Neo soared over the carnage we’d wrought, flying higher and higher until we could see the entire battlefield laid out before us.
Something has happened to Lieutenant Callum,Neo said after a moment of turning his sharp eyes on the field below.
I looked around the area I had last seen him, and found him on the ground, surrounded by soldiers.
An arrow found its mark,I said grimly.Let’s hope he has time to be transported to a medic.
Neo immediately flew to the other side of the fissure and landed. The soldiers parted as I slid down from Neo’s back and ran to Lieutenant Callum. An arrow protruded from his chest. I knelt beside him, quickly taking stock of his injuries. He struggled to breathe, frothy blood on his lips as he lay prostrate on the ground.
“His lung is punctured,” I said to the nearest soldier. “He needs immediate care by a medic.”
“Yes, Commander,” the soldier said, watching the lieutenant with wide eyes.
“I’ll send for one of the Eagle Riders to fly him to the nextclosest outpost,” I announced, but suddenly, Lieutenant Callum grabbed my arm.
“Trustyou,” he said, his gaze desperately holding mine. “Please,” he said, but uttering the word took a toll on him. He closed his eyes, breathing harshly.
“We’ll fly you to the Chimney Rock Outpost,” I said.
He managed a slight nod, and then the soldiers lifted him up on a travois. The pain must have been unbearable. He lost consciousness almost immediately. Neo laid himself nearly flush to the ground so that they could more easily attach the travois to the back of the saddle. They made quick work of strapping him down so that he lay across Neo’s back, directly behind me.
Low and smooth,I told Neo.
He ruffled the feathers of his neck.No need to tellmehow to fly.
I’m just helpfully reminding you of our mortally wounded passenger.
He turned his head and snapped his beak in a sign of irritation.Hold on to our passenger, then, because I’m taking off.
But before he could, a cry rang out around us. I looked to the skies. Aras led a battalion of fifty Eagle Riders. When the enemy cavalry saw them, their horses screamed a warning, but it wasn’t one of challenge. The horses turned tail and galloped away with their riders, the sound thunderous across the fissure.
“Pursue them,” I told Baz, “but do not engage. Follow them until they have returned to their own territory.”
“Yes, Commander,” he said, and his eagle immediately flew to intercept the others.
I returned my attention to Lieutenant Callum. “Whatever happens now, Lieutenant,” I told him as he still lay unconscious, “you won this battle.”
And soon,Neo added,we will win the war.
8
Zara
I slept through that afternoon, evening, and into the next morning. At some point, Shazeera had left to graze. Just the thought of food had my stomach growling loudly, and I found that someone had kindly left an arrangement of small plates on a tray containing my favorite breakfast foods: sun-dried fruit, bread, soft cheese, and a small silver pot of hot tea. I ate ravenously, pushing all thoughts aside and focusing on my physical needs. They pushed against the walls of my mind like a violent sandstorm, but I refused to acknowledge them.
After eating, I desperately wanted a bath. The cool fresh water of the lake would feel incredible, but for now, I cleaned my body with a soft cloth and perfumed water from my porcelain basin. I changed into a leather-and-gemstone bodice that stopped just short of my belly button, leather leggings, and tall boots. Choosing one of my simpler headpieces, with strands of silver chains and turquoise beads that hung down over my hair and forehead, I pulled my thick hair into a knot at the base of my neck.
When I pushed through the silk that separated my room fromthe rest of the pavilion, I saw Ama in the main room with Dani beside her. Ama’s eyes were closed, and Dani had her hand on Ama’s forehead. Unease churned inside me at the sight of it. It meant my mother still hadn’t recovered.
“Are you feeling unwell?” I asked Ama, coming to her side.
She gave me a wan smile. “Just fatigued. It’s taking me longer to recover this time.”
“Using that much magic at once put a strain on your mother’s body,” Dani said with a glance at me. “Especially her heart.”
A cold sweat broke out over my skin at her words, and I swallowed hard. Losing the wards was bad enough, but if it cost my mother her life…
I couldn’t even let myself think such thoughts.
