Note to self, never make that noise again.
Pigeon and I carefully climb higher on the Cynas’s leg. She doesn’t so much as flinch, too distracted by all the new activity around her head as the other gryphons work to finish off the last of the evil Mogus. Pidge and I get high enough off the ground that it’s safe to make a leap for it, and we shove off of the angry mama Cynas just as she starts booking it in the direction of her mate.
The other gryphons back off too, and Pigeon and I waste no time getting as high up in the air as possible. Fear and adrenaline slam through our veins like a tsunami, and I watch the Cynas run way faster than an animal that size should be capable of. She meets up with her mate, and they get all nuzzly, and neither Pigeon or I can help theawwwthat bursts open inside our chest.
Pigeon and I quickly check in with each other to make sure we’re okay. I praise her quick thinking and skill, and she sends me wing fives and images of us leaping to safety and not giving up. I laugh as we recount our near misses with death and compliment each other and the roles we each played ridding this Cynas of Mogus.
Warmth moves through us as a bond that’s been missing, but desperately needed, starts to solidify. We’re not at odds with each other in this moment, and that’s rare for us. I send out a tendril of apology, and Pigeon sends me an image of her head butting against mine. I laugh and Pigeon does that funny chuffing purr sound.
“We’re a pretty good team when we want to be,”I point out, and the chuffing grows even louder.
We start to make our way back down to the destroyed forest floor, the rescue team now far off in the distance chasing down some stray Mogus.
I want to try and get Pigeon and me on the same page, but I’m not sure how to extend the hand of friendship. We don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, and I don’t think that’s going to change just because we survived this clusterfuck together. I do want us to trust each other more, because like it or not, we’re stuck with each other, and we need to find a way that makes life work for both of us. Our talons and paws touch down in the dirt, and I open my mind to say exactly that to her.
A huge white gryphon slams down to the ground in front of us. Pigeon and I shield our face from the debris and dirt that flies up from the other animal’s impact. Concern and worry slam into us, and images of us almost being trampled and worry and loss flood my mind. I’m not sure what the fuck is going on, but when Pigeon and I look up and our eyes lock on the blue and purple stare of the gryphon in front of us, it’s like someone sparked a match and then lit our insides on fire.
A rushing burn flashes through me and Pigeon, and through the pain and shock of it, I recognize that this isn’t the first time it’s happened. Images of writhing on the ground after freeing Zeph in the woods streak through my mind. He said it was because of the rope I shredded, but I didn’t touch some magical rope this time. The brutal and familiar feeling sends me reeling, but I can’t make sense of anything when I hurt this bad.
Pigeon and I hold on to each other as we ride out the pain. We wrap our psyches in walls and defenses and hope we can come out of this like we did with Zeph and Ryn. Something niggles at the back of my mind as I think about Zeph and Ryn, but I can’t grasp it through the pain. Black spots impede our vision, and my initial reaction is to fight it. I don’t want to be knocked unconscious just to wake up in some new kind of nightmare. We have to stay away, to stay alert. We have to protect ourselves.
Everything starts to get blurry and shaky. I whimper and try to fight against it. I want to stay awake. I plead with Pigeon to help me. I’m so fucking tired of being vulnerable and suffering because of it. She sends images of me wrapped up in her wings as she watches over me. Love and safety ripple through me, and it’s the last thing I feel before the darkness takes me against my will, and I have no choice but to succumb to it.
8
“We found evidence of a large camp in the mountains, but all that was left was the upturned ground in the now abandoned clearing. We were unable to find a gate, and there was no sign of a lone female or a black and white gryphon,” a lean male informs Zeph, who stares out past the opening in the room blankly.
“What are the Avowed doing in the Amaranthine Mountains? They’ve never hunted or shown much interest in the area before,” Zeph observes.
The lean male doesn’t answer, and it seems Zeph’s question is in fact rhetorical, because he doesn’t seem bothered by the silence that accompanies them.
“We did come across tracks for several net guns and discovered a deployed net that had washed ashore from the lake. It was impossible to tell what the tracks around the lake were from as they were old and disturbed, but we couldn’t identify any sign of big game having been caught. Maybe the Avowed were training, or maybe they were looking for something. It’s impossible to say at this time. Have you heard from Altern?” he asks cautiously.
“I have, just recently. He said that he’s found what we need but that he has to work out a new exit plan. It seems he’s bringing back some of the others embedded with the Avowed,” Zeph informs him.
“If the timetable we’ve set sticks, then that’s probably for the best,” the male responds.
Zeph gives him a nod and then a dismissive wave. The scout bows and then turns to exit the room. I lean against the wall, wondering what my subconscious is trying to tell me with this dream. Is it trying to convince me that Zeph misses me or that he’s a threat?
“So you appear in the waking hours now too,” Zeph rumbles, turning to lock eyes with me. “Figures you would haunt me now like the others used to,” he comments, his golden stare running over me.
“Others?” I ask, my voice just above a whisper.
Zeph sighs and leans his head back against the throne he’s seated in. “Yes, my mother used to come to me when I was younger. After my brother, Issak, died, I saw him for a while, and now there’s you.” Zeph’s breath catches, and worried honey-hued eyes land on mine again. “Does this mean you’re gone, little sparrow?” he asks, his voice choking on the fear that’s bleeding out of it.
I step away from the wall, lured closer by his panic and my need to chase it away. “I’m alive,” I reassure him, confused by what any of this is supposed to mean.
My mind is clearly fucking with me. Zeph is all hard edges and distrust. He’s none of the softness and melancholy I see in front of me right now. My subconscious has painted him with all the wrong emotions.
Relief fills his exhale, and he looks away, his gaze focused on something outside that only he can see. “Will you haunt me forever?” he questions quietly.
“I hope not,” I tell him. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to make of all of this, but I’m sure these dreams will stop when I put it all together,” I add as I trace the angle of his jaw and the curl in his hair with my eyes.
I jump when out of nowhere alarms start blaring. I slam my hands over my ears and watch as Zeph shoots out of his throne, the sad and lonely male replaced by a leader ready for whatever is coming. The tall black doors to the room are shoved open, and Loa comes charging in.
“Syta, the Avowed are advancing—”
A snarl fills the room, cutting her off, and I move closer to her before I even know what I’m doing. The threatening sound is pouring out of me unchecked, and I see Loa’s eyes widen with shock and fear as she turns to find me moving toward her.
