Stupid creatures. Their magic would never lure her.
They landed in a tree near the first smokestack and looked down. The campsite was empty. They took off again and headed toward the second plume of smoke.
Camping below were two men.
“That’s got to be Seren,” Ferona said, eyeing a tall, slender middle-aged brunette man setting up traps around their campsite, his wrist bearing the same matching tattoo as the other Rising members. “And that looks like how Benny described Kalon.” She nodded toward a large man in his late thirties with a hulking frame and long, dark hair tied back into a braid with a leather tie at the end. Both men were armed with swords.
Kalon looked up at the dark trees where the three Corvids hid, his bright eyes studying the area.
“Let’s make ourselves known. Kalon senses us already,” Roya said as she took off from the branch, diving deep into the oak forest. Feich and Ferona followed. Roya cawed loudly and swooped into the middle of the men’s camp, immediately shifting into her human form.
Kalon and Seren quickly lunged at her with their swords, trying to slice through her. Roya laughed as she danced out of the way, twirling like a wind goddess as she avoided their strikes. Her long hair twirled through the air, flowing like water.
Ferona and Feich landed nearby, shifted into humans, and watched the two men pursue their sister, chuckling.
“You will not catch her like that, boys,” Ferona called out as she played with her long, blue claws.
The men stopped and stared at them, seeing them for the first time.
“What the fuck do you troublemakers want?” Kalon shouted as he held his sword up, ready for a strike at any moment.
“We’re apparentlyfriends,” Feich said with a roll of his eyes. “Benny sent us to find you.”
“What the hell are you?” Seren asked with his sword held high, untrusting of their words.
“We’re Corvids, and we have a message for you and a plan. The Rising needs your help. More has happened in the last couple of days, and they need to escape Joro to find Benny’s sister, Seda,” Roya said as she gracefully walked around the men.
“Why’re you walking around us like we’re food, then?” snarled Seren.
“It is in my nature,” Roya said with a small smile and a shrug. “But alas, we’re not here to harm you two. The Camp now has Seda, and we must get her out. Benny has requested our help to find youtwo and bring you back to the south end of the Murkway so they can meet you there.”
“When?” asked Kalon. “We’re on our way to the Camp now.”
“Tomorrow night,” Roya answered. “We will help meet Benny and the others. We saw some Hailecs in these woods as we looked for you.”
“Crap. We thought we lured them away for the night with some traps and false fires, but there must be more out there,” Seren replied.
“We leave now,” Roya commanded.
The men packed up their belongings, threw large logs onto the fire, creating a visible plume of smoke for any monsters who might be interested, and headed northwest through the oaks.
The screeching sounds of distant monsters traveled through the cool night air.
Chapter 20
Seda
Seda woke up to the sound of Esper screaming. She jumped up and hurried the nine steps she knew to the bars, grasping onto them as she called out, “Esper! Are you okay? Esper!”
Esper’s painful moans calmed, but she continued to breathe heavily. “I think something is happening to me. My baby.”
It couldn’t be true. Esper was taken during the previous Wyrd. She had only been gone a little over six months. How quickly had she become pregnant after being chosen? If this baby were coming, it would be premature. If this baby were coming now, there was something wrong with her friend and the baby.
Esper groaned loudly in pain again. “My baby. My baby. They can’t have you. They cannot take you from me.”
“Help! Someone, please help!” Seda yelled down the hall, tryingto get anyone’s attention for medical aid. An orange, flashing light silently flickered on and off in the corridor.
Thundering, heavy footsteps approached her, and she saw Elco’s glowing eyes coming closer. She stepped back from the bars, careful not to hit the wall, as the warmth of his breath surrounded her. He peered into Esper’s cell, then turned to look at Seda.
