“We’re not going to outrun those gryphons,” Nevyn said from the back. “Not on the ground.”
“Do you want to risk the air now or later?” Bryn asked, growling back at him.
“Now,” Nevyn said, jumping up.
Bryn followed, and soon, they were all above the trees again. Bryn caught sight of a cliffside they could use.
“There! It might be a good place to—”
The hunting horn sounded again. Bryn turned to see that three of the riders were in the distance behind them, hovering over the trees.
“MOVE!” Nevyn roared.
Everyone made for the trees except Bryn, who continued to watch as the Elvasi rose out of the forest on their mounts. He counted quickly, hoping his estimate from earlier was correct.
“BRYN!” someone screamed. The voice didn’t truly register. He knew what it wanted from him, so he turned and began to fly, picking up to his top speed quickly. The only Andinna in their group who had been faster than him had been the two females. Now only Tyvria was faster, which he was grateful for. He didn’t want to lose both of the females they had brought on the mission.
They entered the trees but didn’t land. They flew haphazardly through the treetops, dodging branches by spinning and bringing their wings in. It wasn’t as fast, but it was cover. They couldn’t stop now. They couldn’t let the gryphons catch up. They could easily be picked off.
Bryn went up to check their pursuers after what felt like an eternity.
“They’re gone,” he called loudly. He didn’t see them and hoped they had decided to try the ground, thinking the Andinna had landed.
“Keep flying until dawn,” Nevyn ordered. “Rise out of the trees.”
The rest of the Andinna came over the tops of the trees, but they didn’t slow down. Bryn actually sped up, taking the lead with Tyvria. Looking back, he saw Nevyn and Varon retreat to the back of their formation, which left Cydrev in the middle.
Dawn rose over them, and Bryn cursed as Tyvria faltered shortly after.
“We need to land,” he called back.
“Make it to that cliffside!” Nevyn called, pushing up through the formation next to him. “We’ll treat injuries and find some forage to ease our stomachs. We have a long trip home and no supplies.”
“Of course,” he muttered. The cliffside wasn’t far, and they landed as a unit. Bryn looked to the south, watching the horizon carefully but saw no one.
“Why do you think they stopped pursuing?” Cydrev asked softly, looking in the same direction.
“They didn’t,” Bryn answered softly. “They probably didn’t realize we were flyin’ in the treetops and landed to catch our trails again, thinking we would walk to help the injured.” At that, Bryn turned to Nevyn and Varon. “How’s the arm?”
“It will heal,” Nevyn said darkly. “But…I think they sliced tendons. Those are trickier to correct than muscle.”
Bryn cursed. If the tendons didn’t heal correctly, it would put Varon’s arm out of commission for months, not just a couple of weeks. Healers would need time to recut the injury and rehabilitate the limb. It would also leave Varon with only half the ability to communicate.
“Let me see if I can help,” Bryn said gently, walking to them. Varon turned, so the injury was in the sunlight. Nevyn had fingers on it, growling.
“We need a healer,” the warrior snarled.
“We couldn’t risk bringin’ one,” Bryn reminded him gently. “I’m sorry. This was my fault.”
“No. I agreed you couldn’t come on this alone, and you know Mave would never have allowed it. We lost some, and Varon is in for a hell of a summer because I can’t fix this, but we’re making it out, and we gained information.”
“We failed,” Bryn snapped.
“No. We know their gryphons can track our scents. How else would they have found our cliffside? Everyone here is trained to minimize their tracks. We should have left nothing for the Elvasi to find. Those gryphons were used to track us as we ran. That’s really fucking important to know, and if the Elvasi gryphon units flood these mountains, it won’t be safe for any Andinna. That’s important. We suffered casualties, Bryn. That’s something we have to live with. This is a war. Sometimes, our best plans go wrong. We make do with what we have.”
It almost sounded cold, but Bryn knew Nevyn was right. He was used to solo missions where everything relied on his ability. This was a new experience. This wasn’t a small unit doing daring missions doomed to fail. This was a war against those whose only goal was the death and defeat of the Andinna.
It was different.
This was why Nevyn was considered a general, and Bryn was only in charge of training potential scouts.
“Okay,” Bryn mumbled. “Well, we need to find a place to rest, but we don’t have long. I wouldn’t travel during the day.”
“Agreed,” Nevyn said, his eyes only for his husband. “We’re going to fix this when we get home, love.”
Varon only smiled and nodded, seemingly not worried. Varon was a master at being calm, but Bryn knew he was probably furious signing his unique language would be harder.
Together, the rag-tag group walked off the cliffside and into another of the Dragon Spine’s thick forests. They were in for a long trip home.
And this is only goin’ to be the beginnin’.
22
Mave
Mave clashed with Zayden, laughing as he blocked her vicious, full power swing with ease.
“Good job!” she said, jumping back as he shoved to keep her off balance. He was smiling, pride shining in his eyes. She tried not to feel foolish as something fluttered uncomfortably in her stomach. She was spending so much time with him, and those smiles were becoming more common. They made him seem so much younger like he wasn’t being crushed by the weight and responsibility she had seen on him for most of their friendship. He seemed the age he was supposed to be, his sapphire eyes bright with happiness.
“Yeah, I think I’m getting a lot better,” he said, chuckling. He swung the morok in his sword hand before angling it to check the edge. “Going to need to sharpen this later. All of this training has beaten it up.”
“Not a bad idea,” she agreed. “Are you ready for hovering?”
“Definitely.” His smile turned into a goofy grin.
I know why Summer fell for him. When he loosens up, it’s a beautiful thing. He can be fun and exciting. He’s also nice to look at.
She took his sword from him and put them both off to the side. The healer was adamant that he could only hover for the first few weeks. Since she had dedicated herself to the task of seeing him get stronger and back in the air, she held the line, and he never fought her.
She went behind him and looked over his wings. They hadn’t lost much muscle mass while he’d been grounded, but then, weakness wasn’t why he couldn’t fly. Before he could say anything, she used to her tail to grab his and held it so she could look over the stump.
“How does it feel?” she asked, seeing the nasty scar where the Blackblood healers had closed the tail off to keep Zayden from bleeding out. Normally, she didn’t ask, but this morning, he seemed to be in the perfect mood for her to be a little nosy.
“Sometimes, it hurts like the moment I lost it,” he answered, sighing and trying to turn to see her. His sapphire eyes had lost some of their light, and her heart ached at the sadness in them. “It makes me feel like a cripple, but then I remember I can fight just as well, if not better than I could before, thanks to you. And I’ll fly again. One day, I’ll look down at it and think, ‘I lost it fighting for the rebellion that saved our people,’ and maybe I’ll be proud of it.”
“What are you planning for after the rebellion?” Since he had brought up the future, she decided to broach the topic as well. Her attraction to him made her curious about what he wanted in the years to come. “Remain in the Ivory Shadows and continue being a member of the royal guard? Try for an official military position?”
“Retire,”
he said, chuckling. “Young for it, I know, but like most of the Company, this isn’t our first war but our second. I know if we win this, Alchan will pay pensions to all of us, and he’ll never ask us to fight again. He’s a good king and commander.”
“He is,” Mave agreed softly. “No trade, though? You’ll just put the sword down and go live…somewhere?”
Zayden chuckled. “What does it matter to you? You’re with Matesh, and I’ll visit. Rain’s going to be a new noble and…” He eyed her, and she was curious about whatever was going through his mind. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll meet someone and settle down. That would be nice.”
“Really?” she asked quietly, letting go of his tail. She moved up beside him, keeping her eyes away from him, purposefully not looking in his direction because she didn’t know what her expression was. Him saying that had made her heart jump uncomfortably, and she recognized all the signs. After three males, she knew what she was like when she felt like someone belonged to her. It felt like this happy version of Zayden belonged to her because she was the one who brought him out again. The idea of him being with another female…
“Yeah…” He sighed. “Rain and I talked about it during Al Moro Nat. Well, not the definite possibility, but Summer died a long time ago, and it’s time for me to…let her go the way she always wanted me to. Up until my fucking tail got cut off, I was feeling a lot better about my future, then…”
“Your tail got cut off,” she said, nodding. “Which rattled your self-confidence and made you upset, but Rain and I got you out of it. Your hard work got you out of it. Now let’s get into the air.” She jumped up, beating her wings a handful of times to get well above, then hovered, slowly working her wings to stay in the air.
He shook his head, the smile coming back. She watched with pride as he rose up beside her. Looking around, she felt the need to cause trouble. She wanted to keep him smiling and knew exactly how to make that happen, but it was totally against the rules of his healing.
She spun and whacked him with her tail and laughed as he grunted.
“What was that for?” he asked, clumsily trying to move out of her range again.
“Tag. You’re it,” she taunted, spreading her arms in a dare.
He laughed as she dropped and flew under him to get away, not moving very fast or taking him high enough for a bad crash. She dodged him around the clearing in front of her home, making him work. It wasn’t so much it would strain him. A crash would be devastating, but it was more fun than only hovering.
“Get back here, you pigeon,” he said loudly. She laughed as he bounced harmlessly into a tree. He flew slow and safe like a young child learning their wings.
“That’s going to bruise!” she called back at him, laughing as he tried to come after her.
“I have to be careful,” he reminded, groaning. “Mave!”
She turned back on him, grinning, but he was moving faster than she anticipated. Laughing, she couldn’t move in time to stop him from hitting her. She screeched as they dropped the ten feet between their positions and the ground.
She was on top of him and still laughing as she tried to get up, but their wings and limbs were tangled. He was laughing underneath her, one of his arms wrapped around her waist.
“Oh, that was fun!” she exclaimed. “Let me help you up.” She looked down at the glittering sapphire eyes, her laughter fading as she drank them in. His laughter faded next, and he flushed in the typical Zayden way. He could never hide his emotions, that much she knew well. He was embarrassed, but it wasn’t just that. There was something else in his eyes, something she could relate to.
Zayden? Do you…
She didn’t ask, just looking down at him.
The arm disappeared. She took her chance to get off him before the situation grew any more uncomfortable. She offered a hand, and he thankfully took it, letting her help him to his feet.
“Maybe that’s enough for flying today,” she said softly. “You did good. I bet we could convince your healers to let you start flying short distances around the valley as long as you stay low so possible crashes won’t be bad.”
“Yeah, I think so,” he agreed, looking away from her.
“Zayden…” She didn’t know what to say. She felt like she couldn’t say anything, but she wanted to. She tried to step around to see his face, wanting to address what just happened. Mave wasn’t the female she had been two years before when Mat had met her, and she could understand what she was feeling. She knew what this was, and she wanted him to know. She wanted to start the conversation at the very least.
“It’s fine. The crash didn’t hurt. I’ll have a couple of bruises,” he said quickly. “See you at lunch. I’m going to bathe.”
“Zayden—”
“Have a nice morning,” he said, walking away.
She stood in the clearing and watched him disappear. A little stung, she walked back to her home and went to the porch at the front door and stared at the clearing.
The sting didn’t hurt like Luykas’ refusal of her had. It was just a little thing like being stabbed with a small needle. Her heart didn’t tighten, and her eyes weren’t burning with the need to cry, but something stung.
The morning had been going so well. I shouldn’t have…what was I even doing? It wasn’t safe for him. It proved he could do more, but it wasn’t smart.
She rubbed her hands together, annoyed. She needed to go to training with the females soon, but she didn’t move, her eyes still on her clearing. She heard a door and looked for the source, seeing Trevan and Emerian leaving their home. Both were smiling, laughing at something one of them or Dave had said. Luykas landed in the clearing in front of their house and turned to her, frowning.
She shrugged. They still weren’t really good, she and her third husband, the male she knew of at all times, thanks to the blood bond. The love was there, no doubt, but he hadn’t yet come home. He was taking a lot of time for himself. His absence and Zayden’s behavior compounded, multiplied by Bryn’s absence and Mat’s busy schedule. Feeling too much for a moment, she pushed those feelings through the bond to him. His eyes went wide, and he walked over, leaving the two confused younger males standing where they were.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, the concern in his voice very real. He stopped below her feet, looking up, his gold eyes radiating the same concern that was in his voice and blood.
“Just feeling a bit stung.” She looked at his face, sighing. She couldn’t figure out what just happened with Zayden, but she could fix this right now. That could ease some of the sting. “When are you coming home?”
“Do you want me to?” he asked softly.
“Yes,” she said softly. “As long as you understand…”
“I know exactly what I did, and I’m a fucking prick. Can we talk about it after training?”
“Yeah.” Nodding quickly, she tried for a smile. “This morning was going well, then suddenly it wasn’t.”
“We all have those mornings,” he whispered. “If you’ll have me, I’ll come home. I didn’t want to end my self-imposed exile until I knew you would have me.”
“Bryn’s gone, and you’re never home, and Mat’s busy, and I’m busy…”
“But those have been going on for two weeks,” he said so quietly, she almost didn’t hear him. His eyes became curious and not in a good way. She knew a male who thought his female had been unduly hurt. He would kill someone for her if she wanted him to. Whoever made her sad, even if it was her own males. “What happened? Where’s Zayden? You two are normally still training at this time.”
“I’ll explain later,” she promised. “So, you’ll come home when you’re done with them?” She nodded to Trevan and Emerian, who were both watching and quickly looked away, trying to seem as if they hadn’t been curious. They were funny. It was obvious they were the closest of friends, but she didn’t know what to do with them, and her natural inclination was to avoid them because of that, especially Trevan. If it had just been Eme
rian, she knew what she would do.
He’s pretty, him and his damned plain face. Someone needs to fix that. It’s starting to annoy me. His blood-red wings, horns, and tail need that final piece. Why had no one offered it to him yet?
She wondered if the mutt was avoiding it.
“Mave?” Luykas said softly. “I think you’re scaring them.”
“I want to ask you about them when you come home,” she said finally, looking back down at him. “I think I’m going to take the day.”
He lowered his head respectfully, then walked away, gesturing for his two students to follow him. Mave went inside once they were out of sight. She busied herself with her home, something she rarely did. Going into her bedroom, she looked through all of her things, organizing them in new ways and putting Bryn’s chest next to hers, missing him.
Why do we keep sending him on these damn missions? At least Nevyn and Varon are with him, and he has a unit this time around.
It was the only reason Mave agreed to the entire ordeal.
She didn’t know how long she’d fiddled with her room when Luykas walked in, smelling of sweat and dirt. Maybe to other races, that smell would be unattractive, but she didn’t have to turn around and see him to get excited and nervous about his presence. Just that smell, one of a male who knew how to work hard, prepared her, like sparking kindling.
“What are you doing?” he asked, unsure.
“Missing Bryn. Missing you. The bed has been empty with just Mat and me,” she answered. “Then there’s Zayden…”
“What happened?” he growled softly.
She turned to stare at him, soaking in the planes of his tan face, accentuated by the bright ivory white tatua, just as vibrant as fresh snow on a bright afternoon. His gold eyes were hard, strong, and impenetrable.
“I think I flirted with him, and it upset him,” she answered, sitting down on a chest at the side of the room. “He has a wonderful smile, you know.”
Something softened in her prodigal husband immediately. He visibly relaxed, and his lips toyed with a smile.
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