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/aimeelynn and join my discord chat. The event will be there at 1pm PST, Sunday, 6 February (Los Angeles date and time!) See you there! (This message added after publication so you aren't charged for the words.)

*****

ELRETH

They were back at the cave. Her parents, Gar, Tarkyn, Lhern, Huncer, and several messengers standing in the tunnel and outside the cave waiting to be called to action. On Tarkyn's insistence, a guard had been placed around Elreth and Aaryn, though El refused to have them in the cave itself. They stood in the meadow, and over the hole above the bathing pools, ensuring no one could enter without permission. Tarkyn had been extremely clear in his instructions—no one that was not invited by name, by himself, or the royals.

Elreth sat in one of the big chairs in the great room. Aaryn stood at the arm, his body quivering with tension. She wanted to reach for him, but she had to stay focused. They were all tense. She had to trust him to tell her if he was reaching his limit.

They had humans in Anima.

The fact stunned her stupid. There was a prophecy that the humans brought destruction for the entire Anima Kingdom—their race!—and yet despite her best efforts, there were humans in Anima and they had weapons.

Elreth's parents sat on a couch across from her, her father's hand possessively on his mate's thigh, glaring at anyone that came within feet of them.

He always got over-protective when he was tense.

Huncer and Lhern were on the other couch, their faces blank and hard. Tarkyn remained on his feet, poised, Elreth thought, as if he thought he might have to fight at any second.

Gar paced in front of the fire, relaying it all again now that everyone was there.

"They caught her scent—I had them out patrolling, just in case. I told them the areas her activity had been found before and they were just… circling.

"But now it's not just her. They have the scents of at least three males and another female. And they're moving somehow. They said the trail has been lost twice, but they circle and find it again—one time almost a mile away. I don't know how they're doing this, jumping like this. But it means the trackers are moving slow, making sure they aren't fooled, not missing anything. I need to get out there, El. I can find them.

"

Elreth was about to tell him not to be stupid—his people were about to face the Rite of Veneration!—but her father spoke up first.

"It has to be birds. They have to have some help,

" he said, his deep rumble rolling under the palpable tension in the room.

Elreth looked up.

"What?

"

"Remember what I told you about the wolves? About how they were appearing in different areas in the WildWood despite our patrols? Turned out the birds were putting them in hammocks and lifting them out. Once they're far enough off the ground they don't leave a scent trail.

"

Elreth's mouth fell open and she turned to Tarkyn and Gar.

"Is that possible? Could it be that simple?

"

Tarkyn frowned. No one has described the scents of birds on any of the tracks or trails. If they were landing… if the people were getting in hammocks, we'd see tracks. Be able to tell. We could smell the birds—

"

But then Gar swore.

"The lines in the sand. Of course, I should have thought of it.

"

They all looked at him, but he had his hands in his hair and his teeth clenched, he wasn't seeing anything except what was in his head.

"What, Gar?

" Elreth asked testily when he didn't keep speaking.

Her brother's eyes snapped to meet hers.

"They aren't using hammocks. They're… they're not even landing.

"

"What?

"

"The ripples in the sand—it's the back draft of wings. They've got… they've obviously got big birds, Elreth. The birds aren't landing at all, they're coming low and picking them up—those ripples in the sand is from their air they beat to do it.

"

Elreth blinked.

"They'd have to be huge—

"

"Wait, you said these were humans. What birds are working with humans? What birds are big enough, strong enough to carry a single human alone?

"

Gar shook his head.

"I don't know. I don't get it either. But it fits—it's why her trail just ends. It's why there were those ripples in the sand. It's why they can jump—I'm willing to bet all the places their trails start and end are open spaces between trees. Clearings. Places where there's space for the birds to land safely.

"

"You didn't ask about the terrain?

" Tarkyn barked.

Gar shook his head.

"I wasn't… I hadn't thought of this yet. I thought it was some kind of magic, or technology they had—

"

"Get messengers out there, we need to find out—

"

"No,

" Gar snarled turning to face Tarkyn, his body tense.

The entire room went still as the two males faced each other.

Tarkyn's chin dropped in warning.

"Gar, you haven't run an operation like this before. We need information—we can't make decisions without knowing—

"

"It's still a small group. We need to get out there and see them, understand what they're doing. They don't have our senses. We can hide from them, observe—

"

"And get yourself shot with a misplaced step. No!

" Tarkyn growled.

"We need them captured and brought back.

" He turned to Elreth.

"Order the guards out. We'll take them and bring them here, you can interrogate them.

"

"Are you **ing crazy? The minute you take them whoever they're answering to learns that we know about them and we lose any advantage—they'll just come for us. We need to watch them, figure out their intentions and how they're moving around—

"

"Your people are not equipped for this, Gar—

"

"They're better equipped than your robots who only know one way to do things!

"

"I don't know what a robot is,

" Tarkyn snarled,

"But my warriors are disciplined and ready, they will put their lives on the line for the people, for the Queen—

"

"And mine won't?

" Gar shouted.

"Not if they have a question, apparently,

" Tarkyn snarled back.

"They need their chance to make authority answer first, right?

"

Gar roared and streamed forward to stand in front of the Captain, his teeth bared.. Tarkyn snarled in return and the two quivered, chest-to-chest.