Page 44 of Wind and Water
Forming a wave, the water flows back in a rush, scooping us up with a hundred centaurs and carrying us northeast toward land. The power of Wren’s wave is more than I could have imagined. It’s many minutes before we begin our descent, and she sets us down gently. We’re miles from where we started, perhaps more than a day’s ride. The tower looks small, and it’s too far to see if the witch queen still watches.
If Venora has enough power left after destroying the centaur village, she could send another missile, but I think she expected her soldiers to best us in battle. “I think we’ve gotten away.”
“It’s a miracle,” Belloc says but keeps running through the shallows of the lost lands. The beach is in sight, and no one will feel safe until we reach solid land. “Now to get out of this cursed place.
Wren sits with her shoulders slumped.
“Wren?”
“She’s well, just tired.” Jadar’s voice is full of concern, but he gives me an honest nod to let me know she’s in no danger for the moment.
Birdie’s left eye is swollen shut, and her face is bruised. Her cuts and dried blood will need tending. She stares from Wren to me. “Did my girl do that?”
“She saved you and then us all. Wind and water are at her command in a way I’ve never seen in an elf. This is a different kind of magic.” I hate to say that I owe the oracle an apology for not believing in their prophecy, but the last few days have made me a true believer.
We continue at a steady pace, but slow from the breakneck gallop as our shadows grow long. The entire party is nearly falling from exhaustion. Where we land is mostly marshes, but we find a dry knoll and stop to make camp.
Wren and Birdie fall into each other’s arms, both crying.
Corell steps beside me. “If nothing else goes right, we have done a good thing in bringing mother and daughter back together.”
I nod. They are a family, and knowing one of my brothers may have fallen makes me yearn for that closeness.
As if she heard my heart, Birdie looks up from the embrace with her daughter. She holds an arm out to me. “Liam, come here.”
Walking into her embrace, I wrap my arms around both of them. Watching Birdie fall from that parapet was one of the most horrifying moments of my life.
“How did you do it?” Birdie asks. “How did you save me from that fall?”
“I didn’t save you, Birdie. It’s the greatest miracle that you survived, and I couldn’t be happier, but I cannot take the credit.” I tighten my arm around Wren’s back.
She keeps her head down.
“But you caught me. I know you caught me.” Birdie pulls back and looks at me. Her one uninjured eye is wide.
I press my fingers over her battered face and channel enough magic to heal the damage. The swelling immediately reduces, and the black and red flesh fades to a healthy pink.
Birdie’s expression eases as her pain subsides. “Thank you. You wouldn’t have anything for a few broken ribs, would you?”
“That ride must have been torture.” I cringe just thinking about the pain she endured because of me. “Come, I can try to heal it.”
Jadar hands me the blanket from his back.
I place it on the sandy grass for Birdie to lie on.
Her movements are slow, and her face twists with the pain from something so simple as stretching on her back. It’s a testament to her strength that she made no complaints on the long ride. “You didn’t answer my question.”
I close my eyes and place my hands over her ribs. Heat emanates through her blouse.
Her hand covers mine.
Opening my eyes, I meet Birdie’s gaze. “I meant what I told you. Wren used her magic to save you, and the wave that carried us away from the tower was also her magic.”
Wren kneels next to her mother and combs Birdie’s hair off her forehead.
Before Birdie can speak, Wellon trots over, his expression full of concern. “You are injured? What can I do?” He curls his legs under him and leans in, looking for something to do for her.
Patting his cheek, Birdie smiles. “I’ll be fine. This was not your doing. When that witch realized I wasn’t the one she was looking for, she threw me against a wall with her nasty magic. The ribs cracked then. Lord knows what Liam will find as far as them being placed as they should. It’s been a hell of a few days.”
