The plan agreed upon, Taz circled one last time before ducking toward the tree line. Kayla’s arm abruptly itched in earnest. Not now! Much as she wanted to scratch, she needed freedom of movement to disembark at Taz’s stipulated time. Her arm only itched all the more, so much that she nearly missed her drop point. Taz had to hiss to remind her to jump.
Narrowly missing a raised tree root, Kayla landed hard. Dropping into a roll soothed her screaming knees and ankles. She didn’t stop until she came up near a tree trunk. Then she scuttled behind it, settling into a crouch and surveying the area. Her hand went to her birthmark, and she scratched at last, fighting the urge to close her eyes in relief.
Listening to the muffled thuds as Jaden and Atu landed, Kayla kept her eyes peeled for any sign of danger. The black depths of the trees held no movement. Kayla relaxed as she felt Jaden creep up behind her and put a hand on her arm. His touch was exactly what she needed.
“You okay?” Jaden asked. “You had a pretty rough landing.”
Kayla smiled at him over her shoulder. “Yup, I was a little distracted.”
“By this?” Jaden asked, gently touching her arm where she was still scratching.
Snatching her hand away from the offending spot, Kayla nodded irritably. “Yes.”
“You still owe me an explanation.”
Kayla sighed inwardly. Sometimes, she wished Jaden wasn’t so attuned to her and her needs. Telling him about the birthmark would only make him worry more. But not answering his question would make him more adamant. “I do, but later. We have more pressing issues to deal with.” Turning, she peered into the darkness. “I can’t see a thing. Are you sure this is the right place?”
Jaden shuddered. “Yeah, it’s the right place.”
Without a word, the three of them drew their DDs. The brilliant slivers of light that extended when they released the safety catches seemed unnaturally bright in the shadows.
“Please, there’s no need for those.” The voice emanated from the murky area directly in front of them. “I promise, I’m not here to harm you. In fact, I think you’re looking for me. I’m coming out. Please, don’t use those weapons.”
Chapter Nine
A lean girl of middling height stepped from behind a tree, hands raised in surrender. Kayla couldn’t help but notice her enviable locks of lustrous, dark brown hair. The stranger moved with the grace of a gazelle—and was about as quiet too. Someone who’s accustomed to moving in these woods. Slowly, as though the stranger didn’t want to scare them into doing something they would regret, the girl approached until she stood only a few feet away.
“My name’s Iriyessa, but you can call me Iri,” she offered.
“What makes you think we were looking for you?” Jaden challenged, not giving his name.
“Because I have one of those too.” Iri nodded toward Kayla’s medallion, dangling on its chain on the outside of her smart suit. “And because I can see things other people can’t, like those giant bats that brought you here.”
The tumblers fell into place. “You’re a seeker?” Kayla asked.
“If that’s what you’re called, then yes, I suppose I am.”
Atu held out his hand. “May we see your medallion, please?”
Iri nodded, then cautiously lowered one hand, indicating via a tiny wrist motion that she wanted to remove something from inside her outer shirt. After receiving approval from Jaden, she continued the measured movement to extract her medallion.
Where had she hidden it? While the girl’s unbuttoned outer shirt had about as many pockets as her cargo pants, the shirt under it had no hiding spaces at all. In fact, it hugged the girl’s figure like a second skin, showing off her toned body to perfection. She must have hidden it in her bra. Kayla slid her gaze toward Jaden and smiled when she caught him staring. At that moment, Jaden turned his eyes toward Kayla. He shrugged and grinned sheepishly. Well, if a girl’s going to hide things there, she should expect people to look, Kayla thought wryly.
Atu, on the other hand, seemed quite unaffected. Taking a bold step towards the girl, he inspected her medallion. “Yeah, it’s real. I’ll let Taz and the others know we’re not in any danger.”
Kayla nodded. “Thanks. We wouldn’t want to get the sharp side of her tongue again.”
Atu pulled a face, showing how disagreeable the idea was, before disappearing into the trees.
Iri watched him leave, her curiosity plain. Then she used her raised hands to point at their DDs. “Will you put those things away now?”
“Oh, sorry.” Kayla flipped the safety so that the sizzling blade retreated and stretched out a hand. “I’m Kayla.”
Iri shook her hand and smiled. “It’s really nice to meet you.”
Kayla’s gaze sharpened. Something in the girl’s tone made her wonder how long it had been since Iri had spent time with anyone. “Do you have any friends skulking about?”
The girl shook her head. The movement sent a wavy strand over her face, which she tucked behind her ear. “No, it’s just me.”
“You’re out here in the middle of nowhere—on your own?” Jaden blurted.
Kayla noticed the girl’s immediate withdrawal. “Jaden,” Kayla gave him a meaningful glare, “don’t be rude.” She turned to Iri. “Ignore him. Sometimes he speaks before he thinks.”
Jaden shrugged. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. In case you hadn’t gathered, I’m Jaden.”
Iri gave a tentative smile as she shook his offered hand. “How did you find me?”
Jaden scratched his head. “It’s difficult to explain. Let’s go with I had a feeling we had to be here.”
When Iri nodded like Jaden’s explanation was the most natural thing in the world, Kayla’s suspicions were heightened. How was it that this solitary girl had no qualms about them meeting her the way they had? In fact, the more Kayla studied her, the more perplexed she became. The girl was nervous around people. But she had a confidence that was contradictory. Atu’s return only added to Kayla’s confusion. As soon as he arrived, Atu wandered over to Iri to introduce himself, but she took a quick step away, lifting a hand to her nose.
“I’m sorry, but would you mind putting that pricklepine root in this bag?” She handed Atu a thick, plastic bag with an airtight seal.
Atu’s face went from suspicious to crestfallen to bewildered in as many heartbeats. “Sure,” Atu mumbled, taking the bag and reaching into his pouch. When Iri took another step backward, he mimicked her action as he pulled something green from the pouch and sealed it in the bag.
As soon as the seal closed, the girl removed her hand from her nose. Approaching him, she extended her hand. “Sorry about that. My nose is sensitive to some things. I’m Iri.”
“Atu.” He shook her hand, his incredulity evident. “I’ve never met anyone who could smell that well.”
Iri smiled. “Like I said, a sensitive nose.”
Kayla couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to that statement. However, she couldn’t consider it further because she heard Taz calling. “Are we ever going to meet this new voyager?”
The imperious, demanding tone was so like Taz that Kayla giggled. At Iri’s raised eyebrow, Kayla said, “That’s my glider, Taz.”
“That’s what those giant bats are called? Gliders?”
Kayla nodded. “Want to meet them?”
“Do you even have to ask?” Iri grinned.
Kayla masked her surprise as she turned to leave. She had half expected Iri wouldn’t want to go near the gliders, given her skittishness around people. Yet again, though, Iri reacted in contrary fashion. She certainly wasn’t predictable. When they stepped from the cover of the trees, they found Taz, Han, and Aren hopping around anxiously.
“You took your time,” Taz commented, shooting Kayla an acerbic look.
Kayla had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Taz was only worried about her, which made Kayla feel cared for. Smiling a little at the thought of what Taz would say if Kayla brought
that up, Kayla made the introductions.
Iri almost ran to meet the gliders. “You’re so big!”
Han’s rumbling chuckle washed over the group. “And you’re so small.”
That had them all laughing.
Kayla watched, astounded, as Iri touched each glider in turn, emitting excited squeaks. She showed no hint of fear, nor was there any of the reverence Atu and Sven displayed when first meeting the gliders. Iri behaved as though being confronted by these majestic creatures was an everyday occurrence. When Iri faced them again, a clear question burning in her eyes, Kayla was beyond being surprised.
“Yes, you can fly with them. You might want to ask them first, though,” Kayla suggested.
Iri didn’t hesitate. “May I please fly with one of you?”
Shockingly, Aren dipped his head in assent. Kayla had expected Taz to take the lead, control freak that she was. Kayla watched, flabbergasted, as Aren knelt to let the excited girl claw her way onto his back. Iri didn’t need to be told to get up to Aren’s neck or to hang onto the thick ridge of fur there—or to use her legs to grip the bat. It seemed to come naturally.
Iri grinned down at Kayla. “Don’t look so surprised. This isn’t all that different to riding a horse.”
Kayla clamped her mouth shut. Had her skepticism been that obvious? “Oh well, good for you that you’ve ridden horses,” she mumbled. How would Taz react to being compared to a horse? But she didn’t seem to mind.
Iri didn’t hear Kayla’s reply as she urged Aren to fly. Aren obliged, and Iri let out a wild, joyful shriek. The shrieks continued as Aren soared higher.
“I hope Aren’s ears survive,” Atu said, watching his glider curve away from them.
Jaden smiled, placing a hand on Atu’s shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“He’d better be,” Atu muttered.
“Aren will tell her to tone it down if she gets out of hand,” Taz assured him. “She seems . . . interesting.”
Kayla’s attention was seized for the third (or was it the fourth?) time that day. Taz’s tone held undercurrents of uncertainty. “What do you mean?”
“There’s something about her—something I just can’t put a name to, but it’s there. Like a memory you can’t quite put a claw on.”
Thoughtfully, Kayla nodded. “You picked up on that too then.” Kayla turned to Jaden. “Your spidey-sense tingling?”
Jaden laughed. “No, but it doesn’t work that way.”
Kayla tried not to be distracted by his disarming smile. “How does it work, then? You sensed that she was down here, but you’re not sensing something off with her?”
“That’s about the gist of it.”
“But these feelings of yours, they act like warnings, don’t they?”
“Yes, but—”
Kayla kept talking. “Why then would they warn you about the presence of another seeker? Surely she’s the other one Zareh told us to find? Which means she shouldn’t be a danger to us, right?” Jaden said nothing, and Kayla forged ahead. “But if you had that feeling about her presence, doesn’t it follow that she must be a danger?”
When Jaden still didn’t answer, Kayla looked at him and noticed his mild irritation. “Are you going to let me speak now?”
Kayla half-smiled and took his hand, capturing it between both of hers. “Sorry, I just don’t understand.”
Jaden nodded, accepting her apology. Kayla saw him look down at their clasped hands and then back at her. His eyes were so blue, his face so earnest, Kayla couldn’t stop herself from reaching out a hand and placing it on Jaden’s cheek. He leaned into her touch, then raised his eyebrows questioningly. “I truly am sorry for cutting you off. I really do want to understand.”
“That’s okay. It’s difficult for me too. These feelings I get—most of the time, they warn me about danger. Occasionally though, they are simply warnings that I need to be aware of something. So whether for danger or an alert, there’s no way to tell.”
“Well, that’s frustrating,” Kayla grumbled.
“You have no idea. The worst part is that I only really get to find out which of the two it was when the danger confronts me directly. And then it’s usually too late to stop whatever it is from happening.”
Kayla made up her mind. “In that case, we’ll just have to be sure to keep tabs on Iri. We wouldn’t want her betraying us unexpectedly.”
“I don’t think that’s likely.” Atu’s entry back into the conversation was understated as usual, but the certainty in his voice made Kayla frown.
“And why is that?”
Atu tilted his head sideways as he considered. “Whatever’s going on with her, I don’t think it’s that she’s a traitor.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re so sure, but at least allow me my suspicions.”
Atu nodded but said nothing more on the subject. Instead, he looked up at the sky. “They’ve been gone a while.”
Kayla giggled. “I’m sure she’ll bring Aren back in one piece.”
Atu gave her a baleful stare. “It’s not your glider she’s taken.”
“True. Shall we go find them?”
Atu brightened. “Yes, let’s.”
In seconds, they were in the air, Atu and Jaden on Han while Kayla flew solo with Taz.
“How will we find them?” Kayla asked when they had gained some altitude.
“We’ll use our link,” Taz replied.
“Wait, it works with Iri already?” Kayla felt unreasonably jealous. How could Taz already link with her?
Taz sent her an affectionate smile, as if pleased Kayla didn’t want to share her. “No, but we share a link with Aren.”
“Oh. Let’s get there then.”
Taz increased her speed, and a thought struck Kayla. While she had felt sympathy for Atu, it hadn’t been empathy until now. She would have to apologize for teasing him.
Finding Iri and Aren didn’t take long. Atu sighed in relief when he found Iri was no longer shrieking, which made Kayla smile. Would Atu insist Iri ride with Kayla and Taz so that he could have Aren all to himself again?
As it turned out, Atu had a more generous spirit. After confirming that Aren was coping, he seemed content to let Iri maintain her solo position. But another issue soon presented itself.
“We’re too slow for a fight,” Taz confided to Kayla.
“I was wondering about that. Iri needs a suit and an aerolator, doesn’t she?”
“She does. And she needs her own glider too.”
“We should’ve thought about the suit when we left Sven’s. We knew we had to find another seeker.”
“While it’s regrettable that we didn’t think of that at the time, there’s nothing we can do about it now. We will simply have to make a plan to get her a suit as soon as possible.”
“Should Atu summon Pallaton?”
Taz paused. “I’m not sure that’s the best idea. Pallaton may think we’re in trouble and bring the whole Legion. Then who would be left to protect your parents?”
Fondly, Kayla rubbed Taz’s neck. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome,” Taz purred. “But we will need to solve these issues. The sooner we do, the sooner we can begin training her.”
Kayla laughed. With Taz, it was all business. Well, most of it was. “Yes, ma’am.”
Taz ignored her and sent them into a roll. “Speaking of which, it’s about time for some practice.”
The afternoon sped by. Iri was a quick study and learned the routines annoyingly fast. Kayla found herself questioning Iri again, but she shook her head. If she distrusted Iri, she would only cause division. She had to give Iri a chance to prove herself and only change her mind if Iri gave Kayla a reason to doubt her. Besides, if Iri had been living on her own for so long, she must’ve learned some skills. The routines were no doubt just an extension of that. Kayla relaxed, relieved to have temporarily resolved her misgivings where Iri was concerned.
The sun was slipping down to the horizon and its
associated dangers when they touched down for the night in a clearing that bordered a stream. Kayla was grateful that Taz opted to comply with her request to find a spot where they could at least clean up. As she leaped off Taz, Kayla dreamed of showering. She moved aside so Han could drop the boys, then the three of them watched as Aren dipped and landed. Kayla smiled as Iri half-fell, half-stumbled off Aren.
“Here, let me help.” Kayla moved forward and grabbed Iri’s arm as she helped her to her feet.
“Whew, that was exhausting,” Iri admitted. “I like to think I’m in pretty good shape, but I didn’t think it would be that tiring. You all make it look so easy!”
Kayla grinned. “Believe me, we felt the same way after our first day of flying. You’ll adjust—and quickly if Taz has anything to do with it,” she whispered conspiratorially.
Iri laughed. “I’ll bet.” Then she placed a hand on Kayla’s arm. “Thank you.”
“For what?’ Kayla asked, surprised.
“For making me feel at home and part of this group.”
“Sure,” Kayla stammered, feeling guilty.
Iri studied her. “You know, for a while there back in the woods, I didn’t think you were going to let me in.”
Kayla struggled to hide her shock. How did Iri know? Kayla had spent her entire life hiding her feelings from others—and all the moving they had done over the years had only allowed her to perfect that art. Was this girl just that good at reading people? If so, she was a lot better than Kayla. And Kayla would have to be on her guard if she didn’t want Iri guessing anything Kayla didn’t want her to know.
Chapter Ten
Instead of the day or two it would’ve taken with a smart suit and aerolator for Iri, it took a week to reach Lake Pleasant. For the first two days, Jaden chomped at the bit, trying to get the gliders to squeeze more distance into each day. By the third day, he’d accepted they weren’t going to get there any sooner, so he chose to enjoy each day for what it was: time to spend with his friends. More specifically, Kayla. Having her near him every moment of every day was beyond wonderful. Unfortunately, they had no opportunities to spend time alone. Nonetheless, Jaden didn’t complain. Being near Kayla was better than not having her close at all.
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