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“So, the time has finally come,” Ivar replied, fear and excitement twinging at the edge of his voice.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The Brotherhood and the Cult are going to war,” he answered.
Chapter Ten
Luna
“Come. We have to get moving,” Ivar said gruffly, cutting off any further questions I wanted to ask about what he meant by war. I bit my lip, swallowing my concerns and focusing on the all-important task of getting out of this dark pit so that I could get back to Vikar and my daughter.
“Can you walk, Luna?” Dyna asked gently, offering me a hand and I took it gratefully.
“I have a small stash of food stocked a short distance away. I have enough to make sure that you get a decent meal so that you have enough energy to make it out of here. The journey is going to be a hard one and you’re going to need all the nourishment you can get,” Ivar added.
I nodded. Even though it was risky, I needed to trust these two. They were my best chance at getting out of here and I was going to take it.
I didn’t have anything to lose. If I stayed, I would die. I had no doubts about that. Even if either one of them betrayed me, the result would still be the same. The Cult would capture me again, torture me for information, and then they would kill me in cold blood. At least this way I had a chance.
I rubbed my wrists, trying to massage away the feeling of the cuffs that had bound me so tightly for so long. I couldn’t see what they looked like, but they were tender enough that I knew they were bruised. They were going to hurt for some time as a constant reminder of the Cult’s and my father’s cruelty.
I had to run. I had to get out.
“Lead the way,” I answered, letting go of Dyna’s hand. I took one shaky step and then another. She offered her arm, although this time I didn’t take it. Instead, I stood tall all on my own and put everything that was left inside me into walking out of the door of my cell.
I would escape for Vikar and for my daughter. I would survive for the two of them
Ivar nodded with satisfaction and turned, his dark cloak whirling around his large form. I followed him and Dyna fell in behind me. The three of us left that dank cell and I didn’t look back.
* * *
Ivar had been right. The journey out of the caves was long, and far more arduous than I expected. I slipped a number of times and almost fell, but the two of them were there to catch me every time. I scraped my palms on the rock while trying to climb over the hard terrain, but I never complained, not even once. Neither did Dyna or Ivar. We just did what we had to do to get out. Our lives and the life of my child counted on it.
It took several hours to escape the dark tunnels beneath Ravenrath, but when we finally emerged it was dark outside. The underground rivers connected with the much larger Suna Kava, the soft trickling sounds of the water soothing as the small rivers joined with the much heavier current. After being in the dark for so long, the stars and the crescent moon were so bright that I had blink my eyes several times to adjust to their light. I was grateful for their glittering beauty though and for a long moment I reveled in it.
I took a deep breath, taking in the fresh air of the wilds and enjoying the freedom that came with it. There was a soft rustling on the wind, and I looked up to the sky. A dark form flew up high above us and I drew in an anxious breath. Its enormous body blocked out the light of the stars and I narrowed my eyes, trying to determine what it was. It took me several moments, but eventually I figured out what creature was flying over the three of us.
A very large bird glided gracefully on the wind, lower and lower with its massive wings outstretched until it landed in the sand on the riverbank a short distance away from us. Two more landed beside the first after that and I took a step back.
The largest bird trilled softly.
He was magnificent.
It was an albatross. I had thought they had gone extinct a long time ago during the Great War, their ranks decimated in the fallout.
“Thornclaw,” Ivar murmured in greeting. “Razorbeak. Stormwing,” he added, nodding to the other two. I glanced from him and back at the albatrosses, recognizing that they were likely allies rather than our foes at that point.
I studied them more closely as I struggled to push away my disbelief at their presence. The one in the center was nearly eight feet tall and when he spread his wings, I was quite sure they nearly doubled that size. The silver-gray feathers that adorned his head and torso sparkled in the moonlight and gradually darkened to a shade of black at the tips of his wings, giving him a distinct otherworldly and ethereal appearance. The enormous bird jostled its feathers, revealing an even brighter shade of white beneath. Light gray feet and black claws dugs into the dirt. The albatross cocked his head to the side and opened his gray beak. A musical trilling sound echoed around me and I looked on in wonder. The other large males chirped and the one at the center took a step forward.
“Luna, Thornclaw would like you to approach him. Touch him. He wishes to speak with you,” Ivar guided, and
I narrowed my brow in confusion. Cautiously, I moved forward and the albatross stayed entirely still, as if he could read my nervousness about coming near such a stunning creature. I took one step and then another. He lowered his head toward me and chirped quietly in encouragement. I lifted my hand, gently pressing it against the soft feathers on his throat. My entire body vibrated with what could only be the powerful rumble of magic and I drew in a breath in surprise. It passed after several seconds and then I heard Thornclaw speak for the first time.
“Luna of Ravenrath. It is nice to meet you. My name is Thornclaw and these are my sons, Stormwing and Razorbeak,” he said, but his voice reverberated inside my head. The albatross hadn’t opened his beak. He hadn’t uttered a single sound. His words had simply resounded within my mind. I’d never experienced anything like it before, but when I met his inquisitive black beady eyes, I was left in a state of awe rather than fear.
“The honor is mine, Thornclaw,” I whispered in response.
“There is someone that’s looking for you,” he replied gently, cocking his head as his gaze met mine.
