Chapter 10

10

K yrie

“I’ll fill the skins,” Damon tells me. “Would you mind double-checking that the saddlebags are properly secured?” he asks me.

I nod. “Sure.”

Cyrano walks toward us. He said he was feeling light-headed and needed to sit for a while. He’s still weak after his ordeal. I hope he’s well enough to travel, but as Damon pointed out, we don’t want to get caught by the fae, which is what will happen if we stay too long.

“Are you feeling a little better?” I ask him.

He touches my hip, leaving his hand there. “Thanks for caring so much, Kyrie.”

I note that Damon hasn’t left to fill the skins. When I look, his gaze is on Cyrano’s hand; a deep frown has formed on his forehead.

I take a small step back, breaking the contact, not because Damon is watching but because it is making me uncomfortable. “Has the dizziness passed?”

Damon puts the straps over his shoulder and starts toward the water.

“I’m feeling much better. Your suggestion to rest was right. I should listen to you more often.” His eyes move to my mouth.

I hum out a sound of agreement. “Are you going to be able to ride?”

“I’ll be okay,” he tells me. “It shouldn’t be long before I’m at full strength again.” He winks at me. Then he licks his lips; his eyes are now on my mouth again. It’s like he’s thinking of kissing me, which can’t be right. He almost died. We’re in the middle of the desert. There are other things that are much more important…like surviving the day. Like finding a place to spend the night. It’s life or death.

I glance back to see if Damon is nearly done. I feel uncomfortable alone with Cyrano, although I’m probably just being silly.

“You’re not going to forget what I said about him…that fae.” His voice goes all gruff when he speaks about Damon.

“No, I won’t forget.”

“You can’t trust him, Kyrie. Not one iota. He’s one of them. He lied to us…to you. He threatened me while you were gone yesterday.” Cyrano is speaking under his breath. “He doesn’t like me. He made that clear. I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t make it out of this desert. You mark my words…and it’ll be his fault.”

“He isn’t going to hurt you, Cyrano. He saved your life.” What part of that doesn’t he understand?

“He told me he did it for you, not because he wanted to. He told me he wished I had died.”

I frown. “I’m sure you must have misunderstood.”

“I didn’t!” Cyrano insists. “Watch your back. Better yet,” he takes my hand, “we should watch each other’s backs.”

“Of course,” I tell him.

“I know I’ve never come out and said it, but I—”

“We need to go!” I almost jump from my skin as Damon’s booming voice hits us.

I snatch my hand away and turn toward him.

His eyes are blazing. They’re narrowed on Cyrano, and if I didn’t know better, I would say that he was out for blood. That he was jealous.

But that’s just plain laughable. We’re all on edge; that’s all it is.

Cyrano swallows visibly. His face has gone back to being pale, and this time, it’s fear instead of illness.

Damon takes the reins of the closest camel and asks her to go down on her haunches. Cyrano mounts up, and I get onto the male. Damon holds the leads of both beasts and walks out ahead.

I pull my scarf more securely around my head. The sun is barely over the horizon and already the temperature is creeping up and up.

I glance back a few times at the green of the oasis as it gets farther and farther away. It really has been forever since I last saw green that vivid. Since I last saw life so abundant. Even before the fae took us, the farm and the surrounding countryside had turned bad. Everything was dying or dead. There were small patches of land that held onto a semblance of life, but nothing like this. There were trees and scrubs barely clinging to life, all with very few leaves in washed-out tones. It’s like the whole world was muted. Like someone switched off a light or sucked out the lifeblood and soul of the place.

I hope it isn’t still like that when we return…if we return. I know deep down inside that nothing has changed. Perhaps it is worse than before.

The one thing I will surely miss when we leave the desert is the sun. When we first entered, I was delighted to feel the warm rays against my skin, but that soon changed. Anything in overabundance becomes tedious. I began to miss the rain and the clouds. I only wish things could go back to how they once were.

I was young when Snow took over the rule of the realm but old enough to know how it had been before.

I will miss seeing all the plants and trees, just like I will miss the sun when we finally make it out of here.

I need to soak it up. To take in the wide blue skies. I squint my eyes and pause.

What is that? What…?

There’s something flying up there. Three somethings, to be exact. And they’re flying around in lazy circles directly above us.

“Damon, there are—” I point up as he looks at me.

“Three lizard birds directly above us. I know.”

Lizard birds!

What?

Oh, no!

“What?” Cyrano yells. “Where are they? Why aren’t they attacking?”

“Keep your voice down and stay calm. I don’t want you spooking the camels. Do not show fear. It automatically will put us into victim mode.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve never heard of victim mode,” he says, a little quieter this time. I notice that his hands are gripping the reins tightly.

“We’ll start to look more like prey and thus become more enticing to them. If we show fear, it’ll increase the chances of attack. Right now, they’re trying to decide what to do. We shouldn’t give them any fodder.”

“How long have they been up there?” I ask.

“Almost since we left.”

“What?” Cyrano says. “That can’t be. This is terrible. It’s worse than terrible. We’re done for. One was bad enough.” His eyes are wide. “Now there are three of them.”

“You killed the one that came after you,” Damon says.

“I got lucky. The rock was right there. We don’t have any weapons.” He starts looking around us. “There are no rocks out here. There’s nothing we can use to defend ourselves. We’re doomed. Besides, I may have killed it, but I was badly injured in the process. Kyrie said that I would have died if you hadn’t healed me.”

“That’s just it; Damon has his magic,” I say in a hesitant voice. “You do still have some magic left, don’t you?”

He glances back, looking me in the eye, his expression grave. “Not as much as I’d like. It’ll have to do,” he murmurs to himself more than anyone else.

The lizard birds continue their lazy circles above, their wings catching the sunlight as they glide effortlessly through the sky. They seem harmless from down here, smaller than they actually are. But I know better. We all do. In a second, everything could change.

The tension rises with every step; the camels shift beneath us, sensing the unease.

“We need to stay calm. Concentrate on your breathing. Even though it is time to take a rest break, we need to keep moving,” Damon says in a commanding voice. “If we stay still, we become easy targets.”

We are easy targets already. I do agree with us keeping on moving. Perhaps we’ll find somewhere to shelter. Somewhere to hide.

I can’t see anything but sand all around us.

Damon leads the camels forward, his every movement purposeful and calculated. I can see the tension in his shoulders, and in the way he constantly scans our surroundings for any potential threats. Cyrano, on the other hand, seems to be on the brink of panic, his eyes wide with fear as he looks up at the circling lizard birds. He is breathing hard.

“It’s going to be fine,” I tell Cyrano. “If they were going to attack, they would have done so already.” He needs to lower his energy.

Animals can sense our fear. I agree with Damon on everything. Cyrano is going to get us killed.

He takes a deep breath. “You’re right.”

Just as he says it, the birds swoop down. They do it in unison. All three at once, and they’re dive-bombing straight for us.

Cyrano screams. It’s bloodcurdling and doesn’t help the situation. If anything, it will entice the creatures even more.

“Take up the reins,” Damon says. “Don’t let the camels run. You can’t outrun the birds. We can’t split up; it’ll make us easier targets to pick off one by one.”

Then he lets go of the lead reins and moves a little away from us.

“Keep your camel in check,” I tell Cyrano, who is all-out panicking at this point.

Damon walks out a little farther and then holds his hands up in front of him. They start to glow again, only not nearly as brightly as before. If I wasn’t paying attention, I might not even notice it. His eyes are closed in concentration.

My camel tries to turn and run, but I pull hard on the reins, forcing him to stay put. The creature bellows in fear. I can’t blame the poor beast; he still has claw marks on his rump from his last encounter.

Cyrano’s camel is running in circles. “I can’t control it,” he yells.

“You must, or you will die,” I tell him. “Speak to her. Try to calm her down.”

“I’m not talking to a camel!” he snarls.

“Easy, girl,” I coo, trying to do it myself because the stubborn idiot won’t listen.

As they draw closer, Damon raises his hands toward the swooping lizard birds. A burst of energy shoots out from his fingertips, hitting one of the birds and sending it spiraling away with a screech. It lands hard in the sand, smoke rising off its body. The other two birds falter for a moment before both rushing directly at Damon.

He lifts his hands a second time, sweat beading on his brow, but nothing happens.

“What’s he doing? Why doesn’t he finish them?” Cyrano shouts.

“I think he used up all of his magic.” I have to work hard to keep my camel from running away. Cyrano isn’t faring much better.

With their wings out and those terrifying shrieks coming out of their sharp, pointed beaks, they’re a sight to behold. I’m almost inclined to run, but I can’t leave Damon.

“Be careful!” I shout as they both reach the fae, talons bared and ready.

He sideswipes one bird, and it crashes into the other. Feathers go flying. The creatures are dazed but stay airborne, regrouping to attack again.

I have to do something. I have to help Damon.

I kick my camel into motion, heading straight for them. Damon is struggling to hold them off, his energy waning. With a deep breath, I set my sights on the creature closest to me. Perhaps if I distract them, he can get the upper hand.

As the birds strike at Damon, I swing down from the camel’s back with all the force I can muster. My foot connects with one of the creatures, sending it crashing to the ground in a flurry of feathers and dust. I tuck my head and roll, hitting my shoulder. Kakara be thanked, the sand is soft, the impact isn’t too bad, and that it is my left shoulder that takes the brunt of the fall.

The remaining bird screeches in fury, turning its attention toward me. Its beady eyes lock onto mine, filled with malice and hunger. I stand my ground, heart thumping against my ribcage as I prepare for its onslaught.

But before the bird can make its move, Damon grabs hold of its outstretched wing, twisting it with surprising strength. The bird screeches in pain, thrashing wildly as Damon wrestles it to the ground. Its talons rake across his chest.

Damon grunts. There is a snap, and the bird lies still, its neck at a strange angle. The bird I took down starts to rouse, but Damon dispatches that one with a couple of well-placed kicks to the head.

I’m just clambering to my feet when Damon rushes toward Cyrano, who is still battling to control his camel. He grabs the reins and pulls him from the saddle.

“What are you doing? No! Don’t! I—” Cyrano shouts as Damon leaps onto the terrified beast. Then, he takes off at a fast pace.

I realize that my camel is running away and with him, half of our supplies.

Damon rides in line with the fleeing animal and then leans over, taking the flapping rein. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds for him to slow the panicked camel, bringing it to a stop. He dismounts gracefully, leading the beasts back to us, his chest heaving with exertion. There is a long cut bleeding across his chest.

Cyrano is wide-eyed, speechless as he looks from Damon to the fallen lizard birds.

“That was incredible,” I say as Damon reaches us.

“I could have broken my arm,” Cyrano grinds out, rubbing the limb. “I could have dismounted. All you had to do was ask.”

“By then, the camel and our supplies would have been long gone. We won’t survive without them.”

I look at the broken bodies of the lizard birds. “That was a close call.”

“Thanks for your help.” Damon smiles at me, and my insides do that weird thing again, and I don’t like it one bit.