Calaspia

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Warm sunlight shone through the leaves, leaving a speckled path on the forest floor. The wind blew fiercely, sending shadows scrambling in all directions. Using his stone hammer to drive in the last nail, Eric sighed with satisfaction. Finally, the work was done. He looked around, impressed with what he’d accomplished. It was a little further out from the main settlements than he would have preferred to build, but this place called to him, and he was taught to follow such feelings. Eric climbed the stairs and stepped out onto his balcony. Jumping onto a limb of a sturdy tree, he climbed up, higher and higher. Staring out at the vast horizon, over the sea, he knew this was where he must have his home. Now, he just needed someone to share it with.

"I thought I'd find you up here."

Eric looked up from his perch on the massive limb, a hundred feet above the ground. Just visible in the distance, a large hawk flew his way. With a seven-foot wingspan, the bird of prey deftly soared between the trees and came to rest on a nearby branch. A shiver ran along the hawk’s animal's body, stirring feathers. A few seconds later, a man stood in his place. "Your parents are looking for you," he said.

Sighing, Eric stood and, with arms crossed, leaned forward, against a limb. Narrowing his gaze, he glared at his friend.

Narlic put up both hands and grinned. "Don't shoot the messenger. You know how your mom gets at Solstice."

"I know." He pushed off the branch, shifted into his hybrid hawk form, and squatted onto his perch. His elongated, scaled feet wrapped around the limb, holding him securely. Feathers covered his body in place of the clothes he’d worn a moment before. His hawk eyes observed with increased sharpness; they noticed movement and details in the surroundings undetectable by his human eyes. One taloned hand reached high to grip another branch. He flexed his wings as much as he could in the tree. "I don't see the point of sitting around all night waiting for something that probably isn't going to happen. I'd rather be out flying."

"And miss your mother's cooking?"

Eric grinned. It was true. His mother did make all her best dishes at Solstice. That alone was worth sitting around and listening to her talk of more grandchildren. The smile left his face. His mother was the real reason he dreaded this day. Every year, she got her hopes up, believing they would find a mate. Every year, she was disappointed.

"You never know," Narlic continued. "This could be the year."

"It could." But he wasn't holding his breath. It would happen when it happened. Without another word, he stood and stepped off the branch, letting himself fall until he was clear to fly. With wings spread wide, he glided in the direction of home. Narlic followed behind in full hawk form.

Gradually, Eric began to see a smattering of nests—homes—spread throughout the trees. Most nests were basic, with few comforts. Enclosed, they provided adequate protection from the elements, including the high winds at the top of the canopy, but the interiors were often much like a real bird's nest. Beds and floors were made of twigs and straw. Demonics, like him, usually preferred to revel in their animal forms; they were always present, part of them. Angelics, like Narlic, were either one or the other. In animal form, very little of their human sides were present; they sought out the same nests and perches as their demonic counterparts. Once they returned to their human forms, they sought the safety and ease of access of homes near the ground. The forest floor and first twenty feet above were littered with these small houses, complete with real beds, fireplaces, and stairs.

His parents' home was a mixture of these two designs. Outside, it looked like most of the other nest homes in the trees. High in the canopy, it had no access apart from flight. Inside was a different story. It was filled with furniture, books, and hand-painted family pictures. There was a loft on top, filled with straw and twigs. It was the perfect merging of the two styles, a compromise their father made to their mother, to ease her transition. She’d been a full human before their mating. This world had been an adjustment for her. But that was a long time ago.

The smell of freshly baked bread and cooked vegetables caught his attention. He inhaled deeply and let the delicious scents ease his mind. Angling into a swoop, he pulled in his wings and set down on the platform by their door. The moment it was open, the magnitude of his mother's feast hit him. There were food trays on every flat surface. Some were layered over other trays to provide space for even more food. There were sweets, breads, and savory dishes of every color and type. Appearing from behind the partition separating the front from a small kitchenette, his mother carried yet another tray.

Eric grabbed the tray and looked around for somewhere to set it down. "Are we feeding the entire kettle this year, Mother?"

She smiled prettily and brushed a stray hair from her face. "We can't have Solstice without a feast."

Narlic entered the home in human form and took an appreciative breath before heading over to taste a little something from every food tray. Eric's mom shooed him away with a delighted smile. For all intents and purposes, Narlic was an adopted member of the family. Their human tendencies and habits put him at ease, and Eric's mom loved having people around. Truth be known, he even looked like one of the family, with tan-colored hair and hazel eyes. His hawk form, a full transformation instead of a hybrid, was also of the same coloring, indicative of the red-tailed hawk, whose spirit they all shared. Narlic inclined his head apologetically and started organizing the trays, but the moment her back was turned, he went back to sampling food.

"Sure, but you never make this much food," Eric went on. "I don't think even Narlic, Ephraim, and I can eat all this." While it was true they could eat a lot, this much food would last them for months, even when distributed to his other four siblings and their families.

"We need enough for your mates and their families," she said matter-of-factly before heading back to the kitchen.

Eric rolled his eyes and set the tray on top of two other dishes. "Mom …"

"Don't 'Mom' me. This is the year." She rinsed off a dirty pan and set it on a towel to dry, then moved on to the next one that needed cleaning.

"And what makes you think this year will be any different from the past three hundred?" Grabbing a towel, Eric started drying cleaned dishes and helping her put them away.

She stopped for a moment and looked at him. Her eyes glowed. "I can feel it. It's going to happen today. And you feel it, too." She poked him in the chest. "That's why you've been working so hard on your house. You finished it, didn't you?"

"Today," he reluctantly admitted, "but that doesn't mean anything. I've been working on it a long time. I had to finish eventually. The timing is just a coincidence."

His mother simply smiled and returned to rinsing dishes.

Eric felt a shiver run down his back. His gaze sharpened, but the room felt odd—real, yet not. He almost missed the dish his mother handed him. "Besides, it's not up to us," he said at last, shaking off the strange feeling. "It will happen when it’s meant to happen. Where are Ephraim and Dad?"

"Your father is getting more pumpkin seeds for my muffins. As for Ephraim, I saw him fly west a while ago. I hope he returns soon. It isn't good to be too far out on Solstice."

"I'll go find him," Eric promised and set down the towel. He needed some air, anyway. A flight would do him good. Besides, he had a feeling he knew where to find his energetic younger brother.

Eric flew low to avoid the strong crosswinds near the caves. Sure enough, he could hear his brother inside, yelling with excitement. The caves were a popular spot for young hawks; they tested their skills and courage by dropping into the caves from above, circling down, and flying back out the opening. It sounded easy. It was anything but easy. The caves were narrow, so there wasn't a lot of room for larger wingspans to spread. This meant that only younger, less experienced fliers could attempt it. Add to that the strong wind currents that swirled within and around the caves, and you had a very dangerous place to fly. But that didn't stop headstrong hawks like his brother who were drawn to the danger, excitement, and magnetic fields produced by the minerals in the cave rocks.

Walking carefully up to the opening, Eric looked in and called out to his brother. Most of his words were drowned out by the loud winds, but Ephraim felt his presence and looked up. "Come on in," he said aloud and telepathically.

Eric shook his head and motioned for Ephraim to come out. Circling around, he soared from the roof of the cave, landing gracefully next to Eric. "What's up?"

"Mom wants us both home. Solstice is about to start."

Ephraim nodded. "Alright, after this last jump."

Before Eric could stop him, Ephraim took a step back and fell into the cave again. He shook his head. Standing and waiting, he watched his brother circle a few times, fly up, and swoop to circle some more. "Come on," he prodded telepathically.

Ephraim gazed up and sighed, nodding. Circling for momentum, he started his ascent. His form was perfect. Suddenly, a gust of wind caught him off guard, knocking Ephraim into the side wall. His wing crumpled from the impact, and he fell, hitting several jutting rocks on the way down to the bottom of the cave. Eric watched helplessly as blood began to pool on the cave floor around his body and head. "Ephraim!" he yelled.

His brother moaned and shifted, but his eyes remained closed.

Anxious, Eric's eyes darted around. There was no way down to the cave floor and back except through flight, and his wingspan was too wide for the cave. He could get help, but Ephraim might not have that long. He had to get him out and take him to a healer immediately. Eyeing the dimensions of the cave, he thought he might manage it, if he got enough momentum to fly up before he pulled in his wings. It was a long shot, but he had to try. If he didn't, his brother could die. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to jump in, but pulsing energy shot through him, staggering him and leaving him dizzy. He looked around in confusion. His surroundings were strange, the colors different than they’d been a moment before. He peered at his arms and hands. His skin tingled and glowed. Turning in the direction of the village center, he saw the entire area covered with a similar glow. Solstice.

"No, no, no," he repeated. He was caught in Solstice. Those selected for Solstice found themselves pulled from the regular time phase until they’d found their mate and completed the joining. Then, they phased back into time with everyone else. He’d heard it described many times from many people over his lifetime. Some found that a single hour out of phase was only moments in regular time. Others found time passed slower here.

Every mated pair phased at a different interval or speed. And the only person he would be able to interact with until he came back would be his mate. He looked back into the cave and saw a shimmering outline of his brother's life energy. With a tremendous amount of effort, he stepped back. He couldn't help him until this was done. He just prayed his phase was faster than regular time. If he was lucky, he could return with little time actually having passed here. Either way, he had no choice. He would find his mate, complete the joining, and come back to save his brother. No problem.

Taking another deep breath, he put a hand to his chest and felt the pulse of his energy. Once his breathing was in sync with that energy, he felt it shoot forth and travel outward … to the area of the last Earth portal. Eric groaned. This had just gotten a lot more complicated.