The guards hesitated before holstering their weapons.
But their body language didn't change. They stood ready, coiled tight, watching Nyx like he might explode into violence at any moment. A few rescued civilians shifted nervously, edging back toward the buildings.
I wanted to scream at them. Wanted to point at the dead firebirds and ask if they thought a monster would have done that. But my throat was tight, and Nyx was bleeding and picking a fight would only make things worse.
"You've fought those things before," said Karima.
Her tone was carefully neutral, but I caught the edge of disbelief underneath. Like she couldn't reconcile the image of Nyx as a threat with what she'd just witnessed.
"They almost killed me on our journey out here. I'd be dead if Nyx hadn't healed me." I translated everything for Nyx's benefit,though from the way his head was lolling, I didn't think he was paying attention.
His eyes were half-closed, pupils dilated with pain or blood loss or both. His tail had gone slack, no longer coiling around my ankle in that possessive way that usually drove me crazy. I reached out and touched his uninjured shoulder, needing the contact, needing to feel his warmth and know he was still here.
His eyes opened fractionally. Found mine. His expression softened.
A man about my age shouldered through the crowd carrying a bright red box of medical supplies. "Who's hurt?" he asked. This must be Sutton.
Runa nodded towards Nyx.
Sutton stuttered and blinked. "I don't know how to treat one of them."
He stood clutching his medkit like it might protect him, his gaze fixed on Nyx's claws. The fear was obvious in every line of his body. He took a half-step back.
Damn it.
"He's got scales and skin, and there are lacerations; sew him up and treat for infection." I didn't know if Runa was going to say anything, but I was the most knowledgeable about Drakarn biology here. "The medics in Scalvaris have treated me for cuts and bruises."
Sutton swallowed hard. He looked at Runa, who gave him a sharp nod. Then he moved forward with reluctant determination that came from duty overriding fear.
The medic got to work.
He laid out supplies with shaking hands, antiseptic and bandages and a curved needle already threaded. The smell of alcohol hit my nose, sharp and medicinal. Nyx didn't flinch when Sutton cleaned the wound, didn't make a sound even though it had to hurt like hell.
I wanted to fret over Nyx. Wanted to push Sutton aside and do it myself, make sure every stitch was perfect. But he was in what I was assuming were good hands, and I wasn't going to waste time.
This was our chance. Maybe the only one we'd get.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot," I told Runa. I forced my voice to stay level, professional. The tone I'd used in briefings back on Earth when I needed to convince a superior officer that my plan wasn't completely insane. If there was any chance to salvage this, it was now. "Nyx and I came from Scalvaris because the rescue mission that the Drakarn sent to rescue the humans from Ignarath found they were gone. Our whole goal was to find them—you." Which was mostly the truth. There was no reason to tell them about the politicking in the Blade Council, about the vote that had gone against continuing the search.
"You're saying these Drakarn wanted to help humans," Houston said. He crossed his arms over his chest, his expression skeptical.
Wanted to? I imagined Karyseth's face if she heard that. The high priestess of the Forge Temple wanted nothing more than to get rid of us. But she was an outlier, a fanatic clinging to traditions that most of Scalvaris had already started to question.
"It was bumpy at first, but we've come to understand each other. Scalvaris could help you all, too. They could tell you what it takes to grow food here, better ways to defend against the firebirds. They may stand as your allies against Ignarath if the city chooses to retaliate. Or if another city steps into the fray."
"Another city?" asked Karima.
"It's a big planet."
The words hung in the air. I watched understanding dawn on their faces, watched them realize that Ignarath wasn't the only threat out there. That this world was even more dangerous than they'd thought.
"This all sounds very nice," Runa said. She leaned back against the wall of the nearest building, arms crossed in a mirror of Houston's posture. Her expression was carefully controlled, giving nothing away. "But why should we believe they'd be any different?"
The question was fair. Reasonable. They'd rescued people from Ignarath's slave pits, had seen firsthand what Drakarn were capable of when they viewed humans as property. Of course they were suspicious.
"Nyx and I could be long gone right now. We chose to stay and help."
I gestured at the dead firebirds, at the buildings still standing because we'd fought instead of running. The evidence was right there, written in blood and ash.
