Chapter 15
Cahir
“It’s time to go!” shouted Roya as she landed on the stage next to him, her feathers sleek and blood dripping from her claws. “Now!”
Dozens of Rozzers lay dead around them inside the stadium, their mutilated bodies, riddled with deep cuts and exposed organs, scattered across the rocky ground—the red of their blood blending with their red uniforms. Cahir tripped as he ran down the stairs toward the nearest exit and through the open doors.
His mind was in a frenzy. Where had Seda gone? He had to track her down.
The curfew alarms rang out across the city.
This was planned.
Outside, people were fighting off Rozzers, and red streaks stained the roads as he sprinted, slipping through the blood. Cells lined the outskirts of the Palatium and were already filling with crying men, women, and children, who were being collected into their own cells.
Their cries pierced through the air.
Roya flew ahead with two other Corvids as Cahir followed. Their wings flapped in the wind, creating a breeze that brushed around them. With a quick jump, Cahir hurdled over a man on the ground, who was screaming in agony with his leg twisted to the side.
Cahir was like a flame tearing through a dry forest as he ran. He looked over his shoulder and saw the remaining birds dispersing through the sheen of the dome, heading toward their safety in the distance.
I’m coming for you, Seda…
They reached the edge of Orience, with farm fields and apartments stretching out before them. A line of Rozzers blocked the road in the dark distance, waiting to stop anyone trying to get through.
“Over here.” Roya navigated them to the end of an alley, and the three birds landed gracefully like floating feathers falling from the sky.
All three of them shifted into their human forms. Except for their coloring, the women looked identical.
Roya had midnight, azure-blue hair, and Ferona had dark hair that transitioned into a baby blue hue at the ends.
Feich had dark green streaks through his hair and was built tall and strong with the same feline eyes and pale skin.
“What’s our plan?” Cahir asked as he frantically looked around them toward the end of the alley.
“We need to mask you to get you back to the apartment,” Ferona said as she looked around for any movement. The tall bricks of the walls surrounding them echoed slightly with her words.
“I don’t want to go to the apartment! I need to go after her!” Cahir snarled in response. He was panic-stricken, like a small boat on the sea, charging against monstrous waves. He couldn’t think about anything else. He couldn’t even come up with a solid plan quickly.
“Shh. We need to regroup, Cahir. When you’re safely back inside, we can figure out our next step.” Roya snipped back quietly. She shifted back and landed on his shoulder, draping her wing over him and masking their forms. “We have to be careful.”
Roya’s claws dug into his shoulder. The other two shifted, and Cahir followed them out of the alley. They flew high into the sky, away from the line of Rozzers, as Cahir slowly walked around them, his footsteps light to avoid making any sound.
“What a mess this is,” one of the Rozzers said as Cahir crept past. The hair on his arms prickled, and fear clenched his chest as he sneaked around them, like a kid stealing candy from his father’s secret stash. If they found him, it would be harder for him to find Seda.
“What was this even all about?” another asked.
“I don’t know,” said the first. “Captain told us to collect everyone we could after the curfew rang. Seems unfair to me they held this Wyrd so late.”
Cahir stepped on a stick, and the two looked over in his direction, each quickly readying various weapons. Roya dug her claws in firmly, obviously shaken from the loud sound, and Cahir paused his movement.
“Don’t question our leaders!” snapped a third, grabbing back the attention of the two, who set their weapons back down.
“You know what happens when we do. We can end up in those cells alongside the others. Shut up before you get us all into trouble, and watch for people coming this way. Look, I see some coming now.” He pointed at a group of people running toward them. The Rozzers rearmed their weapons.
Cahir carefully stepped over the stick and continued his walk past them.
When he was a safe distance away, he picked up his speed, and Roya took off into the air, his illusion now gone.
His apartment neared, and he ran up the twisted stairs, unlocked the door, and slammed it closed behind him.
He took a deep breath. Sweat was dripping down his back as he paced in the doorway.
I need to find her. I need to find her. I need to find her.
His attention snagged at the portrait of Lord Mordred, and his anger exploded.
He dug his fingers into it and dragged them down, ripping the painting into shreds.
He grabbed the frame off the wall and threw it as hard as he could, smashing it against the table on the other side of the room.
He walked into the bedroom and looked over Seda’s things as he paced next to her bed.
Sparkling light caught his eye. He walked closer and picked up Seda’s necklace from the dresser.
Why wasn’t she wearing it? She rarely took it off.
He placed the necklace into his pocket. He would find her.
Fear raced up his spine when he thought about the dangers she might be in now, that someone could be hurting her.
He walked back out to the living room as the Corvids flew into the apartment from the broken window, landing on the floor. They quickly shifted and looked at Cahir.
“Does anyone know how they teleported?” Ferona asked as she took a step toward the kitchen.
“Mordred must have the stone you’re looking for,” Roya said, glancing from the shattered portrait to Cahir.
“The stone can do that?” Feich asked.
“I should have protected her from this and just taken her away like I wanted!” Cahir snarled, his body on the edge of shifting as his powers encircled him.
People rarely ever came back from the Camp, and Lord Mordred seemed to have a special interest in her. Twice now, he had singled her out and stared at her. What did he want from her? How did he know her?
Does he know she’s special?
The Corvids stood silent and stared at him. Cahir paced around the living room, and the corner of a red piece of paper caught his eye. He bent down and pulled the paper out from under the couch.
“What’s that?” asked Roya.
Cahir silently read the paper and stared at the familiar image at the bottom.
“Our next step,” he answered.