Windswept (The Airborne Saga)

by Constance Sharper

  The danger clear, Avery’s mind began spinning and calculating their options.

  “Where did he go?”

  “The press doesn’t know. Or they do and they’re hiding him very subtly.” Adalyn’s face had paled as she spoke, but she wouldn’t let her expression truly betray her.

  “You have to help me then. You have to help me find him before they do!” Avery exclaimed. Adalyn, Mason’s ex-fiancé, still harbored some feelings for him. While Avery had spent most of her recent years hating that idea, now it seemed priceless and impeccable. However Adalyn didn’t spring up, ready and willing. She studied Avery with her slanted blue eyes.

  “It’s impossible.” The woman’s voice sounded broken and something in Avery’s chest broke with it. “I would help Mason. I’d never run away from a fight. But it’s impossible. Our faces are known by every member of the coup, they won’t let just us tromp on over. And if it did come to conflict, and it might, we can’t fight alone. We are two against an army.”

  “I’ve been two against an army before,” Avery countered immediately. Where Adalyn’s despair seemed to grow, Avery’s determination developed as well. She pressed her hand to her chest to steady herself through the continued pain in her chest, and raised her free hand. “Listen to me, if Mason has supporters, that means we have allies anyways, right? There must be someone who will help us find him. Protect us. Hide us. You must call them.”

  “And where am I supposed to start?” Adalyn asked. “The press didn’t give any hint to his location. I think he’d go to Portland. The mob of press reacted to the attack and he escaped in the stampede. That’d be the best bet, but there are a dozen massive cities there.”

  “I don’t think he got that far. How could he have? They slashed his wing. I think he’s still there…on the island.” Even Avery didn’t believe her own logic completely. But riding on gut instinct was all she had left. Adalyn finally stood but just to point out another flaw in her argument.

  “Okay, sunshine, even if he is on the island, that’s the center of the coup. The rebels will be the worst there. We won’t be able to fly or swim or walk in.”

  Avery nodded anyways.

  “I have an idea here. A long shot. But I know where someone is and I think she might help…”

  “Eva.” Adalyn read her mind. “I warned her about Patrick. She’s alive because of me. She’ll fight or she’ll die with us.”

  Finally geared up, Adalyn’s wings snapped open even inside the building. She cleared the door and charted the skies, leaving Avery in her wake. The skies were clear but darkening. Based off the time since the speech and the attack, the island Patrick had left them on couldn’t have been that far from the California coast. Even the harpie capitol was within an hour’s trip.

  Avery briefly considered, as she rattled landmark directions to Adalyn, that Eva might not still be in the same place the police had located her in. But considering they had a virtual coup on their hands and Eva was simply too dangerous to approach, the police stayed away from Eva. And Eva, beat up, wouldn’t have been on the move.

  The plan was clear, but Adalyn stopped Avery before they took off.

  “What’s wrong with you?” the harpie snapped. Upon Avery’s inquisitive look, Adalyn’s eyes narrowed. “Look at you.”

  Avery’s hand still hovered on her chest and squeezed it into fist.

  “I nearly was blown into pieces. I’m in pain.”

  “Funny because there isn’t a scratch on you.”

  Avery’s chin dropped to her exposed flesh. The bruises had dissipated. But the ache in her chest remained.

  “I don’t know. The magic…has been acting up. It’s hurting me, feels like I have someone sitting on my chest. I just need some time. It’ll feel better. But we have to save Mason now.”

  Adalyn didn’t comment or ask. The silence more intimidating than an actual snarky remark. But Avery didn’t sit around to contemplate it either. Adalyn grabbed her and they flew out. The woman, not as big as Mason or any of the Guard, assured for a rough flight for both of them. A storm brewing in the south, the wind had picked up making the weather choppy. Adalyn had trouble holding onto Avery, and the resulting position was awkward and unpleasant.

  “How far?” Avery demanded after she’d lost track of time.

  The sun had completely disappeared, leaving nothing but the moonlight reflecting off the violent waves.

  “You tell me. We’re right on top of the coast, but I can’t go any closer or human lights will reveal us. How did you even plan to find her? What if she’s not here?” Adalyn sounded annoyed. She hefted Avery up again when a harsh breeze struck and let out an overdramatic grunt at the same time. Avery gasped in return. Most days she’d be blushing at Adalyn’s not so subtle complaint about her weight. Today she was only feeling the threat of bile in her throat.

  “If we get close enough, we should be able to feel the Willow magic.” After all, Eva had been spewing it wholesale during their last encounter.

  “Why? I can’t feel yours.”

  “Wait.” Avery silenced her and jerked backwards. Adalyn struggled to hang on, lowering them in a daring swoop. “Someone’s following us.”

  Adalyn suddenly whipped her own head around. Erratically, she searched the skies until she spotted in detail the figure that Avery had only seen as a flash.

  “I can’t fight while holding you. We’re landing, now!” Her wings shifted and they plummeted. The descent never slowed until Adalyn’s feet hit the sand. The impact knocked Avery askew, and she found herself with a face full of sand. Through an explosion of coughing, Avery rolled over and struggled to her feet. Adalyn had already freed a knife from her belt and crouched in a fighting position. Their tail landed twenty feet away on the beach and proceeded to approach at a slow pace.

  Avery sized up their surrounding—an empty beach on a relatively deserted stretch of land. Sure of no human intervention, she waited for the harpie to arrive.

  “Hello, Ms. Avery.” He called closer now. Avery recognized him. A member of the Band of Thieves and once a follower of Mikhail, Rafael approached.

  Adalyn readied the knife. Avery took a half step forward.

  “What do you want?” Avery asked.

  “Couldn’t help but notice you all scouting the area. What are you looking for, dearie?”

  Avery bit her tongue. Rafael was never in line with Patrick as she’d first thought. None of the Band had been. But that didn’t make the Band of Thieves remotely trustworthy. Adalyn had kept her blue eyes concentrated on Rafael’s distinctive bronze armor. The knife would do little to pierce it and she must have known that. It was the only reason Adalyn had waited.

  Rafael pushed a hand through his hair. He wore a bigger smile than he did armor, and if he was armed, it was unclear.

  “Back off.”

  Avery raised her left hand threateningly. The Willow tattoo, which covered the better half of her body, showed clearly. His smile only brightened.

  “Why, you’ll zap me with your ineffective magic? I call your bluff. I’ve seen what happened to Eva.”

  “You’re here with her, aren’t you? Where is she?”

  Rafael finally stiffened. His eyes went to Adalyn.

  “Have her drop the knife and follow me.”

  “Never.” Adalyn snapped, but Avery held a pleading hand out. They didn’t have a choice anymore. Their time was running out. Adalyn finally gave up, beamed the knife into the dirt, and trampled behind Rafael.

  Avery kept herself alert in case they were walking straight into a trap. Surprisingly he brought them up land and into a more populated area. The area wasn’t well lit and night was on their side, but they still walked quickly.

  It was true. Avery could feel the Willow magic long before they reached it. At the time, Avery began to seriously reconsider their plan. Eva was insane. She was Mason’s sister, strong and powerful with cunningness second to none. Avery didn’t have the chance to back out. She spotted the woman on the stairs
of a small cottage. Eva had little resemblance to her brother. Her hair black where his brown, her skin white while his tan. Shadows eclipsed her face and her aura also hovered around her stiff figure. But she did share something in common with her brother. They both had Jericho’s jade green eyes. And seeing them, Avery lost some of her fear.

  “I knew you’d come. You just couldn’t stay away. You’ll bring all of the evil here.” The woman wore a sneer. Her hands clasped a spear, but it suddenly seemed like she was using it more to hold herself up more than to threaten anyone.

  “I warned you. You owe me.” Adalyn accused.

  Eva’s eyes slid to between them, but there was no humor in her bitter smirk.

  “I’m not incompetent. Once they tried to kill my brother, I would have known they were coming for me.”

  “But they’re still coming for you! They need your entire bloodline dead, right? So hiding out here isn’t going to do you any good. You should meet them in a fight. Help us. We can fix everything. We save Mason and we can take back the island.”

  Rafael snorted, reminding everyone he was still there. Propped against the side of the house, he chided, “I wanna hear this plan.”

  Avery stole a glance toward Adalyn. Rafael was with Eva when it appeared that no one else in the Band was. But did that mean he would side with Eva if they did convince her? Or was having him a severe liability? Avery always had Mason to make the heavy calls. Adalyn just returned her curiosity with an extra drop of resentment.

  “You’d have to find him, dig him out of his little hole, and put him on display for the world to see. That’s the only way you could win. Prompting the rest of the world to fight back. But how were you planning to do that first part? Finding him.”

  All eyes stilled on Avery. She felt her skin crawl and took a deep few breaths.

  “I think that two can distract them. And two can sneak onto the island.”

  It was clear which pairs were which people. Getting rid of Rafael was a must. Eva still had too much magical aura around her. People would feel that from half a mile away. She didn’t even need to show her face. More than that, a large chunk of the coup would chase her because she was so strong. Without all of the rebels, they could sneak on the island.

  “You’re underestimating our adversaries…” Eva spoke slowly. Not convinced. The minutes were ticking by. Avery pressed her hands to her forehead and steadied herself.

  “I understand the magic inside you is decaying. I understand your time, like mine is running out. We have no chance of finding a cure, finding a way to stabilize the elements unless we end this. So saving Mason or not, you have no other choice if you even want a chance to stop the magic.” Avery plea hit home. Adalyn and Patrick shifted but Avery refused to glance over and see their faces. Maybe everyone had known how bad the Willow magic was getting but not this much. And it was true, the doctor had told her that Willow magic was breaking down into unstable elements. He had been looking for a cure, a way to stabilize the elements, and was probably the only one that could find it. So Mason’s monarch needed to be under his control again and the doctor continued his work. It was probably the best incentive for his sister who held Mason in no high regard.

  “It is the only chance we have. I won’t ask you again. Are you with us?”

  Avery knew at that moment what she was asking of them all. They were going up against an army and the chances of making it out were slim. Eva especially would be in the greatest danger. She lit up like a firework, but would likely be unable to pull enough magic to fight all of the attacking harpies off. If the magic didn’t consume her like it did Mikhail, it’d eventually begin to deteriorate like it did with Avery. Eva without magic was a dead Eva. And Avery wasn’t holding out on a cure.

  Rafael twitched in the corner, clear disagreement on his face, but he only watched Eva. Even Adalyn tensed up, waiting for the answer. It took an extra few minutes. The wind had picked up and rain droplets began to fall on them. In the distance, the sound of life, laughter, and cars reached across the land.

  Finally Eva nodded.

  “Fine. I’m onboard.”

  Twenty One

  The drizzle outside made it difficult to see farther than the end of the rock base and the ocean beyond that disappeared into a blue haze. The dampness made it cold and the cave was now freezing on top of cramped.

  “Hellooo!” Adalyn snapped.

  Avery stirred. The two had packed into a cave a fair distance from the harpie capitol in a fairly decent hiding place. Avery didn’t ask how Adalyn had found it but the spot fit the bill as they waited for Eva’s distraction. Harpie Island was just a short jump away now.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Adalyn asked with a snarky voice.

  “…what?”

  “I’ve been talking to you for twenty minutes. And you’re spa—hey!” She snapped her fingers again.

  Avery flinched and finally made eye contact.

  “Spacing. Mid sentence,” Adalyn finished.

  Avery took a few moments to answer. Avery shifted her legs as she was unable to stretch them, but it only made her wince when the rocky floor dug into her skin anyway. She shifted back and forced her muscles to relax.

  “I’m sorry. I was just wondering how long it’ll take Eva to show.” Avery finally said.

  “So me rehashing our plan on the Eva topic is what you chose to ignore. Sheesh. I’m now beginning to wonder if you’ll keep it together long enough to even get out of this cave.”

  The woman’s haughty attitude didn’t faze Avery. Avery was wondering the same thing now. The plan was unfolding rapidly, but as it did, more and more holes in Avery’s original logic became apparent. They’d secured a place the appropriate distance away but neither of them would know how many rebels were on the island until they got closer. The news had reported that there were swarms—swarms were not numbers. And how many of these rebels would take the bait and chase Eva was another thing. For all Avery and Adalyn knew, they’d fly right into an army. Or a massacre.

  “She’s going to come when the fog reaches its heaviest point. The darkness will conceal all of us. But that’s only if you’re quick and quiet. Do you think you can manage while still limping around like a wounded dog? Stay focused?”

  This time Adalyn did earn a frown. Avery was having a hard enough time as it was. Maybe it was the blast, the concussion, or the lack of sleep, but her mind was having trouble holding onto thoughts. Adalyn’s complaining wouldn’t make that any easier.

  “I’ve fought off worse,” Avery said. That somehow seemed to comfort both of them.

  Adalyn tilted back on her haunches and gave up the badgering. Even after she’d had time to reorient herself from being prisoner, she didn’t look quite the same. Her hair lay flat and her skin pale. Every line on her face was more apparent than ever before and she didn’t hold herself with the same stamina. It’d been only a few months since her father died. Since she’d seen Mason. That was the last of Adalyn’s family. The female was true harpie, sharp and vicious, but she still had emotions. And Avery couldn’t help but wonder what Adalyn felt. Or what she had been doing for the last few months. She didn’t seem to blame Avery or Mason for her father’s death. She was even working with ex-members of the Band who had ultimately killed him.

  “What are you staring at?” Adalyn suddenly barked.

  Avery’s thoughts had manifested on her face. She turned away, staring at the ocean instead.

  “Can I ask you something?” Avery couldn’t help herself. Her brain told her to shut up.

  “What?”

  “Why are you doing this? Why are you still helping me and Mason?” Shut up, Avery’s brain urged her. Shut up.

  “I’m helping Mason, not you.”

  Avery didn’t look back to see if Adalyn had moved but could hear a sense of urgency pick up in her voice.

  “Why are you helping Mason? Do you still love him? Were you planning to move back with him?” Shut up, shut up, shut up. These were the kind
s of questions that made people rethink their allegiances. Rethink running towards certain death. Rethink running in the first place.

  “Oh, why? Are you scared that I’ll steal him away again?”

  Avery answered only by a look backwards. The sarcasm wasn’t quite bitter enough to be realistic. The harpie just frowned.