Wings of Lomay (Solus Series Book Four)

by Devri Walls

  “When we get to the ground, you heal Kiora. I am going to take care of the foxes,” Alcander said, his face pale and pinched in pain.

  Arturo was thick with lather under his heaving sides. He had been flying for nearly twenty-four hours straight.

  “Follow tight,” Alcander said. “Let the back end of your fox hang out of the bubble—the pack needs something to follow or they will start to wander.”

  Emane inched the fox back. They dropped into a dive.

  Arturo landed near a small outcropping of thin and drooping trees. As soon as Alcander’s feet hit the ground, pain exploded behind his eyes. He cried out, falling to his knees.

  Emane leaped off his fox. “Alcander!”

  Alcander wrapped his hands around the back of his neck, rocking back and forth. The hair on the side of his head was tinged pink. Emane reached out, shoving Alcander’s hair to the side. Dried blood was crusted around his ears and a fresh line dripped down his neck.

  Emane frowned. “Alcander, how long have you been bleeding?”

  Alcander shuddered and forced himself up. “Heal her.”

  “This is killing you,” Emane snapped. “We have to do something.”

  “I don’t know how much longer I can fight this, Emane. You have to heal Kiora.” Alcander steeled himself for a moment and then jumped on to the fox Emane had just dismounted. He kept his bubble up as his fox rose back to the air, leaving a tail and two back legs for the rest of the pack to follow.

  Emane trailed a wobbly and exhausted Arturo through the enclosure Kiora had built. Drustan shifted into human form behind him.

  She was lying on her side. “Kiora!” Emane ran to her, dropping to his knees. A blackened wound on her arm was swollen, the edges shiny red with thick red streaks that ran up and over her shoulder, disappearing under her shirt. She was flushed and sweating from a fever, her hair matted around her face and wound through the dried grass. She thrashed, moaning.

  He leaned forward to heal her just as she yelled Jasmine’s name. Magic flashed out from her body in a wave. Drustan was able to put up a shield, but Emane was kneeling in front of him and caught the brunt of the blast. It picked him up, throwing him clear out of the barrier. He coughed, shaking his head to clear it before getting to his feet and running back through. Arturo was lying on the ground. If it wasn’t for the way his sides were still rising and falling from his flight, Emane would have thought he was dead.

  “He’s all right,” Drustan said, following Emane’s worried look. “Just exhausted.”

  Emane eyed Kiora. Waves of magic rolled over her, rippling greens and reds, and he worried another burst was coming. He inched forward. His elbow throbbed from his landing, but he didn’t dare waste magic on himself, not until he knew what he was going to need for Kiora. He reached out. He had barely touched her skin when magic jolted through him. He jerked his hand back, swearing.

  “Emane—” Drustan began, then clamped his mouth shut.

  Emane looked over his shoulder. “Any chance you could help me out with a shield?”

  “Look out!” Drustan shouted as Kiora arched her back. Magic arced, leaving her body and impacting the ground around her.

  Emane scrambled backwards, falling when his bad elbow collapsed beneath him. “Come on, Drustan. It’s not safe in here. She has lost control of her magic—we need to hurry.”

  Drustan rushed forward, pushing out as large of a shield as he could. It wasn’t terribly impressive and Emane could barely squeeze behind it. “You still aren’t going to be able to touch her without putting yourself in danger.”

  “I know. Drustan, you said something was causing Alcander’s headaches—current magic. There’s only one way I can think of that someone would have access to Alcander’s mind, and that is through Kiora. If I don’t pull her out of this, both of them are going to die. If you see any other options, now would be a good time to tell me.”

  Drustan nodded and opened a hole in the shield for Emane to slide his hand through to heal Kiora. The barrier around them began to flicker.

  Drustan looked up in alarm and Arturo struggled to his feet.

  “Jasmine’s here with the talisman,” Drustan yelled. His shield failed and the barrier flickered again. “We don’t have long before the barrier goes down.”

  Kiora’s magic diminished under Jasmine’s power, but it still rippled over her body—uncontrolled and dangerous. Emane waited, hoping the talisman would decrease Kiora’s magic enough that he could heal her without killing himself.

  The barrier around them vanished.

  “Emane!” Drustan yelled. “We have to get out of here.” He shifted into a Winged person, twice the normal size, before it was too late.

  There was no choice. Emane lunged forward and grabbed ahold of Kiora’s arm—healing. His body seized under her magic. He threw his head back, yelling out in pain, but refused to let go.

  Kiora heaved a great gasp of air and her eyes fluttered open.

  The magic released him and Emane collapsed to the ground.

  ***

  KIORA WOKE TO DRUSTAN yelling, “The talisman, the talisman! Take off the mesh!”

  Kiora sat up, ripping the covering off.

  “We need some protection,” he shouted. “Jasmine’s almost here.”

  Kiora threw a bubble and looked around.

  Drustan picked up Emane, who lay limply over his arms.

  “What is going on? What’s wrong with Emane? Where’s Alcander?” she yelled, struggling to her feet.

  Arturo was covered in sweat and foam, and struggled to walk. Lomay’s, he thought between giant breaths. You have to get to Lomay’s. Climb on. The dark tendrils of the Shadow appeared, far too close for comfort.

  Arturo, no. You can’t carry me.

  Call me some wind. I will be fine.

  “Kiora! Where are we going?” Drustan asked. He wasn’t looking at her, but at the steadily growing black Shadow.

  “Lomay’s.” Her stomach dropped. Alcander’s thread had just appeared down the cliff. She whirled around to see him standing on the edge, his white hair blowing back behind him. “No!”

  The Shadow stuttered and then turned, heading straight for Alcander.

  Alcander was trying to draw Jasmine away from them. Little did he know he was pulling her straight where they needed to go.

  Kiora climbed onto Arturo, calling the fiercest wind she thought Drustan and Arturo could handle. It blew them toward the manor, right behind the advancing Shadow.

  Alcander waited until the Shadow was dangerously close before stepping back through the enchantment that protected Lomay’s house.

  “Hold on, everyone,” Kiora said as she dropped her bubble.

  The Shadow turned on her. The black covering fell away to reveal Jasmine. Her silky green dress whipped out behind her in the wind, and she raised her chin as if defying Kiora to try anything.

  Kiora yelled and threw out two shots. The first bolt of magic caught Jasmine in the stomach, pushing her backwards. The other caught her arm and flipped her to the side. Putting the bubble back up, Kiora used the wind to help push Arturo over the cliff’s edge.

  Jasmine stood, one arm wrapped around her middle, her face seething with rage. Using her other hand, she fired off magic in all directions. Although erratic, it was rapid, and the sky was quickly filled with spheres and bolts of magic.

  Arturo tried to avoid them, but he was exhausted, his movements slow.

  A large and increasing sphere of orange magic was coming in. Arturo leaned to one side, but it wasn’t enough. Kiora dropped her bubble and put up a shield. The sphere impacted, shattering into glass like shards that shimmered as they fell to earth. Kiora’s ears rang.

  With their threads in the open, Jasmine homed in on them. She spun and extended both hands. Multiple shots burst out in rapid succession. Her attack began as small glowing balls, but quickly grew. They spread out, covering feet of space in seconds, continuing to grow larger. It reminded Kiora of the black covering Jas
mine used, the way it expanded—ready to swallow anything in its path.

  Kiora put the bubble back up. They weren’t going to be able to outrun this.

  The first time they had visited Lomay’s, Alcander had shared with them the secret of the house, and how it had stayed undiscovered all these years. That bit of magic was her only hope right now.

  Arturo heard her thoughts and flew straight at where the house would be, Drustan and Emane close behind. The second they hit the barrier, the magic instantly transported them to the other side. Arturo turned, heading back in time to see Jasmine’s hands slowly drop in shock, watching her wall of magic continue toward the ocean without exposing Kiora.

  Arturo veered down to where Alcander had vanished moments earlier. Landing, Kiora dismounted, hurrying Arturo and Drustan through the protection and toward the house, trying not to look at Emane, who was hanging over Drustan’s arms like a rag doll. They crossed over the invisible bridge Alcander had uncovered. Once they were inside, she dropped her bubble and flung out her hand, hitting Jasmine in the back with another shot of magic.

  Jasmine stumbled forward. A shield burst out around her and she slowly straightened as she turned. Her green eyes narrowed before a smile pulled at the sides of her mouth. A moment later, she vanished.

  That smile created a cold pit in Kiora’s stomach. Jasmine had not given up—she left for a reason. Breathing heavily, Kiora put her bubble back up and ran through the enclosure and over the pathway to Lomay’s.

  Pushing the door open, she pulled up short. The foyer was filled to the brim with flying foxes. She looked around. Drustan stood to the side of the door, still holding Emane.

  Alcander leaped over a flying fox and wrapped her in his arms. He pulled her against his chest, breathing heavily in her ear. “I thought I lost you.”

  “I thought I lost you!” she said, shoving him back with both hands. “What were you thinking? She could have killed you!”

  Alcander shrugged without an ounce of an apology in his expression.

  Swallowing the lump in her throat and her worries of what could have happened, she turned to Drustan and Emane. “What is wrong with him?”

  Drustan just looked at her.

  You nearly killed him, Arturo thought. You nearly killed all of us.

  Kiora’s face drained of color.

  Drustan glanced toward Arturo. “I am taking Emane up to a bed.” He looked warily at the fox nearest him. The fox was focused intently on him, its ears pinned back. Drustan pulled back his lips, hissed at it, then spread his wings and flew over the foxes and up the stairs.

  “Where did Jasmine go?” Alcander asked.

  “I don’t know, but she’s not done. She knows we’re here.”

  Alcander scowled.

  Kiora was still trying to piece together what had happened after she left the Dragon colony. She looked down at her arm. The blackened wound had nearly vanished. “What happened?” she asked Alcander, running her fingers over the smooth skin. “The last thing I remember was being stuck in a vision with Jasmine. She went to the slave camps . . .” Kiora trailed off as Jasmine’s thread reappeared outside, accompanied by another.

  She ran to the window. Jasmine stood in almost exactly the same spot she had vanished from, her arm wrapped around the neck of a Winged man. She dropped him to the ground and reached out, surrounding him in a ball of red magic. The ball lifted off the ground and the man inside pounded at the edges. His eyes were wide with panic and his wings flapped helplessly behind him. The ball stopped and hovered above Jasmine’s head.

  “I know you are close enough to hear me,” she said. Her voice had been magically amplified and it boomed around the house. “I propose a trade, Solus.” Jasmine spun in a circle, looking and waiting for Kiora to reveal herself. “You for him.”

  Kiora clenched her fists at her sides, her whole body shaking, realizing exactly where Jasmine had gone. “She left to get him!” Kiora ran for the door.

  Alcander grabbed her by one arm, jerking her back.

  “Stop it, Alcander!” she shouted, pulling against him. “She’s going to kill him.”

  He yanked her back against his chest. Wrapping his arms firmly around her, he pinned her arms to the side. “Yes. She will. And then she will kill everyone else when you are gone!”

  Kiora stilled. Her eyes turned mournfully to the red ball visible from the window.

  “Winter solstice, Solus,” Jasmine said, her voice holding traces of amusement. “I will wait no longer than that.”

  The man’s body twisted in the air and his spine snapped. His body settled to the bottom of the bubble before the magic dissolved and dropped him into the ocean below.

  Kiora turned and shoved her head into Alcander’s shoulder. She clenched his shirt in her fists and ground her teeth to prevent herself from screaming.

  “Kiora,” Alcander said, his mouth against her ear. “The winter solstice is in three days. What is she talking about?”

  She couldn’t stop shaking. Alcander rubbed his hands up and down her arms as she took gasping breaths. Sniffing, she finally stepped back and wiped the tears from her eyes. “She’s going to kill the slaves—all of them, just like she killed that Winged man. I have to do something. I can’t just stand there, like . . . like we just did. I can’t, Alcander.”

  “I know.”

  Kiora was unsure what to do next. “I’m going to check on Emane,” she said. “Then we need to talk.”

  ***

  KIORA STOOD OUTSIDE, SUMMONING rocks from the bottom of the cliffs and throwing them out to sea. Alcander and Drustan had explained everything they could about what had happened while she was stuck in her vision.

  The thought of Jasmine in Alcander’s head made her sick—knowing how horrible it was for him. Emane was still unconscious upstairs, and one of her worst fears had nearly been realized. She didn’t know what she would have done if her magic had killed him.

  Alcander came up behind her.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “For what?”

  “For letting her in your head.”

  “I don’t believe she gave you a choice.”

  She wrapped her arms around herself, looking out at the waves. “I watched her take the slaves from the pit, Alcander—all of them. They were terrified.”

  Alcander was quiet for a moment, moving next to her and looking at her as if to discern her intentions. “Where did she take them?”

  “I have no idea. She was very careful once she realized I was there. I saw the inside of where she lives, but not out any windows, or how to get there. She would vanish and materialize from place to place, and no matter what I did, the vision followed her. I don’t even know where I am supposed to go to surrender myself.”

  “Kiora, you aren’t actually—”

  “I just meant, if I did.” She hurriedly cut him off.

  Alcander stepped in front of her, tilting her chin so she would look at him. “She doesn’t need to tell you because everyone knows. The winter solstice celebration is held every year—here.” He stepped back and held out his palm flat. A book appeared. He flipped it open to the page he was looking for and handed it to her.

  The illustration spanned both pages. Countless creatures stood along the coast, hundreds deep. Winged people and others filled the air. Those who could control fire held glowing magical balls in their hands, while others carried torches or candles that blazed in the dark. At the base of the cliff, the ocean was filled with small glowing balls that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

  An answer to her problem began to form. It was cold, and unwelcome, but an answer nonetheless.

  “This is the winter solstice? What are they doing?”

  “Lights are offered to the Creators in remembrance of the Lights they gave to us. It is the oldest holiday and the only one everyone celebrates, regardless of species. At least, we used to until it became too dangerous—now just the Shadow’s followers participate.”

  “The
Lights are the ultimate representation of everything Jasmine lost.” Kiora frowned. “Why would she allow her followers to continue to celebrate it?”

  “I never thought about it like that.”

  A memory fluttered upwards from the heap of thoughts Nestor had left her in the pearl. She snorted, crossing her arms. “It’s her birthday.”

  “What?”

  “The winter solstice celebration was not started as a celebration of the Lights. It was a birthday celebration in honor of Nestor’s daughter.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Very. You said it was in a couple of days, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “I think I have an idea.”

  ***

  KIORA SAT AT THE table in the meeting room, surrounded with books Alcander had summoned for her. She pulled over a piece of paper and quill and drew a rough representation of the cliffs. “The celebration extends from here to here?” she asked.

  “Approximately,” Alcander said, an amused look on his face.

  “What?”

  He grinned. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his ankle over his other knee. “Your artistic ability is not as advanced as your magic.”

  “Funny.” Pursing her lips, she used one finger to slide the paper toward him. “How far are we from where the celebration starts?”

  Alcander made an “X” a little ways down the coast. “Maybe half a mile—maybe.”

  Kiora pulled a book closer. “It says here I can make an enclosure by connecting it to anything. I have always done it with trees or rocks. Do you think if I made an arch and connected both sides to the ground, it would work?”

  “Try it,” Alcander said.

  Leaning down, she touched the ground, repeated the incantation, and moved her arm up and over in an arc, touching back down on the other side. It fizzled and died as soon as she released it. “That’s what I was afraid of.” She sighed.

  “I would love to help, but you still haven’t told me what you are trying to do.”