Mouth agape, I watched as they crashed violently to the earth. Grass and dirt sprayed up where they hit, each eagle and rider slamming into the ground so hard they made a booming sound on impact.
When the wind died down, they were motionless, weapons thrown free, wings and limbs at terrible angles.
All dead.
You should have told me you wanted to take care of them yourself,Tempest said with a little huff,I would have prepared myself for the onslaught of wind.
I didn’t—I tried—
I couldn’t even form the words. My breaths came quickly. I had intended the wind to merely push them to the ground—not violently assault and kill them. Could I even still communicate with Shazeera?
I’m here,she said.Our bond is unharmed.
I closed my eyes and let my breath out in a rush. Thank the Mother for that, at least. I could call the wind, and I could unleash its power without harming our bond, but I couldn’t control it.
With shaky hands, I glanced over at Talon, unsure how he might react to the fact that I had blasted the men he used to command from the sky. But he was still engaged in battle with his own soldiers. Neo and another eagle had locked claws and were spinning through the air in a deadly dance.
Movement from the palace drew our attention. A sinking sensation overtook me as I watched Emperor Altair stride onto the field, accompanied by fifty more guards. The moment she saw him, Shazeera reared, nostrils flared, as she trumpeted a warning. But I didn’t need her superior senses to see for myself what had happened.
A dark aura surrounded Altair now, and even from here, I could see his eyes had turned entirely black, no whites to be seen.
We need to get Shazeera now,I told Tempest.Before he orders the guards to harm her.
Agreed,Tempest said, flying back toward her.
The emperor and his guards tracked our flight, but Tempest was too fast for them to mount an attack.
Tempest hovered over Shazeera, his wings beating hard enough to make the guards stumble and to rip their spears from their hands. Even Shazeera swayed against the strong wind he created. Then he wrapped his claws around her sides and lifted her as easily as he had me. The chains snapped like threads.
Are you all right?I asked her.I’m so sorry you have to be carried again.
Anything to get off this mountain.
We’ll be home soon,I said.
I turned to signal Talon and Neo, but at the same time, an Eagle Rider closest to Talon had brought out that same cylindrical weapon I had seen before. The rider aimed it at Neo and fired.
I shouted a warning as an enormous net ejected from the weapon, but it sped through the air like lightning. It landed over Talon and Neo, and they plummeted in a snarl of ropes and wings.
“Talon!” I screamed, and the wind surged up in answer to my fear.
Neo thrashed to try to free himself from the net, while Talon’s blade hacked at the net’s strong ropes. I nearly collapsed with relief when I saw they were alive.
Emperor Altair’s guards surged toward them, while some of the other Eagle Riders landed.
Use your wind power,Tempest said.
I could feel it, hovering just beneath the surface of my skin, waiting.I can’t,I cried out to him mentally.I have no control. I could easily kill Talon and Neo.
Before Talon could even cut through one of the ropes, the guards surrounded them. Talon’s gaze met mine. “Go!” he shouted from across the pasture.
Tears sprang to my eyes. I shook my head.
“Zara, go!” he shouted again as they pulled him away from Neo.
I must get you to safety,Tempest said.
I thought of Shazeera, who dangled from his claws. Tempest couldn’t fight back now, and I couldn’t trust my control over the wind. I might just as easily kill Talon and Neo. My breaths came in a panicked rush. I couldn’t save him.
