Moon had time to think they were in a bad spot, they wouldn’t make it into the air before the Fell hit them. Then something large and dark green whipped down out of nowhere to slap the first ruler out of the air and strike the second in mid-dive. Belatedly, Moon realized it was Malachite.
Her dark green scales were almost black in the daylight and her spines rippled in the sea wind. Moon hadn’t seen her outside the confines of the colony before, and it was a shock to see her now. In the wind, she was all predator.
Malachite landed on the rounded boulder above them and ripped her claws through the ruler, blood spraying as she tore his head off. The second ruler flapped out of control and slammed into the slope to the side of the boulder. Jade pounced and flattened him to the rock. Moon braced himself to spring up and take on the dakti, but Malachite tore two of them out of the air before he could unfurl his wings. Rock crunched below them as Stone scrambled up onto a lower ledge, and the rest of the dakti fled in shrieking terror.
Malachite shook the blood off her spines and turned to Jade and the last ruler. Moon said, “Wait! Ask him where the progenitor took Shade.”
Malachite’s spines rattled in fury. She reached down, seized the ruler by the throat, and yanked him up as Jade pulled away. Malachite shook the ruler. Her voice was hard and cold, too controlled to be a snarl. “Where is the other consort?”
The ruler was dazed, his chest ripped by Jade’s claws and the swipe that had knocked him out of the air. He growled weakly, and Malachite set a claw tip to his right eye. She said, “The others sent you out here to die, and die you will. Slowly, or quickly.”
Moon saw the ruler’s body quiver, and remembered what Malachite had said about the Felclass="underline" that their instinctive obedience to the female progenitors could be used against them. Almost as if the words were being drawn out against its will, it said, “An island. Not far.”
Malachite squeezed, snapped its neck, then ripped its head off and tossed it and the body down the slope.
Jade’s spines rippled in pure exasperation. She said, “You could have asked it which island!”
Malachite’s tail lashed. She said, “They always lie on the second question.” Her gaze was on the sky, but the shape flying toward them was Chime, carrying Lithe.
Malachite settled into a crouch as Chime landed awkwardly on the far side of the boulder. He and Lithe scrambled around to a perch above Moon and Jade. Chime looked frightened but determined and Lithe just looked determined. She told Moon, “We thought you’d need our help to look for Shade.”
Malachite’s attention turned to the retreating sac, which was just coming into view again past one of the pointed peaks. The kethel supporting it had finally gotten organized enough to head along the cliffs. Occupied as they were, they didn’t give any sign that they had seen the fate of the kethel or the rulers who had come after Moon. If they had any sense they were looking for a section of beach wide enough to set the sac down so the fire in the bottom could be dealt with. Malachite tilted her head toward Moon. She said, “You’re unhurt?”
“Yes. Did they tell you what happened?”
Malachite’s spines dipped in assent. Still without looking down, she said, “Go to the flying ship, line-grandfather. Guard it with Celadon and the others.”
Stone growled and lashed his tail. Jade said, “She’s right. You’re exhausted.”
Moon didn’t think that would do it. He added, “Song and Root are wounded, with Ivory and her warriors. If the Fell find the boat, Celadon is going to need help.”
Stone’s grumbling response rumbled through the rock. Moon interpreted it as meaning that Stone wasn’t happy, but he knew they were right. Then Stone flung himself backward in a spray of pebbles and loose rubble, caught the rising wind in the gorge, and flapped inland.
Malachite said, “Moon, go with him.”
“No.” Moon didn’t intend to argue this point. “Not until I can take Shade with me.”
Malachite didn’t respond except with a spine ripple that Moon couldn’t interpret. Jade hissed in frustration. She clearly wanted to send Moon to the boat, but the idea of siding with Malachite on any point involving him was too painful to contemplate. Moon got the idea that the only good thing about the frantic pace of the race after the sac was that none of the rescuers had had much chance to speak to each other.
With no warning, Malachite sprang into flight. Jade snarled, “I suppose she wants us to follow her,” and jumped off the ledge to take to the air. Chime grabbed Lithe and he and Moon scrambled to follow.
Moon flew even with Chime to shout, “I can take Lithe. You go back.”
“No.” Chime sounded as if he was holding onto his resolve with effort. “I heard that voice once. Maybe I can help, like what happened on the leviathan.”
Moon thought he was right, but he had wanted to give Chime the option to retreat. None of them knew what they would be facing.
As they drew near the cliffs above the rocky beach, Moon looked for the sac. It was some distance down the coast now, and the kethel were lowering it toward a relatively flat section of beach that was heavily washed by waves. The bulge of the sac scraped against the cliff and it was still releasing a plume of dark smoke. If the Fell managed to lower the sac into the surf, they wouldn’t have long until the fire was under control; depending on whatever orders the progenitor had left, they might come looking for vengeance soon.
Moon heard a shout from ahead and looked toward the sea just as a familiar scent arrived on the wind. A shape with the bright scales of a warrior flew toward them from the array of islands just off the coast. Floret spotted them and circled, indicating that they should follow her.
Floret led them far out into the water to a rocky collection of spires. Moon landed on a damp, salt-encrusted rock below Jade, using his claws to keep from sliding down, and climbed up after the others to an uneven ledge along one of the peaks. Floret said, “Am I glad to see you all!” She pointed. “The Fell went there.”
It was a tall island several hundred paces away, an uneven dome of rock covered with heavy greenery, standing high above the water. It was mostly vertical, made up of cliffs and steep slopes covered with trees and clinging vines. There was no beach built up around it; the waves crashed directly against stony cliffs. At the very top, water gleamed through the fern trees, spilling down one of the cliffs to vanish in the jungle.
Floret continued, “They flew to the top, near where the waterfall comes out, then went into the jungle. I waited a while, then flew over, but I couldn’t get sight or scent of them. It was like they went into the rock somehow, but I couldn’t see any caves.” She dropped her spines in chagrin. “I’m afraid they left, and I didn’t see them.”
“You didn’t have much time to search,” Jade said. “They could be there somewhere.”
Moon said, “Lithe, is this the place you saw?”
Hanging on to Chime, Lithe shaded her eyes to study the island. She grimaced. “I saw trees growing on cliffs, saltwater and rock, and crashing waves. But that description fits most of these islands.”
“Where is that water coming from?” Chime muttered.
Jade asked, “What do you mean?”
“If it’s fresh, there has to be a spring, a well, pushing it up through the rock. If it’s saltwater, what’s pushing it?” He glanced around and saw the queens staring at him. His spines flattened defensively. “I just think it looks odd.”
But Malachite said, “As if it’s not natural.”
Chime nodded, relieved that she understood. “Yes, that.”
Malachite crouched and sprang into the air, her claws leaving jagged scrapes in the rock. Jade protested, “We need to talk about—Damn it!”