Cullen's eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing.
Ellie grabbed a dish towel and pressed it into my hand, wrapping it tight. "You could've warned me."
"It's just a scratch." I flexed my fingers, feeling the sting. "And it ensures they'll know it's really from me. No one can fake my blood scent."
I glanced toward the window where the first pale light of dawn crept through the curtains. "We should wait until nightfall. Less chance of being spotted."
Cullen shook his head. "You'd be waiting for nothing. There's no one out there between here and the lake this time of year. Nothing but forest and mountains and satellite imaging won’t pass over for another few hours. Stay low, follow the treeline, and you'll stay out of sight."
"He's right," Ellie said. "The longer we wait, the more time Declan has to screw stuff up."
I studied the map again, tracing the empty space on the way to Lake Seeley. No towns. No roads to speak of. Just wilderness.
"I'll go now, then," I said, folding the blood-marked message carefully and placing it in my pocket.
"I'm coming with you." Ellie's tone left no room for argument, but I tried anyway.
"It's safer if I go alone. Faster, too. I can...."
"I've never flown with you in daylight," she interrupted. "I want to see what it's really like."
I met her eyes, searching for the real reason. There was determination there, yes, but something else too. Worry for me... and affection.
"Fine," I said, unable to deny her anything. "But you do exactly as I say,” I warned removing my shirt. “No questions."
A slight smile touched her lips. "No questions."
The cold air hit us as we stepped outside. Ellie zipped her jacket higher and looked at me expectantly.
"Hold on tight," I said, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her close against my chest. Her arms came up around my neck immediately, her fingers lacing together behind my head as I engaged the harness.
Then I pushed off.
The ground fell away beneath us as my wings caught the morning air. We rose above the treeline in seconds, the cabin shrinking to a speck below. The wind whipped past us, cold and clean, carrying the scent of pine and snow.
I felt Ellie's grip tighten for just a moment, then relax. Her breath came out in a soft laugh of pure exhilaration.
"Oh my God," she breathed against my ear. "Rickon, this is incredible."
I banked west, following the path Cullen indicated on the map. Below, the forest stretched endlessly, a carpet of dark green punctuated by white patches where snow had settled. Mountains rose in the distance, white peaks sharp against the pale blue sky. I stayed close to the treetops. That way, if we were spotted, hopefully we would appear no different than any other large fowl.
"Look at it all," Ellie said, her voice full of wonder. "I can see for miles. Everything looks so... untouched."
I glanced down at her face. Her cheeks flushed from the cold, her eyes bright and scanning the landscape with amazement. Strands of dark hair had escaped from beneath her hood, whipping around her face.
"It's beautiful," she continued. "I love flying with you. I really do."
Something warm expanded in my chest, something that had nothing to do with the exertion of flight. I held her closer, adjusting our trajectory slightly to avoid a thermal current.
"I love it too," I admitted quietly. The words felt important somehow, weighted with more meaning than just the act of flying. Carrying her through the sky, feeling her trust in every relaxed muscle, hearing the joy in her voice. It felt perfect.
We flew in comfortable silence for most of the journey, the rhythm of my wings steady and sure. The sun climbed higher, turning the sky from powder to brilliant blue. Ellie's weight against me felt familiar now, natural, as if she'd always belonged there.
The lake appeared suddenly through a gap in the mountains, a vast expanse stretching between ridges of dark stone and evergreen. Ice caught the sunlight and threw it back in blinding sheets of reflection.
"There," I said, angling downward.
As we descended, the fishing shacks came into view. They dotted the frozen surface like scattered stones, maybe twenty of them in total. Most were simple wooden structures, painted in faded red, green, and blue. A few were more elaborate, complete with stovepipes jutting from the rooftops.
