Page 48 of Within the Flames
The beithir leapt into the air and flew towards the castle, quickly leaving the camp behind. Macey shielded her eyes with one hand, making sure not to look away from Amber for even a second. She didn't want anything to happen to her.
"She'll be fine," Rónàn said from behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders and beginning to massage them gently. Immediately, some of her tension waned.
"What if it's a trick?" Macey asked. "It could be the Mahoun."
"Or it could be someone who wants to help," Flint said, joining Macey's side. "We'll find out in a moment. Look, Amber's almost there."
He was right. The beithir was slowly descending, drawing circles over the lone figure. If they were talking, then Macey couldn't hear it. Amber seemed relaxed, her body not curled up in a defensive position.
Suddenly, the beithir dived and wrapped her long body around the person, helping them climb onto her back. This had to be someone friendly, otherwise she'd never do that. Amber turned and flew back towards the camp, even quicker now than she'd flown before.
A minute later, she landed and a man slid from her back, wavering, then crumpling to the ground. Amber shifted faster than the eye could see.
"He needs help!" she shouted. "He's injured."
One of the kelpie healers ran forward and dropped onto his knees by the man's side, turning him onto his back. This was the first time Macey got a look at his face.
"What the..."
"Yes," Amber said, smiling grimly. "That's what I thought too. But it's not him. It's his brother."
"Malan's got a brother?" Macey exclaimed, staring at the familiar face. He looked exactly like the prophet, except that he had a body and well, he wasn't a ghost.
"Did he say anything?" she asked Amber.
"Just his name. Talon. He was about to pass out, so I thought I'd better bring him here before he died on me."
The kelpie healer was running his hands over the man's prone form.
"What's wrong with him?" Macey asked him, kneeling on Talon's other side. The man really looked like Malan. They had to be twins.
"Exhaustion, dehydration, some wounds that have festered," the healer reported, not stopping his work. "He's been tortured."
"How do you know?" Talon was wearing thick black clothes that didn't show any skin besides his face and hands.
The healer didn't even turn to look at her. "I can feel his injuries. There are a lot of old scars and wounds that never properly healed. There are broken bones, too. He must have been in incredible pain."
"When will he wake up?"
The healer frowned. "I can probably wake him now, but he will be in pain. You'll only have a few minutes, then I'll let him sleep again.
She nodded. They had to talk to him, it was imperative that they found out where Talon came from and why he was here. How he could help, preferably.
"Stand back, please," the healer commanded and Macey got back on her feet, looking down at them curiously. Of course she'd seen kelpie healers in action, many times, but she was still fascinated by their magic. Being able to heal was something she would have loved to be able to do, but it was a magic that was very different from her own and not linked to any elements.
With a gasp, Talon suddenly woke, his eyes wide open.
His whole body twitched and shook. The healer hurriedly murmured words and Macey could almost feel the magic flowing from him into Talon. Slowly, the injured man stilled and his breathing slowed. He looked around, shock and fear evident in his expression.
"Who's in charge?" he asked with a raspy voice that clearly hadn't been used in a long time.
"I am," Macey said confidently and kneeled in front of him so that he didn't have to look up at her. "I'm Macey, one of the Seven Wardens."
"Kelpie?"
Macey nodded.
"He wants you," Talon muttered. "He's been talking about you."
