattered around the room, flanked by end tables and coffee tables. Across from the entrance stood a grand stone fireplace, with magical silver flames leaping half the height of the room.

“This is a lot to go through.” Akarisa said, frowning as she regained her voice.

“It’s not a one night project.” Kieran agreed. “But I think you’ll find what you’re looking for here. We have maybe three hours before we absolutely have to be back.”

Akarisa nodded and took in a deep breath. “Okay, let’s get started then. I’ll take this side.” She headed down the stairs to the left and started scanning the books on the shelves. She heard Kieran’s footsteps descending the stairs to the right, and silence settled over the room, aside from the occasional comment or thoughtful noise, and semi-regular sound of their footsteps as they slowly circled the room.

Most of the books were standard texts. History, up until the era when the dorm had been abandoned. Different languages, many of them human languages that were extinct or evolved to the point these texts would be useless nowadays. Magical theory. Akarisa found a few texts on other worlds, but left them on the shelves, merely taking mental notes to come back later, when she had more time.

Akarisa inched closer and closer to the fireplace, chewing on her lip and tapping her fingertips against the bookcases as she moved on by. Nothing particularly useful yet.

Her fingertips touched stone; she’d reached the fireplace, and Kieran was looking at her, shaking his head. He hadn’t found anything either.

Akarisa flopped onto the nearest couch with a huff. All that, for nothing. She tilted her head back, scanning the constellations above, searching for the one that represented her mother’s family. Her sigil. The outspread wings always reminded her of her own struggles in learning to fly. But she had learned.

She sat up, staring at the flames leaping merrily in the fireplace. She blinked. Either the sigil was imprinted across her vision...or...she reached out, settling the flames lower with a wave of her hand. She parted them, stepping carefully through.

“Akarisa?” Kieran said, concern laced through his voice.

“Just a sec.” she mumbled, her concentration slipping for just a second. She shoved the flames back, hissing in pain. She waved Kieran away, stepping onto a small ledge at the back of the fireplace. If she’d been even a little taller, she wouldn’t have fit.

Her mother’s family crest was emblazoned across one of the stones at the back of the fireplace. Akarisa pressed her hand to it, closing her eyes and letting memories of her mother wash over her. Her mother cheering her on as she fruitlessly flapped her wings, rushing across the field to hold her after she’d crashed. Her mother proudly displaying her feeble attempts at artwork like she was the next great artist.

The sigil flared bright white light under her palm, and she pulled her hand away. The stone faded out of sight, and inside the hole left behind lay a sealed journal. Akarisa snatched it up, ushering the flames aside as she darted out of the fireplace and into Kieran’s arms.

“Want to tell me what that was all about?” he asked, stroking the top of her head as he took a deep, relieved breath.

“This is what we came here for.” Akarisa whispered, clutching her mother’s journal to her chest. She pulled away from Kieran just enough to lower the journal so she could see her mother’s sigil embossed in silver in the deep blue leather cover.

“Then let’s go.” Kieran said, glancing around. They’d already been here for probably far too long. He gently pulled Akarisa across the room and up the steps before she lovingly tucked her mother’s journal securely into her small purse. She took his hand as they made their way outside, releasing him so that he could reseal the door.

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and she scanned the edge of the trees repeatedly, her hands unconsciously flexing at her sides. “Hurry.” She said quietly, interrupting Aedan’s soft rambling about how exciting he found their discovery. “I think we’re being watched.”

Kieran fell silent, taking her hand a moment later. “Run.” And they took off, sprinting hard in the direction of the Ayniel administrative housing.

As soon as they reached the tree line, the sensation of being watched disappeared, but they didn’t stop running until they reached the edge of the trees by their housing, the eastern sky already beginning to lighten.