THE AIR WAS thick, heavy, and wet. This far into the island, the trees towered above me, twice the height of any on the island. Each were monstrous, it made sense for the Alorian elves to build homes above ground.
Strong, vine-like flowers blossomed up every possible surface until it disappeared into the dense foliage that blocked any sky light above. I used my magick to guide me through the darkness of the forest.
I kept running until my head spun and sweat coated my skin. I was glad to be away from them all, away from their internal judging.
My back jarred when I landed on the forest floor, exhausted from the run. I had no clue how far I was away from camp and part of me didn’t care.
I could see Petrer’s face everywhere. In the darkness when I closed my eyes to the shapes in the leaves and bark. I hated myself for forgetting him. No matter what he’d done to me I should’ve requested for his safety as well as my family’s.
He was my best friend, my confidant, and I’d left him like he was nothing more than a stranger. I only hoped Hadrian was right and he was not in King Dalior’s line of sight.
I sat there, amid the forest, for a long time. I screamed until my voice stung. I cried until my head ached. I was aware that the sounds of birds and insects had died down, leaving me with only silence as a companion. Night had fallen and Browlin would’ve returned, but I was still not ready to return to them.
I held a latch on my magick, getting used to how different it felt. I toyed with it, sending leaves from the ground, testing my new control. It was the only distraction I had from my thoughts.
I heard footsteps.
I stilled my magick and listened. Whoever it was seemed to be running, I could hear every rushed footfall.
Nyah burst through the tree line, red faced and out of breath.
“I’ve been looking for you for a while.” She tried to catch her breath. “What good do you think running off has done? Hadrian is worried sick, Gallion’s blaming himself for your disappearance and all I can think about is how selfish you are acting.” She wiped her hand across her forehead to clear the damp layer of sweat.
“I’m not acting selfish.”
“You most certainly are! You’re my friend, and I will only ever be honest with you. So, I’m telling you, you are. Stopping running off and acting like the world is against you and help us sort this out. I swear if we weren’t friends, I would have punched you by now!”
“Goddess, I am. I’m so stupid.”
Nyah laughed. “Zac, you’re doing it again. Honestly, you drive me nuts.”
“You’re right. I should get back,” I said, overly aware of how I responded.
“Well, hold on. I’ve just got here, let me at least catch my breath,” Nyah replied.
I caught the glint of the gold band wrapped around her wrist whilst she rubbed at her legs. She caught my stare, and made a face at the band.
“It’s funny how this silly thing meant so much to me. Now when I look at it all I feel is dread. I’ve tried taking it off, but Gallion seems to think that it was never supposed to be removed. He also told me not to bring it close to Hadrian or you. Something about it being painful to a Dragoreee.”
“Dragori,” I corrected her, “Maybe that’s what Dalior wanted. Seems odd that after Nasamel he started handing out gold all over the palace.”
“Gallion has promised to help me remove it when we reach Eldnol. If we get to go. Browlin still hasn’t returned.”
“How is it, training with Gallion?” I asked.
She made another face.
“Not all it’s cracked up to be?”
“Not really. Gallion’s abilities have faltered over the years, he hardly knows what he is doing. The only thing getting me through is the promise of joining the coven in Eldnol,” she said.
“If we can go…” I reminded her.
“Yes. If we can go. And plus, they might not even want me to join them. He told me they are pretty strict—”
There was a loud scream above us. Nyah stopped talking mid-sentence and we both looked up.
“What is that?”
The piercing scream stabbed into my ears and I threw my hands to block out the unnatural noise.
Nyah was up, pulling me to my feet.
Everything stopped again. We looked at each other and Nyah’s next words set my world on fire.
“He’s found us.”
We ran for the camp, hoping that the trees still covered our movements from the shadows that passed overhead. I tried to get a glance at what they were, but couldn’t make them out.
I reached out my hearing for Hadrian, trying to distinguish him from the other noises around us. Nyah ran ahead, and I followed, trying not to fall over the large roots beneath our feet.
When we reached the pathway, everything was dark. The firelights that usually lined the walkway had been extinguished and there was no sign of Hadrian or Gallion.
“They’re on the beach. Gallion is reaching for me,” Nyah whispered, pointing in the direction.
“Is it a trap? Has King Dalior got them?” I asked, looking up at the cluster of shadows flying off into the distance.
“We need to hurry.”
I followed Nyah who was using her power to guide us to Gallion. I spotted them first, both men pulling a long object towards the sea.
It was a boat, a small vessel.
We stopped running when we reached them and began to help them drag the vessel to the water.
Gallion shouted to Hadrian who at some point had already shifted into his Dragori form. His wings were kept close to his back and the horns made him look like a demon in the dark. He growled and pointed a clawed finger into the distance. I followed it and spotted the ships.
The world slowed and all I heard was my own rushed breathing.
The dark night only illuminated the large shape of the ship. Fire light shone from the many windows on its side, and illumined the large mast with their orange glows. The King’s emblem was hard to miss. So was the cloud of moving shadow that hung above the ship, flying around it.
“What are those things?” I asked, squinting to get a look at the shadows but no one answered.
“How did they find us?” Nyah said.
“Browlin. She’s on the ship, I can feel her from here. She’s been captured,” Gallion replied, his voice cold.
My heart sank.
“Get in the boat, Zacriah,” Gallion hissed.
I waded out in the shallow of the water and jumped inside, reaching for an oar, my trousers drenched, muscles tense from the cold.
Nyah had shifted and fluttered beside my head. I turned to see Hadrian, who threw Gallion into the boat beside me.
“You are going to need to help, Zacriah, use your power and get us the hell out of here. Push it behind us, it should create enough force to push us forward. Hadrian will help push the boat, we need to create distance between us and Dalior.” Gallion was already rowing.
I closed my eyes, reaching for the air around me. It took a moment to grasp it, but once I did I could feel its excitement. I turned to the back of the boat and pushed my hands forward sending the air into the water. I did it. The boat pushed forward and I watched the water spray beneath my torrent of wind.