“The wing is definitely broken,” Ronan announced. “Here.” He indicated the long bone between the first joint and where the wing melded with Linse’s back.
“How badly?” Dah’Te asked.
“Hard to say without a scanner, but there aren’t any protruding bones. That’s good. But I can feel it shifting, so it’s more than a fracture.”
Sweat slicked Linse’s face and dampened his hair. His face was paler now than when Dah’Te had found him. His eyes were slits and his breathing ragged.
“I admit wings aren’t my specialty,” Ronan said, leveling his dark gaze on her. “But I know it needs to be stabilized.”
Dah’Te knew what he meant and nodded. “Set the bone. Bind the wing. I’ll keep him quiet.”
While Ronan rummaged through his pack for suitable bindings, Dah’Te crouched beside Linse, gently stroking his cheek.
His eyelids fluttered, opened, but he seemed to have trouble focusing on her.
“Ronan is going to bind your wing,” she explained. “Once we reach the human settlement, he can repair it.”
Linse grunted and reached out his hand. She clasped it in both of hers.
He flinched as Ronan again touched his damaged wing.
She looked to Ronan.
He nodded, and twisted and pulled the wing.
Linse shrieked.
She did her best to keep Linse still as Ronan worked to align the fragile, hollow bones. She cooed, stroked her brother’s cheek and hair, and wept. His cries lessened and were finally silenced when he slipped into unconsciousness. She continued to speak to him softly, apologizing, promising to take away his pain – saying anything to alleviate her own sense of guilt.
Ronan worked quickly to set the bone and immobilize the wing in a makeshift sling. He didn’t believe the break was as damaging as it could’ve been, but infection was a concern. He was also worried that Linse was showing the first stages of shock. If they didn’t reach New Denver soon, the injuries could prove deadly.
He tied the final support for the sling and knelt beside Dah’Te. His voice was soft as he spoke her name, his hands gentle as he covered hers.
She looked at him, tears tracking over her reddened cheeks as soon as they welled.
“I’ve done everything I can for Linse. We need to get him to New Denver.”
She sniffled.
“I’ll drive the rover and go slow so as not to jar him too much. I need you to fly ahead of us, direct me to the shortest but smoothest path. Do you understand?”
She nodded and moved into his arms.
He held her tightly, letting her melt into his embrace and absorb the warmth and comfort she needed.
He wished he could reverse the sun and recapture their time beside the river. But that moment was gone, and they needed to focus on Linse.
Dah’Te seemed to sense his thoughts and pulled back, wiping her face and eyes to clear them.
He hopped down from the cargo bed and waited as she quickly kissed her brother’s cheek and whispered in his ear.
“Remember, shortest and smoothest route,” Ronan said when she rejoined him.
“I remember.” As she prepared to take flight, a call sounded to their left. Another call from the right answered the first, followed by another. And another. And another.
“Talehons,” Dah’Te whispered, her eyes widening.
“And we’re surrounded.”
She drew her sword and her wings bristled. Facing the forest, she dropped into a crouch.
Fear gripped Ronan and he grabbed her sword arm. “What are you doing?”
“Get Linse to your colony. Keep him safe.”
“What? No! This is suicide.”
“We don’t have an option,” she said, glaring at him.
“We could try reasoning with them.”
She scoffed. “Talehons are brutes. They won’t hesitate to kill you or Linse. Males have no value as prisoners or slaves.”
“And females do?”
Her gaze shifted to the trees. She didn’t answer, but he felt the tremor that shook her petite frame.
Anger flashed through Ronan. “You can’t fight them all.”
“Do you have a weapon? No, you don’t.”
“I will not let you sacrifice yourself.”
She rounded on him. “You are the healer, Ronan. Linse needs you, not me.”
“I need you, Dah’Te.”
She stared at him in stunned silence.
“I can’t lose you,” he whispered. “There has to be another way.”
Another series of calls rose from the forest. The Talehons were closing.
“The rover,” Ronan said. “We can use it.”
“It’s too slow. It’ll never outrun the Talehons.”
“It doesn’t have to outrun them. They’ll be expecting us to use it for Linse. If I drive it toward the river, maybe they’ll follow.”
“What about Linse?”
A rueful smile tugged at his lips. “You’re always saying flying is faster. You can take him to New Denver.”
“So you’ll sacrifice yourself instead?” She shook her head. “No.”
“Dah’Te, we don’t have time to argue.”
“You’re right. We don’t.” She lunged forward, wrapped him in a tight Auilan embrace, and kissed him.
Startled, his brain was still processing her kiss when she broke away.
“I’ll find you. I promise,” she whispered and launched into the air.
He reached for her but her wings had already carried her into the canopy. “Dah’Te!”
His shout was lost as she issued a long piercing shriek and zipped among the trees. He saw flashes of silver, cries rose in response, and black-winged shadows chased after retreating white-and-brown wings.
“You’d better,” he whispered.
Dah’Te darted through the trees, using her smaller size to her advantage. She banked, turned, swooped, and pushed through tight gaps her pursuers were forced to circle. It pained her to leave Ronan and Linse, but drawing away the Talehons was truly the only way to save them.
A large Auilan dropped into view. His sword caught the light as he hurtled for her.
She met his charge. Their blades clashed, jarring her arms. He grabbed for her throat. She kicked away and pumped her wings, heading higher into the canopy.
Another Talehon glided toward her from above.
She folded her wings and dove for the ground.
The two clansmen weren’t as nimble as she and collided, twisting and tumbling in a jumble of wings.
Dah’Te unfurled her wings, pulled out of the dive, and kicked off a large tree to change her direction and again propel herself into the canopy. Her back and shoulders were on fire from the exertion of flying, but she had to keep going.
A body slammed into her and spun her into a tree. The Talehon pinned her shoulder to the trunk with a taloned hand.
She cried out as the blow numbed the whole of her right arm. Her sword fell from her loosened grip.
The edge of the Talehon’s blade pressed to her neck. He leered at her. “I’m going to enjoy plucking your wings, little one.”
“Pluck this,” she growled, and slashed her talons across his stomach. She felt the blade bite into her skin as he screeched. Pushing with all her strength, she shoved him back and pulled her wings in tight to her body. He recovered and swung the sword, but she’d already dropped like dead weight.
Dah’Te opened her wings and twisted, digging her talons into the trunk to slow her descent. She kicked away from the tree, bounced off another, glided to a third, and continued to bounce and glide until she’d regained enough altitude.
Her pursuer remained at her heels, and three more joined the chase.
While the confines of the forest gave her smaller size an advantage, it also required more physical strength. She’d lost her weapon, and she was tiring. She only had one option.