Page 18 of Silver Claws, Crimson Tears
I’m hallucinating. I must be.
The wing beats sound like thunder now, each one reverberating through the parched earth beneath me. The other crowsscatter, fleeing before this new apparition. Wind whips my face, stirring dust that stings my cheeks.
Not a crow.
Silver flashes in the dying sunlight. A familiar shape, massive and powerful, blocks out the sky.
—Rhealyn!
His deep voice crashes through my mind. The most beautiful I’ve ever heard. I sob, the sound tearing from my throat.
“Zephyros?” I whisper, afraid he’ll vanish if I speak too loudly. “Is it really you?”
The ground trembles as he lands, his massive form hitting the earth with enough force to send vibrations through my broken body. His hide glimmers like water, water I desperately need. Claws tear furrows in the dirt as he rushes toward me.
—Rhealyn,he rumbles in my mind, his voice thick with relief and worry.What have they done to you?His scar-marked face lowers until I feel his hot breath against my skin.
—Took you long enough.I reach a trembling hand toward his snout. My fingers brush against hard scales, and I know he’s real. Not a fever dream.
—Thought you’d forgotten me, I say.
—Never,he growls, gentle despite his ferocity.You’re thirsty. So thirsty.
He must sense it through our bond.—Can you take me to water?
—I can still lift a bone rack like you with ease,Zephyros scoffs, but the concern in his voice is unmistakable.
A cool breeze suddenly swirls around me. My body lifts from the ground, weightless as a feather. The familiar touch of Zephyros’s elemental power cradles me like clouds. My hair whips around my face as I float upward, rising until I’m level with his massivehead.
Wind Tethers snake around my waist and legs, holding me securely.
—Worry not. You’re safe now.
The world drops away as Zephyros launches skyward. My stomach lurches, but the motion lasts only seconds before we descend again, touching down on softer ground.
The wind cradles me once more, lifting me from his head and depositing me at the edge of water so clear it looks like liquid crystal. I blink, disoriented by the sudden change. A lake spreads before me, its surface glinting in the fading light.
I blink. It’s the lake where Vaylen and the Matron plummeted.
—Where is?—
—Drink,Zephyros commands.Questions later.
I drag myself the last few feet on trembling limbs, collapsing at the water’s edge. My reflection stares back, a stranger with hollow cheeks and wild eyes.
Wyrm’s rot!I look like a skeleton. I must really be hallucinating now.
I plunge my hands into the cool water and bring them to my cracked lips.
The first sip is agony against my parched throat. The second is pure bliss. I drink greedily, water spilling down my chin and neck, soaking the filthy remains of my clothing.
I finally stop drinking when my stomach threatens to revolt, sinking back onto my haunches with a gasp. Life flows back into my limbs with each breath, though my body still feels like I’ve been trampled by a group of angry dragons.
—Any food?I ask.I feel like I haven’t eaten in...I pause, realizing I have no idea how long it’s been.
Zephyros shifts his massive bulk, scales glinting in the fading light. His tail twitches, a gesture I recognize as discomfort.
—I... did not think of food,he admits, his tone tinged with embarrassment.I flew here as quickly as my wings could carry me once I sensed you again.
