His vision darkened and his senses began to fade out, but he fought to hold on.He couldn’t help them if he was dead.The soldiers would be back to finish him before long.
Forcing himself onto his uninjured side, he inched his way toward the shadows just out of reach.The powerful screech of a bird of prey pierced his ears, and he jerked to a stop.
A second sharp, predatory screech sounded too close for comfort, and he opened his eyes to the startling sight of two red-feathered hawks.Perched on a rock near his head, they watched him with avid focus.
His lungs shuddered when he tried to take in a breath and he winced at the constricted feeling.Not a good start.His head and eyes weren’t right either.He blinked several times, picking a rock to focus on until his vision settled.
Had he been dreaming or remembering?His mind was so shadowed, it was hard to tell sometimes.The faded glimpses loomed around him, wrapping dark tendrils around him when he let his guard down.Maybe if he got up and moved around, they would give him some peace.
Groaning, he wrestled his muscles into action and sat up.The effort made his head spin and body throb with pain, but he felt better being slightly mobile in the unknown surroundings.He tried to ignore his unsettling watchers as he looked around.
The colors of the Eldrin forest greeted him, but they were darker and brighter than they should have been.Vibrant.Even the small, flowing stream next to him sparkled with crystal clarity.The enhanced view sent nerves racing up his spine.
Where am I?
He didn’t recognize anything and had no memory of traveling to this place.A pounding started in his head when he tried to think through the last few days.The earlier memory was already fading, even as he tried to grasp it.Nothing but the clash of metal and a desperate need remained.
He needed to remember, needed to get to… something.Someone.He was sure of it, despite the blackness that was devouring his mind.
The lack of information unleashed a wave of anxiety in his gut, and he curled his palm around the air at his chest.He looked down and frowned when he realized there was nothing there.But his hand knew the weight of the pendant that was missing.
He came up blank on what it looked like or what material it was, but he could feel the phantom shape lying protectively against his chest.Strength, safety, home.The depth of wrongness at its absence spurred him to move.
Struggling to his knees with only one arm to support him, he lurched forward onto his feet.Disapproving noises sounded as the hawks flew in front of him to block his path.The larger of the two spread its wings threateningly at him.
Movement near his injured side startled him, and he jerked, his hand clenching at the open air as he fell back to the ground.
“Easy,” a soft, feminine voice said.“You’re safe here.Where were you going?”
“Nowhere.”He glared at the feathered creatures before focusing on the woman.
The beautiful huntress knelt beside him, dark eyes searching his in concern.Leather guards laced up her arms declared her the master of the hawks nearby.The armor was soft, molding to her arms and shoulders perfectly.A sparkling black layer coated the armor.
Her eyes were gentle, her figure as honed as any warrior’s.Strength and beauty intertwined.His breathing immediately eased from the galloping pace it had launched into upon being surprised.He felt trust and rightness wrap around his heart.She had saved him.Protected him.He was certain of it, despite the lack of memory to support his conviction.
“Do you know who I am?”
She smiled at him, eyes warming.“We’ve been calling you Raiden.I’m Daya.”
“We?”Glancing around, he saw no one but the two birds and a horse.
Clearing her throat, Daya glanced away to rummage through a pack.“You seem more stable this time.Do you think you can eat?”
“I’ve been awake before?”That was alarming.
Like the now faded memory he’d had upon waking, he couldn’t remember being alert before.Only vague flashes came to him—the pain of having his arm moved, Daya’s dark hair falling over him as she bandaged his wounds, a horse moving through a cave-like structure.
“It’s been a few days since I found you.Do you remember anything from before?”
The glint of swords clashing.A child’s scream.An overwhelming sense of failure and fear.
His breath stuttered as his pulse sped.“I failed them.”
But… who were they?What choice had he made, and why?Pain sliced through him, driving a wedge into his mind as he fought to remember.
“Stop.Look at me.”Daya squeezed his hand until he complied.“Just breathe with me.You’re hurting yourself by trying to remember.”
He met her eyes, instinctively nodding acknowledgment of the command and matching his breathing with hers as he slowed the panic coursing through his body.
