Healer (25 page)

“Need...to
reach...guild.”
Blackavar stumbled
over to a cracked sidewall and emptied his stomach.

“You
all right?”
Chanté noticed how the
thief kept a hand against the buildings to steady himself. 

Blackavar wiped his
mouth. After a moment, he checked the way they had come in with a faint smile.
“I know me way around.” 

*****

Even before Shy
reached the city, he could smell its destruction. As a bird flying in from
Lexington’s port, the wind carried scents of his kind mixed with White Wings –
and blood. The air was heavy with the scent of human blood, so much that Shy
nearly gagged. 

Chronicles couldn’t
wait to kill!
He alighted on one of
the rooftops near the shipyard to allow time for his stomach to calm. Below, he
watched the behavior of humans. It seemed quiet here, though there were signs
they had not been alone. 

Ripped sails of a
nearby ship confirmed that harpies had surely been and gone. Now people
scrambled to repair the damaged material so they could set sail once again. Shy
did not blame them. When his eye caught sight of uprooted vines and
churned earth, he cocked his head in wonder.
Did Chronicles come here?

In response to this
thought, Katherine sent him a mental message from within the traveling
necklace.

Why leave so
suddenly?

Guess he wanted the
city first.
Shy lifted into flight
again, angling his rustic-red tail feathers to turn his hawk form northwest. No
one payed any heed to the bird from below, as hawks were common enough along
the coastlines. Plus Shy had the luxury of enduring higher altitudes as a hawk
versus other bird types. He used it now to scale above cloud level to check on
drifting smells and sights from afar. The smells of death grew
stronger. 

Do you think
Chronicles will know we’re here?
Katherine thought. 

Shy checked the wind,
which had shifted directions toward sea. 

Hope not.
Just ahead, his ears picked up the sounds of war. He
descended to tree level, thinking a quick dive might be necessary to keep out
of sight. 

Just within city
limits, a sudden hint of chaotic energy triggered an inner growl. 

What’s wrong?
Glory this time.
Katherine
must have been reporting everything she felt from him. She did not have to
describe the land’s destruction, as the traveling crystal always portrayed an
open window to those within so they could see. It was not easy to miss torn up
ground surrounding Lexington’s walls. Downed trees cut great gaps into the
wooded areas. Rather than wait, Shy dived through one of these gaps. 

Were we seen?
Glory said. 

Not yet.
Privately to Katherine, he thought,
Tell
her not to worry. I’ll see her safely to her
father’s place. 

But what did you
sense?

The same presence
that took my memories...and killed Twilight!
 

You mean...that
thing?

It’s here.
Somewhere.
I feel it. 

Go back!
Katherine begged.
Shy, this isn’t worth it! Glory
will be safer with us than at her home. Didn’t you see the city? Chronicles
will have destroyed it just as easily!

What of that fog?
Shy cringed at the amount that mysteriously covered
only
the city.
That’s not of Chronicles’ doing. The horn is dealing a hand in
this war! Why else would it be here?

A series of whistles
and shrieks from nearing harpies ceased conversation. Immediately taking up
roost in the surrounding foliage, Shy waited while several Red Wings shot
through the trees just overhead. The sound of crunching leaves and limbs
breaking, followed by howling pain, suggested they were dragging victims with
them. 

Where did you say
again?
Shy thought to Glory. 

It’s just west of
the city. There should be a road. It’s the only one that leads to Central
Valley Clan.

A snap of branch next
to him, and Shy barely at time to move out the way before falling debris landed
on his perch. 

Wish I could say a
road might be safer!
Shy flew higher
into the canopy. Directly to their right, war raged around the city.
How
far?

Not...very.
Glory hesitated. Even without thinking it, Shy knew
her concern. 

The trees ended
abruptly, as a south-bound road cut through them, then forked a little ways
west. Having no other way but to openly fly out, Shy glided down to the roadside
and shifted to his true self. Caught out in the open, he knew, would be
dangerous. Yet he needed to utilize other abilities at the moment. Pricking his
ears forward, he listened intently, then swiveled one back at the distant
sounds coming from the city. 

Neither direction
sounded good. 

I hope your father
knows how to fight.
Shy kept this last thought to himself as he
took a step toward the clan.

Something slammed his
back. The force of impact tossed him to the other side of the road where he
came to rest near the next line of trees. With a shake of head, Shy tried to
collect himself. He grasped the side of a trunk, feeling the warmth of healing
energy removing scrapes along his arm. 

“Ssso...”
came
a hiss. “
You rrreturn.
Without my ssson, I sssee.”

“Rusha.”
Shy slowly rose to his feet and faced the winged
leader. Having lived below their treetop homes, he was accustomed to their
scents and movements. So, too, had Rusha learned to still his wings long enough
to pass the albino’s sharp detections – not a good sign.

“Chanté didn’t come
with me, but he’s safe.”

“With
humansss?”
Rusha spread his
majestic wings in warning. 

“This isn’t my fight.”
Shy stood still, keeping his hands at his sides. While his ears checked for
possible others still in hiding, his emerald eyes locked on the leader’s every
movement. “I didn’t come looking for that.”

With narrowed gaze,
Rusha’s feathers extended in full plumage around the face.

“Then you ssshouldn’t
have come at all!” 

It was those powerful wings
that thrust the harpy forward in the first attack. A swift strike of talons
grazed across his chest while Shy twisted from harm’s way. Calling upon his
magic to aid in his movements, the Healer was little more than a blur. For all
the White Wing’s strength and speed, he was no match against the young
Lo-ans’rel
.

“Whatever Chronicles
has said to you, it’s a lie!” A burst of anger fueled a quick escape by running
up one of the trees. He clung to a branch and looked down. It was not long
before the harpy decided to follow.
There’s no time for this; I have to lose
him!

What are you doing?
Katherine thought, but Shy did not answer. A plan was
developing, one that needed to be timed in order to succeed. 

That’s right.
Follow me.
Shy hopped from one branch
to the other, balancing on one foot in certain places when it became too
narrow. From below, he could hear Rusha rapidly scaling the trunks.
He’s
probably faded his wings to climb. But if I know him, he’ll soon show them
again. 

There was a brief
moment of silence before Rusha did show himself, much faster than Shy had
anticipated. 
Right on cue, wings unfurled in a display
of pure power as he leaped from his perch over to Shy’s.
To the
sure-footed
Lo-ans’rel
, time seemed
to crawl. He studied those claws extended in kill mode. Within the necklace, he
heard Katherine’s fiery thoughts shouting for him to move! Still, he waited.
When those talons were mere inches from his chest, Shy speed-stepped to the
side. A branch swung forward, catching the leader along his left wing.

There came a loud
crack, and Shy knew it was broken. A sharp cry of pain echoed through the trees
as Rusha fell back in a thrash of grasping fingers and flying feathers.

“Sorry, Rusha,” Shy
cringed when he heard the leader hit ground.
“Ladies first.”

You’re just going to leave him?
He heard Kathrine’s thought.
Shy, this is Chanté’s father!

Bones can heal. Don’t forget; we still need to find
Glory’s father.

When the trees finally
ended, the Healer stood at a grand pair of entrance gates. All around lay
scattered feathers and fallen harpies the humans had managed to defeat. Just
passed the gates stood the Elite mansion. Its glory, however, was stolen from
all the blood-stained bodies littering the yard.

Shy looked up to the
sound of breaking glass. There came a scream before the body of a harpy was
thrust out a window. It crumpled down the side of the building to join the
rest.

Don’t look, Glory!
Shy warned, though he knew she was.
I’m going
in. 

You should shift
into something bigger!
Katherine said.
Even a hawk is far too small should you need to help her family. Shifting
back and forth takes up too much time and energy!

True.
Shy glanced to the still twitching body,
then
knelt by its side. The wings were still warm, but would
soon cool as death stilled all fluids. Ignoring questioning thoughts, he lifted
one of its arms. 

It was a quick slit
across the wrist, one that allowed blood to run freely without damaging too
much flesh.
I need to be a ‘Keyarx. Like what Keith did when he first came
to us. 

Isn’t this
considered force-shifting?
But there
was no time to consider consequences. As the harpy’s blood seeped into the cut,
he could instantly feel transformation taking place.

Pain edged into his
spine, taking him by surprise. With a hand to his stomach, he nearly doubled
over while fingers extend into talons. A pressure built up alongside the
shoulder blades as wings pushed through the skin. All the while a greenish glow
tinted the areas where shifting occurred.

Katherine’s thoughts
were full of concern, but the young Healer just gritted his teeth and tried to
relax. His wings had not fully developed when they heard another scream.

This time, it was a
woman. 

*****

Valor’s heart pounded against his chest.
It nearly burst when Roland intercepted a harpy’s leap from behind. After
shoving it through a nearby window, he turned his attention to others. Those
who made it past the guards soon met the same fate.

A feathered head rolled beside Valor’s foot.
It was all he could do to keep from spewing stomach contents at this point.

“Watch my back!” Roland lopped off part of
a wing, sending a harpy recoiling with a painful screech.

Valor swung – missed. Talons caught on his
armor. In panic, he beat it off with the hilt of his sword. When it came again,
the blade’s tip scored a victory. Valor’s dazed vision watched the creature
slump to the floor. He pulled back, nearly bumping into Roland, who was still
fighting two others.

A slot opened between defenses. Unable to
take the heat of battle, Valor dashed down the hallway!

Believing his back was still covered,
Roland continued to fend off those in front of him. While guards were busy
fighting their own battles, they failed to realize their prince was at risk.

A harpy rushed at the opportunity. Arrows
protruded from its wings, a failed attempt that only deepened its lust for
bloodshed. A wild screech made Roland
turn,
surprised
to find a feathered face instead of Valor.

There came a snap of bone just as Shy
burst through the window in his harpy form. For a moment, Roland just stood
staring at the Healer. Then his eyes rolled up. The three Wings who had been
fighting him stepped back, and in that moment Shy knew Roland was dead. 

He could hear Glory scream inside the
necklace as she witnessed her father fall. Shy could only guess what had
happened, as harpy wings were usually stronger than their own bodies. To
confirm this, when the man’s body slammed the floor, his head twisted back
around. His neck had been broken. 

There came a woman’s scream from inside
the room the men had been guarding. Though few were left to help defend, they
continued battling while the creatures began ripping into the heavy doorframe.
At the sight of Shy, a guard approached with raised axe. 

“Hold! I’m on your side!” he said,
forgetting his appearance matched that of the enemy. Quickly shifting to his
true self was little convincing enough, as the men only advanced. It was not
until the remaining White Wings inside the building came at them that Shy
proved himself.