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“We could do that," Leap said, a slow smile coming over his face as an idea came to him, "but I have something more exciting in mind.”
He told Mavlyn his plan, and they spent the rest of the afternoon hashing out the details. Once night fell, they snuck out of the house, then traveled across town to Emelie’s house, riding on Cirra to avoid the guards patrolling the streets. The city had set a curfew, claiming it was for the citizens' own safety during these times of war, but Leap knew better. Their efforts to educate the public about General Slaugh and Nox had taken root, spreading throughout the city, and Lady Mossi had enacted the curfew to discourage citizens from staging any rebellions at night.
Leap and Mavlyn pulled up alongside Roylan and Rina’s house, rapping on Roylan’s window to wake him. He hurried to the window and let them in, his eyes wide with delight at the sight of Leap’s cloud.
“I had no idea you had a cloud familiar,” he said in a hushed voice as they climbed inside. “I thought only Lightning Riders had those!”
Leap shrugged, his insides prickling as he thought of Gale. He tried not to think about what might have become of the older Lightning Rider who had defied Ryker in order to set him and Mavlyn free. “My parents were Lightning Riders,” he said by way of explanation, then changed the subject before she could ask him more about it. “We have a plan to stop General Slaugh from launching his next attack. But we’re going to need some help. Do you think you can get some volunteers together to assist us?”
“I can definitely try,” Roylan said. He sat down on the edge of his bed, eyes gleaming with interest. “But first, tell me what kind of scheme you two are brewing."
* * *
After laying out the plan, Roylan enthusiastically agreed to recruit volunteers for Leap and Mavlyn’s mission. The three of them agreed to meet on the northern outskirts of Talamh, and Leap and Mavlyn showed up two nights later, their meager belongings packed in case they had to flee the area.
They expected Roylan to arrive with two or three volunteers, but to his surprise, a group of fifteen students were waiting for them at the edge of the woods where they’d agreed to meet. “Emelie!” Mavlyn exclaimed as they landed. She jumped off Cirra and rushed to greet her friend. “I didn’t think you would be here!”
“My parents would kill me if they found out,” Emelie admitted, “but I couldn’t very well stay behind and let the rest of you have fun.”
“And neither could we,” Tora said, stepping forward. She was there with Lyra and Rina, and Leap recognized most of the other faces from the club meeting Roylan had invited them to. Had that really been almost two weeks ago? It felt like it had just happened yesterday. He shook his head—time was passing way too quickly.
“Did you bring the supplies?” he asked Roylan.
Roylan nodded, hefting a jug of oil in one hand. “Several of these, matchsticks to light them, wire cutters, smoke bombs, and the other tools you asked for.” He pointed to the large sack resting next to his feet.
“Great.” He glanced skyward, judging the sun’s position in the sky. “Let’s go. We’ve got a long walk ahead of us.”
The group headed north, sticking to the cover of the trees alongside the road to avoid attention. They walked for several miles before Leap hopped onto Cirra and flew ahead to check on their target. He’d spotted the military camp a few days ago when he’d taken a short night flight to get some fresh air, and after snooping around at a safe distance, had figured out it was a training facility for the new recruits.
Circling the area from a safe distance, he noticed the camp was mostly empty, and spotted the soldiers about a mile north on a training march. They all looked young and green behind the ears—brand new recruits receiving rudimentary training before they were thrown into General Slaugh’s growing army.
Encouraged by what he saw, Leap returned to his friends as fast as he could. “There’s only a few soldiers at the camp right now,” he said, tripping over his words in excitement. “Now is the perfect time to strike.”
“Good.” Mavlyn gave him a grim nod. “Let’s do this.”
They picked up the pace, jogging the last mile until they reached the camp. Leap and Roylan went ahead, and Leap used his wind magic to produce a whistling sound to distract the two soldiers guarding the camp entrance. They turned toward the sound, and Roylan and Leap snuck up behind them, putting them both in sleeper holds, then dragging them away from the camp and stashing their unconscious forms behind a nearby boulder.
“That was easier than I thought it would be,” Roylan said.
Leap shrugged. “They’re probably new recruits too,” he said, giving them a pitying look. He knew they would be in deep trouble, but that was far better than sending them off to die in this stupid war.
They checked the perimeter to make sure there weren’t any guards they’d missed, then gave the others the all clear. Moving quickly, the group rushed into the camp and got to work, each one armed with a small jug of oil and match sticks. In no time at all, they’d set fire to the barracks and the storage buildings. Leap used his wind magic to stoke the flames high and fast, and watched with satisfaction as they ate through the walls and roofs. All the troop’s armaments, equipment, food, and supplies were in those buildings.
“Leap!” Roylan yelled, and he turned to see the earth fae running toward him. “Griffin Riders!”
Leap spun around, and his heart dropped at the sight of four of Lady Mossi’s soldiers winging their way here on the backs of the majestic half-bird, half-beast creatures. “Run!” he shouted, amplifying his voice with wind magic. He whistled for Cirra as the others scattered in all directions, and she swooped down from where she hid in the clouds. Gathering his legs beneath him, he leaped into the air and landed square in the middle of his cloud familiar, who whizzed off so they could search for Mavlyn.
He was scanning the area for her when the first of the Griffin Riders caught up to him. “Surrender, boy!” he shouted, aiming his bow at Leap.
Swearing, Leap turned to face the enemy, lashing out with a wind strike to deflect the first arrow. The griffin shrieked, flapping its wings hard as it reared back to keep from being thrown out of the air, and Leap used the opportunity to call lightning from his fist into the sky. He aimed the bolt straight at the Griffin Rider’s chest, and it hit with the force of a thunderclap. But the rider only laughed as the lightning sizzled harmlessly across his chest, dispersing like fog beneath the summer sun.
“Foolish child,” he spat. “All earth fae armor is grounded against lightning strikes! Your lightning rider magic is useless here.”
A second griffin rider joined the first, and the two of them attacked. Leap dodged the first volley of arrows, but the two riders split off to the sides, making it difficult for him to defend. He deflected the first arrow, but the second one pierced his left shoulder, narrowly missing his lungs. Pain lanced through him, and Cirra vibrated in alarm as she sensed her rider’s peril.
“No, wait!” he cried as she shot skyward, the world moving around them in a blur. The wind shrieked in his ears as they hurtled away from the camp, Cirra traveling so fast Leap feared his stomach would slingshot out of his throat. Such speeds were dangerous for both cloud and rider, and there was no way the griffins had a hope of catching up.
“Cirra, please!” he shouted. The high winds whisked his words away, but he knew she could hear him just fine. “We have to go back for Mavlyn!”
