Aeriella

Lightning licks the sky, thunder clamours and growls; the rain plays a vicious stacatto rhythm. The night the triplets are born into the world, the dark storms welcomes them with a brilliant display most becoming of the power they will be imbued with. Their nest tucked away in a corner of the Grotto is struck by a beacon of lightning that sends brilliant blue cracks along each egg, waking the girls within.
Aeriella comes first, small wings pressed against her sides as she pushes against the fissures of her egg and uncoils to flop in the nest. Her tail carefully curls around the egg resting beside her and gives out a cry that carries on a peel of thunder seconds later.

The second sister to break free is Aerezia. She heaves herself out of her shell, chirruping as she squirms toward the presence of her seconds-older sister.

Lastly comes Aeraxli, struggling against the cracks for a solid ten seconds before finally making a space big enough to crawl out of. The moment she curls up between her sisters, the three of them all light up the nest in a brilliant glow from the veins that arch down their slender bodies. When their mother reaches in to draw them out, she’s met with a static shock.

Though born to Shadow, the triplets host the lightning of their father’s birthflight.
Their power will become both a blessing and a curse.

****

“Power.”

The girls’ parents love them, nurture and care for them. But they have no guide for managing the ability the three possess; to manipulate lightning from within themselves and each other.

Many outside their home of the Grotto whisper their disbelief, doubting that the girls can truly be considered part of the Shadow Flight with the electric currents running through their veins. Some even fear them, especially as they grow into their ability.

“You really shouldn’t challenge every person you hear whispering about us,” Aeriella insists with a sigh as she presses a damp cloth to her sister’s bloodied brow.

Aeraxli glares back. “It’s not like either of you are sticking up for us. If they’re willing to snub us with their words, they deserve to try doing the same with their fists.”

Poised on a rock beside her sisters, Aerezia turns the page of her book and offers, “The more you fight back, the more they’ll hate us, Rax.”

“Rezi’s right and as the oldest, I’m demanding you stop picking fights. All you do is make it harder on all of us.” Aeriella sets the rag down and leans back.

Aeraxli rolls her eyes, wincing slightly when the motion makes the cut on her forehead sting. “You’re the tiniest of us. Just because you hatched two seconds before me doesn’t mean a thing.”

“Maybe we should join the Lightning flight,” Aerezia chimes in casually.

“It’s not right!” Aeriella huffs. “We’d just be giving into what they all want, running away from their judgements and stares. No, we should stay where we rightfully belong and not fight anyone. They’ll come around if they see that we’re truly not a threat to anyone! Besides, our Grotto family doesn’t feel that way. So long as we have them, who cares what anyone else thinks.”

Aerezia simply shrugs while Aeraxli groans as she flops on the ground beside the eldest triplet.

****

“Danger.”

One night a storm not unlike the one that raged on the night of their hatching moves in over the Tangled Woods. The three girls can’t sleep, feeling their bodies churn with energy that squirms beneath their scales, begging for release.

They step outside into the downpour and begin to play catch with lightning bolts sent between themselves. It’s fun, harmless. But the tumultuous electricity they send out from themselves begins to grow larger and less stable the longer they fly beneath the pregnant clouds.

It’s a genuine accident.

Their home and one nearby are hit by stray bolts they had been trying to keep under control, bursting into flames.

But word spreads of what they’ve done. Aeriella profusely apologises to their neighbours and parents, assuring them it would never happen again. Aeraxli punches yet another person. And Aerezia stays behind her sisters, frowning and disapproving.

Three days later, Aerezia’s kidnapped. The ransom note left behind informs them that if they want to see their sister again, the two other girls must come to the Southern Icefield alone.

****

“Adrift.”

“This place is f-freezing.” Aeraxli’s teeth chatter as she pulls her cloak closer around her shoulders.

“We’re almost there,”‌Aeriella reassures.

They have spent their long journey south out of the Tangled Woods discussing what they could possibly find when they reach their destination. Why did someone kidnap only one of them? Is there a significance to the location? Their family has never had negative dealings with anyone from the Ice Flight.

Most importantly, will they be meeting their demise by agreeing to the terms? A trap set to kill them for the danger they supposedly pose? Or will they all three be taken to be sold?

When they reach the maw of an ice cave marked above with a sigil they’d been told would identify the location, Aeriella and Aeraxli are met with thugs weilding rubber bats. Inside the cave they can just make out a box large enough to fit their sister in, also made of rubber.

“We’ve come to take back our sister!” Aeraxli shouts.

One of the thugs bares his teeth. “Nah, pretty thing. You came to be neutralised.”

Curling their tails around one another, Aeraxli and Aeriella charge themselves up, veins beginning to glow. They’ll fight to free their sister, no matter what.

“If you touch these girls,” a deep voice interjects, “you’ll be answering to us. This is Black Harte territory you’re in.”

The two girls turn to look behind them. A foreboding Guardian stands with wings spread in warning, behind her two other dragons draw their swords and point them at the two thugs. There’s shuffling and when the girls turn back toward the cave, the two goons are making quick exits into the spindly woods that surround the cave.

“Thank you,” Aeriella insists.

“We could’ve handled them ourselves,” Aeraxli mutters with a bitter tone.

The skydancer to the guardian’s left strides forward and past the two girls to enter the cave.

“I’m Malorex, head of the Guard here at Black Harte Court. Titus,” the bogsneak to her right nods his head, “and Sterlyn are my captains. Please, come with us.”

The girls hesitate but when their sister joins them, shaky and cold, they agree. Aerezia needs rest, warmth, and food. This woman assures them that where they’re going all three of them will receive plenty of all that.

****

“Found Family.”

The triplets fall in love with the court that welcomes them. At first they insist they’ll only stay for a month to recover and rest before returning home, but the longer they stay among the strange and amusing members of the court, the more they loathe the idea of parting from them.

And here, there are no ugly judgments whispered in the shadows. The three discover that in the ice flight, many keep to themselves. They prefer their own towns and cities. And the court fiercely protects them.

Not to mention, there’s an engineer among them who takes great interest in helping them learn to conduct their electricity with the aid of machinery while the Queen of the court gladly does what she can to teach them how to wield their ability as a kind of magic.

Eventually, the girls write home to their parents and their Grotto family. They love them and will visit often, but they’re happy here among the icecaps. For now, they feel they can call this place home.