She leapt to him, carefully checking his heart and lungs.He was alive, for now.A new wound on his abdomen was already bleeding profusely.The last, unmarred section of his shirt completely soaked in a matter of seconds.
A hunting cry told her Ember was back and had spotted their defeated opponent.Swooping low, she careened through the trees.The air hummed under the beat of wings, ruffling her hair as the hawk came to an abrupt halt, landing on the rock above them.
Melody comes with your healing bag.Ember showed her an image of her horse carefully maneuvering the hillside.She’d arrive within moments.Fight together?
He protected me.The concept still stunned her.We fought together.
You will keep him, then?
Laughing without mirth, she stared at the injured warrior as she put pressure on his abdominal wound.A spark of yearning flickered to life within her soul.As a guardian, Daya’s life was solitary and physically bound to the sacred earth she’d vowed to protect.Her life and soul weren’t hers to give.She’d given up the right to keep anyone long ago.
Pushing away the spiraling thoughts, Daya studied his shoulder.His forceful movements had worsened the deep injuries.He’d be lucky to keep his arm if the new wound on his abdomen didn’t kill him before she could sew it closed.As soon as Melody found them, she’d pack his wounds with her healing herbal paste and bind them.It was the best she could do until they reached her home and had access to more supplies.
We’ll take him home for now.
Through the mountain, Ember suggested.
Yes.The shorter route to her home on the other side of the mountain was his only chance at surviving.He’d probably be unconscious for most of the journey through Hannelore’s inside passage, which was for the best.The path to the sacred heart of the mountain was kept hidden for a reason.
He needs a name,she mused to her winged companion.His head is damaged, his memories gone.
Ember cocked her head to the side and ruffled one wing as she studied the golden-haired man.Daya wished she could see the bright, living green of his eyes.
Fought well, like your sky hunters,Ember said.
Sky Hunters… the mythic warriors of the sky who harnessed the power of the storms, transforming into thunderbirds and defending the land until the golden sun shined once more.
Her father’s voice echoed through her childhood memories from before she’d become a guardian.His deep, crackling voice telling her favorite story every time it stormed.Daya’s hawks, Ember and Ereven, had taken a liking to the birdlike warriors of Eldrin legend.
Raiden.We’ll call him Raiden.Like the great sky hunter.He’d earned the name in his valiant efforts to protect her.He can borrow the name until he’s strong enough to remember his own.
Chapter 2
Inside Passage, Hannelore Mountain, Realm of Eldridge
Thesofttrickleofwater lured him to wakefulness, promising peace if he made it all the way into the light.Following the temptation, he fought his way to the surface and was rewarded with the blinding crush of pain.His arm and shoulder throbbed with pure fire, overshadowing his other injuries.
Images of a battle flooded his mind, pulling him back into the murky darkness.
He instinctively threw himself the last few feet toward his partner, taking them both to the ground as arrows pierced the air above their heads.Rolling, he tried to determine where the threat was coming from.
One of their own was engaged in combat on the far side of camp, as was a huge black warhorse, who screeched and kicked a second soldier to the ground.
More arrows thudded around them, aimed in a threatening but aimless manner—a distraction to keep them down.
“I’ll take air, you take ground,” his partner said, pushing off his knee with a curse and darting to cover in the direction of the archer.
Rolling up and releasing his sword, he leaped toward the two men approaching him.An arrow clipped his side on its way past, sending sparks of fire through him.
Spinning to keep his opponent’s back to the archer instead of his own, he attacked with force.The second man intervened, forcing him to split his attention between the two men.
A woman’s enraged scream froze the air in his lungs for a split second.The edge of loss in her voice seared him with a visceral slice, sickening his insides.He knew that sound, had felt it, screamed it before.
Physical pain hit in the next instant, his arm and shoulder flooding him with wave after wave of brutal heat.Vision clouding over as his mind scrambled to block the pain, it was all he could do to stay on his feet, conscious.Switching his sword to his other hand, he brought it up too late to block a deep cut to his chest.
The high-pitched terror of a little girl’s scream pierced through the sounds of the ongoing battle.Gray movement at the edge of his vision told him that his horse was actively defending the girls.
His strength began to wane as he fought off the double assault.A sharp jab followed by a kick had him crashing to the ground, head hitting something with blunt force.
