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“Don’t provoke them!”
Other humans may have feared the screeches and vivid lights, but not me. My heart soared at the idea of seeing an ash raptor, birds of prey that were born of fire and magic. My hawks were chicklets compared to these majestic creatures.
Three swooped in, sunset feathers coating their bodies.
Baine readied his swords, feet sliding into a fighting stance.
Palms up, I stilled, knowing any sharp movements could cause an unwarranted attack. If ash raptors were anything like my firehawks they would be curious, but not naturally aggressive.
Easy. Calm and collected just like Father taught me.
“Don’t move,” I hissed, urging the fae beside me not to raise his swords.
The larger one with a plume of blood red feathers reached out and plucked me off the grass. I squeaked, or screamed, I wasn’t sure exactly what type of noise I made, but I wasn’t thinking the birds would take me into the air. “Baine!”
He glanced up, frowned, and sheathed his swords. When he didn’t immediately call for help, I panicked. Then with a shake of his head, he ran.
The birds flew into the sky, zigzagging around the treetops, and making my head spin. When my father taught me about all the fire creatures in our world, he weaved magnificent stories about how we were connected through the elements, ours being fire. Without access to my flame, I had no way of controlling these raptors like I did my hawks.
My father also forgot to mention how deadly the raptor’s talons were.
Sharp claws dug into and under my shoulders where the raptor carried me, nicking my skin.
“Put me down,” I said gently, attempting to coax the beast, but it didn’t respond, only flew farther away from the mansion.
The estate had miles and miles of land; it would take me hours to get back to the mansion if those raptors even dropped me.
Where in all of Saol are these creatures taking me?
Higher and higher we flew, my head getting hazy. Reaching up, I gripped the legs, hoping I could control the flight, but with a wingspan of at least twelve feet, my nudging did little to deter the creature. The raptors screeched at one another in a beautiful symphony, and if I wasn’t terrified about crashing to my death, I may have enjoyed the melody. The wind blew my hair as we rode on the breeze, dipping into it. I used to watch my flock zipping through the sky and had always yearned for that same wild freedom.
How different it seemed having it.
The mansion shrunk in the growing distance.
A bolt of lightning shocked my body and I screamed as we slammed into an invisible barrier. The collar buzzed, shooting pain down my neck and spine. The raptors went into a frenzy into the wall again, making me almost bite my lip in pain. The one carrying me dove lower to the ground and each time it neared the wall, electricity burned through my mind, my body, through everything.
“Stop! Please! Put me down,” I wailed, pleading with the bird to set me free.
As if sensing my pain, the raptor released me . . . ten feet from the ground.
I tried to land and roll, but my left foot rolled under me, shooting pain up my leg. “Ahh.”
Pushing against the dirt, I sat and examined my foot, touching the puffy part of my ankle. With a wince, I used my good leg and slowly stood. After tending the farm by myself for so long, being alone didn’t frighten me, and I’d had quite a few injuries I had to take care of all by myself. It might take me a day or two to find my way, but I’d eventually make it back to the mansion, somehow.
Swaying, I held out my arms, balancing myself, every muscle aching. There was one thing I did learn today: I was not escaping the estate. Not with this collar on.
The trees directly in front of me rustled. Holding my breath, I waited, fear forcing me to pull on the magical noose around my neck.
There was aswooshto my right and a massive dire wolf stalked forward.
The creature must’ve been three hundred pounds, much larger than any normal wolf. It growled, revealing massive fangs dripping with saliva. Its silver hair seemed to reflect the moonlight, making it shine.
“Nice wolf.” I hobbled back, biting my lip as my ankle throbbed. I pulled at the collar keeping my powers in check. “Ugh. Why won’t this thing come off?”
The beast stopped growling and lowered its head.
And began shifting.
