The Rozzer roughly threw her into the cell and slammed the door.
Out of nowhere, a dark cloud of smoke erupted, and the people on stage were suddenly gone in a loud explosion. The cell, Lord Mordred, and everyone else on the stage disappeared when the smoke cleared.
Cahir ran onto the stage and frantically felt around, pushing his way through the smoke, wondering if it was an illusion, but no one was there.
Seda was gone.
Part Two
THE CAMP
Chapter 15
Cahir
“It’s time to go!” shouted Roya as she landed on the stage next to him, her feathers sleek and blood dripping from her claws. “Now!”
Dozens of Rozzers lay dead around them inside the stadium, their mutilated bodies, riddled with deep cuts and exposed organs, scattered across the rocky ground—the red of their blood blending with their red uniforms. Cahir tripped as he ran down the stairs toward the nearest exit and through the open doors.
His mind was in a frenzy. Where had Seda gone? He had to track her down.
The curfew alarms rang out across the city.
This was planned.
Outside, people were fighting off Rozzers, and red streaks stained the roads as he sprinted, slipping through the blood. Cells lined theoutskirts of the Palatium and were already filling with crying men, women, and children, who were being collected into their own cells.
Their cries pierced through the air.
Roya flew ahead with two other Corvids as Cahir followed. Their wings flapped in the wind, creating a breeze that brushed around them. With a quick jump, Cahir hurdled over a man on the ground, who was screaming in agony with his leg twisted to the side.
Cahir was like a flame tearing through a dry forest as he ran. He looked over his shoulder and saw the remaining birds dispersing through the sheen of the dome, heading toward their safety in the distance.
I’m coming for you, Seda…
They reached the edge of Orience, with farm fields and apartments stretching out before them. A line of Rozzers blocked the road in the dark distance, waiting to stop anyone trying to get through.
“Over here.” Roya navigated them to the end of an alley, and the three birds landed gracefully like floating feathers falling from the sky. All three of them shifted into their human forms. Except for their coloring, the women looked identical. Roya had midnight, azure-blue hair, and Ferona had dark hair that transitioned into a baby blue hue at the ends. Feich had dark green streaks through his hair and was built tall and strong with the same feline eyes and pale skin.
“What’s our plan?” Cahir asked as he frantically looked around them toward the end of the alley.
“We need to mask you to get you back to the apartment,” Ferona said as she looked around for any movement. The tall bricks of the walls surrounding them echoed slightly with her words.
“I don’t want to go to the apartment! I need to go after her!” Cahir snarled in response. He was panic-stricken, like a small boat on the sea, charging against monstrous waves. He couldn’t think about anything else. He couldn’t even come up with a solidplan quickly.
“Shh. We need toregroup, Cahir. When you’re safely back inside, we can figure out our next step.” Roya snipped back quietly. She shifted back and landed on his shoulder, draping her wing over him and masking their forms. “We have to be careful.”
Roya’s claws dug into his shoulder. The other two shifted, and Cahir followed them out of the alley. They flew high into the sky, away from the line of Rozzers, as Cahir slowly walked around them, his footsteps light to avoid making any sound.
“What a mess this is,” one of the Rozzers said as Cahir crept past. The hair on his arms prickled, and fear clenched his chest as he sneaked around them, like a kid stealing candy from his father’s secret stash. If they found him, it would be harder for him to find Seda.
“What was this even all about?” another asked.
“I don’t know,” said the first. “Captain told us to collect everyone we could after the curfew rang. Seems unfair to me they held this Wyrd so late.”
Cahir stepped on a stick, and the two looked over in his direction, each quickly readying various weapons. Roya dug her claws in firmly, obviously shaken from the loud sound, and Cahir paused his movement.
“Don’t question our leaders!” snapped a third, grabbing back the attention of the two, who set their weapons back down. “You know what happens when we do. We can end up in those cells alongside the others. Shut up before you get us all into trouble, and watch for people coming this way. Look, I see some coming now.” He pointed at a group of people running toward them. The Rozzers rearmed their weapons.
