AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He waved my hand away. "I feel fine." He sat up, shook his head, then lay back down again. "Just a few minutes more. What's wrong? You look like you saw a pale one."
"There's a hemitheos on the balloon," I said. "On the other ones too."
When he looked at me questioningly, I said, "The cannon. There's no recoil. A fucking balloon would be knocked back every time they fire."
"Unless something is holding them there," Bain finished. "Or someone. Fuck, I should have seen that."
He touched his head and winced. "Go. Tell Kayley."
I was torn between staying to make sure he didn't do something stupid and warning the Dragonesque, but I nodded and rose. I staggered over to Kayley and tried not to fall at her feet. Zeph caught me at the last minute, which of course earned me more scowls.
I gave my warning in a rush of words. "When they're close enough, the cannon will be the least of their worries."
"Is there nothing you can do?" Kayley said. "These are your people." She didn't even try to contain the accusation.
"They're not mine," I snapped. "If they were, they wouldn't be trying to kill me."
She looked at me like she wasn't certain about that assumption.
"You need to warn them," I told her.
"She's right," Zeph said, although he seemed reluctant to admit it. Or reluctant to stand up to Kayley. "I'll go," he added.
"Not without me," she said. She didn't give him a chance to argue before she was naked and already shifting.
He shrugged and let go of my arm to do the same.
I stood back at a safe distance and watched the pair take off. Any other time, I would be impressed. Right now though, I was scared. For them. For myself. For Bain, even though he seemed to be a lot better.
I made my way back to him and flopped down in the dirt.
"Why balloons?" I asked.
He shrugged. "People like the old ways. Balloons fit into that. They're not used often but…"
"Often enough?" I suggested. "And for evil instead of good."
"Usually just for mapping," he said. "Whether that's good or evil is a matter of opinion."
I looked at him in amazement. "Did you just make a joke?"
He smiled slightly. "I might have. That depends if it was funny or not."
"It wasn't bad," I told him. I turned my eyes to the sky.
Zeph and Kayley hadn't caught up to the others yet. How they planned to warn them, I had no idea. Maybe they were telepathic in that form, or something. More likely they had some kind of language, or sign language they used.
Whatever it was, I hoped they got to the others in time. The Alpha's brother might be an irresistible target. If they knew him on sight that was. Both brothers kept a tight lid on their identities, except to those they trusted. Hades, Devlin even spoke to many of his people with a screen between them.
I caught a flash of movement behind me just before I heard the sound of footsteps.
I whipped around. Not fast enough to see before someone bound me with power.
Bain lashed out. He grunted.
My eyes were covered with a bag made of dark fabric.
"Viva," he said frantically.
