A group of redbills soon flew toward us, drifting low over the sand and the few blooming desert bushes. The sun was already beating. The vampires moved to greet the birds, some calling out to them, names and growls.
"Soldiers assigned to redbills, double-check your weapons and munitions if you haven't already, then please join your vampire," Clemmins directed.
Bryce's face was hard, as usual, but the spark hadn’t left his eyes. Every time I spotted it, more of my anxiety turned to thrill. Sike slouched beside him, his expression somewhat miffed. Due to his injury, he would have to ride in the plane for the operation.
As we approached the vampires, some of the redbills tossed their heads and screeched. Louise's pace faltered, but she quickly recovered. That was the tough, quiet girl I knew. I made sure to keep my footsteps steady, as I didn’t want the redbills to think they had the upper hand. Some of the other soldiers’ hands hovered over their handguns, which made a lot of the vampires fidget.
With barely a conscious decision, I found myself gravitating toward Dorian and his bird. Roxy went to Bravi, Gina to Rhome, and Zach to Kreya. Sarah had the guts to cautiously approach Kane, who spoke to her without looking at her. Her face turned from eager to apprehensive as Kane instructed her, but she maintained intense focus. Each of the vampires, in turn, accepted yellow tags that the Bureau guards affixed around their ankles. Thoth even bent over to help the guard adjust his. Harlowe said “Thank you” once she’d received her tag. For as cold and bitter as some of the vampires were, it seemed to be evenly balanced by the others’ manners.
"We meet again," I said to Dorian and his bird. Dorian’s shoulders were held squared and confident under his cloak, and he rolled up the thick cream fabric of his sleeves. The bird tossed its head and snapped, looking less than pleased at my arrival, insofar as I could guess any emotions in that round, red eye.
"Lieutenant Sloane, I ask that you refrain from pulling feathers, making sudden noises, or making forceful movements around our friend here," he said formally.
"Yes, Captain," I replied, holding back the beginnings of a smile.
"Please maintain a safe hold on me until we've landed,” he continued.
"Happy to be here on Redbill Airlines."
A soft chuckle caught in Dorian’s throat. I tightened my gloves and adjusted my handgun holster.
All around us on the tarmac, other vampires taught soldiers to mount the birds. Dorian simply leapt onto his and stretched out his hand. I took it and slid up behind him, with a weird wave of déjà-vu.
Some of the storks eyed the Bureau aircraft as its propeller blades thrummed. The boarding doors rolled closed as soon as captains, security soldiers, and backup soldiers finished boarding. I adjusted my comm, trying to focus on the mission ahead and not fidget. I hadn’t forgotten what flying on this bird was like, so I braced myself as best I could.
"Let's hope this works." Dorian turned his head toward me, his eyes indicating the small plane. "There are a few unpredictable elements."
"Well, we won't know unless we try," I murmured, my mouth becoming drier the closer we got to takeoff. I mentally checked myself and didn’t let Dorian’s comment get under my skin. It was time to focus.
"Redbill soldiers, sound off when prepared for flight," Captain Bryce's voice barked in my ear.
"First Lieutenant Lyra Sloane ready for flight," I replied, my heartbeat quickening.
"First Lieutenant Zach Sloane ready to fly," Zach added.
As everyone else indicated their readiness, the aircraft pulled off to the right and accelerated down the strip. Our bill watched it warily.
"Redbill soldiers follow post-takeoff,” Bryce ordered.
"Follow the plane," I said in Dorian's ear.
He nodded. He cracked his knuckles above his head, just like I did sometimes, and brushed his hair from his face. He moved his legs closer up under the bill’s wings and tightened his grip. I followed his lead without being told.
The airplane's wheels left the pavement and it curved into the sky, ascending sharply until it banked toward our destination. I cautiously put my arms around Dorian’s firm waist, my fingers now positively tingling from the nerves. I thought I felt him lean back into my chest. My heart was already racing, but it quickened again. Was he doing that on purpose? The thought seemed ridiculous to me—or at least I immediately convinced myself it was ridiculous, so I tossed it from my mind.
Our redbill ran first, and in the sudden bouncing I almost bit my tongue. We were followed closely by the rest of the flock. I glanced back and spotted Zach grinning over Kreya’s shoulder.
All around me, wings extended, flapping loudly. When our bird leapt into the air, I tightened my arms around Dorian's waist. We ascended rapidly, closing in on the plane.
As the facility drifted away below us, the redbill’s ascent straightened, the desert expanding around us as far as I could see. My stomach clenched, but this was nowhere near as bad as the first time. Maybe it was possible to get used to this.
The redbills eased into a V-shaped formation a safe distance from the aircraft, pulling back their initial speed. Our bird led the flock. I caught myself smiling—Dorian led the vampires, and his redbill led the birds.
I wore my sunglasses under my helmet this time, so the bright sunlight didn't blind me. The slower traveling speed made this… almost pleasant, compared to the rides I’d taken with Dorian previously. Not too much déjà vu after all. I watched the sand beneath us turn to hills, then back to sand. Mountains loomed on the horizon.
"Traveling by plane must take ages." Dorian spoke for the first time over the wind.
"Some people enjoy transportation that doesn’t make you sick or deaf," I retorted, and felt his diaphragm move just slightly under my hands as he chuckled.
I watched the side of his face as he looked over the approaching mountain range. His ivory jaw was flawless, and it occurred to me that he didn’t have a single sign of stubble. Ripples under his skin danced under his jaw and up toward his ears, constantly in motion. I didn’t know if that feature of vampires would ever cease to fascinate me.
The cobalt sky was endless and cloudless. The sun continued to rise in the northeast, slowly turning cobalt to turquoise. Sepia peaks dotted the horizon. And after a while, I found myself wondering what it would feel like to hold onto Dorian without the metal breastplate of my suit between us. Would I feel his heartbeat? Did he even have a heartbeat?
I blinked the thought away. There was much about him that I still didn’t know, but I needed to focus on the approaching mission, run scenarios in my head.
As trees and soil blurred together at the base of the mountains, my mind continued to wander. And soon I was thinking back to my previous conversation with Rhome about the redbills. Maybe I should allow myself to just enjoy the ride.
"Rhome told me a bit about communicating with redbills yesterday," I called, attempting to make myself heard without literally shouting into his ear. "Can you hear the redbills speaking to you?"
"It's not exactly hearing," Dorian replied, his voice strained. He tilted his head so the wind wouldn’t snatch his words away. A few strands of his black hair whipped around the side of his face, the sunlight illuminating a shine of sepia undertone. "It's a feeling. We think in words, sometimes, but a lot of what we sense from them is feeling. We've been linked to these creatures for ages, which has created a lot of closeness in our communication."
I scrunched my nose, trying to understand. I guessed what Dorian was describing was a kind of sixth sense, another mode of perception? When I thought of it that way, it did make more sense.
I lost track of time as the sun rose higher, and I decided not to distract Dorian with more questions. Even with his enhanced hearing, the guy struggled to hear me over the wind, and I didn’t fancy drying my mouth out with more yelling.
The mountains soon pulled away behind us, and the desert sprawled out ahead, seemingly endless. A few buildings speckled the landscape here and there as
we passed.
Finally, my comm buzzed in my ear.
"ETA ten minutes," Bryce’s voice announced. "Surveillance has indicated that the target redbills are in flight. Soldiers, inform vampires."
I checked the watch under the lip of my glove. We'd been in the air just under an hour.
"We'll be there soon," I said loudly in Dorian's ear. "The other flock is in the air, too."
“Got it,” he replied as he turned his ear toward my mouth. My lips nearly brushed his earlobe. I didn’t lean back immediately. The sky had fully brightened, and the mountains diminished to mounds. As the minutes ticked past, Dorian's back grew more rigid, and I wondered what he was thinking. My folded hands on his stomach rose and fell with his quickening breaths. Definitely nervous… at least a little.
My own tension heightened in response.
"Target flock spotted at three o'clock," Bryce shot over the comm.
I narrowed my eyes and found a tiny cluster of black dots weaving through the sky in the distance. "Do you see them?" I asked Dorian tightly.
"I’ve got them,” he replied.
We drew closer as the birds calmly circled in the air. I wondered what Dorian and the other vampires would "say" to them. Although the other redbills didn't seem bothered by our approach, Dorian remained tense.
One of the larger wild birds' wings banked, its beak angled toward our group. Even through the wind, I could hear the piercing screams as it signaled to its companions. The rest of the flock dipped and wove faster. They all saw us now.
Their screeching intensified, a raucous chorus that grated on my ears even at a distance. I managed not to flinch, though the sound made my insides quiver.
"What's going on?" I shouted.
Dorian didn’t respond right away. He jerked his head to each side, locking eyes with Rhome and Bravi on our flanks.
Before us, the wild flock gathered into a tight cluster. They rapidly beat their wings to hover, snapping their beaks in all directions. I glanced behind us at the other birds in our formation, noting worried glances from other soldiers. Nevertheless, our redbills continued to approach at a steady pace.
And that's when the biggest bill zeroed in and launched itself at us.
"They think we're dangerous,” Dorian yelled, his arms stiffening against his body and around my own arms. “They're confused by the humans and the plane. Hold on and keep your face covered!"
The other vampires shouted to their passengers, and I saw Gina brace her head against Rhome's back. Our redbills trilled to each other, a sound which quickly escalated into cries.
The other flock attacked.
Dorian had just enough time to fire a sharp glare back at me. "Lyra! Head down!"
As I tucked my chin, our bird went into freefall. From the corner of my eye, I saw the rest of our team follow, their birds tightening their wings against their bodies. I caught snippets of the enemy bills closing in, diving to pursue us. Kane and Kreya's birds spiraled and bolted out to the sides while we held our course, the approaching earth getting larger and larger.
I swallowed. Dorian and his bill wouldn’t let us smash into the ground, would they? I peered back at our flanks. Some of the attacking birds split off and chased our team, but I still heard wings hammering behind us. I hope he knows what the hell he’s doing.
At the last minute, as the ground took up my vision, our bird went into a spin so violent it detached my helmet. The sky and ground bled into one jolting picture. I clung to Dorian, the only sense I had of the rest of the battle coming from my comm hissing in my ear.
"We're under attack!" Roxy hollered, as if anyone could have failed to notice.
With a stomach-rolling jolt, our bird straightened, then swooped upward again. I no longer heard wingbeats behind us, but as I opened my eyes, five other wild bills zipped past us.
The confronting flocks screamed at each other. Above us, an attacker snapped at Rhome’s bird’s wing. I didn’t see if the attack landed, but the bird dropped, quickly passing us on their way to the ground. I prayed it was on purpose. I feared it wasn’t.
I pressed my finger to my comm. "Captain, we're taking hits!" I yelled.
"Cover each other if you can! We're dropping the ladder so soldiers can get off the birds!" Clemmins cut through.
I watched Dorian's head turn as his eyes caught sight of a ladder dropping from the plane, and, as if in sync with his gaze, our bird suddenly swung toward the aircraft.
Then I heard an explosion. A grenade tumbled toward the earth, and its target redbill dove toward us, serrated beak open. Dorian let out a deep growl, just like the first I’d ever heard from him at the church. Our bill dropped so fast I lifted from my seat for a second.
By now every bird was screeching, including Dorian’s, the sound deafening at this range. I heard machine gun fire from the direction of the craft—and the blast of the second grenade.
"The weapons are scaring our redbills. They're not listening!" Dorian bellowed over his shoulder, and I glanced back up at the plane. The enemy birds chased our bills away from the ladder.
"Can you keep the bird steady? I’ll get a ceasefire," I cried. I watched the back of Dorian’s head nod. “Soldiers, hold fire! We’re scaring our own bills,” I snapped into my comm.
I glanced around again as our bird tried to ascend. A wild redbill swooped toward us from the right, gaining on us quickly with huge wingbeats.
"Dorian! Try to divert the flock’s attention! If they chase us, the others can get away."
Dorian said nothing, but his body stiffened in what seemed like fierce concentration, and he placed his hand on the back of his redbill's neck. A noise came from the bird that I'd never heard before, like train wheels screaming to an unexpected stop. It gurgled like a dragon preparing to blast fire. I could only imagine it was a redbill war call.
The enemy bird on our right closed in, but all of the others had pivoted toward us, too.
"Dive again! Dive!" I screamed.
Our bird dove as I spoke, and the wild flock fell in behind us. I held tight to Dorian and looked back. Behind the wings of the pursuit I spotted our team rising toward the plane, no longer in enemy crosshairs.
"We've got them! They're following us!" I yelled. A wave of excitement coursed through me alongside the adrenaline. Dorian responded to me so quickly it practically felt like we were connected beyond our voices.
"I'll keep this up as long as I can," he returned. Another incredibly warlike shriek escaped our bird. The enemy screamed at us from behind.
We were in total freefall again. The largest bill gained on us, staring me down from the right flank. Once again, the ground grew uncomfortably close.
"Dorian, we've got one on the right—pull left!" I shouted.
"We have to push it to throw them off our trail!" he growled back.
The lead bill snapped at our wings. I could see the saw-toothed edge of its beak as it narrowly missed our bird’s outstretched feathers.
"No, Dorian, he's on us!" I screamed.
I saw brush and trees, closer than they had been before—this time, surely, we were going to crash. I opened my mouth to tell Dorian, when something slammed into my back, adding an instant pressure. I cried out, all the air escaping my lungs and my eyes clenching shut.
Through the pain, I felt our bird bank left, sailing on its side. I wrenched my eyes open, blinking back tears to stare into the sky. Above us now, the enemy birds, including the one just pursuing us, pulled back. Then they were whisked out of my frame of vision as we straightened out and whizzed over low-growing brush—so close I could have touched it, scraggly trees whizzing by to our right and left.
The pressure on my back remained. I realized whatever had hit me—likely a beak—had damaged or dented my armor. I tried to inhale, but my throat and chest felt constricted. I yanked on my side-strap, and the back panel of my suit went careening away, followed by my now-unsecured breastplate, which clipped my chin as it bounced up off the bill's back and tumbled away.
My head snapped back, and I tasted blood.
I heard Dorian curse. "Don't let go of me!"
I jerked my head forward just in time to see a thick copse of tall brush. We were heading straight into it.
The bird tried to rise at the last minute, but its feet didn’t quite clear the branches—and then its solid body jerked out from under us, and we went somersaulting through the air. I lost my grip on Dorian’s waist in a tangle of limbs, and we slammed into the ground and rolled together through the spiny shrubs.
Dorian took the initial impact, but our momentum kept us rolling for what felt like forever. My eyes clenched shut as branches clawed my limbs and sand pummeled my face. We slid to a stop, Dorian below me, both of us coughing in the billowing dust.
I groaned and opened my eyes.
All I saw was icy blue.
Our noses were touching. Air heaved out of me. My ears buzzed. Dorian looked paler than usual, his expression grave. His eyes felt as though they were pinning me to the desert sky.
Veins of gray threaded his irises. I felt every motion of his chest as both of us heaved out relieved breaths, still not moving. My heart thundered.
From this close, it was impossible not to notice as his gaze traced my face. His exhales tickled my neck and collarbone, the skin feeling too sensitive where my armor normally covered it. My arms began to shake.
“Your mouth is bleeding,” Dorian murmured.
I blinked the dust away and rolled off him, onto my back.
Trying to recover, I quickly glanced up at the sky. Our redbill was nowhere to be seen—but another cloud of sand swirled. From a crouch, I spotted what looked like Bravi’s bird swooping toward us. Roxy’s absence made me hopeful that she and the other human riders had escaped into the plane.
"Are you planning on helping us or not?" she yelled. "Come on!"
Without a second’s pause, Dorian and I leapt to our feet and mounted Bravi’s redbill. I sat behind Bravi, and Dorian sat behind me. Her bird launched back into the sky. Dorian breathed on the back of my neck.
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