Feel the Burn (46 page)

The silence made her nervous and after a bit Daron, still watching her, raised both hands questioningly. She shrugged throwing her hands up and tried again.

‘Sito, come on honey, where are you?’

A tiny whimper like that of an injured dog made her go cold, stomach hitting the ground.

‘Hurts, friend,’
came the whispered reply.
‘Hurts lots.’

‘Oh no! He’s hurt!’

Daron crouched, jumping off the boulder when Sian gulped that out, her eyes huge and tragic. He clasped her shoulder with a firm hand when she twisted, looking blindly around.

‘Ask him where he is.’

‘He’s not answering!’

The panicky voice made him give her a shake.

‘Stay calm. You need to focus, Pix. Now think, can you extend your energy to find him?’

Sian’s eyes widened and she considered it, nodding.

‘Maybe.’

He let go of her when she started to shimmer, feeling a chill of awe when a moment later Sian vanished and in her place stood the Water Elemental.

Absolutely beautiful. Daron couldn’t look away, enamored by the creature before him. The eyes had Sian’s sky blue at the outer edge then darkened toward the center, blurring with the pupil and the hair that flowed down its back looked the same shade of a breaking wave and it rippled though there wasn’t a breeze. The body swirled, all shades of blue, the colors constantly moving like water currents on a flat harbor. The eyes closed and the swirling colors stilled. He waited while she searched, reaching to loosen the neck of his chainmail and pull the hood off, slowly looking around where they stood. The rain offered a sense of refreshment and kept the dust at bay, but it also seemed to sharpen the smell of death.

‘I’ve found him!’

Daron glanced back to find Sian looking like normal and she inclined her head.

‘This way. I found Kassie too, they’re coming this way.’

*~*~*

Chapter Thirty Nine

‘Why does she look so alive?’

Leseach turned from watching the elgrids moving along the track near where they sat hidden, to regard Sabyn. He’d asked the question so quietly she wondered if he wanted an answer. The blond man sat on the ground with Loi’s body in his arms, his eyes tracing her face. Tomiar lay behind him, her body pressed against his back and head near Loi’s, beak touching Sabyn’s thigh.

Ignoring the question for the current time, Leseach returned to watching the track. They’d managed a very rough landing when the shockwave hit and now hid in the remains of the torched forest, close to the cave entrance. The shockwave laid waste to the valley, ruining it for decades to come, and most of the vegetation had burned, only the higher sections of forest—like where they now sat—had survived.

‘They must have done it,’ Leseach said in a low voice when she climbed back down beside Sabyn and Tomiar. ‘All her soldiers are leaving, even the rider-less jehyns.’

He didn’t acknowledge the comment but Tomiar made a faint hum and roll of the head, glancing Leseach’s way. The rain pattered loudly on the leaves around them and Sabyn hunched over Loi, trying to keep the water off. For the first time she could remember, Leseach felt the need to talk, to try and relieve the unpleasant sensations of grief and guilt.

‘When their gift is taken it isn’t like normal death. It preserves the body.’

She didn’t look at Sabyn, finding it hard to meet his eyes with the devastation so visible in them, and reached out to tuck the sheet back around Loi’s foot.

‘Is that how the ones in the tanks lasted so long?’

Leseach nodded, pulling her knees up while looking over the valley, eyes searching for a glimpse of the others.

‘Yes. The blue stuff helps too.’

‘Did you break the tanks?’

‘I broke the ones with Loi, Sian, and Kassie’s names. Cat’s tank was already broken.’

Leseach didn’t mention the Northerners, trying the keep the memory of her friends, her sisters, of how she’d last seen them, before they vanished. Alive, well, and looking forward to the trip to the castle in Elion, to meeting the Sorceress their teacher so greatly admired. A far more pleasant memory compared to finding them strung up in that room, the gifted ones appearing almost frozen in time like Loi.

‘I am sorry.’

Sabyn didn’t register the quiet apology at first. Everything felt slow and thick, like he sat on a different plane. Somewhere a part of him couldn’t breathe, so taken with despair while he gazed at her still face. He’d closed her eyes, the look of pain searing him to the bone, and wrapped her in the sheet they’d slept under each night on the way here. He felt strangely befuddled, staring down at her, wondering why nothing felt right and why he didn’t do something, anything.

Where is the pain?

He remembered the girls screaming and the sound of pain in their voices, even the look of sorrow in Leseach’s eyes at the moment. Maybe I’ve died, it suddenly occurred to him. Maybe I’m dead.

‘Friend?’

Tomiar’s gentle thought broke into his mind, startling him. The griffon rubbed her beak against his leg, the sensation of the chainmail rasping against it feeling curiously surprising. Some of the thick dullness in his mind retreated and he looked at Tomiar.

‘Can you speak to Leseach?’

Then realizing the Northerner had spoken he bobbed his head to Tomiar and twisted to look at the woman. Leseach stared at the remains of the valley, sorrow evident in the lines of pain around her eyes and the clenched jaw. He looked back down at Loi and remembered coming across the bodies of the Northerners. Someone had cut them down, the strung up pulleys giving an idea of what the gruesome display looked like. The women lay next to each other, hands touching and their eyes covered with strips of torn cloth as if to offer respite from the horror.

‘Were they from your tribe?’ he asked.
 

‘Yes. My sisters. Just like the girls.’

Sisters, how tribe members referred to one another whether or not they were related. It touched him that she thought of the girls like that.

‘It wasn’t your fault,’ he glanced her way, looking down when her eyes met his. The look of sorrow caused the pain to return and he didn’t want it at the moment. The dead feeling far more preferable to the agonizing grief.

‘We knew this was a risk, I just…’ He shrugged, his voice dropping to a whisper. ‘I just didn’t think it would be her.’

The snapping of a twig broke the silence and Leseach jerked up, bandi swords in hand.

A voice in the back of his mind suggested he react, but he didn’t care. Tomiar made a grumbling warning sound right before Leseach made a very odd noise. Sabyn turned his head, not shifting from where he sat and listened to the Northerner. She made a strange clicking, chattering sound and then he spotted the shape.

‘Leseach! What are you doing?’

Tomiar crept right behind the ardwyr, sniffing the air before pulling back when the creature rounded on her with a snarl, heavy jaws clapping shut. Sabyn stood, lifting Loi’s body and motioned to Tomiar, carefully laying Loi across the griffon’s back while keeping an eye on the ardwyr.

‘Was it attracted by her?’

‘I don’t think so,’
the griffon assured him.
‘I think Leseach knows it somehow. It seems almost friendly.’

It did seem comfortable around her, Sabyn thought, while watching the ardwyr. The thickset scavenger grunted and actually rubbed against the Northerner’s leg, clearly asking for attention. He watched in astonishment when she reached down to pat it, like Cat petting Audi.

‘Ummm…Who’s your friend?’

Leseach glanced at him with the hint of a smile and replied evasively.

‘I don’t know his name.’

‘But you do know him?’

She nodded and avoided his gaze while she continued to pet the creature. It was a bit disconcerting to watch; the shaggy haired beast rubbing against the Northerner’s bare leg, its dark nose and black whiskers twitching in an expression of enjoyment.

‘Ask her how she knows him,’
Tomiar demanded, her own nostrils trembling at the animal’s musky scent.

Again the Northerner remained determinedly elusive.

‘Ignatius introduced us.’

She met his frown with a flat, even look then arched a brow.

‘Shall we make our way down? The others will be looking for us.’

Sabyn and Tomiar followed the curious pair down the steep ragged hillside, and Tomiar thought.

‘Ignatius was dead when you arrived?’

‘He was.’

‘Who killed him?’

Sabyn stared at the woman ahead, noting the dried blood that traced the length of her back and wondered again, what had happened to her.

‘I don’t know.’

The sound of a distant griffon call, the long resonant cry bouncing off the ruined valley’s walls, distracted them and they hastened their downward climb.

‘Oh fuck! Oh god, Sito!’

‘Take it easy, Pix! The rocks will still be loose. How close is Kassie?’

Daron caught her arm when she made to race to the dragon that lay crushed under a massive rock fall, just part of his tan muzzle and a forearm visible. With a choked sob at the sight of her beautiful boy lying there in agony, Sian shook her head, trying to focus and threw a thought out.

Kass! Where are you?

Close, we’re just trying to spot you.

Hurry! Sito’s under a mass of rocks, it’s awful!

Hold on, nearly there.

Daron moved cautiously toward the dragon, body tense while he watched the rocks at the top. Sian followed his footsteps and just when she reached him he jolted.

‘What?’

‘Nesha’s under there too!’

‘Where?’

‘Under Sito, there’s not much air. Dammit where are they?’ Daron twisted, looking high and Sian moved over to Sito’s muzzle, placing a soothing hand on it.

‘Hold on, honey. We’ll have you and Nesha out soon, I promise.’

‘Hurts, friend.’

The pitiful reply caused tears to run down her cheeks and she stroked his muzzle, feeling useless.

‘I know, sweetie. Kassie will be here in a moment.’

It felt agonizingly long while they stood waiting, ears strained for a griffon call but only hearing the slither and crack of rocks tumbling down. The unstable walls of the cavern gave reason for concern, and Sian exchanged a glance with Daron when more rocks crashed down near them.

‘Come on Kerak,’ Daron muttered, scrubbing a hand over his head, the short brown hair sticking up all over the place.

Incoming,
came Kassie’s thought and Sian looked up, smiling in relief when Kerak landed near Daron.

‘Whoa!’ Rumal said, when he and Kassie climbed down. ‘That’s some rock pile.’

‘Sito and Nesha,’ Daron said succinctly.

Kerak tread back and forth in front of the rock pile, making cries of distress and both men worked at moving rocks away from the edges, needing to help.

‘Step back, guys,’ Kassie called.

Daron stood behind Sian, a broad forearm wrapped protectively across her shoulders and she clutched his wrist with both hands while they waited. The deep hum of Kassie’s energy vibrated through Sian and stirred her energy into activity. She watched with wide eyes while Kassie morphed into the Air Elemental before them.

Looks crazy, Sian thought in admiration and she tipped her head back, meeting Daron’s eyes.

‘You do the same,’ he murmured. ‘Just as impressive.’

The honey gold figure moved close to the rock pile, and with a motion, drew a wind in and under the rocks. No air around them stirred even while the wind swirled underneath the rocks, lifting the several tonnes with ease and dropping it away from them. Sian shot out from under Daron’s arm and darted across to Sito’s side, with Daron right behind her.

Kassie lifted the dragon gently into the air, revealing Nesha crushed beneath him. The griffon had barely enough strength to make a tiny cry of pain and Sian didn’t waste time, closing her eyes and allowing her element to take over. Moments later both dragon and griffon glowed blue then amber while the girls flowed their healing lights through the shattered bodies.