Bodies littered the ground. Some moving, some not.
The main fighting was concentrated to the north, where I could see humans with those blaster weapons forming defensive lines. They were holding, barely, but the birds kept coming.
"We need to move," Lexa said. Her hand found mine, squeezed once. "This is our chance. We can slip away while they're distracted."
She was right. The chaos provided perfect cover for escape. We could make it to the edge of the settlement, disappear into the desert before anyone noticed we were gone.
No one would stop us. No one would think to try.
A scream cut through the air from the east side of the camp. High and terrified, the sound of someone who knew they were about to die.
My body turned toward it before my mind caught up. Every instinct I'd honed over forty years of warrior training pulled me in that direction.
"Nyx?" Lexa's voice held a question.
I looked at her. Saw the same conflict playing across her face that was tearing through my chest. The tactical part of her brain was screaming to run, to take the opportunity we'd been given. But the warrior in her recognized that scream for what it was.
A call for help.
"We have to help them," I said.
The words came out rough, my throat protesting. But they were true. These humans might have locked us up, might have called me a monster, might have threatened to kill me. But theywere still people fighting for their lives against a threat I knew how to handle.
I was a warrior of Scalvaris. A member of the Blade Council. I'd spent my entire life protecting those who couldn't protect themselves.
I couldn't walk away.
Lexa stared at me for a long moment. Then her expression shifted, something fierce and determined settling into her features.
"Damn it." She checked her knife, made sure it was secure in its sheath. "Let's go."
We jumped from the roof together. I caught her mid-fall, my wings spreading to slow our descent. We hit the ground running, heading east toward the sounds of combat.
The eastern section of the settlement was less defended. Most of the humans with weapons had concentrated to the north, leaving this area vulnerable. Three firebirds circled overhead, picking off targets with brutal efficiency.
A woman ran between buildings. A firebird dove, talons extended.
I was faster.
I hit the bird mid-dive, my claws sinking into its throat. The momentum carried us both into the side of a building. Metal crumpled under the impact. The bird thrashed, trying to get its beak around to my face.
I twisted, used my weight to pin it against the wall. My fangs found its neck, tore through feather and muscle. Hot blood filled my mouth; it tasted like ash and fury.
The bird went limp.
I dropped it, turned to find Lexa already engaged with another. She moved like water, flowing around the creature's attacks. Her knife flashed, found the soft tissue under its wingjoint. The bird screamed, tried to take flight with one wing useless.
Lexa didn't give it the chance. She was on it before it could recover, driving her blade into its eye socket. The creature collapsed, twitching.
"Behind you!" someone shouted.
I spun. A third bird was diving straight at me, beak open in a shriek that promised violence.
I met it head-on. Grabbed its neck as it tried to barrel into me, used its own momentum to slam it into the ground. The impact cracked the packed earth. I didn't let go, just kept twisting until I felt bone snap.
Silence.
I straightened, breathing hard. Blood covered my hands, my chest, dripped from my fangs. My wings mantled, instinct making me look bigger, more threatening.
