Chapter 27
Cahir
The team trudged through the sandy dunes for hours until they spotted the distant view of the Camp.
They hid behind a tall dune and looked over.
The Camp was unlike anything he expected.
Tall, stone walls formed a large square with spikes along the top, and a big plume of smoke rose from the center.
Guards were posted all around the Camp, and he could hear the distant sounds of screaming.
Roya swooped down from high above and told Cahir, “The walls are heavily guarded, and that isn’t all…”
“What do you mean?” Kalon asked nervously, his eyes flicking between the Camp and Roya. “What else is going on in there?”
Roya shifted her form and looked at the men. “There are three Jotnar in the middle of the Camp. They appear to be cooking… people.”
“Fucking a,” Askold said. “How would we get past three Jotnar?”
A bright purple flash exploded through the center of the Camp, and the group watched in horror.
Loud screaming wailed through the air, and the sand shifted beneath their palms with the pulsating beats of the earth shaking. The sound of gunshots echoed across the distance.
Ferona flew down and quickly shifted into a human. “They are shooting the Jotnar.”
“What the fuck…” Benny said as he looked back at the Camp in horror.
“I have to get Seda out. Now!” screamed Cahir. He had no idea what truly went on within those walls, but this wasn’t what he expected.
This was really fucking bad.
“Look!” Benny pointed at the Camp. A giant winged creature flew out of the center, holding a pulsating purple form.
“Get back up there, Roya! See if you can see Seda in all of this!” Cahir commanded. Roya and Ferona shifted forms and flew back into the sky.
Seda, his best friend and the woman who was his entire world, the thread that bound his broken seams, was alone in all of this chaos. He couldn’t imagine what she was seeing or feeling.
If she got injured in this, or worse… Cahir’s breathing became labored.
He quickly stood from his crouched position and marched toward the Camp.
Ojore tackled him from behind, throwing him back down onto the sand. “Do you want to get us all killed, you fucking idiot?”
Cahir didn’t care. He just wanted to reach her.
Fuck these other people’s lives. What mattered was Seda, and right now she was caught up in all of this.
He would let everyone die if it meant saving her.
He shoved Ojore off him and began to shift, not caring if his secret was revealed, but Roya flew down again and yelled, “She is there!” She shifted forms and pointed to the winged creature flying in the distance over the dunes.
The beast struggled to stay airborne, its wings giving out.
It crashed into the sand about a mile away.
Cahir ran as fast as his legs would take him, not allowing his weakening breath or the blazing sun to slow him.
He heard the others following behind and saw the Corvids approach the winged beast. They flew down and shifted forms, circling the creature and readying to fight. Cahir pushed his legs harder.
When he neared, he took in the size of the beast before him.
Massive wings lay splayed out around it, with both fur lining its legs and head, and the scaled skin of a reptile.
He ran up to the beast, and it snarled, snapping at his face.
He looked for Seda and saw that the beast was holding her within its paws, protectively pulling her closer to its chest. The others approached and pulled out their swords.
“Stop!” Cahir yelled. “It is not trying to hurt her.”
The beast squinted its eyes and growled at everyone surrounding it, slowly moving its head and watching them all, its crimson-colored eyes glowing brightly against the sun. Cahir noticed the dark, blood-drenched wounds on its scaled skin and torn wings. “It is injured. Backup!”
Cahir held his hands up and slowly approached, staring the beast in the eyes. “You have someone I care for. I need to make sure she’s okay. May I please come close and check on her?”
The beast growled menacingly, untrusting of Cahir. “I know Seda, she is my best friend. I came here from Joro to rescue her.”
The beast studied him with untrusting, crimson eyes and hesitantly released Seda from its grasp, giving a warning snap of its teeth in Cahir’s direction.
Cahir looked down at Seda, keeping his hands in the air to show the beast he meant no harm, and slowly walked up to Seda’s side. He crouched into the sand and placed his hand on her throat, checking for a pulse.
“She’s alive,” he said as he sighed in relief and ran his fingers over her flushed cheek. He looked at her arms and saw the purple streaks trailing up from her hands to her biceps.
“She has found her power,” Ferona said.
“What do you mean by ‘power’?” Benny asked. The three Corvids looked at each other, not answering.
Seda stirred, and Cahir gently picked her up. The beast loudly growled but did not move from his spot. Cahir cradled her in his arms, and she slowly opened her eyes.
“Cahir?” she wheezed. Cahir gasped when he saw her glowing eyes, but they fluttered back closed..
“She’s hurt,” he said, looking over his shoulder to the others. “Does anyone have medical supplies?”
Seren stepped forward with his hands in the air to show the beast he also meant no harm. “I have some in my bag.” He pulled out a medical kit from his backpack and handed it to Cahir.
“I’m here, Seda. I’m here.” Cahir rocked her gently in his arms
Seda drifted back to sleep as Cahir carefully bandaged the scrapes he had found, using a gentle touch. He saw her swollen ankle, so he wrapped it up tightly. When he finished, he picked her back up and turned to the rest of them and announced, “I’m taking her to Umbrea.”
“You cannot do that!” Roya yelled at him and took a step forward.
“Yes, the fuck I can!” Fuck these people, and also fuck the Corvids and what they thought the Wisps wanted.
Fuck the Wisps.
“Whoa, whoa… We’re not leaving here without my father,” Benny interjected. Both the Corvids and Cahir looked at him.
“Your father is no longer with us, Benny,” Ferona said to him.
“He might still be in there! We can’t give up. Seda got out, maybe he did, too!” he shouted as he pointed toward the Camp, where some prisoners were escaping in the opposite direction.
“They do not keep the men alive long, Benny,” Roya said to him as she took a step closer and placed her hand on his shoulder. “The men usually die within a few days at most.”
Benny crashed into his knees and cried into his sandy palms. Roya bent down and hesitantly patted his back.
“What’s Umbrea?” Askold asked as he wiped his cheeks.
“It is the kingdom of whiners and losers. She would be better in Tuath,” snarled Ojore.
Cahir looked at him sharply, but did not fall for the bait. He knew something was off about this man, and that statement made it obvious. He was holding onto Seda, and nothing was going to get him away from her now. Well, he hoped. How many days were left?
“Umbrea is the Fae realm. Seda will be safe there. We will all be safe there,” he said instead.
“Yeah, right. You really think once the Jotnars bust down that dome and consume everyone within that, they won’t try to travel north to Umbrea?” Ojore snarled at him.
“And how exactly do you know about Umbrea?” questioned Cahir.
Ojore snarled, “The same as you do about Umbrea.”
“How far is it from here?” Seren interjected.
“A couple of weeks on foot,” Kalon answered. “And it’s a dangerous trip.” He was looking down at Seda with a peculiar glint in his eye. Cahir sensed that he was looking at more than just her injuries and pulled her tighter to himself.
“Oh great, so almost everyone knows of this Umbrea realm besides me and Benny?” Askold asked in a huff.
Roya stood up from Benny’s side and marched over to Cahir. “She cannot go to Umbrea without visiting the Wisps, Cahir. If they allow her to go further, then we will support this decision.” The Corvids stood together, with their arms crossed across their chests, unbudging.
He sighed. “We wait for Seda to wake and for her new friend over there to heal some. And the decision is hers to make on which location.”
He pointed his head to the beast, who just silently watched them. “I just hope his healing is quick because we’re not far enough away from the Camp to be in a safe place for the night.”
Everyone gazed out into the distance. The Camp had grown much quieter since they discovered Seda and the beast.
“So are there pretty ladies in Umbrea?” Askold asked them with a wink and a bright smile.