Flight and Fantasy Read Free

attendance was now clear. “Nasha gets the mail. She must have known about it and just forgotten to tell me.”
    His face darkened with anger. “Will you come anyway?”
    “I have nothing to wear.” She shrugged. “I only brought work gear with me. I am afraid that I will not be attending your function.”
    His hands clenched on the table, but a calculating look spilled into his eyes. “What if I told you it was a masked costume event? Would you be able to scrounge something up?”
    Tenyen leaned over and covered her mouth with his hand. “She will be happy, too. What time will you pick her up? You know, of course, that she cannot fly there.”
    “An honour guard will come for her in an hour. Is that enough time?” The prince rose to his feet and the room jumped up around him.
    Tenyen jumped to his feet and saluted. “Your Highness, you are in the largest conference of inventors in the world. She will be ready in an hour.”
    He grinned, kissed the back of Anna’s hand and left the tavern.
    The moment he was gone, the room burst into action.
    Annanya was shoved outside into one of the interim workrooms and around her, a costume of fantastic metals wove itself from chains, rivets and sheets of bronze.
    Tenyen made her mask and another inventor donated silk from their tent. A corset was shaped from bronze and chain while sandals were crafted from coiled wire and laminated rubber. Fifty inventors came to her rescue, and when the honour guard appeared, she was dressed like a lady who enjoyed a little metal bondage.
    Her mask was made of heavy gauge wire strands soldered together and shaped to her face as it cooled. The guard looked surprised to see her, but she merely held her hand out to him and let him escort her to an open area where he and his companion could lift off. He held her in his arms and jumped, holding gently but firmly.
    She had analysed the flight patterns of her people, and the telekinetic shove from the earth was the biggest portion of their advantage over mechanics. Her suit had fought to use magnetic forces to compensate and she had succeeded with a solid shove of her legs and a surge of power through a coil of wire.
    Anna finally noticed their destination. “The floating platform?”
    The guards looked at her as if she was stupid. “All major celebrations are held on the platform. This one is no different.”
    “Oh. I have not been invited before this.”
    “That much is obvious. I hear that the wingless find the platform uncomfortable.” He didn’t say anything else, but she had gotten the impression nonetheless. Wingless.
    * * * *
    Lights and colours exploded and wings of pure white and black were everywhere. A few dove grey wings were in small bunches in the crowd, but most of the winged were on the dance floor.
    The royal family were arranged at one end of the platform and everyone was wearing a mask and costume. For once, she barely stood out.
    A figure detached from the royal dais and approached her. Denaric. In a mask, he was her equal, even with his wings. He strode right up to her and looked down into her eyes. “If this is what the inventors can do in an hour, we need to increase their funding. They can work miracles.”
    She looked down, but he didn’t give her a chance to demur. Anna was in his arms and dancing before she knew it.
    His hand on the small of her back sent tremors through her, but she tried to keep her mind on matters at hand. “I have never been on the flight platform before. It is nice, Your Highness.”
    He leaned back and laughed. “In masks, call me Denaric. It is far too informal a night for anything more.”
    She inclined her head and smiled, but it was only two rounds on the dance floor before he leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “Say my name, Annanya. I want to hear it from your lips.”
    She opened her lips and whispered it to him, “Denaric.”
    The gleam of satisfaction filled his bright blue eyes behind his mask and his lips tightened below